This golden brown, toasted sesame oil adds a rich, nutty flavor to your vinaigrettes, stir-fry and BBQ marinades. Not overpowering, 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 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.

The quality of Sesame Oil varies depending on the quality of the seeds, and the length and temperature of the toasting process. These sesame seeds are slowly roasted at low temperatures.

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, with a 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.

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If you don't know miso, you should! It is a miracle paste that can enhance so many foods. From sweet to sour to baking, it can give a dish that extra push to magic.

What is miso? Simply, miso is a fermented paste of koji (Aspergillus oryzae) which breaks down the structure of rice, soybeans or barley, or a combination of them. This creates amino acids, fatty acids and simple sugars.

This potion is a way to add punch to a meatless broth or make a creamy salad dressing swoon!

Here are some really easy ways to try miso.

1) Combine miso and toasted sesame oil and spread it on the next fish you broil or grill.

2) Combine jam, vinegar and miso with sage, rosemary, and thyme and brush over a roast before cooking.

3) Mix miso and butter, 1 to 1, then heat to melt to a liquid state and then drizzle over cooked broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or green beans.

4) Add a quarter cup of miso to a soup and enhance the whole pot.

5) Make mustard miso by taking hot Chinese dry mustard (2 tsp. mustard - 3 tsp. water) as you normally would, add mirin (2 tbsp.), white miso (1/3 cup), purple sweet potato vinegar (3 tbsp.) and jaggery (1 - 1/2 tbsp.). Think of it as mustard for your next sandwich or to dip one of Scotty's pretzels.

So many options and creative ideas for using miso. Just a little will make a big difference in your life. 

Shop now for Namikura Kyoko Shiro White Soy Miso!

This recipe is easy and simple. Using Malloreddus pasta which cooks up quickly plus the shape holds onto the pesto perfectly. Tuna adds a nice flavor as it flakes over the dish.

See the Malloreddus Pasta with Pesto and Tuna Recipe Here!

Having consumed our fair share of bagged corn nuts of the overly giant-sized kernels, we were intrigued. You know the old saying ,"bigger is better"? More fun to say than it is in practice! It is when it comes to corn nuts anyway!

When it comes to taste, flavor and crunch, these little, normal-sized corn kernels are da bomb! Crunchy thru and thru, each one crunches just right. Eat one at a time and you will get 11 crunches (of biting) before you are done. Depending on your crunch speed about 6 seconds of time!

With three flavors, Toasted Corn, Spicy Toasted Corn, and Salt and Pepper Toasted Corn, there is something corny here for everyone (see below)!

Starting with non-GMO corn kernels, the just plain Toasted version is my favorite. A little oil and salt and it is perfect in every possible way! I thought bigger kernels were better but not anymore.

It's hard to explain exactly why we love these so much, but they are the perfect munch food. For your desk or a long car ride, they are the just right grab and bite-sized treat.

Toasted corn is exactly that, corn kernels un-popped, un-boiled, but toasted and most often oiled and salted.

Corn Nuts (Kraft Foods), Cornick (Philippines), Diana (El Salvador), Cancha (Peru, Equador) are all variations of a Corn Kernel that is "toasted". The base variation is seasoned with oil and salt. Garlic, chili cheese, adobo, BBQ, ranch, etc. are some of the many flavor variations available today.

Toasted Corn was first introduced here in the US by Albert Holloway in Oakland, California in 1936. Originally sold as a free Tavern snack food (in 1900 there was an estimated 265,000 legal and illegal Taverns), it later became the Corn Nuts with a hybrid of the Cuzco corn from Cusco, Peru being grown in California.

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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 co-mingling with the chocolate and the other sesame seeds.

The first bite is joyous, with an easy crunch, an explosion of subtle flavor of chocolate, with the toasted sesame tingling the edges of the tongue. And 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!)

The enjoyment factor with a small piece is so much better because a large piece gives you a mouthful which you consume because you are forced to chew and swallow. With a small, thumb-sized piece you can taste the chocolate, enjoy the crunch of the sugar which blends with the dark chocolate and get 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.

Shop Now For NeoCocoa Black Sesame Seed Toffee Brittle!

Keep in mind that each and every ingredient matters, especially the butter. The butter really matters. It's the key. Look for local, just made butter if you can find it.

If you want to make it your own try adding small chunks of candied ginger, or a few tsp. of fennel pollen, or a few dashes of Scrappy's Lavender Bitters. Caramelized cocoa nibs will add a nice crunch and a bit of chocolate zing for those who crave cocoa in their sweets.

Shortbread is easy to make, hard to do well!

See the Simple Shortbread Recipe Here!

Handmade lemon shortbread biscuits from the land of the shortbread cookie. House of Edinburgh prides itself on doing things properly.

The result is a Scottish biscuit that is made by hand to ensure that the taste, texture, and appearance is far superior to mass produced products. This is achieved by providing skilled bakers with only the very finest ingredients - especially the butter.

They also bake to order, ensuring that we receive the lemon shortbread biscuits as fresh as possible.

The result of all the family care really shines through in the most traditional of Scottish biscuits, with Sorrento lemon pulp and oil added for a little zing. Plus, the lovely tin doesn't hurt. The perfect gift.

Shop now for House of Edinburgh Lemon Shortbread Biscuits!

Cheesecake is always wonderful! Adding a swirl of chocolate not only adds chocolate, it adds beauty!

Deep chocolate experience!!
"This cocoa takes anything chocolate to a whole new level. The depth and smoothness is beyond any brand I have used, and I have used many. Intense chocolate experience, but not bitter or harsh. Be prepared to be asked for repeat performances!"
-- seth

Shop now for ChefShop Cocoa Powder!




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Grilled Steak with Saba Recipe

There's no question that really tasty beef is required here. I like top sirloin or skirt steak for a good meaty flavor. You can also try this with a nice cut of tri-tip or even eye of round, and slice it against the grain in small strips when it's done.

CHEF'S TIP: Always season your meat (and vegetables, poultry and pork for that matter) a tad bit before you’re ready to cook.

This recipe is best on a grill, but you can also use your oven and cook the meat on a broiler pan - be sure to heat it up first.

Don's Chicken Livers Recipe

Our friend, Don, was Chef Louis' Night Chef at The Bakery in Chicago. This is Don's favorite chicken liver recipe.

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb Recipe

I love lamb. Although growing up we always had baked ham for Easter Dinner, as an adult I have come to prefer and appreciate lamb as the main feature of our Easter table. And when looking for a fool-proof recipe that reminds me of my childhood, I always turn first to "Cooking for Comfort" by Marian Burros.