In theory, you could celebrate them all at once: A bagel and cream cheese with the morning coffee break and a granola bar and some buttercrunch at the afternoon coffee break.

But we’ve decided to focus today’s tip on something more enlightening: pairing coffee and cheese.

The coffee-cheese pairing is more common than it might seem. The Swiss, Scandinavians and other Europeans enjoy cheese with their morning coffee. Americans regularly breakfast on coffee plus cream cheese on the aforementioned bagels, cheese omelets, cheese danish, grilled cheese sandwiches and Egg McMuffins (grilled cheese, ham and a fried egg on a toasted English muffin).

But let’s take a look at deliberate coffee and cheese pairings.

PAIRING CHEESE WITH COFFEE

As with wine and beer pairings, mild cheeses should typically be paired with a mild roast coffee, medium-strength cheeses with a medium roast and strong cheeses with a strong roast.

COFFEE AND “CARAMEL” CHEESES

Some cheeses beg to be paired with coffee. Two that are known for caramel notes:

COFFEE-RUBBED CHEESE

How about a cheese made with coffee? Utah-based Beehive Cheese Company coats some of their artisan Cheddar cheese in roasted Turkish coffee and lavender buds: an inspired combination that creates an edible rind and adds nutty flavor to the mild Cheddar. We like this unique cheese so much, it was a Top Pick Of The Week. Read our review of Barely Buzzed.
 
As with anything, your own palate and desire to experiment will lead to favorite pairings. Let us know what you come up with.
  

[1] Use popcorn as a soup garnish (all photos © National Popcorn Board).

[2] Add a popcorn crust to fish or chicken Here’s the recipe.

[3] Popcorn cereal, a popular breakfast in Colonial America. Here’s the recipe.

[4] Add popcorn to your meatloaf. Here’s the recipe.

[5] Top your chili with popcorn.

[6] Thai peanut- and popcorn-crusted chicken. Here’s the recipe.

[7] Add popcorn to a salad. Here’s the recipe.

[8] Add popcorn and cheese to cornbread Here’s the recipe.

January 19th is National Popcorn Day. We asked chef Johnny Gnall to come up some alternative ways to enjoy it.

Enjoy his recipe ideas, below.
 
 
In honor of National Popcorn Day, I spent some time popping a heck of a lot of popcorn and finding stuff to do with it—besides eating my weight in popcorn while watching a John Hughes marathon.

Popcorn is pretty cheap, so feel free to stock up and then try as many of these as you want.

Each of the ideas below can be used with plain popcorn if you want to keep it neutral. But feel free to spice things up, so to speak:

You can flavor your popcorn with anything from Tabasco to ginger to garlic to nori powder.

 
 
SOUP: MAKE YOUR SOUPS “POP”

From a steaming bowl of chowder to cool, clean gazpacho; from creamy puréed cauliflower soup to tart cherry soup:

Popcorn is the garnish that adds a pleasant, fluffy bite to any spoonful. It’s also a dazzling garnish when placed delicately upon the surface of a beautiful soup.
 
 
FRIED CHICKEN OR FISH: BATTER UP

Pop some popcorn, then crush it by placing plain or flavored popcorn in an unsealed plastic bag; gently roll over it a few times with a rolling pin or a wine bottle.

Put it aside and prepare your mise en place for fried chicken or fish: egg wash, flour, oil, etc.

After you dredge the chicken, roll it in the crushed popcorn as your last step before frying.

You can press the crushed kernels gently into the chicken/fish to help them stick. Don’t try to entirely cover the protein in popcorn, or it may burn before the chicken cooks.
 
 
PICNIC SALADS: POPPING UP

Popcorn is a terrific addition to comforting food salads like chicken salad, potato salad, even pasta salad.

As mentioned above, hold off on adding popcorn to the dish until just before serving, to keep the kernels from getting too soggy.

You can use the popcorn as a foil to the richness of a salad by seasoning it with bright, clean flavors: Lemon zest and a little cayenne works like gangbusters.

 
 THE UN-CROUTON

Croutons add a swell crunch to salads; but for those who can’t stomach gluten, croutons are obviously a no-go unless you make them from gluten-free bread.

To get that crunch and add another layer of flavor to any salad with less effort, pop some popcorn (corn is gluten free) and toss it with olive oil, spices, salt and pepper.

Then, sprinkle it over a bowl of salad. You may end up swearing off croutons altogether, opting for this healthier, whole grain, air-popped alternative.
 
 
GOAT CHEESE: LAYER YOUR LOG

You may be surprised at what a delight can come from a store-bought log of chèvre (goat cheese), some popcorn and a little imagination.

Pop, season and gently crush the popcorn as described above, then set aside.

Remove the log of chèvre from its packaging and bring it to room temperature; then drizzle it with a little olive oil and roll it in the plain or flavored popcorn to coat evenly.

You can also mix the crushed popcorn with some chopped nuts or dried fruit to add a variety of flavors and textures. We love pistachios with dried cherries, or sliced almonds and orange zest.
 
 
MOULES FRITES: HOLD THE FRITES

When you’re having a big, steaming bowl of mussels or clams, one of the best parts is sopping up the hearty, sumptuous broth at the bottom.

Crusty bread is perfect, and crispy shoestring fries are a close second. But for those who seek a healthier alternative, popcorn may be just the ticket.

Yes, we have been avoiding getting our popcorn soggy up to this point; but when the stuff doing the sogging is rich, warming, white wine and shallot and butter perfection, we don’t mind a mouthful of popcorn soaked in it.

You may even want to keep a bowl of the popcorn at your side to re-up throughout the meal.
 
 
THE ICING ON THE CAKE

Most people love popcorn, and most people love desserts. So it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that popcorn on or in dessert is a home run.

You can look to the obvious, caramel corn, and all of its scrumptious forms and variations: popcorn balls, Fiddle Faddle, Moose Munch from Harry & David….

The tried-and-true team up of popcorn, caramel and virtually anything else is likely to end up delicious.

But a combination I find even more enticing (thought admittedly more naughty) is the pairing of lightly salted popcorn with cake frosting.

I go crazy for a chocolate-frosted layer cake sprinkled with gently crushed, salted popcorn/

A single, flavored (or even chocolate dipped) kernel of popcorn at the peak of cupcake is an easy, tasty garnish; and for kids, a fluffy popcorn rain that covers the whole cupcake can be even more fun, both to assemble and to eat!
 
 
MOVE OVER, MICROWAVE

Enjoy these simple, creative ways to get the most out of what most people know only as a snack food; and never be afraid to think outside the kernel (pun inevitably intended).

Get popping (no pun intended), and remember that microwave popcorn should never be an option!

Stove-top popping takes literally five minutes and is easy as can be.

You’ll also avoid diacetyl, a chemical used in the production of microwave popcorn that has caused “popcorn lung”—a disease that’s not at all tasty.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the oil in the pot and bring to temperature over a medium-high heat.

2. ADD three “test kernels.” When one or more of them pop, add the remaining popcorn kernels. Stir to coat with oil and cover with the lid.

4. SHAKE the pot gently to prevent the kernels from burning. Continue to shake until you can no longer hear kernels moving on the bottom of the pan. Err on the side of caution; popcorn burns easily.

6. TURN OFF the heat and continue to shake the pot. When you hear no movement, cautiously open the lid: You can get hit by flying kernels.

7. ADD optional seasonings immediately: Warm popcorn better absorbs butter, grated cheese, chile oil, spices, etc.
 
 
> FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE POPCORN SNACKS AND POPCORN RECIPES.

A “leftovers” salad: farro with cooked
carrots, peas and corn; diced tomatoes and
ham; sliced olives and cooked yellow bell
pepper. Photo © Denio Rigacci | Dreamstime.

It has a nutty flavor; a firm, chewy texture; and is lighter in body than traditional grains such as rice and barley. Like arborio rice, farro releases a creamy liquid similar when cooked and can be used to make a [chewier] risotto.

Because it was harder to grow and produced lower yields, farro, an unhybridized form of wheat, took a back seat to higher-yielding hybrids. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were a just a few hundred acres under cultivation in Italy and little was grown elsewhere, except in Ethiopia (where emmer constitutes about 7% of the wheat crop).

Gourmet restaurants saved the farro crop—or rather, it was saved by the farmers of the French Haute Savoie who brought their product to them.

Always seeking something new to please their clientele, chefs embraced farro in soups, stews and sides. Their foodie clients wanted more, and the health-conscious discovered the nutrition of this whole grain. Today, you can find it at the supermarket.

FARRO IS NOT SPELT; IT IS EMMER WHEAT

Farro looks rather like spelt, another early version of wheat; but they are not the same. Farro is emmer wheat, the original wheat. The botanical name for farro and emmer wheat is Triticum dicoccum; spelt is Triticum spelta; our modern wheat is Triticum aestivum.

Pick up a bag of farro on your next trip to the food store.

If you can’t find farro in your local market, check at natural foods stores. Photo courtesy Roland.

Hot apple toddy (photo and recipe © U.S. Apple Association).

January 11th is National Hot Toddy Day; January 17th is National Hot Buttered Rum Day. October 20th is National Calvados Day: all occasions to celebrate with this Apple Toddy recipe.

Toddy and hot buttered rum are pretty much the same thing. A toddy can be made with any spirit (brandy, rum, whiskey) while hot buttered rum is specifically a rum toddy (and these days, no butter is included).

While this toddy recipe from the U.S. Apple Association does not use rum, it’s a truly delicious—and related—way to celebrate the day. The Association calls it “apple pie in a glass.”

Ideally, you should serve it in glass mugs or Irish coffee glasses, but any mug will do.
 
 
APPLE TODDY RECIPE

Ingredients For 2 Servings

Preparation

1. COMBINE cider, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and brown sugar in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.

2. REMOVE from heat and divide between two Irish coffee glasses or mugs. Transfer a cinnamon stick to each.

3. TOP each glass with half the sherry and brandy. Serve hot.

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*Calvados is apple brandy made specifically in the apple-growing Calvados region of lower Normandy, France. It is distilled from cider made from specially grown and selected apples. According to Wikipedia, “It is not uncommon for a Calvados producer to use over 100 specific varieties of apples, which are either sweet (such as the Rouge Duret variety), tart (such as the Rambault variety), or bitter (such as the Mettais, Saint Martin, Frequin, and Binet Rouge varieties), the latter being inedible.”

[1] A seafood gumbo with crayfish, oysters, shrimp and okra (photo © Mackenzie Ltd.).

[2] Gumbo is always served over white rice. Here, shrimp and andouille sausage gumbo (photo © Good Eggs).

[3] Okra, shown whole and sliced (photo © Melissa’s Produce | Facebook).

[4] Emerill Lagasse’s chicken and andouille sausage gumbo (photo © NOLA Restaurant | New Orleans).

[5] Emeril (and other cooks) use file powder instead of okra to thicken their gumbos. Okra thickens by becoming ribbon-like string as it releases a gum, while filé has a starchy type of thickening. Okra gives a better texture; filé gives a better flavor (photo © Zatarain’s).

[6] Ground filé (photo © Marietta Spice Mill).

[7] Andouille sausage, (photo © Wikipedia).

With most people we know are discussing Super Bowl recipes, we’d like to throw an idea onto the table: gumbo.

Even if you’ve never had gumbo, you’ve heard about it: a famous Creole* dish from Louisiana. A recipe from Emeril Lagasse is below.

As with just about any dish, ingredients vary and can include just about anything:

 
Whatever the details, the recipe will include what is called the “holy trinity” in Cajun and Creole cuisines: celery, green bell peppers, onions; plus a chicken stock base thickened with a roux (fat and flour).

No gumbo would be complete without a base of white rice, over which the gumbo is ladled.

And then, there’s okra (photo #3).

> October 12th is National Gumbo Day.

> Emeril’s gumbo recipe is below.

> Here’s the history of gumbo.
 
 
ABOUT OKRA

Gumbo is an African word for okra. The vegetable came to America with the slave trade and was introduced into Southern cuisine by African cooks.

Gumbo was originally thickened with okra pods; the French added the roux for more thickening.

More than a few people avoid gumbo because they don’t like the texture of okra, which is used as a thickener as well as for its flavor.

Guess what: No okra is needed.

 
Here’s the recipe served at Emeril’s New Orleans restaurant, NOLA, which uses filé powder as a thickener instead of okra (photo #4). It’s adapted from his Louisiana Real and Rustic cookbook (William Morrow Publisher, 1996, copyright MSLO, Inc., all rights reserved).
 
 
RECIPE: EMERIL’S CHICKEN & ANDOUILLE GUMBO

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the oil and flour in a large cast-iron or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.

2. ADD the onions, celery, and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4-5 minutes, or until wilted. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the water.

3. STIR until the roux mixture and water are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

4. SEASON the chicken with the Essence and add it to the pot. Simmer for 2 hours, adding additional water if necessary. Gumbo should be the consistency of a somewhat thick soup.

5. SKIM off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, green onions, and filé powder. Remove the
bay leaves and serve in deep bowls.

You can purchase Emeril’s Original Essence seasoning online. Or, you can create your own from this recipe:
 
 
EMERIL’S ORIGINAL ESSENCE (CAJUN SPICE) RECIPE

Ingredients

Combine thoroughly:

 
 
EMERIL’S ADVICE FOR SUPER BOWL FOOD PREP

*Creole cuisine developed in Louisiana as a blend influenced by the local populations: African, French, Italian, Native American, Portuguese and Spanish, on top of the existing Southern cuisine. Creole is often confused with Cajun cuisine. Both are based on local ingredients. The key distinction is that Cajun cuisine is a rustic/peasant version of French cooking whereas Creole cuisine produces more elegant fare using classic haute cuisine techniques.

†Filé powder, made from ground sassafras leaves, is sprinkled on top of gumbo before serving. It adds additional flavor and thickening.

‡Chaurice (shore-EESE) is a spicy, coarsely, fresh (uncured) Louisiana pork sausage used extensively in Creole cooking. Chaurice is seasoned with fresh garlic and green onion. It’s related to Spanish chorizo, which is used in paella, the dish that is the forefather of Creole jambalaya. The legendary Southern chef Leah Chase swore by a good quality Chaurice in her Creole Gumbo [source], instead of smoked Andouille sausage which is preferred by others.