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


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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Paumanok Preserves

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These four are must-trys. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Joan Bernstein’s family has been farming on Long Island—the native word is Paumanok—for more than 100 years. Working with the fruits of the land is in her DNA. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, goes the adage. If they were Meyer lemons—or blood oranges, or bing cherries—Joan would make marmalade. Her jams, jellies and preserves take at least two days of preparation, including cooking over low heat, stirring nearly continuously (with time off to sleep) as the fruit cooks down to lush, dense preserved fruit. (What’s the difference between marmalade and preserves? We’re glad you asked.)

There are jams of every description: blackcurrant, blackberry, black raspberry, boysenberry, gooseberry, Damson plum, fig, pluot, red currant, sour cherry, strawberry rhubarb, white peach…and if that doesn’t keep you busy, there are many more.

But it is the savories that are so spectacular, you’ll want to lay them in by the case. Gracious Garlic Gelée, Haughty Horseradish Gelée, Incredible Onion Conserve; the chutneys, the salsas…and as a nod to the sweet side, the Pindar Merlot Wine Jelly, a grape jelly from Bacchus, is worthy of all the gods on Mount Olympus.

Fortunately, these memories don’t need to be preserved. You can order as much as you want online, with the caveat that when seasonal fruits sell out, they’re gone until next year.

 

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TIP OF THE DAY: Summer Salad

For a special but easy summer salad, add fresh grapefruit or orange sections and avocado and red onion slices to your favorite greens. Toss with a light vinaigrette. We love a dressing made from one of O Olive Oil’s citrus olive oils, paired with red wine vinegar.

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PRODUCT: Somersaults Crunchy Snack Nuggets

Some people would turn somersaults to find a crunchy new snack. But you need only open a bag of Somersaults, an interesting new, all natural snack cooked up in Berkeley, California by the Somersault Snack Co. Focusing on protein, fiber and balanced nutrition—“mindful munching”—these crunchy nuggets, the size of a nickel, are made from sunflower seeds, whole wheat flour, sesame seeds and a well-chosen spice blend. Each serving has 6-7 grams of protein.

The crisp little bites are great for snacking and also make terrific gourmet croutons. We loved the S.S. Sea Salt and Salty Pepper varieties, which go well with a hearty bowl of soup as well as with salads. Chez Cocoa, which adds cocoa powder, is in a curious space of being cocoa flavored and lightly sugared, yet not quite sweet enough to satisfy a sweet tooth. It would be a good crunchy counterpoint to a sweetened beverage like hot chocolate, or a sweet pudding like tiramisu.

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Better-for-you snacks may make you somersault.

Somersaults are certified kosher OU(D). You can get a free sample at SomersaultSnackCo.com. By the way, the world “somersault” first appeared in English around 1520–1530, from the French sombresaut (sobre=over, saut=a leap).

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TONIGHT: Top Chef Masters

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Chef Rick Bayless, one of the final four Top Chef Masters.

If you’ve been watching Top Chef Masters, you may be enjoying it more than regular Top Chef—because you see that America’s great chefs have just as tough a time of it as the unknowns. Or, you may enjoy it less, because these professionals are not vying for fame, just for donations to their favorite charity, so there’s no cattiness and backbiting.

What started with 24 chefs is now down to four finalists: Rick Bayless, chef/owner of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago; Michael Chiarello, former Tra Vigne chef, popular TV host and owner of NapaStyle, Chiarello Family Vineyards, and his new Bottega Napa Valley restaurant in Yountville, California; Hubert Keller, chef/owner of Fleur de Lys in San Francisco and Las Vegas; and Anita Lo, chef/owner of Annisa in New York City.

While you can vote for the home team, your favorite cuisine (French, Californian, Mexican or Asian fusion), the Mexican beer Bohemia <http://www.ccm.com.mx/>has gotten behind Chef Rick, with a Root4rick.com website. They’ve put together a list of 25 things that most people don’t know about Rick. Here are five; you can see the rest of everything you’ve always wanted to know about Rick Bayless on the website.

1. Do you have any food allergies? No, but tomato juice makes me gag.

2. What did you buy with your first pay check? A sports car and a pet monkey.

3. What is your favorite scent? Wood burning fire.

4. What is your favorite ride at Disneyland? The funnel cake stand.

5. Guilty pleasure? Doughnuts and gossip girl xoxo. (Dude! There’s nothing to be guilty about. We have our own Chuck Bass crush going on—and please make our dougnuts beignets.)

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RECIPES: Vegetarian Appetizers

Whether you’re a vegetarian, have vegetarian guests or simply love great veggies, these vegetable fries recipes are a welcome appetizer alternative to raw veggies and dip. Even if you aren’t a fan of fried food, these starters, created by two notable New York City chefs, Julian Medina and Alex Ureña, are succulent with international flavor. Fried food has never seemed so sophisticated! Now, when someone says, “Do you want fries with that?” we say, “Absolutely!”

Recipes:

 

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Chickpea Fries, created by Chef Alex Ureña.

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