THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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TIP OF THE DAY: Leeks


Lovely leeks. Photo by Marlon Paul Bruin |
SXC.

 

On this past Sunday’s episode of Desperate Housewives, Susan Mayer had no idea what the long white vegetable that looked like a ginormous scallion was.

While it seems improbable that anyone who has ever strolled through a produce aisle can’t recognize a leek, it gave us this Tip Of The Day idea.

Leeks—a member of the onion species, allium—are in season now, and anyone who likes onions should cook some up.

To those Latin students who know that allium is garlic: garlic is also a member of the onion species, as are chives, shallots and ramps (wild leeks).

The edible portions of the leek are the white onion base and light green stalk. The bittersweet dark green portion at the end of the stalk is usually discarded.

Some recipes use only the white base. Save the light green portion for salads, stocks, quiche, burgers, general garnishes and so forth. Or batter and fry them as fried onion stalks, instead of onion rings.

 

Julia Child first introduced us to leeks in Mastering The Art Of French Cooking: leeks braised in butter (served with hot entrées, or served cold with cold meats and seafood), leeks browned with cheese and leeks in a ham quiche.

We later learned to love leeks as a soup ingredient. Scotland’s cock-a-leekie soup (chicken and leeks), leek and potato soup and vichyssoise—that delightful cold summer soup made of potatoes and leeks—are the most famous leek soups. Leeks are also the main ingredient in three-onion soup, along with onions and shallots.

Here’s a variation on that soup—a recipe for two-onion soup, made with leeks and sweet onions, also in season. Turn it into three-onion soup by adding a couple of minced shallots or garnishing it with chopped chives.

  • See the many types of soup in our Soup Glossary.
  • One last note: Leeks grow in sandy soil. Rinse them several times and look for sand.
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    PRODUCT: Cupcake Vodka

    For everyone who enjoys cupcakes at a party, there’s now an official cupcake drink: Cupcake Vodka.

    The vodkas are made by Cupcake Vineyards of Monterey County, California, which produces 14 affordable wine varietals in addition to four premium vodka flavors.

    The vodka flavors are Original (vanilla cupcake), Chiffon (lemon cupcake), Devil’s Food and Frosting. The 750 ml bottles retail for $17.99.

    The vodkas are just rolling out to retailers. There are no online sales yet so we haven’t tasted them yet, but we’re working on it! Stay tuned for a full review.

    If you want to keep abreast of retail availability, sign up at CupcakeVodka.com.

  • The history of cupcakes.
  • Our favorite cupcake recipes.
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    Devil’s Food Cupcake Vodka, one of
    four flavors. Photo courtesy Cupcake Vineyards.
     

      

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    MOTHER’S DAY GIFT IDEA: The Best Toffee


    THE NIBBLE’s favorite toffee is a
    great Mother’s Day gift. Photo courtesy
    Enstrom’s.

      Combine chocolate, crunchiness and the most buttery almond toffee we’ve ever had, and you get a great gift idea for Mother’s Day, just 10 days away.

    We’ve enjoyed lots of good toffee, but Enstrom’s is number one on our list.

    The company makes conventional toffee, broken from the slab into rectangular pieces, as well as these individual pieces, called Almond Toffee Petites.

    Sugar-free toffee is also available—and just as delicious as the regular toffee. The products are certified kosher by Scroll K, The Vaad Hakashrus Of Denver.

  • Buy Almond Toffee Petites, 30 pieces for $19.95.
  • Buy Almond Toffee Petites, 60 pieces for $39.95.
  • Buy Sugar Free Almond Toffee, 1 pound for $20.95.
  • Buy Original Almond Toffee, your choice of dark or milk chocolate, 1 pound for $19.95.
  • Buy Original Almond Toffee, your choice of dark or milk chocolate, 2 pound for $39.95.
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    Mom will love it!

     

      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Make Iced Tea

    With warm weather upon us, our iced tea consumption rises to up to 6 bottles a day.

    That’s a $10/day habit in bottled tea, $70 per week. Or, a mere fraction of that if we brew our own.

    Given our combined desire to spend sensibly and consume sustainably, we focus on home brewing.

    You don’t need any fancy equipment, but there are some specialty ice tea brewers that make sense for those who drink a lot of iced tea. Check out the options from Hamilton Beach and West Bend.

    We personally use the Breville One-Touch Tea Maker, one of our favorite kitchen appliances. We let the hot tea cool, then pour it into recycled 16-ounce drink bottles and place them in the fridge. You can just as easily pour it into a pitcher if you prefer to serve it that way, or store the tea in recycled quart bottles.

     
    Iced tea makers brew the tea right in
    a pitcher. Photo courtesy West Bend.
     

    Before we had the Breville tea brewer, we simply put loose tea in a large mesh tea ball/spice ball, or tea bags, and then placed it in a large mixing bowl and poured in an entire kettle of boiling water. (For green tea, don’t bring the water to boiling. The ideal brewing temperature is 180°F.)

    For the best iced tea, buy loose tea from a specialty tea store. The flavors are so intense, no sugar or lemon is needed. And you’ll need less tea: Loose tea can be infused two or three times, while most tea bags are made to produce one cup of tea.

  • How to brew iced tea.
  • How to make tea, including brewing temperatures.
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    COOKING VIDEO: Strawberry Pie Recipe

     

    The warmer weather inspires us to go into pie-baking mode, before the summer heat makes us avoid turning on the oven.

    Have you ever made a strawberry pie? It couldn’t be easier: Just toss fresh strawberries with sugar and cornstarch. (We also add the zest of a lemon or orange, or a tablespoon of orange liqueur.)

    Make two pies: One to serve at home with strawberry or vanilla ice cream or whipped cream; the other as a gift for someone special.

       

       

  • Check out all the different types of pies in our Pie & Pastry Glossary.
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