THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods
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May 15, 2015 at 8:44 am
· Filed under Bread-Crackers-Sandwiches, Recipes
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Most croutons are miniature cubes. Some crouton lovers would like them much larger: more flavor, more crunch.
And they certainly make salads more fun.
So today’s tip is. Make jumbo croutons. They make salads more fun. And you can customize the flavors each time, so there’s no “crouton fatigue.”
GENERAL CROUTON TIPS
Pick your bread. While baguette is a standard, you can use whole grain, seeded, raisin-semolina or whatever you like.
Pick your texture. Crunchier croutons come from drier bread. For the crispest crouton, use day-old or two-day-old bread. Fresh bread takes longer to dry out in the oven; so if that’s what you have, adjust the baking time accordingly.
Use a flavored oil. If you have basil oil, chili oil, etc., use it to add more flavor. Whatever oil you select, more oil creates a heavier, more sumptuous crouton.
Spice it up. Herbs and spices take your croutons in any direction you like, from the heat of cayenne or red pepper flakes, to the elegance of fines herbes, to exotic notes of curry or Chinese five spice. One of our favorites is toasted sesame seed. You can also add grated cheese.
RECIPE: GARLIC CROUTONS
Ingredients
1 baguette or ficelle*
1/4 cup olive oil or melted butter
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Pinch of salt
5-8 cloves of garlic, minced
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Make jumbo croutons any shape you like. These are crouton “fingers.” Photo courtesy MorningStar Farms. |
*Ficelle is slender French loaf, thinner than a baguette, no more than two inches wide. The word is French for “string.” It’s a better shape if you want to make round croutons with a diameter of two inches or so.
Preparation
1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Cut the bread into rounds or fingers.
2. TOSS the ingredients in a large bowl, coating bread thoroughly. Bake until toasted to your preference (light or dark), 15-20 minutes.
3. PREPARE and dress the salad. Top with warm croutons and serve. You can store croutons in an airtight container for a day or two.
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May 14, 2015 at 8:51 am
· Filed under Bread-Crackers-Sandwiches, Breakfast & Brunch, Food Fun, Mother's Day, Recipes, Valentine's Day
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Berry croissants: a yummy idea. Photo courtesy Castello Cheese. |
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For Sunday brunch or afternoon tea*, here’s a fun alternative to a chocolate croissant that provides another reason to enjoy seasonal berries.
RECIPE: BERRY CROISSANTS
Ingredients
Croissants
Berries: blackberries, raspberries, strawberries or a mix
Mascarpone, fresh chèvre (goat cheese—look especially for the honey chèvre at Trader Joe’s), cream cheese or other spreadable cheese
Preparation
1. SPLIT the croissant and spread the bottom half with cheese.
2. ADD the berries, whole or sliced, depending on size.
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Thanks to Castello USA for the idea (they used blue cheese).
*Who has afternoon tea, you say? Well, THE NIBBLE is a far cry from Downtown Abbey, but we serve afternoon tea daily. Not everyone drinks tea, but it’s our chance to sample some of the many foods that arrive at our doorstep—baked goods, candy, jam, crackers, cheese, pâté and so forth—including coffee, tea and other beverages. If you want to serve a proper afternoon tea, here’s how.
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May 14, 2015 at 8:28 am
· Filed under Easter, Recipes, Vegetables-Salads-Herbs
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We love these delicious, fancy yet very easy Asparagus & Prosciutto Wraps. Photo courtesy Castello USA. |
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Need something fancy—and easy? Here’s a lovely first course to make with spring asparagus. We serve the wraps individually plated with some watercress salad, to which we add some snipped chives or thin-sliced green onion.
The recipe is from Castello Cheese, which crumbles their Danish blue cheese as a garnish.
RECIPE: ASPARAGUS & PROSCIUTTO WRAPS
Ingredients
8 slender* asparagus per person
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 slice prosciutto or other Serrano ham
1 teaspoon crumbled blue cheese per person
Optional: watercress plus chives or green onion
Preparation
1. TRIM the woody ends from the asparagus. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus for 30 seconds (90 seconds for thick spears), until the asparagus just bends. Alternatively, lightly steam the asparagus in a microwave.
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2. PLUNGE the asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking. Blot dry with paper towels and set aside.
3. WHISK together the olive oil, vinegar and garlic and roll and marinate asparagus in vinaigrette 30 minutes at room temperature. Make extra vinaigrette if you are serving the watercress.
4. GATHER the asparagus into bundles of 8 (if thin, 4 if thick) and wrap each bundle with a prosciutto slice. Arrange on a platter or individual plates. Decorate with crumbled blue cheese.
5. TOSS the optional watercress with vinaigrette and add to the plate.
6. PASS a peppermill for fresh-ground black pepper.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PROSCIUTTO & SERRANO HAM
This is a complex question, because the authentic breeds of pig and curing techniques differ in Europe from what is permitted in the U.S. But a simple answer is: Both products are air-cured hams, with some differences in the breed and diet of the pig.
Prosciutto, from Italy, tends to be fattier and more mild.
Serrano, from Spain, tends to be more flavorful.
But it’s hard to state something definitively when you buy the product in the U.S. The best approach: Buy a small amount of each and decide which you prefer. If you’re buying it freshly carved (not pre-packaged), ask the counterperson what the brand is, and keep notes.
*Slender asparagus are easier to wrap; but if you can only find thick spears, use half as many.
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