September 19, 2009 at 7:00 am
· Filed under The Nibble
Herradura is the Spanish word for
horseshoe; hence the horseshoe motif
on the bottle.
This week we went to a tasting of Casa Herradura tequila, held at the new The Palm restaurant outpost in the Wall Street area. The spirits are outstanding: Casa Herradura, which is one of the world’s finest tequilas, is made the old fashioned way, in small batches in a pot still. The company was named “Distiller Of The Year” in 2007 by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
In addition to an outstanding Margarita made with Casa Herradura Silver (blanco), we tasted all four varieties neat. The difference in the varieties of tequila is in the aging: 45 days for Silver (used for mixed drinks), 11 months for Reposado (which means “resting,” as it’s aged or “resting” in the barrels for 11 month), 25 months for Añejo (which means old) and 49 months for Extra Añejo. While we liked them all, it’s no surprise that the Extra Añejo was the crowd favorite; but at $350.00 a bottle, we’ll be contenting ourselves with the more affordable Añejo.
If you’re headed to Guadalajara, take the “tequila train” into the country for a tour of the hacienda and your own tequila tasting with a tequila-dispensing mule (honest!).
While the entire dinner at The Palm was delicious, we were most excited to discover this easy new appetizer, made in a salt-rimmed Margarita glass:
– Tiny dice of cantaloupe
– Jumbo white lump crab meat
– Tossed in a dressing made of lime juice, orange juice, a splash of tequila and a hint of jalapeño
– Garnished with a fresh basil leaf
The basil is such a wonderful flavor counterpoint that we might top the crab cocktail with strands of shredded basil instead of a single leaf garnish.
Dishes that seem to be of limited use can multitask to serve several purposes. Soy sauce dishes, for example, can be used to serve lemon slices, individual condiments like chutney and tartar sauce, mini sides of applesauce, sour cream, and cocktail nibbles. Or use them to serve scallions, anchovies and other “optional” garnishes, as well as savory or sweet toppings (chocolate chips, nuts, coconut) to sprinkle on desserts. You can place soy sauce dishes on plates to contain runnier foods. Or use them to serve individual portions of after-dinner mints or other treats with coffee. If you think that your specialty dishes have only one purpose, think again!
September 18, 2009 at 7:29 am
· Filed under Contest
Image is everything—even in the schoolyard. Would you carry a 20th-century lunchbox if you could rock one of these 21st-century lunchboxes by OOTS? Not only do they look now, they’re perfectly functional, fitted with containers that keep everything in place. Even the lid of the box is shaped to keep a bottle in place, under an elastic strap.
You can enter to win an OOTS lunchbox for your kid—or keep it for yourself—by entering Applegate Farms’ Rock The Box contest. All you have to do is share your school food memories. New winners are selected each week.
All materials used are food safe and kid-friendly. The lunchbox is made from BPA-free and phthalate-free polypropylene and safety tested for lead. Both the lunch box and the containers are dishwasher safe; the containers can be microwaved.?
Is that Carrie Bradshaw’s latest handbag or a
lunchbox that’s too cool for school? Photo courtesy of OOTS.
You’ve got two weeks of chances left: The contest ends September 25, 2009. Head over to ApplegateFarms.com to submit your entry. Visit MadeByOots.com to buy a lunch box.
Applegate Farms is one of our favorite producers of natural and organic meats: cold cuts, hot dogs, bacon, sausage and frozen foods like burger patties and pot pies. There are no nitrates and the hot dogs, to name just one product, have such great flavor, they’re in a totally different category from regular supermarket hot dogs. Give them a try!
The next time you attend a party, you don’t have to scramble to purchase a hostess gift or birthday present. The following day, just shop online. You save time traveling, parking, wrapping and toting; and the recipient gets another gift a few days later, when the excitement of the party is over and all of the hand-brought gifts have been put away and forgotten. Plus, the note delivered with your gift doubles as a thank-you note.
Visit The Nibble’s Marketplace Section to see some of our favorite gifts.
In celebration of Mushroom Month, take a walk on the wild side. While most people think of mushrooms as a winter dish, wild mushroom season actually begins when winter ends: The fab fungi pop up from March through September. Thankfully, cultivated wild mushroom varieties like cinnamon cap, enoki, hen of the woods, morel, oyster, porcini and shiitake are available year-round. A mélange of mushrooms, sautéed in butter with garlic and a pinch of rosemary, makes an elegant, impressive and easy first course (you can add a splash of red wine, too). It’s a heavenly side to almost any grilled or roasted meat, poultry or fish dish; and a delicious topping for linguini or other “long cut” pasta. Pair mushroom dishes with earthy red wines like Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo.
