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New and familiar fun is arriving right now! at chefshop.com/enews |
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New and Familiar Fun is Arriving Right Now! The Best Foods to Have on Hand for Everyone! This year has been a roller coaster ride. Dramatic world events and events close to home - including natural and man-made disasters - can make you wonder if dieting is worth it. And as we try to adjust to the new normal of upsetting news, food traditions are more comforting than ever. This is the time of year when we look forward to making mashed potatoes, hams, fancy desserts, jello and pies, all sorts of pies! These are the traditional favorites we share with friends and family, and now is when the cookie people start their cooking/baking binge. While many of us binge-watch The Great British Baking Show, the cookie people start making all the cookies they made last year, and try a few more. You can only hope you know one of these cookie monsters and that they’re sending you a box of love filled with cookies! This is also the time to plop yourself down in your favorite wingback, and put your feet up to be warmed by the fire in the hearth, while hot chocolate simmers in a giant cast iron kettle (with an extra-long ladle so you don’t have to get up) and a side table next to you is filled with a paper-thin slice of Trappist Abbey Monks fruitcake; a plate with chunks of Flamigni Panforte and Pistachio Torrone; squares of Winnie’s Heritage Shortbread; a bowl of Mother Sperry’s Plum Pudding; a slice of Mary Pat’s apple pie; and a whole Panettone on your lap. The holidays will bring us comfort through food. We feast on the good memories and avoid the bad ones. And this year is a great year to hunker down and indulge in your favorite food gifts – for you or for others - near (or far) and dear. In this issue of our newsletter, you’ll find a wonderful selection of (mostly) holiday foods: delicious specialties we get only at this time of year – which is good! – because if we had them year-round, I’d be even rounder than I already am, and that would not be good. At the same time, I really feel that we should be enjoying the pleasures of the mouth this year, given that it has been covered a lot more than it has ever been before. Cheers! Click Here To See Everything Featured in This Newsletter! |
A Short History of the Path to a Plum Dessert Bob Cratchit says, “What a wonderful pudding!” This is one of my all-time favorite, eat-by-the-fire-warmed foods of the season! We have worked with Winnie almost from the moment we started! Plum Pudding began with a big, black cauldron over a large open fire, cooking continuously for days, all the whilst adding more ingredients, as it was being eaten. Frumenty (perhaps more commonly known as furmity) is a popular cuisine of Europe. Well, at least it was in Mediaeval times. It consisted of boiled, cracked wheat or frumentum (Latin for grain), along with the additions of vegetables, raisins, prunes, currants, and also, I suspect, any spices that were at hand. As a serf and peasant food, it was dressed up with meat, typically venison, if you were lucky enough to be invited to eat at the round table in the local castle. And then there is pottage. From Neolithic times to the Middle Ages, this thick soup-like stew was a staple of Great Britain. As it developed and changed over time, adding meat and vegetables, it became part of the Christmas Celtic meal and eaten on Mothering Sunday, (the returning to the Mother Church) on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It appears these two historic and similar foods converged sometime in the 17th century, dropping venison for other meats and finally choosing to add suet, the hard fat found around the kidneys and loins of mutton (and now beef). Add spirits, sugar, and eggs, and replace the grain with breadcrumbs and an unappealing main dish turns into a fabulous dessert called Plum Pudding. Our history with Mother Sperry’s Plum Pudding is much shorter, only a mere 20 years or so, but what fabulous years! To find a wonderful plum pudding made right in our backyard is like a special slice of heaven. All the right proportions mean the fruit balances (and stays suspended) with the other ingredients to make the perfect spoonful. Mother Sperry’s Plum Pudding is a must for the holidays and into the New Year. Add a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, classic hard sauce, brandy or rum butter and joy is beheld! Shop now for Mother Sperry Plum Pudding! |
A Fake Story of the Origins of Torrone. They say nougat (same thing) is centuries old! Many countries claim it as theirs. Speculation is the definitive answer to the question. Three very important recently uncovered novels (known as recipe books) by 3 cooks (who would be called Chef de Cuisine today) each wrote a tome about just one ingredient they considered worthy of any King. Three very important recently uncovered novels (known as recipe books) by 3 cooks (who would be called Chef de Cuisine today) in which each wrote a tome about just one ingredient they considered worthy of any King. One of the cooks was old and wrote about honey. One of the cooks was middle-aged and wrote about eggs. And one of the cooks was young and wrote about almonds. And like many youngsters, he couldn’t quite keep a singular focus, so pistachios and hazelnuts were included, too. Now keep in mind this is way-back-when, at it time when everyone walked the same path, so to speak, and these three really smart cooks started talking, as they were on the same street. Each one espoused how great their ingredient of choice was, the “end all” of all food, and one could live with nothing else, especially when an ingredient was of such great importance. This speaking got extremely loud and toques were being thrown about. The egg one yelled, as his egg whites were whipped into a frenzy puff, "Make this better!” And the honey cook yelled, “Easy!” and mixed in his best honey. “Ooooh!!!” the cooks said in unison, “This is good!” And high-fived (well, maybe not high fived, but some similar thing in the way-back-when). And the third cook, who had been distracted by the taste of a fruitcake, accidentally spilled a bunch of his nuts (almonds it is written) into the vat. “Yikes! Oh no!” The three cooks (together in unison) worked the sticky mess onto the table and spread it out, but to no avail. They were unable to extricate the almonds. Thus, after tasting came great joy and celebration, a holiday of Torrone was created and is still celebrated today. These three wise men had gathered together, blended their ideas and created perfect culinary harmony that today makes the wonderful French Nougat, Italian Torrone and Spanish Torrone. They remained friends forever. Shop now for Torrone - Nougat! |
Antica Torroneria Piemontese Praline Hazelnuts One of my all-time favorite things to eat, ever! A small handful of Antica Torroneria Piemontese Hazelnut Pralines eaten one at a time is just about right. These hazelnut pralines are wicked good! Let’s face it, take fabulous nuts, these hazelnuts, boil them in sugar until crisp and brown and how could you go wrong? Pour them out and enjoy! Shop now for Antica Torroneria Piemontese Praline Hazelnuts! |
Slitti Chocolate Covered Black Cherries Everything from Andrea Slitti is a special treat. And these Chocolate Covered Cherries are no exception. What Andrea does best is take what is common or readily available, and then make it special, unique, and cravingly great! Just like Slitti Nocciolata is the very best Hazelnut Crčme there is, or Andrea’s Rusty Tools (ok, not so common) and chocolate spoons, these cherries are a sensational taste, besides being a cool shape! Bite into your first cherry and create a memory to cherish forever! The soft bite of chocolate and the cherry is this delectable combination of holiday cheer...first the chocolate smoothly is bitten through, and then the cherry comes with a contrast, not of a fresh, sweet cherry, more like a soft morsel of sour cherry. Not too much, just right! Shop now for Slitti Chocolate Covered Black Cherries!
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Feuilletine Flakes The delicate crunch... Also known as Paillete Feuilletine™, these Crepes Dentelles crumbs are hard to find and normally only found in commercial kitchens. As Tina says, in Food & Wine Magazine, "Add these buttery, toasty-sweet shards to ganache, frostings and truffles for a super crunch." Called for in classic French recipes, these are a common ingredient when making Praline Feuillete or filling for Praline. Note that Paillete Feuilletine Flakes are delicate and are naturally small. Best price, Best quality! "These are the crisp little flakes that will take your recipe over the top when you need texture in your ganache, praline & many French desserts. The flakes keep their crispness in the ganache as well as other recipes of the same consistency. You will not find a better quality than these & the price is the best period. So glad I found ChefShop finally, rapid response, best prices & easy to find what you need. Thank you, I look forward to purchasing with you. I highly recommend the feuilletine flakes & ChefShop!!" -- beatrice Shop now for Feuilletine Flakes! |
Caramelized Cocoa Nibs from Switzerland Cool! These taste best right out of the bag! Crunchy, sweet, and yummy. If you have never tried caramelized cocoa nibs -- you should. Candied cocoa nibs are sweet and not as bitter as regular cocoa nibs, because they've been rolled in sugar and then baked. Yum! These candied cocoa nibs can be added to any kind of dough, or shortbread; baked in cakes, sponges, or used in praline fillings, and on ice cream. Or just eat them right out of the bag -- that is what I do! Try them and have fun! Shop now for Caramelized Cocoa Nibs! |
Basic Pasta with Olive Oil Recipe This recipe is very simple, and that means that every ingredient is critical. Only the best will do – because you’ll taste every bite. Of course, you can add this or that, according to your preferences, but always with a focus on quality: capers, tuna, semi-dried tomatoes, hardneck garlic, etc. are all great choices. See the Basic Pasta with Olive Oil Recipe here! |
Fra'Mani Salame Salametto This Fra'Mani Salametto is a small, coarsely ground, garlic-scented salami. This Italian dry salami is rich in color, full flavored and robust - ideal for snacks and a handy accompaniment on picnics and outdoor excursions. Slice easily to desired thickness with a good knife. Each one is approximately 3/4 pound. Fra'Mani Salametto pork comes from family farmers committed to the well-being of their animals and their land. The hogs are never given antibiotics, artificial growth hormones, growth-promoting agents or meat by-products. They eat only the finest grains and natural feed. This old-fashioned way to raise hogs produces pork of outstanding quality, which is the essential ingredient in all Fra'Mani salumi. Fra'Mani Italian dry salami are made from the finest-quality fresh pork and natural hog casings. They're hand-tied with natural twine and slowly mold ripened, and extended aging in the Fra'Mani cantina di stagionatura ensures highly-developed flavor and aroma. Shop now for Fra'mani Salame Salametto! |
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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 6. Sunday 12 to 4. 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. | |
Limoncello Panettone from Bosari, Verona, Italy! Panettone filled with Limoncello Cream, with candied lemon peels, and no sultanas (raisins). If you like lemon, then this is the panettone for you. We are shipping everything out as soon as we can. Almost everything is late to us this year. Please be patient if you can and call us if you have questions about anything. Shop now for Borsari Limoncello Italian Panettone 
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HOLIDAY Store Hours - Monday thru Saturday 10 to 6, Sunday 12 to 4 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 - FOR Pick-up orders placed online you need to get to the select shipping method page in the shopping cart. 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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Keralan Mango Chicken Recipe Hawkshead Relish Company not only makes great relish and chutney, they came out with a great cookbook last year, Embelish with Relish by Maria Whitehead - chock full of quick and delicious recipe ideas using their products. It's a great thing to have around when you need a quick recipe idea, and have a nice collection of Hawkshead Relish products in your panty - which I highly recommend. Here is one of them. Carrot and Turnip Mash Recipe This dish adds lovely color as well as healthy vitamins, minerals, and fiber to any holiday table. Don’t be tempted to use ground nutmeg from your spice rack; the slightly exotic flavor of fresh-ground nutmeg makes the dish something special. Chickpea (Ceci Bean) Focaccia with Onion & Rosemary Recipe A classic Ligurian Farinata courtesy of Marcella Hazan, and her classic Italian cookbook, Marcella Cucina. Whenever I need to find a classic Italian recipe, I turn to Marcella before I look anywhere else. And she never disappoints. |
| See what you missed in previous Newsletters |
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You Will Swoon For These Spoons and Rusty Tools Great Foods are Arriving In Our Warehouse Snow, Rain, Hot Chocolate, Panforte, 4 Flavors of Guimauves |
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