One of the lovely gems from Gem
Chocolates. Photo courtesy Gem Chocolates.

We’re thrilled that Gem Chocolates lives up to its name. A delight to look at and to taste, chocolatier Glenn Knowles has also created a selection of flavors that excite.

Whether you want classic ganaches (lavender, praline, vanilla bean) or modern ones (blueberry rooibos, habanero, masala, lychee), every flavor in the ample collection is a hit.

In addition to ganaches, there are boxes of chocolate domes filled with seductive caramel. Don’t miss them.

Needless to say, we hope our admirers—known and secret—rush over to GemChocolates.ca to send us boxes for Valentine’s Day. If you’re looking for something special, go for Gem.

• Read the full review.
• Buy Gem Chocolates online.
• Don’t know ganache from gianduja? Learn your chocolate terms in our Chocolate Glossary.
• Find more of our favorite chocolates in our Gourmet Chocolate Section.

Originating in Italy, latte art first appeared in America’s coffee capital, Seattle, around 1989. The creative flourish was pioneered by Espresso Vivace coffee bar owner David Schomer.

The heart pattern became a signature at Schomer’s coffee bar. He then added the rosetta pattern, and shared his knowledge by teaching a course, “Caffe Latte Art.”

You can be a creative barista at home. Ideally, you need to create a pitcher of microfoam made with the steam wand of an espresso machine. If you have a separate foaming device, give it a try.

Barista Jessica Kelly demonstrates how to:

• Make a circle of five hearts
• Make one large heart
• Make a rosetta design
• Make a star design with chocolate syrup
• Make a daisy design with chocolate syrup

Make a foam heart for your Valentine.
Photo by Vinicio Capossela | SXC.

Call it “Foosball Chip.” Photo courtesy
RubyEtViolette.com.

The “foosball” chocolate chip cookie includes peanuts and Chex mix.

For a two-point conversion, order some of matching Friday Night Foosball ice cream to enjoy with your cookies.

Cookies can be ordered at RubyetViolette.com by noon (ET) on Wednesday for 2nd Day Air shipping, or by noon on Thursday, 2/3 for overnight delivery. Ice cream requires a phone order: 1.718.728.6250.

• Read our review of Ruby et Violette, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

• For Valentine’s Day, order Ruby et Violette’s glamorous brownies and Seduction Cookies, also Top Picks of The Week.
• Find reviews of our favorite chocolate chip cookies, plus recipes, in our Gourmet Cookies Section.
• Love chocolate chip cookies? Check out the history—they were invented by accident!

Plastic is not good for mushroom health: There’s no air and the ‘shrooms can’t breathe.

If you’re not going to use them immediately, transfer the mushrooms to a paper bag. We retain the bags from small purchases—deli purchases to greeting cards—for that purpose.

Properly bagged, the mushrooms will stay fresh for up to a week.

See many beautiful mushrooms in our Mushroom Glossary.

And yes, you can rinse mushrooms under water or in a bowl. Just give them a brief bath: enough to loosen dirt but not enough to intake water. Pat dry with a paper towel.

White beech mushrooms: Let ‘em breathe.
Photo by Claire Freierman | THE NIBBLE.

[1] The fruit salad version of Heavenly Hash, wrapped in sour cream (photo © When The Dinner Bell Rings | Blogspot [now closed].

[2] Heavenly Hash fudge, with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and pecans. Here’s the recipe from Small Town Woman (photo © Small Town Woman).

[3] Heavenly Hash ice cream, with chocolate chips, marshmallow swirl and sliced almonds (photo © Stewarts Shop).

February 2nd is National Heavenly Hash Day. But which heavenly hash?

If someone offers you Heavenly Hash, you may want to clarify:

Is it a fruit salad bound with sour cream or whipped cream, or a chocolate confection or baked good filled with marshmallows and nuts?
 
 
HEAVENLY HASH: THE FRUIT SALAD

The fruit salad version of Heavenly Hash is a traditional Southern dish. It began as a Christmas recipe with red maraschino cherries, green grapes, pecans and other ingredients folded into whipped cream.

Over generations the recipe evolved, with everyone inventing his or her own hash (the term, after all, indicates a jumble or muddle of ingredients).

So today the recipe for heavenly hash essentially requires some kind of fruit—fresh, canned and/or candied—in some kind of creamy white binder.

We prefer sour cream, but have also found, mayonnaise, pudding, whipped cream, even yogurt or cottage cheese and (gasp!) Cool Whip.

Here are just a few of the combinations we perused:

 
We make Heavenly Hash with fresh fruits (strawberries, bananas, pineapple, peaches) and nuts (a mix of pecans, pistachios and walnuts), folded into crème fraîche or slightly sweetened sour cream.

If the whole concept sounds odd to you, know that Heavenly Hash is very much a comfort food to its fans.
 
 
VARIATION: AMBROSIA

Ambrosia is a similar American fruit salad from the South.

While some people use the terms interchangeably, most ambrosia recipes contain coconut and pineapple, mandarin or orange sections, and miniature marshmallows.

As with Heavenly Hash, Ambrosia can also include nuts and maraschino cherries.

We dug up an old Ambrosia recipe from Emeril Lagasse that uses fresh fruits (bananas, berries [3 types], oranges, pineapple), whipped cream and toasted coconut.

And because it’s from a noted chef, there’s a chiffonade fresh mint leaves.

Folks liked the concept of heavenly hash so much—different ingredients in a creamy base—they ported it into other sweets called Heavenly Hash:

 
So enjoy Heavenly Hash Day your style, with one of the ideas above; or freestyle it to create something new.