We custom-designed these chocolate
bars to combine our favorite flavors.
Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.
Chocolate lovers, your dream has come true.
If you enjoy a fine chocolate bar—but wish you could custom-design it to add more of your favorite flavors—Chocomize is ready to serve you.
We created all of the chocolate bars in the photo. First choose your chocolate—in this case, excellent Barry Callebaut bars from Belgium in dark, milk or white chocolate.
Then top it with up to 5 selections from almost 100 choices:
17 types of nuts and seeds
18 types of dried fruit
11 sweet and savory spices
24 different types of candy
12 “decorations,” including flower petals, gold flakes and birthday greetings
15 “other,” a group of favorites ranging from coffee beans to cereals, potato chips and pretzels, cookies and logos
It’s fun, it’s delicious and it’s inexpensive—your fantasy chocolate bar for less than $10. An e-gift certificate lets your friends and family design their own bars.
Watercress is good-looking, good-tasting and
really good for you. Photo courtesy B&W
Quality Growers.
Watercress the super food is now watercress the cancer-fighter.
A study published in The British Journal of Nutrition this week reveals experimental findings that show the consumption of a three-ounce portion of watercress reduced the presence of tumor growth in participants who had previously been treated for breast cancer.
The study showed watercress to be as therapeutic as traditional cancer-fighting drugs with tamoxifen and herceptin; and that regular consumption of watercress has the potential to protect against cancer in general.
Another study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in February 2007 showed that in addition to reducing DNA damage, a daily dose of watercress increased the ability of cells to resist DNA damage that may be caused by free radicals.
The ancient Romans, Greeks and Persians recognized that watercress was a powerful natural medicine. The Greek general Xenophon made his soldiers eat watercress before going into battle, to increase their vigor and stamina. Captain James Cook circumnavigated the globe three times, his success due in part to feeding watercress to his sailors to ward off scurvy.
Watercress has been prescribed for anemia, eczema, kidney and liver disorder, migraines and tuberculosis. It is nutritionally dense: Watercress is a better source of calcium; iron; magnesium; manganese; potassium; vitamins C, B1, B6, K, E; and zinc than apples, broccoli and tomatoes.
We love watercress in salads, on sandwiches and as a delicious plate garnish. Head to Watercress.com for some 70 watercress recipes. You’ll find everything from burgers and pasta with watercress to Indian, Korean and Mexican dishes with watercress.
September 20, 2010 at 1:14 pm
· Filed under Snacks
Yo ho ho! If ye missed National Talk Like A Pirate Day on September 19th, ye don’t need to punish yerself by walking the plank. Just enter this week’s Gourmet Giveaway and ye can win a treasure chest of Pirate’s Booty.
Three lucky buccaneers don’t need to go digging for buried treasure, because two of each of the flavors of healthy, all-natural snacks will be sent right to their ships (or wherever ye be calling home).
Shiver me timbers! With flavors including Aged White Cheddar, Barbeque, New York Pizza, Sour Cream & Onion and Veggie that be some good eatin’.
Retail value: Approximately $15.00.
To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway:Go to the box at the bottom of our Gourmet Snacks Section and click to enter your email address for the prize drawing. This contest closes on Monday, September 27th at noon, Eastern Time. Good luck!
Taste the whole line. Photo by Evan Dempsey | THE NIBBLE.
Tellicherry, the “Champagne” of black
peppersorns.
Photo by B.A. Van Sise | THE NIBBLE.
There’s no question that freshly-ground pepper delivers exciting flavor, while pre-ground pepper tends to be flat.
That’s because the grinding process releases aromatic and palate-pleasing qualities that begin to dry out after they’re released. The spicy heat derives largely from the piperine compound, found both in the outer fruit (the black layer) and in the seed (the white ball underneath). The outer fruit layer also contains volatile oils that give pepper its scent.
Yet, it’s not easy filling a classic pepper grinders with those tiny peppercorns. Even with nimble fingers, peppercorns escape, sending us on a pepper chase.
One day, we decided to use a small kitchen funnel to fill the grinder. Voilà, a solution!
If you don’t have the right-size funnel, you can put the peppercorns into a plastic snack bag or sandwich bag and cut off a corner.
Learn all about pepper and the numerous different types in our Peppercorn Glossary.
