The Fancy Food Show is starting to become a distant memory, as the demands of regular old work and life push their back into the forefront of my mind. However, there are a few products that continue to stick with me and continue to marvel me with their absolute deliciousness.
One such product is Cocio. It doesn't look like much, in fact it's nothing more than chocolate milk in a bottle. However, it is the best chocolate milk I've ever tasted. It is sweet, but not cloying, thick without being sludgy and every so chocolate-y. It is a Danish product that has been around since 1951 and in that country, is often consumed as street food, in conjunction with sausages (at least according to Wikipedia). It is also all natural, made of nothing more than chocolate, sugar (no high fructose corn syrup here) and milk. If you think of yourself as a chocolate milk connoisseur, this is a product to seek out.
In his forty-plus year career, Elton John has had no lack of awards: in addition to an Oscar for his work on The Lion King, he can boast five Grammys, a place in the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a CBE and a Knighthood, as well as hundreds of other honors, great and small.
However, in some ways, none of these honors is as sweet as the one recently bestowed on the famed singer/songwriter. This week, Ben and Jerry's will launch Goodbye, Yellow Brickle Road, an Elton John-themed flavor that it will sell in its scoop shops from July 18th to July 25th. Named after his seminal 1973 breakthrough album and unveiled in honor of his first-ever concert in the Green Mountain State, all proceeds from the sale of the ice cream will go to the Elton John AIDS Fund.
A chocolate ice cream base with peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle, and white chocolate chunks, one wonders if "Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road" might spawn sequels. After all, is it hard to imagine a market for "Rocky Road Man," "Can You Feel the Carbs Tonight" or "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blueberry Bonanza"?
I've never considered myself a pudding person, as I'm not generally a fan of very soft or mushy foods. Bread pudding is wonderful, but pudding puddings always remind me of baby food or having my wisdom teeth. Recently, though, I've seen some very classy puddings pop up in the food blogosphere. Nothing gooey about them, they look sophisticated and absolutely delightful. Check some out: Creamy and Cold Banana Pudding from Bakerella Effortless Banana Pudding from Su Good Sweets
Behold the Whatafarm burger, which according to alanbeam.net, via about.blank is "a burger ordered from the Whataburger chain and includes chicken, egg, cheese and bacon. 2 parts cow, 2 parts chicken, 1 part pig."
I'm all for the orgiastic multi-species chow down, what with my penchant for Kentucky burgoo (2 formats of cow -- old and young, lamb, pig, and chicken) and applaud the orderers for their gastronomic gumption. If I were being all harrumphy about it, I could note that the menu offers pig in sausage form and a fish filet as well and they opted for neither, but hey - Michelangelo didn't knock out the Sistine Chapel on his first jaunt up the scaffolding.
We salute you with all hooves, claws and trotters up!
A good friend of mine once spilled a gallon of milk in his car. If that ever happens to you, head directly to the car wash. Do not stop on the way. Once that milk smell sets in, it never goes away and it is not pleasant. According to the New York Times, milk spilling has become a big problem due to a change in the classic milk carton.
Wal-Mart and Costco are rolling out new milk jugs. The difference is that the new jugs are square and made of recyclable plastics. This makes them stack-able and compact in trucks and on shelves. These jugs are less expensive because of easier shipping and the elimination of milk crates.
The downside of the new jugs is that it is taking consumers some time to get used to them. People are having difficulty not spilling milk during the pour since there is no spout. Sam's Club has even been offering in-store classes on how to pour from the new jugs. I suppose you could always transfer your milk to a glass container with a spout if it were that much of a problem.
The floods in the Mid-West are causing a nationwide increase in food prices across the board. Corn and soy prices are increasing dramatically which means other foods that depend upon them are increasing as well. Expect to see many grocery items like meats, cheese, eggs, milk, oil, etc. increase in price.
I spent summers as a child in the corn fields of Iowa, many of which have become lakes, with the gently hills small islands. Now many of these farmers are calling it quits, selling off the farms and getting out of the business. Animals are being sold off, which means a short term meat glut, but a long term shortage. Don't expect prices to go down from the quick influx of meat, because the long term shortage is so visible that prices have to start reacting now.
This is going to have such long term effects that you can expect your Holiday turkeys and hams to cost quite a bit more than last year, and possibly even more the year after that.
After typing a post about a wasabi popsicle, I started to think about other spice and and ice combinations. Naturally, I thought of cardamom, one of my favorite spices. A friend of mine recently suggested that we make cardamom ice cream. Unlike wasabi, cardamom is widely used in both savory and sweet dishes, such as rice and pastries. Its deeply aromatic qualities have always attracted me. And now, I'm dying with curiosity to find out its potential with ice cream.
Ah, the cheese plate! What would a party be without it? People gravitate towards the plate and it becomes the focal point of conversation at the party: "Have you tried this one? I highly recommend it!" There are many different methods to building this exquisite platter of tasty cheese.
Before putting together the perfect combination of cheeses, you'll need to figure out the aesthetics. To show off your cheese choices a slab of marble works best, as it highlights the bright cheeses sitting upon it. Something about cheeses displayed on marble feels reminiscent of an ancient Greco-Roman feast. In short, it's civilized and elegant. For those without a slab of marble at home, arrange the cheese on your best wooden board.
Now, the most thrilling part of putting together the cheese plate is selecting diverse cheeses that complement each other. Below are 8 different approaches to creating the perfect cheese plate:
Choose a variety: This is the classic way to prepare a cheese plate. It usually includes 4 cheeses, each made from a different milk (cow, goat, sheep, a mixed milk and/or a cheese made with buffalo milk). This plate consists of cheese with varying textures made in different styles.
Select a milk: You can demonstrate the diversity of either goat's milk, sheep's milk, or cow's milk cheeses by focusing on one. For example, you can display 5 goat's milk cheeses with varying textures and levels of piquancy from 5 different countries.
Pick out a style: Rather than focus on milk, you can pick out your favorite style of cheese, such as semi-hard cheeses. Within this category, you can choose 4 or 5 cheeses made with different milks but in the same style.
Focus on a region or country: It's always interesting to show how diverse different cheeses could be from one region or country. One cheese plate I love making concentrates on goat's milk cheeses from the Loire Valley.
Showcase the standard classics: Choose 4 or 5 different classics, such as Stilton, Appenzeller, Camembert, Valençay, and Manchego.
Highlight the unknown: Pick cheeses that are obscure. It's always fun trying something new.
Focus on the guests: There are cheeses that suit everyone's palate. Consider cheeses that your guests will appreciate.
Opt for quality over quantity: A small selection of fine cheese is always more memorable than a plate with several average flavored cheeses.
A question one often asks when buying cheeses is how much to bring home. Although it may be tempting to purchase a quarter wheel of Manchego, cheeses are best eaten when cut fresh, it's a better to buy cheeses that you'll be able to eat that week.
I am fascinated by Mimolette. This bright orange French cheese is the size of a bowling ball. Its appearance is breathtaking. It looks like a giant cantaloupe. After I first tried Mimolette, I was struck by its firm texture and sweet caramel-like taste. In addition, I was intrigued by its remarkable similarities with many of the aged Dutch cheeses I've tried in the past. And so, after looking into its history, I was not surprised that it was first produced to model a Dutch cheese, called Edam.
The history of Mimolette -
During the 17th century, Louis XIV-the Sun King-had both a cultural and economic plan for France. The goal was to decrease all imports and increase all exports. The theory was that it would benefit French economy, because other countries would be purchasing French products. Culturally, Louis XIV wanted France to produce the best of everything, from clothing to food. France was to become the European trend setter. How did these laws initiate and encourage the production of Mimolette?
Regions of France along the borders were culturally affected by the king's agenda. For example, in northeastern France, Flanders, people ate Dutch food. Their diet consisted of foods imported from Holland. In the northern French city of Lille, Edam was probably the most common cheese, the most popular at the time.
However, in response to Louis XIV's laws forbidding the importation of Edam, French people in and around Lille created their own Edam-like cheese – Mimolette. So what's the difference? The cheese is produced same way as Edam with the addition of annatto, a natural food coloring agent. Although they both have a spherical shape and same texture, Mimolette has a natural rind (no wax) and an intense orange color due to the annatto.
We've been talking a lot about ice cream lately, so I became extremely excited yesterday when I found this article over at The Huffington Post. It features goat's milk ice cream, an intriguing dairy creation that's apparently healthier than regular ice cream and popular with celebrities like Jim Carrey and Kate Hudson.
The brand discussed in the article is called Laloo -- check out the site for details and adorable pictures of baby goats (kids, I know, but baby goats sounds so much cuter). After consulting the list of local dealers, I found out that it's actually sold at tons of stores that are close to my home. I'm a bit cautious about trying it, but if any of you have rave reviews, I may just have to go and purchase a pint. Anyone?
Have you noticed how hard and dry goat's milk cheeses become after spending a couple of weeks in the fridge? They may seem as though they are ready to be thrown away. Although they will not taste as good on their own, there are several ways you could use these dried out morsels of cheese to add flavor to a dish.
Marisa wrote about yogurt making about a month ago. I would like to re-visit the subject from an extremely frugal angle. With wild fruits coming into season (like mulberries), yogurt is a great way to serve nature's sweet bounty.
I can remember trying yogurt for the first time as a kid. Most of the brands had a distinctive sour taste, and fruit on the bottom. They came in 8-ounce containers, and sold for anywhere from 25 to 50 cents a cup. Now, with prices double that or more, and the cups shrinking to 6 or even 4 ounces (who can eat 4 ounces of yogurt and call it a satisfying experience?), I decided to re-visit the old fashioned way of getting yogurt. MAKING IT YOURSELF!
This isn't just for frugality. I really enjoy making things at home that most people buy prepared. Some of the things we purchase without questioning whether or not they could be created right in our kitchens are actually quite easy to make. Yogurt is one of them, and requires very little in the way of equipment.
There are yogurt makers that you can purchase. I have to tell you though that they are really not necessary. The only piece of equipment you might need to buy is a kitchen thermometer. You will need a thermometer that can read as high as 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit) and as low as 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit). For your first batch only, you need starter. A tablespoon of good plain yogurt works fine as long as it has active cultures (check the label). After your first batch you just need to conserve some yogurt each time to use as starter for your next batch.
Inspired by the bacon ice cream presented on last night's Top Chef, we're bumping this older post back to the top.
Deliciously demented maestro of molecular gastronomy Heston Blumenthal (chef & owner of the massively Michelin-starred UK restaurant The Fat Duck) shares his signature Bacon & Egg Ice Cream technique and recipe.
The most exciting thing about artisanal cheeses is their complex, multi-layered flavors. However, for many people, they seem unapproachable. The best way to savor these cheeses is to breakdown the experience from the first encounter (touch and smell) to the last encounter (after-taste).
The Fancy Food Show is starting to become a distant memory, as the demands of regular old work and life push their back into the forefront of my mind. However, there are a few products that continue to stick with me and continue to marvel me with their absolute deliciousness. 
I am fascinated by Mimolette. This bright orange French cheese is the size of a bowling ball. Its appearance is breathtaking. It looks like a giant cantaloupe. After I first tried Mimolette, I was struck by its firm texture and sweet caramel-like taste. In addition, I was intrigued by its remarkable similarities with many of the aged Dutch cheeses I've tried in the past. And so, after looking into its history, I was not surprised that it was first produced to model a Dutch cheese, called Edam. 
We've been talking a lot about 
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
