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101, Picked-at-Their-Peak cherries, Whiskey Barrel Aged, Moscatel, Recipes at chefshop.com/enews |
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Time to get up early, Cherry Season has begun! The alarm goes off early, well in advance of when I need to roll out of bed. I do this so I won’t leap up and make my heart go crazy. That is never a good way to start an 18 hour day. Though it will be a couple hours before the sun rises above the Cascade Mountain foothills, the sky has lightened to a dark deep blue. One of the best things about cherry season, besides the cherries themselves, is the early morning air. It smells so pure, so summer, so ripe. For me, being on the road is a wonderful feeling of freedom. It’s just me, myself, the truck, the road, and for awhile, the empty highways. I have driven this route for years. I know exactly when the sun will peek over the edge of the foothills; I know when to pull the visor down to block the big glowing orb before it clears the horizon; I know when the traffic will pick up just before I exit the main highway and head for the second pass I will summit. Out here, there are large swaths of no cell service or radio signal and it’s too early to listen to an intelligent podcast, not that I ever listen to those. No, it is either music from my youth, or nothing. I often prefer nothing. I always try to arrive early to say hello and to prep the van with foil blankets for the return trip. We load the van with individual 8 pound boxes of cherries, leveled out and strapped down, then covered with another layer of bubble foil blankets to ensure nothing moves for the return trip. Before I even pull out to head home, I open a box to inspect and to see the glorious cherries all together. I have never been disappointed. I keep a box of the cherries up front, riding shotgun, so that I can taste test them all the way back to Seattle. Quality control is important. This June, this year, this fruit is going to represent change to me. A change of seasons, a change of life, a change for the better for everyone! A good fruit is like a good egg, with its intention to put a smile on your face. At least for the one blissful moment, one mouthful, one bite, the sweet cherry flavor will act like a time transporter exploding with personality, happiness, flavor, and love. The fruit ripen on their own schedule; the Early Robins will be the first this year and are expected to be picked in three short days from now. Order now if you want Early Robins! Order Now for Picked-at-their-Peak sweet Washington Early Robin Cherries! |
Happy Birthday - 100 years Plus one! What do you make for your Mom on her birthday? And what do you make when it is her 101st birthday? Lobster? Did that last week. Peking Duck? Did that last year. Keep in mind, when you get older that your taste buds don’t work as well as they used to, though your memory of what things taste like does and that combination doesn’t often jibe. And though the crispy bits are one of the best memories, crispy and hard to chew may not work that well with your teeth and jaw anymore. Softer foods are best, though none of us wants to be eating “old people” retirement foods, especially my mother. These days when you get a gaggle of people together there are dietary restrictions of all kinds, and it can be a pretty long list as we figure out what works for us and what doesn’t. We went with a mix of flavors and reliable recent winners. Eel in a marination of soy sauce and mirin. Swordfish in butter. And we made a new recipe of Honey and Harissa Chicken Thighs with Worcestershire. For vegetables we had our basic cut-in-small-pieces zucchini tossed in the wok with rice bran oil, followed by Napa Cabbage tossed in the same wok to steam, then mixed with a ginger purée once off the heat. We had reliable basic rice and Marc’s Amazing Mashed Potatoes, perhaps the favorite of everything for the brunch. We also had onions and garlic scapes cooked in butter, which turned out to be the perfect topping for the mashed potatoes. The pastry desserts - there were six different pastries - are my Mom’s favorites; they came from Rosellini’s in the Ballard area of Seattle, who always make beautiful and delicious cakes and baked goods! It was a pretty easy meal to make. The chicken baked and the potatoes boiled, whilst we cut the vegetables. The onions and garlic scapes simmered. The pre-cooked eel was plated to be microwaved at the last second. The rice sat in the cooker ready to go. Then in a few minutes' time, when all arrived, the potatoes were mashed and seasoned, the zucchini was tossed, the cabbage was turned and steamed, the eel was nuked and we were eating. It was nice to talk about food, memories and no conversation of crazy politics or even of disease. It was fun. Check out everything in the newsletter here! |
Honey Harissa Chicken Thighs with Worcestershire Recipe! Marinate overnight in a zip bag and bake in a tight fitting pan to keep the thighs in liquid. So simple and easy, and very little hands on time involved. See the Honey Harissa Chicken Thighs with Worcestershire Recipe here! |
Moroccan Harissa From Mehdi Fresh and made-to-order. This is Mehdi's family recipe from Casablanca. Smooth with texture, just right! Use on everything! Harissa is not one of those condiments that has only one authentic recipe. In fact, from town to town, region to region, it can vary from a little to a lot, from texture to ingredients, and from how hot or not so much. Of all the ones we have tried this is the very best! Here, in this jar, is Mehdi's mom's recipe. Authentic to his family, Mehdi strived to recreate Moroccan Harissa as if it were made at home in his kitchen growing up. The Villa Jerada Harissa represents the story of Mehdi returning back to his Moroccan roots. After three years of development and many trials and tribulations it has now arrived. Made in small batches every week or so for the local chefs, we benefit with small shipments as well, bringing you this special Harissa. Shop now for Villa Jerada Moroccan Harissa! |
Citrus Blossom Honey Honey like you want it to be! This honey is just like you want honey to be. Super smooth, delicate, and sweet with a flavor uniqueness that is fully recognizable. This honey is honey with a delicate citrus flower nuance. At room temperature it pours and spoons like a smooth honey. An aroma of orange and lemon blossoms jumps out of the jar the second you open it. The next thing you'll notice is that the honey is golden and pourable like acacia honey. The flavor opens with a heavenly sweetness and a nice citrus acidity that quickly moves to a heavenly lightness. This is a truly outstanding honey, and you can use it in your tea and much, much more - try it on pancakes or French toast and use it instead of cane sugar in your cakes and cookies. And it is perfect for marinades! The bees that produce this sweet and delicate orange and lemon blossom honey also hold the very important job of pollinating the myriad citrus trees that make Tulare County in central California one of the premier citrus growing regions. Gathered especially for Katz and Company from hives placed in lemon, orange, and a few grapefruit groves, these citrus blossom honeys are absolutely pure - gathered from the hive and filled directly into the jars with no additives. Many commercially produced honeys are heated and diluted with water to increase their yield, and oftentimes this may create problems with crystallization. This golden orange honey is silky smooth and perfect for morning toast, or for drizzling over granola or plain yogurt. We must confess this is our favorite way to sweeten freshly brewed tea. Shop now for Citrus Blossom Honey! |
Col Pabst Malt Amber-Lager Worcestershire Sauce The very best! Worcester - Wuster or Wooster Shire is sure, like New Hampshire (new hamp sure, in case you didn't know). The secret recipe for Worcestershire Sauce was designed by John Lea and William Perrins, two chemists, in Worcester, England in 1837. The original is still...well...real and tastes original. The BBC says that there have been over 30 variations of the original Worcestershire sauce sold. As the saying goes, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. And sometimes you can make something similar but not the same and even make it better. Col Pabst All Malt Amber-Lager Worcestershire made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is better. Way better! Starting with fresh Milwaukee Amber Lager and then blending in 21 all-natural ingredients, along with Tamarind and Anchovies, Col Pabst adds Grenadine, Ginger and Madras Curry. Aged in small batches this Worcestershire sauce is more like a fine balsamic than an ingredient. To the nose, it is like a sweet, hint of anchovy fish sauce, with twists and turns that are hard to identify. It twinkles in the nostrils and is very enticing. To the mouth, the sauce has a saltiness, a sweetness and this wonderful complex flavor that rolls around, begging you to taste a little more. You can sip this and sip some more. It is pretty gosh darn good! (Try sipping those other sauces and feel the burn and not in a good way). Of course, you can use it anywhere Worcestershire sauce is called for...and more. Pretty much where you think it will work, it will! Shop now for Col Pabst Malt Amber-Lager Worcestershire! |
Napa Cabbage with Ginger Purée Recipe Super quick and easy to make if you have everything ready. Adding sesame seeds as a finish is nice. Use the "ginger water" for rice. See the Stir-Fried Napa Cabbage with Ginger Purée recipe here |
Haku Whiskey Barrel Aged Shoyu This shoyu has the mysterious hint, or is it a hit, of that wonderful whiskey barrel. The whiskey doesn't hide behind the shoyu, instead it is part of the overall flavor. At the same time it doesn't scream whiskey. On the contrary it is more like a twist, a wonderful twist. This shoyu is first brewed using the traditional shoyu making methods of the Mushiro Koji process. So Haku starts with exceptional shoyu. Then the shoyu masters age the shoyu in Japanese Whiskey barrels made from Mizunara Hard Wood, a type of Japanese Oak. This traditionally fermented and aged Japanese shoyu is amazing, delivering umami and that special something, all in one bottle. If you like quality shoyu, you will like this one hands down. The flavor is not overbearing, but delicate with a touch of sweetness, that gives it just that little bit of extra touch that is amazing. A must have, for sure! Shop now for Haku Mitzunara Whiskey Barrel Aged Shoyu! |
Toasted Sesame oil perfect and essential for marinades! This golden brown, toasted sesame oil adds a rich, nutty flavor to your vinaigrettes, stir-fries and BBQ marinades. Not over-powering, this oil adds just the right amount of toasty sesame punch. Sesame oil, also known as Gingelly Oil and Til Oil, is an ancient ingredient. The Assyrians used it as a cooking oil more than 2500 years ago. It was an expensive delicacy back then, and a hundred years later in Persia, it was still an oil only the rich could afford. Today, it's still used as a medicine in India, and oil pressed from the raw sesame seeds is commonly used as a massage oil in Ayurvedic medicine. La Tourangelle has partnered with one of the oldest Japanese oil mills to bring you this toasted sesame oil, crafted in central Japan following traditional methods that are over 270 years old. Sesame seeds are slowly roasted using lower temperatures. The quality of Sesame Oil varies depending on the quality of the seeds, and the length and temperature of the toasting process. La Tourangelle's Japanese partner uses only the freshest, highest quality seeds that they then painstakingly clean and slow toast to produce the best quality product. All the while maintaining the integrity of the oil and creating a unique and wonderful flavor. The result is a lighter colored, more richly flavored oil with a subtle, toasted taste. Sesame seed oil is low in saturated fatty acid content and high in polyunsaturated fatty acid (about 40% omega 6 and 40% omega 9) content making it a very healthy oil - although best to keep it refrigerated once opened, as the high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids makes sesame oil somewhat delicate; medium smoke point of 275 degrees. Raw sesame oil has a much higher smoke point due to the high concentration of anti-oxidants, and raw is suitable for high-temperature cooking. Where toasted sesame oil is used primarily as a flavor-adding ingredient to Asian and Indian dishes. Shop now for Toasted Sesame Oil! |
Wadaman Salty Roasted Black Sesame Seeds! These are the best. Somehow they are the perfect combination of roasting and salt. If I could I would eat them by the bagful! The nose tells you wonderful things. Toasted black sesame has a distinct - and to me, a distinctly different - aroma from white sesame. I love both! This is just right, perfect really; salted and toasted sesame seeds are the bomb (that is so 80s). To the mouth, the tongue first gets this wonderful, pleasant salty hit, and then the toasted sesame comes thru in the bite. It's good! Shop now for Salty Roasted Black Sesame Seeds! |
Wild Rice from McKenzie Family Farms We have had some great wild rice and a lot of duds. This Wild Rice from McKenzie Farms is the best we have eaten since we began eating and selecting foods to share with you. Wild Rice is a type of grass that grows in shallow water. Wild rice grew in the shallow lakes and streams of the Northwest and northern California region. This rice grew wild in the 1700s and 1800. The Northwest Indigenous tribes introduced wild rice to the fur traders, who subsisted mainly on the fish they caught and the wild rice they then bought. The Indigenous people taught traders to eat the rice boiled plain or with maple sugar as a pudding, as well as to use it in soups and stews made with venison, bear, fish or fowl. Bring 3 cups water or stock to a boil, stir in 1 cup uncooked Wild Rice, reduce heat and simmer covered, 40-45 minutes or just until the kernels puff open. Uncover and fluff with a fork and simmer an additional five minutes. Drain off any excess liquid. Shop now for McKenzie Family Farms Organic Wild Rice! |
Amabito No Moshio Ancient Japanese Sea Salt As featured on Netflix Amabito No Moshio is the earliest known sea salt - produced by ancient Japanese nearly 2,500 years ago. Although Japan is an island, because of the country's humid, rainy climate, it has never been well-suited for large-scale dry salt production. Traditionally, ancient Japanese produced salt-ash. They produced it by spreading the local Hondawara seaweed on the beach to dry between storms, rinsing the plants in an isolated saltwater pool, and then boiling the brine with bits of remaining seaweed in a clay pot over a wood fire to evaporate the water, crystallize the salt, and reduce the seaweed pieces to ash. This salt-ash mixture, Moshio, became the staple salt of the region. Today the production of Moshio, ancient Japan sea salt, continues. The best one, Amabito No Moshio Japanese salt, comes from Kamagari Bussan using more modern methods of production. Unpolluted salt water is collected from the Seto-uchi Inland Sea and left in a large pool to stand for a while, evaporating some of the water and concentrating the salt solution. The concentrated seawater is then infused with Hon'dawara seaweed - adding seaweed to the salt water to infuse its flavor and color, as well as some minerals, including iodine. After some time, the seaweed is removed and the salt water is cooked in a large iron pot until it gradually begins to crystallize, becoming a mass resembling a chunky sherbet. This is then put into a centrifuge to extract more water. The last step in the process is to cook the salt mass in a large pot over an open fire, stirring continuously with a large wooden paddle. This removes almost all moisture and the salt becomes tiny, free-flowing granules. Amabito No Moshio ancient Japanese sea salt has a unique beige color and its flavor is round and rich due to the ample presence of minerals and other chemicals, including calcium, potassium, magnesium, iodine and rich umami flavor. Amabito No Moshio's unique color and delicious flavor is a perfect condiment for traditional Japanese fare such as tempura, sushi, sashimi or grilled seafood and meat. Add it to soups, braised dishes or simmered dishes, whether Japanese or Western style. Anything that requires salt will surely benefit from the natural sea minerals and rich umami flavor from the hon'dawara seaweed. Shop now for Amabito No Moshio Ancient Japanese Sea Salt! |
Lemon Curd from England History tells us lemon curd started as a curd - lemon acidulating cream forming curds that were then separated from the whey via cheesecloth. Thankfully the modern version involves lots of lemon, butter and sugar and it is smooth not lumpy! The bits of lemon zest give this otherwise super-smooth lemon curd something extra special! Perfect on toast for your afternoon tea, or use it to fill little pastry cups and top with whipped cream for a quick and delicious pot-luck dessert. Shop now for Lemon Curd! |
Moscatel Wine Vinegar from Espelt in Spain This warm, light-colored vinegar is first sweet, and as it moves to the back of the mouth, the throat gets a jolt of acid. If you “taste” with a little lip and tongue, there is a sweetness and a wonderful grape and peach flavor, and the acid is subtle and later. Its very light persona is not aggressive, with fruity notes, and will create a wonderful dressing. A dressing that would go well with summer bounty and delightfully well with fall harvest, too. There is woodiness that comes with it that adds a round, perhaps cushy, finish to your palate. It has a subtle approach which spreads out nicely, revealing all its nuances of flavors. What’s wonderful is that this vinegar is not mono-toned at all. It’s flavor profile is indeed white wine, yet, from a light, simple wine comes this quiet, flavor-rich vinegar! What fun! Shop now for Espelt Moscatel White Wine Vinegar |
Spiced Apricot and Cranberry Chutney Open the top of this chutney and get a pop and a quick burst of flavorful whiff! Look down from the very top and you will see things that are not quite identifiable. Most likely apricots and cranberries. If you look at the ingredients list on the side you will see there are many spices, flavors and stuff all put into this little jar. It looks exciting. Reading the ingredients makes it exciting! The nose gets a tingle and a twitch. Even if you want to savor the flavors as it enters your mouth you feel compelled to crunch. And there’s a lot of crunching going on. With the apricot providing most of the crunch, the finish of the biting is the skin of the cranberry. There are lots of flavors involved here. There’s citrus, there’s brown sugar, there’s onions, garlic, ginger, and zest, coriander seeds and a hint of cayenne pepper. Not exactly spicy, it’s not exactly not. It’s a good bunch of flavors mixed together and it’s quite delicious. I think it would pair well with a good hard cheese and a cracker or a very nice pork chop or pork medallions with a side of mashed potatoes. Even though this chutney is strong and assertive, one could eat the whole jar with a spoon! Shop now for Hawkshead Relish Spiced Apricot & Cranberry Chutney |
Marc's Best Mashed Potatoes Calories be damned! We had this last Sunday and it was delish!! Marc is not an eat-to-live or live-to-eat kind of human, what he is, is a fanatical eater who therefore loves to cook. When I asked Marc for a recipe, he texted me back instantly. You have to know Marc and know his pride in his children is giant, and in the text I could hear him yelling... "My daughter has a fantastic recipe for mashed potatoes. They are the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had. Is that good? Or is there something else you would like from me?" I responded with, "Anything you want to share that you want to make this time of year." He promptly sent his daughter's recipe. I was told that he and his daughter talk on the phone every Sunday about food. See Marc's Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe here! |
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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: 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 in the shop. Please keep in mind we are limiting the number of people in the shop at one time and masks are required. If you are feeling sick for any reason please choose a different time to visit. We may perform random temperature checks. | |
The Famous Bing Cherry Picked-at-Their-Peak Sweet Washington Cherries Did you know that: Cherries have been grown and eaten by man long before we kept written notes on such things. Turkey produces the most cherries in the world. Washington State grows more sweet cherries than any other state in the union. Cherries are good for keeping the doctor away. They are known to relieve the pain of gout and arthritis, prevent premature aging, cure migraines, and help you sleep! Fresh cherries are incredibly good for you, fighting inflammation, and oxidative stress, improving heart functionality, and keeping your brain healthy, and the fact is, if you eat one single cherry you feel emotionally happy! The first cherry tree in the Northwest was planted in 1847 in Oregon. Henderson Lewelling is the man who brought the trees to Oregon. His younger brother Seth, also a cherry farmer, worked with an orchard foreman from Manchuria, whose name was Ah Bing. As the story goes, they each had their rows of trees where they grew their own sweet red cherries. These two friends created many cherries together, including the Black Republican and Lincoln varieties. And the most famous sweet cherry, which Bing grew on his “rows”. To honor his friend, Seth Lewelling named the cherry Bing. Bing Cherries are a red cherry, though not all red cherries are Bings. In the grocer and the farmers' markets, all red cherries are often incorrectly called Bings. A real Bing, is juicy and tastes like you expect a cherry to taste - which is why we love them so much. These children of Prunus avium (wild cherries) are only available picked-at-their peak for a moment every year. That moment is now! Order your sweet Bing Cherries now! 
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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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Fennel, Grapefruit and Blood Orange Salad Recipe We had this for lunch the other day, and it really hit the spot. Ligurian Chickpea Polenta (Panissa) Recipe Garbanzo beans (or for Italians, Ceci Beans) are the third most popular legume. They are the main ingredient in a number of rustic dishes, and very popular in Liguria. Rich in protein, calcium and phosphorus and potassium, garbanzo bean flour is a common basic ingredient in Ligurian panissa and a chickpea Polenta, where it is mixed with oil, pearl onions, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Hot or cold, it is tasty when fried and cut into squares or strips. Pear, Arugula and Bacon Jam Panini Recipe |
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Cherries Now, Balsamic, Cookies Jaggery, Cherries, Chowder, Marmalade, Recipes Order Chocolate Now, 18 Month Su Entu, Recipes & More |
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