Frequent readers of THE NIBBLE know of our devotion to cruciferous vegetables, also known as brassicas, from their Latin name in taxonomy*.

The cruciferous group includes arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, cress, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, radish, rapini (broccoli rabe), rutabaga, tatsoi, turnip and wasabi, a type of horseradish.

For a long time, brassicas have had a mixed reputation. People who know how to cook them adore them. Beyond the deliciousness, brassicas are superfoods—nutritional powerhouses packed with potent, cancer-fighting phytonutrients (antioxidants).

But anyone who has been served overcooked brassicas—when the sulfur compounds top the mushy texture with an unpleasant aroma—might just concur with George H.W. Bush, whose mom, we’re betting, didn’t cook the broccoli al dente.

Brassicas get the respect they deserve in a new book, Brassicas: Cooking the World’s Healthiest Vegetables: Kale, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts and More by Laura B. Russell, published this week in hardcover and Kindle editions.

And that’s what you’ll get in this cookbook. It showcases 80 recipes for broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and leafy greens such as arugula and watercress. Recipes are easily tailored to accommodate special diets such as gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan.

The recipes prove that brassicas can taste delicious when properly prepared in ways that let the flavors shine through (no blanket of cheese sauce is required—or desired). When roasted, for example, Brussels sprouts, a food avoided by many, reveal their inherent sweetness that other preparation techniques take away. Caramelizing cauliflower in the sauté pan makes it so lovely that each individual will want to consumer the entire caramelized head.

This is a book for people who love their brassicas, and for people who don’t love them yet. Give copies as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts, and to anybody who should eat more veggies.

The handsome hardcover volume is $17.04 on Amazon.com. The Kindle version is $10.99.
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*Kingdom Plantae, Order Brassicales, Family Brassicaceae, Genus Brassica.

Matzoh replaces conventional bread.

Passover is the story of the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. The Bible relates that the Israelites left Egypt in such haste that they could not wait for their bread dough to rise; the result, when baked, was matzoh (Exodus 12:39).

We can argue over how to spell matzoh: matza, matzah, and matzo are common variations (not to mention the plural forms, beginning with matzoth). But we won’t argue about how good chocolate-covered matzoh is, turning the humble unleaved bread into a crunchy chocolate confection.

You can buy chocolate-covered matzoh, or you can make your own. Here’s a recipe from Golden Blossom, which makes honey that is kosher for Passover.

You can make the recipe with dark, milk, or white chocolate, and with different nuts (we like pistachios).

[1] Matzoh crunch, chocolate “bark” made with crunchy matzoh. (photo © Golden Blossom Honey).

The recipe has a variety of names; among others, chocolate matzoh, matzoh bark, matzoh buttercrunch, matzoh cookie, matzoh crunch, matzoh toffee, and even the questionable matzoh crack.

Here’s a second recipe from Marcy Goldman, who calls it “matzo toffee.”

> The history of matzoh.

> The history of chocolate.
 

[2] Burdick Chocolate and others dip whole boards of matzoh in chocolate, and scatter nuts, dried fruits or other ingredients on top. Burdick’s is available from Burdick Chocolate seasonally each year (it is not kosher for Passover).

Active preparation time is 20 minutes; total time is 2 hours. Note that the recipe below produces “just” two boards of matzoh. You may want to double the recipe: The 16 pieces won’t last very long!

Ingredients For About 16 Pieces

1. LINE an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using foil, generously butter the foil (parchment paper is naturally nonstick). Set aside.

2. COMBINE honey and butter in a 2-3 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter is melted and the mixture begins to boil. Insert a candy thermometer into the bubbling mixture and continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally to prevent scorching, until it is deep amber in color and measures 275°-285ºF, about 8 minutes.

3. REMOVE from heat and add vanilla extract (be careful as it will spatter). Stir in the crumbled matzo pieces, slivered almonds, and the optional dried cherries until evenly coated. Pour into a prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer.

4. SPRINKLE chocolate chips evenly over top of hot candy. Let sit for 5 minutes, then spread into an even layer using an offset spatula. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool for 1 to 2 hours or until set, then cut or break into bite-size pieces to serve. Store in an airtight container.
 
 

This cheesecake gift from Harry & David is inspired by the chirping birds of spring, who decorate the top with a “nest” of premium chocolate shavings that holds a few bright blue candy almond robin’s eggs.

The creamy cheesecakes also feature a chocolate cookie crust and a chocolate ganache layer on top.

The two New York style cheesecake cheesecakes are 5.5 inches in diameter, enough for four people or a big piece for two.

A delicious gift for a cheesecake lover or a special occasion dessert, the Bird’s Nest Cheesecakes duo is $29.95 at HarryAndDavid.com.
 
BAKE YOUR OWN

Here are some of our favorite cheesecake recipes.

Charles Chocolates of San Francisco makes some truly wonderful products. We’re gaga over the melt-in-your-mouth Orange Twigs and the Triple Chocolate Almonds.

But for Easter, we must have a Bunny Collection Edible Chocolate Box: a white chocolate box filled with classic fleur de sel and bittersweet chocolate fleur de sel chocolate-enrobed caramels. Decorated with chicks and bunnies, there’s nothing child-like about the sophisticated flavor of these confections.

Eighteen caramels in their edible box, 17 ounces of treats, $65.00. Order online.

If you don’t want the edible box, you can save a few dollars by getting the fleur de sel caramels in a regular gift box.

Ten pieces, 3.9 ounces of treats, is $24.00. Order online.

If you’re in San Francisco, drop by the Charles Chocolate store in the mission district, and enjoy some goodies inside or on the outdoor patio.

Quick: What’s a rosé wine?

 
And it’s popular.

According to Nielsen, premium imported rosés (those priced at $12 or more per bottle) grew by 39% in volume and 48% in dollar value in 2013, capping nine straight years of double-digit growth.

In sum, a glass of chilled rosé is now hot.
 
 
HOW IS ROSÉ MADE?

Surprise: Most wine grapes have clear juice, regardless of the skin color. The pink color in rosé—and the color of red wines—is obtained through skin contact. This means letting the crushed grape skins and fresh juice (which is called the “must”) of black-skinned grapes (a.k.a. purple or red grapes) rest together in a vat.

The longer that the juice is left in contact with the skins (typically one to three days for rosé), the more color is extracted and the more intense the color of the final wine. When the color is the right shade for the brand, the must is then pressed and and the skins are discarded.

The winemaker drains the juice from the skins and proceeds to make the wine in the same way most whites are made (cool fermentation and, for rosé, no oak).
 
 
ROSÉ VS. BLUSH WINE

In the 1980s, American winemakers began using the term “blush wine” to sell their pink wines. The reasons:

[1] Rose is the perfect summer wine (photo by Thor | Wikimedia).

[2] You don’t need a special glass, but using a nice one will enhance your drinking pleasure (photo © Corks and Caftans).

The styles and tasting profiles of each are as varied and complex as any varietal, and richly deserve their new popularity.
 
 
> The History Of Rosé Wine

> Have A Rosé Tasting Party

> > Rosé Wine & Food Pairings