A reader of THE NIBBLE online magazine was checking out our Beef Glossary to determine the best cut of beef to use for making beef jerky at home. It’s a great glossary, but doesn’t get that granular. So we posed the question to Paul Murdoch, president of Gary West, which makes the most outstanding beef jerky we’ve ever had (it was a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week—read the review). Paul responded: “I favor inside top rounds. The meat texture is consistent, which is important. Try the Choice grade for more savory flavor and the Select grade for a less fatty cut. Flank steak and brisket are nice cuts for flavor, but not for texture. Pectoral and bottom round cuts are my third choice.” [EDITOR’S NOTE: Read about the USDA grades of beef in the Beef Glossary.] Now you have the answer, if you want to, try making your own jerky. For the less adventurous, we can highly recommend Gary West’s jerky as holiday gifts—it melts in your mouth (we especially love the bison). Read the recipes in the review—jerky is more than just a match for beer, delicious a combo though that may be. And if you’re a steak lover who wants more bang for your buck, read these tips from a top butcher on the value cuts of steak.
-Your ketchup: Made in China? The world’s most feared product manufacturer is now the second-largest producer of ketchup (after California). Danger, Will Robinson!
Send a personalized snow globe holiday e-card and The Ferrero Company will contribute $1.00 on your behalf to Share Our Strength. Ferrero has partnered with Share Our Strength to help end childhood hunger in America—there are 12 million children in America who lack sufficient nutrition. Go to ShareSomethingSweet.com. While you’re there, take a look at Ferrero’s latest “something sweet,” new Ferrero Rondnoir dark chocolates. Fans of the Ferrero Rocher can now enjoy the balls of chocolate in a semisweet version: dark chocolate cream surrounding a center of dark chocolate, within a delicate, crisp wafer topped with crunchy dark chocolate morsels.
Ferrero Rocher has a new dark chocolate sibling, Ferrero Rondnoir.
Remember, all you have to do is send an e-card—the Ferrero Company donates the money to Share Our Strength. If you want to pick up some Ferrero Rondnoirs as your reward, we think you deserve it. Read more about chocolate in the Chocolate Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. For more information about Ferrero Chocolates, visit FerreroChocolatesUSA.com.
Dagoba (pronounced duh-GO-buh, meaning “temple of the gods”) was founded in 2001 by “head alchemist” Frederick Schilling. His philosophy states, “You can deprive the body, but the soul needs chocolate.” Metaphysics aside, Dagoba creates some of the finest organic chocolate our tongues have ever encountered—28 dark chocolate and milk chocolate bars, three hot chocolates (call the Fire Department—the Xocolatl is hot, hot stuff, as is the chocolate bar by the same name), four delectable varieties of cacao nibs (the pure nibs are shown in the photo) and chocolate bricks and drops for baking—great gifts for your favorite baker. The line is certified kosher, and some of the products are Fair Trade Certified—a fact that should ease your conscience as well as feed your soul. It was tough to decide where to begin, but intrepid tasters that we are, we plowed ahead. Read our full review of this extensive line, which includes some important—though not always pretty—background information on cacao farming and the conditions of cacao workers, and what Dagoba is doing to ease the plight. This is a line of chocolate you can feel good about eating.
Read more about our favorite chocolate in the Chocolate Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine, about our favorite organic products in the NutriNibbles Section and about our favorite kosher products in Kosher Nibbles.
If you already love caviar, or would like a chance to study it more closely, The Little Pearl wants to help. A purveyor of sustainable caviars from all over the world, including those farmed in the U.S., there is no intimidation, mystery or pretentiousness here: It’s a friendly place to learn about caviar (so is THE NIBBLE’s Caviar Section).
The caviar is very fresh, with a firm texture and mild taste—no saltiness or fishiness. You can taste the species character and terroir in each bite. Each jar is packed to order. The black caviars include American Sturgeon, Bowfin, farmed Osetra from Germany, Spoonbill Paddlefish, Transmontanus Rex (our favorite!) from the U.S. and Uruguayan Baerii (runner up). There are three types of salmon caviar—Keta, King and Yukon Gold—plus Golden Whitefish and Rainbow Trout. (Read more about them in our Caviar Glossary.) While The Little Pearl has some products for high rollers (for $1,200 and up plus travel expenses, a caviar sommelier will come to you and conduct a tasting for eight to ten), the rest of us can enjoy a tasting sampler for $150 or can join the Caviar Club and get a different shipment each month ($65/month). It’s a perfect treat or luxury gift; low calorie and high protein; sustainable; and very special.
You don’t need to have deep pockets: You can buy an ounce-size taste of anything at TheLittlePearl.com.
Now, you don’t have to envy how the other half lives—you can be the other half. Equally important, you’re saving precious resources: All of The Little Pearl’s caviar is sustainably fished or farmed. Read the full review in THE NIBBLE online magazine. You can also read more about our favorite Seafood and Caviar.
