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


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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Chocolate Ganache Pups

April 29, 2013 at 10:49 am · Filed under Chocolate, Giftable, Mother's Day, Top Pick Of The Week

If you know a mom who loves chocolate and dogs, is there a better Mother’s Day gift than these chocolate pup bonbons?

Made by hand by Gearhearts Chocolates, the milk chocolate bonbons are filled with silky chocolate ganache, which is lightly infused with handmade peanut butter.

And they’re guilt-free: Five percent of sales of Peanut Butter Pups is donated to Companions for Heroes, a not-for-profit organization that matches rescue pets as companion animals to our nation’s wounded veterans.

Read the full review and order yours today.
 

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Who can resist these chocolate peanut butter pups? Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.
 

  

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TIP OF THE DAY: Agua Fresca For Cinco De Mayo

April 29, 2013 at 8:38 am · Filed under Cinco de Mayo-Dia De Los Muertos, Meat & Poultry, Recipes, Tip Of The Day


Make agua fresca for Cinco de Mayo. Photo
© Raptor Captor | Fotolia.		   In Spanish, agua fresca means fresh water. In culinary terms, it refers to a variety of refreshing cold drinks that are sold by street vendors and at cafés throughout Latin America; they’re also sold bottled and are whipped up at home.

A traditional agua fresca is an infused, sweetened water, flavored with fruits and/or vegetables—often a more complex layering of flavors than lemonade and limeade. It is nonalcoholic and noncarbonated.

The recipes can include a combination of fruits or veggies, flowers (like hibiscus), herbs and/or spices, cereals (barley, oats, rice), seeds (chia), even almond flour. Agua de horchata, a very popular recipe, is made of rice spiced with cinnamon.

While some look forward to Margaritas and other alcoholic libations to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, kids and adults who refrain from drinking should indulge in an agua fresca or two. Of course, you can add a shot of rum, tequila or other spirit for those who want to celebrate with it.

Three of our favorite combinations:

  • Watermelon (or any melon) and basil
  • Cucumber with basil and mint
  • Hibiscus (made with hibiscus herbal tea) and honeydew
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    They’re as easy to make as lemonade. Try different recipes and develop your own signature. You’ll be certain to have people dropping by through the warm spring and summer months.

    TIP: To ensure that the sugar dissolves, use simple syrup or ultrafine sugar (which you can make by pulsing regular sugar in the food processor or spice mill). You can infuse the simple sugar with herbs (we like basil or rosemary). Here’s the simple syrup recipe.

    And here’s the agua fresca recipe we had recently at Tres Carnes, a wonderful new Texican smoked meat spot in New York City (more about it below). The house agua fresca, a combination of apple, cucumber and lime, was so refreshing that we had a second. Thanks to executive chef Sasha Shor for sharing her recipe.

     

    TRES CARNES AGUA FRESCA RECIPE

    Ingredients

  • 3 cucumbers (English or other thin-skinned cucumbers), unpeeled
  • 6 granny smith apples, unpeeled
  • 1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1/2 cup simple syrup, made from 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water (or use agave)
  • 4 cups filtered water
  • Sliced limes and/or cucumber for garnish

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    Preparation

    1. MAKE a basic simple syrup by boiling water and dissolving sugar in it. Reduce by 1/3 until a syrup forms. Cool completely.

    2. TRIM ends from cucumbers and chop into large chunks.

    3. CORE apples and remove stems, discard cores and seeds.

    		  
    Smoked pork shoulder, our favorite among three delicious smoked meats at Tres Carnes restaurant. Photo © Chris Gardiner | Fotolia.

    4. PURÉE cucumbers and apples with lime juice in a blender or food processor until all is incorporated and you have a thick purée. The consistency should be similar to thinned applesauce.

    5. STRAIN the purée mixture through a fine mesh strainer, removing all fruit and vegetable pulp. You may have to strain twice depending on your strainer.

    6. ADD simple syrup and water and stir well. You may have some sediment but that’s ok!

    7. CHILL the agua fresca and serve over ice. Garnish and serve.
     

    TRES CARNES RESTAURANT: TEXICAN SMOKED MEATS IN A FAST FOOD VENUE

    Tres Carnes is the newest best thing to happen to fast food. The first outpost launched recently in New York City (at Sixth Avenue and 22nd Street). If the great food and lines snaked out the door are any indication, it’s a smash hit.

    You move through a line past the hot table, where personable counter staff put whatever you want in a bowl, in a burrito wrap or onto a plate with two soft tortillas. You choose from three kinds of smoked meat (the “tres carnes”) prepared by Mike Rodriguez, an award-winning pitmaster—smoked brisket, chicken adobo and BBQ pork shoulder—and revel in the delicious sides of beans, corn, greens, guacamole and squash. Chili is Texas-style: all meat, no beans.

    There are so many delicious sides that vegetarians can have as wonderful a meal as carnivores. Everything is seasoned with great finesse, and the food is of a quality that doesn’t get any better at far fancier, white tablecloth restaurants. In fact, we can’t think of any other Tex-Mex restaurant we’d rather return to.

    The eatery is so new that there are no photos of the fab food on the website, no place to sign up for information, not even a Facebook page or Twitter. But keep checking at TresCarnes.com, and hope that a Tres Carnes comes to you, soon.
      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Uses For Leftover Rice

    April 28, 2013 at 8:39 am · Filed under Recipes, Rice-Beans-Grains-Seeds, Tip Of The Day


    Fried rice is a favorite use for leftover rice.
    Here, it’s made with brown rice. Photo
    		 

    After we published uses for leftover pasta, we received requests for uses for leftover rice.

    Any of these recipe ideas works for white or brown rice.

  • Eggs. Add the rice to omelets or frittatas, with or without leftover beans, capers, olives, sliced green onions and diced vegetables.
  • Fried Rice. This is what Chinese restaurants do with leftover rice. Simply toss the rice in a frying pan with some oil and the “mix-ins” (see the recipe is below). You can make your recipe as complex as you like, using whatever vegetables and cooked meats you have in the fridge.
     
    We recently made a batch of fried rice with cilantro, cashews, edamame and pineapple. If you like hot and spicy foods, add minced jalapeños or hot sauce to your recipe. Fried rice is a wonderful opportunity to be creative and turn out a different recipe every time.
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  • Rice Pudding. While rice pudding is typically made by cooking raw rice in milk, you can add milk, sugar and mix-ins to cooked rice. It’s our favorite use for leftover rice from Chinese food take-out. Simply combine the rice, just enough milk or cream to the top of the rice, sweetener and dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Add dried blueberries, cherries or raisins, a pinch of salt and an optional 1/8 teaspoon vanilla. Cook on the stovetop or the microwave. Serve hot or chilled. We like to garnish rice pudding with chopped pistachios.
  • Rice Salad. Make rice salad by adding any ingredients you have on hand: carrots, peas, bell pepper, green or red onion, fresh herbs, nuts. Use a vinaigrette dressing; for an Asian-style vinaigrette, combine 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 6 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil, with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. You can serve it as a side, or on a bed of lettuce as a first course.
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  • Seasoned Rice. If your leftover rice is relatively plain, kick it up a notch or two by adding other ingredients, such as those options in the rice salad above. It’s like fried rice but not fried; like rice salad but hot and without the dressing. We’re happy just mixing in fresh herbs and some toasted sesame seeds. For a real treat with roast poultry, make Persian rice with sour cherries (recipe).
  • Soups and Stews. You can add the rice to any soup or stew. For an artistic touch, use an ice cream scoop to place a mound of rice in the middle of a soup bowl. Garnish the top of the rice with some herbs, and spoon the soup around it.
  • Sandwich wraps. Season the rice, add it to the tortilla with other ingredients—beans, chicken, grilled or tofu. Seasonings can range from Asian ingredients (sesame seed, soy sauce) to herbs to red pepper flakes.
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    It’s easy to turn leftover rice into rice pudding. Photo courtesy UNK.
     

    EASY FRIED RICE RECIPE

    Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 4 cups cold cooked rice
  • 1-2 tablespoons light soy sauce or oyster sauce (an earthy, sweet and salty sauce)
  • 2 green onions, washed and finely sliced
  • Other ingredients of choice (diced bell pepper, chicken, pork, sausage, etc.)

    •  
    Preparation

    1. BEAT the eggs with the salt and pepper.

    2. HEAT the oil in a frying pan or wok and add the eggs, stirring, until they are lightly scrambled. Remove, set aside and clean pan with a paper towel.

    3. ADD 2 tablespoons oil, heat and add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes; then add the soy sauce.

    4. ADD the scrambled eggs, combining thoroughly. Stir in the green onion and any other ingredients. Heat through and serve.
      

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