Start your day with Toast and jam for Breakfast and more - at chefshop.com/enews
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Toast and Jam
for breakfast in the fall
With the weather changing at what seems like lightning speed here in the Northwest, the morning ritual of breakfast seems so important this time of year.
Toast, jam, and butter. Or just jam. Loosely "jam," of course, as jam, jelly, and preserves all have very important distinctions. And I can't remember any of them. In the end, it doesn't matter as long as it tastes good. Oh, and let's not forget marmalade, which, by the way, is a preserve.
As lovely as it is to bake a loaf of bread in the morning, it is even lovelier to slice one from your local bakery, instead of kneading to wake up early just to make a loaf.
It is the crunchy texture of the hot, toasted slice slathered lightly in a water-in-oil emulsion, and then delicately placing a spoonful of jam or two to round out the start of your morning. Along with a cup of tea or coffee, this expression of your day starts here.
I am a firm believer that what you eat first can indeed set up how your day will go! That, and a good cookbook to help figure out what to get at the market.
Click Here To See Everything Featured in This Newsletter!
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Sometime you just want
a strawberry jam!
Peanut butter and jelly. Most of us grew up with it. The go to sandwich made with Wonder bread for much of our grade school life until we hit puberty. Today finding jams and jellies you like is both easy and difficult. When you crave a jam any one will often do.
If you have time, though, and you're not traveling, having one on hand that is outstanding is an important job to succeed at.
When it comes to strawberry there are a zillion of those. And these days they are often more jelly-like than jam smooth.
Some tout the big chunks of berry, which quite frankly ruins the spreadability of the jam. It is like spreading jam with speed bumps. And many are sickly sweet, not in a happy sugar kind of way. More like a bad taffy that is stuck to your teeth way.
And then there is this Fraise (strawberry) jam. It tastes like strawberry, like you want your jam to be.
The morsels that are left are not visual chunks of bumps. Instead, they are like packets of strawberry explosions.
In any case the jam is sweet, of course, with sugar, yet when you are done with a spoonful, it is the flavor of strawberry that remains.
This French Strawberry Jam is like what you remember and want it to be. It is worth always having on hand for the daytime and for the late night saltines, peanut butter and Fraise jam. Just like what I used to do in high school.
Shop now for La Trinquelinette Strawberry Jam!
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La Trinquelinette Raspberry Jam
from France
Even from a small distance when you first pop and draw the lid away, you smell the distinct raspberry jam waft your way. Raspberry jam really has a distinct scent. Certainly all raspberry jams have that familiar childhood PB&J sandwich thing going on.
To the eye, inside the jar you see the little bumps of raspberry drupelets and the sprinkling of white seeds.
The flavor is all raspberry. Sweetened with brown sugar, the sweetness is more pronounced with this jam than with other flavors.
Though a sandwich might not be what you woke up thinking about today, this jam might inspire you to get out the saltines and make mini PB&Js for lunch.
Some people love the little seeds from the raspberries and some do not. In this case there is no big machinery crushing the seeds here. They exist and are part of the charm of this amazing jam. A perfect balance between big commercial and limited edition jams.
Having one of each of the La Trinquelinette jams in your essential pantry is a stellar idea. They are all delicious, and each has a personality of its own!
Shop now for La Trinquelinette Raspberry Jam!
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French Apricot Jam
Sometimes unrequited love is worth it.
For many of us, apricots are a "yeah, whatever" or "never touch 'em" and others can't wait until May or June when the first of the apricots are ripe on the tree. (This is really a sweet year for apricots.)
A great fresh apricot is like candy. Hard to comprehend when our first taste of an apricot is a dried one, tart and chewy and quite unappealing. So we think, why bother....
So many foods, when you enjoy them fresh, as close to the earth as possible, picked-at-their-peak, can be mind-blowingly good. Like a fresh apricot.
And sometimes, those foods can be transformed, placed into a jar and come out just like you want them to be. Freshly delicious!
And that is what we have here. Abricot fruit cooked in a copper cauldron with brown sugar, where time and patience make all the difference.
This jam is by all standards amazing! It tastes like fresh apricots, though never sharp or sour, it is a spoonful of a sweet treat.
The flavor of apricot, the way a freshly bitten fruit would be, is all there, swelling like a balloon rising, the smoothness of the flavor envelops all the senses, with the right cheek filling more than the left and then the tongue feels the weight of the flavor. And then suddenly you realize the physical being is gone, and all you are tasting is the memory!
And what a memory! It is indeed splendiferous.
And it is indeed spoon-ready, perfect for a croissant, sourdough bread, scone, oatmeal, cheese, pork chop and chicken. And of course, crepes!
Shop now for La Trinquelinette Apricot Jam!
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Hummingbird Mint Blossom Honey
It is slightly sweet and leaves a cool sensation
This Mint Honey has a dark golden color with a strong flavor. It is slightly sweet and leaves a cool sensation.
Let's get this out first. Linden honey (also known as basswood or lime honey) has minty tones and aroma.
Mint honey, which in this case comes from the blossom of the mint grown in the Northwest, does not have any clear minty characteristics of the plant.
Did you know that the United States produces the most mint (spearmint and peppermint) in the world, about 70% of the total mint production worldwide?
And that over 80% of the mint is grown in these three Northwest states: Washington (#1), Oregon (#2), and Idaho (#3)?
And that a monofloral mint honey is very rare? Even though mint grows like a weed, it is difficult to find enough mint in one area large enough to satisfy foraging bees. Within 1 mile from the hive is fabulous, though bees will go 5 miles from the hive to find the nectar.
This floral mint honey is super dark in color, with a rich, full, deep honey nose. It is smooth and less viscous than some honeys that are so dark in color.
To the mouth, the honey is smooth and evenly sweet, with a familiar but unidentifiable flavor profile that is surprisingly satisfying.
Perhaps the most pleasing honey that is monofloral with the characteristics and versatility of a multifloral honey.
Shop now for Hummingbird Mint Blossom Honey!
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"00" Chef's Flour
From Italy - 1 Kilo
12-13% dry gluten content - and designed for home ovens and longer fermentation times.
This finely ground wheat flour from Italy, that has a little more gluten than the Caputo Pizza Flour (a smart choice for those looking to make thin crust pizza!). Also can work for cakes and pastries, although generally you would be looking for a little less gluten (8-10%) when making pastries to get a gentle flake. The fine ground works well to get that light crumb on cakes. Try it!
Shop now for Caputo "00" Chef's Flour - 2.2 pounds here!
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California Red Walnuts
I love these nuts!
And though I eat them out of hand every day, I am really enjoying them the most in baked goods!
Just lightly baked and they make the perfect bite, crunch, and the flavor is just that much more than out of hand.
Probably the most beautiful walnuts you've ever seen—with a buttery taste to match. All the health benefits of walnuts (Omega 3 fatty acids) with the addition of red polyphenols to match. The California organic red walnuts are a perfect upgrade to our recipes.
Shop now for California Red Walnuts!
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Dark Muscovado Sugar
This sugar is at the top of my list to always have on hand!
Use it once and you will see that this is how you want sugar to be. It has flavor, it has personality, it is alive!
Muscovado is a soft, moist, fine brown sugar. It's also known as Barbados sugar, where it was once made. But ours comes from the island of Mauritius off the African coast.
While most brown sugar these days is made by combining already-refined sugar with added molasses-like syrup, this is the real thing. This is a less refined product with a rich, complex flavor.
This sugar adds a deeper dimension to cakes, fudge, pecan pie, and other desserts with its rich butterscotch flavors. Use it as you would brown sugar - take your morning oatmeal to new heights with a spoonful of Dark Muscovado on top!
Shop now for India Tree Dark Muscovado Sugar!
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India Tree Superfine Caster Cane Sugar
The Best!
This sugar is joy to work with. When baking with it, it makes your life better and easier!
Also known as "caster sugar", this superfine cane sugar has granules that are very fine and dry.
A superior quality sugar, it is the workhorse of professional Pastry Chefs because it dissolves so easily in batters and doughs, leaving them very smooth. Especially appreciated for genoise, other sponge cakes, and meringue.
It also dissolves very quickly in liquids, so it's great for iced tea.
Shop Now for India Tree Superfine Caster Cane Sugar Recipe!
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Duganski Organic Hardneck Garlic
shipping now!
Duganski hardback garlic is a variety of hardneck garlic, specifically within the Marbled Purple Stripe group, known for its hard, woody central stem. It is recognized for having large, easy-to-peel cloves and vibrant purple-striped skin. Duganski garlic has a robust, spicy, and complex flavor, often more potent than softneck garlic varieties, making it a favorite among chefs and garlic enthusiasts.
Because it is a hardneck type, Duganski garlic also produces scapes (flower stalks), which are edible and can be used in cooking.
See the Duganski Organic Hardneck Garlic here!
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This Week's Recipes |
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.
Ligurian Zucchini & Carrot Pasta Sauce Recipe
Marcella is always where I look first for any traditional pasta recipes. Her cookbook covers most of them and always has a good story to go with.
Marcella recommends using spaghetti -- but we had great success with other shapes -- another great long pasta. You will need about 1 pound of uncooked pasta for this recipe.
Adapted from Marcella Hazan's Marcella Cucina, (Harper Collins Publishers, 1997).
Basic Soup Starter Recipe
This basic soup starter recipe is adapted from Lynn Rosetto Kasper's cookbook, "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper." Lynn says that there are two types of people; those that make their soup stock completely from scratch, and those that buy it in a can or pouch from their local grocery store. Lynn suggests that meeting the two half way may just be your best bet -- and not that hard, either.
She says that every flavor-boosting trick they know are in this homemade soup starter recipe. There is garlic, aromatic vegetables and verbs, wine and tomatoes.
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DESIGN: JODI LUBY & COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK CITY, NY; EMAIL STRATEGY: CRM Group USA, SEATTLE, WA
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