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NEWS: Obama & Oprah As Chocolate Truffles

February 4, 2008 at 6:29 pm · Filed under Chocolate, Food Holidays & More

Obama ChocolateOprah and Obama: united in chocolate.   First it was Oprah, then the Kennedys (Ted, Caroline and Maria Shriver). Then, author and public radio host Garrison Keillor. And now, a boutique chocolatier in Oakland, California is throwing its weight behind the charismatic candidate by making him even more appealing—in espresso—Cognac ganache. There are handmade chocolate truffles bearing the countenance of the candidate and his biggest supporter. You can buy all Obama in espresso-Cognac (Obama) ganache or all Oprah in raspberry ganache or (mix and match). Four pieces are $12.00. And as long as we’re getting cosmic with it, for your consideration there are:
– Al Roker (peanut butter/honey caramel)
– Bono (limoncello ginger)
– Madonna (red hot cinnamon caramel)
– Snoop Dog (mint grapefruit)
We’ve got to say, it’s an interesting assortment of cosmic icon choices. But Cosmic Chocolate Shop makes excellent chocolate. So if you don’t mind biting into Madonna, we’re sure that the red hot cinnamon caramel rocks. At Cosmic Chocolate Shop.

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TIP OF THE DAY: More On The Theme Of Soup

February 4, 2008 at 5:27 pm · Filed under Entertaining, Food Holidays, Soups, Tip Of The Day

There’s some pretty good soup to be bought “fresh” these days. Many of the stores that sell it don’t make it themselves, but buy it in bulk from companies like Hale & Hearty, Kettle Cuisine or companies that sell only to foodservice. No matter the provenance, many of these soups taste terrific, some recipes are elegant and can save you a lot of time if you’re having a dinner party. A quart of soup can feed eight people four-ounce portions (or smaller), in demitasse cups, shooters, martini glasses, Chinese tea cups or other vessels (small bowls are good, too). The idea is to provide a small taste of something good, in a stylish presentation. We go for more courses and smaller portions, mirroring today’s “small plates” trend. But those who have dined upon our eight-course dinners know that we’ve been doing this for 20 years.
– While you’re at the store picking up the soup, buy a crunchy accompaniment—gourmet breadsticks or flatbreads, pappadums, Japanese rice crackers (the black sesame ones look great with anything, and taste great, too). Look to contrast textures in every course.		   vichysoisse.jpgSsh..don’t tell. We bought it and heated it up.
– Pick up a garnish for the soup—fresh herbs, edible flowers, basil oil to drop in circles with a medicine dropper, crème frâiche. Look to contrast flavors and colors in every course, too.
– If your dishes and the soup aren’t colorful enough, use bright table linens. If you don’t have them, pick up some bright, solid cocktail napkins (red, yellow, whatever color works with the soup, your dishes and tablecloth) to place under atop the service plate. (As a case in point, how much better would this cream soup in a colorless dish look, if it were presented on a richly-colored cloth, napkin or service plate? Voilá—you have an impressive course that took 10 minutes to buy and 5 minutes to plate.)

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TODAY IN FOOD: It’s Homemade Soup Day

February 4, 2008 at 4:28 pm · Filed under Entertaining, Food Holidays, Soups

Demitasse Cups
It’s soup, served in demitasse cups with garnishes from edible flowers to sliced truffles. This presentation is from Ric Tramonto, executive chef/owner of one of our favorite restaurants, Tru in Chicago.
   Today is Homemade Soup Day. But on any day, soup is a great course for family meals or entertaining because of the variety of choices and ease of serving. It can be made in advance and takes no time to plate. For an exciting soup course, serve each guest a trio or quartet of soups in demitasse cups: three different seafood soups or vegetable purées, three different ethnic soups or fruit soups, or one chicken, one beef, one pork. Whatever theme you choose, you’ll have as much fun selecting soups and garnishes and serving your guests as they’ll have consuming them. You can buy colorful, inexpensive demitasse cups at outlets and discount stores and use them for other purposes, like mini panna cottas, mousse, pots de creme and sorbet.
– See some of our favorite soup recipes in the Soups & Stocks section of THE NIBBLE online magazine.
– Take our Soup Quiz and test your knowledge of soup.

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REVIEW: Beer Super Bowl

February 4, 2008 at 8:03 am · Filed under Beer & Hard Cider, Entertaining, Super Bowl

The 42nd Super Bowl is over, an exciting game for fans on both sides. But what about the 1st Beer Super Bowl? THE NIBBLE pitted some of the craft beers of New England versus New York a few days before the game, to see what would happen on the beer gridiron (or at least, on the coffee table). Thanks to beer editor Ryan Smith for creating this concept. We’ll be using it to watch games of many kinds going forward. So…did the beer competition parallel the pigskin? See who won the Beer Super Bowl.   RefereeCongratulations, Giants. But who won the Beer Super Bowl
 

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RECIPE: Make Fortune Cookies For The Chinese New Year

February 4, 2008 at 7:36 am · Filed under Cookies-Cake-Pastry, Recipes

Fortune Cookies
[1] Celebrate the Chinese New Year with homemade fortune cookies—much more delicious than what you get at restaurants. If you want, decorate them (photo © National Honey Board).

Chocolate-Covered Fortune Cookie
Top photo courtesy National Honey Board, bottom photo by Claire Freierman | THE NIBBLE.

  

The Chinese New Year, also called the Lunar New Year, begins on February 7th this year (it changes each year, based on the lunar calendar). You can ring in the Year of the Rat with homemade honey fortune cookies—delicious and easy to make with this recipe from the National Honey Board. The substitution of honey for white sugar gives the cookies a big boost in flavor.

Personalize the cookies with creative fortunes for your family and friends (start with “You will discover amazing foods on TheNibble.com”).

You can also decorate them by dipping in chocolate, drizzling with icing, or both.

If you want to give them as a gift, red is a good luck color in China, hence the red cartons in the photo.
 
 
RECIPE: CHINESE FORTUNE COOKIES

Ingredients For 16 Cookies

  • 3/4 cup cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup orange blossom honey (or other mild flavored honey)
  • 1/8 teaspoon pure orange oil (or 1/2 teaspoon pure orange extract)
  • 16 proverbs or fortunes written on 4-inch long x 1/2-inch wide strips of white paper

    •  

    Preparation

    1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

    2. COMBINE the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, honey, and orange oil until slightly frothy. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
     

    3. LINE a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Using a measuring spoon, place 4 one-tablespoon portions of the mixture on baking sheet, evenly spaced. Using a small spatula or the back of a spoon, shape each portion into a 3-1/2 to 4-inch round.

    4. BAKE for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned, and remove from oven. Working quickly, use a small spatula to loosen the cookies from the parchment. Place a proverb or fortune on one side of each cookie, fold in half and then fold the points toward each other.

    5. PLACE the cookies in a muffin pan or other device to hold the shapes until they have cooled. Repeat with the remaining batter. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

    6. SERVE with jasmine tea and/or vanilla, chocolate or ginger ice cream.
     
    THE HISTORY OF FORTUNE COOKIES.

    They were, to quote Bruce Springsteen, born in the U.S.A.
     
     

    CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

     
     
      

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