The French Invasion Margarita Recipe With Peas & Tarragon

Some chefs are inspired to go beyond classic recipes and create their own unusual take on a dish—or a drink. Chef Julio Medina, who has an empire* of refined Latin cuisine restaurants in New York City, likes to create special menus, including specialty Margaritas, for each location. His latest creation, for Toloache, is an homage…
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Try Some Chocolate Dragées, A.K.A. Panned Confections

The original dragées* (drah-ZHAY) are sugar-coated almonds. Technically, the nuts are encapsulated in a hard-shell coating. English speakers call them Jordan almonds—not because they’re from Jordan (they’re from Spain). It’s a corruption of the French word for garden, jardin, which refers to the large variety of almonds). The almonds can also have a chocolate coating…
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FOOD HOLIDAY: National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day

The gourmet version of Raisinets, from Lake Champlain Chocolates (certified kosher).   Today is National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day. In the form of Raisinets, the dried-fruit-in-a-candy-shell is a movie theater staple and the third-largest selling candy in U.S. history. To make the candy, raisins are coated with oil and spun in a hot drum with…
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COOKING VIDEO: Make Your Own Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

  Peanut butter cups: We love them! How can you make the everyday peanut butter cup even better? Create them yourself, using better ingredients than are used in mass-marketed PB cups. The trick is to buy the most delicious chocolate morsels (or gourmet chocolate) and the tastiest peanut butter. You can use your favorite “shade”…
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VALENTINE’S DAY: Gourmet Chocolates

We love getting gifts from Chocolat Céleste (it means “heavenly chocolate” in French), a Minneapolis-based artisan chocolatier. The ganache fillings are delicious and the cocoa-butter transfers that decorate the tops are lovely. If you’re looking for a special box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day, head over to the website and take your pick. Gift boxes…
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