This week, our Top Pick is a trio of treats. They’re not related to each other but for the fact that they’re all very special and worth seeking out.

Our first product is Tipsy Cocktail Stirrers from Sable & Rosenfeld.

Bloody Marys, martinis and any savory cocktail will be greatly enhanced by dressing up with gourmet cocktail stirrers. So will a sandwich, a burger or anything else that begs for visual excitement and savory splendor. (That makes it a great gift, too.)

Tipsy cocktail stirrers are also a very low calorie snack, and certified kosher by OU.

Why didn’t we think of this? Our new favorite
cocktail garnish. Photo by Katharine Pollak |
THE NIBBLE.

]]> http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/03/10/top-pick-of-the-week-part-1-tipsy-cocktail-stirrers/feed/ 0 http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/03/09/discount-walkers-shortbread-biscuits-cakes/ http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/03/09/discount-walkers-shortbread-biscuits-cakes/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:31:13 +0000 admin http://blog.thenibble.com/?p=11394

If there’s anyone in America who hasn’t had Walker’s shortbread, then he or she isn’t a cookie person.

But store shelves have limited space: Unless you visit a theoretical Shortbread Emporium, you’re not likely to find all the different types of Walkers Shortbread—the variety of shapes (fingers, ovals, rounds, petticoat triangles) and flavors (chocolate chip, chocolate covered). And there are oatcakes, which we love with cheese (and so must Queen Elizabeth II, as the boxes carry her royal warrant).

There is also a bevy of biscuits (the British word for both cookies and savory biscuits): Belgian Chocolate Chunk, Chocolate Chunk and Hazelnut, Fruit and Lemon, Oatflake and Cranberry, Stem Ginger, and White Chocolate Chunk & Raspberry.

Walkers has been baking shortbread in the Scottish Highlands since 1898. While other old-time bakers have substituted cheaper ingredients in their original recipes, Walkers still uses only the finest pure ingredients with no artificial colors, flavorings or preservatives. The cookies are certified Kosher OU-D and are suitable for vegetarians.

Crown a sundae with a Petticoat Tail short-
bread for an unforgettable presentation. Photo courtesy Walkers.

For those who can’t succumb to the regular shortbread and biscuits, there’s an entire line of Weight Watchers sweet biscuits and savory biscuits, but it is not available in the United States.

And then there are the cakes: Courvoisier Liqueur Fruit Cake, Drambuie Liqueur Fruit Cake, Glenfiddich Whisky Cake and more (sorry, the alcohol is not kosher-certified).

Save 20% Through April 1st

NIBBLE readers enjoy a 20% discount through April 1st. So try new things—and pick up a few Easter Basket gifts for your friends. Use code nibblewalkers at checkout. Head over to WalkersUS.com and dig in!

]]> http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/03/09/discount-walkers-shortbread-biscuits-cakes/feed/ 0 http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/27/tip-of-the-day-hamantaschen-for-purim/ http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/27/tip-of-the-day-hamantaschen-for-purim/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:56:09 +0000 admin http://blog.thenibble.com/?p=11084

Make hamentaschen this weekend. Photo
courtesy Zabars.com.  

You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy hamantaschen (also spelled hamentaschen), the traditional tri-corned cookie that celebrates the Jewish holiday of Purim. This year it’s celebrated from February 28th through March 1st.

The story of Purim, as told in the Bible’s Book of Esther, tells of the deliverance of the Jewish people from an annihilation plot of the Persian king Haman, who wore a tri-corner hat (hence the shape of the cookies, the name of which translates into “Haman’s pockets”).

]]> http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/27/tip-of-the-day-hamantaschen-for-purim/feed/ 0 http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/22/product-baileys-coffee-creamers/ http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/22/product-baileys-coffee-creamers/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:44:24 +0000 admin http://blog.thenibble.com/?p=10887

Try it—you’ll like it! Photo courtesy HP Hood.  

Here’s a terrific coffee enhancer that delivers far less calories than those mocha-chocolattes. They’re so rich and creamy, no added whipped cream is needed.

Baileys Coffee Creamers—“all the flavor of Baileys without the alcohol”—are now available on the East Coast (for the time being, anyway—everyone else will have to be patient).

The #1 liqueur in the world recently introduced the line of super-premium coffee creamer products following three years of development and consumer testing. We say: Great job!

The four flavors—which include both sugar and real cream for your coffee—include Caramel, French Vanilla, Hazelnut and The Original Irish Cream. They’re all good—addictively good. Our favorite is Original, which tastes “just like Baileys without the alcohol.” A shot of Caramel in your coffee could substitute for a rich dessert.

In fact, at 35-40 calories per tablespoon, added to a cup of zero-calorie coffee, these are a great dessert substitute as well as a sure-to-be party favorite.

And they’re very affordable. Suggested retail price is $2.49 per 16-ounce container. French Vanilla and Hazelnut are available in quarts for $3.99. Look for them in the dairy section of your supermarket. The products are lactose-free (but do have 5g cholesterol per tablespoon) and have no caffeine. They are certified kosher OU-D.

The products are produced by HP Hood under license from R & A Bailey & Co. The website is BaileysCreamers.com—but there’s not much on it at this point. Hopefully, some of the recipes we picked up at the Coffee and Tea Festival in New York City will end up there soon.

Chukar Cherrie’s Triple Cherry Cobbler & Pie
Filling. Photo by Corey Lugg | THE NIBBLE.  

Love cherry pie? Most people make it from any old canned supermarket cherry goop, which tastes as much of cloying sugar as it does of cherries.

You can make a much more flavorful cherry pie with frozen tart cherries, or with a specialty brand of cherry pie filling.

Keep in mind: Sweet cherries like the Bing and Royal Anne are snacking cherries. Tart cherries like the Montmorency yield the best results in cooking and baking.

]]> http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/17/tip-of-the-day-deep-freeze-cherry-pie/feed/ 0 http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/16/cherry-tip-of-the-day-%e2%80%9cinstant%e2%80%9d-cherry-cake-with-dried-cherries/ http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/16/cherry-tip-of-the-day-%e2%80%9cinstant%e2%80%9d-cherry-cake-with-dried-cherries/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:29:32 +0000 admin http://blog.thenibble.com/?p=10752

Turn your favorite cake into a cherry cake
with dried cherries. Photo by Melody Lan |
THE NIBBLE  

Turn your favorite cake recipe—chocolate cake, pound cake, even carrot cake—into a cherry cake, just by mixing a cup of dried cherries into the batter.

Or, stir 1/4 cup of died cherries into the filling or frosting.

Instead of making cherry cheesecake with a cherry topping, stir dried cherries into the batter.

Any way, you’ve got a new variation on a favorite recipe, with no more effort than measuring out the cherries.

While you’re at it, sprinkle some dried cherries atop the icing of other cakes and cupcakes. They make a pretty, tasty and healthy garnish. Montmorency (tart) cherries are among the highest-antioxidant foods.

Read our review of Chukar dried cherries: Dried Bing, Columbia River Tart (Montmorency) and Rainier Cherries. They’re certified kosher by KOF-K.

]]> http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/16/cherry-tip-of-the-day-%e2%80%9cinstant%e2%80%9d-cherry-cake-with-dried-cherries/feed/ 0 http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/04/tip-of-the-day-great-american-pies/ http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/04/tip-of-the-day-great-american-pies/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:58:59 +0000 admin http://blog.thenibble.com/?p=10257

Celebrate Great American Pies Month by
trying a new pie recipe. Photo courtesy
Cherry Marketing Institute.  

February is Great American Pies Month. To celebrate, try a new recipe.

Find inspiration in our Pie & Pastry Glossary—ten pages of different types of pies and pie terms (and pictures of tempting pies).

In fact, you may find a Valentine’s Day pie to bake for your loved ones. This cherry pie with a lattice crust (not hard to make—it just takes some extra time) sure says “I Love You.” Here are an easy classic cherry pie recipe plus a reduced-sugar cherry pie recipe.

By the way, there are more than 1,000 varieties of cherry tree, but only about ten varieties are produced commercially. Each tree produces about 7,000 cherries or about thirty pies’ worth. The sour cherry or tart cherry makes the best cherry pie. See more fun cherry facts.

]]> http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/02/04/tip-of-the-day-great-american-pies/feed/ 0 http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/01/27/product-polaner-sugar-free-preserves-with-fiber/ http://blog.thenibble.com/2010/01/27/product-polaner-sugar-free-preserves-with-fiber/#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:46:14 +0000 admin http://blog.thenibble.com/?p=9898

Apricot and Raspberry, two of the six flavors
of Polaner’s Sugar-Free Preserves with Fiber.
Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.  

Why add fiber to sugar-free preserves?

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, most of us don’t get enough fiber in our diet. On average, American women get 12 grams per day; American men get 18.

Experts say we should get from 25 to 40 grams of fiber daily to help support a healthy digestive system, reduce the risk of heart disease and manage our weight (fiber is more filling). That’s why when you have a choice of eating foods with more fiber or less, you’re better off choosing more (most fruits and vegetables are high on the fiber list).

If you’re on a sugar-free or reduced-sugar diet, chances are that you’re already eating lots of good fruits and veggies. But now it’s sweeter to get an extra 3 grams of fiber (about 12% of your daily requirement), with every tablespoon of Polaner Sugar-Free Preserves with Fiber. They’re sweetened with Splenda.

We’ve been enjoying these jams—yes, they’re actually jam, not preserves (more about that in a minute)—since their debut, around the beginning of November 2009 (sorry we’re late in sharing the news).

Polaner recommends it on toast and muffins, of course; as an addition to smoothies or cookie dough, or whisked into oil and a bit of vinegar for a marinade.

The line is certified kosher. It’s just 10 calories per tablespoon, and for you carb counters:

- Sugar Free Apricot Preserves with Fiber: 4g carbs – 3g fiber = 1g net carb
- Sugar Free Blackberry with fiber: 5g carbs – 3g fiber = 2g net carbs
- Sugar Free Grape with Fiber: 4g carbs – 3g fiber = 1g net carb
- Sugar Free Orange Marmalade: 5 carbs – 3g fiber = 2g net carbs
- Sugar Free Raspberry with Fiber: 5g carbs – 3g fiber = 2g net carbs
- Sugar Free Strawberry with Fiber: 5g carbs – 3g fiber = 2g net carbs

COUPON: You can get a $1.00 coupon here. If you don’t have the Java aplet for printing coupons, start at the Polaner home page.

Have a chocolate craving? Consider if you’d rather have a chocolate bar that’s lower on the glycemic index than those sweetened with sugar. Or maybe you want one that’s guaranteed allergy-free?

Then unwrap the new, raw cacao gourmet chocolate bars from Organic Nectars. These new handmade chocolate bars—the first to be sweetened with organic palm nectar—are free of cane sugar, dairy, gluten, trans fats and cholesterol as are all Organic Nectars products.* In addition to being organic, the true benefit here is the palm nectar, which has a glycemic index of just 35—almost half that of sugar (which is 65 on the G.I. Index). That makes Organic Nectars a better-for-you chocolate bar.

*Note that plain chocolate bars are typically free of gluten, trans fats and cholesterol, and generally, only milk chocolate has dairy; but if you are concerned about dairy, read the label to see if any has been included or if the product was made on a machine that also makes milk chocolate.

In addition to being organic, the major benefit here is the palm nectar, which has a glycemic index of just 35—almost half that of sugar (which is 65 on the G.I. Index). That makes Organic Nectars a better-for-you chocolate bar. The chocolate is also available in one-pound blocks for baking.

Take a bite out of these organic, vegan and
kosher chocolate bars, which come in six varieties.

Available in six flavors, the vegan chocolate bars have a smooth taste and texture and a higher cacao content than most bars, which means more antioxidants. The bars are certified USDA Organic and certified Non-Dairy Kosher by Natural Food Certifiers. The 1.4-ounce bars retail at $5.20 to $5.40 each.

It’s not too late to enter the 4th Annual Manischewitz Cook-Off, potentially win a $25,000 prize package and meet legendary chef Jacques Pépin! You have until January 31st to enter your recipe.

This year, the The Man-O-Manischewitz Cook-Off requires contestants to use Manischewitz’s new All-Natural Broth, made with real chicken and beef (and available in Chicken, Reduced Sodium Chicken and Beef).

The dish has to be kosher, but you don’t have to be kosher (or Jewish) to enter. People from many different backgrounds submit recipes. Preparing Jewish cuisine at home is no different from making Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican and other ethnic cuisines.

Entrants will compete for a chance to win the $25,000 grand prize package, which includes GE Profile kitchen appliances and cash. Five finalists will win an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to compete live on March 18th. Celebrity chef Jacques Pépin is the MC and head judge.

Last year’s grand prize winner: Falafel
Sliders by Amy Siegel. Photo courtesy
The Manishewitz Company.

RECIPE: MARVELOUS MEDITERRANEAN FALAFEL SLIDERS

Enjoy the 2009 winning recipe from Amy Siegel of Clifton, New Jersey:

Ingredients

- 1 envelope Manischewitz Falafel Mix from 6.4 oz box
- 2 pounds ground turkey*
- 1 cup mint leaves, chopped (addl. for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large Bermuda onion, thinly sliced
- 1 can tehina (tahini)
- 12 3-inch soft rolls
- 1 head Bibb lettuce, washed and patted dry
- Pepper
- Water
*Empire produces regular and light varieties of ground turkey. Use the regular variety for best results in this recipe.

Preparation

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine falafel mix, turkey, mint leaves, black pepper to taste and 3-4 tablespoons cold water, to moisten. Shape mixture into 12 small patties.
2. Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Grill patties for 3-5 minutes per side, until no longer pink in center.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and Bermuda onion. Sauté for 10-12 minutes, until softened and golden.
4. In a small bowl, stir together tehina with ¼ cup water. Add more water to make a thinner sauce, if desired, set aside. Heat rolls in a 250°F oven for 5 minutes, or until warm.
5. To assemble sliders: On a plate, place bottom half of roll, lettuce leaf, cooked patty, onions, 1 tablespoon tehina and top half of roll. Garnish with additional chopped mint leaves. Serve remaining tehina sauce on the side for dipping.