Way back in prehistoric times in San Francisco, in January, we stood in line, in the dark, in the rain, for a bowl of ice cream. The line went around the block and we were wet and cold.

Our friend Giuseppe's special olive oil was featured on a super scoop of dark, rich chocolate ice cream that was topped with a flake sea salt. And we wanted to take it for a test run.

The line moved efficiently, we were in constant motion, and it seemed as if everyone in line knew exactly why they were there.

When we finally got inside there was a high counter and a big sign above us, actually there was more than one sign if I remember correctly. They were positioned at a very slight angle down so one could read them. We looked methodically, both scanning and reading to find the sundae.

And there it was, "Sam's Sundae". I took a picture, of course, and we ordered. In the excitement I couldn't hold back and told the barista, hmm, the ice cream scooper, that our friend here was the creator of the oil she was pouring onto the chocolate ice cream. As she tossed the flake sale, with a flourish, across the mounds, she said "cool", and handed us the bowls. And yelled "next!"

Ahh well, it was exciting to us!

We found a dry bench outside and dug in. The first spoonful was a cautious one, deliberately keeping the oil to a minimum, no need to overwhelm the senses.

It was a wow moment! Just the hint was enough to go all in with a big spoonful. Divine? Not the right descriptor, maybe joyous? It was a smile! I can still remember the joy of eating that spoonful on the bench that night!

As you can probably guess now it is not just any olive oil. It is a fresh olive oil that is married to Bergamot.

This marriage is only successful if one crushes the olive oil and the fruit together. What is created is an oil that is alive!

It has been many, many years since we had Guiseppe's Etruria's oil and we still miss it.

So, when this oil came across the docks along with its brother oil we were excited for what would be obvious reasons now.

With the freshness of the freshly pressed olive and the Bergamot together you get this combination of oil, first with a flourish of a finish of the Bergamot that rises up within your mouth like a wonderful soft cloud that dances around and then tickles the back of the throat. It is delicious!

So, the next step was to walk briskly to the market to find a chocolate ice cream befitting of the sundae we remember.

The result was stupendous! With a liberal dousing of Bergamot Olive Oil and a nice flourish of flake salt, I was back in a heavenly place! What a wonderful rush of memories! It didn't make sense, oil on cold cream, then Giuseppe explained it best by saying the fat of the cream naturally matched the fat of the oil, the Bergamot citrus with its distinct flavor shape, salt and cocoa rounded out the mouthful.

I am thinking this is going to be a wonderful revival hit on Thanksgiving weekend!

PS - I have tried other oils, only this Bergamot works.

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This oil is created by crushing the freshly harvest olives and Bergamot to produce a wonderful flavorful oil.

To the mouth, the freshness of the freshly pressed olive and the Bergamot together means you taste this combination of oil first. Then, there is a flourish of a finish of the Bergamot which rises up within your mouth like a wonderful soft cloud that dances around and then tickles the back of the throat. It is delicious!

Bergamot is a type of citrus fruit that is primarily grown in the Mediterranean region, especially in southern Italy. It is about the size of an orange, but has a yellow or green color similar to a lime, depending on its ripeness. Bergamot is known for its fragrant oil, which is extracted from the peel of the fruit.

Bergamot is a key ingredient in Earl Grey tea, giving the tea its distinctive flavor. In addition to its aromatic qualities, Bergamot is sometimes used in traditional medicine for its potential health benefits such as reducing anxiety and possibly improving digestion.

The flavor of Bergamot is tart and slightly bitter.

Sho now for Bergamot Agrumato Citrus Olive Oil by Olive Truck here!

It is an interesting exercise to taste common salt alongside Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. The common salt sits uncomfortably on the tongue and has an underlying bitterness. This English sea salt is milder, has the flavor of sea spray, and is free from the chemical tang of common salt.

Unlike most salts containing additives to stop them from caking in damp weather, Maldon Salt is a completely natural product, retaining valuable seawater trace-elements.

Salt has always played an important role in the everyday life of humans for both, flavoring and preserving their food.

The offering of salt became a symbol of friendship and trust. Describing someone as "salt of the earth" or "worth their salt" shows the respect with which this magical white substance is held. The word "salary" comes from the Latin "salarium" when Roman soldiers received part of their pay to buy salt.

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.

The pyramid-shaped salt crystals, characteristic of Maldon Salt, are fragile enough to crumble easily between the fingers and have a totally different taste from the regular grains of table salt. Try this Maldon finishing salt today!

Shop now for Maldon Flaky Sea Salt!

We heard about this ice cream concoction from the TV Food Channel's show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, a long time ago. We visited Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco's Mission District when we were there in January to try the combination for ourselves. And, oh man! It was SOOO good!

This is one of those weird and strange combinations that just work so well. So easy to try for yourself.... You might just love it!

See the Sam's Sundae Recipe here!

To the nose, the oil has a light but distinct olive oil aroma

The color is a nice yellow green with hints of darkness to it.

The first sip is a very round and pleasant olive flavor that once dissipated leaves a distinct bitterness on the edges of the tongue, but not sharp, it is more flat in feel. As the flavor moves to the back of the throat, you get a nice kick and a cough.

The second sip allows for a more buttery feel to be discovered, and still with a very nice flavor and a cloud like feel.

When you press your tongue to your mouth to swallow, the pepper bite tickles the back of your throat and produces a nice cough.

Like so many oils from California, it is considered a Tuscan blend.

This olive oil has some wonderful characteristics and to me, a distinctly Californian feel which I like very much. Brighter, cleaner lines with a distinctly different flavor and taste compared to many Italian oils. This could be from the age of the trees.

This 2023 harvest still has punch with wonderful characteristics and is worth having in your Essential Pantry. Looking very much forward to the new year and the new harvest.

Shop now for Olive Truck Tuscan Blend California Olive Oil!

One of the great things about ingredients is that we always have to taste-test before we share them with you. And often, we have to test them more than once to ensure that they are as good as the first impression.

First impressions are so important and are often why one falls in love. In this tube, the love continues, even though it makes my inner being pucker up and sometimes even tear up in pain. It's a good pain, and that's why I keep going back for more....

Ever wonder why Wasabi, that fiery green paste and indispensable sushi accompaniment, tastes so much like horseradish?

Here's why: because it IS horseradish!

Although we've learned to call it Wasabi, what we're served in sushi restaurants in North America - and largely in Japan, too - is nearly always a mixture of horseradish and green coloring, with perhaps a little dry mustard, or possibly, a very little real Wasabi added in.

Why not offer the real deal? Because real wasabi, Wasabia japonica, is very rare and super pricey. Even in its native Japan, demand constantly outstrips supply, and it's expensive to import and notoriously tricky to grow.

Some of you might remember we had Northwest-grown Wasabi for a short period of time. That experience gave us insight into what freshly harvested, freshly ground wasabi can be! Nothing like it!

If you get the chance to grind some freshly harvested wasabi, do it! Nothing replaces a good grind of Wasabi. It is special!

Way back then, I shared some of our Wasabi with Chef Morimoto, and he was impressed by the much smaller and younger rhizomes than what he was used to by the aromatic, fundamentally fresh flavor of fun found in this food!

So what is one to do when fresh is not an option?

We found some in a squeezable tube! The paste is made from fresh wasabi from the mountainous terrain around Izu in Shizuoka Prefecture where there is a plethora of clean, flowing water which is essential for cultivating the rhizome wasabi.

The process to create this gem of containment took more than 3 years to develop. And we have spent over half a year taste-testing and testing longevity. Taking this amount of time, we had opened a tube and enjoyed this just opened wasabi.

Then 6 months later I shared some with sushi, and though it had lost some of its punch, the aroma, the volatiles were still present.

And the wasabi had the characteristics that you look for, invigorating, enhancing, a good bite without burning heat, flavor that allows your senses to open up and savor the food that it is paired with!

Our friend Marc goes out of his way to find fresh wasabi and was sure that this couldn't be any good. However, comparing this to his fresh wasabi he was shocked and awed and has been bugging us to get it for him ever since. That's because he doesn't like hot foods and says wasabi makes his mouth come alive. Marc, your tube is on its way when you read this. Enjoy!

FYI: When you eat wasabi, a compound called allyl isothiocyanate is released. This compound stimulates the nerve receptors in your nasal passages, leading to a sensation of heat or burning. The reaction can cause your eyes to water and your nose to feel like it's clearing up, almost like a nasal decongestant. It's not heat like a chili, it's just special.

See the Wasabi in a tube here!

ARA came to visit last week (don't forget to visit them in Paris) and saw we had a few of these left. She said it is going to be a long time before this bar/cocoa bean will be available again.

The first thing you notice is that the chocolate is light in color, which is unexpected for a 70% dark bar.

Place a piece in your mouth and bite. And then let it melt slowly. Taste all the bits and pieces of this wonderful bean.

Mayo Blanco is a mono-varietal heirloom cacao that is native to the forests of Nicaragua. It had long been forgotten until 10 years ago when the process was started to recover its genetics.

Mayo Blanco is a pure Criollo cacao (100% of the beans are white), so the result is a very light brown chocolate. The shape of the pod, the color, the shape and size of the beans, and the taste of the pulp are all different from other cocoa.

The cacao beans of this particular variety are flat (many Criollo varietals have round beans).

The fact that two cacaos belong to the same genetic family, like in this case Criollo, doesn't mean they have anything else in common besides being part of the same family.

Shop now for Ara Chocolat Nicaragua Maya Blanco 70% Dark Chocolate Bar!

Valrhona Manjari chocolate is an extraordinary bittersweet couverture chocolate made from a blend of the best Trinitarios cocoa beans from Madagascar. With a 64% cocoa content, Valrhona's Manjari is perfect for home pastry chefs and professionals alike.

This Madagascar dark chocolate is the perfect compromise between the ultra-dark bittersweet chocolate couvertures with 70% cocoa content and the (often too sweet) dark chocolate couvertures with less than 60% cocoa content.

Valrhona Manjari chocolate contains a higher-than-typical amount of cocoa butter to give your desserts and truffles a silky finish and make your favorite drinking chocolate oh-so-rich! With the sweetness of the tropics, Valrhona Manjari chocolate has an intense taste, sustained fullness, and then hints of dried fruit and grilled almonds with a woody base.

It is suitable for pastry, chocolate fillings, molding, enrobing, and icing. The Valrhona "feves" are small oval disks that are easier to work with than large industrial size blocks.

Shop now for Valrhona Manjari Dark Bittersweet Couverture 64%!

This can contains the most prized cut of tuna, the belly or "ventresca" as it is called in Spain. The tuna's belly has the highest fat content, and so it is the richest in flavor and the silkiest in texture.

The belly of the tuna is also the most highly sought after cut in Japan for sushi and sashimi.

There is only a small amount of this delicious cut on a fish, and so the price is significantly higher, but your salads and pastas will be taken to new heights of flavor.

This is the authentic White Tuna, Bonita Del Norte, from the dense tuna banks in the waters off of the coast of the Basque Country. The fishing boats of Ortiz, the premier name in seafood packing, capture the fish using traditional methods, which respect the environment and avoid hurting dolphins or any other marine species.

Bonita Del Norte, the albacore tuna (Thunnus Alalunga), is the most oceanic species in the tuna family. They are all warm-blooded, pelagic and migratory and they form shoals. The Atlantic White Tuna carries out two migrations in its lifetime, which are easily differentiated by its stage of maturity. Then they return towards their places of origin.

Bonita Del Norte fishing takes place in the Cantabrian Sea during the summer months when, coming from the Azores Sea, the fish appear annually in the waters of the Bay of Biscay, where they tend to be located on the warm side of the thermal waters, feeding on horse-mackerel and mackerel eggs and larvae.

Ortiz cooks and pack the tuna in olive oil to preserve the tuna's highly prized flavor.

Shop now for Ortiz Ventresca Tuna In Olive Oil!

No chemicals or nasty synthetic imitations here. Only the best organic vanilla beans are used for cold extraction and unique aging process. The result? A true vanilla aroma and the purest taste imaginable.

This versatile Bourbon vanilla extract for sale is perfect for all your baking needs. Whenever a recipe calls for vanilla extract or essence, turn to this amazing double-strength vanilla. Freshly harvested each year, this bourbon vanilla extract tastes like vanilla and smells more like a bean than alcohol.

This is double-strength vanilla (two-times the vanilla flavor or less diluted than 1X), it contains no sugar, and is wheat-free.

Double fold extract has 37% alcohol. Using a whey alcohol, this ethanol has no allergens. It is free from dairy and wheat, and has a less offensive alcohol odor.

Shop now for Tonga Bourbon Vanilla Extract 2X!

Also known as Paillete Feuilletine™, these Crepes Dentelles crumbs are a hard-to-find pastry crunch and are 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 pastry flakes are a common ingredient when making Praline Feuillete or filling for Praline.

Shop now for Feuilletine Flakes - Pastry Crunch!

Eating Feuilletine Flakes by the handful is like the best cookie ever, but not quite. By adding luxurious hazelnut creme from Andrea Slitti and a bunch of fabulous chocolate you get a cookie that has just about everything you might want, since it is like a great candy bar!

See the Feuilletine Flakes Hazelnut Creme Cookie Recipe here!

With just four ingredients, the only skill you need is mixing (and a little melting) to make this drop dead delicious cake!

The best thing about this cake is that it is totally forgiving. Getting it perfect might not be possible, as there is no perfect. It is chocolate, butter, sugar and eggs! You can make it, most likely, right out of what you have in your pantry.

Remember to use only really good chocolate to have the best success in this extra rich chocolate cake recipe.

See The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe here!

Cool! These taste the best right out of the bag—crunchy, sweet, and filled with WOW!

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!

For those that don't like the dense, heavy dark cakes, the blonde fruitcake is a great alternative. Although the color depends on the fruit and nuts you choose.

See the Blonde Fruitcake Recipe here!