[2] Mandarinquats close up (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

Cross-breeding fruits and vegetables to discover a desirable hybrid is an ongoing task among breeders everywhere. (Hybridization is the same as cross-breeding.)

You may have come across apriums and plucots, both of which are crosses of apricots and plums, with different percentages of genes.

We just saw our first mandarinquat, a cross between an mandarin and a kumquat.

The hybrid created a very juicy, larger fruit.

“If you’re into tart fruit, this is a great one to eat out-of-hand, but it also lends itself to preserving, juicing or zesting,” says Good Eggs, which retails the fruit.

They suggest using a mandarinquat instead of an orange or lime in cocktails for some added acidity.

The fruits in photo #2 were grown at Deer Creek Heights Ranch in Porterville, California.

We always drool at the produce of Good Eggs, which, from its headquarters in the Bay Area of California, has access to many dedicated family farmers who grow wonderful produce.

Our idea of a vacation: Head to the Good Eggs warehouse and walk up and down the aisles for a taste-a-thon. (That’s just a fantasy—the company is a delivery service only.)
 
 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PLANT BREEDING

Plant breeding dates back to the domestication of the first agricultural plants, somd 9,000 to 11,000 years ago.

Early farmers selected plants with desirable characteristics and used their seeds to propagate subsequent generations.

Over time, a better plant was produced: hardier, bigger, tastier, etc.

Today, plant breeding goes beyond genetics, with a scientific basis that incorporates molecular biology, cytology, systematics, physiology, pathology, entomology, chemistry, and biometrics.

Here’s more about it.
 
 
>>> THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANDARINS & ORANGES <<<
  

This week’s product selection is certified gluten free, but anyone at any table should be happy to eat them.

We present them in alphabetical order.
 
 
1. CANYON BAKEHOUSE COUNTRY WHITE BREAD

Several loaves of bread arrived from Canyon Bakehouse one Friday afternoon. Rather than have them sit all weekend, we asked if anyone wanted to take them home.

No one in attendance pursued a gluten-free diet, but our colleague Bingo Wyer volunteered.

“I almost didn’t take the loaves because I don’t typically buy white bread, and I have no gluten issues.

“And ‘Country’ as an adjective for white bread seemed a bit of an over-promise. However…

“They’re very good: a nice texture, good crust and very good flavor. I’m surprised: I really, really liked them.

“My favorite is the gluten-free Ancient Grain (photo #2). It’s dense and while it’s pre-packaged, sliced bread, it’s moist, tasty and has heft [i.e., dense, not airy].

“My loaves were happily turned into toast, French toast, sandwiches, stuffing and bread pudding.”

The line is certified kosher by Circle V (Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis).

Discover more, including recipes and coupons, at CanyonGlutenFree.com.
 
 
2. JANE BAKES GLUTEN-FREE COOKIES

A few months ago, Jane Bakes cookies were our Top Pick Of The Week. We ate all the traditional varieties, but had not yet tried the gluten-free cookies.

Not surprisingly, given the amazing quality of those first cookies, the gluten-free varieties are just as good:

 
You can buy them in bags, boxes (photo #3) or gift jars.

These artisan cookies are pricier than some others, but the quality and experience are worth every penny.

Get them at JaneBakes.com.

[1] Canyon Bakehouse’s dense and tasty gluten-free Ancient Grain bread (photo E. Bingo Wyer | THE NIBBLE).

[2] Canyon Bakehouse makes more than 15 types of gluten-free bread products (photo courtesy Canyon Bakehouse).

[3] Jane’s outstanding cookies are available in conventional and gluten-free varieties (photo courtesy Jane Bakes).

[3] (photo courtesy Gluten Free Boston & Beyond).

[4] RW Garcia’s gluten-free snack chips are a hit with us (photo courtesy RW Garcia).

3. PAMELA’S FIGGIES & JAMMIES

Our grandfather’s favorite cookie was Fig Newtons, and in our childhood, we enjoyed them together.

Over time, as ingredients were perhaps downgraded and our palate was upgraded, we no longer ate them. We tried Fig Newmans, better but no cigar.

Decades later, however, Pamela, the doyenne of premier gluten free baked goods, produced her own versions, Figgies & Jammies. And even with no gluten, they’re better than any other brand we’ve tried.

Figgies & Jammies are made in four flavors:

 
The first three are also available in Big Fig bars, 1.41 ounces compared to .9 ounces for Figgies & Jammies.

The line is certified kosher (dairy) by OU. Discover more at PamelasProducts.com.
 
 
4. RW GARCIA’S 3 SEED CRACKERS

What’s a cross between a cracker and a chip? RW Garcia’s snack crackers, which can be eaten like a chip: from the bag or bowl, with or without a dip.

Or, serve them like a cracker, with cheeses, spreads, or turned into a canapé.

The crackers are all natural and gluten free. Each has added seed nutrition via a mix of black sesame seed, brown flaxseeds and chia seeds.

 
The company also makes delicious Pulse Tortilla Chips, made with legumes and ancient grains. The chips are high in protein, high in fiber, and low in fat.

 
The line is certified gluten-free and certified kosher (dairy) by OU. Discover more at RWGarcia.com.

Stay tuned for more gluten-free favorites!

Skip the cherry pie for George Washington’s Birthday (February 22nd). Make this delicious cherry tart instead.

The recipe, sent to us by Vermont Creamery via the New England Open House Cookbook, actually works with any fruit.

When berry season arrives, make it with blackberries, blueberries, raspberries or strawberries; or call in the stone fruits—apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums. Fig lovers: Use fresh figs.

Your fruit of choice—rest atop a filling of lemon-mascarpone cream. Is your mouth watering yet?

The cherry tart can be frozen or canned cherries, or fresh cherries in season.

June 18th is National Cherry Tart Day.

> All of the year’s cherry holidays are below.

> So are the year’s tart holidays.

> The history of tarts is also below.

> The history of cherries.
 
> The year’s pie holidays.

> The year’s pastry holidays.
 
COOKING WITH CHERRIES

While cherries are a summer fruit and we love eating the sweet ones—Bing, Queen Anne [a.k.a. Royal), Rainier—the cherries that are best for baking and cooking are the sour/tart cherries.

They are rarely sold fresh: Most taste too tart to eat without sweetening and cooking. But they are superior to sweet varieties when when cooked or baked, and are the type used for making jams and preserves.

Sour cherries like the Montmorency (which accounts for more than 95% of the U.S. sour cherry market) are pitted and then canned in water or syrup, or frozen. The frozen cherries generally have a better texture and taste than the canned options.

Here’s more on the different types of cherries.
 
 
RECIPE: FRUIT TART WITH LEMON MASCARPONE FILLING

Serve the tart the same day it is made, preferably within a few hours of making it. If that’s too much to do with other cooking needs, save this recipe for when you’re invited to dinner and can bring it as dessert.

Ingredients For A 9-Inch Crust

 
Ingredients For The Lemon Mascarpone Cream Filling

 
Ingredients For The Topping

 
 
Preparation

1. PLACE a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. This recipe makes enough dough for two nine-inch tarts. Half the pastry can be stored in the freezer, where it is easily thawed for the next tart.

2. PLACE the flour, sugar, pinch of salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse the machine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the machine running, drizzle in enough ice water to make the dough begin to form into a ball.

[2] The cherries lie atop a filling of lemon mascarpone. We use Vermont Creamery’s mascarpone (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

[3] Pick up a bag of frozen cherries (photo courtesy Dole).

[4] Get a copy of the New England Open House Cookbook (photo courtesy Workman Publishing Company).

[5] Tarts are also savory, like this tomato, goat Cheese, and Kalamata olive tart (photo © Discover California Wines).

4. FLOUR the work surface lightly. Roll out 1 pastry disk to form an approximately 11-inch circle. Ease the pastry into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Crimp the edge decoratively, trimming away any excess dough. Refrigerate the tart crust for about 30 minutes before baking it.

5. LINE the chilled tart crust with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill it with ceramic pie weights or dried beans. Bake the tart crust until the edges begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the weights and liner and continue baking until the bottom is a light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. When finished, transfer the tart crust to a wire rack and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. As the crust bakes…

6. MAKE the filling. Combine the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, mascarpone, cream, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Beat with a hand-held electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling into the baked tart crust.

7. BAKE the tart until the filling is set, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the tart cool completely on the wire rack.

8. ARRANGE the fruit in a tight, attractive concentric circles on the top of the tart. Place the jelly and cassis in a small saucepan, stir to combine, and heat over medium-low heat until melted and smooth.

9. BRUSH the warm jelly mixture gently over the fruit with a pastry brush. Refrigerate the tart until ready to serve.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 13 CHERRY HOLIDAYS

 
 
THE YEAR’S TART HOLIDAYS

 
Editor’s Note: Given the large number of cake, cookie, pastry, and pie holidays that exist, someone needs to establish more tart holidays!
 
 
THE HISTORY OF TARTS

Medieval Europe: The tart evolved in the 13th and 14th centuries from early medieval pies, which were often savory and enclosed in thick, salty crusts.

(The crusts were very purely functional and not edible, created before the wide availability of ceramic and later metal cooking vessels.)

Tarts in medieval England were often filled with meat, fish, or cheese and later, sweet versions (fruits, custards) sweetened with honey, produced locally by beekeepers*.

(Sugar was rare at the time. Imported from Southeast Asia, it was available only to the wealthy (the history of sugar).

Unlike pies, early tarts were open-faced with the filling exposed—both practical and decorative.

By the Renaissance (15th–16th centuries), tarts had become more refined, and pastry artistry developed.

Cooks used doughs enriched with butter and eggs and designed elaborate fruit arrangements to top fillings of almond cream (frangipane) and custard.

While home cooks could bake simple tarts, the pastry was a way for noble households to display wealth. They showed off tarts made with costly ingredients like sugar and exotic fruits and nuts.

France chefs elevated the tart as a distinct form different from pies. Their tartes aux fruits (fresh fruit tarts glazed with apricot jam) and tarte au citron, lemon tart filled with citrus curd, became patisserie classics.

The term tart is dervices from the French tarte, which was used for both tarts and pies.

In fact, our English word tart comes from the Old French tarte, used from medieval times to describe both tarts and pies. Written records of tarte are recorded as early as the 12th century.

It likely derived from the Medieval Latin tarta, which is related to the Late Latin word torta, which meant “a small bread.”

Tarts spread throughout Europe and beyond. As with any food, each area developed its own types based on local flavors and ingredients.
 
 
________________
 
*Honey was available to all classes as a general sweetener and for making mead. The fructose in fresh and dried sugars was also used by all classes as an ingredient in pastires, sauces, and stews. In grape-growing regions, grape must syrup was available, largely to the middle and upper classes. The northern regions could make birch sap syrup. Cane sugar was a rare luxury for the nobility and clergy.

Barley malt syrup was sometimes used in cooking or medicinal recipes, but not as a widespread sweetener, owing to its malty, grainy taste.
 

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

[2] Herradura Diablo, made with tequila and cherry liqueur (photo courtesy Herradura).

Presidents’ Day is upon us, and George Washington’s birthday is February 22nd. Let’s celebrate with some cherry cocktails.

Although the story of George Washington and the cherry tree is apocryphal, made up by his biographer, everyone can still enjoy cherries on Washington’s birthday. The layer of red liqueur is also an homage to George Washington and the apocryphal cherry tree (link).

You can create cocktails with cherry juice, cherry liqueur, and frozen cherries (thawed!).

If you particularly like these recipes, make them again when cherries come into season.
 
 
RECIPE #1: CHERRY CHILLER CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

This recipe came to us courtesy of Moet et Chandon champagne. It was created by Kim Haasarud of Liquid Architecture, a restaurant consulting firm.

Rosé Champagne or other rose bubbly makes this a beautiful cocktail for Presidents Day (or a belated Valentine’s Day).

Cherry season is months away, so defrost frozen cherries.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the basil, cherries, lime juice, gin and simple syrup in a mixing glass. Muddle. Top with ice and shake vigorously.

2. POUR the contents into a highball glass and top with campagne.

This cocktail uses cherry liqueur for its vibrant red color.

We’re not sure why it’s called “diablo,” since the ginger syrup doesn’t provide much heat. But you can always add droplets of chile oil as a garnish, or use a slice of red jalapeño as a rim garnish.

Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

Place all ingredients in to a cocktail shaker filled with cubed ice. Shake hard and strain over ice into a chilled coupe glass.
 
 
WHAT IS CHERRY HEERING?

Erroneously called Cherry Herring, this cherry liqueur is named for its Danish creator, liqueur manufacturer Peter Heering.

It has nothing to do with a herring.

Roasted cauliflower is a popular side dish in our home. Leftovers can be reheated, served cold with a vinaigrette, or added to a green salad.

Our most recent discovery: Add some blue cheese dressing and toothpicks, and serve them with wine and beer.

This recipe is from Chef Adrianne Calvo, of Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar in Miami.

Note about the cauliflower: While you only use the florets in this recipe, the stems and the core are equally delicious.

Save them to chop into green salads, or steam/boil and purée.

Bonus: Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetables group, packed full of anti-carcinogen antioxidants.
 
 
RECIPE: GARLIC-ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Ingredients

 
For The Dip

[2] Garlic cloves, roasted in the oven, become mellow (photo courtesy Domain-Image.com).

For a low-calorie version, substitute Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise.

We were also happy when we substituted this blue cheese dip and dressing recipe.
 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 450°F. Toss the cauliflower, garlic cloves and olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper.

2. PLACE on a cookie sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile…

3. WHISK the mayonnaise and lemon juice in a small bowl or ramekin. Top with freshly-cracked black pepper.