From January 26th through January 31st, the New England Patriots-Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl match-up will be preceded by a competition between bodaceous bivalves.

The storied Grand Central Oyster Bar in the heart of Manhattan is hosting “Super Bowl XLIX Oyster Platter,” pitting two New England oysters (Katama and Wellfleet) against two Washington challengers (Discovery Bay and Skookum—note that oysters are typically named for the bodies of water where they are harvested).

Chef Sandy Ingber has selected beverage pairings to complement the oysters: for Patriots fans, Cisco “Whales Tale” Pale Ale from Nantucket; for Seahawks fans, Washington State’s Chateau St. Michelle 2013 Dry Riesling 2013.

If you have a supplier of fresh oysters and a talent for shucking, you can serve this gourmet fare during the game.

If not, call the Grand Central Oyster Bar for lunch or dinner reservations: 1.212.490.6650. The eight-oyster combination is $22.35 with beverages extra.

Game on: Will these Wellfleet oysters from Massachusetts best the Skookums from Washington? Photo courtesy J.P.’s Shellfish.

Savory jams. From top, clockwise: tomato
jam, garlic jelly, onion jam and pepper jelly.
Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Jam is a preserve of crushed whole fruit, boiled with sugar into a sweet spread. The use of jam to describe a food dates at least from the 1730s, and probably derives from the verb jam, which refers to something tightly pressing between two surfaces (in this case, referring to crushing the fruit).

Over the centuries, there have been jams based on vegetables: garlic, onion, tomato and more recently, bacon jam, often made by adding luscious bacon to an onion base. Caramelized onions or shallots are a chunkier form of onion jam.

Some jams are both sweet and savory. Pepper jelly, for example, adds bell peppers or hot chiles into a sweet base. Savory herbs—basil and rosemary, for example—can be combined with fruits to add a savory dimension.

House-made savory jam is trending at fine restaurants nationwide. It won’t appear on supermarket shelves any time soon, but look for them at specialty food stores, farmers markets and online. If you can’t find what you want, look for recipes and make your own savory jam.

Why pay attention to savory jam? Versatility, and an easy way to add flavor to numerous recipes. Savory jams work as general condiments, dips, glazes, spreads and thickening agents for sauces.

You can use savory jams to enliven food at every meal. Sure, you can spread them on toast; but you can also:

 
Flavor And the Menu, a magazine for chefs, reports chefs using bacon-chile jam in a Brussels sprouts salad, for example, bacon marmalade crostini topped with blue cheese, tomato marmalade on a BLT, tomato-jalapeño jam on flatbread and savory tomato jam as a dip for fries.

JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES: THE DIFFERENCE

The jam and jelly group falls into the category of spreads.

Check out our Jam & Jelly Glossary for more information and other types of spreads.

Fun project: Make your own gummies. Photo
courtesy ChooseCherries.com.

We were happy to discover that in 15 minutes, we could make our own gummies, with top-quality ingredients (including honey instead of refined sugar) and for less expense than purchasing them.

It’s easy, so try it—perhaps inviting your favorite child to participate in the joy of making sweets. Prep time is just 5 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.

The only thing you need to do is buy a candy mold—although you could use a sheet pan/jelly roll pan and cut the solid rectangle into squares. You also can try a mini ice cube tray. This recipe used a sheet mold tray with 64 molds of 3/4″ x 1″.

This recipe is made with tart cherry juice. If you like the result, you can try it with other juice flavors–apple, cranberry, grape, etc.

This recipe is courtesy of Mitzi Dulan, RD, of NutritionExpert.com, via ChooseCherries.com.

RECIPE: HOMEMADE GUMMIES

Ingredients For 128 Pieces

Preparation

1. COMBINE the juice and gelatin in a small bowl, stirring until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan over low-medium heat and add the honey. Continue stirring until well mixed. Be sure not to boil!

2. REMOVE from the heat, allowing the mixture to slightly cool before pouring into the mold.

3. LET cool for about 10 minutes or until it begins to gel before transferring into the refrigerator. Place in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes to allow it to set.

WOW: A GUMMY-MAKING MACHINE!

As we were looking for candy molds online, we came across this Gummy Candy Maker, $29.75.

It includes the silicone molds to make gummy fish, worms and small bears—as well as a jumbo bear—with easy-to-use silicone molds. The central heated base holds the gelatin pot with a spout for easy pouring; the entire unit disassembles for easy cleaning.

Reviews from 60 customers gave it 4.4 out of five stars, with many giving it five stars. If we can convince ourselves that this is an important appliance to bring into our small kitchen, we may be buying one soon.

We think it makes a great Valentine gift.

Delancey Hollywood has it right: a tasting of four different beers to enjoy with your pizza.

If you can’t make it to Hollywood, create the concept at home. How about debuting it during the Super Bowl?

Since most people don’t want to consume four entire beers with a pizza, buy plastic tumblers for shorter pours.

The biggest challenge is what beers to offer. You can do a tasting of four different lagers or other beer types to compare brands, or mix it up: an ale, IPA, lager and stout, for example.

We’re so into this idea, we’re going to have it for lunch today.

Now, the second biggest challenge: What type of pizza to order?
 
 
> The history of pizza.

> The history of beer.

> The different types of beer: a photo glossary.

> A year of pizza holidays.

> 50 pizza recipes you’ll want to try.

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

If you love to snack on olives, look for ways to add them to your main courses. We enjoy everything from olive mashed potatoes to olive omelets and olives in pasta.

This classic Moroccan dish, courtesy of OlivesFromSpain.us, combines chicken with briny olives and preserved lemons, which contribute their own special pickled taste. The result: rustic flavors layered with citrus accents.

Manzanilla olives are the Spanish green olives are available in most supermarkets, often pitted and stuffed with pimento or garlic. You can substitute other green olives or even caperberries.

You can buy preserved lemons at many olive bars, or make your own with this preserved lemons recipe.

RECIPE: MOROCCAN CHICKEN & OLIVES

Ingredients For 4 Servings

How delicious does this look? Photo courtesy Olives From Spain.

1. PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

2. HEAT a large, heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. When hot, add the chicken breasts skin side down. Cook until skin is golden brown and the skin is crispy, about 4-5 minutes.

3. FLIP chicken breasts over, add the rosemary sprigs to the pan and place the entire pan in the oven. Cook until the chicken is just cooked through, about 10-12 minutes, or until a thermometer placed in the chicken reads 150°F.

4. REMOVE the chicken from the pan, add the olives, preserved lemons, lemon juice, parsley and about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil to the pan. Whisk to combine; this will be the sauce.

5. DIVIDE the chicken among four plates, heat the sauce over medium heat and spoon evenly over the chicken breasts. Serve while hot and enjoy with a vegetable side such as roasted onions or carrots, plus a optional starch—rice or other grain, or crispy roasted potatoes.