[1] You can use both green and purple figs in this recipe. A combination is more alluring (all photos © California Figs).

[2] Kadota figs keep their color when pickled.

[3] Mission figs, combined with Kadota figs, give the jar of pickled figs more eye appeal.

[4] All figs, be they fresh, dried or picked, can be variously paired as cocktail garnishes Here’s the recipe.

We’re almost at the end of National Fig Week, the first week of November. We’ve provided plenty of fig recipes, but we saved this one for the end. It sounds unusual—pickled figs—but it’s a delicious condiment and snack. The figs aren’t sour, they’re sweet-tart, somewhat like a sweet gherkin. It’s a charming gift to bring to Thanksgiving hosts, or those who host us at any time of the year. Thanks to California Figs for the recipe.
 
Because this recipe makes 8 pint jars that will last for 5 days in the fridge, plan to whom you’ll give them.

Truth to tell, we consumed three of the jars in one week, and we were sorry we didn’t keep more of the jars. We ran out of time to make more: Fig season is May through November.

The recipe is below, but first:
 
 
USES FOR PICKLED FIGS

First and foremost, pickled figs are a condiment. But you’ll see other uses on this list.

 
Once you taste them, your palate will lead you to even more ideas.

 
RECIPE: SPICED PICKLED FIGS

Tips:

 
Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 20 minutes.

Ingredients For 8 Pints

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE 1 gallon of water with tablespoon salt. Add the figs. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 15 minutes.

2. COMBINE the brown sugar and vinegar in a large nonreactive pan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon and cloves.

3. DRAIN the figs well, add to the boiling syrup, and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour, until the figs are soft and surround by a thick syrup. Carefully discard the cinnamon stick.

4. PACK the hot figs into 8 sterilized pint jars, adding hot syrup to cover. Cover the jars with the sterilized lids and cool completely before using the figs. Store unused figs in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
 
> THE HISTORY OF FIGS

November 6th is National Nachos Day, a good occasion to have a nachos party. What’s that? An occasion to get together with friends and try different nachos recipes—with different types of beers, of course, and different Margaritas. Who doesn’t enjoy a hearty plate of nachos for a snack, or even for a main course? They’re the easiest Mexican dish to make at home.

At the most minimal, you can simply cover tortilla chips with shredded Cheddar, Jack or other semi-hard cheese, with or without salsa; then use the microwave or broiler to melt the cheese.

Of course, there are more elaborate recipes.

And you can top the tortilla chips with anything you have on hand (including such luxury items as crab, lobster, scallops and shrimp).
 
 
NACHOS TOPPINGS

Our favorite add-ons to nachos:

 
For visual and flavor interest, we like to use a mix of yellow and blue corn tortillas (for Independence Day, go red, white, and blue!).

Confessions of a tortilla chip addict:

While we have our favorite brands, as long as the chips before us are crisp and not over-salted, they are very welcome.

If you want to make your own tortilla chips, here’s a recipe.

 
MORE NACHOS RECIPES

 
PLUS

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF NACHOS

[1] Carnitas nachos with shredded pork (photos #1 and #3 © Good Eggs).

[2] Double-sauce nachos, with salsa and crema (photo © Natasha Bhogal | Unsplash).

[3] Nachos with salsa verde, green salsa made with green chiles, tomatillos, and cilantro. Check out the different types of salsa.

[4] Here’s a nicely loaded plate: nachos with black beans, cilantro, crema, pico de gallo, sliced jalapeno, sliced radish, queso/cheese sauce (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[12] Olavida, Spanish goat’s milk cheese from a tiny producer took first place out of 4,000+ entries! (photos #1 and #6 © Quesos y Besos).

[2] This Epoisses produced by Fromagerie Berthaut in the town of Epoisses, France, was a close runner-up (photo © Marky’s).

[3] Eminence Gris Tomme Chevre, a Dutch goat’s milk cheese, is aged in caves that held ammunition on World War II (photo © Van der Heiden Kaas).

[4] Baracska, a semi-hard cheese from Hungary, took fourth place (photo © Csíz Sajtműhely).

[5] Twentse Bunkerkaas Geit is another goat’s milk cheese, and another winner from The Netherlands (photo © Gastropedia).

[6] Another winner from Quesos y Besos, Camembesos is made in the style of Camembert.

[7] Caerphilly is a hard, crumbly white cheese that originated in the area around the town of Caerphilly, Wales. The winner is Gorwydd (photo © Vin Sullivan Foods).

[8] Montano Intenso is an aged Gouda from The Netherlands (photo © Maaz Cheese).

[9] Gorgonzola Dolce DOP from Caseificio Brusati is so creamy, you can eat it with a spoon (photo © Caseificio Brusati).

[10] Vorarlberger Bergkäse g.U. is a traditional mountain cheese from Austria (photo © Alma).

A soft, creamy goat’s milk cheese from Spain was named World Champion Cheese in Oviedo, Spain—where coincidentally this year’s World Cheese Awards was held. On Wednesday, November 3rd, Quesos y Besos’ Olavidia was voted to the top of the shortlist of 20 cheeses. This year, it is the best cheese on the planet.
 
 
ABOUT OLAVIDIA GOAT CHEESE

Produced by a husband-and-wife duo who established Quesos y Besos (Cheese and Kisses) in 2017, the cheese is made in the small town of Guarromán in Andalusia, in southern Spain. Head cheesemaker Silvia Peláez and her team of six people make the cheese entirely by hand.

What makes a cheese #1 of 4,000+ entries? It has “everything” in exceptional amounts: appearance, aroma, texture, flavor, and originality.

One of the judges in the final judging, Jason Hinds of the famed Neal’s Yard Dairy in the U.K., commented:

“This cheese charmed me and stole my heart. This is unlike anything I’ve seen before. Its appearance is so original and it didn’t let me down. It’s unctuous, seductive, pillowy, warm and comforting.”

The Peláezes come from a long line of shepherds, and decided to make a lactic cheese*, which is one of the oldest forms of fermentation. Lactic fermentation gives the cheese a buttery flavor; the the vegetation in the pasture where the goats graze provides and floral notes.

The goat’s milk cheese is matured with Penicillium Candidum* and has a visually striking layer of olive stone (olive pit) ash running through its middle.

John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organizers of the World Cheese Awards, noted: “As the World Cheese Awards was founded over three decades ago to showcase the work of small artisan cheesemakers, it gives me immense pleasure to see a tiny family-run cheesemaking business taking top honours once again.”

Ms. Peláez noted, “We’ve been making cheese for less than 5 years, so we never imagined we could win the world’s biggest prize in cheese so soon….To have such recognition from the World Cheese Awards judges is an incredible achievement and truly overwhelming.”

And that’s not all. Her other cheese, Camembeso, took 6th place!
 
 
A VERY CLOSE FINISHbeautifu

In a close finale, second place was awarded to Epoisses Berthaut Perrière, made by Fromagerie Berthaut of France.

All 4,000+ entries were judged in a single day, as 250 experts from 38 different countries. A super jury of 16 judges selected the World Champion Cheese from a 20-cheese shortlist. The Top 10 are below.

The 4,000+ competing cheeses represented 45 different countries. Recent additions such as Colombia, India, and Japan joined established cheesemaking nations such as France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K.
 
 
THE TOP 10 CHEESES IN THE WORLD, 2021

Thanks so much to Love Food of the U.K., whose review of the Top 20 finalists provided the tasting notes on these cheeses. You can review all 20 cheeses here.

Styles of cheese are made by multiple producers—Caerphilly and Gorgonzola, for example, in these Top 10. The awards go to cheeses made by particular producers. So if you want the best Caerpohilly, for example, look for the one made by Trethowan’s Dairy.

1st Place: Olavidia, Quesos y Besos, Spain (photo #1)

2nd Place: Epoisses Berthaut Perrière, France The pungent cheese, with fans around the world, is on the official list of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products in Europe. It is only produced in central France. Made since the 16th century, Epoisses is a cow’s milk cheese with a washed rind, soft texture and creamy taste. This winning version, made by Fromagerie Berthaut in Burgundy, is washed with Marc de Bourgogne. (photo #2)

3rd Place: Eminence Grise, Tomme Chèvre Grise au Bleu, The Netherlands. This Dutch goat’s milk cheese is aged in caves in France. Made by Van der Heiden Kaas, it has delicate blue veins and a natural rind. Tomme Chèvre Grise au Bleu is ripened for at least six months and has a soft, mild taste. (photo #3)

4th Place: Baracska Semi-Hard Cheese, Hungary. The fatty milk of Hungarian cows grazing in the Váli Valley gives this cheese a particular richness and flavor of the pasture. Produced by Csíz Sajtműhely, it’s a flexible cheese that softly melts in the mouth with a sweet flavor, reminiscent of caramel. (photo #4)

5th Place: Twentse Bunkerkaas Geit, Netherlands. Another Dutch winner, Twentse Bunkerkaas Geit, is an aged goat’s milk cheese. It’s ripened in former ammunition bunkers for 25 weeks. Creamy and spicy with an intensely pure flavor. The producer is Zijerveld Food. (photo #5)

6th Place: Camembesos, Quesos y Besos, Spain. Another cheese from the first-place winning cheesemakers, Camembeso, a Camembert-like cheese is made from the milk of Malagueña goats. The cheese is pasteurized and matured for 60 days to ensure it has a wonderful depth of flavor. The flavor is light and buttery with floral and nutty notes. (photo #6)

7th Place: Gorwydd Caerphilly, Trethowan’s Dairy, United Kingdom. Gorwydd Caerphilly is a semi-soft cheese produced by Trethowan’s Dairy in North Somerset, England. Caerphilly is thought to have been created in Caerphilly, Wales to provide food for the local coal miners.

Made with unpasteurized cow’s milk, it has a natural rind and a mushroomy cream layer around a springy, citrus core. The same dairy made the 14th-place-winning Pitchfork Vintage Cheddar. (photo #7)

8th Place: Montana Intenso, The Netherlands. Dutch producer MAAZ Cheese makes Montana Intenso, an extra-aged Gouda with a sweet and extra piquant taste flavor. It’s aged for 40 weeks on wooden shelves. (photo #8)

There was a tie for 9th Place, meaning that there was no 10th Place winner this year.

9th Place: Gorgonzola Dolce DOP Caseificio Brusati, Italy. Made by Caseifico Brusati, this is a particularly creamy Gorgonzola Dolce. It can be eaten with a spoon! The aging process helps it develop its signature soft texture and slightly sweet flavor.

It’s also beautiful to look at, with typical light blue and greenish veins that are irregular, as a result of the handmaking process. (photo #9)

9th Place: Vorarlberger Bergkäse g.U. – über 10 Monate, Austria. Vorarlberger Bergkäse is a traditionally produced hard cheese made from raw cow’s milk made in Vorarlberg, a mountainous province in westernmost Austria. The cheese is produced exclusively in the Alpine Bregenz Forest.

Made from fresh hay milk, the cheese is matured for more than 10 months in special air-conditioned rooms, which delivers a unique hearty, spicy flavor. This cheese was also an award winner in 2014. g.U. is an abbreviation for Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung, German for Protected Designation of Origin or P.D.O. (photo #10)
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHEESE
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEESE
 
 
> HOW TO TASTE CHEESE
 
 
> CHEESE TASTING TERMINOLOGY
 
 
> A GUIDE TO CHEESE CONDIMENTS
 
 
> HAVE A CHEESE TASTING PARTY
 
 
> PAIRING CHEESE WITH BEER & WINE
 
 
> PAIRING CHEESE & TEA
 
 
> A GUIDE TO CHEESEMONGERS
 
 
________________

*Lactic cheeses, as opposed to the firmer rennet-set cheeses, are primarily made with little to no rennet and rely primarily on the action of the bacteria converting the milk lactose to lactic acid. When the milk acidity becomes high enough, the milk will coagulate even without the use of rennet. Here’s more about it.

What do you do when you’re an acclaimed maker of artisan maple syrup, seeking to add to your wares? Why it’s perfectly logical: You turn to another sweetener and fine food ingredient, honey.

The artisans at Runamok Maple Syrup, a Nibble Top Pick Of The Week, have created a line of artisan honey: raw varietal honey, hot honey infused with chiles, and other specialty flavors.

Like maple syrup, honey is of nature’s great natural sweeteners. Like maple syrup, honey lends itself to infused flavors. It elevates everyday food and beverage experiences, as you can see below in “Ways To Use Honey.”

The raw honey is supplied by Todd Hardie, one of the nation’s most respected beekeepers.

These jars of honey are wonderful gifts for home cooks and mixologists, in addition to people who love honey and sweet heat.

We’ve been using the Chile de Arbol- and Chipotle Morita-infused honeys as a condiment on everything from breakfast eggs and toast to grilled, roasted and fried chicken and shrimp.

The infused flavors are seductive dipping sauces, alone or mixed with mayonnaise and/or plain yogurt.

The product line is certified kosher by OU (as are the maple syrups).
 
 
RUNAMOK HONEY

The new line is exciting, including both raw* honey and infused honey.

Runamok Raw Honey

 
Runamok Infused Honey

 
 
WAYS TO USE THE HONEYS

Your own palate will guide you to which honey to use for what purpose. We don’t like to give restrictive recommendations. But here’s how we use the honeys:

 
If you eat it directly from the jar…join the group.
 
 
GET YOUR RUNAMOK HONEY

Head to RunamokMaple.com.

While you’re there, check out the maple syrups—also wonderful gifts and treats for your home table.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF HONEY

> STORING & USING HONEY

[1] Eight artisan honeys from Runamok include three raw honey varietals and five infused honeys (all photos © Runamok Maple).

[2] The infused honeys are delicious on grilled cheese and other sandwiches. Here, grilled cheese with Taleggio; we also loved it with Brie.

[3] We particularly liked the chile flavors as a condiment with fried and roasted chicken. Any of the honeys can be used for basting or marinating.

[4] Add a jar of honey and a drizzle stick to a cheese board.

[5] A drizzle of honey is delicious on sandwiches from PB & B (banana) to ham and cheese.

*“Raw honey” comes straight from the hive. It can be filtered or unfiltered. Filtration helps to remove any air bubbles, so that the honey remains a clear liquid for a longer time. “Pure honey” is pasteurized but contains no added ingredients. Pasteurization helps to extend honey’s shelf life and makes it nice and smooth. If not labeled raw or pure, “regular” honey is pasteurized, and may contain added sugars.

†We loved it with a salad of roasted beets, goat cheese, watercress, and toasted pecans.
 
 

[1] Decorate with mini cookies and you’ve got a two-in-one dessert—plus a pretty pie garnish (photos # 1, #2, #3 and #7 © Williams Sonoma).

[2] These “punches” produce mini cookies from conventional pie or cookie dough. They are available seasonally at Williams Sonoma and elsewhere.

[3] Here, the cutouts are used to decorate the rim of the pie, as well as the center.

[4] If you don’t want to decorate the cake with cookies, you can keep the cookies separate and then add one to each slice as you serve the pie. This way, everyone is sure to get a cookie (photo © Nescafe)!

[5] A cutout design on the rim of the pie (photo © Dilyara Garifullina | Unsplash).

[6] If you have mini cookie cutters, you don’t need a pie punch (photo © Joanna Lopez | Unsplash).

[7] You also can use the pie punches to decorate other types of pie tops.

[8] A different pumpkin pie garnish: meringue, pumpkin seeds and streusel (photo © Bien Cuit Bakery | Brooklyn).

Here’s a two-in-one dessert for Thanksgiving and anytime you serve a pumpkin pie.

Because pumpkin pie falls into the category of custard pie—no top crust and a smooth surface—it lends itself to decoration.

How about decorating it with mini, seasonal cookies?

You can purchase seasonal “pie punches,” small cutters which stamp out shapes in pie or cookie dough (photo #2). Fall shapes include acorns, leaves, pumpkins, and turkeys. Here’s a selection from Williams Sonoma.

If you have mini cookie cutters, those work, too (photo #5).

Most people punch out shapes from pie dough. It’s easier, because you already have leftover dough from the pie crust.

But we like to use cookie dough, for better flavor. This can be almost as easy: Just buy a tube of sugar cookie dough and roll the slices thinly.

But it’s not just cookies. Here are an additional 25 pumpkin pie garnishes that you can add to homemade or store-bought pumpkin pie.

There are more pumpkin pie recipes below, plus other yummy pumpkin desserts.

Need a reason to enjoy pumpkin pie beyond Thanksgiving? Well actually, we never need a reason. It’s North America’s second-favorite pie, right behind apple pie, according to Taste Atlas. But here are official celebration days:

 
 
THE HISTORY OF PUMPKIN PIE

Pumpkins are a new world fruit, first cultivated in Central America around 5,500 B.C.E. Spanish explorers brought them back to Spain in the early 16th century. The first known mention in Europe dates to 1536.

Within a few decades pumpkins were grown all around England, where they were called “pumpions,” after the French “pompon,” a reference to their round form. The name originated from the Greek word for large melon: “pepon.” The French changed “pepon” to “pompon.” The English further changed it to “pumpion” or “pompion.”

So English people knew about pumpkins before some of them voyaged to the New World.

Northeastern Native American tribes grew squash and pumpkins. The Native Americans brought pumpkins as gifts to the first settlers, and taught them many uses for pumpkin.

The Mayflower colonists received pumpkins, as they came to call them, as gifts from the Wampanoag Native Americans, who knew them as savory preparations. They were made into pie and bread, as well, by the colonists.

As wheat supplies were limited, they made a version of crustless pumpkin pie by stewing pumpkins or filling a hollowed-out pumpkin with milk, honey and spices, then baking it in hot ashes.

A year later, when the 50 surviving colonists were joined by a group of 90 Wampanoag for a three-day harvest celebration, it’s likely that pumpkin was on the table in some form [source].

In Europe and America, pumpkin pie existed in numerous forms, only a few of which we would recognize today—pumpkin custard in a bottom crust.

 
 
MORE PUMPKIN PIE RECIPES

 
PLUS: The Best Squash For Pumpkin Pie

 
 
MORE PUMPKIN DESSERT & SNACK RECIPES

 
 
DRINKS RECIPES