[1] Triple Crème de Cocoa is a limited-edition triple creme cheese from Murray’s (all photos © Murray’s Cheese) .

[2] The wheels of cheese are filled with fine milk chocolate, chopped.

[3] A close-up of the finely-chopped chocolate.

[4] Pralus’ Melissa bar is a 45% cacao milk chocolate, which is a high percentage of cacao for a milk chocolate (a Hershey bar is 30% cacao).

[5] Murray’s recommends spiced cherry preserves as a cheese condiment.

[6] Overkill but fun: A triple crème hot fudge sundae.

We had this exciting wedge of cheese (photos #1, #2, and #3) two days ago as a Valentine’s Day treat. It’s our Top Pick Of The Week, and it’s a treat any day, from a special occasion to a gloomy day when you need some food that delivers a big smile. The solution: Murray’s Cave Aged Limited Triple Crème de Cocoa. What is it? A triple-creme cheese filled with chocolate! And it’s our Top Pick Of The Week.

The ingredients:

 
The experience: heavenly! Cheese and chocolate are a popular combination among some connoisseurs. Yes, send for a wedge of this cheese, but also:

 
 
> Get your Murray’s Cave Aged Limited Triple Crème de Cocoa here.
 
 
WHAT IS TRIPLE CRÈME CHEESE?

There’s more about them below, but first came double-creme cheese.

The first double-crème cheese was made in Normandy, France in 1850 by a cheesemaker whose name has been lost to history. He was a short man of Swiss extraction, and called his cheese Petit-Suisse (possibly his nickname).

Anyone who has ever enjoyed a Brie or other double-crème cheese can appreciate that it was a big success. Other cheesemakers tried their hands and a category was born.

By law, a French double-crème cheese has between 60% and 75% butterfat. Note that this is the percentage of fat in the dry matter of the cheese. Most double- and triple-crèmes have about 50% moisture, so a Brie that has 60% butterfat in the dry matter is actually 31% total fat.

As a point of reference, butter itself contains between 80% total fat (the legal minimum in the U.S) to 86% total fat.
 
Examples Of Double-Crème Cheeses

Well-known double-crème cheeses from France include:

 
Domestic beauties include:

Ask your cheesemonger for recommendations for other cheeses he/she may have on hand.
 
 
TRIPLE CRÈME CHEESES

Like the first double-crème, the first triple-crème cheese was also made in Normandy (France’s dairy heartland), 75 years after Petit-Suisse was introduced. Called Le Magnum, it was made by the Dubuc family and was the ancestor of Brillat-Savarin. By law, French triple-crème cheeses must have a butterfat content of 75% or more.

Take a bite of:

You can go from basic (fresh fruit) to gourmet (black or white truffles).

Fresh Fruits

Grapes, mango, raspberries, or strawberries are the best matches.

Truffles

 
Bread or Crackers

Choose among baguette slices, water biscuits, wheatmeal biscuits (slightly sweetened whole wheat crackers), raisin-walnut crisps, or just about any artisan cracker.
 
To Drink

 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEESE
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHEESE
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHOCOLATE
 
 
________________

*Brillat-Savarin was created by Henri Androuet in 1890. He named it for the famous 18th-century French gastronome, Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, the author of the Physiologie du Gout (Physiology of Taste), published in 1826. Brillat-Savarin’s most famous quote: “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.”

Something different to reflect upon on Valentine’s Day: cocoa bitters. Artisan chocolate bitters have been around for a while, but now category leader ANGOSTURA® has launched Cocoa Bitters. They join a lineup that includes the original Aromatic Bitters and Orange Bitters. And Cocoa Bitters are not just for cocktails.

Add them to your morning cup of coffee, iced coffee, hot chocolate, club soda, and cola, for starters.

ANGOSTURA Cocoa Bitters are made from one of the world’s finest cacao beans, Trinitario cacao beans from Trinidad and Tobago.

Along with Criollo and Forastero, Trinitario is one of the three species of cacao (check our Chocolate Glossary for definitions).

The top notes of Cocoa Bitters are rich bitter, floral, nutty cocoa with a bold infusion of aromatic botanicals.

In addition to the drinks noted above, the Cocoa Bitters flavors offer endless possibilities to remix classic cocktails (Espresso Martini, Manhattan, Negroni) and create new ones.

You can also use the bitters to put a spin on a main dish or a dessert.

There are two beverage recipes below. But first…
 
 
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH COCOA VS. CACAO?

Cocoa is a misspelling of cacao that appeared on a ship’s manifest in the 18th century. The cacao on the manifest referred to the beans, or seeds, from which chocolate and cocoa powder are made.

The mistake led to a broadscale replacement of the original word (cacao) with the erroneous one (cocoa) in the English language.

For clarity, THE NIBBLE uses the word cacao when referring to the beans, and cocoa when referring to cocoa powder or the drink made from it.

> The history of bitters.
 
 
RECIPE #1: COFFEE & BITTERS (photo #1)
 
Bitters perks up the flavor of hot and iced coffee, whether you drink it black or with milk and/or sugar.

You can use Aromatic Bitters and Orange Bitters in your coffee, too.

Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE your coffee as desired, black or with cream or milk. Add the bitters. Stir.
 
 
RECIPE #2: DASHER’S TODDY (photo #2)

If you’re making multiple portions, pour everything into a large format heat-proof container or thermal carafe and pour out for each guest
 
Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a heat-proof mug. and enjoy this warming winter treat.
 
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION & RECIPE INSPIRATION, VISIT ANGOSTURABITTERS.COM.

[1] Try Cocoa Bitters in your morning coffee (all photos © Angostura Limited).

[2] Make this hot toddy with Cocoa Bitters. The recipe is below.

[3] Add Cocoa Bitters to your favorite whiskey.

[4] How about some mulled wine with Cocoa Bitters?

[1] PigOut® Pigless Pork Rinds are a plant-based, vegan alternative, and just as crunchy and satisfying as the pig version (all photos © Outstanding Foods).

[2] A fun snack with no greasy fingers: these Porkless Rinds are baked, not fried.

[3] Want a crunchy garnish? Crumbled PigOut is great on mac and cheese, other pasta dishes and casseroles.

[4] A handful of Texas BBQ Porkless Rinds.

[5] PigOut crumbled atop a salad.

There’s something else happening on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s National Pork Rind Day, another kind of “pigskin.” The fried skin of the pig, cut into bite-size pieces, is perfect Super Bowl food. Pork rinds (called chicharrones in Spanish) are crunchy satisfaction by themselves—no dip required. Unless you insist—and then, consider guacamole.

But what if you don’t eat pork?

We’ve got PigOut® Pigless Pork Rinds for you, below. But first, a look at conventional pork rinds.

> Pork Rinds History
 
 
MORE ABOUT PORK RINDS

 
Now, onto the pork-free, plant-based, vegan pork rinds.
 
 
PIGOUT PIGLESS PORK RINDS

Made with plant-based ingredients, no pigs are harmed in the creation of these crunchy snacks. PigOut Pigless Pork Rinds are made from rice, pea grits, and pea protein, plus seasonings.

PigOut is just as crunchy and satisfying as the porcine rinds version, with an added benefit: They’re not greasy! They’re baked, not fried.

There are 7 grams of protein per one-ounce serving (the same amount of protein as in a burger, notes the brand), plus the nutrients calcium, iron, and vitamins B12 and D. The pigless rinds are also:

 
 
PIGOUT FLAVORS

Each variety is as well-flavored as the next:

 
 
WAYS TO USE PIGOUT PIGLESS PORK RINDS

Beyond snacking, try them:

 
 
GET YOUR PIGOUT PIGLESS PORK RINDS

Here’s a store locator.

Discover more at OutstandingFoods.com.

This article was inspired by photo #1: rose petals in a glass of water. How nice for Valentine’s Day, we thought. We decided to steep some rose petals in water (filtered, of course) to serve.

Yes, it’s as easy as simply steeping rose petals in water.

Here’s a recipe. It’s available in any Middle Eastern or Indian grocery, and online.

Note: Be sure that they’re organic petals—you don’t want pesticides in your food. It’s the same with decorating cakes or cupcakes.

Rosewater (also spelled rose water) has been made for millennia. It has a place in food as well as in cosmetics, medicine*, and religious ceremonies†.

Foodwise, we have recipes below for sweets and cocktails.

Here’s more about rosewater.
 
 
ROSEWATER & FOOD

Rosewater is a popular ingredient in the Middle East and Asia. Culinary rose water is believed to have been first created in Persia during the Sasanian dynasty, 224 to 651 C.E.

One of the early Persian recipes was a dessert made of rosewater and raw vermicelli noodles for crunch—a cross between a sorbet and a rice pudding called faludeh.

The ice was mixed with saffron, fruits, and other flavors. It was one of the forerunners of ice cream (the history of ice cream).

Today, it’s easy to make a frozen dessert, and versions of faludeh are available in sorbet form, with either vermicelli or angel hair noodles (photo #4).

Here’s a recipe for faludeh.

If you have a Middle Eastern market, you’ll likely find pints in the ice cream case.

If sorbet and noodles sound strange to you, let us affirm: It’s one of our favorite desserts—a real treat.

A few more dishes to note:

 
 
ROSEWATER IN WESTERN COOKING

American and European bakers often used rosewater until the 19th century, when vanilla became more widely available (and rosewater became a distant memory).

In Yorkshire, England, rosewater has long been used as a flavoring for the regional specialty, Yorkshire curd tart [source].

In the U.S., rosewater seemed to have disappeared until the last two decades of the 20th century, when fine pastry chefs and chocolatiers, seeking new global flavors, brought it back into the fold.

Some of our favorite ways to use rosewater:

 
 
THE NIBBLE’S ROSEWATER RECIPES

Drinks

 
Sweets

 
 
 
 
________________

*It has anti-inflammatory properties and some vitamin C.

†Rosewater is used in the religious ceremonies of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity (in the Eastern Orthodox Church),] Zoroastrianism, and the Baháʼí Faith [source].

††South Asian cuisine includes the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. It generally includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
 
 
CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] You can infuse rosewater in advance, or just add a few petals to a glass of spring water or sparkling water (photo © Charlotte May | Pexels).

[2] You can double-infuse rosewater. Here, the rosewater is infused with fresh basil (photo © Rosetta Restaurant | Mexico City | Facebook).

[3] You can also purchase rosewater extract, which is easier to cook and bake with (photo © Nielsen-Massey).

[4] Faludeh, rosewater sorbet with crunchy vermicelli noodles. Here’s a recipe (photo © Iran Hikers).

[5] Rosewater raspberry meringues. Here’s the recipe (photo © Chef Ingrid Hoffmann).

[6] Turkish Delight, available from Vermont Country Store (photo © Vermont Country Store).

[1] A delicious winter sangria made with the season’s blood oranges (photo © Salt And Wind).

[2] There are three varieties of blood orange. This is the rosiest, the Moro (photo © Gelson’s Markets).

[3] The Tarocco variety is less rosy, but just as delicious (photos #2 and #3 © Good Eggs).

[4] Blood oranges also create beautiful upside-down cake. Here’s the recipe.

Blood oranges lovers: It’s high season for the luscious, rosy orbs. Blood oranges are available between October and May, with their prime season right now: February and early March. Select those that are firm to the touch. They’ll keep in the fridge for two weeks.

The red color comes from the presence of the antioxidant anthocyanin, which creates a red, blue, or purple color, depending on a variety of factors from climate to soil. The darker the color, the more anthocyanin in the fruit or vegetable.

These are the compounds that are thought to help prevent cancer and heart disease. (Here’s more about antioxidants.)

Blood orangeslook exactly like regular oranges on the outside, but their inside flesh is a deep rosy red color, and the flavor is a cross between orange and raspberry—some people call them “raspberry oranges.”

There are three main varieties:

 
The Tarocco and Moro varieties are now grown in California. Buy them up and go bloody crazy.

 
 
RECIPE: BLOOD ORANGE SANGRIA

This recipe is from Chef Aida Mollencamp. Prep time is just 5 minutes, plus at least 4 hours to chill.

You can squeeze blood oranges, and many markets also sell ready-to-drink blood orange juice.
 
Ingredients