Fish sauce Elixir, Sorghum - Sweet History and more at chefshop.com/enews
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In this issue:
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Fish Sauce
Home made Sorghum Syrup
Wild Spring Parmigiano-Reggiano
dark muscovado sugar
it's not just for your morning oatmeal or freshly baked cookies, this time as the grill gets warmed up, muscovado sugar is a grilling meister's dream!
brown sugar cubes
these little droplets fell from heaven for your tea and coffee! just the right crumble and air to dissolve magically into your hot drink.
medjool dates
the king of dates, wrap them up in your favorite bacon, stuff them with cheese or almonds, or wrap them in eggplant and stuff with a california avocado
instant espresso
people ask "why" do we carry this italian instant espresso? it's not for a cup of coffee, it's for bakin' and makin' stuff like brownies, buttercream or a marinade for your next piece of meat!
black elderberry syrup
as you get ready to flavor your next "icey" or mixed drink, think elderberry. as your ice cream screams for attention top with this sweet syrup as a way to add color and flavor!
sauvignon blanc vinegar
start with a great wine, add time and a good barrel and you get katz vinegars. this one is agrodolce, that is sweet and sour perfect in the vinaigrette and into the next one pot meal. so get deglazing
cumberland sauce
it's kidding time, spring is lamb season, find the local one for the most tender choice, and top or side it with cumberland sauce. make sure to finish with wonderful flake salt too.
effies cakes
cakes from effies, don't think a sugary mess with frosting, these "cakes" are biscuits to some, cookies to others, and crunchy delicious to all!
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There's something fishy about this newsletter
There's something fishy about this newsletter
It's all the rage, fish sauce is. Old as the hills, it's
being discovered as the “new miracle” (delicious & special) ingredient these days, even though it's been around for thousands of years.
Fish sauce has all the things that I don't like in a fresh fish.
Stinky, which is the smell of fermentation, is big and vibrant in a strong kind of way. It’s a magical concoction, a potion for your food, so it really qualifies in the truest definition of an elixir. Though not so tasty to the tongue in flavor, it’s really hard to think of the brew that way, romance is what “elixir” means to me, and thus less fishy and more, well, sweetly romantic.
But as an ingredient, it truly is one of the most amazing things you can add to many many dishes. From a drop to a splash to actually measuring out a potion, you can add flavor and taste like almost no other ingredient you can find.
It’s not just salt, though the sodium has to contribute to the enhanced flood of sensitivity in your sensors, it’s flavor that does it. The flavor, that fishy thing, mostly anchovies, umami, is strong and embodies
thwack, pow!, swoosh!, whamm!thwack, pow!, swoosh!, whamm! And the funny thing is, it never comes out as fishy. Instead, it brings out the best in whomever it has joined forces with on your plate.
Remember, a little, we’re talking drops, goes an amazingly long way. A kitchen secret, from
Southeast Asia, from
Japan aged in Whiskey Barrels, to a
slow food from Italy, all different and all with amazing properties.
Add some to your next vinaigrette, spritz the greens in a sandwich, toss your veggies with some before you grill or add it to the marinade in your next slow cooked meat. Think of a tofu hotpot and a splash of elixir potion to send you to the next level, or at least your taste buds can go there!
Bottoms up!
Shop now for Fish Sauce!
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The farmer's daughter knows best
Sorghum Sweet as sugar!
We are always on the hunt for new products and sometimes those new products are very old.
Sea salt is almost mainstream,
new fats passé, and everyday we see new man-made sugars that are scientifically all-natural.
As we try to find new we often find the old.
Sorghum is a sweetener we (k)new about and when a customer asked us to find it, we went looking. Not surprisingly, up here in the north, it’s just not a common desire. In the world,
sorghum is the 3rd largest grain crop! Grown to make flour, cooked like millet, and here the green stalk is squeezed to make a thick sweetener.
Finding a
sorghum syrup and one that a chef would use is a long story. We spent a bunch of time asking about and following up on leads only to come up empty.
That's where the farmer's daughter comes into play. My sister-in-law grew up in Iowa, she’s the daughter in this story, and she knew about
sorghum (what’s the big deal she says with her eyes) and her mom uses it everyday.
I asked if the one they used was the best there was? She always gives me that incredulous look when I ask her questions like that, and answers “I don't know but this is the one we always use from the neighbor “down-the-road”.” Keep in mind my sister-in-law is a great cook, she has that knack to make everything taste home-grown great! So I trust her opinion.
So, this was the impetus to try and sample this sorghum. And who better to ask for a second opinion than Chef Pam who loves
sorghum. She went on and on about how it worked perfectly for certain recipes and how she was a big fan. She also told me about the one she got locally in a local co-op and how she was pretty pleased with it. I asked her to try our sample that we had acquired and she said sure. Pam tasted it and her eyes lit up and she said “now that's good.”
Sorghum! The new old-fashioned sweetener from the heartland of the United States.
Cheers!
Shop Now for Massadams Famous Homemade Sorghum Syrup!
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Early Spring Parmigiano-Reggiano
Get In line before we cut the cheese!
All the time is time for
Parmigiano-Reggiano, and these last wheels have been extra special. So now is not the time to run out.
As the greens come in bright and crispy salads abound, with grated
Parmigiano-Reggiano on top! Think oven blasted asparagus, tossed in olive oil and topped with curls of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Or broccoli, tossed with a light vinaigrette with fish sauce and then topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano!
We are working hard to offer Parmigiano-Reggiano more often, though we are at the whim of time and timing!
We will crack the wheels on the first of May. This
36 month Early Spring cheese will be filled with all the wonderful things we like! It's a small offering, so don't delay, and as always when we are out, we are out.
Shop now for Parmigiano-Reggiano!
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Cocoa Powder!
Still our all-time, everyday, totally versatile Cocoa from baking to breakfast! 22% plus cocoa butter & vanilla cures the need for any desire! Make a chocolate syrup by just adding water. Or perfect for drinks like your morning latté! A pantry Essential from Essential Pantry.
Rice Bran Oil
We love this ever versatile oil. Good for your heart, in love and chemistry, this oil is so friendly and works well with others. This fat does wonders in hot weather and a hot pan! High smoke and low cost! A pantry Essential from Essential Pantry.
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| Cooking Classes for April/May are now available! |
April and May Cooking Classes 2016
Spring Farmer's Market Class April 14th
This is the time of year that the Farmer's Market is just beginning to produce fresh, young fruits and vegetables - giving us hints about the abundance of early summer in the Pacific Northwest. Learn how to combine some of those lovely and delicious summer crops, with some fine pantry staples, to fill your families spring table. List of Recipes: Lemon-thyme Spring Crostini, Beluga Lentil Salad with Smoky Blue Cheese Saute of Kale, Spring Vegetables and Flageolet Beans Chickpea Salad with Einkorn, Arugula and Chive Dressing
Wednesday, April 13th Spring Farmers Market Class
Thursday, April 14th Spring Farmers Market Class
Spring Store Hours!
Monday, Tuesday, Friday & Saturday 10 to 5
Wednesday, Thursday 10 to 6
Saturday 10 to 5
Easy Parking, big lot. Click here to see the map. Come and taste (almost) anything you want!
ChefShop.com
1425 Elliott Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98119
206-286-9988
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