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


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TIP OF THE DAY: Soften That Ice Cream

For all the times you’ve struggled with scooping hard ice cream from the container, the solution is so simple: Leave the container on the counter to soften for 10 minutes or more. Some people zap the pint or quart in the microwave.

There’s another bonus: Softened ice cream tastes so much better than rock-hard ice cream.

When it’s frozen solid, your tongue tastes more ice crystals and less of the flavor. That’s why fresh-churned ice cream, which is still a bit soft, always tastes so much better before it’s allowed to harden in the freezer.

Try it—you’ll like it.

Find our favorite ice cream brands, recipes and our Ice Cream Glossary.

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Soften, then scoop. Photo by Agg | Dreamstime.

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PRODUCT: Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies & More, Certified Kosher

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Our favorite: Cranberry Pecan cookies. Photo
by Erika Meller | THE NIBBLE.

In 1983, Jimmy Libman opened Gimmee Jimmy’s, selling gift tins of all-natural, certified kosher-dairy cookies. Over the years, the product offering grew; the bakery now provides baklava, biscotti, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, muffins and other desserts to restaurants and consumers.

The bakery makes sure everyone can be included, turning out gluten-free and sugar-free products as well. Kosher certification is by National Kosher Supervisors.

We recently tried a mixed box of cookies: Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies, Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Cranberry Pecan Cookies, Double Chocolate Walnut Cookies, Heath Bar Crunch Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Peanut Butter Cookies. Our favorite—to our surprise—was the Cranberry Pecan. It’s not a flavor we’d typically order; but the sweet-tart flavor of the chewy cranberries combined with the crunchy pecans to create a standout.

The box, in a festive blue design, announces that there’s a party inside. The box is made of very sturdy cardboard and is reusable to transport your own bake goods—it’s the perfect size for a pie.

Check out the offerings at GJCookies.com or telephone 1.800.454.6697.

 

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TIP OF THE DAY: Bagel & Chives

Often bagels are served with a slice of onion. But raw onion can be too sharp for some people, especially first thing in the morning.

If you want just a bit of onion flavor, you can mince the onion and sprinkle just a bit on your bagel. Or you can substitute chives, the smallest and most delicate-flavored member of the onion family. Native to Asia, it was purportedly brought to the West by Marco Polo, and has been cultivated in Europe since the Middle Ages.

Chives are one of the “fines herbes” of French cuisine, which also include chervil, parsley and tarragon. Most chives have lovely lavender flowers (others are white), which are also edible.

Chives lose their flavor when cooked for an extensive period of time, so they are primarily used in quick-cooked foods (scrambled eggs, for example) or as a garnish.

In addition to eggs, chives are a popular garnish for fish, potatoes, soups and finely chopped as a plate garnish. We chop them very finely and scatter them on dinner plates as a garnish, or place a whole chive across a piece of fish or meat (if they’re in flower, so much the better!).

 

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Instead of onion, pass a bowl of chopped
chives. Photo by Claire Freierman | THE NIBBLE.

Chives don’t dry well so you won’t find chives on the spice shelf; but they can be frozen. They are easy to grow outdoors or in a windowsill pot for year-round fresh chives.

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PRODUCT: R.W. Knudesen Sparkling Essence

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What a refreshing lineup! Photo by Hannah
Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Sometimes we disagree with high-falutin’ names given to products. And don’t even get us started on names approved by highly-paid individuals who haven’t bothered to consult a dictionary.

Such is the case of R.W. Knudsen’s Sparkling Essence. Essence of what? Look at the definition of the word, below, and let us know if you have a clue.

Nevertheless, we’re addicted to these flavored, unsweetened sparkling waters made from carbonated spring water. They’re also certified USDA organic.

Sparkling Essence is flavored with blueberry, cucumber, lemon or mint. The flavors are light and refreshing; there are no calories, added sweeteners or artificial ingredients.

The Lemon flavor tastes like lemon-flavored club soda, lemon Perrier and others of the genre. It’s nice, but we’ve had it before. The revelations are the other three flavors, which we’ve never seen in sparkling form: Blueberry, Cucumber and Mint.

Blueberry tastes as if fresh blueberries were infused into the water. Ditto with cucumber. We’re a big cucumber water fan, making our own by adding a sliced cucumber to a pitcher of water. We’ve never had it carbonated; now we’re hooked. In fact, a can of cucumber water with half of a sliced cucumber makes a filling, uber-low-calorie snack.

And anyone who has ever infused the water pitcher with fresh mint will love this grab-and-go version.

In fact, our only complaint about the product, beyond the silly name, is that it’s in 10.5-ounce cans. They’re so good, we drink two at a clip!

Look for R.W. Knudsen Sparkling Essence at fine retailers. Check the store locator on the Knudsen website.

*From the Random House Dictonary:
1. The basic, real, and invariable nature of a thing or its significant individual feature or features: Freedom is the very essence of our democracy.
2. A substance obtained from a plant, drug, or the like, by distillation, infusion, etc., and containing its characteristic properties in concentrated form.
3. An alcoholic solution of an essential oil; spirit.
4. A perfume; scent.
5. Philosophy. the inward nature, true substance, or constitution of anything, as opposed to what is accidental, phenomenal, illusory, etc.
6. Something that exists, esp. a spiritual or immaterial entity.

 

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AUCTION: Meet & Dine With Food Stars

Times are tight, but in case you have extra cash, you might want to check out these auction items on CharityBuzz.com. The company auctions VIP experiences and luxury goods on its website, to raise millions for nonprofits around the globe.

  • Meet Paula Deen on the Set of “Paula’s Best Dishes” and enjoy dinner for two at her Savannah, Georgia restaurant, The Lady & Sons. Bidding ends Friday, April 30, 2010, and dinner will take place on May 7, 2010. Proceeds will benefit the New York Women in Communications Foundation. Get more information on this auction lot.
  • Lunch with Ruth Reichl: Who knows food better than the acclaimed food critic and author? She joined Gourmet Magazine as editor-in-chief in April 1999, following six years as restaurant critic of The New York Times. Lunch with Ms. Reichl at one of her favorite New York spots. Bidding ends Wednesday, May 5, 2010. Proceeds will benefit the New York Women in Communications Foundation. Get more information on this lot.
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Ready for a celebrity meet-and-eat? Photo
courtesy Charitybuzz.com.

  • Surf & Dine With Marc Murphy In The Hamptons. A great item for people who summer in The Hamptons: The winner and a guest will spend an afternoon surfing with Chef Murphy and a private instructor, followed by a dinner for up to 10 guests cooked by Murphy in the winner’s Hamptons home. (Hey, who’s cooking at Landmarc and Ditch Plains while he’s surfing?) Bidding ends Wednesday, April 14, 2010. Proceeds will benefit City Harvest. Get more information on this lot.
  • Chef’s Six-Course Tasting Menu for 6 at Tocqueville Restaurant. Co-owners Jo-Ann Makovitzky and Chef Marco Moreira will welcome you to Tocqueville’s new home, located steps from Union Square. An elegant, luxurious room with soaring ceilings sets the perfect stage for sophisticated French-American cuisine. Bidding ends Wednesday, April 21, 2010. Proceeds will benefit Figure Skating in Harlem. Get more information on this lot. 

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