The Bacon Salt family. Photo by Hannah
Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.
When Bacon Salt debuted two years ago, we loved the idea. While the founders looked at it as “bacon flavor everywhere,” we delighted in the idea of “kosher, vegetarian bacon flavoring for those who can’t have bacon.” But we never found the salt bacony enough. In full disclosure, except for a sprinkling of sea salt here and there, we’re not big salt users. So while we applaud the innovation, perhaps we’re just not the target market for this product.
But Bacon Salt has throngs of devotées, so when two new limited edition flavors were released (Cheddar and Jalapeño), we sat down with all five varieties. There were some hits as well as misses.
Bacon Salt: Op.cit., not bacony enough. On the other hand, we absolutely adore Baconnaise, the company’s bacon-flavored mayonnaise. It was a Top Pick of The Week recently.
Hickory Bacon Salt: Good hickory flavor as well as nice and salty (although the whole line is “low sodium”). Our runner-up favorite.
Peppered Bacon Salt: Very peppery. We like it as a seasoning, though it’s not exactly pepper bacon. Our third favorite.
Cheddar Bacon Salt: No discernable Cheddar flavor.
Jalapeño Bacon Salt: A light jalapeño burn, enjoyable without overwhelming the palate. Not exactly bacon salt, but a very nice jalapeño salt and our favorite seasoning.
See our Salt Glossary for the scoop on sea salts, seasoned salts and salts to salivate over.
Halloween is right around the corner, and all those ghosts, goblins and superheroes will be expecting you to hand out some special treats. So go out and buy a few bags of candy, as this week’s Gourmet Giveaway prizes are definitely too good to give away.
Dove is offering one winner several bags of bite-sized candy in its newest flavor: Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate. These melt-in-your-mouth candies have just enough smooth chocolate to encase the creamy, peanut butter middle, and each individual piece also comes with an encouraging PROMISE message inside the wrapper, urging us to feel good about ourselves or expand our horizons. We loved it (see our blog post) and are lucky that fights didn’t break out at THE NIBBLE offices over how to divide the pieces.
This week’s Gourmet Giveaway also features 5 bonus prizes of Bubble Chocolate for five additional winners. These “aerated” chocolate bars imported from Beylorus are popular in Europe, and now available in the U.S. It’s not what the name sounds like—pockets of bubbles bursting in the mouth—but it’s tasty like a crisped chocolate bar without the crisps—a very interesting technology. Available in Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate, both are delicious and high quality. The Dark Chocolate tastes a bit like devil’s food cake to us, and the milk was not sticky-sweet like most U.S. milks. Both flavors are bound to please.
If you love chocolate and peanut butter,
rush out for Dove Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky |
THE NIBBLE.
To enter this Gourmet Giveaway, see THE NIBBLE’s Gourmet Chocolate Section and click on the link at the bottom of the page. Enter your email address for the Gourmet Giveaway prize drawing by noon on Monday, October 26. Good luck!
The easiest way to scoop out a pumpkin is with an ice cream scoop. Whether you’re removing only the pulp and seeds or all the fruit, a large scoop makes the job go faster. If you’ll be turning the pumpkin into a Jack o’lantern, you can make the vegetal scent fragrant by sprinkling cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice inside. The lit candle will diffuse the scent, and you can refresh the spices each day when you light the wick. Try cinnamon today, nutmeg tomorrow, then cloves, then allspice.
Add more pumpkin fragrance to your Halloween with scented candles.
The Browniepops Halloween collection, chocolate-dipped sea salt caramel apples from Cocoa Dolce, pumpkin marshmallows from Pete’s Gourmet, burnt caramel Halloween bonbons from Recchiuti Confections, monster cookies from Rolling Pin Productions, the chocolate skeleton bride and groom from Sahagùn Chocolates, the chocolate-covered Halloween strawberries from Secret Spoon, Woodhouse Chocolate’s “bellboy” chocolate skulls and John & Kira’s fig pumpkins (see the post below).
Are we gluttonous? No, just obsessed with the best—and we share generously!
We know it’s fall when we receive our John & Kira’s chocolate catalog with photos of their exquisite Calabacita Figs—a perennial NIBBLE favorite and Top Pick Of The Week. This is an exquisite gift for your favorite connoisseur. The bite-size, organic Spanish figs are filled with silky Valhrona chocolate ganache highlighted with a touch of whiskey, then hand-dipped in 58% cacao Valrhona and tucked into a reusable wood box for beautiful gift-giving.
We use the word “perfect” a lot, but in our book, there’s nothing more perfect than serving these at the end of dinner with coffee or an after-dinner brandy or whiskey (try a smooth Irish whiskey like Jameson or Tullamore Dew). The only problem is our desire to eat the entire box; others may be able to restrain themselves by enjoying one at a time.
