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


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PRODUCT: Minute Maid Light

A satisying O.J. Lite. Photo by Erika Meller |
THE NIBBLE.

 

If you’re still stuffed from Thanksgiving dinner, it’s a good time to read about Minute Maid Light fruit drink, instead of some rich, heavy food.

At only 15 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrate per 8-ounce glass, it’s an orangey way to start your day or quench your thirst throughout it. Each 8-ounce serving contains 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C.

We tried Orange Tangerine and Lemonade fruit drinks. The products are made with real juice from concentrate, sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), and are certified kosher by Triangle K. Both can also be used as low-calorie cocktail mixers.

  • Orange Tangerine scored well with us; we’ll buy it again. For very few calories, we’ll trade the natural O.J. at 110 calories a glass for 15 calories per glass. You know you’re drinking a light version, but for those who can quickly drain an eight-ounce glass, it’s a good substitute (and makes a nice reduced-calorie Screwdriver).
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  • The Lemonade didn’t fare as well with us. Even though we added a two teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, it didn’t perk up as we’d hoped. We could taste the artificial sweetener and the drink reminded us of Crystal Light. It’s easy to squeeze a lemon and make a glass of fresh lemonade sweetened with low-glycemic agave nectar or a packet of sucralose (e.g., Splenda).
  • The line also includes Limonada-Limeade and Raspberry Passion, which we couldn’t track down at our local markets. A colleague tells us that Limonada-Limeade, some Orange Tangerine (substituting for the Cointreau) plus tequila makes a lower-calorie, No Sugar Added Margarita.

    Minute Maid, the world’s largest marketer of fruit juices and fruit drinks, is a brand owned by The Coca-Cola Company.

      

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    GIFT OF THE DAY: Champagne Truffles, Rum Truffles

    These melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffle logs, made in Argentina for Harry & David by LW Chocolatier, are truly delectable.

    They’re perfect to serve with espresso or after-dinner drinks; and for a luscious snack any time you need a chocolate fix. Fill the candy bowl and guests will be in heaven.

    Choose from cocoa-powder-coated Rum Truffles or powder-sugar-coated Champagne truffles—or don’t choose and get some of each.

    Packaged in an elegant bronzed gift box, these are a sophisticated, grown-up treat that kids will love as well. Twelve individually-wrapped truffles (13.5 ounces) are $39.95 at HarryAndDavid.com.

    Melt-in-your-mouth happiness. Photo
    courtesy Harry & David.

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    HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

    Have a delicious Thanksgiving. Photo
    courtesy iGourmet.com.

     

    Wishes For Today:

    May your stuffing be tasty
    May your turkey be plump,
    May your potatoes and gravy
    Have nary a lump.
    May your yams be delicious
    And your pies take the prize,
    And may your Thanksgiving dinner
    Stay off your thighs!

    – Anonymous

    Thanks to SaucyMamaCafe.com for reminding
    us of this holiday verse.

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    Pumpkin Fritters Recipe For Thanksgiving & National Fritters Day

    THE NIBBLE’s Kids & Family Editor, Cricket Azima, says that if you haven’t settled on a pumpkin dish for your Thanksgiving dinner, these South African Pumpkin Fritters are a snap. You can also serve them for dessert with ice cream or whipped cream, or make them for brunch over Thanksgiving weekend.

    And they’re delicious any other fall or winter day, including December 2nd, National Fritters Day.

    The recipe is from Cricket’s cookbook, Everybody Eats Lunch.

    These fritters are topped with cinnamon sugar (photo #1). If you’d rather take a savory approach, top with plain nonfat Greek yogurt (or serve it on the side) and garnish with pumpkin seeds (optional).

    You serve them for breakfast, as a first course with dinner, as a side, and dessert (with ice cream or whipped cream, of course!).

    You can substitute apples if you’d like to make apple fritters. See the directions below.
     
     
    PUMPKIN FRITTERS RECIPE

    Ingredients For 4 Servings (16 Fritters)

  • 1 can pumpkin (15-ounces)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Optional garnish or side: apple sauce, mascarpone, sour cream, vanilla yogurt
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    Preparation

    1. COMBINE the pumpkin, flour, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

    2. HEAT 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

    3. COOK in two batches. Drop spoonfuls of mixture into the pan and lightly flatten with a spatula. Cook until golden, about 4 minutes per side.

    4. COMBINE the remaining sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the hot fritters before serving. Editor’s Note: A bit of maple syrup is also nice.
     
    Prefer apple fritters?

    A 15-ounce can of canned pumpkin holds nearly 2 cups (it’s actually 2-1/2 tablespoons short of 2 cups). So, substitute 2 cups of peeled, finely diced Granny Smith apples.
     
    ABOUT FRITTERS

    A fritter is a small cake of batter that is fried in deep fat or sautéed.

  • Plain fritters are deep-fried cakes of chou paste or a yeast dough, often sprinkled with powdered sugar and/or served with a sweet condiment, like preserves. European versions include French beignets, Italian bigne, and Greek loukoumades.
  • A more complex fritter contains pieces of meat, seafood, vegetables or fruit. They are coated with batter and then deep-fried. American corn fritters (photo #2) are an example, as are Indian pakora, which contain pieces of cauliflower, eggplant, or other vegetable.
  • The parent of fritters is the familiar batter-coated fried food, from Southern fried chicken to Italian fritto misto to Japanese tempura. The technique of batter-frying was introduced into Japan in the late 16th century by Portuguese traders.
  •  
    The term fritter comes from the Latin frictus, fried.

    By the time it reached Middle English in 1350–1400, it was friture—one step away from fritter.
     
     
    THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRITTERS & CROQUETTES

    Both are fried in deep fat, but there are significant differences.

    A fritter is a batter that is fried. It takes a free form, depending on how the batter is dropped into the oil.

    A croquette is a shaped oblong or round (photo #3), that is breaded in flour or bread crumbs and beaten egg, and fried.

    The word derives from from the French croquer to crunch.

     


    [1] Mmm, pumpkin fritters. Serve with the main course, for brunch or for dessert with ice cream or whipped cream (photo © Blueee | Fotolia).


    [2] Corn fritters. Here’s a recipe (photo © I Love Corn).

    Ham Croquettes
    [3] Ham croquettes. See the difference between fritters and croquettes below (photo © Kyle Books).


    [3] Agedashi-tofu (pronounced AH-gay DAH-she) is a different kind of fritter, from Japan. It’s one of our favorite dishes at Japanese restaurants. Here’s a recipe (photo © Just One Cookbook).

     

     
     

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    GIFT OF THE DAY: Heat & Dry Dish Rack

    Let hot hair dry your dishes. Photo
    courtesy Bon Home.

    Your hand-washed dishes will dry in 10 minutes on your countertop! All you have to do is press the “on” switch on this first-of-its-kind dish rack. Hot air will waft up from the bottom of the rack and dry the dishes.

    The Heat & Dry Dish Rack from Bon Home is much faster and more sanitary than towel drying—and it’s whisper quiet.

    • No more towel lint, no potential breakage most of us have experienced when hand-drying.
    • It’s perfect for hand-washed items too delicate to put into the dishwasher—like fine crystal.
    • At $99.95 it may seem pricey, but use it daily for a year and the cost equates to 27 cents a day. We’d gladly pay that, never to have to hand-dry glassware again! Buy online at BonHome.com.

     

    See all of our favorite kitchen gadgets for Holiday 2010.

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