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


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TIP OF THE DAY: Sorting Out Smoked Salmon

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Celebrate the day by topping your bagel and
lox with scrambled eggs. Photo courtesy
American Egg Board.

February 9th is National Bagels and Lox Day.

“Lox” is an old generic term for smoked salmon that is fading away, replaced by much more complicated choices. So how does one decide among the Irish, Danish, Nova Scotia, Norwegian, Scottish and other smoked salmon contenders?

They differ in saltiness, smokiness and fishiness; the only way you’ll know is to taste.

If the fish is sliced-to-order, you can try a piece at the counter; but packaged salmon (which can be equally fine or better quality depending on the manufacturer) is often less expensive because factory slicing is cheaper than store labor).

Buy small amounts of different styles and compare. TIP: Once you decide what you like, write it down. The different styles of smoked salmon sound so similar, it’s easy to forget.

 

On the other days of the year, you don’t need bagels: Slices of smoked salmon with a sprinkling of dill and capers, a lemon wedge and an optional garnish of crème fraîche make a lovely first course for brunch, lunch or dinner.

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NEWS: Starbucks Goes “Full Leaf”

Seeking to offer tea drinkers as good an experience as their coffee lovers enjoy, Starbucks has gone “full leaf” with its Tazo line of teas, available in black, green and herbal infusions.

Full leaves, or whole leaves, make the finest tea. Many tea bags are filled with broken leaves which don’t have as much flavor. Less expensive supermarket brands use fannings, the dust (think “crumbs”) left over from processing the leaves.

Open up a tea bag from the brand you favor, shake the contents on a plate and look at them closely. If you see broken bits and fannings, you’re not getting quality tea. (That’s also why sugar and milk are required to make the drink enjoyable for many people. The finest tea can—and should—be drunk straight.)

By the way, “whole leaf” refers to black, green, oolong and white teas, made from the Camelia sinensis plant. The term doesn’t apply to herbal infusions, although as with every product, there is a range of quality of the ingredients.

Learn all about fine tea in our Tea Glossary.

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The bags are now whole leaf. Photo by
Benjamin D. Esham | Wikimedia Commons.

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VALENTINE’S DAY: With Love From Mickey Mouse

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M-I-C-K-E-Y chocolate gifts are fun.
Photo courtesy Leonidas.com.

You don’t have to be a kid to adore this Mickey Mouse Assortment of Belgian chocolates from Leonidas—but what kid wouldn’t be thrilled to get one?

The retro keepsake gift box contains 16 pieces of chocolate embossed with Mickey’s smiling face, in four different flavors:

  • Milk chocolate filled with caramel flan
  • Marble chocolate filled with a hazelnut praliné ganache
  • White chocolate filled with hazelnut praliné and pieces of biscuits (cookies)
  • Dark chocolate filled with hazelnut praliné

Visit Leonidas.com or phone 1-800-900-CHOC.

Do you think Minnie will be getting a box for Valentine’s Day?

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VALENTINE’S DAY: Be My “Pink & White” Cookie

The popular Black & White cookie has been dressed in Valentine’s Day colors (a.k.a., the Pink & White).

We think they’re a lovely gift for a deserving young lady. Find them at William Greenberg Desserts, or phone 1.800.255-8278.

Looking for more Valentine goodies for the kids?

Check out the Mickey Mouse chocolates above, and see our Best Valentine’s Gifts for Kids list, including heart-shaped cookies and brownies and the cutest mice and penguin bonbons from Burdick Chocolate, a NIBBLE top pick of the week.

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The black & white goes pink & white for
Valentine’s Day. Photo courtesy
WmGreenbergDesserts.com.

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GOURMET GIVEAWAY: Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Bars

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Try all 13 flavors of Green & Black’s organic
chocolate bars if you’re one of the five
lucky winners! Photo courtesy Green & Black’s.

Though there are plenty of non-chocolate gifts you could buy for your Valentine, let’s face it: Often, you can’t go wrong with chocolate.

If you or your Valentine is the type who appreciates a finer chocolate bar than newsstand brands, enter this week’s Gourmet Giveaway for your chance to win the entire line of Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Bars. With strong flavors that include Cherry, Espresso, Ginger and Mint—and the newest flavor, Peanut—each bar has something different to offer—as you’ll be more than happy to discover.

  • THE PRIZE: Five winners will take home the entire line of Green & Black’s chocolate bars. Flavors include Almond, Cherry, Dark 70%, Dark 85%, Espresso, Ginger, Hazelnut & Currant, Maya Gold, Milk 34%, Mint, Peanut, Toffee and White. Approximate retail value: $45.00.
  • To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Gourmet Chocolate Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing. This contest closes on Monday, February 15th at noon, Eastern Time. Good luck!
  • SPECIAL DISCOUNT: In celebration of the launch of the new Peanut bar, Green & Black’s is offering a special $1 off coupon for customers. Click here to print the downloadable coupon that can be used at select retailers.
  • Find out more about the chocolate at GreenAndBlacks.com

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