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


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TIP OF THE DAY: Eat & Drink, Or Give A Gift, For The Cure

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Some food and drink companies are doing their part to generate research dollars for the cure, making a contribution from sales of special editions of their products.

The packaging—or sometimes the food itself, like the chocolates in the photo—bears the the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s pink ribbon.

For treats or gifts, consider these for-the-cure products from some of our favorite producers:

  • Chocolate Céleste offers ganache-filled bonbons (see photo) that are also an emotional cure for whatever ails you. To order, call 1.877.644.3823. Read our review.
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    Delicious chocolates for the cure. Photo courtesy Chocolat Céleste.
  • Food Should Taste Good makes flavored corn chips that were a Nibble Top Pick Of The Week. The company thinks that “food should do good,” too. They have earmarked $100,000 for various breast cancer organizations supported by the company and its retailers. Through the end of October, the special-edition bags are available at stores nationwide in Multigrain and Sweet Potato flavors. Here’s a store locator.
  • Republic Of Tea enables you to sip for the cure, with six different teas in giftable canisters. The special-edition teas comprise green, herbal and white teas with fruit flavors, including apple, cherry, grapefruit, lemon, pomegranate vanilla and strawberry hibiscus. Here they are. Read our review.
  • Sweet Sally’s Bakeshop changes up classic black-and-white cookies with delicious pink-and-white cookies. Take a look.
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    When the cause is this important, all of the above qualify as guilt-free eating.
      

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    PRODUCT: Bertolli Premium Meal Soups For Two


    Beefy goodness: our favorite from the new
    Bertolli Premium Meal Soups. Photo courtesy
    Bertolli.
      Have you seen the “soup opera” chefs in TV commercials, extolling the virtues of Bertolli Premium Hearty Soups?

    The soups look just as good in person as they do on TV, and live up to the advertising claims that they’re chock full of fresh-tasting ingredients.

    Indeed, the large chunks of mushrooms and zucchini we bit into tasted just-cooked and were full of flavor. All frozen foods included in the soups are flash-frozen to “maintain peak freshness.” As Bertolli has proved, when the ingredients going into the flash freezer taste great, they taste just as good when cooked.

    Cooking is simple: Add the contents of the bag into a cup of boiling water and simmer. Five minutes later, you’ve got a pot of hearty soup.

    We recently went to a tasting of the new line of soups, introduced by one of our favorite Top Chef contestants, Fabio Viviani. Having added professional spokesperson to his résumé, Fabio said that he’s now on the road 300 days a year.

     

    Yet despite the unenviable travel schedule, Fabio was as energetic and charming as he was on Top Chef (or even more so, since he wasn’t battling other cheftestants and facing panels of judges).

    Here’s the soup menu (garnish with fresh herbs and/or a spoonful of grated Parmesan cheese):

  • Chicken Minestrone: Roasted white meat chicken, beans, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, tomatoes and pasta in a hearty vegetable broth.
  • Roasted Chicken & Rotini Pasta: Roasted white meat chicken, pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and celery in a chicken broth.
  • Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken: Cheese tortellini, large chunks of white meat chicken, spinach and tomatoes in a rich tomato bisque with a hint of basil (basil freak that we are, we topped it with a chiffonade of fresh basil).
  • Tuscan-Style Beef with Vegetables: Large chunks of beef, mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots and celery with bowtie pasta in a beefy broth.
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    We happily consumed them all. The two we’ll buy again are the velvety Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken and the hearty Tuscan-Style Beef & Vegetables.

    Why not the chicken soups? We make a large pot of chicken soup every other Sunday and prefer our own. But those who buy chicken noodle soup now have a more sophisticated option.

    Three points about the soups:

  • “Meal” Soups: The 24-ounce packages, with the addition of one cup of water, yield 32 ounces of soup—enough for two adults. But unless you’re a light eater, you’ll need more to fill up on: a large salad, for starters. Bertolli paired the soups with different artisan breads, a nice touch.
  • Price: The soups aren’t inexpensive: The bag will cost $8.59 or so. But the price is justified by the quantity and quality of the ingredients you’ll be digging into.
  • Sodium: As with almost all prepared foods, there’s a ton of salt—mostly hidden, as the soups taste just fine. But one serving comprises 45% of your DV of sodium.
     
    Still, with the cold days of winter approaching, you know that you can walk into the house, open the freezer and enjoy hot and hearty soup in about 10 minutes. Start boiling the water before you hang up your coat.

    Learn more at VillaBertolli.com.

    Find more of our favorite soups and recipes in our Gourmet Soup Section.

    How many types of soup have you had? Check out our photo-filled Soup Glossary.

      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Try Dragon Fruit

    Dragon fruit looks so summery. Who’d think this exotic tropical charmer is a fall fruit—not to mention the fruit of a genus of cactus?

    Lightly sweet and pleasantly crunchy, dragon fruit, also called pitaya, is too alluring to pass by.

    Pitaya is the fruit’s indigenous name in its home territory, Central America. Dragon fruit, which sounds more tempting, is the name bestowed by Asian growers. Depending on the species, the skin is textured like dragon’s flesh.

    Dragon fruit is now grown in California and Florida, making it more available in U.S. markets.

    Depending on the species, the skin ranges in color from hot pink to red. There is also a yellow variety that has a more spiky, dragon-like texture.

    The flesh can be white, pink or magenta and has tiny, edible black seeds similar to those in kiwifruit.

     


    Dragon fruit species range from magenta to yellow in color. Photo courtesy Melissas.com.

     
    The fruit is a bit of a tease. The exterior looks resplendent but the flesh is on the mild side: like a watermelon that is only mildly sweet. The flavor comes up best when the fruit is chilled. Some varieties (look for the yellow skins) are more tart, which makes them more refreshing.

    So what’s the big deal?

    Whenever something is exotic and seasonal, it’s reason enough to bring it to the table. The arresting-looking dragon fruit may not taste as luscious as the homely mango, but it’s crunchy and interesting. Or, in the word most used to describe dragon fruit, it’s exotic.
     
     
    HOW TO EAT DRAGON FRUIT

    Dragon fruit should be refrigerated, unwashed, for up to 5 days, and served chilled. To eat dragon fruit, just wash and peel it. Refrigerate cut fruit in an airtight container.

    Enjoy it in:

  • The Skin: Carefully remove the fruit from the skin, cube it and return it to the skin for serving. We toss the cubes with fresh lime juice. You can also add pomegranate arils, shredded coconut, a brunoise (tiny dice) of other fruit or anything that appeals to you.
  • Cocktails: Mix the puréed fruit with gin, tequila or vodka and garnish with a slice of the whole fruit.
  • Sorbet: Substitute dragon fruit in any fruit sorbet recipe.
  • Fruit Salad: A curiosity in any fruit salad, dragon fruit especially works in a tropical fruit salad, with guava, mango and papaya.
  • Garnish: As a sweet or savory garnish or a drink garnish.
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    Dragon fruit is very nutritious, delivering B vitamins, calcium, carotene, fiber, phosphorous and vitamin C. The typical dragon fruit has 60 calories, reflecting the low sweetness level.

    If you can’t find it locally, you can order it at Melissas.com.

    Find more of our favorite fruits and fruit recipes by pulling down the menu above right, or in our Gourmet Fruits Section.
      

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    HALLOWEEN: Skull & Crossbones Tumbler


    The “Crossbones” tumbler is fun on
    Halloween and the other 364 days of
    the year. Photo courtesy Copco.
      Want to celebrate Halloween in a way that isn’t fattening?

    We’re partial to this “Crossbones” Sierra Cold Tumbler from Copco, featuring a subtle skull and crossbones motif on the plastic gripper (it’s hard to see in this photo—look on the left side of the grey band).

    The 24-ounce capacity tumbler has a leakproof seal, closed by a quarter-turn lid sealing mechanism. The permanent straw has a weighted bottom so the straw doesn’t rise up.

    It has durable construction and is BPA-free.

    We find it stylish for the workplace, and great at home for kids and others who tend to knock over filled cups. It’s a different kind of trick or treat.

    There’s a color for everyone in the house: beige, blue, brown, grey, orange, pink, purple and a damask print. But there’s only one Crossbones.

    Pick one up at Amazon.com, for $7.99.

    If you’re having an adult Halloween party or dinner and want a super party favor, fill a Crossbones tumbler with candy corn.

    For really special Halloween candy, check out these spooktacular treats.

     

      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Tips For Storing Chocolate

    If you only occasionally bake with chocolate, it’s easy to end up with leftover blocks and bars. How long can you keep the chocolate?

    Dark chocolate can last for two years or more. Milk chocolate and white chocolate should be kept for under a year, because the milk content in them deteriorates.

  • Store chocolate tightly wrapped. Start with plastic wrap, then place the wrapped chocolate in an airtight container. The container is needed because the cocoa butter in the chocolate absorbs flavors and aromas from neighboring foods, as well as ambient cooking aromas.
  • Store chocolate in a dry, dark place. The storage location should be cool, 60° to 75°F. “Dry” means away from humidity—which means not in the fridge. Chocolate has longevity because of its low moisture content. Moisture from the refrigerator air will attack the integrity of the chocolate. In terms of a dark place: All foods should be stored out of direct sunlight, which makes pretty much everything deteriorate faster.
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    Beyond the expiration date on the package: You can extend the shelf life of chocolate with proper storage. Photo courtesy Artisan Chocolate Company.

     

  • Stick it in the freezer. We’ve never tried this, but others claim that if you’re not planning to use the chocolate for months, you can store it in an airtight, freezer-safe container. The best way to defrost it is in the fridge, to avoid temperature shocks that cause bloom (see below).
     
    What Are Those White Spots?

    It’s called bloom. Room temperatures in excess of 75°F, fluctuations in temperature (from cold to warm, e.g.), and too much humidity can cause the chocolate to develop bloom—a white-grey streaking or spotting on the surface. There are two types of bloom.

    Fat bloom is the appearance of large cocoa butter crystals on the chocolate surface. It is a result of improper storage, poor tempering, lack of tempering or changes in temperature.

    Heat-related issues cause the cocoa butter to separate and rise to the surface. While the chocolate looks dull, it tastes the same and is safe to eat. It can still be used for baking or recipes in which the chocolate is melted (the cocoa butter reincorporates into the chocolate when melted). For other uses, such as candy-making, the chocolate needs to be re-tempered.

    Sugar bloom is more problematic. It is a crystallization of sugar that can be caused by high humidity and condensation (and is why you shouldn’t store chocolate in the fridge). The moisture combines with the sugar in the chocolate to create a “syrup.” When the syrup evaporates, large sugar crystals remain on the surface of the chocolate.

    The grainy sugar bloom crystals make the chocolate unpleasant to eat. But as with fat bloom, bars with sugar bloom can be re-melted and re-tempered, or used in baking or in sauces where the texture is not a factor. Filled chocolates with sugar bloom cannot be restored. Filled chocolates with fat bloom will still taste fine, although they won’t look as appealing.

    Fat bloom and sugar bloom can look the same. To determine which you have, you’ve got to touch them. Fat bloom fees oily and melts to the touch, while sugar bloom feels grainy.

    What If You Have Too Much Chocolate?

  • Make savory recipes. Chocolate is an ingredient in barbecue sauce, chili and tortilla soup, mole sauce and steak sauce. Jacques Torres makes a savory cream cheese and chocolate hors d’oeuvre.
  • Make a quicker dessert. Baking takes time, but you can prep a chocolate mousse in 10 minutes.
  • Drink it. Chop finely and heat with milk for hot chocolate.
  • Trade it. Give the chocolate to a friend who can use it now, in exchange for some of the cake, mousse or cookies in return.
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    What About Eating Chocolate?

    Chocolate bars (“eating chocolate”) can be used for baking, and baking chocolate can be used for eating. To substitute conventional chocolate bars for baking chocolate, you need to use the percent cacao specified in the recipe (40%, 70%, 85%, etc.) or else adjust the recipe’s amount of added sugar to compensate.

    Storing eating chocolate:
    Observe the expiration date. Chocolate bars dry out as they age. In baking or other recipes, which have added fat, you won’t notice. On your palate, you will.

    Nuts in chocolate bars will go rancid over time, so especially observe those expiration dates. If the expiration date was a few months ago, take a bite. It may be just fine.

    Or it may be ready to be turned into hot chocolate or barbecue sauce.

    Chocolate Fun

  • Chocolate Terms: everything you want to know about chocolate
  • Chocolate Trivia Quiz
  • Chocolate Truffles Trivia Quiz
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