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


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RECIPE: Blueberry Cranberry Relish


Add blueberries to your cranberry relish. Recipe and photo courtesy Chilean Fresh Fruit Association.
  It isn’t blueberry season—at least not in the U.S. But fresh blueberries from Chile are available. Not at low summer prices, mind you. But those who love their blueberries year-round need not go without.

One reason to buy fresh blueberries now is to make this easy and delicious Blueberry Cranberry Relish, delicious with Christmas turkey and ham.

RECIPE: FRESH BLUEBERRY & CRANBERRY RELISH

This recipe is best made a day or two in advance to let flavors blend. It makes 12 quarter-cup servings.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • 8 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
  •  
    Preparation

    1. COMBINE all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

    2. COOK until the sugar dissolves and the berries soften, for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and chill.

    Nutrients per serving: calories 76, fat 0, cholesterol 0, sodium 0, dietary fiber 0, protein 0.
     
    SERVING SUGGESTIONS

  • Appetizer: A delicious condiment with Brie and other soft, creamy cheeses.
  • Lunch: With turkey or ham sandwiches or grilled cheese; on a toasted cream cheese or fresh goat cheese sandwich.
  • Dinner: A side with holiday turkey or ham; or everyday lamb, pork and poultry dishes.
  • Dessert: A topping for vanilla ice cream, sorbet or frozen yogur.t
  • Gift: Spoon into pretty glass jelly jars, tie a ribbon around the jar and give them as homemade gifts or party favors.
  •  
    Also see our recipe for Cranberry Relish With Port.

    While you’re at it, make a Frozen Cranberry Margarita, Cranberry Mojito or Crantini (cranberry martini).
      

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    GIFT OF THE DAY: Honey Ridge Farms Flavored Honey

    Here’s something sweet and better-for-you: honey is lower on the glycemic index than sugar.

    These superior flavored honeys from Honey Ridge Farms are blended with fruits or spices. Luscious, yet light on the palate, these honey crèmes are delicious on just about anything.

  • Spread on toast, scones, pancakes and waffles
  • Top ice cream
  • Use as a cheese condiment
  • Add to grilling sauces or marinades
  • And by all means, sweeten tea or other beverages
  • Flavors include Apricot, Blackberry, Cranberry, Lemon, Raspberry and Spiced (Cinnamon). The line is certified kosher by Oregon Kosher.

    You can purchase individual jars or a lovely gift crate with three 5.5-ounce jars:

  • Honey Crèmes, two 12-Ounce Jars, your choice of flavors
  • Honey Gift Crate With Three 5.5-Ounce Jars: Apricot, Blackberry & Clover
  • Honey Gift Crate With Three 5.5-Ounce Jars: Cranberry, Raspberry
    & Spiced (Cinnamon)
  •  
    Learn all about honey, how to pair honey and food, and find recipes in our Honey Section.

    Discover the fascinating history of honey.

     

    A gift box of Honey Ridge Farms Honey
    Crème is a sweet, better-for-you gift.
    Photo by River Soma | THE NIBBLE.

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    PRODUCT: The Best Cheese Slices

    Tillamook’s standard Cheddar slice is cut
    into four mini-squares. Photo courtesy
    Tillamook County Creamery Association.

    Forget about those processed cheese slices.

    Oregon’s Tillamook County Creamery Association, formerly one of the best Cheddar producers in the country, is now the best in the world.

    Tillamook’s Medium Cheddar was voted “World’s Best Medium Cheddar Cheese” at the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest—besting 58 other Medium Cheddar contestants.

    An international panel of Cheddar experts gave Tillamook a near-perfect score of 99.6 points out of 100.

    And now, the World’s Best Medium Cheddar Cheese is available in mini slices—the standard four-inch slice divided into four 2″x2″ slices, 48 mini-slices to a pack.

    They’re an easy solution for:

    • Sliders
    • Mini-sandwiches
    • Cheddar dogs
    • Eating less cheese on your burger (try two quarter slices, placed for maximum coverage)
    • And they’re the perfect size to fit on a cracker

     

    For entertaining, set out a cheese board of mini-slices, crackers, and garnishes (gherkins, pickle chips, olives, pepperoncini, Peppadew, cubed ham and turkey, sliced sausage, honey mustard and Dijon mustard) so guests can customize their snacks.

    Why else is this a great cheese?

    It’s all natural, made from milk that is rBST/rBGH free (no artificial growth hormones).

     

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Christmas Tea (Or Wine) Break With Christmas Bread

    Gingerbread may be the best known Christmas “bread” in the U.S. Hopefully you’ll enjoy a few bites before the season ends (and send someone an adorable Gingerista gingerbread family that mirrors his or her household).

    But don’t let the holidays pass you by without trying pandoro, panettone, panforte and/or stollen.

    All are delicious with spiced tea like Constant Comment, which is also available in decaf and green tea versions. You can substitute an unflavored black tea.

    If you want to put some spirit into your snack, dessert or tea time, serve the Christmas bread with mulled wine (warm spiced wine) or with a sweet dessert wine, such as Spumante or Moscato.

    Gather the goods and invite friends to a special Christmas tea party.
     
     
    CLASSIC SWEET CHRISTMAS BREADS

    Think of these sweet breads as cake.

     

    Stollen, the traditional German christmas
    cake or “bread.” Photo courtesy The London
    Hotel, New York City.

  • Pandoro is a star-shaped yeast bread sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, created in 19th-century Verona.
  • Panettone is a Milanese Christmas yeast bread, filled with candied fruits and raisins, that dates to medieval Italy. It is tall, dome-shaped and airy.
  • Panforte is short and dense. While the origins of a sweet leavened bread date back to Roman times, this dense mixture of almonds and candied fruit, sweetened with honey and flavored with spices, was born in 12th century Siena. See our favorite panforte (it’s gluten free).
  • Stollen was created outside of Dresden, Germany, in 1437. It is so prized that the city has trademarked the name, Dresden Stollen. The shape, covered with powdered sugar, is said to represent the diaper of Baby Jesus! See the history of stollen, and how Dresden erroneously claims their bakers invented it.
  •  
     
    ENJOY THEM!

  • Get the recipe for mulled wine.
  • Find recipes for panettone French toast, bread pudding and panettone-Nutella sandwiches.
  • Check out all the different types of bread in our beautiful Bread Glossary.
  • Find more tea party ideas.
  •  
    If you’re in New York City for the holidays, you can stop by The London Bar by Gordon Ramsay at The London Hotel, 151 West 54th Street, not far from Carnegie Hall, Tiffany’s, the Time Warner Center/Columbus Circle and Times Square. Through the holidays, you can enjoy a slice of fresh-made stollen with spiced wine and a side of rum. It’s served daily from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. If you prefer tea, they’ll gladly oblige. (Editor’s Note 2020: Alas, now closed.)

      

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    TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Belle Chèvre Goat Cream Cheese



    A simply scrumptious goat cheese spread in Cinnamon, Coffee, Fig and Honey (photo by Katharine Pollak | © THE NIBBLE.

     

    Whether or not you like goat cheese, we’re here to spread the joy about Belle Chèvre Breakfast Cheese.

    It’s a line of four sweet-and-tangy spreadable cheeses that reminds us of lighter, drier cheesecake filling.

    Each of the flavors is perfect for spreading on your bagel, toast, muffin, crispbread and any place you’d spread cream cheese.

    Goat cheese is a lot healthier than cream cheese.

    Even if you don’t like it, if you like cheesecake, chances are you’ll like Belle Chèvre Breakfast Cheese.

    The melt-in-your-mouth cheese spreads—in Cinnamon, Coffee, Fig & Honey—can go from breakfast to hors d’oeuvre to dessert.

    You’ll be maaa-d about it.

  • Read the full review.
  • An overview of goat cheese.
  • The history of goat cheese and why it’s better for you.
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