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Fermented Salt from Firefly Kitchens, Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies, Parmigiano-Reggiano Winter and more at chefshop.com/enews |
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Firefly Kitchens It's salt that will rock your boat! It’s just salt. Actually it’s not at all. These uniquely delicious to eat, that's right to eat, salts are something out of a fairy tale. And brilliant. Make sauerkraut and take the juice of the spoils and make salt! Fermentation has a wonderfully healthy benefit for your gut and the juice that comes from making the sauerkraut is rich with goodness too! Each fermentation has its unique punch and when you add it to salt you get a knockout of flavor! Who knew you could take more than one bite of salt, love the flavor so much that you want another pinch? This is what Firefly Kitchens Salt has. Full of vibrant flavors imparted from the kraut parent. Try one or try them all, you will be surprised about how they blend right away into your diet. A pinch to taste is great and a pinch in your food goes a long, long way. Just a little spreads its flavor like wildfire across the dish! Cortido Kraut Salt Full of a spicy bite and a side of greens (cabbage that is), the cumin and a bit of carrot taste follow the lead flavors. It’s quite delish! There are little bits of things to “chew”, though you only notice them if you melt the salt away. Ideas? Well first thing that comes to mind is popcorn. With the jalapeño, onion, chili pepper tones, along with the salt, (remember this is a salt?) it drops on to the popcorn like it was meant for it! Shop Now for Firefly Kitchens Cordito Flavored Sea Salt! Emerald City Kraut Salt Even though your taste sensors on your tongue tell you your tasting salt your olfactory sensors give you a split second of a dilly of a wave of flavor. Take the kraut “sauce”, the leftovers from making one of the great “local” sauerkrauts in the country and make a salt that has a salty base with overtones of kale, coriander, dill, and turmeric. The perfect topping for oven blasted vegetables, think fresh or crunchy, it is a salt that likes to be green! Do you remember making Lipton's onion soup dip with sour cream for your bag of Ruffles with Ridges potato chips? This would be better, adding a unique twist and even healthy probiotics. (Well, at least you can justify eating spoonfuls of sour cream on a fried potato covered in salt with more salt. :)) Shop Now for Emerald City Flavored Sea Salt! Kimchi Kraut Salt I love the bite of this salt! It has a kick and a poke that is reminiscent of kimchi, at the same time it has its own tones. To the nose it has a tingly twitch of pepper, garlic hit and more stuff. To the taste it is a blend of salt and garlic and cabbage. It is hard to identify all the notes of flavor, but the taste is good. When in use like the other 2, the kimchi kraut salt plays well with others. Like the Cortido, it will flavor a bowl of popcorn and it will clearly top a steak in a very grilled kind of way. Add to soups and chili, it creates a twist that is easy to apply! Shop Now for Firefly Kitchens Kimchi Sea Salt! Shop Here for Firefly Kitchens Salt! |
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies These crunch filled Chocolate Hazelnut cookies are to die for. Well, perhaps not quite that far. But they are pretty gosh darn good! Open the package and you instantly get a sweet whiff of cocoa and hazelnut! Perfectly lovely! The bite has a nice crispness to it and as you chew you get chewy bites of the hazelnut bits. I found them hard to resist, mangiare with contentment. Different than flour based cookies, the crunch and the bite are a great experience. This raises your expectations to a new plane and you will be happy and filled with hazelnuts and dark chocolate! Shop now for Primo Pan Drolo Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies! |
Espelt de Garnatxa Wine Vinegar This red in color vinegar wine is delicious. Thin in viscosity, when it first reaches your lips it feels luscious, rich, and thick. The tip of the tongue feels the vinegar but the flavor comes to the senses via the lips and a bit of a sting (acid of the vinegar) at the back of the throat. Unlike some vinegars, this gentle bing at the back of the throat dissipates quickly and is more akin to a nicely aged Balsamic. The round flavor of its red wine origins lives in the “nose” and in the “taste”. There is a complete roundness to the flavor of this red wine vinegar. This roundness draws you in and one spoonful is not enough. Even though it is a gourmet wine vinegar, it makes you feel like it is a sweet wine or an aged balsamic, and yet its notes are different than you expect. After much tasting, I still cannot describe the flavor as emotionally as I would like. Like many, if not all red wines, if you suck in a sip your nose will pucker at the tip, and hints of red wine will be present. But if you are willing to savor the flavors of the gourmet wine vinegar slowly, you will taste the hints of a red strawberry (creaminess) laced with vanilla and hints of little tiny violets! I can tell you that it is a wonderful, joyous surprise and one can imagine that everything you add to it to can only be better. What a wonderful treat this is. Agrodolce! Shop now for Espelt de Garnatxa Wine Vinegar! |
It's Awesome Toasted Corn Having consumed our fair share of “bagged” “corn nuts” of the overly giant sized kernels, we were intrigued. You know the old saying ,“bigger is better”, is more fun to say than it is in practice! When it comes to taste, flavor and crunch, these little, normal sized corn kernels are da bomb! Crunchy thru and thru, each one crunches just right. Eat one at a time and you will get 11 crunches (of biting) before you are done. Depending on your crunch speed about 6 seconds of time! With three flavors, Toasted Corn, Spicy Toasted Corn, and Salt and Pepper Toasted Corn, there is something corny here for everyone! (See below.) Starting with non-GMO corn kernels the just plain “Toasted” version is my favorite. A little oil and salt and it is perfect in every possible way! I thought bigger kernels were better but not anymore. It’s hard to exclaim exactly why we love these so much, but they are the perfect munch food. For desk or a long car ride, they are the just right grab and bite snack treat. Toasted corn is exactly that, corn kernel un-popped, un-boiled, but toasted and most often oiled and salted. CornNuts (Kraft Foods), Cornick (Phillipines), Diana (El Salvador), Cancha (Peru, Equador) are all variations of a Corn Kernel that is “toasted”. The base variation is seasoned with oil and salt. Garlic, chili cheese, adobo, BBQ, ranch etc. are some of the many flavor variations available today. The Toasted Corn was first introduced here in the US by Albert Holloway in Oakland, California in 1936. Originally sold as a free Tavern snack food (in 1900 there was an estimated 265,000 legal and illegal Taverns) it later became the CornNuts with a hybrid of the Cuzco corn from Cusco, Peru being grown in California. In 1998, Nabisco purchased the business. Shop now for Easy Crunch Toasted Corn! The “Spicy Toasted Corn” is just that. Crunchy first, and while you are crunching, the hot Habanero zips right on by the comfort zone and, while tingling the tongue, there is a rise of heat that touches the nostrils and swells the upper cheeks. It’s not like those chips slathered in a pile of stuff that is spicy but not hot. And when you are done, the kernels love you with a tasty feel, not a chemical attack. If you like hot, these are for you. If you don’t, probably not. Shop now for Easy Crunch Spicy Corn! |
North African Couscous Couscous is a staple in the North African kitchen, where there are as many ways to serve it as there are chefs. Although it is usually classified as a grain, these little granules are actually tiny pasta made by coating coarse ground semolina with flour. In traditional Moroccan cuisine it was prepared in a two-chambered couscoussière; a stew would be cooked in the lower chamber, and the couscous would be cooked as the aromatic steam rises through perforations in the second chamber. The essence of the stew would flavor the couscous as it steams and expands. Of course, you don't need special equipment or a stew to enjoy this wonderful, light pasta. A little chicken stock and almost any minced or diced ingredients from sautéed onion to pine nuts, from chopped olive to currants, spices, chopped parsley, and seasoning and you will have a quick and delicious side dish that is just as appropriate for a piece of grilled salmon as an authentic Moroccan tangine. Shop now for North African CousCous |
India Tree Popcorn Just fresh un-popped popcorn. They look good even before you pop-em! And, when popped, they are as good as everything else that is easily found. Shop now for Poloma Dorado the Golden Popcorn! |
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Black Garlic Molasses For when you’re missing umami "Wow, this stuff is so delicious! It seems a bit odd to have molasses and garlic flavors together. But if you imagine what both of those things do in a barbecue sauce, you’ll have some idea of the flavor profile; an amplified sweet and savory sauce. I sneaked it into a brown rice and edamame salad I make for clients and it became an instant classic. I think the next experiment will be laquered bbq ribs!" -- chef lesa Shop now for Black Garlic Molasses |
Yuzu Marmalade Yuzu is a culinary joy today. It is popular as a sour, citrusy ingredient - especially Yuzu juice as an addition to mixed drinks. There seems to be a zillion versions that are showing up everywhere, some are so salty you can't even taste the citrus. Yuzu's origins are from China, but the most popular products are coming from Japan these days. This marmalade is a great example - it's really tasty with a very nice sweet/sour flavor. If you like grapefruit marmalade, then this Yuzu Marmalade is for you! wonderful marmalade "Love this!! The unusual citrus flavor has the perfect balance of sweet and tart." -- diane Shop now for Yuzu Marmalade! |
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Madagascar Dark Couverture Chocolate All single origin couvertures are processed to express the unique flavor characteristics of important origins, like Madagasgar. With 71% cocoa mass and 40% cocoa butter, this chocolate has an intense but round chocolate flavor that is very fruity with a long finish. Shop now for Madagascar Dark Couverture Chocolate |
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Organic Teggia Beans These colorful beans have a good flavor and hold up well in cooking. The bite is nice and would do well on pasta or in soup. French shelling variety, these dried Teggia beans have a delicate flavor and wonderful creamy texture. Shop now for Organic Teggia Beans! |
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Dried Barberries Berberis With a long list of culinary uses, this little berry is one flavorful and powerful pleasure seeking taste bud maker. With a “sharp’ish” flavor, or is it sourish? Not a raisin, the berberis is a currant. Commonly known as a barberry, it is not as well known as perhaps it should be. In some parts of the world it is tradition to use Iranian Zereshk as an ingredient in the making of jams. Naturally high in pectin, these dried barberries will firm up a jam nicely all the while adding their own flavor. Zereshk is the Persian name for the dried Berberis, and today “Iran” is the largest producer of Zereshk in the world. Often cooked with chicken and rice in a dish called Zereshk Polo. This small dried berry has a bit of sour tart taste and a flavor that lingers if you consume plain. Unlike some others though, our Iranian Zereshk berries are edible out of the hand and enjoyable (this is subjective of course). Because of this palatable nature, you can think of our Barberries for any dish that call for raisins, cranberries or currants. And once you get into the groove, you’ll wonder how you lived without them! Shop now for Dried Barberries! |
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Winter Parmigiano-Reggiano
In the dead of winter it's nice to know that the cows of Tizzano Val Parma are in the relative comfort of their barns. More importantly, they are busy creating the milk that will become a DOP certified Parmigiano-Reggiano in one year. Even though it is ready to sell, many high-end grocery stores wait until 24 months before they crack open the cheese. Today, we are offering the winter Parmigiano-Reggiano that is at least 24 months in the making. What started as a combination of evening milk that is skimmed and then mixed with the morning milk, is now Parmigiano-Reggiano full of the crystalized amino acids, a true indication of the age of the cheese. It is this wonderful texture that makes the shaved pieces look spotty and full of crunch! Legend tells us that Parmigiano-Reggiano was first created in the Middle Ages and is made in the same traditional way today. Though not all Parmigiano-Reggiano is created equally. All are good, but like any good food, each has its own personality. We have chosen a Parmigiano-Reggiano that was produced 2500 feet above sea level. The additional altitude helps to create more flavorful nuances within the cheese. So, finish up the last of your Summer Parmigiano-Reggiano and make room for Winter! great product "I love to cook and I have used the Winter Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese consistently over the years. It is a "must" on my ingredient list. I not only use the cheese but the rinds as well when I make one of my favorite soups--Winter Minestrone with Butternut Squash. It is both delicious and healthy." -- peggy Shop now for Parmigiano-Reggiano Winter! 
Cooking Classes for the New Year
Check out the classes and reserve your seat now! Give the best Gift of food! Cooking Class Gift Certificates are available. Booking March Classes Now. ChefShop Cooking Class
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| This Week's Recipes |
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Parmigiano-Reggiano with Three Dipping Sauces Recipe The Swiss love their fondue, but when you have an authentic Grana cheese as wonderful and tasty as authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano or even Granglona Pecorino, why not enjoy their peak flavor straight-up? Here are three sauces that will make a perfect party appetizer to be served with drinks or at the beginning of a bigger meal. Saffron Rice with Barberries, Pistachio and Mixed Herbs Recipe This is one of my favorite recipes. Although the ingredient list looks long (for a rice), it's incredibly easy to make and well balanced, with the aroma and color of the saffron, with the citrus-y tang of the barberries, with the crunch and fat in the pistachios, and the vegital taste and aroma of the herbs - and so flavorful. Plus it's beautiful to look at - and as we know, we also eat with our eyes. Baked Halibut with Israeli Couscous & Spinach Recipe Israeli couscous is a wonderful base for grilled or baked fish. The earthy spinach and juicy tomatoes make this dish a complete meal.The halibut may also be grilled rather than baked. |
| See what you missed in previous Newsletters |
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Amazing Black Sesame Seed Paste, Spice Up Your Food Sale Alle Erbe, Pistachio Pesto, New Pasta Squid Ink, Buy One Get One Free, Spoon-Ready Faves |
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