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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 Spreads & Dips
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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 3, 2009 at 7:00 am
· Filed under Spreads & Dips
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When you see a jar of Pace salsa on the shelf of your supermarket, are you aware that Pace is the brand that “started it all” in bottled salsa? While salsa seems ubiquitous—and unless you’re in the business, you won’t believe how many different brands there are—there was no salsa on the shelf in 1947 (just hot sauce), when Dave Pace introduced his original Pace Picante sauce. It was a smooth blend of tomatoes, onions and jalapeños. (In 1995, Pace Foods was acquired by Campbell Soup Company.)
Over the years, the “menu” has expanded to include Chunky Salsa, Pico De Gallo, Salsa Verde, Mexican Four Cheese Salsa con Queso, Pineapple Mango Chipotle Salsa and Black Bean & Roasted Corn Salsa.
Recently, we tried the latter two salsas, the newest additions to the line. Admittedly, we’re not into fruit salsa. We like salsa because it’s savory and sugar-free. Add fruit and sugar, and you’ve sweetened something that we enjoy because it’s the antithesis of sweet. Yet, peach, pineapple and mango salsas are big sellers: Never underestimate how the American palate has been warped to want sugar in bread, soup, stews, even salsa. We pour sugar onto our meat (barbecue sauce, steak sauce, ketchup) and potatoes (look at the ingredients in flavored chips).
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Pace was the first commercial salsa in America, launched in 1947. |
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The Black Bean & Roasted Corn Salsa is also sweetened, to a lesser extent, with sugar and unsuphured molasses. If you’d like to try black bean salsa without sugar, our favorite is Jardine’s. Granted, it’s twice the price of Pace, but the savory salsas have no sugar and Jardine’s Salsa Bobos, (bobos is Spanish for “confetti”) is so thick with beans and corn that it could be served as a side vegetable. For old time’s sake, though, pick up a jar of Pace Picante Sauce and see how the whole salsa movement began.
See a photo of Salsa Bobos, and our review of Jardine’s Salsa, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.
See reviews of all of our favorite salsas.
Read the history of salsa, including the part played Dave and Margaret Pace and their Picante Sauce.
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June 25, 2009 at 7:02 am
· Filed under Cheese/Yogurt/Dairy, Cocktails & Spirits, Cookies/Cake/Pastry, Entertaining, Recipes, Spreads & Dips
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For a twist on the campfire classic, try these Cinnamon S’Mores. |
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Good tortilla chips are always welcome at a party. But there is so much more to tortilla chips than salsa, guacamole and Margaritas. To celebrate their four new tortilla chip flavors, Food Should Taste Good, a company that specializes in gourmet flavored corn chips, (so good, they were a NIBBLE Top Pick of the Week—read our review), has glamorized chips and dips by hiring a top French chef, Florent Tourondel of New York City’s BLT Market, to create party fare. Tourondel and his team combined the flavored chips with gourmet dips and cocktail recipes. We attended a party with four “tasting stations”: Check out the recipe links below, and host your own pairing party. There’s every level of sophistication, from a cheese fondue with amber ale to cinnamon s’mores with a cappuccino cocktail.
Cheddar Chive Fondue & Microbrew Ale
Cinnamon S’Mores & Cappuccino Cocktail
Creamy Guacamole & Watermelon Basil Martini
Tomato Mango Chutney & Mango Rum Punch
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June 3, 2009 at 9:59 pm
· Filed under Low Calorie, Low Fat, Snacks, Spreads & Dips
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| There exists a fine balance between sweet and savory—too much of one and the other falls short. For those who like sweet salsa, Mrs. Renfro’s Gourmet Salsas deserve your attention. All natural, there isn’t one ingredient on the label that wouldn’t come straight from your refrigerator or pantry. Rather than dominate the flavor palette, the fruit notes in these salsas amplify the vegetable flavors and cut through the heat. The consistency is on the thick side, perfect for clinging to a tortilla chip, blanketing a bland meat like chicken or blending with yogurt or sour cream for an instant, creamy crudité dip or spread.
Tequila
Tequila adds a piquant bite to mellow, sweet pineapple. The subtle tang of fresh lime juice and a mounting heat towards the finish make for an excellent overall flavor. |
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Mrs. Renfro’s Pineapple Salsa. |
Pineapple
If you’re at all a fan of fresh, ripe pineapple, this is the Holy Grail of salsa for you. As proven by the popular “Hawaiian” pizza, tomato and pineapple make a delicious couple. With juicy chunks of sweet-and-tangy fruit in every bite, you barely notice Mrs. Renfro’s signature hot finish.
Pomegranate
Many products claiming to be pomegranate-flavored end up tasting like anything but. Not so with this salsa. The fruit shines clearly through the rich, smoky chipotle without so much as a peep from artificial flavoring. The lingering sweet-hot afterburn will have you immediately reaching for another chip.
The verdict: we’re more than likely to dip into these again!
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January 5, 2009 at 4:18 pm
· Filed under Low Fat, Recipes, Spreads & Dips
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With those New Year’s resolutions that include “lose weight,” substituting mustard for mayonnaise wherever possible is an easy switch. French’s claims that, simply by substituting mustard for mayonnaise on your sandwiches three times a week, you could lose a minimum of four pounds per year. To that, we’d add, try Dijon mustard instead of sugar-laden ketchup as a dip for fries and on burgers. Mustard has no fat, no carbohydrates, is gluten-free and has as few as 5 calories per teaspoon (honey mustard has more). Ketchup has about the same calories (15 per tablespoon), but it’s mostly sugar, and thus 4-5g of carbs, compared to 0g for the mustard. |
Mustard is an extremely versatile ingredient. Dijon is often used to add flavor to vinaigrettes, soups, sauces, as well as dips. You can vary the flavors with horseradish mustard, walnut mustard, spicy mustard: the mustard at your specialty food store is a gourmet paradise, and even the supermarket has a lot of choice. Here’s a tasty cucumber dip recipe from French’s—at 45 calories per 2-tablespoon serving, it compares quite nicely to mayo-based dips that start at 100 calories a tablespoon.
Cool & Creamy Cucumber Dressing
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream or nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard or spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Cover; process until well blended. Transfer to covered container; chill in refrigerator.
2. Serve over mixed salad greens or with crudites. Makes 1-1/3 cups dressing.
Nutritional amount per 2 tablespoon serving: 45 calories, 4g fat, 2g saturated fat, 1g protein,
2g carbohydrates, 0g dietary fiber, 2g net carbs, 8mg cholesterol, 61mg sodium. |
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December 30, 2008 at 9:00 am
· Filed under Bread, Crackers, Muffins, Cheese/Yogurt/Dairy, Condiments, Pasta/Pizza, Rice/Beans/Grains, Salts/Seasonings, Snacks, Spreads & Dips, Top Pick Of The Week
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We wish you a happy and healthy New Year. In fact, you can start 2009 with a pantry full of some healthy Top Picks Of The Week from 2008. These delicious foods will not only meet with your approval; they’ll get the nod from your doctor, nutritionist and trainer, too.
- Cool Beans Dip. Leave the mayonnaise and sour cream dips behind in 2009. Keep the good taste as you trade up to the heart-healthy olive oil base and good nutrition of white beans. Cool Beans is a winner of THE NIBBLE Outstanding Artisan Award.
- French Meadow Bakery. This fine organic baker makes it easy to get your whole grain quota of the day. Just switch to their bread and bagels.
- Holly’s Oatmeal. Even if you think you don’t like oatmeal, give Holly’s a try. It’s a mix of several different whole grains; just one serving has 38g of your 48g daily whole grain requirement. Holly’s Oatmeal is a winner of THE NIBBLE Outstanding Artisan Award.
- Rick’s Picks Pickles & Pickled Vegetables. No sugar, no salt, just delicious farm-fresh vegetables and artisan brine seasoned with fine spices and herbs. Great as snacks, garnishes and low-calorie treats for dieters. Rick’s Picks is a winner of THE NIBBLE Outstanding Artisan Award. |
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Is a bagel “healthy” food? Yes, when it’s a whole
grain bagel like this one from French Meadow
Bakery. Top it with 0% fat, thick Greek yogurt
instead of cream cheese (we like Chobani, FAGE
and Oikos brands). |
- Sauces ‘n Love Tomato Sauces. There’s no need to add sugar to a tomato sauce when you use tomatoes that are so naturally sweet. These low-calorie sauces are not just for pasta, but for vegetables, tofu, meats, dips and more.
- SAVU Smoker Bags. How can you make food taste new and wonderful without adding a single calorie? Here’s the answer! Smoke meat, fish and vegetables in your oven or on the grill.
- True Natural Taste Artisan Organic Mustard. Save calories and enjoy the health benefits of mustard. Make your New Year’s resolution: more delicious mustard, less mayonnaise.
- Vermont Butter & Cheese Company. Goat cheese has less fat and fewer calories than cow’s milk cheese, and is more easily digested, too. Eat more goat cheese in 2009!
Read the reviews of all of these products by clicking on the links above. And watch for THE NIBBLE’s January “health month” issue, online January first. |
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