Ginger ale lovers who want more spice in their life should get to know ginger beer, a more intensely-flavored, spicier brew. Historically fermented, today’s ginger beers, like Reed’s Original Ginger Brew, are alcohol-free, sophisticated soft drinks that can be enjoyed straight from the bottle, or as cocktail mixers. Try a Moscow Mule, with 2 ounces of vodka, 1 tablespoon of lime juice and a bottle of ginger beer. Add the vodka and lime juice to a highball glass filled with ice. Fill with ginger beer and garnish with a lime wedge.
Madeleines are small buttery cakes with a distinctive shell shape. This French delight is named for Mary Magdalen (the French name for Magdalen is Madeleine). Food historians believe that the recipe originated with nuns from a convent once dedicated to her, as nuns traditionally raised money by baking and selling sweets. Many people liken the madeleine to pound cake, although it is actually a sponge cake (génoise). Madeleines are easy to bake, requiring only a special madeleine pan with shell shaped depressions.
Recipe #1
Here’s a recipe flavored with orange liqueur, courtesy of GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur. It was created by Tony Aiazzi, former Executive Chef at one of our favorite restaurants, Aureole, in New York City.
If you love madeleines but don’t have time to bake, look for Donsuemor madeleines.
Don’t be intimidated by their shape: madeleines are easier to make than they look. Photo courtesy Donsuemor Madeleines.
Don and Susie Morris started baking madeleines in a small kitchen in Berkeley in 1976; more than 30 years later, their company is baking 15,000 madeleines an hour. Their all-natural madeleines are available in Traditional, Lemon Zest, Chocolate, Traditional Dipped and Chocolate Dipped. The cakes, which are certified kosher (by Kosher Los Angeles), are distributed nationally at leading retailers including Albertson’s, HEB, Peet’s and Whole Foods, plus specialty and natural food stores. You can see more retailers and also order them online directly from Donsuemor.
Recipe #2
We followed one of Donsuemor’s website recipe suggestions and it is now on our list of “signature” house desserts: madeleine ice cream sandwiches. Split the madeleine in half and fill with ice cream. Gild the lily by pressing chopped nuts, chocolate shavings, mini chips or other favorite garnish around the edges of the ice cream. Madeleines freeze beautifully; you can make these in advance of the party and keep them well wrapped. The biggest challenge is to keep your hands off of them until serving time.
Take a look at our Cake Section for more great recipes.
How many types of cakes are there? Find out in our Cake Glossary.
Make a batch of pancakes in a delicious
“new” flavor with Daddy Cakes. Photo by
Corey Lugg | THE NIBBLE.
This week’s Gourmet Giveaway is a deluxe gift basket from Daddy Cakes Pancake & Waffle Mix, complete with everything needed to deck oneself out as a stylin’ pancake chef. The winner will get a:
Daddy Cakes chef’s toque
Daddy Cakes apron
Spatula
Complete set of Daddy Cakes mixes, in 9 flavors—Witty Whole Wheat, Vivacious Vanilla, Blueberry Bonanza Blast, Glamorous Gingerbread, Criminal Chocolate Chip and more.
Check out our review of this yummy line of “just add water” gourmet pancake and waffle mixes.
We’re also giving away the last of the Smucker’s healthy gift baskets.
Love shrimp? Add beauty and flavor to grilled shrimp with this simple trick: Use fresh rosemary as your skewer. Look for large, woody rosemary bunches and soak the sprigs in water for 15 minutes prior to grilling, to prevent burning. Toss jumbo shrimp with olive oil; skewer 3 onto each sprig. Salt and pepper to taste. You can use a grilling pan or the outdoor grill, on medium hot. Grill until the shrimp are lightly curled, pink and opaque (approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side). Add a squeeze of fresh lime and serve. They’re so delicious, no sauce or condiment is required.
If you regularly buy organic chocolate, you’ve probably tried Green & Black’s. If you’re not “experienced” with G&B’s, you’re in luck: The line is widely available at retail as well as online. The U.K.-based company was a pioneer in the organic chocolate space, the world’s first organic, Fair Trade chocolate company. It has helped the cacao farmers of Belize stay on their farms and do what they love—grow cacao—instead of taking city jobs to support their families. Green & Black’s has proved that a company can be committed to environmental sustainability and Fair Trade prices, and still make a tidy profit. In fact, Green & Black’s organic chocolate is the U.K.’s fastest-growing confectionary brand, which prompted corporate giant Cadbury Schweppes to purchase Green & Black’s, in which it had a small stake, in May 2005.
Most of Green & Black’s bars are flavored, with four notable exceptions: two darks, a milk and a white. What we like most about G&B’s bars is that the flavors are never coy on the palate; they’re strong and forthright, demanding your attention with every bite. Read the full review for more about Green & Black’s chocolate bars—available in 13 varieties.
If you are a fan of dark chocolate, then you’ll fall in love with G&B’s 70% Dark Chocolate bar.
