TIP OF THE DAY: Fig Jam, Fig Chutney & More Figgy Condiments

Figs are hot and dry weather fruit—famously enjoyed for millennia in the Middle East, where it’s hot year-round. In the U.S., figs grow in zones 8-10 (most of our figs are grown in California. They have two seasons: a shorter season in early summer and a second, main crop that starts in late summer and…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Candied Chestnuts

Let us at them! Photo of marrons glacés courtesy PasticceriaCucinella.it.   Oh, do we love marrons glacés, candied chestnuts. They have been a favorite confection from our first childhood bite, atop a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a fancy silver dish in the tea room of a long-departed department store. Then, relatives visiting France…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Asian Pears

In the spring, when the blossoms fall from the Asian pear trees, the nascent pears are the size of peas. Now, at harvest time, many are as large as croquet balls, some varieties the size of softballs (and yet low in calories—about 50 per 4 ounces). If you see a red and white Subarashii Kudamono,…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Ricotta Salata

[1] You can grate it, crumble it, or… (photo #1 © iGourmet) [2] Ricotta salata in a traditional shape (photo © Southern Italian Desserts | Amazon). [3] Regular ricotta (photos #5 and #7 © Murray’s Cheese). The history of ricotta is below. > The history of cheese. > The different types of cheese: a photo…
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TIP OF THE DAY: More To Do With Mozzarella

You love it on pizza, lasagna, panini, and in a Caprese salad. But there‘s more you can do with mozzarella. For example, Crave Brothers, Wisconsin-based producers of award-winning cheeses, say that mozzarella and fresh vegetables were made for each other. Think beyond the eight-ounce or one-pound balls of mozzarella to other sizes: Perlini (per-LEE-nee), tiny…
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