June 22nd is National Chocolate Éclair Day. Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts has gone beyond mere classic chocolate, announcing the launch of a global éclair program helmed by the great Johnny Iuzzini, James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Le Méridien guests worldwide can indulge in a variety of modern twists on the Parisian pastry.

Chef Johnny will create eight seasonal éclair recipes, inspired by his travels through various Le Méridien destinations (tough job!). Each hotel will offer modern takes on three signature éclair flavors—chocolate, coffee and vanilla—as well as one locally inspired flavor.

You’ll find Maple Bacon Éclair and Texas Honey Pecan Éclair at Le Méridien Dallas, and Dulce de Leche Éclair, infused with coconut, at Le Méridien Panama. In Germany, Le Méridien Munich will offer a savory éclair with goat cheese, cranberry and pumpernickel crumbs, while Le Méridien Bangkok will feature a citrus-inspired treat with mango, lime and ginger.

How do we get onto the global Le Méridien éclair tour?
ÉCLAIR HISTORY

The Oxford English Dictionary traces the word “éclair” in the English language to 1861. The first known recipe for éclairs appears in the 1884 edition of the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, edited by Mrs. D.A. Lincoln (and later by Fanny Farmer). “Éclair” is the French word for lightning. It is suggested that the pastry received its name because it glistens when coated with confectioner’s glaze. We would suggest that it is because they are so popular that they disappear as quickly as lightning.

Many food historians speculate that éclairs were first made by Marie-Antoine Carême (1874-1833). This brilliant man, cast out by his impoverished family at the age of 10, made his way in the world to become the first “celebrity chef.” He is considered to be the founder and architect of French haute cuisine; an enormously popular cookbook author and chef to Talleyrand, the future George IV of England, Emperor Alexander I of Russia and Baron James de Rothschild. The elite clamored for invitations to dinners cooked by Carême.

We can only dream…and live vicariously by reading his biography.
  

Maple water is actually pure maple sap that is tapped in the spring—a fleeting opportunity that produces a fresh drink that is clear as water, yet full of natural nutrients. In the spring, the tree water has not yet thickened into the sap that will be boiled down for maple syrup later in the year (trivia: it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple syrup!).

Maple water is a healthy choice for hydration, with 47 essential vitamins and minerals including potassium, manganese and zinc; as well as amino acids, polyphenols (antioxidants) and phytohormones. These properties make it an excellent thirst quencher for athletes and others.

Maple water is naturally low in sugar and has only 20 calories per serving size (8.45 ounces/250 ml), compared to an average of 50 calories for the same serving size of coconut water. It is all natural, fat and cholesterol free.

Just as coconut water has the delicate flavor of coconut, maple water has the delicate flavor of maple.

It has long been consumed by native tribes, but has been recently commercialized ato provide added revenue for maple syrup producers. Maple water has been available for two years in Canada, and is beginning to find its way into the U.S. (and to be produced by maple growers in the U.S.).

To ensure authenticity and quality, The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers has implemented a program called NAPSI certification, for harvesting and bottling. The name is an acronym for:

 
International producers of maple water are welcome to apply for certification.

USES FOR MAPLE WATER

Maple water can be enjoyed from the carton for thirst-quenching or rehydrating, as a simple drink with ice cubes.

It is also becoming popular as an ingredient in recipes. When used in cooking, it gives foods a fine, delicately scented and slightly sweet flavor, and imparts a unique and distinctive character with a subtle hint of sweetness to cocktails, drinks and smoothies. Some suggestions:

 
Recipes are available on ILoveMaple.ca.

We received samples of a brand called Wahta Pure Maple Water. Wahta, which coincidentally sounds like “water,” is the word for the sugar maple tree in the language of Canada’s First Nations people, whose longtime use of it as a tonic inspired commercial production.

Other Canadian brands include Maple 3, Ovivia and Seva. U.S. brands include Drink Water, Happy Tree and Vertical Water.

If maple water takes off like coconut water has, retailers will have to hang additional shelves from the ceiling!

Summerset peaches. Photo courtesy Frog
Hollow Farm.

“Before I started working with Frog Hollow Farm,” says Pearl, I would carefully inspect each individual piece of fruit and select what I believed was the sweetest and most ready-to-eat—only to go home and find out how off the mark I was!”

She now shares her “insider tips” on how to select peaches.

HOW TO BUY PEACHES

There are three main characteristics help to identify a sweet, juicy, ready-to-eat peach: color, touch and skin texture.

The real color you want to look for is not the rosy blush but the background color of the fruit. It should be deeply golden, not pale yellow.

The rosy red color is deceptive: Our brains are genetically evolved to think that the color red implies delicious and sweet. As a result, peach growers have bred the red color into their peaches. It doesn’t ensure superior fruit.

You can tell if a peach is ripe by a gentle yet firm squeeze with your fingers (not hard enough to bruise it). If there’s a little bit of a give, it means that the fruit is almost ripe—but not quite.

Leave that peach on the kitchen counter for another 2 to 3 days, until it is soft to very soft.

Skin Texture

This is the most telling of all three characteristics, and the one least known.

You can tell that a peach is ready to eat by looking for signs of shriveled skin around the stem end. Those wrinkles indicate a really ripe peach.

The wrinkles develop during ripening, when water starts to evaporate from the fruit’s porous skin. As the peach starts to dry up, the flavors intensify.

Now you’re ready to head out and pick out some peaches.

When you get them home, here’s a grower’s tip: Always store fruit on your kitchen counter in such a way that no two pieces of fruit are in contact with each other.

In other words, it’s better to line them up on the counter than have them touching each other in a fruit bowl.

A final suggestion:

Pearl’s favorite fruits from the farm are the O’Henry peach and the Flavor King pluot. So keep checking the website and when you find them, treat yourself to a box.

It’s easy to make a special July 4th drink. Just “heat up” a pitcher of cold lemonade with bright red jalapeño slices. Toss in a few blueberries and you’ve got a red, white and blue theme.

For less heat, remove the seeds and the white connective tissue.

Don’t want any heat? Replace the jalapeño with bright red cherries.

Start with a can of frozen lemonade, or make your own with fresh lemons (there’s a link to the recipe below).

Try this homemade lemonade recipe. It’s so much better than store-bought.

Or, take advantage of peach season to make this yummy peach lemonade recipe.
 
  

The fledgling company didn’t make it; and since then, the hummus category has exploded even more. You can find hummus in dozens of flavors, mixed with other Middle Eastern specialties like babaganoush, tabouleh and yogurt.

The only thing missing: shelf-stable hummus. Hummus that you can keep in your locker or desk drawer, in your glove compartment, in your gym bag, for a protein-packed, better-for-you snack or light lunch.

Pacific Foods has risen to meet the need, with three flavorful varieties of shelf stable—Classic, Roasted Garlic and Roasted Red Pepper. They are made from the highest quality organic ingredients, including chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, a touch of garlic and a pinch of sea salt.

How does shelf stable hummus compare to refrigerated or freshly made hummus?

Two of the three flavors of shelf-stable hummus (no refrigeration required). Photo courtesy Pacific Foods.

In our own office test, our favorite refrigerated varieties (including Tribe) won out, but Pacific was deemed more than worthy, with bonus points for convenience.

And according to the manufacturer, Pacific’s Classic Hummus has “one-third fewer calories and 40% less fat than the refrigerated hummus category leader.”

Look for them where you’d find the shelf stable salsas, in the chip aisle. They’re rolling out at Whole Foods Markets, and at other stores that carry the Pacific brand of organic products.

Priced at $3.39 to $4.29 (based on the individual retailer)per 12.75-ounce container, these convenient little boxes are begging to accompany you wherever you go.

Don’t forget a plastic spoon plus optional chips and veggies.