Yesterday was National Nut Day, so the folks at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board sent us some popular cheese and nut pairings.

In addition to fruits, breads and crackers, nuts a flavor and crunch counterpoint. Try these pairings the next time you serve cheese:

• Almonds: Available in several forms—candied, raw, roasted, salted, smoked, spiced—almonds are a great choice for pairing with most cheese varieties that are semi-soft to firm (hard).
• Pecans: With their natural sweetness, pecans complement the salt in cheese. Try a candied or spiced pecan (recipe) alongside salty cheeses, such as feta or romano.
• Pistachios: The delicate, buttery flavor of these popular nuts goes best with soft cheeses such as brie or ricotta .
• Walnuts: The earthy flavor and dry texture of walnuts pair nicely with aged cheeses, such as an aged asiago or cheddar. Or, drizzle with honey to pair with a softer cheese, especially blue cheeses like gorgonzola.

MORE TO MUNCH ON

Who needs candy when there’s a clever Halloween snack like this? It was created by Angie Ramirez of LittleInspiration.com, who shares yummy food, easy DIY crafts, adventures of motherhood and everything in between on her blog.

This healthy Halloween snacks works for kids as well as for adults, with cocktails. The witch’s broomsticks are easy to make and look great on a party platter.

RECIPE: CHEESE & PRETZEL BROOMSTICKS

Ingredients

1. SHRED cheese the length of the block. (Pre-shredded cheeses are too short to make the broomsticks.)

2. LAY down a piece of baker’s twine. Add a few shredded cheese pieces and a pretzel stick (see how it’s done here). Add a few more shredded cheese strips to cover the pretzel stick.

3. KNOT the two ends of the twine.
  

[1] Genmaicha, green tea mixed with toasted rice (photo courtesy Sugarbird Sweets).

[2] Organic genmaicha tea is available from La Colombe.

Genmaicha, pronounced gen-my-cha with a hard “g,” is one of our favorite green teas.

The flavor of the sencha green tea base is secondary to the nutty, toasty flavor of kernels of toasted and popped brown rice that scattered among the tea leaves.

The name translates as “brown rice tea”; it is also called roasted rice tea and popcorn tea, because a few grains of the rice invariably pop during the roasting process and resemble popcorn.

To further confuse matters, different American tea packagers bestow names of their own. At Mighty Leaf it’s Kyoto rice tea; at Numi it’s toasted rice tea.

The good news is that this tea, which for a long time was only available loose, can now be found in tea bags.

And people who want to drink green tea for its health benefits, but don’t like the grassy and vegetal flavors, can try it and possibly really enjoy the nutty flavor (from the roasted rice).

Thinking ahead to stocking stuffers or small gift? Consider a box of organic genmaicha from La Colombe (photo #2).
 
 
ABOUT GENMAICHA TEA

Genmaicha was originally drunk by poor Japanese people. The rice was used as a filler and reduced the price of the tea, which is why it is also known as the “people’s tea.” Today it is enjoyed by everyone.

Genmaicha is also sold with matcha (powdered green tea) added to it, called matcha-iri genmaicha (literally, “genmaicha with added powdered tea”).

The flavor is often stronger and the color more green than pale yellow green of regular genmaicha. Rishi Tea sells an organic version, which they call Super Green Tea.
 
 
DISCOVER THE MANY TYPES OF TEA IN OUR TASTY TEA GLOSSARY.

If you need something spirited to get through an evening of handing out candy, how about a special Scotch Sour? This recipe, from Laphroaig (our personal favorite Scotch—we love that peat!)

“Sour” refers to lemon juice, which is added to the whisky with sugar to create the drink.

RECIPE: LAPHROAIG TRICK OR TREAT COCKTAIL

Ingredients Per Drink

• Ice cubes
• 1-1/2 parts Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, or other Scotch of choice
• 3 parts apple cider (hard or non-alcoholic—see below)
• 1 part fresh lemon sour (see below)
• Garnish: lemon wedge

Preparation

1. BUILD the drink over ice in a collins glass, in order of the list above. Stir.

2. GARNISH with a lemon wedge and enjoy.

Also called bar mix or sweet and sour mix, lemon sour is lemon-infused simple syrup. Instead of buying a commercial mix made with lemon juice concentrate, you can make it from scratch with fresh lemon juice; it keeps in the fridge for two weeks.

Recipe: Lemon Sour Mix

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (or half lemon, half lime juice)
• 2 tablespoons lime or lemon zest

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the water, sugar and zest in a saucepan; heat on low, stirring gently until the sugar has dissolved.

3. CHILL for at least an hour before using.
 
APPLE CIDER VERSUS APPLE JUICE: THE DIFFERENCE

Since Prohibition, which began in the U.S. in 1920, “cider” has referred to the unfermented, unpasteurized apple juice, with “hard cider” used to indicate the alcoholic beverage. In the U.K. it is the opposite, with “cider” indicating the alcoholic drink for which special cider apples are used.

• Hard cider is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from the unfiltered juice of apples. The alcohol content varies from a low 1.2% ABV* to 8.5% or higher—some imported ciders can be up to 12% ABV, an average level for table wines.
• Fresh apple cider is raw apple juice, typically unfiltered. Thus, it is cloudy from the remnants of apple pulp. It is also typically more flavorful than apple juice—although of course, the particular blend of apples used in either has a big impact on the taste.
• Apple juice has been filtered to remove pulp solids, then pasteurized for longer shelf life.

WHISKEY VS. WHISKY

The use of the e, or not, is an Irish vs. Scots spelling choice. Some scholars claim that the Irish were the true innovators of whiskey and that they introduced it to the Scots; others claim the reverse.

Scholars can’t determine why the “e” was dropped by the Scots. One theory is that the Irish made whiskey first and pronounced it with a broad “e.” When the Scots began to make it, they dropped the “e” to differentiate their product.

In Ireland and the U.S., the word whiskey is spelled with an “e,” while the British, Scots and Canadians usually opt to drop it.

At THE NIBBLE, we prefer adding the “e” for visual elegance. Here’s more on the history of whiskey.
 
*ABV is alcohol by volume. It is doubled to get the proof. For example, a 40% ABV spirit is 80 proof.

[2] Fresh ginger root is dried, then ground (photo © Silk Road Spice Merchant—which sells beautiful spices).

We don’t have the skill that of the professional who created these nifty skeleton designs, but we used the opportunity to practice, practice, practice (and although we still need a lot of practice, the cookies taste great). You can also try a paint brush instead of piping.
 
 
RECIPE: HALLOWEEN SKELETON GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Ingredients

For The Gingerbread

• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

 
For The Royal Icing

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 large egg whites, beaten

1. CREAM the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and beat well. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again to thoroughly combine.

2. SIFT the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add to creamed mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.

3. DIVIDE the dough into three balls and flatten slightly. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and chill thoroughly: at least an hour (or you can do this part a day in advance).

4. ROLL out the dough and use your cookie cutter to create the forms. Bake at 350°F for 9 minutes. Cool and ice.

5. MAKE the icing: Sift the powdered sugar and cream of tartar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat in the beaten egg whites, for about 5 minutes or until the icing is thick enough to hold its shape. Use immediately.
 
 
> GINGERBREAD HISTORY

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOKIES

> THE HISTORY OF COOKIES