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


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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Delicieuse French Artisanal Ice Cream

Looking for a way to put the zing into Christmas dinner? Still haven’t found that gift for someone special? Want to start the new year with something new and noteworthy? We know what we’d like: a big shipment of Patricia Sampson’s artisan ice creams—cow’s and goat’s milk. Patricia sells her products under the brand name Delicieuse French Ice Cream Artisanale, which is an understatement. Perhaps she felt that Merveilleuse or Magnifique was too boastful, so we’ll have to boast for her:

We’ve had the house-made ice cream at the finest restaurants in America—Citronelle, Gary Danko, Jean-Georges, Le Bec-Fin and Patina, to name a few—and Patricia Sampson’s can stand toe to toe with any of them. In fact, having tasted some 30 of her cow’s milk and goat’s milk ice creams and sorbets, we’d bet on her to win Top Ice Cream Chef.

And you’re a winner too, because while none of those great restaurants will overnight you a pint of whatever you’re dying to dig into (unless, perhaps, you’re the president-elect or other A-lister), you can order to your heart’s content at IceDreamOnline.com. As you’ll read later in this review, while most goat’s milk ice cream has a distinct flavor, you’d never know that some of Delicieuse’s products are made of goat’s milk. (When tasting the goat’s and cow’s milk products side by side, we could taste a difference. But the difference didn’t say “goat,” just great.) That makes this exquisite-tasting ice cream a quadruple bonus for people who have high cholesterol or lactose intolerance: goat’s milk is lower in fat and calories and is more easily digested than cow’s milk. But make no mistake: We’re mad (or maaad) for the entire line—every flavor we tasted was superb. Read the full review on TheNibble.com.


Create a stunning dessert by using a kitchen torch
to brûlée the bottom of a dish—it’s the same
crackly, burned sugar as you’d create on the top
of a crème brûlée. Top with a scoop of ice cream
and a counterpoint—here, candied macadamia
nuts, but it could be one of Mari’s New York
Brownies
(they’re bite-size)—and a sprig of mint
to garnish.

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HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN: Affordable Gifts, Great Recipes, Food Fun!


Who wouldn’t be happy to get a luscious brownie
gift? Shown here, Mari’s New York Brownies.
If you want to avoid the holiday shopping crowds, we have the solution: delicious gifts that are just a point and click away (or you can phone in your order). We’ve created “favorite gift lists” in 14 different categories for your shopping (and nibbling) pleasure. We’re mindful of the economy—no caviar this year, no luxury gifts (except a couple for wine connoisseurs), delicious choices from $20 to $35, and great stocking stuffers for less than $10.

Books
Cookbooks

Books
Culinary Reference

Books
Sustainable Foods

Brownies & Cookies
Chocolate & Caramels
Gourmet Foods
Green Gifts
Hot Housewares
Liquor & Wine Gifts
Kosher Gifts
Organic Gourmet Food
Stocking Stuffers
Food

Stocking Stuffers
Housewares

Sugar-Free Gifts

 

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RECIPES: Christmas Cocktails With Infused Vodkas

Whether you’re preparing for the Kwaanza “Karamu” feast, setting up the menorah for eight fun-filled nights, trimming the tree to Nat King Cole Christmas songs or just basking in the holiday buzz that’s synonymous with the first months of winter, infuse your holidays with a whole new kind of “spirit.”

Toast your holiday with holiday-themed fruit-flavored vodka cocktails certain to leave a lasting impression. The recipes were developed by SKYY Infusions, which use all-natural fruit flavors (and this year won awards for best fruit-flavored vodka at the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago). Impress guests by adding your very own twist, with creative garnishes or customized glassware tied with holiday ornaments, ribbons or other themed accents.


Garnish your Berry Sparkle cocktail with holly
berries, shown here, for a more festive look.
Holiday Cocktail Garnishes

Fresh sprigs of rosemary look like Christmas tree branches. Holly berries should not be ingested—eating more than three holly berries can cause illness* in adults, and have a worse effect on children. Don’t use it as a drink garnish just in case happy guests decide to nibble away. Instead, look for red currants (they look like the epitome of Christmas), white currants, lingonberries, Champagne grapes (Zante grapes), sweet gooseberries (which are red, not orange) or dried red mulberries (the fresh ones are out in the summer).

*According to the Wisconsin Poison Control Center, holly berries are “seriously poisonous;” ingestion of 20 or more berries can be fatal to children. The berries, leaves and stem of mistletoe are all considered toxic.

Berry Sparkle With Raspberry Vodka
Merry Cherry With Cherry Vodka
Holly Day Cocktail With Grape Vodka
Midnight Kiss With Passion Fruit Vodka
Winter Chill With Citrus Vodka

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NEWS: Red Wine May Fight Alzheimer’s


In winter, you can go with mulled wine, shown
here surrounded by its spices. Click here for the
recipe.
White wine drinkers may want to switch to red. While red wine has been touted for its health benefits for some time (the grapes have high levels of antioxidants), a new study from UCLA and Mount Sinai School of Medicine suggests that the polyphenols in red wine may hinder the formation of protein plaques linked to Alzheimer’s disease. In an article in the November 21 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the researchers report that in lab tests, the polyphenols in red wine blocked the formation of toxic protein clumps thought to destroy brain cells and induce dementia. David Teplow, a UCLA professor of neurology and senior author of the study, says that “the compounds were shown to block the earliest stages of clumping, suggesting that polyphenols might prevent or reduce disease in humans.” Certainly, a glass of red wine can reduce stress! The study continues at Mount Sinai, testing the effects of grape seed extracts in clinical trials in humans.
Polyphenols are potent antioxidant compounds that have demonstrated greater antioxidant protection than vitamins C and E. The most “famous” polyphenols are the flavonoids in green tea, which may inhibit cancer by blocking the formation of cancer-causing compounds and suppressing the activation of carcinogens. These are the flavonoids catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and proanthocyanidins. Other sources of polyphenols are found in peanuts, white tea, olive oil, pomegranates, certain other fruits and vegetables, and cocoa/dark chocolate. Chocolate or cocoa that has been processed with alkali (“dutched” cocoa) will not contain any polyphenols or antioxidants.

Read more about antioxidants in our Guide To High-Antioxidant Food.

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FREEBIE: Holiday Gift Labels

Don’t spend money for gift labels in these tough times. Courtesy of Land O’Lakes, you can print 18 different gift label designs on your color printer. Using a standard 2″ x 4″ sheet of white mailing labels, such as Avery#5263, that prints 10 labels per sheet, you can become a creative label maker. You’ll need Adobe Reader to open the PDF files. (If you don’t have it, you can download it free.) There’s a theme for everyone, including Chanukah and general winter motifs. Start your label-making at http://www.landolakes.com/promotions/Free-Gift-Giving-Labels.cfm.

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