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In the News, History, Fennel Pollen, Recipes and more at chefshop.com/enews |
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| Recipes | Chef's Pantries | Shop for Food & Ingredients | Food Blog |
As seen in The Wall Street Journal SOMA's Gianduja Roasted Hazelnut Drinking Chocolate "For Nutella Nuts Gianduja Roasted Hazelnut Drinking Chocolate (chefshop.com) from the Toronto chocolatier SOMA chocolatemaker is basically Nutella in hot chocolate form. And, like Nutella, it is thick enough to eat with a spoon." -- GABRIELLA GERSHENSON - Wall Street Journal, Feb, 2021 SOMA says: Slow roasted hazelnuts meet roasted cocao in an all out battle for the senses. Add cream into the mix and you have a sweet and nutty flavour bomb. Don't be shy with how to indulge, add espresso to make the classic Italian "Bicerin", pour it on pancakes or your favorite dessert or eat it straight up. Approved by squirrels everywhere. It's so easy to make - to make 2 servings. Boil water - bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add Chocolate - add 6 tablespoons of dry mix. Mix - reduce heat to a simmer and whisk until thick and smooth. This is your liquid chocolate. How to enjoy: Intense Shot - serve 1/4 cup of liquid chocolate "as is" in a shot glass. Traditional - in a mug add 3/4 cup of hot milk or hot water to 1/4 cup of liquid chocolate. Shop Now for SOMA Roasted Hazelnut Gianduja Milk Chocolate! |
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chocolate Spice Rub Recipe Inspired by our mention in an issue of the Saveur 100. It is a nice twist to a more traditional pork tenderloin, and will produce beautiful results when you prepare and grill the loin properly. You can adjust the size of the tenderloin depending on how many you are serving. This recipe will easily work for smaller or larger tenderloins. Any unused rub can be stored in a container in the fridge for up to two weeks. See the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chocolate Spice Rub Recipe ! |
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Fennel Pollen Chicken Wicked easy recipe This recipe is wicked easy. The key for making it different from other chicken dishes is simply Fennel Pollen. This is a great recipe to take this spice and turn it into your drug of choice in the kitchen! Click here to see the Fennel Pollen Chicken Recipe! |
Magical fairy dust Fennel pollen hunter The history of magical dust is a long and secret story that is rarely shared amongst mere mortals. This secret is not in the history books but is, in fact, shared in code via the secret communicator called children’s stories. Our story starts here in the ancient library of Britain. We had gone to look for Shakespeare, but instead we found a guy named Benedict, an actor in disguise as Hamlet, who knew of the origins we seek. He spoke to us in iambic pentameter about fairy & pixie dust and the importance of the Leprechaun’s pot of gold. He said that the original origins of the secret dust comes from Italy in Umbria and that a special man named Eugenio had carried on and had passed on the secret of capturing this pot of gold, known commonly as Wild Umbrian Fennel Pollen, with love to his son, Giuseppe. The secret lies in the gathering of the pollen, he continued. Selecting only the best and the brightest yellow amongst all the flora in the summer and carefully shaking the florets to relieve and capture just the pollen. It is then dried in the shade, away from the harshness of the God Helios. It is this attention to the process and detail that makes Italian fennel pollen magical. The process takes an enormous amount of time and patience is required. The result is indeed, the fairy dust we seek. This Wild Umbrian Fennel Pollen is like no other on the planet. Its yellow coloring is created by microscopic little angels, mimicking a flower. And like the magical stories we have read it only takes a tiny dusting to change our palates forever! Transforming fowl or fish, or a touch to a green vegetable, it is amazing what this secret mythical “dust" can do! You can feel the heartbeat of the pixie in every bite! Shop now for Italian Fennel Pollen! |
Black Sesame Toffee Brittle Super fun Candy! Toffee is so easy to make. Sugar, butter, water and toppings. And even though it so easy to make, I never want to. Toffee is such a super treat to eat, I love it when someone else makes it! It's a gift of simplicity rewarded with a crunch, bite, and flavor! And this toffee? It is not too sweet, it is a great refreshing treat, and it is not thick, like some. Instead it is thin and svelte. The break is the toffee and not your teeth! In the package the view is shards of toffee. Each piece is different in shape and size. One side is flat chocolate, the flip side is topped with small white sesame seeds against the contrasting dark chocolate. And when you look closely you can see the black sesame seeds commingling with the chocolate and the other sesame seeds. The first bite is joyous, a crunch that is easy to do, an explosion of subtle flavor of chocolate, with the toasted sesame on the edges of the tongue to tingle and espouse flavor twisties of change. There is a lot more sesame flavor than just what is on top...look closely at the edge and you will see the black sesame is in the toffee, too! Some of the pieces are bigger than a mouthful and need to be snapped into smaller, enjoyable mini-bite size pieces. Don't be afraid though, the dark chocolate won't melt (unless you have hot hands) when you lightly hold it to make the break. It snaps so easily (and is strangely rewarding) that you start breaking with abandon! The enjoyment factor with a small piece is so much better because a large piece gives you a mouthful of "candy" which you consume because you are forced to chew and swallow. With a small, thumb-size piece you can taste the chocolate, enjoy the crunch of the sugar which blends with the dark chocolate and gets the sesame on the edge of your tongue. You finish with clean molars, and a lovely dark chocolate flavor that makes you want to suck in your cheeks and the sesame. When you are done with a piece or more, the joy of the bite is still with you to enjoy for quite some time. How good is that! Leaving a good taste in your mouth (instead of bad like the news does) is a wonderful thing! Shop now for fun Black Sesame Seed Toffee Brittle Candy! |
Black Ginger with Hebesu Citrus Like all good stories it started with the taste of a magical potion. An elixir guaranteed to induce love. (Merriam Webster, 1843). This Ginger Syrup is indeed full of love. And like much love, it is more complex than what’s on the surface or in a name. First, Ginger draws you in because you know she is so good for your core (protects and heals the gut, hastens movement in your gastrointestinal tract, increases your defenses against the flu and common cold) and because she turns on the spirit in your taste buds. The sweet smell is sugary ginger, recognizable, yet not. A large sample has a sweet syrup gulp that has a drying feel in the upper cheeks. A gulp like this finishes with a tangy tingly feel on the tip of the tongue and a burn like a fresh Italian olive oil in the upper back of the throat. And because of that memory you expect a cough to ensue. It does not. Maybe a “uh hum” might be extrapolated from your voice box. Though really, this elixir likes to be sipped and not gulped. A large sipping spoon seems to the best way to savor this aperitif. When sipping and swirling in your mouth cavity you get a feeling of “oh that is really good”. The combination of the Hebesu, Ginger sugar syrup and the Black Ginger blends into magic! You want more, though a little is all you need. This is really, really good stuff!! Your mouth tingles in a delightful way as you sit back in your chair and close your eyes and remember the last time you were in a crowd. First they start with premium Miyazaki raw ginger from local farmers and cook at a simmer with Okinawa cane sugar. This removes the typical ginger kick and creates a full-flavored ginger syrup. This handmade syrup is an all day process yielding a small batch of bottles per day. Considered a local delicacy, Hebesu Citrus is a unique citrus from Miyazaki Prefecture. With a bright, rich, green color known for its vitamin C and citric acid, the fruit is believed to slow the aging process. Some limited studies show that this citrus may have special oxygen related strengths. The black ginger is made by aging Miyazaki premium ginger in a special environment of humidity and temperature for 3 weeks. Because the process transforms the ginger into a very hard product it is ground to a fine powder. Though only 5% of the final product, its spicy umami gives you the unique flavor that is not easily identifiable. All that tingly tongue feel you get is from the black ginger. It’s the reason you keep coming back for more!!! This unique aged black ginger is 57 times higher in gingerol than regular raw ginger, helping to raise your body temperature faster. This may help enhance blood circulation and prevent cold limbs. These four elements are mixed together to create this delicious, excited, moving, inspiring and yes, to quote “yummy” elixir! Don’t be fooled, though your taste buds will revel in the multi-layer flavor and punch, it pairs with simple things. Don’t think you can add it to a soup and get results. Or top some dish and know it is there. As soft and supple as it is, it prefers to be quiet with a quiet punch all alone in your mouth. A nice French pastry, like a napoleon, shares nicely and both complement each other. Testing continues.... Or, do as Venus does and add Vodka. I prefer a spoonful at night before bedtime. Shop now for Black Ginger Syrup with Hebesu Citrus! |
Black Garlic Ketchup Healthy longevity comes from eating Black Garlic! This very dark gourmet ketchup is nothing like the red stuff we have used our whole lives. In fact, it does not resemble anything we have had before. Though, I am thinking that the next burger I make will have this as the condiment of excellence. Like most ketchups it has vinegar, acid and tomato. And the similarity stops there. To the nose, Hawkshead black garlic ketchup has a big twingy tickle from the acetic acid - balsamic vinegar. To the tip of the tongue, it is sweet. And to the mouth, it is a squeeze in the cheeks pleasure. It took a couple of “tastes” to notice the little bits of garlic. At the end, some of the time, there is a tickle in the back of the throat. The flavor of this gourmet ketchup is not “garlic”, at least not to the taste buds. It takes some cheek smacking to get the garlic… the flavor is much more about the complete experience. Sweet twinge of good with hints of Balsamic and caramel. This is like an extension enhancement of black garlic into a ready to pour form! To make black garlic you heat a full head of white garlic at 150 degrees for several weeks. The browning action is created by Maillard reaction and is not caramelization. The sharpness in fresh garlic is transformed as it breaks down over time and minimizes the strong flavor. It has been around for a long time, long associated with longevity and even immortality, black garlic is rich in color, rich in flavor, with roundness, fullness and lots of fun when it is packed like a gourmet ketchup. Shop now for Hawkshead Black Garlic Ketchup! |
Black Lemon Scrappy's Bitters A "Black Lemon" is an earthy, smoky, spice commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking, and contrary to what the name suggests, is actually a dehydrated lime, but the name of the spice was a mistranslation from Arabic to English ages ago. Despite not having any actual "black lemon" in this bitters, the bright and fresh lemon flavor has rich floral notes and deep earthy spices that are reminiscent of the "black lemon," hence the name. By far our favorite of Scrappy's products - not that we don't like everything Mill's makes! It has a citrus punch that can't be beat - but with an unusual twist. You will have people wondering what the heck you put in their cocktail! Shop Now for Black Lemon Bitters from Scrappy's! |
Black Elderberry Amazing D'Arbo Syrup Nothing compares to the D'arbo fruit syrups. The Black elderberry is unique and delicious - a perfect companion to the elderflower. Perfect as a dessert topping, or in your bar pantry. Shop Now for Black Elderberry D'Arbo Syrup! |
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Black Squid Ink Linguine al Frutti di Mare Recipe So simple, and so good - if you can find the right seafood. This recipe includes just about all the shell fish and crustaceans you can find, but it is just as good with one or two of them. See the recipe Squid Black Ink Linguine al Frutti di Mare! |
Black ink of the Cuttlefish Do you care that your squid ink is from the cuttlefish? Should you care? Probably not. Unless you want jet black color. The squid has an “ink” that is a super deep purple and not as viscous as the cuttlefish, which produces a jet black jelly like “ink”. It is awesome stuff. The ink is all about healthy good stuff and though the research is limited, melanin may have some amazing benefits for your health. And melanin is what makes the rich color happen. The ink also has polysaccharides, copper, calcium, cadmium, and amino acids like alanine, aspartic, leucine and taurine acid. In history, the ink has been used for writing, medicine, cosmetics, art and for food! What can you do with this black ink? Make your risotto black. Make your pasta black. Make your croissants and bread black. Your cookies, ice cream, waffles, what fun to change things around. Think of the pasta or the rice as a background for a colorful topping like a lobster. Even more exciting is to make something new...don’t overwhelm the plate with all black, though that’s pretty cool. Take something unexpected and turn it black! It’s art first! The flavor is everything from nothing to the sea. The deeper the color invasion, the richer the umami flavor of the sea you will get. It only takes a little to make a change and the flavor is an enhancer. Octopus is a type of mollusk with 8 tentacles. A Nautilus is a mollusk and can have 90. The squid and the cuttlefish are Cephalopoda, which is also a type of mollusk. They have 8 arms and 2 tentacles. Squid are sleek and fast with a flexible body called a pen. Cuttlefish are broader and slower. They move by undulating long fins broader with an internal shell called the cuttlebone. Cuttlefish are part of the order Sepiida which includes the flamboyant cuttlefish and the striped pajama squid. Squid are part of the order called Teuthida which includes the Caribbean reef squid, giant squid and the short-finned squid. And it is true that the vampire squid is the sole member of the Vampyromorphida order. Have fun! It’s Magic! Shop Now for the Jet Black Cuttlefish Squid Ink from Spain! |
Black Cherry Preserves from the Basque Region! Open the jar of Confiture de Cerises Noires, and whilst you inhale the inner sweetness, your inner nose tingles with a tickly lovely feel. These Black Cherry Preserves are just plain (4 ingredients) perfect. Look inside the jar and you see dark, dark red hues. You can see the small cherry shape in its own liquid. It is all enticing as you dive in with a cautious spoon to have your first taste. And what a wonderful experience! Not so tart that you wish you never tried it (like many over-processed cherries in a jar) and not even close to being pucker crazy with too much sugar. These Cherries got flavor! These little “incroyable” rare “cerises noires” (black cherries) are harvested near the village of Itxassou in the French Basque Country. So rare today that just 3 tons are harvested each year. (In contrast, Washington State produced 237,000 tons of cherries in 2015). A softness that is not mushy, the skin disappears altogether as you “macher”. Ideas pop into your head on how you can bring this cherry into your life. Traditionally used for Gateau Basque, simply Basque Cake, “the cake of the house”, these special cherries are “parfait” in a cream puff, in a croissant, topping vanilla ice cream, or on every piece of cheesecake. And it’s not just for sweets, think of a soft cheese or the core to a lovely duck sauce! With just a twist of the wrist to remove the lid you will expose your inner taste buds to a unique slice of food heaven with these black cherry preserves! Shop now for Black Cherry Preserves from the Basque Region! |
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Charred Cherry Tomatoes with Yogurt and Urfa Pepper Recipe We have used this recipe as an appetizer dip. Just need to use a sturdy chip for dipping, like a Sumac Pita Chip. Adapted from Yoten Ottolenghi's SIMPLE cookbook. See the Charred Cherry Tomatoes with Yogurt and Urfa Pepper Recipe! |
Black Pepper and Strawberry Jam from Hawkshead Relish Many years ago some friends from Italy introduced Mark and Maria to the idea of black pepper and strawberries. The freshly ground pepper brings out the strawberry flavor if you use just enough pepper to add flavor but not any heat. This jam is delicious and has quickly become a favorite in our home. Shop now for Hawkshead Strawberry and Black Pepper Jam! |
Black Garlic Molasses a spoonful of food Heaven! Black garlic is a natural “reaction” of sugar & amino acids in fresh garlic, turning into a gooey sticky, black inky, celestial, musical, sweet flavor rich, umami-packed taste. Louis Camille Maillard, a professor of medicine at the University of Paris took on the "study of the reaction of amino acids & sugar" in 1912. His work won several awards, including the French Academy of Medicine in 1914 and was rewarded with the reaction being named after him. And though you might not be familiar with black garlic (at least tasting it), the Maillard Reaction that created it you have tasted. Coffee roasting is a Maillard Reaction. And so is the browning of meats when grilled, crust that has darkened in pretzels, chocolate and even malted barley! The Maillard Reaction is everywhere, at least when you are eating. Understand that caramelization is not the same, though similar in many ways, Maillard is a reaction that involves the amino acids. Caramelization is pyrolysis of specific sugars. Pyrolysis is organic material exposed to high temperatures, such as lava coming in contact with a tree. Effectively char. Simply, Maillard Reaction is the process of cooking meat to perfection versus my cooking on a BBQ grill and creating char. Black Garlic Molasses tasting notes. To the nose, it smells like garlic. A lot like a jar of crushed garlic, except black garlic molasses has a hint of sweetness. To the taste buds, it's a totally different sensation. It comes across your mouth like a sweet, squeezable sensation that you will be sucking your cheeks in for more. The first taste, in a big swig spoonful, is a sweetness that is not too sweet. It’s like a spoonful of sugar without being too sugary. And as the finish finishes and the sensation drifts away, the garlic flavor rolls around your mouth as you chase it moving your tongue up and down while your cheeks involuntarily move in and out! It is like nothing you have ever had at the same time being totally familiar. Order our black garlic online and save yourself the trouble of experimenting with a Maillard Reaction. If you want to know how to use black garlic molasses, here's a little secret: don't push the cork back in all the way. Part way will keep the garlic sealed off from air but won't get the lip of the lid gooey. Shop now for Black Garlic Molasses! |
Colomba The Panettone Easter Cake Sometimes, no matter the season or the reason, it's good to have a dove shaped bread to share with those closest to you. Just like the ever-loved Christmas Panettone, except they are shaped like a dove to represent a symbol of innocence, gentleness, and affection. On the inside, the Colomba Easter cake is the same cake as the panettone; the luscious bread made with lots of butter, eggs, sugar, some flour, and a 60 plus year old starter yeast. On the outside, they all have sweet sugar glazes giving them added sweetness and moisture. It will have been about 90 days since we last sank our teeth into a lemon panettone. And, it will be another 240 days until we can have another. Extremely limited supply. Shop now for Colomba Easter Cakes |
Apricot from Albertengo Colomba Instead of the usual raisins and candied citron, this wonderful Colomba from Albertengo - Master Panettone Maker - is studded with chunks of local apricots, whose slight tartness are the perfect complement to the rich, sweet bread surrounding them. Like all the wonderful Colomba from Albertengo, this one is light and buttery, has a soft texture with no icing that will melt in your mouth. Just like the lemon, everyone loves the one fruit breads! Perfect for the panettone or Colomba lover in your life. Shop now for Albertengo Apricot Colomba! |
ChefShop Cocoa Powder! Cocoa Powder Hot Chocolate Recipe This is a classic hot cocoa recipe - perfect if made with a rich, high-fat, unsweetened cocoa powder like ChefShop Cocoa Powder, and whole milk or half-and-half from your local dairy. Ingredients: 1/2 cup India Tree Super Fine Caster Sugar 3/4 cup ChefShop Cocoa Powder 2 1/2 cups whole milk OR 2 cups whole milk and 1/2 cup whole cream 1/4 teaspoon fine Trapani Sea Salt 1/2 teaspoon Heilala Vanilla Extract Directions: Mix sugar, 1/2 & 1/2, cocoa powder and salt together in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture gets to just below boiling and the sugar has dissolved. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Blend and serve immediately. Mocha "I use this cocoa powder to make mocha's at my coffee shop, everyone loves this chocolate!" -- kevin Shop now for Cocoa Powder! |
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Got questions? Call or email and we will do our best to answer your questions! We love sharing our taste opinions about all our products. STORE HOURS BACK TO NORMAL: Monday thru Saturday: 10 to 5 Closed Sunday. Please let us know if you would like a private shopping time and we will do our best to accommodate you. We now have multiple HEPA medical grade air filters running 24 hours a day now in the shop. Please keep in mind we are limiting the number of people in the shop at one time and masks are required. Please if you are feeling sick for any reason please choose a different time to visit. We may perform random temperature checks. | |
#1 Best Seller Last Week! Cold Pressed Quince Syrup!! Surrounded by a forest, the orchards of Pojer e Sandri Estate grow the Ronda and Silver quince species organically. In the fall they harvest the quince and hand select the fruit to be cold pressed in a unique vacuum process. This unique process concentrates the flavors, creates a sweetness without sugar or heat, transforming the quince into a syrup. Open the jar and you get an instant waft of a recognizable smell...really a combination of recognizable smells. Is it plum or tropical fruit? It is definitely quince. It has a wonderful mahogany color in the spoon that is more like a rich, oak color when dry. To the nose, it has all those elements described above and not a twinge or twisty acetic hit but a sweet alluring tartness. At the point of taste (and anticipation), this unique and very wonderful sweet fruitiness starts and rolls around as you press your tongue up to the roof of your mouth where there is a tartness that explodes as it marries with the flavor of the fruitiness. This is the essence of the quince. The tongue speaks on its own about the tickles of tartness interspersed with sweetness of sweet. From savory foods to sweet with drinks in between, this syrup is crazy versatile. Ready to go and even marry with soft or hard cheese, a good pork chop, or in a unique martini, shaken or stirred. This very special, unusual, unique, Cold Pressed Quince Syrup is absolutely wonderful. Truly culinary happiness. Shop now for Cold Pressed Quince Syrup! 
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Store Hours - Monday thru Friday 10 to 5, Saturday 10 to 5 If your order has been confirmed as "ORDER READY FOR PICKUP" in email (or you were called) and want it brought to you in the parking lot, call us when you arrive and we will run it out to you. 206-286-9988 ChefShop.com 1425 Elliott Ave W Seattle, Wa 98119 206-286-9988 Our bigger parking lot is north of the shop and next door (south of) Champions Party Supply. Easy to reach and wide open parking lot. Click here to see the map. |
| This Week's Recipes |
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Roasted Red Potatoes & Garlic Cloves Recipe Macadamia & Coconut Sprinkle Recipe Adapted from Susan Hermann Loomis' new cookbook, Nuts in the Kitchen. She recommends it as an addition to both, sweet and savory dishes. Suggestions include: breakfast cereal, hot oatmeal, pancakes, atop rice, or just eat it by the spoonful. Gambas al Pil-Pil (Sizzling Shrimp with Garlic) with Chermoula Dipping Sauce Recipe A classic Spanish Tapas with a Moroccan twist -- this is a simple way to add more flavorful Chermoula into your diet and it's as simple as simple can be. If you're not used to cooking shrimp, don't be afraid - this recipe is so simple, you'll be making it all the time once you take the plunge and make it the first time. Just make sure the shrimp are de-veined when you buy them, and you should be set. This recipe calls for medium shrimp, but can easily be made with bigger shrimp -- although the bigger the shrimp the longer the cooking time. Also, traditional recipes will call to sauté your shrimp in olive oil - but be we do not recommend that. Although the olive oil may survive the medium-heat sauté, it will definitely not survive the high-heat sauté. Use Rice Bran Oil instead, and then if you still want that added fresh olive oil flavor, drizzle on afterwards. You can also serve this over spaghattini pasta to give it an Italian bent. So simple! |
| See what you missed in previous Newsletters |
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Cold Pressed Quince, Green Walnut, Risotto, Recipes and More Chocolate Chips, Crumbles, Lemon Curd, Recipes Jam, Chocolate, Pickles, Relish, Recipes |
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