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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - In the news - Seaweed Salt - Lentils - Colomba and more at chefshop.com/enews |
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It makes it best! Knowing the people who make your food We love to know who makes our food! When we started it was one of the most exciting revelations that meeting the “creators” of amazing foods made our job not a “job” but a life. There is romance in food and understanding what passion a producer has for making/growing/creating a food. It is this heart that they put into what they make, that creates the love you taste in your mouth. A good food touches all five senses and it is the place we start when choosing products to share. This oil is one of the best finds we have ever had. And the story is perhaps one of my favorites. Because it is a story that starts with people. Our story starts in cloudy Seattle and not Under the Tuscan Sun, many years ago in the western neighborhood of Seattle, Magnolia. It is here two young friends grew up, one went south to Venice, the other went to Tuscany. Many years later the one returned to Magnolia from the beach, tired of doing parties for the Hollywood jetset and ready to return to a calmer less frenetic life. And then one day Sharon walked into our shop and started working with us! And besides all the experience she brings us from owning her own business to the stars, she shares her childhood friend's olive oil from Tuscany. Pam has been very generous in sharing the family oil with us. To the nose there is a light tingle and a sweet olive oil aroma. Dip the tip of your tongue in and a very light buttery feel develops. Then a cirrus cloud of vapor floats to the back of your throat followed with a nice tickle and a gentle cough. Your first spoonful is a combination of sweet buttery artichoke with a spread of bitter edges that rides in harmony with the olive oil. Like almost all the oils this year, the bitterness spreads out in a wider swath than the usual edge of the tongue. And then, as the oil moves to the top of your throat, a nice burn rolls in like a stratocumulus and then it is gone with the wind. This a magical oil. I am loving this Tuscan oil this year. It may be the very best oil of the year and it is certainly Sharon's favorite this year. Click Here for Fattoria di Petroio Tuscan Olive Oil!! |
Marcona Almonds Fried with the Skin On! When you take a look, at first they look like someone made a mistake and fried them too long. When you find out that they have their skins on and you taste one, you realize what genius they are! The salt, the almond and the fried skin make just the right combination for this nutty (well actually seedy) treat. Like candy, almonds seem to draw your hand to them. The salty crunch is addictive and good for you. Like the golden raisins, it's a great snack, and better than a bag of candy corn or malted chocolate sport balls. Mix them with salted marcona almonds and you have a delightful appetizer. Just for you! Shop now for Skin On Marcona Almonds! |
Pear Balsamic Vinegars are not the same Not content with merely making apple cider vinegar, producer Joseph Reiterer took a step back and borrowed the famed balsamic-making process from Modena. He starts with pears that he crushes and then cooks down in an open vat. The resulting rich pear liquid is indoctrinated with a vinegar "mother" and then aged in wood for five years. The result is pure heaven, a dark brown liquid that is thinner than a balsamic condimento but softer and sweeter than a balsamic vinegar. The flavor is a unique, rich caramelized pear flavor accentuated by a mild acidity that feels more like a tart finish. Shop now for Acetoria Pear Balsamic Vinegar! |
Chocolate Feves! Valrhona Manjari 64% Couverture! Valrhona Manjari chocolate is an extraordinary, bittersweet couverture chocolate made from a blend of the best Trinitarios cocoa beans from Madagascar. With a 64% cocoa content, Valrhona's Manjari is perfect for the bittersweet, or even semi-sweet chocolate needs for home pastry chefs and professionals alike - this Madagascar dark chocolate is the perfect compromise between the ultra dark, bittersweet chocolate couvertures with 70% cocoa content and the often too sweet, dark chocolate couvertures with less than 60% cocoa content. Valrhona Manjari chocolate also has a higher than typical amount of cocoa butter to give your desserts and truffles a silky mouth finish. With the sweetness of the tropics, Valrhona Manjari chocolate has an intense taste, sustained fullness with hints of dried fruit and grilled almonds with a woody base. It is suitable for pastry, chocolate fillings, molding, enrobing, and icing. The Valrhona "feves" are small oval disks that are easier to work with than a large industrial size block. Shop now for Valrhona Manjari Dark Semi-sweet Couverture Fevs! |
Organic Oatmeal Stone-Cut from Scotland Food & Wine talks about Oatmeal! "Most oats resist quick cooking. Now Scotland's The Oatmeal of Alford is offering stone-ground organic pinhead oats that are slightly smaller than steel-cut oats and cook to a nutty, risotto-like consistency in only 20 minutes." -- rob This oatmeal is amazing "I never thought I'd find oatmeal that surpasses my love of steal cut oats, but this is not only tastier, but also cooks faster. Love it with toasted almonds and berries." -- jennifer Am I back in Scotland? "Reminds me of B&Bs in Scotland. Easy and surprisingly quick to prepare and almost toasty/nutty. If you do toast them before cooking for a few minutes in a 325 oven or on the cooktop in a heavy pan, they are very nutty and extra flavorful. Add raisins or other dried fruit just before they're done and you'll have a wonderful start to your day." -- deHart Shop now for Organic Stone-Cut Oatmeal from Scotland |
Amazing Black Currant Lightly sweet, thickly syrupy, delicious. This not too sweet syrup allows the flavor and tang of the black currants to shine through. Have on hand to add to mixed drinks, flavor to a cookie or just add to iced water for a sharper cool drink. Shop now for D'arbo Black Currant Fruit Syrup! |
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Red Alaea Coarse Hawaiian Sea Salt One of the most flavorful sea salts you'll ever taste! Not only does it add an iron earth flavor, the color is beautiful. Serve butter with Red Alaea Hawaiian sea salt on top! It looks perfect! Red Alaea clay has been familiar in Hawaiian cuisine since before the coming of the Europeans, and it was known to be laden with healthful benefits. It's the iron oxide in the famous Hawaiian Alaea clay that makes this salt red, actually more of a burnt sienna color, and it is known to exist only in the islands of the 50th state. During heavy rains in ancient Hawaii, sediment containing the red volcanic clay, called Alaea, was washed to the sea. When this red water became trapped in tidal pools, evaporation created a red-tinted sea salt that local inhabitants collected. While much of the salt was used in sacred rituals, it was also used to preserve food. Shop now for Red Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt |
Steen's 100% Pure Cane Syrup Think not of it only for replacing corn syrup (it should) but think of it as syrup for your pancakes, waffles, oatmeal and in baking for your next pecan pie. Adjust your brain and you will be happy! Cane syrup has personality and this is a sweet one! 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 the 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. The Best! "I replace all corn syrup in recipes with this natural cane syrup. No more tummy bloat! No more itchy throats. We’re just too allergic to corn syrup. This is excellent for tea, coffee & hot chocolate. Bakes great." -- violet Shop now for Cane Syrup from Steen's! |
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1 litre of Balsamic This bottle holds 4 times the amount of La Vecchia Dispensa of Modena 10-yr balsamic, and normally we only sell it to restaurant chefs. We've decided to offer this incredibly delicious deal to all of our customers! This relative youngster is oh so much more versatile than any balsamic made with wine vinegar, regardless of its age or price. It has a refreshing level of acidity. Sweet and sour act in harmony toward a slow, dry finish. This is one of our favorite, all-purpose balsamic's - its depth of flavor gives it a versatility that outshines all cheap imitators, and many authentic balsamic's as well. One Liter of Balsamic ***** "Good value for La Vecchia Dispensa 10-year old balsamic. Just had it on avocado and home-grown tomato toast - unbeatable! I hope it will last me a couple of months until resupply." -- paul Shop now for La Vecchia Dispensa 10 yr Balsamic |
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Apicultura Dr Pescia Caroon Blossom Honey The Cardoon (or “cardo” in Italian) is also called the artichoke thistle or the globe artichoke. It is a thistle in the sunflower family. Considered a invasive weed in some countries, it’s native to the western and central Mediterranean region. Although largely inedible, the flower buds of wild cardoons are collected and used in traditional dishes in southern Italy and Sicily, and the petals of the cardoon flower are used in Spain and Portugal as a vegetable rennet to make certain local cheeses. The leaf stalks are also served braised or steamed, and have an artichoke-like flavor and a hint of bitterness. WOW! "A phenomenal savory honey! Could not recommend this more highly! It is delicious and completely blew my mind! Great with anything, but was especially tasty served with a sharp or soft cheese. I used it in sauces, as a glaze w baked goods, it was even delicious in tea. You can easily lick this off a spoon. It is not cloyingly sweet as is the case with most honey. You won’t be disappointed, it’s a rare gem." -- chris Shop now for Italian Artichoke Thistle Honey! |
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Colomba - the Spring Panettone Though we had lots of leftovers (torn apart cakes), sadly they are all gone now. And the craving for a taste of panettone cake is strong! And just in time is the Colomba, the same cake is here in a different shape but the same great taste! Pre-order now! Panettone Heaven "This product is always so excellent. That combination of the fragrant eggy bread with those little lemon flavor bombs. We love to eat this ... I can smell it toasting now! Also makes for some fabulous French Toast too!" -- charles Pre-order now for Columba - The Panettone of the Spring! |
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Beaufort Cheese
Woohoo! Another wheel has been offered to us and we are overjoyed! WE love this cheese and it goes fabulously with Fra'mani salami Salametto! It is also pure joy to eat alone! If you like cheese, you will love Beaufort D’Alpage. Made in the summer in chalets (shepherds huts) at high altitude. Here the Tarentaise gaze at the French Alps...while grazing freely, choosing to eat what they want of the grasses and flowers of the high pasture. These Tarentaise cattle (a domesticated cow that adapted to high altitude hiking in steep and treacherous hoofing and have not co-mingled with other cows) are from the Haute-Savoie and are known to make some of the best milk on the planet for making cheese. Beaufort cheese- a winner "This was a great cheese. We (and our friends) particularly enjoyed it when incorporated into artisan wheat bread before baking. Looking forward to the next shipment." -- ronald Shop now for your wedge of Beaufort Cheese! 
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Store Hours - Monday Thru Saturday! 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 next door (south of) Champions Party Supply. Easy open parking lot. Click here to see the map. |
| This Week's Recipes |
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Chef Lesa's Apple Pie Recipe It is all in the crust..... Steen's Pecan Pie Filling Recipe This is the Pecan Pie recipe off the back of the Steen's Cane Syrup can. We tried it recently, and it's super easy and yummy -- but my recommendation is not to alter the recipe cooking time too much. The cane syrup is faster to burn than the corn syrup you are used to. Cottage Pie Recipe Cottage pie refers to an English meat pie made with minced beef and a crust made from mashed potato. A variation on this dish using minced lamb is generally known as "Shepherd's Pie." Although, the distinction between the two may well be an example of folk etymology, based solely on the fact that shepherds clearly herd sheep, not cattle. |
| See what you missed in previous Newsletters |
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In the News! Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat & Lentils Salametto Salami, Yuzi, Ginger Fermented Salt, Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies, Winter Parm |
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