Chef Chris Feldmeier and, who is about to open the new Bar Moruno in L.A., just introduced me to Salt Spring Mussels. Bigger, plumper and more delicious than any mussel I’ve ever tasted. What cool new ingredient have you recently discovered?
Drinks glitter! I steeped Sapphire gin in rose petals for a number of days and then made rose gin martinis with a bit of gold glitter and a twist Stunning, delicious and fun! Perfect for a festive party of any type!
It's definitely not cool, but I've discovered the difference that artisanal flour can make in bread baking. We had a new CSA grain share that delivered whole wheat direct from the farm, and I've also been embracing rye flour, which really loves the sourdough. It does eat up my spare income, though. Also in the uncool department, dried fava beans, which cook up pretty quickly with no soaking, so it's easy to toss a handful into soup (to go with the fresh-baked bread).
I second the comment on locally grown and milled flours! My “flour library” has grown to about a dozen types. We are blessed to have both Cairnspring Mills and Fairhaven mills here in western Washington, also the home of the Bread Lab, and the difference is remarkable in the finished baked goods. Have not tipped over into the zone of milling my own yet, but that may happen
Two come to mind. Honey nut squash was virtually absent from many East Bay farmers' markets this past summer-fall season and finally appeared at a couple. Baby artichokes are reported to be around now if restaurants don't gobble all of them up.
Fioria Di Scilla! If you are a baker get you some of this delightful extract to add to your sweet bakes. Both floral and citrusy at the same time, it adds a little “sumthin sumthin” to cakes and cookies. Takes a pound cake to a different level. A little goes a long way but a joy to experiment with and delight your taste buds
I have only used the version offered by King Arthur, which does include vanilla and does require refrigeration. So my enthusiasm is influenced by their product. Your question has inspired me to seek out a version not tempered with vanilla to see if there is a difference. Thanks!
Bomba Calabrese! I eat this spicy relish with so many things. A drop or two of plum bitters in my vinaigrette. Smooths it out and reduces bitterness. A smidge of bacon jam in my stews. And smoked garlic and smoked salt in my pesto. Not traditional!
Butterfly Pea Flower…..no flavor but a fun addition to a cocktail party. And Takii Umami Powder made from shiitakes. I’m a chef and I love it for rounding out the flavor on vegetarian or vegan dishes when something like fish sauce can’t be used.
Burnt pineapple tequila. Peel and slice a fresh pineapple, and grill the slices until they have distinct grill marks. Put them in a large jar and crush with a pestle, then cover with a liter of good quality blanco tequila. Let sit for 10 days to three weeks. Strain out the solids. It will have a brownish color from the caramelization of the grilled fruit. Wonderful on the rocks with a squeeze of lime. I just invented a cocktail I'm calling a "Pinata" -- burnt pineapple tequila, Nixta licor de elote, blanco tequila, over ice, top up the glass with pineapple seltzer water, in a glass rimmed with Tajin chile salt, with a lime wedge squeezed and dropped into the glass.
I'm looking forward to trying a Piñata. It's a great idea even just for the name! The Nixta is a great suggestion in addition to the suggestion of the burnt pineapple. We make a cocktail that is a riff on a carne asada taco with just Nixta and reposado tequila with a piece of J+J Czuchraj hot honey beef jerky on the rim of the glass which we call "The Great Cornholio". You can get the jerky here: https://stores.jandjmeats.com/new-hot-honey-beef-jerky/
Just bought some pandan kaya jam from a Malaysian restaurant called kopitiam in the lower east side and it is sooooooo delicious. Like coconut pandan curd or an extremely thick sweet custard.
Heilala Vanilla. From New Zealand. Love the vanilla sugar for topping cookies. Also Fiori di Sicilia for my Italian bakes. Brings a vanilla citrus flavor favored in Italian bakeries. King Arthur Flour is the best source. Just a few drops is perfect. I use a glass dropper for measuring.
I can't stop finding new ways to use kumquats, my two favorite ways to date are butter lettuce and kumquat salad with a simple vinaigrette with a hint of sweetness from honey, and as garnish on a buttermilk panna cotta topped with fresh blueberry sauce. Not only the taste but the shape and the color really inspire me as a home cook to delight my family and friends.
How do you prepare the kumquats for the salad? Do you slice them? Put them in whole? What do you use for dressing? Do you put other things in the salad other than the butter lettuce? I have a mountain of kumquats awaiting your reply. Tip: the skins candy very nicely and work great sprinkled on desserts/salads/cocktails. This is how you make them:
Brad, one more fun thing to do with kumquats is to turn them in to bunnies for easter. Slice a small oval off of a kumquat, trim the slice into a pair of ears connected at the bottom of one end of the oval, set the kumquat down with the removed section as the base, make a small slit at the "ear" location at the end of the kumquat where the stem was attached, and insert the connected end of your ears into the slit, voila, an adorable bunny for your guests at Easter dinner.
I just slice them as thin as possible, remove seeds, that's it for salad or dessert garnish. Just those two ingredients, the more I make salads, the best ones have the fewest freshest ingredients, I go for butter lettuce in the winter with the roots attached at purchase. My go to dressing is Joy of Cooking Basic vinaigrette (garlic, shallot, mustard, salt, vinegar/lemon juice and oil), but I would add a dab of honey or marmalade to it, even a buttermilk honey dressing would be good. If you have to add more to a salad the first thing I would add would be toasted walnuts or pecans.
After yeeeears of looking for it - even trying to track it down to order it by mail, which is always an expensive proposition with produce - I finally found celtuce, sold as aa choy sum by an Asian market that delivers to me. I love it in salad, in stir fry, and added to celeriac remoulade. Sometimes it can be disappointing to find a new ingredient and realize that the flavor isn't strong - you're not going to be knocked over by celtuce in the way you are when you first discover ramps or finger limes - but in this case, the texture and the not-really-celery flavor are so satisfying. Maybe even moreso during a New England winter.
Dates! We recently retired to the Palm Springs area which is like the date capital of US or something. Date shakes are amazing! Now I have to figure out what else to do with these little sweeties! Any ideas?
Take Mejool dates, slice them open and remove the pits, fill with fresh chevre that you have mixed with a bit of fennel pollen or ground fennel seed and ground lavender. Warm briegly and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and grated lemon zest. I guarantee that people will freak out when they taste them!
If you go to Shield's Date Garden in Indio get Barhi dates, which are too tender to sell on a commercial basis, as they easily get crushed. They are the most flavorful, creamy dates of all the varieties, and you don't need to do anything beyond popping them in your mouth and swooning.
Mejool dates with pit removed. Crunchy almond or peanut butter in cavity. Close it up and roll into melted dark chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt. Freeze for 30 mins for chocolate to harden. It’s like a very delicious Snickers knock off:)
In a food processor cream four dates with two ripe bananas and two -if you like it on the darker and bitter side three-tablespoons good quality cacao. Freeze. Your perfect guilt free ice-cream is ready.
Now this is interesting. I got rid of my old smoker when I moved and I'm looking at replacements. I'm originally from maple country in NY so I have a jug of really good maple. Thank you! You got my creative juices flowing. :)
Kishibori soy sauce and yuzu juice. Combined with white balsamic vinegar and toasted walnut oil, it makes the most delectable salad dressing imaginable.
Hi Diana, I just tip everything into the bowl. The ingredients I use: Kishibori brand soy sauce, Kitagawamura brand yuzu juice, La Tourangelle toasted walnut oil, and whatever sweet vinegar I have open, usually either white balsamic or moscato. You don't need a lot of yuzu, maybe a teaspoon.
NYShuk's preserved lemon paste: from zipping it into homemade labneh to mixing it with grated parmesan on pasta, it's just the kind of brightness that I need in the middle of a Montreal winter. I use it judiciously since I need mules to bring it up to Canada, but what a terrific taste! (All their products have zing, but this one is tops.)
I haven't discovered it yet, but I'm going to make them: Poor Man's Capers - I grow tons of nasturtiums and I have a recipe for the pickled pods. I'm a secret devourer of real capers (straight from the bottle!) so I'm wondering what these will be like, supposed to be "more mustardy" so I guess like the nasturtium flowers?...anybody made them or tasted them?
I purchased some a few years ago in a little foodie boutique in Quebec.I too love capers and always have 3 to 4 types on hand. I didn't care for these.
Spicy chili crisp, same here, am I late to the tasty party? I also just made this jammy "soup" base after watching a show on Netflix called Nadyia's Time to Cook. It really works, easy workday meals. I even bought Vegemite but have not used it. It smells a bit funky. I'll report back.
I'm not sure where you are located but if you are near the west coast of BC, local stores carry them. I live on Vancouver island in British Columbia and we can get them. Maybe a trip is in your future ;-)
Gochujang! Clearly, I’m late to the party, but my lack of awareness now allows me to taste-test 6 jars at once, LOL!
Drinks glitter! I steeped Sapphire gin in rose petals for a number of days and then made rose gin martinis with a bit of gold glitter and a twist Stunning, delicious and fun! Perfect for a festive party of any type!
Pickled mustard seeds.
Interesting. Tell us more about pickled mustard seeds.
They provide crunch on a deviled egg or grilled cheese sandwich and a great addition to salad dressing. https://www.seriouseats.com/pickled-mustard-seeds
Cook's Venture chickens. Pasture raised, all organic, family owned and operated.
Best tasting chicken I've had in a looong time!!
Thanks for the tip! Are they like the Jidory Chickens? What kind of chickens are they?
They are heritage chickens. Tastes chickeny like Jidori. Not the same tho.
KariKari Garlic Chili Crisp -- crazy delicious on just about everything. https://www.eatkarikari.com/
It's definitely not cool, but I've discovered the difference that artisanal flour can make in bread baking. We had a new CSA grain share that delivered whole wheat direct from the farm, and I've also been embracing rye flour, which really loves the sourdough. It does eat up my spare income, though. Also in the uncool department, dried fava beans, which cook up pretty quickly with no soaking, so it's easy to toss a handful into soup (to go with the fresh-baked bread).
Is there a certain type (brand?) of fava beans you prefer?
I buy dried, large lava beans from Sahadis, a specialty store in NYC. I believe they ship orders anywhere.
I second the comment on locally grown and milled flours! My “flour library” has grown to about a dozen types. We are blessed to have both Cairnspring Mills and Fairhaven mills here in western Washington, also the home of the Bread Lab, and the difference is remarkable in the finished baked goods. Have not tipped over into the zone of milling my own yet, but that may happen
Two come to mind. Honey nut squash was virtually absent from many East Bay farmers' markets this past summer-fall season and finally appeared at a couple. Baby artichokes are reported to be around now if restaurants don't gobble all of them up.
Fioria Di Scilla! If you are a baker get you some of this delightful extract to add to your sweet bakes. Both floral and citrusy at the same time, it adds a little “sumthin sumthin” to cakes and cookies. Takes a pound cake to a different level. A little goes a long way but a joy to experiment with and delight your taste buds
do you think I could add it to flavor butter cream for macarons?
Without a doubt! Would be a perfect application. Go small and taste until it suits you.
What brand is your favorite? Some of the formulations have vanilla and some do not. Which do you prefer?
I have only used the version offered by King Arthur, which does include vanilla and does require refrigeration. So my enthusiasm is influenced by their product. Your question has inspired me to seek out a version not tempered with vanilla to see if there is a difference. Thanks!
These don't have vanilla:
https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Fiori-Sicilia-Extract-Natural/dp/B00N98XBK6/ref=sr_1_3?crid=326C6R8BZGW0F&keywords=fiori+di+sicilia&qid=1646771999&sprefix=fiori+d%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-3
or
https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Authentic-Sicilia-Product-Essential/dp/B07QZPHB6S/ref=sr_1_2?crid=326C6R8BZGW0F&keywords=fiori+di+sicilia&qid=1646771999&sprefix=fiori+d%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-2
Bomba Calabrese! I eat this spicy relish with so many things. A drop or two of plum bitters in my vinaigrette. Smooths it out and reduces bitterness. A smidge of bacon jam in my stews. And smoked garlic and smoked salt in my pesto. Not traditional!
Butterfly Pea Flower…..no flavor but a fun addition to a cocktail party. And Takii Umami Powder made from shiitakes. I’m a chef and I love it for rounding out the flavor on vegetarian or vegan dishes when something like fish sauce can’t be used.
Black garlic. Trying to decide if making it at home (in a crock pot for THREE WEEKS) is worth it...
It is totally worth making. I grow my own garlic and I always make a batch with the leftover garlic from the previous year.
Burnt pineapple tequila. Peel and slice a fresh pineapple, and grill the slices until they have distinct grill marks. Put them in a large jar and crush with a pestle, then cover with a liter of good quality blanco tequila. Let sit for 10 days to three weeks. Strain out the solids. It will have a brownish color from the caramelization of the grilled fruit. Wonderful on the rocks with a squeeze of lime. I just invented a cocktail I'm calling a "Pinata" -- burnt pineapple tequila, Nixta licor de elote, blanco tequila, over ice, top up the glass with pineapple seltzer water, in a glass rimmed with Tajin chile salt, with a lime wedge squeezed and dropped into the glass.
I'm looking forward to trying a Piñata. It's a great idea even just for the name! The Nixta is a great suggestion in addition to the suggestion of the burnt pineapple. We make a cocktail that is a riff on a carne asada taco with just Nixta and reposado tequila with a piece of J+J Czuchraj hot honey beef jerky on the rim of the glass which we call "The Great Cornholio". You can get the jerky here: https://stores.jandjmeats.com/new-hot-honey-beef-jerky/
Just bought some pandan kaya jam from a Malaysian restaurant called kopitiam in the lower east side and it is sooooooo delicious. Like coconut pandan curd or an extremely thick sweet custard.
Heilala Vanilla. From New Zealand. Love the vanilla sugar for topping cookies. Also Fiori di Sicilia for my Italian bakes. Brings a vanilla citrus flavor favored in Italian bakeries. King Arthur Flour is the best source. Just a few drops is perfect. I use a glass dropper for measuring.
Masienda, LA local source for masa, tortillas, etc.
I can't stop finding new ways to use kumquats, my two favorite ways to date are butter lettuce and kumquat salad with a simple vinaigrette with a hint of sweetness from honey, and as garnish on a buttermilk panna cotta topped with fresh blueberry sauce. Not only the taste but the shape and the color really inspire me as a home cook to delight my family and friends.
How do you prepare the kumquats for the salad? Do you slice them? Put them in whole? What do you use for dressing? Do you put other things in the salad other than the butter lettuce? I have a mountain of kumquats awaiting your reply. Tip: the skins candy very nicely and work great sprinkled on desserts/salads/cocktails. This is how you make them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWr4kDoYNsQ
Brad, one more fun thing to do with kumquats is to turn them in to bunnies for easter. Slice a small oval off of a kumquat, trim the slice into a pair of ears connected at the bottom of one end of the oval, set the kumquat down with the removed section as the base, make a small slit at the "ear" location at the end of the kumquat where the stem was attached, and insert the connected end of your ears into the slit, voila, an adorable bunny for your guests at Easter dinner.
So cute! And then at the end of the meal, all the guests eat them. ;-)
I just slice them as thin as possible, remove seeds, that's it for salad or dessert garnish. Just those two ingredients, the more I make salads, the best ones have the fewest freshest ingredients, I go for butter lettuce in the winter with the roots attached at purchase. My go to dressing is Joy of Cooking Basic vinaigrette (garlic, shallot, mustard, salt, vinegar/lemon juice and oil), but I would add a dab of honey or marmalade to it, even a buttermilk honey dressing would be good. If you have to add more to a salad the first thing I would add would be toasted walnuts or pecans.
Not terribly new, but Omsom starters – very, very good shortcut to Asian / SE Asian meals.
https://omsom.com/
After yeeeears of looking for it - even trying to track it down to order it by mail, which is always an expensive proposition with produce - I finally found celtuce, sold as aa choy sum by an Asian market that delivers to me. I love it in salad, in stir fry, and added to celeriac remoulade. Sometimes it can be disappointing to find a new ingredient and realize that the flavor isn't strong - you're not going to be knocked over by celtuce in the way you are when you first discover ramps or finger limes - but in this case, the texture and the not-really-celery flavor are so satisfying. Maybe even moreso during a New England winter.
Dates! We recently retired to the Palm Springs area which is like the date capital of US or something. Date shakes are amazing! Now I have to figure out what else to do with these little sweeties! Any ideas?
Take Mejool dates, slice them open and remove the pits, fill with fresh chevre that you have mixed with a bit of fennel pollen or ground fennel seed and ground lavender. Warm briegly and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and grated lemon zest. I guarantee that people will freak out when they taste them!
Zora Margolis, you win! These sound incredible!
I also sprinkle with Maldon salt.
Sticky Toffee Pudding & Bacon Wrapped Dates with Bourbon Sauce
I love bacon wrapped dates, we make bacon wrapped shrimp at the same time. What kind of bourbon sauce?
one that you would use on bread pudding, nothing fancy, we have garnished with gold leafed fresh ground pepper and lime zest for the holidays.
Add them to a cheese platter with some nuts.
If you go to Shield's Date Garden in Indio get Barhi dates, which are too tender to sell on a commercial basis, as they easily get crushed. They are the most flavorful, creamy dates of all the varieties, and you don't need to do anything beyond popping them in your mouth and swooning.
No-bake oat and date energy balls! Tons of recipes online, I like ones that add peanut butter, but the simplest (oats, dates) is also delicious!
Brownies- dates, walnuts and raw cacao
Mejool dates with pit removed. Crunchy almond or peanut butter in cavity. Close it up and roll into melted dark chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt. Freeze for 30 mins for chocolate to harden. It’s like a very delicious Snickers knock off:)
In a food processor cream four dates with two ripe bananas and two -if you like it on the darker and bitter side three-tablespoons good quality cacao. Freeze. Your perfect guilt free ice-cream is ready.
Check out datelady.com for their delicious sauces and lots of ideas. The smoked maple date syrup and chocolate spread are amazing!
BTW it's thedatelady.com My wife was wondering why I was on a dating site. LOL!!!
Oops!! Sorry about that!! 🤦🏼♀️
Now this is interesting. I got rid of my old smoker when I moved and I'm looking at replacements. I'm originally from maple country in NY so I have a jug of really good maple. Thank you! You got my creative juices flowing. :)
I’m really enjoying Miyoko’s plant based dairy products. She’s got quite a few now
Kishibori soy sauce and yuzu juice. Combined with white balsamic vinegar and toasted walnut oil, it makes the most delectable salad dressing imaginable.
Recipe, please?!
Hi Diana, I just tip everything into the bowl. The ingredients I use: Kishibori brand soy sauce, Kitagawamura brand yuzu juice, La Tourangelle toasted walnut oil, and whatever sweet vinegar I have open, usually either white balsamic or moscato. You don't need a lot of yuzu, maybe a teaspoon.
NYShuk's preserved lemon paste: from zipping it into homemade labneh to mixing it with grated parmesan on pasta, it's just the kind of brightness that I need in the middle of a Montreal winter. I use it judiciously since I need mules to bring it up to Canada, but what a terrific taste! (All their products have zing, but this one is tops.)
Escuminac organic yellow birch syrup, savory not sweet, adds umami to sauces, especially duck or other game birds.
Love Vacche Rosse cheese from Guistiamo.com
The cheese is actually at the below link. Sorry for the incorrect link. Although it is pricey , it is so worth it.
https://www.gustiamo.com/vacche-rosse-cheese/
I haven't discovered it yet, but I'm going to make them: Poor Man's Capers - I grow tons of nasturtiums and I have a recipe for the pickled pods. I'm a secret devourer of real capers (straight from the bottle!) so I'm wondering what these will be like, supposed to be "more mustardy" so I guess like the nasturtium flowers?...anybody made them or tasted them?
I purchased some a few years ago in a little foodie boutique in Quebec.I too love capers and always have 3 to 4 types on hand. I didn't care for these.
thanks!
Probably well known, but Momofuku's chili crunch and soy sauce. It seems it's more and more availabe.
Ghee!
My latest food love is Soom's Dark Chocolate Tahini with Sea Salt (not just their regular chocolate one). It is amazing! I get it from Milk Street: https://store.177milkstreet.com/products/soom-dark-chocolate-sea-salt-sweet-tahini-spread?_pos=8&_sid=df313a531&_ss=r
Spicy chili crisp, same here, am I late to the tasty party? I also just made this jammy "soup" base after watching a show on Netflix called Nadyia's Time to Cook. It really works, easy workday meals. I even bought Vegemite but have not used it. It smells a bit funky. I'll report back.
Guam’s Shiitake Mushroom Crisps found in LA. Threw them in a poke bowl for a nice crunch.
Grains of Paradise! The name made me curious.
Colatura!
I went on the website of Salt Spring Mussels, hoping to order some, but it appears they do not sell them retail..? Does anyone know? Thanks!
I'm not sure where you are located but if you are near the west coast of BC, local stores carry them. I live on Vancouver island in British Columbia and we can get them. Maybe a trip is in your future ;-)
A long drive from Sacramento... We had stayed on the Salt Spring Island in the past(!). Didn't know about the mussels then. Next time it is!
Mentioning kumquats, brought to mind the martini I make with gin, a little falernum, and a garnish of quarters kumquat. Delicious!