This miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, is native to West Africa. The berry contains a protein called miraculin, which binds with the taste buds and acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids. This protien makes tart lemons and hot peppers sweet tasting. The berry can also make cheap tequila taste as good as Patron! Read more about it here. To experience the fruit you may attend a “Flavor Tripping Party” hosted by Franz Aliquo in NYC. The fruit is also availabe by mail order through various specialty suppliers in New York, including Baldor Specialty Foods and S. Katzman Produce or via the web at  www.miraclefruitman.com. (A freezer pack of 30 berries costs about $90 with overnight shipping.)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 small melon

8 lettuce leaves

4 oz seedless green grapes

3 oz red grapes, seeded

DRESSING

185g (6 oz) Gorgonzola, crumbled

8 teaspoon fruity sauce

1/4 teaspoon chilli sauce

squeeze of lemon juice

GARNISH:

Sprigs of parsley

Few frisee and radicchio leaves

Little paprika

Directions

1. First make dressing by combining all ingredients in a bowl.
Set aside.

2. Cut melon into 4 slices; remove rind and seeds

3. Place 2 lettuce leaves each on 4 individual plates.

4. Arrange melon and grapes among the leaves.

5. Put a spoonful of dressing on top of each salad and garnish
with parsley, frisee and radicchio leaves.

6. Sprinkle a little paprika over dressing just before serving.

Serves 4.

Note: To make a thinner dressing if required, add a little single
(light) cream of milk until the desired consistency is reached

Baked Polenta with Grilled Italian Vegetable Medley

1 17.8 oz bag of Instant Polenta

1 28 oz can Menu Mixed Grill Vegetables

2 Quarts water

¼ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus more for oiling pan)

Olive oil

Black Pepper

Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a 9”x13” baking pan with olive oil

In a heavy bottomed pot, bring water and 2 tsp salt to a boil.  Add polenta and quickly stir to avoid any lumps.  Reduce heat to low, and continue to stir occasionally for 5 minutes until cooked though and has a thick consistence.  Stir in olive oil.  To make a black polenta, omit the salt and add ½ C black olive tapenade after cooking polenta.  For a fuller flavor, stir in grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, or Pecorino Romano. Other nice additions at this stage are 2 tsps of fennel seeds, 1 tsp of oregano, or 1 tbsp of fresh, mined rosemary and a minced garlic clove.

Here are some ideas for you Memorial Day Party. Food, Beer, & Decorations. Enjoy the three day weekend!

Memorial Day has arrived! The upcoming holiday weekend presents the perfect opportunity to visit with friends and family, fire up the grill and celebrate the coming of summer. Designed to save you time and money, we have created two special offers which provide you with everything you need for a great afternoon of grilling. Filled with top of the line products, these collections will have you grilling like a champ and have your guests wondering how you pulled it all off.

Offer #1: The Ultimate Memorial Day Sampler
At just $24.99, our Ultimate Memorial Day is priced 40% below its suggested retail price. This assortment features three items to keep your guests snacking while you fire up the grill. Enjoy Rosa Mexicana’s award-winning salsa, Stuffed Jumbo Olives, and a Red Pepper and Feta spread from Mt. Vikos of Greece Once the grill is going you can liven up your hot dogs and pork chops with specialty mustard, spice up your chicken with a Caribbean jerk marinade, and use the Awake-a-Steak dry rub to propel your steaks to the next level. Finally, we’ve included a bottle of Louisiana pepper sauce for those who want to kick it up a notch.

Offer #2: 25% off Meats for the Grill
Take up to 25% off our premium collection of grass-fed, all natural Rastelli meats. Grill like a champ with top quality filet mignon, ribeye, and top sirloin steaks, or go for a combo with a Surf and Turf collection, available with shrimp or lobster. For those with a taste for the exotic, our Specialty Butcher Collection includes osso bucco, veal strip steaks, and an Australian Rack of lamb.

Don’t forget about our Grilling Cheeses Collection and Organic California Avocados!

This is a recipe I made this past Sunday.  It’s a very easy recipe to make and doesn’t require a lot of specialized equipment.  It is a great place to start if you’ve always wanted to make your own pate, but weren’t sure of the process.  To have a milder liver flavor, use duck or chicken livers.  For a stronger liver flavor, use pork liver.  If you don’t have a terrine, you could try to make do with a loaf pan covered in foil for the lid.  It keeps for about 5 days afterwards, but you could cover it in duck fat to extend the life.

Green Peppercorn Pate de Campagne

By Nick Benard

1 lb ground pork

½ lb calf’s liver, deveined and diced

6 oz streaky bacon

8 oz baby Portobello mushrooms, cleaned and diced

½ C diced onion

4 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 1/2 tbsp green peppercorns in brine (drained)

1/4 C brandy

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 5 cup terrine with the bacon slices, sticking to the sides.  In a large mixing bowl, blend the mushrooms, onions, herbs and spices (except for salt) together.  Pour in brandy and red wine vinegar and allow mushrooms to soak for 5 minutes.  Add ground pork and liver, then blend to combine into homogenous mixture.  In a small skillet, fry a small meatball of the forcemeat mixture.  Taste for seasoning, keeping in mind that the terrine will be served cold and will need to be seasoned more aggressively than a warm dish.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.  Fill terrine with forcemeat, pushing firmly to fill mold.  Cover with remaining strips of bacon.  Rap the terrine against your counter top to push out any final air bubbles.

Bring a kettle of water to a boil.  Put the filled terrine in a larger pan that will function as a bain marie.  Fill the larger pan with boiling water, coming half-way up the sides of the pan.  Bake for 45-60 minutes, until internal temperature comes to 160? F.  Remove from water and allow to cool at room temperature.  The pate will need to sit in the refrigerator overnight.  Weigh the top of the terrine, so it compacts overnight.  I wrap a large, square bottle of olive oil in plastic wrap and place it on top in the fridge.

Serve with blood plum paste or spicy plum chutney on toast.

Pickled Asparagus - As delicious as it sounds, this southern treat comes to us from deep in the heart of Georgia. With a terrific crunch and a decidedly piquant flavor, it’ll liven up any antipasto, and make a bold addition to a gourmet Bloody Mary.

Pickled Hungarian Goathorn Peppers - When these incredible peppers were tasted at the Reno Wine Show, we were amazed at how well they paired with some of our cheeses. Surprisingly good with softer cheeses such as Camembert, these peppers also add a high degree of flavor to everything from lamb and smoked salmon to salads and sandwiches. Marinated in extra virgin olive oil and spices, Mama Lil’s Peppers are simply divine.

 Pickled Okra - The often neglected Okra is somewhat of a staple in the South, where it is available fresh 12 months of the year. For the rest of us, Pickled Okra is a real treat, particularly when it tastes this good. The fruit of a large vegetable plant of African origin, Okra, or Nkruma as it was known, found its way to the Americas with the slave ships. While its subtle flavor is sometimes compared to that of Eggplant, Okra has a taste all of its own, especially when pickled. Ours hail from Vidalia, Georgia, and is produced by Prissy’s, famed for their high quality Southern specialities, and served in Hyatt Hotels nationwide. Spicy and crisp, these will add delightful flavor to any meal, especially salads. Varieties sold separately.

German Baby Beets - A delicious accompaniment to other foods, baby beets are a traditional element of the German Buffet. Our imported German baby beets are nice and sweet with a distinctive earthy flavor. They are peeled, pickled in vinegar, and ready to eat. Excellent as a side dish with meat, lamb or grilled chicken, these beets are also an essential part of a German farmer’s breakfast when served with eggs. Sliced into little disks, they also make a beautiful garnish.

Tomolives (Green pickled tomatoes) - A pungent and spicy hybrid, grown from exclusive seeds, Tomolives are wickedly tasty mini-tomatoes. They are extremely versatile; great on salads, sandwiches and pizzas as well as rice or pasta dishes. Tomolives are a delightful addition to Martinis or a Bloody Mary.

Cornichons - Cornichons are crisp, tart, pickled baby cucumbers. Drenched in a brine of white wine vinegar, salt, pearl onions and select spices, these tangy little pickles are zesty and delicious. They are the traditional accompaniment to patés, smoked fish and meats, as well as a necessary ingredient when serving Raclette. From the heart of Provence, these authentic French Cornichons will surely find a welcome home in your gourmet pantry.

Barrell Pickles - These German pickles are crisp, crunchy, and delicious. Marinated in a lightly sweetened brine, they are kissed with a touch of sugar. Not overly sweet like some gherkins, these barrel pickles are packaged in a cute barrel-shaped glass jar. Superb as part of an hors d’oeuvres sampler, served alongside bratwurst, or as a cold addictive snack.

Banderillas - Maestranza’s Banderillas in Vinegar are an instant tapas straight from the jar, making them the perfect addition to your next cocktail hour. A banderilla is a decorative wooden spear used in bullfighting. However, in this jar, the banderilla is a small, wooden skewer containing crunchy cocktail onions, peppers, olives and pickles. Enjoy these skewers on their own or with a bloody mary or martini. Imported from Spain.

Sweet Pickled Ginger - Amasu Shoga is fresh, tender ginger, cut into paper thin slices. It is pickled in a sweet vinegar marinade. Also known as gari, this sweet pickled ginger is used to freshen the palate between courses in Japan, particularly with sushi. It is also great with sashimi, but you can even add it to salads, sauces, or seafood for some extra “kick”.

Cipolline Onions - These delicious Italian cipolline onions make a flavorful addition to your favorite salad or antipasto plate. They are pickled in balsamic vinegar and make a fine bite sized snack on their own. When compared to other cipolline onions we have tasted, these onions are a terrific complement to cheese, salami or prosciutto as they don’t overpower the other foods. Each onion is perfectly round and contributes to a beautiful hors d’oeuvre presentation. They are also excellent served heated up or grilled with beef or chicken, too.

Organic Cheese Standards
The USDA sets very high standards for dairy farmers to be able to label their products Organic. The process begins with the requirement of farming the land organically for three years prior to certification. All animal feed must be certified organic, meaning that it must be all-natural, cannot be genetically modified, cannot be grown with chemical fertilizers, and must come from a certified organic farm. Of course, although it creates significant limitations, pasture grazing on land that is not sprayed with insecticide is acceptable. Milk producing animals may not be given antibiotics either. Inside the plant, all ingredients in addition to the milk must be certified organic, including rennet, cultures, and any flavorings and preservatives that may be added. Once a farm achieves all of these standards, it can apply for certification through a licensed third-party agency. igourmet.com sells many great Organic Cheeses. Serving suggestions and wine pairings as well as history and maufacturing details are available on igourmet.com Our selection includes:

 Whether she’s into cheesecakes, flowers or chocolates, igourmet.com has the elegant gourmet solution for the perfect Mother’s Day gift. In one simple click, you can impress Mom with a truly grand gesture of your appreciation and respect. For a limited time, our extensive list of Mother’s Day gifts is on sale. Please take advantage of this exclusive offer and treat your mother, grandmother, wife, sister or friend to an award-winning gift basket, assortment of divine chocolates, or collection of gourmet foods. Each item at igourmet.com is carefully evaluated by our experts to ensure that it is of the highest quality. Whatever igourmet.com gift you choose to send Mom this Mother’s Day, rest assured that it will convey your thanks and esteem