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


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Year Of The Tiger Oolong Tea From Adagio Teas & Oolong Tea History

The Year Of The Tiger begins on February 1st, and Adagio Teas has created a special oolong tea blend. If you’re not familiar with oolong, it’s semi-fermented or semi-oxidized tea that falls between green and black tea on the fermentation continuum (black tea ferments for two to four hours; for oolong, the fermentation process is interrupted in the middle).

The flavor and caffeine content of oolong are also midway between black and green tea.

While oolong looks similar to black tea, the taste is closer to green tea, with a more rounded flavor and mouthfeel.

The liquor (tea terminology for the color of the brewed tea) of oolong is often golden to dark brown, but the colors can vary widely (see photo below).

Its taste and aroma range from fruity to floral.

However, the appearance, shape and flavor of an oolong tea can vary wildly depending on the region where it’s grown and how it’s processed.

The long, blackish-green leaves inspired its name, which means “black dragon” in Chinese.

Oolong is sometimes referred to as “blue tea” because some varieties have a blue tinge (others have a green tinge).

However, now that an herbal blue tea made from butterfly pea flowers is becoming better known, people can brew a cup that is definitely bright blue.

Adagio’s Year Of The Tiger loose leaf oolong is delicately flavored with:

  • Cocoa nibs
  • Orange peels
  • Chocolate flavor
  • Ginger
  • Cornflowers (photo #2)
  • Safflower petals (photo #3)
  •  
    Chocolate represents its strength, oranges symbolize its wit, and ginger gives this tea a tiger’s bite.

    The tea is available in limited quantities while supplies last.

    Head to Adagio.com.
     
     
    THE HISTORY OF OOLONG TEA

    Oolong (also transliterated as wu-lung) tea’s history is steeped (pun intended) in mystery. There are no facts, only theories.

  • The first theory, called the tribute tea theory, claims that oolong tea stems directly from dragon-phoenix cake tribute tea. Two different tea types, dragon (long) and phoenix (fong), were pressed into round cakes with raised designs. Later, when loose-leaf tea became the new way of serving tributes, the name was changed to “black dragon” or oolong tea, to describe the dark, wiry leaves that resulted from the particular form of processing.
  • Second is the Wuyi theory, which claims that oolong tea was originally named after the Wuyi mountain region, where it was first documented in poems from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
  • The third is the Anxi theory, which claims that oolong tea was first discovered in the Anxi region of the Fujian province. A man named Sulong, Wulong or Wuliang, was distracted during the harvest and accidentally allowed his tea leaves to oxidize [source].
  •  
    Take your pick (we’re partial to #2).

    Oolong teas reached the height of their popularity during the Qing dynasty (1644 to 1912). When Ti Quan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy) oolong was introduced to the emperor Qian Long (reign 1735 to 1796), he was so enamored of the beauty of the tea that its popularity spread quickly.

    Oolong tea was usually served out of special Yixing teapots made from purple clay. These were designed to be used with one type of tea only, in order to avoid cross-contamination of flavors.

    Although the production of oolong tea has spread through various parts of Asia and all the way to India and Nepal, the best oolongs today still come from the Anxi and Fujian regions of China, and secondly from Taiwan.

    Even so, there are many different variants, based on weather, terrain and production techniques. Iron Goddess of Mercy remains one of the most revered oolongs.
     
     
    > TEA TERMINOLOGY & TYPES OF TEA
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF TEA

     
     
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    [1] Year Of The Tiger Tea is a special oolong blend (photo © Adagio Teas).


    [2] Cornflower pettals (photo © Brambleberry).


    [3] Safflower petals (photo © Algerian Coffee Shops).


    [4] Iron Goddess of Mercy oolong tea (photo © Fave Tea).


    [5] A classic Yixing teapot (photo © Yoon Hye | Unsplash).

     

     
     
      

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    Artisanal Chocolates: Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Dr. Anthony Fauci


    [1] The chocolalicious RBG can be purchased individually or as part of the collection of women in the next photo (all photos © Chouquette Chocolates).


    [2] The Phenomenal Women Chocolates is inspirational, as well as delicious.


    [3] Dr. Fauci: Hip hip hooray!

     

    Some people have a particular concept of Valentine’s Day chocolate: It’s wrapped with hearts and the chocolate or box may be heart-shaped as well. We nominate two boxes from Chouquette Chocolates that show a different kind of love. Pronounced shoo-KET, the small-batch, hand-crafted artisan chocolatier uses Fair Trade and Rain Forest Alliance Certified Chocolate to create an innovative line of bonbons.

    The line is gluten-free, soy-free, GMO-free, all-natural, with no corn syrup.

    You’ll enjoy checking out the options on Chouquette.us, but we wanted to give a shout-out to two.
     
     
    PHENOMENTAL WOMEN CHOCOLATE

    Nine women of distinction grace the Phenomenal Women Chocolate Collection (photo #2): Ellen DeGeneres, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Emma Gonzalez, Michele Obama, Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon, and Malala Yousafzai.

    The back of each bonbon has an inspirational quote appropriate to each woman (for RBG, it’s Equal Means Equal).

    The bonbons are vanilla bean caramels with fleur de del crystals, inside a chocolate shell.

    It’s an assortment of milk and dark chocolate pieces, but send a message with your order if you would like all of one or the other.

    Order them here.
     
     
    DR. FAUCI FAN CLUB CHOCOLATE

    We’d join a Dr. Fauci fan club even if it didn’t include chocolate.

    The same vanilla bean caramels feature The Nibble’s favorite Covid go-to doc, longtime head of the National Insitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and current Chief Medical Advisor to the President of United States (who also gets his own chocolate collection, as does Kamala Harris).

    Treat yourself to some Fauci sweeties (photo #3).

    Get them here.

    To explore all of Choquette’s goodies, head to Chouquette.us.
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

    > CHOCOLATE GLOSSARY: TYPES & TERMS

     

     
     

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    Check Out These Misleading Food Names ~How Many Have You Had?

    Some foods in the English language are not as they appear. Here’s a list of some 44 food names that have amused us over the years. Note that in other countries, their names in the local language will be different. We’ve bypassed some well-known names like ants on a log, bear claws, chicken fingers, Buffalo wings, grasshopper pie, puppy chow candy; foods shaped like animals like bear claw and beavertail pastries; and some poetically-named Asian dishes like Ants Climbing A Tree*…which themselves may merit inclusion here at some future date.

  • Albany Beef: A slang term for sturgeons, which were once abundant in the Hudson River which flows through Albany County, New York).
  • Blood Pudding: (photo #1) Don’t expect dessert. This is what Americans call blood sausage. Blood sausages date to 800 B.C.E., where a mention of black pudding (another name for blood pudding) appears in Homer’s “The Odyssey.” They are believed to be the oldest form of sausages. Casings are filled with blood that is cooked or dried and mixed with a filler (bread, cereal, nuts) until it is thick enough to solidify when cooled. “Blak podyngs” were first recorded in the U.K. around 1450. The term “pudding” is Britain; ground meat steamed in a casing was called a pudding.
  • Bombay Duck: Is neither from Bombay nor duck. It is a type of lizardfish, a food fish that is also called bummalo, boomlaor bombil in the Indo-Pacific region. It got its name in the days of the Raj, from being transported on an iconic train, the Bombay Daak (daak is the Hindi word for mail). The British thus called the fish Bombay duck.
  • Bubble and Squeak: Nothing to do with sparkling wine and cheese (think mouse), this is a breakfast of potatoes and cabbage, mixed together and fried. Around since at least the 18th century, earlier versions contained corned beef. The first recorded use of the name appears in 1762, and alludes to the sounds made by the ingredients as they are fried.
  • Cape Cod Turkey: You’d think there’d have been plenty of wild turkeys running around Cape Cod, but this is a dish of salted cod, salt pork or bacon, potatoes, and eggs in a cream sauce. The origin of the name is obscure, but some sources say that Irish immigrants in the Boston area used the term to refer to their Friday meal of fish. Here’s a recipe.
  • Canadian Bacon: Only Americans refer to this cut of smoked and fully cooked back bacon as “Canadian” bacon. It trimmed into cylindrical medallions, and thickly sliced. The name was created when this product was first imported from Toronto to New York City during a pork shortage. It is made only from the lean eye of the loin its flavor has been described as more ham-like than other types of bacon because of its lean cut.
  • Catheads And Gravy. The name is short for cathead biscuits, which are large, shaped by hand (as opposed to biscuit-cutter regular), and said to resemble a cat’s head (but not to us!). According to one source, they should be baked only in a cast-iron skillet.
  • Chicken Of The Woods: (photo #2) A mushroom (Laetiporus cincinnatus) that has a remarkable resemblance to chicken meat when cooked properly. It has the same texture and the “peeling” as chicken.
  • Colonial Goose: A deboned leg of mutton marinated in red wine, stuffed with breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, thyme, honey, and dried apricots, and roasted. The dish originated in Australia or New Zealand in the 19th-century, when a scarcity of geese led the early colonists to improvise with local ingredients.
  • Corned Beef: There is no corn involved. “Corns” refers to large rock-salt kernels that are used to salt-cure the brisket.
  • Cream Crackers: There’s no cream here, although these are tasty crackers to enjoy with cheese or soup. The name refers to the process of “creaming” together the flour, vegetable oil, salt, and yeast to make the dough.
  • Duck Sauce: It’s a stretch to relate this sweet sauce to duck. While sweet sauces exist in classic Chinese cuisine, this version got its name in Chinese–American restaurants, which it was often served with Peking Duck instead of the traditional hoisin sauce. It’s more accurately fruit sauce, made with stone fruits such as apricots, plums, or peaches; a good version (not the packets) is seasoned with ginger and chiles. Forget the duck and use it as a dipping sauce for egg rolls, spring rolls (the difference), and anything salty that could use a sweet counterpoint.
  • Egg Cream: Neither eggs nor cream is in this soft drink of milk, seltzer (carbonated water), and chocolate syrup, which originated in 1890 at a soda fountain in New York City. The history of the egg cream.
  • Eggplant: Americans know these fruits (yes, they’re botanical fruits) as elongated and purple. But in the 1700s, early European versions of eggplant were smaller and yellow or white. They looked like goose or chicken eggs, which led to the name “eggplant.”
  • English Muffin: Not a muffin, but more accurately a split crumpet, invented by an English immigrant to New York City. Here’s the story.
  • French Dressing: An American creamy dressing based on tomato paste (or ketchup), vinegar, paprika, sugar, and other ingredients. The French never heard of it.
  • French Fries: Fried potatoes have likely been made for millennia (potatoes originated in Peru) in Latin America. Europeans didn’t begin to eat them until the late 1700s. But what Americans call French fries originated in Belgium. It is believed the name came to America following World War I, when American soldiers in Belgium were introduced to the particular cut fried potatoes that were deep-fried. The French and Belgians simply call them frites, i.e. fries.
  • Geoduck: Pronounced “gooey-duck,” it’s not a duck but a large saltwater clam with a very long neck. It’s a sashimi delicacy.
  • Gunpowder Dosa: A dosa is a crêpe popular in South India and Sri Lanka; gunpowder is the name of a spice blend. Called milagai podi in India, gunpowder spice is a mixture of dal (lentils), seeds, and spices traditionally found in South Indian cuisine, plus chiles for heat.
  • Gunpowder Tea: (photo #4) Gunpowder tea is a green tea in which each leaf has been rolled into a small round pellet. Nowadays you can also find a black tea version. Its name comes from its resemblance to grains of gunpowder.
  • Hamburger: Everybody knows that there’s no ham in a hamburger. Fewer people realize that it came to the U.S. from Hamburg, Germany, where the ground meat patty was known as Hamburg steak. Here’s the scoop.
  • Head Cheese: No cheese is involved here. Meat from the head of an animal, such as a calf or pig, is boiled and placed in a terrine-style mold. A savory jelly is added and the congealed meat jelly is removed from the terrine and sliced. It was called “cheese” because the same type of mold was also used to shape cheese.
  • Hen-of-the-Woods: (photo #3) This mushroom (Grifola frondosa), also known by its Japanese name, maitake, has frond-like growths that resemble the feathers of a fluffed chicken. Also called ram’s head and sheep’s head.
  • Horseradish: Cultivated since antiquity, the German name for this fiery radish is meerrettich, sea radish, because it grows wild by the sea. The English mispronounced the German word meer and began calling it mareradish, which became horseradish by the 1590s.
  • Hot Dog: The hot dog traces its lineage to the 15th-century Viennese sausage, wienerwurst in German, a beef-pork blend (the weiner!). In the 17th century, a butcher from Bavaria used pure pork and sold the slender sausage as the “dachshund” or “little dog” sausage. He brought it to Frankfurt (the frankfurter!), but it was still a sausage eaten with a knife and fork. The hot dog, a slender sausage in a bun, was an American invention. Here’s more about it.
  • Jerusalem Artichoke: (photo #6) Neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke, this knobby tuber has a sweet, nutty flavor, thought by some to taste a bit like artichoke hearts. The plant is very distantly related to the sunflower but the flowers of each, bright yellow on tall stalks, look similar. “Jerusalem” is a corruption of “girasole,” the word for sunflower in Italian. In the U.S., produce marketers rechristened them sunchokes in the late 20th century.
  • Jordan Almonds: Similarly, these large, plump almonds with a hard sugar coating are not from Jordan, but from Spain. The name is a corruption of the French word for garden, jardin, referring to a cultivated rather than wild almond.
  • Ladyfingers: These sweet sponge cookies originated in the late 15th century at the court of the Duchy of Savoy, and were called savoiardi. In England, they were renamed ladyfingers because their shape resembles the slender fingers of a woman. France took a more racy approach and called them boudoirs, a woman’s dressing room, bedroom, or private sitting room.
  • Mincemeat: Don’t expect minced meat. Mincemeat is a mixture of finely chopped apples, raisins, and spices, with rum or brandy, used as a pie filling. In medieval times, mincemeat baked in a pie was a way to preserve the life of the meat. With the advent of refrigeration, the meat content was reduced, and today it is rare to find a recipe that contains meat.
  • Mongolian BBQ: Neither Mongolian nor barbecue, this stir fry was created in Taiwan around 1951. It’s more like teppanyaki, a restaurant meal where guests sit around a large, flat grill surface and watch the chef cook their meat and vegetables (à la Benihana). It was so-named by a famous Chinese comedy performer, Wu Zhao-nan.
  • Nun’s Farts: (photo #7) How did these light, airy beignets inspire the French name pets de nonne, literally “nun’s farts?” There may have been some confusion with an earlier term for the dessert, paix-de-nonne, meaning “nun’s peace,” which is pronounced the same as pets de nonne. In a similar manner, Cinderella’s glass slippers (verre in French) were originally fur slippers (vair in French pronounced the same). The French are not shy in naming foods: a type of goat cheese, crottin, is the name for a horse turd, which it resembles in shape.
  • Phoenix Claws: (photo #8) No mythical creatures were harmed here. Phoenix claws are a classic Cantonese dim sum dish of braised chicken feet. In Chinese mythology, the phoenix is an immortal bird.
  • Plum Pudding: (photo #9) This British Christmas classic is made with dried fruit, but no actual plums. It uses plums’ dried form, prunes, plus any assortment of currants, raisins, and other dried, preserved, or candied fruits. It is also called figgy pudding, since it can contain dried figs. Here’s a recipe.
  • Pork Butt: Not the hindquarters, but the shoulder of the pig. Why? In colonial New England, butchers packed these cuts into large barrels, called butts, for storage and transportation. The shoulder meat became known as a pork butt. Check out the different cuts of pork.
  • Prairie Oysters / Rocky Mountain Oysters: (photo #10) These are bull testicles, also called calf fries and huevos de toro. Ranchers and butchers in the Rockies looked for ways to use the testicles—no part was wasted (however, the testicles were not removed at slaughter, but typically removed from the young calf, when neutering). The testicles are typically skinned and sometimes pounded flat. They are breaded in flour, pepper, and salt, then deep-fried. Prairie oysters are considered a delicacy, and are most often served as an appetizer. They are called oysters tongue-in-cheek, as oysters, an appetizer delicacy, were not typically available that far from the ocean.
  • Russian Dressing: Another American dressing based on ketchup and mayonnaise. It’s similar to Thousand Island dressing, but without the relish. Its name may derive from an earlier version that reportedly contained caviar “islands” instead of pickle relish (caviar from Hudson River sturgeon was plentiful and cheap in the early 20th century). In Germany, a similar salad dressing is called American dressing or American sauce. In today’s Russia, traditional salads tend to be made of other vegetables (beets, carrots, potatoes, pickles, e.g.) rather than leafy greens, and are dressed with mayonnaise or vinaigrette (including one where pickle juice substitutes for regular vinegar).
  • Refried Beans: News to most Americans: These beans we enjoy in Tex-Mex fare aren’t actually fried twice. The name comes from the Spanish refritos, meaning well fried.
  • Scotch Bonnet: (photo #11) This fiery chile pepper from West Africa is named for its vague resemblance to a Scottish tam o’shanter cap (although Scotch bonnet shapes can vary widely).
  • Scotch Woodcock: While woodcocks are, in fact, small, strongly flavored game birds, Scottish Woodcock is a breakfast dish. It comprises scrambled eggs on toast, topped with anchovies; alternatively, the toast is spread with anchovy paste. The name is modeled after Welsh Rabbit (see below). Welsh Rabbit contains no rabbit meat, and Scotch Woodcock has no woodcock.
  • Sea Cucumber: Sea cucumbers are part of a marine group called echinoderms, which also contains starfish and sea urchins. Their body shape is similar to a cucumber, hence the name.
  • Spotted Dick: (photo #12) The British have such creative names for their foods. Spotted dick is a type of steamed dessert pudding made with suet and pieces of dried fruit (the spots). Steamed puddings typically have the consistency of cake. The name is first found in print in Alexis Soyer’s The Modern Housewife or Ménagère, published in 1849. It is also called Spotted Dog and Railway Cake.
  • Sweetbreads: Neither sweet nor bread, sweetbreads are the thymus or pancreas of a calf or lamb. They’re delicious fried or sautéed. When from a calf, the French name is ris de veau; from a lamb, it’s ris d’agneau. The word first appears in print in the 16th century, but the etymology of the name is unclear. “Sweet” may refer to the sweet, rich taste of the thymus, as opposed to savory-tasting muscle flesh. “Bread” may come from brede, which meant “roasted meat” in Old English [source].
  • Swiss Steak: “Swissing” is a technique of rolling or pounding to tenderize tough cuts of meat. Swiss steak is braised and usually served with gravy. The Swiss have never heard of it. The term, which is British, is of unknown origin, but may have been discovered in Switzerland or brought to Britain by a Swiss chef.
  • Toad In The Hole: In the U.K., toad in the hole is a Yorkshire Pudding batter pudding with pieces of sausage. Identical recipes by other names have been found since the mid-18th century, which include small pieces of meat, including pigeon, baked in a large, savory pudding. The sausage or other meat “hides” in the hole (the pudding). The dish was originally created as a way to stretch out meat in poor households. The origin of the name may refer to the way toads wait for their prey in their burrows, making their heads visible in the earth, just like the sausages peep through the batter. In the U.S., the name refers to a piece of toast with a hole cut into the middle. It is placed onto a grill or frying pan, a raw egg is dropped into the hole, and the egg, i.e. the toad, is cooked in the hole.
  • Welsh Rabbit: Erroneously called Welsh Rarebit in the U.S., this was a poor family’s supper made from stale bread and melted cheese, pulled together when the hunter of the family failed to catch a rabbit or other game. Here’s more about it, and a recipe.
  •  
     
    More to come!

     


    [1] Blood pudding in the U.S. is blood pudding in the U.S. (photo © Visit Estonia).


    [2] You can see why these mushrooms are called chicken of the woods. They look like ruffled feathers (photo © Rolf And Daughters | Nashville).


    [3] Its relative, hen of the woods mushrooms, are also called by their Japanese name, maitake (photo © Mushroom Council).


    [4] Gunpowder tea, here made with black tea. The original was (and is) made with green tea leaves (photo © Fava Tea).


    [5] Head cheese is a cold cut terrine or meat jelly that originated in Europe. Here’s a recipe to make your own (photo © Brit + Co).


    [6] Jerusalem artichoke, also called a sunchoke, is a knobby tuber (photo © Culinary Vegetable Institute).


    [7] How could such a lovely pastry be called Nun’s Farts? The same way Cinderella ended up with glass slippers. Here’s the recipe (photo © Not So Humble Pie).


    [8] Phoenix Claws have a less romantic name, braised chicken feet. Many people love them! Here’s a recipe (photo © Miss Chinese Food).


    [9] Plum pudding has no plums, but does have prunes (dried plums) and other delicious dried fruits. Here’s a recipe (photo © Gary Lerner | StockXchange).


    [10] Prairie oysters are testicals that are often served battered and fried (photo © Vincent Diamante | Wikipedia).


    [11] Some Scotch Bonnets look like the Scottish tam o’shanter cap (photo © Bud Holland).


    [12] Spotted dick is a British steamed pudding that cooks up as a cake Here’s a recipe (photo © Epicurious).

     
     
     
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    *Ants Climbing A Tree is a Szechuan dish made of glass noodles (a.k.a. cellophane noodles, clear noodles made from mung bean starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca, or canna starch). The noodles were the “branches,” the chopped scallions were the “leaves,” and the bits of ground meat were the “ants.”

     
     

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    FOOD FUN: The Pizookie & Red Velvet Cookie Recipe With White Chocolate Chips


    [1] Dying to dig in to a Red Velvet Pizookie? (photo © BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse).


    [2] Gel food colors add brighter color without the addition of a lot of liquid food color. Only a few drops of gel color gives the same, or better, result than a teaspoon of liquid color (photo © ChefMaster).


    [3] Use quality chocolate chips or chunks, like Guittard (photo © Lake Champlain Chocolates).


    [4] Add your favorite vanilla ice cream (photo © Graeter’s).

     

    We wish we lived near a BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, because we’d head right over for a Red Velvet Pizookie.

    The limited-edition, ooey-gooey red velvet cookie sundae is on the menu now through the end of February.

    The popular Pizookie is a freshly baked red velvet cookie with chunks of sweet cream cheese and white chocolate chips.

    It’s topped with two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream, and promises to satisfy sweet cravings.

    No BJ’s near you? Make your own with this recipe.
     
     
    RECIPE: RED VELVET COOKIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS

    This recipe was adapted from The New York Times. Note that white chocolate chips or chunks tend to get tinted pink when mixed into the red velvet batter.

    This recipe creates a cakey cookie, perfect for a cookie sundae.

    We added a light drizzle of bittersweet chocolate sauce for a flavor counterpoint. You can serve it on the side if you wish.

    To avoid red food color messiness, have some wax paper sheets at hand to hold the used utensils and to press the cookie dough down.
     
    Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 to 1½ tablespoons red food coloring, preferably gel
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups grams all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons buttermilk or whole milk
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips or chunks
  •  
    For The Sundae

  • Vanilla ice cream
  • Optional: chocolate sauce for drizzle
  •  
    Preparation

    1. SEAT the racks in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

    2. CREAM the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

    3. ADD 1 tablespoon red food coloring (up to 1-1/2 tablespoons for really red cookies) and the vanilla extract, and mix on medium speed to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

    4. WHISK the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl to combine. Add to the mixer and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the buttermilk/milk and mix on low speed to combine, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.

    5. ADD about 3/4 of the white chocolate chips and mix on low speed to combine. For big cookies, use an ice cream scoop to scoop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1-1/2 inches between each ball. Use your palm to flatten the balls slightly (use a piece of wax paper here to keep your hands red-free).

    6. PRESS the remaining white chocolate chunks into the surface of each piece of dough. Bake for 12 minutes, until the cookies appear set on the outside and puffed in the center, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Cool completely on the baking sheets.
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF COOKIES

    > THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOKIES

     

     
     

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    Glendalough Rose Gin: Pink Gin For A Valentine Gift, Mother’s Day & More

    Pink gin? Yes, or more accurately, rose gin made with freshly-picked rose petals. From Glendalough Distillery in Dublin, Ireland, it’s just in time for Valentine’s Day…and for upcoming celebrations that cause you to think pink. Mother’s Day? Birthdays? Anniversaries? Baby girls? There’s even National Pink Day on June 23rd*. Not to mention all the gin holidays, below.

    This fresh, rose-petal gin was first made to honor the head distiller’s mom, Rose. The occasion was his brother’s wedding. Rose had recently passed away, and this was his way to have her there in spirit—literally.

    How do you make rose gin?

    Flowers from an Irish rose garden are slowly vapor distilled with wild roses and botanicals from the Wicklow mountains.

    After distilling, the intensely floral gin is further infused with even more roses to deepen the flavors and give it its lovely pink hue.

  • The Nose: Very aromatic, with soft juniper notes, perfumed with fresh rose.
  • The Taste: Gentle sweet spice, with distinct rose petal, bright berries, citrus with a nectar sweetness.
  • The Finish: Long, floral, rose petals.
     
    Botanicals used in the gin include Irish mountain roses and damask roses, which are said to be the “most aromatic roses that can be found” [source].

    Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, the distillery makes craft whiskey and gin. Glendalough claims to be the only distillery in the world that employs full-time foragers, enabling its team to distill using fresh wild plants every day.
    The gin is available in retailers nationwide and on Drizly.

    Enjoy Glendalough Rose Gin in a dry Martini, a G&T, or this special Valentine’s Day recipe.
     
     
    RECIPE: HIBISCUS ROSE GIN COCKTAIL

    Hibiscus is a “superflower,” packed with antioxidants†. It is herbal tea—no caffeine—that is delicious hot or iced.
     
    Ingredients

  • 1.5oz Glendalough rose gin
  • ½ oz hibiscus tea syrup (recipe below)
  • ½ oz fresh lemon juice
  • Prosecco
  • Dried lemon wheel
  • Rose petal (organic, no pesticides) or a rosebud on a cocktail pick
  • Ice
  •  
    For The Hibiscus Tea Syrup

  • 7 hibiscus tea bags
  • 33 ounces hot water
  • 16 ounces (2 cups) granulated sugar
  •  
    Preparation

    1. MAKE the hibiscus tea syrup. Steep the tea bags in the water for 15 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool.

    2. COMBINE the rose gin, hibiscus tea syrup, and lemon juice in a shaker. Add ice and shake.

    3. DOUBLE STRAIN into a coupe glass and top with prosecco. Garnish with a dried lemon wheel and float a rose petal on top.
     
     
    GIN HOLIDAYS

    More ways to enjoy Rose Gin:

  • April 9th: National Gin & Tonic Day
  • June 11th: World Gin Day (date varies—it’s the second Saturday in June)
  • September 1: Australian Craft Gin Day
  • October 1: International Scottish Gin Day
  • November 14: Australian Gin Week
  •  
     
    > THE HISTORY OF GIN
     
     
    > THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GIN

     


    [1] Glendalough Rose Gin and the Hibiscus Rose cocktail—recipe below (photos #1, #2, #3 and #4 © Glenadough Distillery).


    [2] A Rose Gin & Tonic.


    [3] A Rose Gin Spritz.


    [4] For a special gift, how about a bottle of Rose Gin with a bouquet of pink roses?


    [5] Hibiscus tea bags make delicious hot or iced herbal tea. These are available on Amazon or directly from Republic Of Tea (photo © Republic Of Tea).

     
    ________________

    *There’s also National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October, and international Pink Day on April 13th, an observation against bullying, discrimination, homophobia, transphobia, and transmisogyny around the world.

    †Hibiscus can help boost your immune system and may help to prevent cell damage caused by free radicals in the body. This can reduce your risk of developing many significant health complications such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Hibiscus tea contains other antioxidants, such as anthocyanins. It can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Here’s more about it.

     
     

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