The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures -

FOOD TIP OF THE DAY: Peppermint Patties

December 20, 2007 at 3:37 pm · Filed under Candy & Confections, Giftable, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

These are from the Wisconsin Cheeseman, but your own homemade peppermint patties will be a much bigger hit.		If you love peppermint patties, making them at home is easy. Combine 1 pound confectioner’s sugar, 3 tablespoons softened butter, 3 teaspoons peppermint extract and 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract. Mix in 1/4 cup evaporated milk. Roll into 1-inch balls, place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet and chill for 20 minutes. Next, flatten the balls with the bottom of a glass to 1/4″ thick, so they look like peppermint patties. Now prepare the chocolate coating in a double boiler: 12 ounces of good-quality semisweet chocolate (you can use chocolate morsels, but the key is to get the best-tasting chocolate you can find, like Guittard or Valrhona) with 2 tablespoons shortening (not butter, or it won’t cling to the center). Dip the patties and place them back onto the waxed paper to harden.
If you want to go all-out, you can decorate the tops of the patties with candied mint leaves: Dip tiny leaves or cut pieces of leaf and crystallize in sugar syrup. The recipe makes about 5 dozen peppermint patties. Be sure to make extra for friends and family—these are so good, you’ll want to eat the whole batch. If you want to let others make the candy, take a look at the Candy Section of THE NIBBLE online magazine.

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December 19, 2007 at 9:40 am · Filed under Condiments

The unusual artisanal condiment gelatins and coconut purée from El Rebost de L’Empordanet are some of the most interesting foods we’ve seen in a long time. Condiment gelatins made from violets and Cava (Spain’s sparkling wine) transform a dish with just a dab. The Pineapple and Coconut Purée can make one loco for coco. El Rebost is in the Catalonia region of Spain, near the birthplace of the surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. Perhaps it is a touch of Dalí legacy that has led to such fascinating condiments. We don’t know any American company that makes products like these. Their website is frustrating because we don’t speak Catalan; but we read enough Spanish to know that we want to try everything they sell. We wish that the entire line of gelées, confitures, melmelades and xocolates (that’s chocolate sauce, not candy) were available in the U.S. But we’ll be content with the three items we can get. The products are all natural, free of preservatives or chemical additives. Read the full review in THE NIBBLE online magazine, and take a look at some of our other favorites in the Condiments section.		Violet Gelée—buy yourself some and add some culinary magic to your New Year.

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December 19, 2007 at 9:39 am · Filed under Fruits, Nuts & Seeds, Tip Of The Day

Dragonfruit from Melissas.com.		Dragonfruit, Korean pears, pomegranates and cinnamon persimmons are just four fruits in season now that most people have never tried. Others, like cherimoya, jackfruit and coquitos, are available year-round. You can give these fruits as gifts (at Melissas.com). But give them to your own household, too. Pick a specific day of the month—the first Monday, the third Sunday, e.g.—to be Exotic Fruit Day in your home. Have your featured fruit for dessert or at brunch, experience different tastes and build your knowledge base. If there’s no market in your town that specializes in exotic produce, Melissas.com is happy to oblige.
If you want to send an “exotic” basket of cut fruit, check out Edible Arrangements. See more of our favorite fruits in the Fruits & Nuts section of THE NIBBLE online magazine.

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Michael’s Cookies’ dough was awarded first place for best product in the “Outstanding Foodservice” category by the National Association for the Specialty Foods Trade (NASFT). But the cookies are available ready-baked for consumers, and are beautifully packaged for corporate gifts or for your favorite cookie lover. They’re also certified kosher. Of the 20 different flavors available, we tried five, plus the gluten-free chocolate chip cookie for people on restricted diets. These homestyle cookies taste like you just baked the yesterday (and in fact, Michael’s bakes to order). We enjoyed all of the flavors: Cappuccino Chocolate Chunk Cookies with a good hit of espresso, Maple Pecan (a terrific flavor that the marketplace should provide more of), Oatmeal Cinnamon, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip and White Chocolate Cranberry. As much as we liked the regular cookies, we prefer the gluten-free cookies from Curious Cookie, a specialist in the area. Read the full review, and find more of our favorite cookies in the Cookies & Brownies section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. You can find more kosher products in our Kosher Nibbles section.		Maple Pecan Cookies: Attention must be paid!

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December 18, 2007 at 5:20 pm · Filed under Giftable, Tip Of The Day

Rick’s Picks: Great pickles and pickled vegetables. Read our review.		While many people search high and low for one Very Special Gift, there’s often nothing better to give food-lovers than the most delicious versions of everyday products they really enjoy. The best gourmet peanut butters, jams, chocolate bars, maple syrups, teas or mustards, e.g., are treats that recipients can appreciate every day of the year—and they’ll think of you with every delicious bite or sip. Put together a selection of the best in a gift box. In addition to the foods, your gift will be the joy of discovery. Check out the Main Nibbles section for our favorite everyday foods (peanut butter, salsa, etc.) and see the Gift Finder section of THE NIBBLE online magazine for more product recommendations in every category.

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