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


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TIP OF THE DAY: Panko, Japanese Bread Crumbs

We no longer use American bread crumbs. For several years, our crumb of choice is panko, the crispy bread crumb used in Japanese cuisine (think tonkatsu and crunchy sushi rolls).

They’re actually “bread flakes” rather than bread crumbs. Panko is made in small flakes, not ground into crumbs like traditional bread crumbs. The flakes provide a crisper, crunchier coating and an airier texture.

Use them to coat fried chicken, crab cakes, fried zucchini, mozzarella sticks and all of your favorites. You can even sprinkle them on ice cream for crunch.

You can find panko in the Asian products section of many supermarkets; at all Asian food markets; and online.

Boxes of panko also make creative stocking stuffers for people who love fried food. The panko from Sushi Chef, in a smart black, white and red box, is particularly giftworthy.

 

Panko-crusted pork. Photo by
Parkerman & Christie | Wikimedia.

  

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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Tatte Nut Boxes, The Best Dessert

The best dessert this year! Photo by
Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

Tatte’s Nut Boxes aren’t just our favorite pastry or our favorite nut dessert; they’re our favorite dessert of the year.

That’s because the recipe and the visual presentation are simply divine.

Rectangular shells of butter pastry are lined with a perfect caramel, then topped to overflowing with the tastiest, fresh-roasted nuts.

There are nuts to suit every palate: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios or walnuts. Or, have them all in the mixed nuts version shown in the photo.

Then drizzle a tiny bit more caramel over the nuts; bake and sell to grateful customers.

These elegant desserts will dazzle at a dinner party or tea party, make a memorable gift, or treat you to a sublime pastry experience. And for only $6 per nut box!

Each nut box could easily be shared by two people—but don’t even think of asking for half of ours.

 

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TREND: The Next Thing In A Fresh Cookie?

The Sweet Flour Bake Shop in Toronto is at the vanguard of something we haven’t seen before: cookies and muffins custom-baked with your choice of mix-ins, prepared while you wait—in as little as two minutes. You can create just one cookie or take home a dozen.

Do the math, and you get 15,000 different combinations—a different cookie for every day for the next 41 years.

First, you start with a choice of an Original, Oatmeal or Peanut Butter cookie dough (what—no chocolate?) or muffin tops in Original or Bran muffin tops.

Then pick 2 or 3 mix-ins:

  • Chips: dark chocolate chunks, semi-sweet chocolate chunks, milk chocolate chunks, white chocolate chunks, chocolate mint chips, peanut butter pieces and butterscotch chips, plus sprinkles

Cookies made to order in two minutes.
Photo courtesy Sweet Flour Bake Shop.

  • Candy: M&Ms, mini pretzels, snickers, toffee pieces
  • Dried Fruit: blueberries, cherries, cranberries, figs, raisins
  • Nuts: almonds, macadamias, pecans, pistachios, walnutsIf you’ve in the mood for ganache, have a sandwich cookies in chocolate, peanut butter or shortbread with chocolate, maple, peanut butter, salted caramel or vanilla crème.

     

    OK, we’ll start with a chocolate sandwich cookie with salted caramel ganache; then move onto a bran muffin with dried cherries, figs and pistachio nuts. We’ll be back later for an Original cookie with M&Ms, toffee and snickers.

    How about you?

    And when is a Sweet Flour bakery opening near us?

     

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GIFT OF THE DAY: Food Face Dinner Plate

It’s fun to play with your food. Photo
courtesy WorldwideFred.com.

If your kids won’t finish their food, at least let them play with it.

Food face, available with a man’s or woman’s face, is a ceramic plate that gives children (or the child within) free reign to play with his or her food.

The 8-1/2-inch plate is $12 to $13. If you give one to every member of the family, there can be nightly food art competitions. It’s also a fun party activity.

  • Buy online at Amazon.com. See WorldwideFred.com for a complete list of online retailers.
  • See our entire list of holiday gifts for kids.
  • See 10 more holiday gift lists—from Diet Gifts and Kosher Gifts to Stocking Stuffers.

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TIP OF THE DAY: Thanksgiving Drinks For Non-Drinkers

Make your Thanksgiving more elegant by skipping the soda and serving unsweetened flavored water. These refreshing waters also are a change of pace for people who drink mineral water or club soda, as well as for designated drivers and others who aren’t drinking wine. Kids typically enjoy them, too, so it’s an opportunity to show them alternatives to soda.

Our favorite, all-natural, flavored waters:

Hint. There are 10 delicious flavors of hint, but Pomegranate-Tangerine and Pear are especially appropriate for the Thanksgiving table. Available in 16-ounce plastic bottles at fine supermarkets and specialty food stores nationwide, they can also be purchased online at DrinkHint.com.

Ayala’s Herbal Water. For more sophisticated palates, there are six varieties of Ayala’s Herbal Water that combine two or three food-friendly flavors. Cloves Cardamom Cinnamon, Cinnamon Orange Peel and Ginger Lemon Peel are our picks for Thanksgiving.

The right flavored waters add panache
to the Thanksgiving table. Photo courtesy
Ayala’s Herbal Water.

All are available in 16-ounce plastic bottles; the latter two flavors are also available in 750 ml elegant frosted bottles (the size of a wine bottle, and a lovely gift). Ayala’s is also available at fine markets nationwide, and online at HerbalWater.com. The line is certified organic.

If you’re a guest, you can send a case ahead of time as a host(ess) gift.

Both products are NIBBLE Top Picks Of The Week.

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