As we approach the holiday season, we begin our search for unique holiday gift items. There is a world of variety to be found and enjoyed in specialty food items. I would define ‘specialty foods” as those foods not purchased and consumed on an “everyday basis” as well as those that represent the upper end of the spectrum, qualitatively speaking. But these items are “expensive” aren’t they? Well, some may fetch a higher price than one may pay for an item in the same family(e.g. “estate bottled extra virgin cold pressed olive oil” as opposed to “olive oil” in the supermarket) However, let’s take a look at the previous example. The estate bottling offers a flavor profile that is unsurpassed by any ordinary oil, with an intensity that requires very little to produce stellar results. And though it may be three times the price, it is not used to cook with, or to make vinaigrettes and the like. A thin drizzle on top of that arugula and Parmigiano Reggiano salad or a grilled sea bass fillet, is all you need. Used as such, you will get perhaps fifty or more servings from one bottle. I do, and I use olive oil like water.

And while we’re on the subject of Parmigiano Reggiano, this fantastically flavorful product from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy will put a smile on any cheese lovers face, and paired with a high-quality balsamic vinegar, will make an elegantly simple yet sublime gift for the gourmet or foodie. And specialty oils, vinegars, coffees, and other non perishable item will last quite a while in your pantry, making them gifts that your friends and family can enjoy throughout the year. Truly the gift that keeps on giving!

Specialty cheeses are also ideal for gift giving. This fastest growing segment of the specialty food world (in terms of both new products and also sales) offer a world of variety and a diversity of flavors unparalled by any other food group. And a selection of five half pounds of specialty cheese will serve eight guests generously if used for an after dinner cheese plate. Again the flavors are so pronounced that any more than a few ounces is overkill. And a holiday gift basket, in my opinion, is the perfect gift, period. I have given many over the years with great success. I must have bought my parents a hundred sweaters, scarves, shirts etc, that got thrown into a drawer (or elsewhere!) without a mention. But for the last ten years, I buy them a big gift basket of cheeses, salamis, jams, honeys and the like. And every year for months I hear “hey, thanks for that salami” or “your Mother and I just had that cheese, that blue cheese, what was that one?” I don’t recall that kind of feedback and enthusiasm over a pair of gloves! And, perhaps the best reason to give this type of gift is that, all too often, we just don’t purchase them for ourselves. Be it a question of being too busy, buying just what we need to get through the week, tightening our budgets, or unavailability at the local grocer, we very often forget to treat ourselves to some of the finer things. So let’s do it for one another. We’ll all thank ourselves in the end.

- Patrick  Ambrosio

While the origin of the word is not disputed (literally meaning lid), the origin of tapas as the feast of many small dishes is highly debated. Some claim tapas came to be when a Spanish king was instructed by his physician to eat many small meals a day. Others claim tapas were simply small dishes placed on top of wine glasses to keep flies away. Regardless of exact origin, tapas is a wonderful element of Spanish life, and one equally as enjoyable when recreated at home. Our assortment features essentials for a tapas feast. Included are 3 superb Spanish cheeses: Malagon with Rosemary, Mahon, and Murcia al Vino. For meat lovers: our wonderful spicy chorizo, and the essential, perfectly cured Serrano Ham. Next, the star of the sea: top quality Spanish tuna packed in olive oil. Also: Piquillo red peppers, Stuffed Manzanilla Olives, Banderillas and quince paste, each one providing an array of tastes and textures. Dessert: Fig Cake and authentic Spanish Turrone. Finally: No tapas would be complete without that Andalusian specialty of oven roasted almonds dusted with sea salt.

Whether it’s a sunny late afternoon or a cool evening, tapas is a wonderful way to sit back, enjoy some Spanish wines (or sherry), and feast on a myriad of flavors in the Spanish tradition.

Crossing Pairs With igourmet.com at Mohegan Sun Casino in Pocono Downs
 
Crossing Vineyards Wine and Cheese Shop is one of only six retail outlets selected for “Project Sunrise,” a $208 million, 300,000 square-foot gaming and entertainment complex at Pocono Downs. Among the shop’s offerings will be multi-level flights of wine and cheese, paired to complement the flavors of each. Customers can build their own pairings, based on their cheese preferences, with wine suggested by a staff knowledgeable about both products.”Crossing Vineyards and igourmet.com are the perfect pairing, two Pennsylvania based companies that value quality and service,” says Christine Carroll, one of the owners of Crossing Vineyards.

Crossing will feature a wide range of its award-winning wines - they’ve earned nearly 70 prizes in national and international competitions - including limited quantities of its Library Wine Series, which has been held in reserve. Quality wine accessories, Reidel glassware, wine gifts such as decanters and wine bags, wine books, games, wine-related dishes and giftware, and seasonal gift items such as wine-themed Santas also will be available.

The wine and cheese shop will also offer igourmet.com’s line of gourmet food products exclusively. Headquartered in West Pittston, Pa., igourmet.com is the nation’s leading online gourmet food and gift retailer. Lauded by Forbes magazine as the best gourmet food Web site for the past seven years, its product line includes more than 850 imported and domestic specialty cheeses along with an award-winning line of exquisite gifts baskets.

Pine Nuts are the kernels of the stone pine (Pinus pinea), a native of the Mediterranean area. They grow in other parts of the world also, including the American Southwest, where they are a native staple crop of the Pueblo Indians. China and Portugal are the largest exporters. Pine Nuts have a rich but delicate flavor; delicious in dishes as varied as stuffings, fruit salads, and pesto sauce. They may also be ground into a flour suitable for desserts. Eat them raw or roast them lightly in a dry skillet or oven to bring out their flavor.
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

PESTO RECIPE 

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Olive Oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, finely minced

Place basil leaves in small batches in food processor and whip until well chopped (do about 3/4 cup at a time). Add about 1/3 the nuts and garlic, blend again.
Add about 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese; blend while slowly adding about 1/3 of the olive oil, stopping to scrape down sides of container.
Process basil pesto it forms a thick smooth paste. Repeat until all ingredients are used, mix all batches together well. Serve over pasta. Basil pesto keeps in refrigerator one week, or freeze for a few months.

Cheeses come in all shapes, sizes and flavors but for every cheese it all starts with the milk. While cow’s milk cheeses are the most well known, cheese lovers demand products made from sheep, goat and buffalo milk as well. Pasteurized or raw, each milk type lends a unique quality to the cheese, so always be certain to include a variety of milks on your cheese tray for hors d’oeuvres and on the cheese plate for dessert.

July 27th is National Crème Brûlée Day! French for “burnt creme”, Crème Brûlée is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hard caramel, created by burning sugar under a grill or with a blowtorch or other intense heat source. It is usually served cold in individual ramikins.The custard base is normally flavoured with just vanilla but it can be enhanced with chocolate, a liquor or fruit etc. Sometimes the hardened sugar on top will be given a Maillard reaction, by igniting a thin layer of liqueur sprinkled over the top

How to make Creme Brulee from scratch.

Crème Brûlée French Toast Recipe

Kuhnhenn Crème Brûlée Java Stout

From The Rogue Creamery’s inauspicious beginnings in 1935 has come one of the finest artisan cheese operations in the world today. In 2002, Ig (Ignazio “Ig” Vella, affectionately known as the Godfather of artisan cheese) hand selected Cary Bryant and David Gremmels as the new owners of what is now known as The Rogue Creamery. Of utmost importance was to carry on the tradition of hand-milled cheese. Bryant and Gremmels hit the ground running. Within a year, they were producing award-winning cheeses.

Morimoto Soba Ale Cheddar ….  Chocolate Stout Cheddar …. Chipotle Cheddar …. Smokey Blue …. Crater Lake Blue

Saffron is the golden stigma of the purple fall crocus and is the world’s most expensive spice. The value of this spice is derived from the fact that it is such a labor-intensive crop. Only five to seven pounds of saffron can be produced from each acre of land. The flavor of saffron, however, is very concentrated. One gram of saffron is enough to flavor forty servings of saffron rice or two large batches of paella.