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THE NIBBLE’s Gourmet News & Views
Trends, Products & Items Of Note In The World Of Specialty Foods
This is the blog section of THE NIBBLE. Read all of our content on TheNibble.com,
the online magazine about gourmet and specialty food.
Archive for Condiments
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October 21, 2009 at 5:13 pm
· Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, Condiments, Entertaining, Gifts, Recipes
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Get free shipping through October 31 plus a new Bloody Mary recipe. Photo courtesy of RicksPicksNYC.com. |
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Our favorite pickle perfectionist, Rick’s Picks, is offering FREE SHIPPING in the contiguous U.S. (that’s the same as the Lower 48) through the end of the month, on orders of 4 jars or more. (It’s very easy to devour one jar at a sitting—they’re so divine and very low-calorie and healthy). You can pick four pickled peppers, or any of Rick’s fabulous Picks, for your own gourmandizing or for gifts, and can have them shipped now or later—just get the order in by October 31 to qualify.
Enter coupon code: octoberfree (all lower case) when you order at RicksPicksNYC.com to get the free shipping. We love all the products, but go batty for the Phat Beets (the top seller), the Green Tomato Condiment (formerly called GT 1000s, curried green tomato pickles), Windy City Wasabeans in a soy-wasabi brine, Smokra (pickled okra seasoned with smoked paprika) and … heck, we may as well list everything.
Enjoy the screaming good Bloody Mary recipe below for Halloween, which features Rick’s Picks’ Mean Beans, a spicy dilly bean (cayenne joins the traditional dill and garlic seasoning). Low in calories—just 20 per 7-bean serving—the brine is used in the Bloody Mary, and you can toss fresh string beans from the store into the remaining brine to make new pickles. As with all of Rick’s Picks, there’s no hidden sugar.
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Rick’s Picks Mean & Bloody
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce vodka
- 3 ounces tomato juice (see our review of the best)
- 2 dashes Worcestershire
- 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 2 dashes Tabasco or to taste
- A dash of freshly-ground pepper
- 1 quarter lemon, squeezed
- Generous splash of Mean Beans brine (try other dilly bean or pickle brine if you don’t have Mean Beans—but it won’t be as good!)
- Mean Beans to garnish
Preparation:
1. Combine ingredients. Shake or stir.
2. Pour over ice. Garnish and serve.
3. Have extra Mean Beans on hand for demanding guests.
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Read our review of Rick’s Picks, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.
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October 8, 2009 at 7:00 am
· Filed under Condiments, Gifts, Kosher Nibbles
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xciting mayonnaises and mustards turn everyday ingredients into delicious canapés. Photo by KS Chin | IST. |
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We’ve fallen in love with a few products that have become part of our permanent pantry. In this Top Pick Of The Week, you’ll meet:
Marvelous Mayos
Baconnaise: Enjoy your BLT without the fatty bacon. This mayonnaise not only tastes like bacon, it’s certified kosher!
Spicy Lemonaise: Three sizzling new siblings from a prior Top Pick Of The Week, The Ojai Cook Lemonaise line. Pick your heat: Cha Cha Chipotle, Fire & Spice (cayenne and cumin) and Green Dragon (wasabi). The line is certified kosher.
Mighty Mustards
Boar’s Head Pepperhouse Gourmaise: The entire NIBBLE staff is addicted to this peppery deli mustard, mayonnaise and horseradish blend.
FungusAmongUs Truffle Mustard. There’s 6% black truffle in this gourmet delight. It’s a wee bit of luxury.
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Swell Sweeties
Mount Cabot Maple Syrup: This organic, unblended maple syrup from New Hampshire may start a demand for single-origin maple syrups.
Shootflying Hill Salty Butterscotch Dessert Sauce: Like salted caramel candy? Now you can have it in a dessert sauce.
All make great small gifts and stocking stuffers. Read more in the full review.
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September 15, 2009 at 7:47 am
· Filed under Condiments, Tip Of The Day
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Adding 1/8 teaspoon of dry mustard (like Colman’s) to a cup of vinaigrette before you whisk it together helps the emulsion of oil and vinegar from breaking apart. It also adds a small spark of flavor. Any prepared mustard adds flavor to a vinaigrette, but you need dry mustard for the emulsion trick. Another trick: Mix the vinaigrette in a blender instead of whisking. It won’t separate for a day!
- Learn more about vinegar in our article, Vinegar 101.
- Check out the history of mustard and all the different types of mustard.
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September 5, 2009 at 7:00 am
· Filed under Condiments, Kosher Nibbles, Low Calorie
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Don’t come near our jar of Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Tamed Jalapeño Peppers—we’re saving them all for ourselves. Our favorite new condiment, these pickled jalapeño slices solve a problem as they add exciting new flavor to franks, burgers, sandwiches (any, but don’t forget grilled cheese!), salads, omelets, dips, relish trays and as long a list of savory foods as you can imagine—especially that obvious choice, nachos. Add a few to any plate as a zesty garnish.
We like jalapeño, but biting into even a small bit of a fresh one is a bit too much bite for us: too much burn, and when you’re in the food-tasting business, that takes out the taste buds for more time than we have to be out of commission. We promise, you need have no fear when you bite into these. Plus, they’re sugar-free and are a dieter’s dream: 5 slices for 7 calories. They’re certified kosher by KSA.
Mezzetta also sells the same product unsliced, called Tamed Jalapeño Peppers En Escabeche, as well as numerous other varieties of whole and deli-sliced peppers. (In the Shop Online section of the website, the sliced variety can be found under Deli-Sliced and the whole peppers are under Imported & Domestic Peppers). We look forward to trying the others, but in the interim, thanks to G. L. Mezzetta of Napa Valley for this new discovery.
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These jalapeño slices have been “tamed” by pickling—and are delicious on just about anything. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE. |
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See our Chile Glossary for the different varieties of chile peppers.
Make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich for those jalapeño slices.
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August 31, 2009 at 7:21 am
· Filed under Condiments, Recipes, Tip Of The Day
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Mix mustards, chutneys, pestos, and salsas with nonfat yogurt to create low-calorie, creamy dressings, dips and sauces. While condiments are great flavor-enhancers by themselves, transforming them into a creamy sauce adds versatility to your dishes. Using nonfat yogurt adds few calories compared with cream or sour cream. However, yogurt will separate when heated, so if you want a warm sauce, have the yogurt at room temperature and warm it ever-so-slightly. You can warm the mustard, chutney, pesto or salsa more easily, and then mix it with the yogurt.
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August 27, 2009 at 6:59 am
· Filed under Condiments, Tip Of The Day
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If you have an outdoor grill, you already know that there’s nothing better than a thick tuna or swordfish steak grilled rare over the coals. But they’re even better with a great relish or sauce. Check out the selection at your specialty foods store. We love Made In Napa Valley’s Roasted Corn with Red Bell Pepper Condiment. For meats, try the Roasted Portobella Tapenade.
See more of our favorite condiments.
Check out THE NIBBLE’s recommended Rubs, Marinades, Sauces & Glazes.
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August 25, 2009 at 6:59 am
· Filed under Condiments, Recipes
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One of our favorite homemade condiments is caramelized onions. They make an ordinary sandwich a gourmet treat; they’re a plate garnish for everything from eggs and luncheon salads to dinner meats. And they’re so easy to make and keep until you need them. Cut two large onions into 1/2-inch-thick slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly, stirring occasionally until well caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container. People will love them on their Labor Day burgers.
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August 14, 2009 at 6:59 am
· Filed under Condiments, Spreads & Dips, Tip Of The Day
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A classic with roast beef, this mayo pairs well with seafood, burgers, turkey, cheese and veggies and is a zippy general sandwich spread and dip. Plus, it’s so easy to make—including a diet version with lowfat mayo. Stir together 1 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish (more if you like) and 1/4 cup minced chives or scallions. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice or some grated lemon zest, and you have a winner.
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August 10, 2009 at 6:59 am
· Filed under Condiments, Tip Of The Day
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A decade ago, ketchup, with its sweet flavor profile, lost ground to spicy salsa as America’s favorite condiment. If you love the sweet tomato flavor of ketchup but also like the spice of salsa, you can have the best of both worlds with spicy ketchup. You can buy it easily (Tabasco makes one, and there are a number of specialty brands). If you don’t have room on the refrigerator door for one more bottle, it’s easy to make spicy ketchup by adding hot sauce to your regular ketchup. A more gourmet approach is to add fresh or canned chopped chiles (like jalapeños)—they provide a nice texture as well as a more complex flavor. You can snip in some fresh herbs for color. We serve spicy ketchup in ramekins or add it as a plate garnish. It’s great on a burger or fries.
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August 6, 2009 at 7:00 am
· Filed under Condiments, Fish/Seafood/Caviar, Recipes
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Add 4 ounces of slivered almonds to tuna, egg and chicken salads for a crunchy gourmet twist. Use fresh herbs: Snip basil, chives, cilantro, dill or parsley into your salad for more great flavor with no added calories. Another tip—use a great mayonnaise like those from The Ojai Cook, a Top Pick Of The Week. Its delicious Lemonaise is redolent of lemon and gentle spice, which layers more flavor into the salad. Lemonaise Light has half the calories, but you can use half mayonnaise, half fat-free yogurt to cut down on the calories, too.
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Lemonaise is a mainstay dressing in THE NIBBLE kitchen. |
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