"Koji, Real Cane Sugar Syrup and more at chefshop.com/enews EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBER 5% OFF CODE smoky  Recipes | Chef's Pantries | Shop for Food & Ingredients | Food Blog Koji Firm Granular Rice It is all the rage! Koji is one of the key ingredients used in making miso. Koji is made from steamed rice inoculated with "koji starter", consisting of spores of the mold ASPERGILLUS ORYZAE, then incubated for about 45 hours until each kernel of rice is covered with a bloom of fragrant white mold. The rice is then dried, preserving the mold on the outside of the rice kernels. The function of mold is to produce enzymes that will later break down the miso proteins, carbohydrates and oil into their amino acids, sugars and lipids - to make them more readily digestible or then use them in another process -- like fermenting simple sugars into alcohol, such as when you make sake. Note that Koji is never consumed raw. It is a common tool used in Japanese and high-end restaurants, but whether used in making miso, tofu or soy sauce, koji is always part of a process and is always eventually cooked (miso) or fermented further (sake or rice wine vinegar). Check out Rice Koji here! Cane Syrup 100% pure from Louisiana We have been looking at life rather sweetly recently. Contrary to how sugar has been getting a bad rap from the politicians, who have a tendency to glaze over and sugar coat things, so to speak. Using confusion and speaking in broad strokes is the norm and sugar, like fat has been clumped into one big pot. Really what we should be talking about is each sweetener individually. They are all different and not all are evil as they are being projected. Here in our local world of politics, "the council" has instituted a sugar sweet drink tax. Anything sweet is taxed. Really if it were about health, like they claim, there would be science involved. Instead it's just about money disguised as "protecting ourselves from ourselves"! Things like High Fructose Corn Syrup, processed white sugar, man made sucralose, and aspartame (man made and bacteria feces versions) we don't like for many reasons including that they may not add any value to your life or they might even cause terrible physical problems years from now. What we do like is pure cane syrup (not to be confused with pure cane sugar which is a refined sugar), maple syrup and Sorghum syrup. And we are on the lookout for sugar cane juice (with no additives) and possibly freeze dried cane sugar. It's coming up on baking season and we are thinking better than refined (means nutrients are stripped away) sugar and getting the alkaline, magnesium, iron, potassium, that helps prevent cancers like breast and prostate. About Steen's Pure Cane Syrup This syrup is made the old fashioned way in open kettles -- nothing extracted, nothing added. Just 100% goodness. As in days past, Steen's still harvests ripened cane at its sweetest state of maturity. The cane is then ground and the juice extracted. The sweet juice is then cooked to perfection in open kettles. When it's just the right clarity and consistency, it becomes Steen's Pure Cane Syrup. About the Producer According to Steen's: "The average syrup makin' season extends from mid-October through Christmas. And today, as in the old days, when autumn is here and the tantalizing aroma fills the air, local residents know they will hear the old steam whistle at the syrup mill blowing. Knowing yet another year of history is being made at The C.S. Steen Syrup Mill. Comme delices du gourmet, il n'y a rien de meilleur." (For a gourmet delight, there's nothing better!) Shop now for Steen's Cane Syrup Sugar! The Farmer's Daughter She is sweet on Sorghum 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) as 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. Shop now for Maasdam's Famous Homemade Sorghum Syrup! Feuilletine Flakes Also known as Paillete Feuilletine™, these Crepes Dentelles crumbs are hard to find and normally only found in commercial kitchens. As Tina says, in Food & Wine Magazine (November), "Add these buttery, toasty-sweet shards to ganache, frostings and truffles for a super crunch." Called for in classic French recipes, these are a common ingredient when making Praline Feuillete or filling for Praline. Shop now for Feuilletine Flakes Pastry Crunch! Vanilla from Tonga Years ago a dairy farmer from New Zealand, John Ross, set out on the trip of a lifetime. Leaving his homeland in his self-built 52-foot launch, he headed for the island nation of Tonga to celebrate his 60th birthday. He eventually landed on the exotic tropical Island of Vava'u, part of the island nation of Tonga, and settled in the village of Utungake, befriending the local chieftain of the village and his family, the Latu family. Shop now for Vanilla! Italian Black Rice I love black rice. From its firm behavior to the way it makes any plate look good. Since we salivate with our eyes this black rice makes everything taste good! Venere is a wholegrain rice with a natural black color, grown in the Painure Padana area of Northern Italy. It is a unique and healthy rice because of its nutritional and organoleptic characteristics. it is ideal for a macrobiotic diet, and great as a side dish to accompany meat, fish or other main dishes. Shop now for Italian Black Rice! Oil from the Island of Crete CRITIDA S.A. is a family-owned company with a long experience and knowledge in the production of quality extra virgin Cretan olive oil. The current company was founded in Iraklion, Crete in 1998, in order to create and sell their own estate bottled extra virgin olive oil under their own family name. Although estate bottled olive oils have been seen in Spain, Italy and France for 20 years, we are only now beginning to see estate olive oils in the US out of Crete. Although Critida has a number of different blends and bottlings, this is one of our favorites. Critida now sells their estate-bottled EVO to discriminating retailers and restaurants all over the world. It's like Crete in a bottle! Shop Now for Cretan Olive Oil of Greece! * Unbelievable product! "I've been cooking Lebanese food for 35 years and of course garbanzo beans are an important component. I was amazed at how different these beans are from the casual varieties, and my foodie friends agree. Full of actual taste and flavor." -- Carlyn Shop now for Pedrosillano Cafe Garbanzo Beans! * Addicted! "Honey used to be just a sweetener for my tea, smoothie, or sauce. Not anymore - this product has such absolutely gorgeous flavor that it grieves me when the jar empties." -- Amy Shop now for Organic Wilelaiki Blossom Honey! * Just Like in France! "Fantastic mustard with a great "kick." Makes all the difference. Fresh-tasting, smooth, creamy, with just enough bite. It really amps up anything you add it to--vinaigrette, egg salad, or just a turkey sandwich. The best mustard I've found outside of France." -- Likes to travel, loves to eat Shop now for Fallot Dijon Mustard! * Melt in Your Mouth! "Its consistency is melt-in-your-mouth and its flavor is very gentle. We can eat straight out of the can or with beans, chopped onion, salt, wine vinegar, and olive oil or we sometimes whip it into a spread with unsalted butter, capers, and diced cornichons." -- Victor Hazan Shop now for Ventresca Tuna! Shop now for Tuna of all kinds! The best year so far to eat out in the backyard! Villa Jerada Moroccan Harissa The Best! "This is a very special item. It adds layers and layers of complexity to your meal. Whereas most Harissas use spice to build complexity, Villa Jerada balances spice with olive oil, roasted peppers, and hot and sweet flavors. It is not as spicy as many, but it is the most complex. I try to find an excuse to use it everyday (thus learning that it is great on eggs, mixed into popcorn, and of course on chicken and fish)." -- by Rebecca Shop now for Moroccan Harissa from a family! 09/19 & 20 Asian Fusion Cooking Class Chef Pam has a catalogue of amazing recipes that include some classic and not-so-classic asian ingredients -- like Yuzu Kosho, Classically fermented Shoyu, light soy sauce, cherry wood smoked sea salt, tamarind paste, coconut milk, and more. Menu includes: Yuzu Kosho Tuna Wonton Crisps, Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup), Lemongrass Sriracha Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches, Pickled Carrots and Daikon Radish, and Kale Soba Noodle Salad with Miso Yuzo dressing. ChefShop Cooking Class Store Hours - come in for the air conditioned filtered air! Monday thru Saturday 10AM to 5PM. ChefShop.com 1425 Elliott Ave W Seattle, Wa 98119 206-286-9988 Our parking lot is north of the shop and south of Champions Party Supply. Easy open parking lot. Click here to see the map. This Week's Recipes Vanilla Rice Pudding with Orange Syrup Recipe Arance con Riso dolce al latte e vaniglia. Gluten-Free Crusty Boule with Honey Recipe CocoNutola (Granola) Recipe You won’t miss the oats in this flavor and nutrient-packed version of “that other stuff”! Play with the variety of nuts and levels of sweetness until it becomes your own. Or stick with this delicious recipe and enjoy on its own, in a yogurt parfait or as a fruit cobbler topping! See what you missed in previous Newsletters New Hardneck Garlic, Easy Summer Foods Hardneck Garlic Organic is Here - Not All Garlic is the Same Customer Faves, Reasons to Eat Chocolate ChefShop.com Toll-free: 1-800-596-0885 You've received this email because you have purchased from us or subscribed. We respect your privacy online, and will never share your email address. Help | Contact | About | Terms | Privacy Policy | Search | My Account DESIGN: JODI LUBY & COMPANY, INC. 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