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


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RECIPES: Gourmet Martinis—From Guava To Black Truffle

The original martini called for gin and vermouth. Gin is a complex spirit, and part of the enjoyment of a gin martini is savoring the layering of botanical flavors in the gin.

But with the rise in popularity of neutral-flavored vodka in the 1980s, the vodka martini has morphed into an endless parade of full-flavored cocktails (one lounge in Chicago offers more than 100 varieties of vodka martini). Here are four special vodka martini recipes, plus a classic vodka martini recipe for the less adventurous, courtesy of Grey Goose vodka. These sophisticated drinks will generate excitement at any gathering.

 

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Survive the summer heat with a Maharaja’s Martini, made with guava juice and fresh mint leaves. You need to be a maharaja to afford the Black Truffle Martini.

  • What makes gin so special? Read about the ingredients that go into making it, and why each brand of gin has such a distinctive flavor.
  • Want more ideas for summer cocktails? Find them in THE NIBBLE’s Cocktails & Spirits Section.

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TIP OF THE DAY: Gourmet S’Mores

Summer is s’mores time. Walk on the wild side and make your s’mores with exotic chocolate bars—those flavored with chile, ginger, curry, coconut, even wasabi. Check out the flavored chocolate bars from Vosges Chocolate and Chocolove. Use great marshmallows too: We love the handmade marshmallows from Recchiuti and the Tiny Trapeze brand from Whole Foods (the chocolate marshmallows are even better than the vanilla variety). But you’ll be begging for “s’more” when you see the flavors of gourmet marshmallows we’ve uncovered.

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Product: Dale & Thomas Chocolate Popcorn … & Grammar

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Another great popcorn flavor from DaleandThomasPopcorn.com.

 

If you’re looking for an inspired gift to send to your favorite camper, hostess or celebrant, we can recommend the new Dark Fudge Caramel N’ Almonds flavor from Dale & Thomas. We’re still equally fond of the other chocolate-drizzled flavors, including Chocolate Chunk N’ Caramel, Chocolate & Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter & White Chocolate, Toffee Crunch and Twice-As-Nice Chocolate (dark and white chocolate). A gift box filled with six large bags is $39.95, in your choice of a single flavor or one bag of each of the six flavors (highly recommended!). Dale & Thomas sweet popcorn is not overly sweet (that is to say, it’s welcomed by the sophisticated palate), and is elegant enough that it can become a light dessert, by itself or sprinkled atop vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

All Dale & Thomas popcorn flavors are certified kosher OU-D and are gluten free.

And now, some editorializing from our editor:

  • Dark Fudge Caramel N’ Almonds. The colloquial ‘n’ is the written version of a verbal convention of dropped consonants in the word “and”: peaches ‘n’ cream, sugar ‘n’ spice, rock ‘n’ roll. Apostrophes take the place of the dropped letters; when only one letter is dropped, only one apostrophe is needed (e.g., smokin’). Over time, people have erroneously chosen to drop one or the other apostrophe; now, heaven knows, anything goes. It’s amazing to us that none of the rulebooks on grammar—which tend to be so rigid on the most minute points—address the varied uses of ‘n versus n’ versus the technically correct ‘n’. The American Heritage Dictionary, a great arbiter, accepts ‘n’ and ‘n but not n’—take note, Dale & Thomas. Oh well…while it can be confusing to the eye, it’s not as egregious as the rather sudden eradication of the personal pronoun “who,” on the part of many American speakers (we hesitate to say English speakers). Have you noticed that we’re now all objects: the woman that came here yesterday, the people that voted for Al Franken? What’s up with that?
  • Decadent. The word “decadence” was used in the Dale & Thomas promotion material to describe Dark Fudge Caramel N’ Almonds popcorn: “…bathed in waves of the warm toasty sugar and buttery decadence that we call Dale’s golden caramel.” Forgive the copywriter; hopefully (s)he will learn. Far larger companies than D&T blast the word “decadent” over the airwaves and in print ads, leading to its use by too many individuals. Ladies and gents, go to Dictionary.com or the word resource of your choice and look it up: “decadent” does not in any way refer to food. The word such people are looking for is luxurious, indulgent or something else, but not decadent. Decadent food does not exist, and if it did, you wouldn’t want to eat it. Even if it meant what people erroneously think it means—sumptuous, over-the-top, rich and luxurious—how can you refer to Diet Dr. Pepper as “decadent?” Editors around the world are ROTFL over that one.
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    NEWS: McDonald’s Rolls Out Premium Burger

    McDonald’s has rolled out the Angus Third Pounder as its contender in the premium burger war. The new line of three burgers have been in test market in several cities for two years (reported way back when by THE NIBBLE) and are meant to compete with the Original Six Dollar Burger offered by Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s chains and Burger King’s Steakhouse XT Burger—as well as the larger burgers available at In-N-Out Burger, Fatburger, Smashburger, The Counter and Five Guys.

    The Angus burgers are available in three variations: the Deluxe, with American cheese, lettuce and tomatoes; Bacon & Cheddar; and Mushroom & Swiss. In addition to the premium beef, McDonald’s is using other high-end ingredients, including the Swiss cheese and an artisan-style roll. The tab will be about $3.99, depending on location. They will not be a core menu item, but “will continue to have a role on the menu,” according to a McDonald’s spokesperson.

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    McDonald’s Angus Third Pounder Burgers. Do they look this good in person?

    Despite the recession, McDonald’s franchisees report that the Angus burgers are a big hit. The premium burger biz has attracted several fine-dining chefs, who hope to use their star power to attract diners interested in higher-end burgers. Big names like Bobby Flay, Hubert Keller, Danny Meyer, Marcus Samuelsson and Laurent Tourondel have opened, or are planning, their own burger chains.

    America loves its burgers; they rank as our favorite food (pizza is second). This is unfortunate, given how un-green the raising of beef cattle is (animal waste contributes more greenhouse gas than automobile exhaust, and beef cattle contribute much more than other animal crops). And certainly, doctors and nutritionists will tell you that you should cut down on your beef consumption—all that cholesterol isn’t good for you, no matter how young you are. So, tempting as these burger offerings are, treat them as you would a hot fudge sundae—a treat to be enjoyed once in a while rather than a daily diet staple. Save the planet, save yourself. We know our words don’t hold much weight, but we just had to say them.

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Iced Coffee Cubes

    Don’t throw out a pot of cold coffee or tea. If you don’t have room to refrigerate it as an iced beverage, turn it into ice cubes. Then, you can cool off your next glass of iced coffee or tea without diluting the drink. We keep the different cubes in color-coded trays from iSi Orka (and do the same with Bloody Mary mix and spring water cubes).

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