Here are some tips from Lauren Chattman, author of one of our favorite baking books, The Baking Answer Book (for $9.73 on Amazon.com, a great small gift or stocking stuffer).

1. DON’T OVERWHIP. Because of the protein structure of egg whites, it’s crucial, says Chattman, not to overwhip the whites. Overwhipping separates the water molecules from the egg whites, rendering them less capable of expanding (rising).

2. USE AN ABSOLUTELY CLEAN BOWL AND BEATERS. Even a speck of grease or oil in the bowl or on the beaters can spell disaster. It will prevent the strands of egg white protein from linking up with each other to create the foam that traps the air bubbles needed for the recipe to rise.

3. SEPARATE THE WHITES INTO SEPARATE BOWLS. When cracking the egg, don’t use the one handed technique. A speck of egg yolk that sneaks in with the whites creates the same problem as oil. Instead, first separate the egg whites into a small bowl or cup. If some yolk ends up with the whites, don’t fish it out; use that egg for another purpose (scrambled, perhaps?). Wash and dry the bowl thoroughly, and start again.

4. ADD THE EGG WHITES ONE AT A TIME. Avoid the problem above by separating each egg into a small bowl or cup; then add it to the mixing bowl before separating the next egg. This way, if you end up with some yolk with your white, only one egg is impacted.

5. USE ROOM TEMPERATURE EGGS. The coiled proteins in egg whites are more relaxed at room temperature. You can whip cold eggs from the fridge, but it will take more time to achieve the volume.

6. DON’T USE VERY FRESH, EGGS. Most of us don’t have access to freshly-laid eggs. But contrary to what you might think, just-laid eggs are not the best for whipping whites. Eggs need to be 3-4 days old so their coiled proteins will relax for optimal whipping.

Now that you’ve got the technique, make this delicious key lime meringue pie.

Need an egg separator? Here’s a very spiffy one.
  

Fun flavors, fun gifts. Photo courtesy PB
Crave.

Shortly afterward, we received a shipment of PB Crave, another new company (in Minnesota) that has launched with four flavors:

 
You can buy the PBs from PBCrave.com and on Amazon.

Our personal favorite is Razzle Dazzle, a combination of peanut butter and raspberry flavoring that gives the impression of raspberry jam. We love the idea of Coco Bananas, banana peanut butter; but slicing a fresh banana onto your PB sandwich is more lush than banana-flavored PB. Cookie Nookie is sure to be a favorite with cookie dough enthusiasts.

The flavors, each of which includes chocolate chips (dark, milk and white, depending on the flavor) inspired us to sprinkle some chocolate chips onto our sandwiches made with regular PB. One tablespoon of semisweet chocolate chips has about 70 calories, and you can make do with half a tablespoon. If you heat the sandwich in the microwave, you get a chocolate-PB melt.

The PB Crave flavors are fun; we like them as healthier gifts for kids. These honey-sweetened flavors can be enjoyed by the spoon from the jar—with a side of milk, of course.

What Do The Terms Mean?

All natural means no hydrogenated oil, no artificial flavors, no high-fructose corn syrup, no chemical preservatives. Peanut butter is naturally gluten- and cholesterol-free.

Artisan products are made in small batches, using time-honored techniques and quality ingredients. In the case of PB Crave, which does not employ emulsifiers, the oil does separate and needs to be stirred back in. But it’s not an onerous task.

Giving Back

PB Crave is a good corporate citizen. A minimum of 2% of profits goes directly to Project Peanut Butter, a non-profit organization that helps save the lives of malnourished children through ready-to-use therapeutic foods (including high-calorie, fortified peanut butter-like pastes.

The system turns a pound of your favorite ground coffee into a coffee concentrate via a slow, cold water drip. The coffee goes into the plastic brewing container, set atop a glass carafe. You add cold water, steep for 8-12 hours, and then let the concentrate filter into the carafe.

The carafe of concentrate goes into the fridge, where it stays fresh for three weeks. You add 1 part concentrate to 3 parts hot or cold water to make hot or iced coffee.

In the winter, we loved microwaving a cup of fresh-brewed-tasting coffee in 60 seconds. In the warm weather, we could easily create many cups of iced coffee.

There are several reasons to love the Toddy Cold Brew System.

 
You can run out and pick one up for Mother’s Day or order it online from Amazon for $34.95 plus free Super Saver Shipping.

And then there’s the Tequila. While there are many fine Tequilas on the market (the word is capitalized as it’s the name of the city and state where the spirit is produced), Tequila Avión took five honors* at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

And, Tequila Avión was the Tequila of choice for the World’s Greatest Margarita. At the Sixth Annual World Margarita Championship held in February in Tucson, Arizona. Gustavo del Toro of the La Fuente Restaurant in Tuscon won the award with a recipe that used Tequila Avión. Here‘s the recipe, in time for weekend leisure.

*Tequila Avión Silver won the Double Gold (higher than a mere gold medal) and Best Tequila awards as well as the Best Unaged White Spirit category (beating not only the other tequilas but all vodkas, gins, and rums). The brand also won two silver medals for its aged tequilas, Avión Reposado Tequila and Avión Añejo Tequila.

You’ll need to rustle up some fresh tamarind (tamarindo) or buy tamarind purée (check Asian market or online). Fresh-squeezed orange juice will also contribute to a “world’s greatest” flavor.

Sourced from the world’s highest quality agave and produced using a rare distillation process, Tequila Avión makes Silver, Reposado and Añejo Tequilas (here’s the scoop on the different types of Tequila). For more information about the brand, visit TequilaAvion.com.

TAMARINDO MARGARITA RECIPE

Ingredients Per Drink

Preparation

1. Combine tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice, orange juice, tamarind purée and sugar in a blender with cup of ice. Blend thoroughly.

2. Serve in a Margarita or Martini glass rimmed with coarse salt and chili powder.

3. Garnish with a lime wheel and speared tamarind peel.

Tamarind Puree Recipe

1. Boil 1-1/2 pounds of fresh tamarinds for approximately 45 minutes or until tender.

2. Allow the fruit to cool; then strain to remove the seeds. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and sugar and then blend the fruit pulp into a purée.

Makes enough for four Margaritas.

WHAT IS TAMARIND?

While many people might think of tamarind as an Asian fruit, it is actually indigenous to the Sudan—in eastern North Africa right below Egypt—from where it spread throughout tropical Africa.

In the 16th century, tamarind was introduced to Mexico by Spanish and Portuguese colonists, and then to South America. Today, the pod-like fruit is used extensively in cuisines around the world. Mexico and South Asia are the largest growers and consumers of tamarind.

The fruit got its name from British sailors, who first discovered it in Oman, on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. where they disembarked en route to India. It was sold processed into dark brown slabs of sticky paste that looked similar to the ripe dates. The sellers inaccurately referred to it as thamer hind, literally “dates from India,” which the sailors heard as “tamarind.”

Known for its sweet-and-sour taste, tamarind is used in both savory dishes and in sweets: jam, juice drinks, ice cream, sorbet and candies. It is an ingredient of Worcestershire sauce, which originated in India: a fermentation of anchovies, chiles, cloves, corn syrup (sugar in the original recipe and the U.K. version), garlic, molasses, onions, pepper, shallots, soy sauce, tamarind, vinegar and water.

The History Of Worcestershire Sauce

It is believed that a Captain Henry Lewis Edwardes (1788–1866) brought the recipe for the sauce home after travels in India. It is not known how the recipe got to Lea and Perrins, but John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, two dispensing chemists (pharmacists) in Worcester, England, created a recipe that was first sold commercially in 1837.

Known as “The Original Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce,” the brand was purchased by H.J. Heinz Company in 2005.

Melt-in-your-mouth salted caramels from
Sweetness And Light. Photo by Elvira Kalviste
| THE NIBBLE.

Ferndale, California is a small Victorian village located in Humboldt County, on the North Coast of California. The population was 1,371 in the 2010 census.

The town could be a movie set, with its dozens of well-preserved Victorian store fronts and homes, surrounded by evergreen-covered hills. Close by are extensive preserves of redwood forests (Humboldt County contains more than 40% of all remaining old growth Coast Redwood forests).

And there’s another reason to stop by: Sweetness & Light Handmade Confections.

Sweetness & Light has long been a fixture in the town. When current co-owner (with wife Tami) Matt Toste was in high school, he worked there and began to learn the techniques and skills required to make traditional chocolates. Five years later, he took over operations.

As they’ve been from the beginning, the confections are handmade in small batches using the freshest and best ingredients available: local butter and cream from Humboldt Creamery, real fruit flavors and fine chocolate. Working with copper kettles and marble slabs, the confectioners turn out sweet, old-fashioned goodness.

But not too sweet. The mark of good chocolate candy is that you taste chocolate, not sugar.

We received a gift of chocolate-covered salted caramels and a Moo Bar, a layer of almond-studded caramel topped with a layer of marshmallow, then dipped in chocolate.

We enjoyed them so much, we look forward to ordering a big box of assorted chocolates from the store’s classic repertoire: bonbons, fudge, toffee and truffles. And more caramels, of course.

In addition to wholesome deliciousness, the soft caramel is a bonus for people who don’t like (or can’t have) chewy candies. It melts in your mouth, the softest salted caramels we’ve ever had.

It must be all that moo-velous Humboldt County butter.
Order yourself a treat—or send a gift—at SweetnessAndLight.com.