To the nose, Sudachi is a citrus fruit with an aroma that might be completely unfamiliar. To the eye, the syrup is an attractive pale yellow color. The fruit itself is picked when green in color, with a slightly orange-tinged greenish interior. They look like large round limes and they're a specialty of Tokushima prefecture in Japan, but also grown in the US now.

The first sip is so delightful. It's a combination of familiarity—tastes a bit like lime, a bit like mandarin, a bit like yuzu, but with less acidity—and something totally new. Once you get past the citrus flavor, you experience a wonderfully balanced sweet-and-sour taste.

Trying to define the combination of flavors with the Sudachi juice, beet sugar, and apple vinegar is hard to do.

One could easily drink the whole bottle in just a few days.

Our friend Chef Brady of restaurant Tomo took a sip and was instantly on board. He didn't know what he was going to do with it yet, but when he lets us know, we'll pass on his thoughts.

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A recent meal I had was excellent - fun, friends, great environment, nice, perfect - all the stuff you want when you go out to dinner.

All the plates we ordered were delicious with no disappointments.

And then on a whim, to delay our departure, we got a dessert that sounded interesting - Yuzu Shaved Ice with whipped cream and slices of mandarin.

Wow! The best dessert I have had in a restaurant in a long time! The shaved ice was like a cloud, and the whipped cream was super dreamy. The slices of mandarin were the perfect texture contrast.

Back home in my own kitchen, I attempted to recreate the flavors and feel of this dessert.

First, the ice. I have a kid's shaved ice maker, and at best, it does okay. Besides the big pieces that get through the grinder, the ice melts when it passes by the hot grinder. And it produces nothing like the dreamy, cloudy ice that we had at the restaurant. I am looking for the machine or the technique that does this well.

Second, the whipped cream looks like it is whipped condensed milk. I am now working on testing this. It appears to be as simple as chilling the milk in the freezer and then whipping it at high speed. I will let you know if I have success and if it resembles the super dreamy creamy I remember.

And lastly, the mandarin pieces. Canned will work, but the texture of just peeled sections is better.

Pretty simple and hard to imagine that it can be that good!

So far, what I have found is this: the yuzu syrup is fabulous and perfect for this. Mix it into the ice, and maybe spritzing would be more successful, so less crushing and melting....

In the end, though, the flavor of the ice was wonderful even if the feel wasn't just right. And then I tried the Sudachi syrup, and wow! The tartness of the flavor was even more interesting! With the less familiar flavor, the ice was more enticing!

And then I added the Sudachi syrup to whipped cream, and wowsa! That was pretty gosh darn amazing, too!

Now you can also use the Sudachi Syrup to make a refreshing sip of vodka, whiskey, gin, or sake, just by mixing it in. Or add a couple of drops to seltzer or beer! This flavor, like the yuzu syrup, can be added to a chocolate glaze or in a vinaigrette.

And beyond ice and whipped cream, try plain yogurt and vanilla ice cream. Anything goes with this punchy citrus juice!

In case you were wondering the restaurant in NYC is called: 88 p[a]l - p[a]l - 88 reads in Korean as 'PAL - PAL', the state of being lively & energetic. PalPal

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I haven't made this recipe in a long time. The first time I made it, I used the very best-tasting oil I had, and it was spectacular! The next time, I cheaped out on the oil, meaning I used an oil we had opened for testing, but not one we were going to carry.

What a mistake.

It is, after all, an olive oil cake, and thus the oil makes the cake! Make this cake with the best oil you can.

We add slim slices of candied blood orange citrus peel to the batter to add an extra surprising zing to the bite, complementing the cake itself.

See the easy Torta di olio d'oliva - Olive Oil Cake Recipe here!

There is a group of wonderful "peels" in small packets for snacking on. Sweetened with beet sugar and millet jelly, they are chewy and easy on the teeth. If you like candied peel, these are special.

To be clear, they are not thick or big chunks like some candied fruit from France or Italy made for baking. These are small and delightful, though I have only used them as toppings and finishing for cakes and cookies, so far. The blood orange peels are just like you would expect them to taste, and I really like the way their flavor holds up in a cake.

Shop Now for Kankitsu Labo Dry Candied Blood Orange Peel!

This wonderful recipe is from our friend, Michael Natkin of Herbivoracious.com. With a little time and easy work you will get a fabulous result!

See the Braised Fennel Recipe here!

The English coastal town of Maldon, Essex, has been the center of a salt-producing area since the Middle Ages, although legend has it that the secret of salt-making from seawater was discovered here over 2,000 years ago when the Romans ruled Britain.

The Maldon Crystal Salt Company is still a small family company operating from a riverside site it has occupied for more than a hundred years. They continue to develop the traditional saltmaker's craft to produce the soft, white flaky English sea salt unique to this area.

The attraction of Maldon for salt-making remains the same today as it did hundreds of years ago. The combination of low rainfall, strong winds, bright sunshine, and low-lying marshland produces good salty water. Early salt-making was carried out by boiling seawater caught in shallow pools set in the marshland over wood fires. These fires, in turn, acted as beacons for the local fishing fleets making their way up the coast.

Today, the manufacture of Maldon Sea Salt still relies on the favorable conditions that have enabled the salt industry to develop and flourish here for many centuries. The Maldon Crystal Salt Company's success is due to the production of a unique, high-quality sea salt using traditional methods.

Shop now for Maldon Sea Salt!