Top: Crostini with Brie, Serrano ham and Fig Spread (photo courtesy Favor The Moments). Bottom: Enjoy trying the different spreads with different cheeses (photo courtesy Bonne Maman).

What’s a cheese condiment? What’s a cheese spread? you may ask. Here’s the food nerd explanation:

 
Chutney, ketchup, mustard and pickle relish are examples of condiments that enhance burgers and franks. Although you may not think of them as such, fudge sauce, marshmallow cream and whipped cream are ice cream condiments.

Given America’s growing familiarity with fine cheeses, here’s an…

INTRODUCTION TO CHEESE CONDIMENTS

What is the difference between a mostarda and a mustard? Why would you put honey on cheese? Can you use the same condiments on a log of fresh goat cheese and an aged Gouda?

Cheeses are wonderful on their own, but cheese condiments can bring out their nuances. Similar to wine pairings, the flavor and age of the cheese are taken into account when deciding on pairings.

We have an elaborate chart of cheese condiment pairings, from aged balsamic and mustard to sweet condiments such as chutney, honey and preserves.

Cheeses served with sweet condiments make delicious appetizers, desserts and snacks.

Take a look at the newest cheese condiments in town: three fruit spreads from premium jam, jelly and preserves company, Bonne Maman. They are all natural, non-GMO and certified kosher by OU.

First, a word about “spreads.”

There are different types of fruit spreads, including chutney, jam, jelly, preserve and others.

Aside from the jam and jelly group, some people hear “cheese spread” and think of like Port Wine Cheddar. Not here.

As regards jam, in the U.S., “fruit spread” is generally a reduced-calorie product, replacing all or part of the sugar with fruit juice concentrate and low-calorie sweeteners. Not the case with Bonne Maman.

The new spreads from Bonne Mamam are very thick and concentrated preserves that don’t run or dribble: They stand firm, enabling you to use them in more ways. The flavor, too, is more intense—glorious, in fact. It was all we could do not to eat them directly from the jar. (Well, maybe we did.)

The best pairings are the ones you like. We’ve made some suggestions, but let your palate be your guide.

Black Cherry Spread Cheese Pairings

Tart cherries pair well with both sharp and creamy cheeses. We pair it with goat cheese, Brie and Camenbert.
 
Purple Fig Spread Cheese Pairings

This one is easy: Fig pairs well with all types of cheese.
 
Quince Spread Cheese Pairings

For centuries, membrillo, quince paste, has been the classic condiment for aged Spanish cheeses. Cabrales and Manchego are most often found in the U.S., but your cheesemonger may also have Idiazabal, Roncal, Zamorano and others. Italy’s Parmigiano-Reggiano, with nuances similar to Manchego, pairs well; so does aged provolone. The nutty Swiss mountain cheeses are also a match: Appenzeller, Emmental (with the big holes called eyes), Gruyère* and French Comté.
 
NEXT STEPS

Plan a cheese tasting with fruit spreads and other condiments. Your family and friends will love it!

As of this writing, you can download a $2 coupon on the Bonne Maman website.
 
PARTY FAVORS

Looking for small Mother’s Day gifts or party favors? Jet.com is currently selling a six-pack with free shipping.

The spreads are also available at retailers nationwide.

Top: Quince Spread atop a pyramid-shaped cheese (photo courtesy Taylor Takes A Taste). Bottom: A jar of Purple Fig Spread (photo courtesy Jet.com).

 
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*Switzerland has produced Gruyère for hundreds of years, but after an appeal to the EU, France was also allowed to use the name. French Gruyère must be made with tiny eyes—“between the size of a pea and a cherry”—to distinguish it from the original.
  

[1] Keep a bowl of Halos or other mandarins on your kitchen counter, for a nutritious, 35-calorie grab-and-go snack (photos #1 and #2 © Wonderful Foods).

[2] Halos, unpeeled and peeled.

[3] A yogurt parfait with clementine mandarins and raspberries (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

We’ve been enjoying them by the bagful. In addition to flavor and nutrition, they keep us from eating refined sugar snacks.

They deserve their halo!
 
 
WHAT ARE HALOS?

The fruit aisle can be confusing. Depending on the store, you can find clementines, Cuties, Halos, Dimples, tangerines and mandarin “oranges.”

Nota bene: mandarins are not oranges, but a different species. More about that in a minute.

Welcome to the world of single-serving, easy to peel, sweet and juicy—and branded—citrus.

Halos, Cuties, and Sweeties are mandarins from California, different brand names for what are often clementines.

Don’t call them mandarin oranges!

While both are from the genus Citrus, mandarins are a different species, just like broccoli and cabbage—both members of the genus Brassica—are different species.

Here’s the difference (Produce Pete and Wikipedia take note!).
 
 
YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANDARINS & ORANGES

From a hybridization perspective, the mandarin is a progenitor of the orange*.

The orange is a cross between a mandarin and a pomelo, created long ago in China.

From a visual perspective:

Why the different names? Branding! The names are not varieties, but trademarked names, encouraging the consumer to look specifically for Cuties or Halos.

 
February 15th is National Clementine Day.

Now for a twist:

 
 
HOW TO USE HALOS

Like oranges, mandarins are very versatile. The first thing anyone would think of is hand fruit. The term refers to fruits small enough to eat from the palm of your hand, such as apples, pears and stone fruits—but not pineapples or other fruits that need to be cut up.

But why stop there? Use luscious mandarins:

 
To find a store near you, here’s the Halos store locator.
 
 
MANDARIN TIPS

[3] Toss mandarin segments into a green salad (photo © Wonderful Foods)

[4] Garnishing a white chocolate tart with a macadamia crust. Here’s the recipe from Rodale’s Organic Life.

Thanks to Etienne Rabe, Vice President, Agronomy, for Wonderful Citrus, for this history of mandarins:

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the name, but we know that mandarins were grown for many centuries in China. The first mandarin tree was brought to England from China in 1805, and its progeny went from England to Malta, then to Sicily and continental Italy.

Little information is available about mandarins in Chinese literature, but as far back as 1178 C.E., Chinese author Han Yen-chih described 27 different varieties of mandarins.

The clementine originated in North Africa and made their way to Morocco in the 1960s and Spain in the 1970s. Spain started exporting them to the East Coast of the U.S. in the 1990s.

The murcott variety was bred in Morocco and introduced to the U.S. in the mid-1990s.

As imported clementines became popular, American citrus growers saw the potential of the fruit…and how lucky we are!
 
 
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*The binomial classification of both mandarins and oranges branches at the species level. Both are in the genus Citrus. The pomelo is also a member of the Citrus genus. Its species is
Citrus maxima. The entire taxonomy: Kingdom Plantae, Clade Tracheophytes, Clade Angiosperms, Clade Eudicots, Clade Rosids, Order Sapindales, Family Rutaceae, Subfamily Auranntioideae, Tribe Citreae, Subtribe Citrinae, Genus Citrus.
 
 

Having just published an article about cauliflower rice, we’re following up with this recipe for Cauliflower “Risotto.”

This recipe is from Food Player Linda, a freelance chef in Connecticut whose innovative recipes can be found onPlayingWithFireAndWater.com. When we win the lottery, we will retain her to make magnificent meals.

RECIPE: CAULIFLOWER “RISOTTO”

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MELT the butter in a skillet or large shallow pan over medium-low heat. Stir in the shallots and cook slowly until translucent. While the shallots are cooking…

2. ROUGHLY CHOP the cauliflower into 1″ pieces. Working in 2-3 batches, pulse the cauliflower in a food processor in short pulses, until roughly the size of grains of rice. There will be a combination of very fine pieces as well as larger pieces.

3. TRANSFER the cauliflower into the pan with the shallots and turn the heat up to medium-high. Sauté while stirring, until the cauliflower begins to brown. Season with salt and pepper and add a 1/2 cup of the stock, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. When liquid has nearly evaporated…

Top: Jamie Oliver’s Cauliflower Risotto recipe with anchovy breadcrumbs, via Mimi Katz Chen. Here’s the recipe. Mushroom “risotto” made with cauliflower instead of rice. Recipe and photo courtesy Playing With Fire And Water.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the breadcrumbs, anchovies and their oil, and the chilies in a food processor; pulse until mixed.

2. HEAT the oil in a frying pan and fry the flavored breadcrumbs, tossing and toasting until golden brown. Set aside until you’re ready to garnish.

 
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*Best melting cheeses: Asiago, Fontina, Gouda, Gruyère, Mozzarella, Provolone, Robiola Bosina (not regular Robiola), Taleggio.

†Cherry peppers are mild, as are the larger green Anaheim chiles. The yellow-orange Aji Amarillo and the larger Cayenne chiles
have medium heat. Thai chiles, also known as sprig kee nu and birdseye chile, are hot.
  

The recipe for homemade cauliflower rice is below. But first: Cauliflower rice, also called cauliflower couscous, is poised for fame. There’s no actual rice involved; it’s a grain-free rice substitute made from cauliflower, that can be used in just about every rice recipe from plain boiled to fried rice to risotto.

Cauliflower rice—cauliflower chopped in a ricer, became popular with the Paleo Diet, and it is takes time to make it from scratch.

Fortunately, the Paleo Diet is making people more aware of it, and small producers have begun to cut and package it. It can be found minced or pulverized, fresh and frozen.

Who invented cauliflower rice? There may be several different “inventors” who first pulverized a head of cauliflower. The Italian supplier who makes other cauliflower products for Trader Joe’s ended up with lots of leftover florets and trim. Rather than toss them, Trader Joe’s says, “We put our heads together and came up with a new product made from this extra cauliflower.”
Cauliflower is a nutritional powerhouse, a “superfood,” a term that evaluates foods based on their calorie density vis-a-vis their amount/types of nutrients. A member of the Brassica family, it is rich in immune-boosting antioxidants and vitamin C (also an antioxidant). It is low in calories and low on the Glycemic Index (GI). But there’s more:

 
 
WHERE TO BUY CAULIFLOWER RICE

Now here’s the rub: Cauliflower rice is not yet available as widely as it should be. But it’s poised for fame and on its way: We recently spoke with a specialty food manufacturer who will be bringing it to market soon. In the interim:

 
And of course, you can make your own from a head of cauliflower.
 
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*Brassica is the plant genus of cruciferous vegetables, nutritional powerhouses packed with potent, cancer-fighting phytonutrients (antioxidants). They include arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish/wasabi, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, rapeseed/canola, rapini, rutabaga and turnips, among others.
 

Cauliflower rice can be buttered, sauced or otherwise made more flavorful by adding vegetables, herbs and/or spices. This recipe, from CauliRice.com, advises that homemade versions will taste more strongly of cauliflower and less like actual rice, but we have no issue with the homemade “rice.” Light seasoning, butter, etc. will mask any subtle cauliflower flavor.

Prep time is 10 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 3-4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. WASH the cauliflower and remove any leaves. Remove the main stem and set it aside for another purpose†. The fine stems that hold the florets together need not be removed.

2. CUT or break the florets into chunks so they better fit into your food processor. Attach the ‘S’ blade and place the florettes into the processor bowl. Pulse until the cauliflower is the texture of couscous (coarse grains) or until all large lumps disappear. Do not over-process, as this will result in mushy cauliflower rice when cooked. If you have a particularly large cauliflower, or a small processor or hand grater, you may have to do this in batches.

3. MICROWAVE for 3 minutes. Microwaving retains more moisture than dry-frying or oven baking, and is CauliRice’s preferred method. Place the cauliflower rice into a microwave-safe dish. Add a teaspoon of water—no more, or the cauliflower rice will become too wet. Cover the dish with plastic wrap or a lid. Cook for 3 minutes at 900 watts.

4. LEAVE the cauliflower rice covered, and let it stand for another 2-3 minutes. It will continue cooking in its own heat. Add seasoning to taste and serve.

[4] Homemade cauliflower rice from TheKitchn.com. Here’s their recipe and a video.

[5] Cauliflower rice from Trader Joe’s (photo © Trader Joe’s).

†You can steam and slice or purée it, finely dice or slice and add to salads, add to soups and stews, etc. You can also stick it in the freezer and decide later.
 
 
TO DRY FRY

1. HEAT a tablespoon of your preferred cooking oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the cauliflower bits and spread evenly across the base of the pan. Cover the pan and cook for approximately 7-8 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. If you prefer a less crispy cauliflower rice, add a tablespoon of water to the pan about halfway through cooking—but be sure to cook this added moisture off before serving.

2. Add seasoning to taste, and serve.
 
TO OVEN COOK

Oven cooking produces a drier, crunchier cauliflower rice that some people prefer, although it gives a less rice-like effect.

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F. Spread the cauliflower pieces evenly across a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, turning the cauliflower every 5 minutes or so.

2. REMOVE from the oven, add seasoning to taste and serve.
  

Top: Amber ale with blue cheese from the EatWisconsinCheese.com. Bottom: Burger and a lager at The Palm.

What will you do on April 7th, National Beer Day?

Drink beer, of course. Hopefully, you’ll choose a complex craft beer instead of something mass-produced and bland.

Depending on your age, it may seem that craft breweries have always been around.

Of course in the Colonies, it was brewed in small batches at home or for a tavern, and simply called beer. When not a soldier and statesman, George Washington, and landowners like him, first grew the grain and then brewed their beer.

In 1819 the first commercial brewery opened in the U.S., in Rochester, New York. Over the next 50 years, every region that did not have local prohibition laws had breweries. Some of today’s mega-brewers, including Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Pabst, Schlitz and Stroh, started as small regional breweries.

Fast forward 200+ years to the dawn of the American microbrew. In 1977, a brewery opened in Sonoma, California. The New Albion Brewery was short lived, but was America’s first microbrewery or craft brewery.

Here’s a really interesting chronology of beer brewing in America.
 
CRAFT BEER & FOOD

Tom Acitelli, author of the The Audacity of Hops: The History of America’s Craft Beer Revolution, sent us these little-known events that shaped the bond between American craft beer and good food.

 
 
CHECK OUT OUR BEER GLOSSARY: THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEER.