There are two basic types of Sherry: Fino and Oloroso.

All other styles—Amontillado, Cream, Manzanilla, Moscatel, Palo Cortado, Pedro Ximenez—are variations of these types.

From the Jerez-Xérès-Sherry region of Spain, a sweet Oloroso sherry can be the perfect dinner apéritif and multitask as the dessert wine afterward.

Oloroso is Spanish for “fragrant”; a good Oloroso will be intensely aromatic. The typical sweet, rich fig, and nut flavors can complement a dessert or be savored on their own.

• Pair an oloroso with pecan pie; with honey, toffee, or buttercrunch ice cream.
• For the cheese course, serve the sherry with blue cheese and figs. It’s a treat for the holidays or any time of year.

Sherry should be served at room temperature.

The second week in November is Internationl Sherry Week. Why not gather some friends and try a few?

Enjoy your sherry (photo © Ritzenhoff).

Last chance to enjoy these wonderful juices!
Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

The unfavorable economic environment has put the kibosh on this small company and others. Retailers are forced to pay more slowly while warehouses and trucking companies demand payment upfront. Banks aren’t lending to small companies. Combine the variables and it’s impossible for some companies to keep their doors open.

As long as supplies last, Currant C is selling its delicious juices through its website. Six-packs are $11.94 instead of $23.94—a 50% reduction.

• Read our review of Currant C.
• Discover more of our favorite fruit and vegetable juices.

For Thanksgiving weekend, how about some apricot pumpkin bread, delicious for breakfast, brunch, snacks and tea sandwiches. This recipe is courtesy of B & R Farms, apricot growers who sell their delicious products at California farmers markets and to wholesalers. For more recipes, visit BRFarms.com.

RECIPE: APRICOT PUMPKIN BREAD

Ingredients

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

2. BEAT together egg, sugar, pumpkin, oil and orange juice in large bowl. In another bowl…

3. MIX the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Add to the egg mixture.

4. STIR in the nuts and dried apricots. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about an, hour until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. COOL fir 15 minutes, release from the pan and serve warm with butter, cream cheese or apricot preserves. Cream cheese and apricot preserves makes a great sandwich! Serve it with a cup of black tea; Earl Grey or Assam would be especially nice.)
 
MORE RECIPES

Coffee: neat, pressed and hungry for a shot
(of Java & Co. syrup, that is). Photo ©
Elina Manninen | Fotolia.com.

The infused syrups that have so captivated coffee-drinkers are essentially flavored simple syrup (sugar syrup). They have gained visibility with the renaissance of coffee houses, but have been used for many years to make Italian sodas, as breakfast syrups and dessert syrups, and in recipes from glazes to baking. They can make almost any food taste better—but sugar has a way of doing that.

Java & Co.’s handmade and hand-bottled syrups—they’re made and shipped to order for maximum freshness—taste that much better than the mass-manufactured products from Monin and Torani. They begin with actual coffee beans, and are a delightful personal gift, corporate gift and sweet syrup for your own pantry.

• Read the full review and discover the many ways to use flavored syrups. They can start with coffee—but end up in vinaigrettes, parfaits, cocktails and can even glaze your Thanksgiving turkey and yams.
• Discover more of our favorite artisan honeys, sugars and syrups.

We use it in sauces, soups and stocks where we don’t want the added fat from our other favorite truffle-enhancement, truffle butter, another delicious and affordable solution. Truffle oil is yet another option (and great to spray on popcorn).

• Learn all about truffles and using truffle products.
• You must try our favorite truffle butter, from D’Artagnan,
  a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

Truffles, glorious truffles. Photo by Kelly
Cline | IST.