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Potato Salad With Truffles: A Luxurious Recipe

August 18th is National Potato Day. We could celebrate happily with a fully loaded baked potato or some fabulous fries. But when we received this recipe from Gourmet Attitude, we knew we had to make it. (There’s no National Potato Salad Day…yet.)

Gourmet Attitude specializes in everything truffle: fresh truffles, frozen truffles, truffle butter, truffle cream, truffle honey, truffle oil…we’re too hungry to go on.

The recipe was created by Denise Woodward of Chez Us, a recipe blog with many fans.

So thanks Denise, thanks Gourmet Attitude, thanks to America’s potato growers, and thanks to the truffle hunters who scour forests in France and Italy, looking for the best truffles.
 
 
TRUFFLE SUBSTITUTES

Fresh black winter truffles ($95/ounce) and fresh black summer truffles ($79 two ounces) may be too much of a luxury for most of us. So here are some substitutes:

While the aroma and flavor of truffles are unique, dry porcini mushrooms can be substituted in most recipes.

  • Soften whole dried porcini mushrooms in hot water for at least 15 minutes before adding to a dish. You can also use the soaking liquid instead of water for boiling the potatoes.
  • You can buy ground porcini mushrooms
  •  
    With or without truffles or porcini, you can substitute one or two tablespoons of truffle oil for the olive oil in the recipe.
     
    And it’s a perfectly good potato salad recipe without any truffles or porcini.

     
    > The History Of Potatoes

    > The Different Types Of Potatoes

    > The Different Types Of Truffles

    > The Difference Between Fungus Truffles, Chocolate Truffles & Candy Truffles

    > 25 More Potato Salad Recipes
     
     
    RECIPE: BLACK TRUFFLE POTATO SALAD

    Serve this potato salad with grilled meats and seafood; baked ham; fried, grilled, or barbecued, chicken; brats; and with a classy burger.

    It can be served warm, room temperature, or chilled from the fridge.

    Ingredients

  • 1 pound red or Yukon gold baby potatoes, cut into small quarters
  • 1 cup celery, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 shallot, peeled and sliced thinly
  • 6 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
  • 2 tablespoon black summer truffles, minced
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, freshly cracked
  • Black truffle slices for garnish
  •  
    Preparation

    1. BRING water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Season with kosher salt. Add the potatoes and cook only until fork tender, about 20 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking…

    2. MAKE the dressing. In a jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar, thyme and minced truffles*. Shake to combine.

    3. PLACE the cooled potatoes, celery and shallots in a large mixing bowl. Pour on the dressing and lightly fold to mix.

    4. SERVE in a bowl or on a serving platter. Garnish with some truffle slices*.

     
    USES FOR TRUFFLE OIL

    If you buy it for this recipe, there are other dishes that would enjoy a brushing, spray or toss of truffle oil.

  • Grilled Proteins: Brush or spray on grilled or roasted beef, lamb, poultry and seafood.
  • Starches: Spray or toss with fries and other potatoes, pasta, polenta, and risotto.
  • Vegetables: Spray or toss with cooked asparagus, cauliflower, corn, mushrooms.
  • Vinaigrette: Replace some of the olive oil in a classic vinaigrette; use it to make marinated mushrooms.
  • Tartare: Mix into beef, salmon or tuna tartare; drizzle it on beef carpacio
  • Snacks: Spray on popcorn and potato chips.
  •  

     


    [1] A very luxurious potato salad with black truffles (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Gourmet Attitude).


    [2] Problem: Who gets the garnish of truffle slices?


    [3] Black winter truffles. See our Truffle Glossary for the different types of truffles.


    [4] Dried porcini mushrooms don’t taste like mushrooms, just like an orange doesn’t taste like a grapefruit. But it adds its own special flavor to the potato salad (photo © Caviar Russe).

    A Can Of La Tourangelle Black Truffle Oil
    [5] Truffle oil is delicious as a dip with fries, Here’s more about truffle oil (photo © La Tourangelle).

     
    ________________

    *Substitute ground porcini mushrooms for the minced truffles, and sliced porcini mushrooms for the truffle slices. The different types of mushrooms.

      

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    Egglife Egg White Wraps: Delicious, Low Calorie, Gluten Free


    [1] California turkey wrap. Here’s the recipe (photo © Patrick Maese).


    [2] Make a dessert crêpe, here with summer peaches and vanilla yogurt (photos #2, #4, #5, #6 aqnd #7 © Egglife Foods).


    [3] Add your favorite fillings and roll into a wrap (photo © All I Need Is Aldi | Facebook).


    [4] Turn a bagel and lox into an Egglife wrap.


    [5] Turn your favorite salad into a wrap. Here, a Greek salad wrap.


    [6] How about an Asian chicken salad wrap? Here’s the recipe.

     

    Our Top Pick Of The Week choices are always wonderful finds. For people who want great taste with few calories, Egglife wraps are at the top of the Top Picks.

    Egglife wraps are a healthful, tortilla-like wrap made with cage-free eggs instead of flour. Once you taste them, you’ll wonder why they haven’t been available in stores for years.

    Not only are they delicious, but they’re a great source of protein, 5-6 grams per wrap; less than 1 carb, and only 25 to 35 calories. Compare that to an eight-inch tortilla wrap for 130 calories (or worse, a 10-inch wrap, 200 calories).

    It’s not just the calories and protein; it’s the flavor!

    Egglife egg white wraps are comprised of 95% egg whites or more. They’re all natural, dairy free, fat free, grain free, soy free and vegetarian.

    They accommodate almost any diet* and are a delight to eat.
     
     
    FABULOUS FLAVORS

    If there had only been the Original flavor, Egglife wraps would have been satisfying.

    But even better, there are wonderfully seasoned varieties that add so much more flavor to anything you make with them.

    We even enjoy them on their own, as 25-calorie snacks!

    In addition to Original, the flavored varieties include:

  • Everything Bagel Egg White Wraps
  • Italian Egg White Wraps
  • Rye Egg White Wraps
  • Southwest Egg White Wraps
  •  
    You’ll have fun matching the flavors with your favorite fillings.

    At $5.99 per package of six wraps, they’re affordable, too (the price goes down with multiple purchases online).
     
     
    GET YOUR EGGLIFE WRAPS

    Head to Shop.EgglifeFoods.com.
     
     
    WAYS TO USE EGGLIFE EGG WHITE WRAPS

    Egglife egg white wraps can be served cold or room temperature, straight out of the package; or warmed up as you prefer. Since they’re fully cooked and ready-to-eat, they don’t need to be heated.

    But warmed, they may be even more delicious.

  • Microwave. If you want to heat your wraps in a microwave, 10 or 15 seconds will do it, depending on your microwave.
  • Stove top. If you want to warm up your Egglife wrap on the stove top, place a skillet over medium/high heat, and warm the wrap for 15-30 seconds per side.
  •  
    Then:

  • Fold your wrap part-way and fill it like a taco.
  • Make grilled cheese in the microwave, skillet or panini press.
  • Make a sandwich wrap or burrito by folding it in half first, filling it, then rolling it lengthwise. We filled the wrap sandwiches, variously, with avocado, burgers, Caprese (mozzarella, tomato, balsamic, basil), chicken and pesto, egg salad or hard-boiled eggs (that’s eggs times two!), hummus, PB&J (it works with the Original wrap), tuna and veggie medley (cucumbers, mushrooms, shredded cabbage and lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini).
  • Make crêpes or omelets for breakfast, lunch or dessert with your favorite filling—sweet or savory. Then fold or roll (the first recipe we made was our mother’s cream cheese and jelly omelet: spread with cream cheese and strawberry preserves).
  • Cut the wraps into strips for soup and salad garnishes, as is, or browned in a skillet (recommended).
  • Cut and fry them into a base for nachos.
  • Layer them into a lasagna.
  • Make something elegant. We cut the wraps into pinwheels filled with different roes, including salmon and flavored whitefish and trout roes.
  •  
    There’s a wealth of recipes on the brand’s website.
     
     
    ARE YOU ON A SPECIAL DIET?

    There are plenty of recipes on the Egglife website, including choices flagged for specific diets:

  • Fat Free Diet
  • Keto Diet
  • Paleo Diet
  • Gluten Free Diet
  •  
     
    HOW EGG WRAPS CAME TO BE

    Necessity was the mother of invention. Founder Peggy Johns needed to eliminate carbs and sugar from her diet: “Easier said than done,” she notes.

    But she’d worked in the egg industry since she was 15, and knew “pretty much all there is to know about eggs, including that they are high in protein and low in carbs—exactly what the doctors said I needed. So I started experimenting.”

    She believed there had to be a more delicious way to eat clean. She began replacing flour with eggs, turning carb-heavy foods like wraps into low-carb, low-calorie, zero-sugar, gluten-free replacements for bread, among other foods.

    After a lot of trial and error, she developed egg white wraps and used them in recipes that her family loved. Her sons’ football team were also fans. The kids began coming to her house to eat her recipes.

    And then it occurred to her that she could help people like herself with the wraps.

  • If you want to cut carbs and sugar, get Egglife wraps.
  • For everyone, they’re a more flavorful alternative to bland tortillas.
  • If you want to eat more creatively, you’ll have fun turning the wraps into everything from crepes to salad garnishes—no cooking required. (Well, just heating, if you want your food hot.)
  •  
    All of Peggy’s hard work was worth it many times over. We can’t thank her enough for Egglife egg white wraps.

    ________________

    *Except for vegans and people with egg allergies.

     

     
      

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    Chocolate Covered Figs Recipe & More Recipes For Fig Season

    While National Fig Week is the first week of November, figs begin their season as a late summer fruit. A good produce department should be full of them right now.

    Have you ever tasted a fig at peak ripeness? Whether it’s enjoyed as a hand fruit, served with cheese for dessert, accenting a charcuterie board, a topper to a green salad, salad, churned into ice cream or sliced into breakfast cereal, fresh in season are as good as it gets.

    The peak of fresh fig season is just a few short weeks, so grab them when you see them. If your supermarket doesn’t carry fresh figs (ours doesn’t), head to a specialty produce store.

    Different varieties of figs mature at different times, so keep checking. California figs are among the best you can buy.

    Note that figs have a delicate skin. It may scar or flake a bit in transit, but that’s just part of being picked at peak ripeness, when the fig is most flavorful but also the most fragile.

    The recipe follows, but first, for your perusal:

    > The different types of figs.

    > The history of figs.

    > There are 12 more delicious fig recipes below.

    > Ways to use fresh figs.

    > Ways to use dried figs.

    > Ways to use fig spreads.
     
     
    RECIPE: CHOCOLATE COVERED FIGS WITH SEA SALT

    This is an easy recipe. Kids who are old enough to handle hot melted chocolate can make it. Prep time is 20 minutes.

    Just as with plain figs, you can serve these with cheese for dessert. Fresh figs pair well with a wide variety of cheeses, from sharp blue cheeses to creamy Brie and Camembert, to tangy goat cheese.
     
    Ingredients

    Use California figs for the tastiest results.

  • 12 fresh figs with stems
  • 12 dried figs
  • Fine sea salt
  • 1 bag (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Garnish: Flaked sea salt (substitute coarse sea salt)
  •  
    Preparation

    1. LINE a baking sheet with parchment paper. Rinse the fresh figs under running water and pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.

    2. SPRINKLE both the fresh and dried figs with fine sea salt to lightly coat the bottom portion of the fig.

    3. PLACE the chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate chips are completely melted.

    4. WORKING one fig at a time, hold the fig by stem, dip in melted chocolate 2/3 or 1/2 way up the fig, depending on how much chocolate you want. Sprinkle the chocolate with flaked sea salt.

    5. SET the figs on the baking sheet. Let sit until the chocolate hardens. You can also place the tray in the refrigerator to set the chocolate more quickly.
     
     
    12 MORE FIG RECIPES

  • Arugula & Fig Salad With Popcorn (photo #4)
  • Chestnut, Fig & Honey Stuffing
  • Dried Chocolate Dipped Figs
  • Fig & Brie Bruschetta (photo #5)
  • Fig & Maple Fizz Cocktail
  • Fig, Goat Cheese & Pancetta Crisps
  • Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites
  • Fig Panna Cotta
  • Grilled Halloumi Cheese With Figs
  • Pasta With Prosciutto & Goat Cheese-Fig Sauce
  • Prosciutto & Fig Appetizer Pinwheels
  • Roast Loin Of Pork With Gingered Figs & Jalapeños
  •  
    Plus The Recipe Above

  • Chocolate Covered Figs
  •  
     
     

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

     


    [1] Dip figs in chocolate and add a sprinkle of sea salt. The recipe is below (photos #1 and #2 © California Figs).


    [2] A close up. Use both brown and green figs for more visual appeal.


    [3] Just picked: brown turkey figs. The brown turkey fig is similar to the more common black mission fig, but is often larger, squatter and more syrupy on the inside (photo © Heather Barns Wesual | Unsplash).

    Arugula Fig Salad With Popcorn Garnish
    [4] An arugula and fig salad with a popcorn garnish. Here’s the recipe (photo © Le Coq Rico | NYC).

    Roasted Figs Cheese Bacon Bruschetta
    [5] An easy snack or hors d’oeuvre: fig and cheese bruschetta. Here’s the recipe (photo © California Figs).

     

      

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    Strawberry Mint Mojito Recipe For National Rum Day


    [1] Refresh with a Strawberry Mint Mojito. The recipe is below (photo © Rocket Farms | Facebook).

    Fresh Strawberries
    [2] Choose fresh strawberries that are smaller in size. They’ll fit better into the glass (photos #2 and #3 © Good Eggs).

    Bunch Of Fresh Spearmint
    [3] If you have a choice, choose spearmint instead of peppermint. It works better in cocktails.

     

    Here’s what we made for National Rum Day, August 16th (photo #1)—not just delicious, but good-looking, too. Minty, light and refreshing, it’s a great summer drink. The edible flowers are an especially summery touch. Thanks to Rocket Farms for the recipe.

    You can turn the cocktail into a mocktail with club soda (especially lime flavor club soda) or Sprite.

    If you don’t want to use edible flowers, substitute julienned mint leaves.
     
     
    RECIPE: STRAWBERRY MINT MOJITO

    If you don’t want to use the edible flowers, substitute a julienne of mint leaves and eliminate the mint leaf garnish.

    Ingredients For 1 Drink

  • 5-8 fresh mint leaves
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice​⁠
  • 1 ounce simple syrup (recipe)​⁠
  • 1½ ounces white rum​⁠
  • ½ cup fresh strawberries​⁠
  • Optional: edible flowers
  • 1 cup ice (more as needed)
  • Garnish: lime wedge, mint leaves
  •  
    Preparation

    1. WASH and slice the strawberries, wash and pat dry the mint leaves.

    2. MUDDLE the mint leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, reserving one or two for garnish.

    3. COMBINE the lime juice, simple syrup and rum in a chilled shaker with ice, and shake to combine. Strain into a glass over fresh ice. Stir in the strawberries and flowers or julienned mint leaves.

    4. GARNISH with a the lime wedge and additional mint leaf or two.
     
     
    July 11th is National Mojito Day.
     
     
    > STRAWBERRY ROSE MOJITO RECIPE
     
     
    > 15 MORE MOJITO RECIPES
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF THE MOJITO
     
     
    > THE HISTORY OF RUM

     

     
      

    ​⁠

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    Esquites Recipes: Ways To Use The Popular Mexican Corn Dish

    While June 11th is National Elote Day, the available corn on the cob in our neck of the woods (the Northeast) is more than a month away from its summer best. August is our peak corn month.

    So we saved this post until now, along with a query:

    Do you want to find delicious ways to serve elote and their fraternal twin, esquites?
     
     
    ELOTE VS. ESQUITES

    What’s elote, the uninitiated may ask?

    Elote is (ay-LOW-tay, plural elotes) means tender corn cob.

    The word derives from the Nahuatl elotitutl (Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, is still spoken today).

    Elote is a popular street food in Mexico, typically grilled on a stick on the vendor’s cart.

    It’s then brushed with melted butter or mayonnaise, rolled in cotija or queso fresco crumbles, and dusted with chile powder and salt (photo #1).

    You also get a lime wedge to squeeze over the corn.

    Some vendors (and home cooks) serve a more elaborate topping for the base, or as a drizzle on top of the other ingredients.

    This more elaborate cream base is made from sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, pepper and cilantro. Yum!

    Other toppings include Tajin tangy chile seasoning, chopped scallions and cilantro.
     
     
    What About Esquites?

    Esquites (es-KEE-tays) are the same corn kernels removed from the cob, seasoned the same way, and served in a dish with a spoon.

    Ingredients like chorizo, which don’t work on a corn cob, can be added.

    Also known as elote en vaso esquites are another way to enjoy the Mexican corn snack (antojito).

    The word comes from the Nahuatl word ízquitl, which means toasted corn.

    (Today, the kernels are just removed from the steamed or boiled cob.)

    But take a modern look: Esquites can be used in any variety of ways beyond the street cart.
     
     
    PARTY BAR

    How to make corn on the cob even more popular?

    You can serve either elote or esquites in a party bar format, allowing family and friends to add their toppings of choice.

    We promise it will be a memorable event, as in, “Remember that great elote bar?”

    Perhaps you’ll make it an annual event!
     
     
    WAYS TO USE ESQUITES

    Photo #1 is the classic elote and photos #3 and #4 are serving variations. You can take the same creative approach with esquites.

    It can be as simple as a garnish on top of a piece of grilled meat or fish. Or, how about:

  • Esquites croquettes (recipe).
  • Esquites grilled cheese, with a Mexican melting cheese substituting for American cheeses (or substitute gruyère).
  • Esquites on a grilled chicken breast salad with a lime vinaigrette (recipe).
  • Esquites atop a brat or hot dog in a toasted roll.
  • Esquites BLT on toast, with bacon, lettuce and tomato.
  • Esquites dip with mayo and sour cream, to serve with tortilla chips or crudités.
  • Esquites pancakes, savory corn pancakes topped with esquites; you can first mix esquites (or plain corn kernels) into the batter.
  • Esquites pizza topped with mozzarella, roasted corn kernels, cotija cheese, Tajin seasoning, snipped cilantro and chipotle mayonnaise.
  •  
     
    MORE ELOTE & ESQUITES RECIPES

  • Elote Toppings For A DIY Elote Bar
  • Stove Top Elote
  • Elote & Esquites Recipes
  • Uses For Corn Cobs
  • Uses For Raw Corn Kernels
  •  
    Oh que delicioso!

     

    Elote - Mexican Corn
    [1] Classic elote can be served with or without the stick. When buying from a street cart, a stick is a neater option. And we find that a stick is a superior option to the corn cob holders that are popular in the U.S. (photo © Good Eggs).


    [2] Our colleague Hannah Kaminsky of Bittersweet Blog made elote easier to eat by cutting the cob into four pieces. You can put each piece on a stick, or eat them with your fingers (and a good napkin) (photo © Bittersweet Blog).



    [3] At Manzanita in Silicon Valley, an elote innovation: Executive Chef Adam Ornellas cuts the cob into four strips, then frys them into dramatic curls. A charbroil finish lends a nice smokiness, and the dish is finished with a chorizo vinaigrette (photo #3 © Manzanita Restaurant).


    [4] Esquites served as a side, in a ramekin. Here’s the recipe (photo © Goya).


    [5] A simple dish of esquites (photo © Reynolds Kitchen).

     

      

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