Gourmet Food Gifts Gift absolutely fantastic choices

The Internet has made gift company and companies and individual giving at the same time very easy and complicated. You can make it convenient and easy to buy and send the goods everywhere, but problematic when your possibilities and options certainly can possibly be overwhelming. If people are looking for gift suggestions, perhaps you might find yourself spending a good deal of free time bouncing from site to site, search everything regarding the appropriate gift and without much success.

Gourmet food gifts tend to be the gifting concept in which more or less anyone will be able to use. This community has experienced an incredible expansion since the beginning of the Internet. Gift baskets of food once completely outclassed this specific market, however with the addition regarding niche merchants, is in reality without effort now to be able to ship gifts badge associated food of excellent quality, and still end up being individual enough to convey your feeling with a wonderful gift idea.

Meals prepared as food gifts

Gifts of food can easily become divided into two classes, prepared and unprepared. Most of the prepared food gift ideas is purchased and shipped frozen, which usually costs a little more. The funny thing about mailings prepared meals that exceptional shops were already equipped to make selections that are not merely suggestions, but fall into healthy lifestyles.

It is not strange to see great tasting prepared meals that can easily ship to a man or a woman with diabetes, someone on a diet low in sodium, nutritionally balanced or for senior citizen life style. Some of these companies offer regular meals and gift packages and programs is to provide a great thought that can work within the price range.

In addition to nutritional characteristics, prepared foods can be easily the biggest present for special occasions. For example, you might want to consider a bundle of meals for a family who has just had a baby, moved into a new House, as a gift of sympathy or on vacation for a family member. Their advantage of heating can make them a remedy for situations when there is a lot of free time. Not only offer the gift of great food, it also expresses the treat of free time.

Some other prepared meal gifts may include dessert, biscuits and candies. These days, you can also send someone special a Maine lobster cooked!

Unprepared Food Gourmet Gifts

Not to be outdone, unprepared food gifts could make wonderful options too! Here you can send out your Dad or dealings, a box of high quality steaks that generally can't get close. We recommend that you consider a gift of wine for your favorite winemaker or wine enthusiast, and you can have a nice bottle of wine with a variety of gourmet cheese from around the world.

Buy steaks Online could be the leader of the old style in this sector, however, seafood is increasing. Now you can offer premium gift ideas like fish and smoked fish, caviar, as well as the crab cakes. Believe it or not, there are websites that focus on just these types of goods.

A nice premium food web sites offer gift packs from month to month, if you want a gift that can last just about all yearlong. Niche businesses and green tea do this, as well as wine merchants. Usually you have the option to cancel if the concept does not work for you.

And one last thought may be to give a gourmet food gift certificate. The advantage of this option is particularly useful in cases where a person would like to send a meal, but you're not sure exactly what kind of food will be enjoyed. Virtually all food gift certificates do not expire, never possess any kind of additional service fees and also tend to be extremely easy to buy with.

About the author: Cassandra Lee is a human relations Executive with more than twenty years of commercial and personal gift of knowledge acquisition. Stop by his Web site, gift ideas Online for many more Gourmet Food gifts as well as many other recommendations on sale gift for any special occasion.

Learn about Gourmet food items and delicious mouth watering

Several countries around the world have different cultures and traditions and customs are followed regularly, while the execution of tasks of the day. These costumes are followed even during baking dishes and cultural delights. Various types of traditional hand-picked herbs and ingredients are used to cook food in order to provide a perfect taste to food. This delicacy culture and class is known as food gourmand. Gourmet dishes have a perfect aroma and flavor that has the capability of mesmerizing your senses. These food items are prepared using some of the best spices, herbs and other ingredients and food lovers from around the world I love this kind of food.

The gourmet meal includes spices, desserts, bread, wine, liquors, meat and other food thin pastry items. Some well-known chefs prepare this type of gourmet epicure food rich and famous, with the help of their exceptional culinary skills. These meal items are very expensive, but offer exclusive flavor and presentation that will leave a delicious aroma on your dish of meal. Much importance is placed on the presentation of these dishes in order to make them appear perfect. Below are some of the most popular forms of gourmet food products that you can buy some exclusive online stores as well as offline.

1. cakes and pastries

Gourmet cakes and pastries are widely popular throughout the world, mainly because of their delectable ingredients. Sweets and desserts are prepared with certain ingredients selective. Candies, chocolates and biscuits are also made under the category prolific and are normally made from the best Baker. These bakers are experienced and have excellent culinary skills in making gourmet baked food items for food lovers. There are several varieties of cakes in this category as the lemon cake, chocolate cake and bread of Spain.

2. tea and coffee

These teas and coffees are very different from normal, tea and coffee available on the market and that you drink on a regular basis. These are some great natural herbs that are useful in the fight with human diseases. There are several types of tea and coffee in this category of gourmets like biscuits, cappuccino, chocolate and hazelnut. These are specially made to entice your taste buds.

3. meat

Epicurus meat includes beef strip steak, caviar, free-range Turkey, pheasant and hot salami. You can also try these dishes with a number of other ingredients and natural herbs.

Well, these are some of the most popular gourmet food items that will surely tempting your buds of tang.

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A Gourmet Food Gift Basket is the perfect solution to the problem of the holiday gift giving

Holidays can be a hectic period and some of the stress it is heard during the summer season is the result of problems that come with the gift giving process. What to buy for people and where to get what you want can be left running in circles when it could be otherwise enjoying the little time off that you have for the holidays.

This is only a reason why the tendency to give gift baskets has been booming in recent years and now there are a lot more choices and options available then there ever was before. A sector that is delightfully cesti exploded is in food gift. The simple basket of sausage, crackers and cheese is still available and is a popular choice.

However; gourmet food gift baskets have branched out to include many more choices now that contain exotic and delicious foods from all four corners of the globe. One thing that is so important to keep in mind when browsing your choices in food gift baskets is that you are shopping for yourself.

This is so important, because everyone has different tastes when it comes to delicious gourmet foods may not be as well as the recipient that you send the basket more. Also, it is important that you stay within your budget as well.

The fact is that gift baskets and gourmet food come in a wide range of prices, so no matter how much you spend you will not have any trouble finding one that you like. The best place to find a gourmet food gift basket to send of course is online and almost all the companies that sell gift baskets will pack and send it to you also, so now it is easier than ever.

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Tasty and irresistible Gourmet Food Items-collect all the information you need

Culinary arts have encouraged us to produce something new and unique every time we want to prepare mouth watering dishes. Gourmet food products are also prepared with skillful culinary arts and also require sophisticated preparation and submission of luxury. You will see that culinary meals usually are presented in various courses so that people can truly enjoy the exotic aroma of delicious items. People with passion for eating large meals and refined taste must surely consider order these special meals for a long time coming for lunch or dinner.

I'm not just very tasty gourmet meals, but they are also very nutritious as they are prepared with herbs and unique ingredients. For more information about special meals, it is very important for you to read the following mentioned points as they would tell you tips and tricks you need to keep in mind when buying these items.

1. If you buy frozen meat and seafood then you always have to keep certain things in mind. Be sure to buy good quality products with portion control, flash freezing and vacuum sealing.

2. the portion of the control is a great way through which you can save a lot of time on the preparation of the meal. It also reduces the fat and the other by products that comes with the flesh and can be harmful to health.

3. Vacuum seal is very important to preserve the freshness of the fish. You can maintain vacuum sealed beef in your freezer for more than four months after buying it. The gourmet meat and fish is full of extra juice that makes it easier to cook.

4. Flash freezing is another through which you can save the freshness of the fish. Some of the most expensive seafood that has been preserved in such a way that is Caribbean Pacific Salmon lobster, Orange Roughy which only and Alaskan crab. If your local shop doesn't use flash freezing system, then you don't need to buy food items never from those stores.

5. There are more food online operating on internet selling well preserved meat and fish food gourmet customers. If you require the purchase of articles on a daily basis, you have to take the help of these stores.

So, what are you waiting for, just go to the market and enjoy the joy of our sumptuous gourmet meals.

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French food-how to plan your trip to experience the best Gourmet Food

In previous articles on traditional French cuisine we looked really what it means to be ' traditional ' and ' French food ', because many common assumptions surrounding the gourmet food from France seems to be somewhat inaccurate.

Not only there is no such thing as an all-encompassing concept of what could be described as traditional French food, at least, not by the French, but also the suggestion that the food in France is entirely French, lacking any external influences, is totally wrong.

The geography of France varies enormously, and with several neighbours neighbors there were influences from other countries, including Germany and Spain. So the concept of traditional French cuisine is rather more complex, and any travel across the country will not necessarily exploring different ideas around what is and what is best.

However, it is not only the geography or the influence of neighbouring countries that features what many consider to be the traditional French cuisine, and there is yet another factor that has enormous influence as far as what you might expect to eat in various parts of the country-and it's the season.

Seasonal changes can cause differences in opportunities for gourmet food throughout the country, perhaps more so than in many other countries, including the United Kingdom.

These days that we tend to get quite out of touch regarding the seasons are affected, with supermarkets stocking food and ingredients throughout the year, when previously we could only have been able to buy during a particular season. With cheap flights and international supply chain, we are now able to buy strawberries in winter and think very little of it.

However, if we consider traditional French food, then it will be important to take into consideration the seasons and the impact of these traditionally have had on recipes, ingredients and dishes served in various parts of the country.

Whatever season you choose for your visit to sample some of the best French food on offer on you will find some of the best gourmet delights of food supply. Plan your visit during the summer months as many are invariably and be likely to find an abundance of salads and fruit-based dishes.

Not only is this because they are refreshing but the fruits and vegetables are abundant in most of the country and often are very affordable. The view from many retailers and grocery store is that it is rather preferable to sell fruits and vegetables that are in season at a price that is lower than watching perfectly good food starts to rot.

Therefore you will be able to enjoy these healthy, nutritious and delicious almost everywhere at prices that are very affordable.

Towards the end of the summer, however, the emphasis of moving and you'll start to find many more be served dishes that incorporate mushrooms in one form or another. French cuisine dishes that include mushrooms tend to be stewed and well in the late summer, early autumn, look out for mushroom based stews like these will be at their best.

Traditionally September witnesses the beginning of hunting season in France and this runs all the way through the winter until around February. That is why, if you are looking for traditional French food agenda is likely to be in the game.

Many of the dishes are celebrations of success hunting and often can become very elaborate and certainly worth living.

As the ice thaws and spring begins price changes again and the end of winter to early spring period is when shellfish are at their best. Take a trip to the coast, where they tend to specialize in seafood dishes, and if you have time this properly to coincide with the start of the season that you'll be amazed by crustaceans as things like oysters.

Besides being at their best can also find that some crustaceans are available only at this time, as for example shrimp cannot be taken out of the season as it is actually illegal to do so.

So if you're looking for what really can be called traditional French food, you must consider both the geographical influences, as well as seasonal influenza that affect both what can be offered, and its quality. Right time, and you experience gastronomy at its best.

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Wild Game Jerky as a Gourmet Food Gift

What makes something gourmet, and can wild game jerky qualify? I think we all can say that gourmet could mean what the rich people eat, although it is very tough to define rich. I would like to think that gourmet snack foods mean that the products have higher quality than other snack foods. I also think that the availability of the gourmet food gift might make them more appealing. You cannot buy vintage wines at every bar or get s-cargo at McDonald's. We all know that the internet has made most products accessible to us all. If you have the money you can buy it on the internet. I hope the distinction still exists and everyone will take the time to enjoy some high priced chocolates, some excellent exotic peanut butter maybe even some wild game jerky. Life is just too short to only eat Cheeto's.

So I give you the top ten reasons wild game jerky is a great gourmet food gift.

1. There is an endless supply of animals that you can jerk. I try to eat at least part of one animal a day.

2. That also means that there is an endless cut of meats that can be prepared. Alligator tail, buffalo hump, ostrich leg, or deer tenderloin.

3. Also there are many different flavors that each meat can be spiced with.

4. Beef jerky places will give you a sample of each type.

5. You can eat wild game jerky without getting anything on your hands.

6. Jerky will not spoil for about 6 months.

7. It is unusual enough that almost no one keeps some wild game jerky around the house.

8. You can be sure that nobody else will give this gift. If they do then you just have double the

jerky no problem.

9. Unless you give it to a jerky freak, you can be sure that it is something new to the receiver.

10. When was the last time you ate something that could eat you?

The next time you are stumped about what to buy the guy or gal who has everything, take a look at some wild game jerky

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Tips on selecting a Gourmet Food Gift Basket

When you intend to buy a gourmet food gift basket for that special someone, whatever the occasion, you must take several things into consideration before you buy. In particular, when you decide on a basket, are deciding on foods that are usually served for special occasions. This makes it difficult to predict the amount of variety of foods to include.

Make sure you know how many people the basket ultimately serve. Since foods are perishable, you really want to know if you have to do with a couple of people or a large group of people. Knowing the number of people, you can size the basket now appropriately. Like basketball, when filled, watching overflowing. So, size a bit smaller than what you think you need. After you have sized your cart, select a color that is appropriate for the occasion and attractive.

Now that you have your shopping cart, the fun part starts. What to put in and gourmet food gift basket? The options are endless.

Drinks

If you plan to include drinks, wines are an excellent choice. Even if recipients do not drink alcohol, you can replace a beautiful sparkling cider. Otherwise, you could go with the selections of coffee and tea. Herbal teas are very popular these days. Cups are a nice complement for baskets that have coffee or tea.

Cheese

The cheese is also a great choice to put your gift basket gourmet food, because they come in all shapes, colors and sizes. And you can't have cheese with bread or cracker-I mean the kind of fantasy of course. Make sure that cheese and cracker style baskets are equipped with cutlery and decorative plates in Nice.

Fruit

You can have your fruit gift basket or to increase another item in the basket. The best selections of fruits include apples, pears and oranges of fresh fruit, but not neglect exotic dried fruits, berries and nuts.

Sweets

At this point, you may not realize the great many choices in food gift baskets. Well, there is more. How about dessert? Baskets can contain items such as cookies, and gourmet cakes, scones, jams and jellies. What is especially popular lately are chocolate gourmet gift baskets.

As you can see, frame the basket is the easy part while you decide on how it can be overwhelming. You can mix some or all of the above mentioned items or have a basket that focuses on a single element type. The world is your shopping cart. Consider the personality, likes and dislikes of your primary audience.

Now that you know the options, do some research on the web to see what they are selling the majority of retailers of gift basket, Gift Basketslike, and how they package their articles.

Gourmet Food gift baskets

Gourmet Food Recipes Online Can Help a Dinner Party

The prospect of having to host a dinner party can be stressful enough to reduce the most hardened veteran to tears. Anyone who's been involved in work behind the scenes would know that cooking the food for the party is just one part of the intensive preparation that needs to be carried out prior to the event. Even so, this doesn't detract from the importance of acquiring gourmet food recipes online.

It's important to keep the décor in mind when throwing a dinner party. Buying a completely new dining and living room set is extravagant, needless and out of the question. It's possible to glam up your home without breaking the budget. Always remember that guests perceive the setting as a reflection of the meal to come. Therefore, one would not expect the best gourmet food in dull and dowdy surroundings. Different slip covers for the furniture and good quality dining utensils are things you can't do without.

Once you've sorted out any décor issues, it's time to plan the menu. Settling on a specific theme makes it a lot easier to put together a meal. Exotic foods like Thai or Filipino or even a medley of well-known Asian dishes are likely to be well-received by guests. Deciding on a particular theme makes it easy for you to look for gourmet food recipes online as recipes can be grouped either based on their main component or the region from which they originate.

You will need to go shopping after deciding on a theme and décor. The shopping can be divided into two trips - one for non-perishables (decorations, cutlery, etc.) and one for perishables (food). Shopping in a methodical manner helps eliminate stress and a shopping list will prevent you from forgetting anything. It also helps you budget too, as the best gourmet food doesn't come cheap. Never shop for food on an empty stomach either as this leaves you open to impulse food buys, loss of focus and potentially blowing your budget.

It's important to send out your invites early so that it doesn't clash with anything else guests might have planned. As the day of the dinner party approaches, the guest list should be finalized and attendances confirmed.

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Getting Started As a Gourmet Food Supplier

If you love gourmet food and want to share your interest with others, it's likely you'd have thought of introducing wholesale food to your friends and family. Rather than merely extolling the virtues of gourmet food to them before pressing them to buy something from you, try starting off easy. To wit, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Be casual, not compulsive, about it.

In order to highlight the products you have on hand, you might want to volunteer at school events or festivities. Showcasing a number of gourmet food items you feel are winners is sure to attract the attention of the staff and other adults. Once you've gained their attention, it's likely you'll be engaged to handle small events like staff parties. From there, there's a big chance you'll garner the interest of individual purchasers and eventually build up a decent customer base.

If you've been invited to a dinner party, don't be shy about offering to bring something in return. It's always a canny move to have wholesale gourmet food selections on hand to impress your friends. When guests exclaim over your generous and doubtlessly tasty contribution, the opportunity is there for you to make a discreet sale. The chances of fellow guests impulsively making a purchase from you are improved if you bring items you know will be highly popular as well.

Being actively involved in local community events is a great way to expand your pool of customers. Signing up to run a booth at a fundraiser for a school, church or community center is a great way to make your gourmet food items more visible. Delicious, modest portions sold at an inexpensive price are likely to incite curiosity about the item, and the cost you expended on providing them can no doubt easily be covered by sales you make in the future. In a similar vein, catering or hosting a party in which your products are featured are sure to make a lasting impression on potential customers.

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Know how to cook Gourmet Food

Most people who have prepared gourmet food can agree that this is not the type of food to be hospitalized. Take high-quality ingredients, masterful plan in preparation and presentation. In other words, you have to have money to buy what you need to prepare it and cook well. Given the fact that it is difficult to prepare this food, here are some points that you may find useful, especially if you're new to this.

First of all, choose a gourmet recipe that you want to prepare. There are several recipes that you can choose from and you can find them on the internet or any other book of recipes. We recommend that you pick those recipes that will give the guidelines that follow during cooking, on the top to show you how to cook. This will make it easier for you, as you will be able to follow the steps provided.

After picking your favorite recipe, make sure that you have acquired the necessary ingredients for the preparation of that food. Make sure that the ingredients are of high quality and quantity required. Get to know how and what are used to add flavor to the meal. Learn about this meal that only eat it will appreciate. It is therefore good that read and know the history of most of the recipes.

When it comes down to preparation, it is recommended that you follow the recipe. Is your guide in the kitchen and get the best meal is not easy, so you need to use the recipe and cook it well for some time before knowing the real how to do well (i.e. If you are not yet trained in the preparation of it).

To make it even better, after the preparation, make use of styles of dressing food recommended for gourmet food so that it can be appealing to your eyes and taste good too. You can decide to put the sauces on the plate before serving food on it, you can also add color with fresh herbs and stack in a pleasant way. All this is aimed at the achievement of good results, given the effort that you put in place to prepare it.

Is good to have some guests who enjoy gourmet food to come and enjoy with you. This will make a funny moment full and not just eat.

In preparing this food, it is not necessary to go for complex or something out of this world. You can keep simple yet elegant with the right recipe that you can enjoy all the way of cooking. Take your time to prepare the food that you will appreciate.

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Proper etiquette in eating Japanese food Gourmet

The Japan is a wealthy country with a history of honor, of hierarchy and etiquette. Actually, they give so much emphasis on these values that they include when partakers of their gourmet food.

Japanese have their own gourmet food such as sushi, sashimi and nikogori. But there is a lot more to put only pieces of these exotic and delicious food in the mouth. Truly experience Japanese culture that is so prevalent in preparing and participating in their kitchen, must practice their unique table etiquette.

First, be sure to say "itadakimasu" before starting a meal. This means, "I receive" in English. After the meal, say "gochisosama deshita", meaning "which was a feast" in English. Telling this to your host or the restaurant staff shows that you can appreciate the gourmet food that have prepared for you.

Take note that, before eating, Japanese restaurants or houses will put a hot towel or a plastic-wrapped the wet napkin on the table. You must use to clean your hands before eating. Ever clean towel or paper towel on your face or any other part of the body. It is considered rude if you do so.

To eat rice or soup that is provided, take the bowl with the left hand and use chopsticks with your right. Although okay sipping soup or noodles directly from the bowl, don't do it with rice. Also, do not pour soy sauce on your food. Instead, soak a bite plate sauce.

It is good to be slurped noodles. It shows the host that you like her cooking.

In addition, eating rice, you should not leave sticking chopsticks vertically in rice. In this way is a ritual that is offered to the dead. Chopsticks cannot be used to spear food, to point to someone else, or to transfer the food to someone else. In this way is rude and is not recommended.

When getting a mouthful of gourmet food that is shared by all, turn the chopsticks around to collect the food because it's considered cleaner. If you want to share the food to someone else, take your dish or bowl and go directly to the person or the Bowl plate.

Finally, make sure that you have finished your meal to the last grain. Also, do not ask for special gourmet food in addition to those that the host has served. It is considered rude to ask for something else, especially in a corporate environment. Good manners will show that you respect the selections of your host.

And there you go! Now you are ready to participate in Japanese cuisine.

With your food gourmet espresso to enjoy some of best espresso machine, as these saeco espresso coffee machines.

Why try Gourmet Food Delivery?

Delivery services and gourmet food have become quite the rage.  Even Hollywood is always on it.  And why not?  That wouldn't eat 5 star delivered right at home?

You can also combine gourmet indulgence with calorie controlled meals to lose weight, too.  There are gourmet food delivery companies that prepare meals, if you have diabetes, are a vegetarian, have kids to feed, want organic, kosher  There are meal plans, senior, lower sodium healthy heart. It is really incredible all the choices we have available now.

Benefits of gourmet food delivery:

Imagine after a particularly stressful day, rather than having to hit the store and prepare dinner ... or worse, swing by and pick up some junk food, you're perfectly healthy food, prepared food awaits ...
The holidays just become easier.  Why not have Thanksgiving or holiday meals prepared and delivered to you?
Concerned about elderly parents?  Have their meals delivered to them and know they are dietary needs will be taken care of.
Healthy lunchboxes for you or for children with the freshest ingredients, organic.
Food delivery services make fantastic gifts gourmet ... This is such a wonderful indulgence, which does not appreciate the joy of Dining deluxe for the ultimate culinary experience?
And then there's the weight loss ... It might be easier to stay on track when the food is brought to you and already prepared for this?  Also, I really don't feel like you're still on a diet, if you have delivered gourmet meals.

I always dreamed of having a chef come to my house, whip up a gourmet meal and have it waiting when I came home.  Bit too expensive for my pocket book ... but the delivery path is definitely the best.

See gastronomic Service the using the stars. Be sure and watch the video at the bottom of the page ... Is truly a culinary delight!

Dee is passionate about family, God, Texas Health and live a life of excellence ...

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A Gluten-Free New Year's Resolution - New and Exciting Gourmet Foods For 2010!

Iniziare l'anno nuovo con una risoluzione di mangiare cibi più emozionanti di glutine. Ci sono alcuni deliziosi scandalosamente gastronomici alimenti che sono senza glutine gratis, quindi espandere il vostro pensiero nel 2010 e vivacizzare la vostra dispensa di cucina!

Avviare jazzing fino alcuni degli alimenti fiocco che è necessario mantenere nella loro cucina. Questi alimenti possono essere alla base della cucina sana se siete intolleranti glutine o no. Il riso è un importante punto di partenza. Naturalmente si vuole scegliere un tipo di riso che è meno elaborato, uno che è grano intero. Non solo è più nutriente riso integrale, ma ha anche più sapore. Lundberg è stato un grande produttore di riso e prodotti di riso in California per decenni. Essi hanno molti interessanti miscele di riso.

Essi offrono una miscela di organico gastronomici di riso selvatico esotico e fragrante Wehani, due Risi di grano intero delizioso con salate nocciola sapori e consistenze deliziosi. Lotus Foods di El Cerrito California ha Risi premium, alcuni coltivati negli USA e anche alcuni Risi cimelio importati. Dicono loro vietato di riso biologico è 'un antico grana.... una volta consumato esclusivamente dagli imperatori.' Ha un sapore di nocciola favoloso, meraviglioso texture morbida e bellissimo colore ricco deep purple.

Ci sono molti piatti di pasta riso eccellente disponibili. Io sono parziale per i vermicelli, dal momento che non riesce a rilevare quella trama che spesso viene fornito con la pasta di riso. Se aggiungete la salsa di destra, tuttavia, non importa come molto di che pasta è utilizzare. Provare un grande al pesto, o tradizionale marinara. Aglio mamma & Basil Spaghetti salsa da Fischer & Wieser in Texas, è una deliziosa salsa Marinara. Se ti piace una salsa al pesto con una torsione, provare la salsa Pesto di carciofo Chardonnay da Gourmet di sabbia città CA di Gil. Ci sono molte salse con ingredienti semplici che dovrebbero essere sicuri per la maggior parte delle persone con intolleranza al glutine. Se siete estremamente sensibile, si potrebbe voler rimanere con i prodotti che sono garantiti per essere priva di glutine. Mi piace inventare le mie proprie salse. Prova leggermente friggere le verdure preferite e l'aggiunta di un fantastico tapenade. Uno dei miei preferiti Combo è zucchine, pomodori, aglio e un tapenade d'ulivo.

Così, ci segue a tapenade. Ci sono la tapenade tradizionale fatti con olive, capperi, aglio e, talvolta, acciughe. Il Los Olivos Cafe dalla città di quel nome a CA, resa famosa dal film lateralmente, rende un tapenade divina in questo stile. È fuori di questo mondo quando spalmare sul pane o cracker. Aggiungendo un cucchiaio di questa miscela ricca può fare qualsiasi piatto ordinario straordinario. La tapenade termine ha ampliato a coprire molti altre creme da spalmare, fatti con olio d'oliva, erbe e una matrice di verdure come i carciofi, peperoni, carote, melanzane e così via. Mano per bocca Edibles è un'azienda a Los Angeles, che fa una formidabile linea di tapenade. Provare loro Ambrosia carciofo su un cracker!

Parlando di tapenade e crackers, c'è un mondo di snack sontuoso che sono senza glutine. Lundberg rende cracker riso formidabile, e per un grande mais chip tortilla provare Chips di coda di balena. Immergere uno qualsiasi di questi in una miriade di salse presentata dalla società di Salsa di Santa Barbara in California per un gustoso spuntino o antipasto. Ho paura che questo è diventato un pasto per me in molte occasioni. Essi continuano ad aggiungere nuovi sapori di allettanti. Loro Salsa Habanero della calce è una salsa meravigliosamente fumosa che non è troppo calda. Queste sono solo pochi alimenti che potrebbero aggiungere alcuni pizzazz al tuo nuovo anno. Così, live it up, provare qualcosa di nuovo e ha un favoloso gourmet 2010!

Lynne D. Garrett è un membro del team di degustazione che selezionano i cibi e vini per Emporium Garrett e la divisione di cesto regalo, regali andato Gourmet. È un piccolo, società, che si crede a conduzione familiare può mangiare una dieta priva di glutine 'gourmet'. Mettono a fuoco sulla degustazione e scegliendo solo gli alimenti giusti per il regalo perfetto di glutine. Il business è situato nella valle di Santa Maria, una regione vinicola fiorente, sulla costa della California centrale. Fin dalla sua nascita nel 2006, Emporium Garrett ha accumulato un insieme diversificato di alta qualità cibi e vini made principalmente in California. Per vedere la selezione completa di cesti regalo andare a http://www.GiftsGoneGourmet.com e per consultare la raccolta completa di cibi e vini vedere http://www.GarrettsEmporium.com.

The convenience of buying online Gourmet Food

Maybe you want to try a recipe looks interesting, or perhaps you're trying to put together a memorable gastronomic dish dates back to your childhood. Looking for gourmet food online is one of the most convenient methods that you can use to find the perfect foods to help your culinary creations to take shape.

The variety of foods available is simply amazing when it comes to gourmet grocery stores that are available online. Following is a list of detailed in your recipe ingredients becomes much easier when you have virtually the whole world to choose from. Never have to undergo the stress of driving towards the supplier of food eateries, only to discover that you've exhausted stock or not a particular item that is crucial to your recipe. When it comes to food, there is no ingredient to obscure or esoteric, as long as you are able to buy online.

Ordering an online store is an incredibly convenient process. By filling in your cart to carry the goods back home, shopping is just a mouse click away from completion when you buy gourmet food online. There is the convenience of not having to circle the block looking for a parking lot, jostle and figure out how to get all of your purchases back to machine even with other buyers. By going online, you don't have to worry about fighting either the inclement weather. Everything from navigation to payment can be done in the comfort of your own home. Also, if you forget something, it will be a breeze to make another order at a later time.

Perhaps the idea of online shopping it sounds like one expensive, especially when it comes to buying gourmet food. However, it is certain that the products in the shops are not just valued more highly than regular elements for the sake of it! Gourmet foods are considered as such because they are more rare and relatively more difficult to get that everyday staples, so their price slightly higher. Compared to a brick store and Malta, however, save a lot of online stores on overheads not having to maintain a permanent business premise. Items are from all over the world and the savings can be passed on to consumers.

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Gourmet Food Gift Baskets because he always hit the bulls eye

This thing called life presents its members participants with challenges on a daily basis. Shopping for gifts is one of the situations to which we have to throw down the gauntlet and make the best choices in time allowed. What is a sure-fire way to conquer your opponent of time in the most effective and efficient? Gourmet Food gift baskets is the strategic road to take to get the mission accomplished.

Who does not like the food? Who doesn't love the gourmet food? The human body simply rejoices when presented with the finer things in life during breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Palatable delicacies were one of the greatest pleasures of humanity. There can be no argument against this fact and ivi is the first fundamental reason that Gourmet Food gift baskets are bona fide winners in battlefield shopping.

In the first round is a decisive victory, but important roadblocks next must be overcome. The crucial question of where to find these luxury hampers must meet before they can expect any further progress. The answer is that the key to the victory can be found using the modern technology of the internet. Yes, a tactical victory can be obtained by using search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc) and typing the keywords and key phrases that better befit the specific type of food product that you are after. Narrow your choice down to ground zero and the second battle of the war was won.

One must then determine the most effective strategy for getting this choice of Gourmet Food gift baskets in the hands of the lucky beneficiary. Alas, there is a response to ensure victory at last! The worthy gift basket site that you chose can have the basket wrapped up nice and neatly before being shipped to your door, relative, friend or client that has rightly earned this award more noble. Now you have overcome all obstacles and made the enemy of time made the most convincing.

Friends, Americans, countrymen-lend your ears! Now you can shout out in jubilation by mountains in the world of gift shopping after using this advice. Follow the strategy and conquer the enemy in a decisive way. I welcome you in advance for the brilliant execution of these plans that will give that gift giving triumph with the least amount of battle fatigue in the years to come.

Brian is the owner of the paradise gift basket and invites everyone to visit its webpage Food baskets http://www.agiftbasketparadise.com/gourmet_food_gift_baskets.html gift to today.

Gourmet Food Baskets - Gifts For All Types

Gift baskets are not a new concept, but they certainly are a great gift. They can be given all year round. It's always a safe bet to give gourmet food baskets as gifts as hardly anyone says no to food! Companies offering wide range from the very large to those working out of their basement, and quality can vary between the exquisite or nightmarish. The best part of these baskets is that there are options for nearly everyone.

Buying food for a diabetic can be a dilemma sometimes. It's important to display sensitivity to their inability to regulate their blood sugar levels, yet you also want them to enjoy nice gourmet food gifts. Naturally, diabetic-friendly gift baskets offer sugar-free versions of the cakes, cookies and assorted pastries so beloved of sweet-toothed individuals everywhere. Savory food that is suitable for consumption by diabetics is also available for inclusion in these gift baskets. Best of all, a complete list of ingredients and their nutritional values can be included in the gift basket so that the recipient knows what they're getting.

Living life as a gluten-intolerant individual can be quite difficult. Yet, there's no reason to leave them out when it comes to giving out gourmet food baskets. A gift basket can be packed with gluten-free items such as pastas made from rice flour. Rice flour is also suitable to make rice chips. These are a more than adequate replacement for regular chips, as are chips made from non-GMO organic corn. What's a chip without a dip, you say? A gluten-free gift basket should include high-quality olive oil as well as tapenades. These should be made from fresh, flavorful components like olives, garlic, capers and even anchovies. Vegetarian varieties include those made from peppers, carrots, eggplant and artichokes.

Sometimes, the best gift you can give someone is something handmade. You don't have to spend a lot of money on gourmet food gifts if you make them yourself. The sheer number of gourmet recipes and tips available means you don't have to take a cooking course to put together a gift basket of your own. You can personalize it accordingly too because you know what the recipient likes.

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Gift Baskets With Tasty Gourmet Food Can Cheer A Friend

If you want to lift the spirits of a friend with a creative gift, follow your heart by sending a treat-filled gift basket. Perhaps your friend or loved one has recently experienced a tragedy or is simply going through difficult times. Tasty treats in a quality gift basket can bring delightful hope to any situation.

An ideal choice for a down-hearted loved one is a basket garnished with high quality goods that you know they'll enjoy. Is your friend a chocolate lover? Hit their sweet spots with a delectable Ghirardelli chocolate basket. These are packed with chocolate delights such as dark chocolate with caramel, double chocolate hot cocoa, mint dark chocolate, vanilla caramels, and other sweet goodies.

There are also numerous gourmet food gifts for the friend who likes to snack on cheese, crackers, cookies, pretzels, caramel popcorn, chocolate truffles, salami, pistachios, raisins, or other gourmet snacks. Gourmet food baskets come in many flavors, and there are even gifts baskets with a mix of gourmet foods with chocolates or fruits.

Specialty food baskets add that personal touch for an intimate friend - one so close that you know exactly what they prefer. If your friend prefers Italian foods, try an Italian pasta gift basket featuring spaghetti, bread sticks, Italian cookies, olive oil, vinaigrette, olives, and other Italian specialties.

For a friend with diabetes or other health needs, choose a sugar-free gift with sugar-free candies, gourmet coffee, water crackers, cheese pretzel sticks, and cheese dip. Or if they prefer natural health foods, try an organic gifts with organic fruits, preserves, honey, crackers, nuts, and herbal tea.

During times of sickness a comfort food basket can include other treats, goodies and gifts. For instance, your friend or loved one might be pleased with inspirational items bundled inside the basket, such as a book, notepad and pen gift set with a Thomas Kinkade theme. You might also wish to add an assortment of herbal teas, afternoon Ceylon black tea, dark roast blend coffee, tea cookies, wafers and biscotti. Be sure to choose from numerous gourmet food basket arrangements so your gift will be truly unique to the needs of your recipient.

Any friend or loved one will appreciate a cheery, edible gift decorated with colorful bows and ribbons and filled with their favorite treats. Tasty food baskets are sure to warm your friend's heart, whet their appetite and It's a great way to show you care.

Author: Bonnie L Barbour - http://www.adorablegiftbaskets.com offers an intriguing collection of affordable gift baskets. You can easily make a selection online and have gift baskets delivered to a friend's home, workplace, or the hospital.

Andrew Zimmern’s Favorite Bakeries

Andrew Zimmern lists his favorites bakeries around the country.

Chef Joanne Chang graduated from Harvard with honors, then applied her smarts to creating a fantastic bakery with locations in Boston and Cambridge. Chang can make a sticky bun like no other. It’s a must-go bakery in Beantown. flourbakery.com.

I love Michelle Gayer and order every special-occasion cake from her 400-square-foot bakery, Salty Tart. She does a lot more than cakes—savory baked goods, breads and my personal favorite, coconut macaroons. saltytart.com.

Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson are both incredibly talented chefs, but together they’re a culinary power couple. If you try only one thing at their bakery, go for the bread pudding. It’s fantastic. tartinebakery.com.

Leslie Mackie was among the first American pastry chefs to experiment with making bread using a long, slow fermentation process, a technique used by European master bakers. Her patience and care show in her bread. The Macrina Casera, or "Of This House," bread is perfection. macrinabakery.com.

Elizabeth Falkner has quite the résumé: chef and owner of San Francisco’s Citizen Cake, cookbook author, competitor on Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef America, Food Network Challenge, not to mention a judge for numerous culinary competitions. You’ve got to try the salted chocolate caramel tart. citizencake.com.

Renato Poliafito and Matt Lewis seem to have perfected the bakery—starting with their kitchen team, which includes Eric Wolitzky from Top Chef: Just Desserts. Some of us crave salt, while others yearn for sugar: Try the sweet and salty brownies for the best of both worlds. bakednyc.com.

Chef Mindy Segal’s namesake restaurant isn’t all about desserts, but you’ll definitely want to linger over your final course. Try the warm brioche doughnuts, and if you’re especially into chocolate, go for the Mexican hot chocolate with house-made marshmallows. hotchocolatechicago.com.

Greg Bortz, head baker and owner of the Denver Bread Company, was deservedly named Baker of the Year by Denver Magazine. The must-have is the boule, a three-pounder: proof you can bake at high altitude. thedenverbreadcompany.com.

New York Magazine named Almondine the Best Bakery in New York and gave it the prizes for best baguettes and best croissants. And they’re not kidding about the croissants—the almond one is amazing. almondinebakery.com.

Solveig Tofte isn’t just good at baking, she’s one of America’s best 1x bakers. Tofte competed at the Coupe du changed from "de" Monde de la Boulangerie in Paris on the Bread Bakers Guild Team USA. She, along with her husband, Martin Ouimet, run Sun Street Breads, serving up some of the best 2x breakfasts I’ve ever had. My favorites: the biscuits and gravy and the egg sandwich. sunstreetbreads.com.

If I had to name just one item to try here, I couldn’t. I stay at the adjacent hotel for the sole purpose of eating here every morning I’m in town. Just go. (75 Commercial St.; 207-773-2112.)

The Merola family runs this local favorite with help from three generations. My advice: the cannoli, or the marzipan, or the best sfogliatelle (an Italian pastry that’s shaped like a shell or cone) I have ever tried. Nothing comes close. mariaspastry.com.

The Tosi rye is baked in a 20,000-pound Old World oven. Enough said. bitofswiss.com.

This Des Moines neighborhood bakery is lively and energetic, even at 7 a.m. on a Saturday. Its artisan breads are made fresh. The baguettes are killer. lamiebakery.com.

Phyllis and George Enloe’s shop is home to some of the best artisan breads in the country, but don’t fill up on them. You’ll need room for the cheesecake. Trust me on this one. villagebakerycafe.com.

Photo courtesy of the Travel Channel

Andrew Zimmern’s favorite bakeries include Tartine Bakery & Café in San Francisco. Photo © Eric Wolfinger.

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F&W Editor Picks 2011: Top Food Products

F&W’s editors try hundreds of products each year while researching stories. Here, they name 20 cheeses, spreads and other top finds for food lovers.

Farmhouse Kitchens Butter
Mary Bess Michaletz discovered this hand-formed butter, made by third-generation Wisconsin farmers, in an unlabeled wrapper at a local shop. Loving its lush creaminess and sweet flavor, she partnered with the farmers to launch the butter as a brand. It’s currently not for sale online, but email her to find it. From $6 per lb; farmhousekitchens.coop.

Tomr’s Tonic
Made with organic ingredients, including bark from the cinchona tree (the original source of quinine), this pleasantly bitter, woodsy tonic syrup is great for mixing with its classic gin partner or even just with soda water. $13.50 for 200 ml; amazon.com.

Feudo delle Ginestre Amarena Mosto Cotto
Blended with Italian Amarena cherry juice, this stellar mosto cotto (a syrupy, reduced unfermented grape juice) is fantastic mixed in cocktails, drizzled on salty cheeses or served over desserts, like this brandy semifreddo. $20 for 7 ounces; ditalia.com.

Tcho Milk Chocolates
Chocolate snobs often think milk chocolate is inferior to the superdark, intellectually challenging stuff. San Francisco–based Tcho, however, took a brainy approach to two new bars they call SeriousMilk. "Cacao" is rich and fudgy, while "Classic" is a bit sweeter and creamier. Both redefine how good milk chocolate can be. $10.95 for two 2-ounce bars; tcho.com.

Anything from MarxFoods.com
Whether I’m looking for soft, fragrant Tahitian vanilla beans; gorgeous, obscure dried chiles; or fantastic meat and game birds, I find them at marxfoods.com. Prices might seem high, but what you see is what you pay—shipping is included. marxfoods.com.

Khazana Hot Lime Pickle
This fiery, super-limey paste is complex and compellingly tangy. It’s great on meats, fish and sandwiches, and with fried foods and warm dosas. $4 for 11 oz; ranisworldfoods.com.

Busha Browne’s Authentic Jerk Seasoning
This brand captures real jerk flavors and delivers an authentic, scorching Scotch-bonnet kick. It’s the real deal. $5 for 4 oz; caribbeanonlinegoods.com.

Stonewall Kitchen Salsa Verde
A salsa that’s got it all: mild tartness from tomatillos, serrano heat and a great background of cilantro and garlic. For when you need a change from traditional red salsas. $7 for 16 oz; stonewallkitchen.com.

Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
It’s my go-to Dijon mustard. I rated this #1 in a blind tasting and have never looked back. It has a good strong mustard taste, it’s creamy and perfectly seasoned and it makes the best vinaigrettes. $5 for 8 oz; amazon.com.

Belmont Aji Amarillo pepper paste
The amarillo pepper is prized in its native Peru. It has a pretty yellow color and a sweet heat that lingers. Great for spreading on grilled shrimp or fish, or for marinating chicken breasts. $4 for 7.5 oz; amigofoods.com.

Whole Truth Healthy Beauty Bath Bars
The new line of bath bars from Whole Truth Solutions is crafted from herbs, tea leaves, fruits, veggies and organic oils. My favorite is the Cinnamon Girl, scented with fiery and warming fall spices. I also love the thyme-inflected Pomodoro Sapone soap, which is like an aromatic tomato sauce in a bar. Yum. $6.50 per bar; wholetruthsolutions.com.

Courtesy of Savane Organic Skincare

Savane Gentle Exfoliant
The organic, fair-trade rooibos tea leaves in this new South African exfoliant buff and smooth the skin. It’s also got a fabulous and uplifting orange-peel scent, and it’s gentle enough on skin to use twice a week. $44; savaneskin.co.za.

Lush Toothy Tabs
I was nervous about trying the new solid toothpaste from Lush, which comes in flavors like Atomic and Ultrablast—ingredients like wasabi made it seem potentially painful—but the pellets are actually incredibly fresh tasting, not spicy. They’re fantastic for travel. $3.95; lushusa.com.

Kiss My Face Cranberry Orange Lip Balm
Sticky, flavored lip products are my personal pet peeve, but this new lip treatment from the popular natural-body-care line delivers a bright, citrusy scent without syrupy flavor or yucky texture. $3.49; kissmyface.com.

O.N.E. Olive Oil Nourishing Treatment
I’m obsessed with this new skincare product and have been using it as part of a luxurious post-bath ritual. Geranium and lavender oils combined with organic olive oil nourish skin, hair and face, and it smells clean and natural. $30; one-skincare.com.

Bellweather Farms Basket Ricotta; Sonoma, California
This ricotta cheese is made traditionally, using the farm’s leftover whey from its cow and sheep cheeses. The ricotta drains in Italian-style baskets, and it’s so thick that it tastes almost buttery. From $8 for 12 oz; bellweatherfarms.com.

Maplebrook Farm Burrata; Vermont
With its liquid center of fresh cream and stracciatella (shreds of mozzarella), burrata is like the molten chocolate cake of cheese. It’s best when it’s fresh, fresh, fresh—and this Vermont version, made by a Puglian cheesemaker, is as good as it gets. $13 each; murrayscheese.com.

Carr Valley Cheese Casa Bola Mellage; Wisconsin
This 100-year-old Wisconsin cheese company ages its new, nutty cheese—made with sheep, goat and cow milks—for two years, so it’s super-complex. More than one F&W taster called it "phenomenal." $15.70 per pound; carrvalleycheese.com.

Andante & Noble Ballad; Petaluma, California
The partnership between cult cheesemaker Soyoung Scanlan of Andante Dairy (whose fans include Thomas Keller and Daniel Humm) and Noble Handcrafted (makers of bourbon-barrel-aged syrups and vinegars) yielded a delicious, semi-firm aged goat cheese. Its rind is washed with Noble’s maple syrup, so the cheese is less tangy than many goat cheeses. $27 per lb; mikuni.com.

Kapiti Kikorangi; New Zealand
This New Zealand cow-milk cheese is not as pungent as most blues, most likely because it’s a triple cream, meaning that it has more than 72 percent butterfat. It’s richly creamy and slightly nutty, with just enough barnyardy blue-cheese funk. kapiticollection.co.nz.

Kaffir Lime Leaf
This uniquely aromatic leaf is a staple ingredient in Southeast Asia. Recipe to try: Curry Lobster Rolls.

Opah The Test Kitchen team and I fell in love with this fish in 2011. With a clean flavor and tender texture, it’s like no other species of tuna. A bonus: It’s also sustainable. Recipe to try: Grilled Opah with Olives

Quinoa Flakes
Quinoa—an increasingly popular specialty grain—can now be found in flake form. Recipe to try: Incan Super Power Bars.

Kamut Berries
This whole wheat berry is said to be an ancient relative to durum wheat. Recipe to try: Warm Shrimp Salad with Kamut, Red Chile and Tarragon.

Maitake/Hen-of-the-Woods Mushrooms
This interesting-looking mushroom has a meaty texture and mild flavor. Recipe to try: Grilled Hen-of-the-Woods Mushrooms with Sesame

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Andrew Zimmern's Recipes: November 2011

Andrew Zimmern is famous as the host of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods, but he's also a born-and-bred New Yorker, a classically trained chef and a Minneapolis-based home cook. He brings every part of his experience to bear in the recipes he shares here, bridging the gap between exotic flavors and American comfort food.

December 2011 | November 2011 | October 2011

So, after the turkey tetrazzini, after all the turkey sandwiches and the potpies, I always return to this school-lunch classic. It’s one of the great comfort foods of all time, and if this doesn’t become a post-Thanksgiving favorite in your house, I will be shocked. Creamy and sublime, Old World and rustic in the best farmhouse sense possible, this dish, served with a pot of long-grain Carolina rice, can’t be beat. My dad for some reason became obsessed with this dish a zillion years back, and it became a Zimmern ritual to eat it as the last leftover meal of the week. It was also a great way to use the rich turkey stock that I always make from boiling the frame of my bird.

Photo courtesy of the Travel Channel

Home sweet home—on the Stone Arch Bridge over the Mississippi River’s St. Anthony Falls. One of the best views of the Minneapolis skyline. »

I first came across this dish while traveling with my father in the mid-1970s in Spain, where we saw this cake on almost every dessert table we came across. Over the years, I was always trolling for a recipe like this and finally found one in an old Penelope Casas cookbook. I promptly started playing with it and tweaking it and adjusting it, and I eventually got it to where it was workable for a dessert hack like me... The poached plums are insane with this dish and make good use of the conventional plums in the market right now. I serve this dish with plenty of sweetened crème fraîche passed at the table.

I love food festivals—from the super-fancy to the down-and-dirty, there’s nothing better than gathering around food. »

This asopao (stew) is Trinidad-inspired, but it fits neatly into the Flo-ribbean cooking genre. The southeastern zeitgeist is all about Creole and Amer-Indian style meeting Florida’s amazing multiple growing seasons and all of the Gulf’s impressive bounty from the sea, sky and land. This asopao is pure Trini magic. Don’t be shy about passing plenty of extra limes and hot chile sauce at the table.

This is the tastiest, saltiest, sweetest, spiciest, most amazing rib recipe for stovetop cookery that I know of. Barbecue is cooking with smoke, grilling is cooking over a fire source, and for most of us in the US, these options don’t work in the cold-weather months. Where I live in Minnesota, cooking low and slow, using indirect methodology, is impossible when the temperature at night is in the 20s. But inside, I can make enough ribs in one large pot to feed four, and serve the ribs with Japanese short-grain rice; a nice, tart, vinegary cucumber salad; and sautéed sugar snap peas or Chinese broccoli. This is one of the most popular dinner events in our home.

December 2011 | November 2011 | October 2011

Photo courtesy of the Travel Channel

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F&W Editor Picks 2011: Best Wine and Beer

Food & Wine’s tasting room pros, Ray Isle and Megan Krigbaum, reveal the year's most exceptional wines and beers.

2007 Terrien Chardonnay ($33)
Winemaker Michael Terrien fashioned this new Chardonnay (this is the inaugural release) with fruit sourced from Hanzell Vineyards, one of California’s greatest Chardonnay producers. He makes the wine using no malolactic fermentation and very little new oak, then ages it several years before release, allowing its innate crisp intensity to develop layers of flavor and distinctive floral aromas.

2002 Mt Eden Cabernet Estate ($55 for current vintage)
I had this wine at Gilt Restaurant in New York with a group of friends, and when I tasted it I thought, Wow. Then, wow, again. And several more wows after that. Tobacco and tea leaf notes, silky texture, fresh black currant flavors with a bit of sweet dried fruit—a stellar example of how well top-notch California Cabernet can age, and a steal at the price. And the current release, 2007, will be just as good, if not better.

2002 Dom Ruinart Champagne ($140)
The 2002 vintage is a great one for Champagne, and there are some extraordinary wines out there. But for whatever reason, I find my taste-memory returning to this one. Dom Ruinart isn’t the most expensive nor the most famous tête de cuvée out there, but thereés something about the way that it plays its blanc de blancs citrus-green apple delicacy (ités 100 percent Chardonnay) against its substantial caramel-brioche richness that is just weirdly impossible to get out of your head.

1993 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Vinotek ($165)
There are all sorts of reasons why I love this wine. Amazingly fresh, with an intense, kaleidoscopic aroma of honeysuckle, pea shoots, exotic spices, resin, and remarkably powerful, lasting flavors, it is, amazingly enough, also a current release. The wine spent 15 years in a 3,500-liter wooden cask before the Saahs family bottled it. I tasted it at the end of a five-day road trip through Europe’s wine regions, and it seemed to me to sum up the point of the whole endeavor. But since it’s very pricey and also hard to find, here’s an alternative: the pear-and-peppery 2009 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Im Weingebirge ($60). It may be nigh-on impossible to pronounce, but it too is a drop-dead gorgeous wine.

2007 Clos Erasmus ($175)
Yes, it’s wildly expensive. It’s also not that easy to find. But what a spectacular expression of what Spain’s Priorat region has to offer. Made almost entirely from the Grenache grape, Clos Erasmus comes from four small, biodynamically farmed vineyards near the tiny town of Gratallops. It’s a powerful yet graceful wine, complex and intensely aromatic, with spicy black cherry fruit supported by that spine of minerality that makes Priorat reds so distinctive.

2006 Raventós i Blanc de Nit Rosé Cava ($22)
Ever since I first met this wine at the bar at Joseph Leonard, I’ve been unable to get my hands on a sufficient number of bottles. I talk incessantly about how much I love it. The lively rosé cava tastes just like those teeny, tiny wild strawberries that only last for a day or two on a sunny lawn and are almost as easy to spot as four-leaf clovers. It’s fantastic on its own and wonderful with food. I could drink it every day.

2008 Occhipinti Frappato ($38)
I was lucky enough to find myself in Arianna Occhipinti’s Sicilian cellar last spring, and this ruby-red wine reminds me so much of that visit. It was a cold, rainy day, and we sat by Arianna’s stone fireplace all afternoon. She is an incredibly serious, diligent person, but there’s also a little glimmer of something mischievous about her, paired with a big, wonderful laugh. This wine has elements of all of that—it’s focused and intense, but with bright, dazzling red fruit. And, happily, it’s sold in magnums as well as the normal bottle size.

2009 Gaia Wild Ferment Assyrtiko ($18)
Assyrtiko, a Greek white wine, tends to have lots of citrusy notes and great acidity—making it terrific with seafood and vegetable dishes. This one, fermented with indigenous yeast in oak barrels, has all that as well as enough richness and depth to go with heartier foods—even some meat dishes.

2010 Chateau Grand Traverse Whole Cluster Riesling ($15)
I’ve been going to this winery in Grand Traverse, Michigan, with my parents since I was a toddler, but the quality of the wine has grown significantly in recent years. This affordable Riesling is the result of an experiment begun by winemaker Sean O’Keefe about five years ago. It’s faintly sweet with ripe fruit and great acidity.

NV Vouette et Sorbée Blanc d’Argile ($110)
This Blanc de Blancs (Chardonnay) from a teeny grower Champagne house is remarkably good—brilliant and minerally, with toasty vanilla notes. There’s not much of this wine available, so I get it whenever I have the chance.

Wandering Star Mild Heart, English Dark Mild Ale
About once a year, it seems, I come across a brew that tastes like a beer version of a chocolate milkshake. Last year’s was Geary’s Winter Ale from Maine. This year’s comes from Wandering Star brewery in Massachusetts, which was started by a superstar cast including the current and former presidents of New York City’s Homebrewers Guild and an editor at Ale Street News. The beer is rich and malty, but remains somehow light on the palate.

Courtesy of Anchor Brewing Company

Anchor Brewing Humming Ale
There are days that just call for a beer—just a straight-up refreshing, slightly bitter beer like this one. Released for the first time about a year ago, it’s fresh and citrusy and relatively low in alcohol, making it a true everyday brew.

Magnolia Kalifornia Kolsch
From a spectacular brewery in San Francisco, this light, bright, zesty kolsch is as refreshing to beer lovers as Gatorade is to marathoners.

Short’s Brewing Company Bellaire Brown
In August, I spent my annual week in northern Michigan and made my first visit to Short’s in Bellaire. After tasting through about a dozen different brews, this simple, classic brown emerged as my favorite. I just wish I could get it here in NYC.

Köstritzer Schwarzbier I’ve been really hooked on black lagers this year, and this German one—although not new at all—was new to me in January. It’s everything I love about these deceptive beers: It looks dark and hefty, but instead it’s just simple, malty and clean…and way too easy to drink.

2007 Terrien Chardonnay ($33). Photo courtesy of Terrien.

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Verzeichnis 2012

Where the beautiful dishes, linen, glassware, and more on the pages of food & wine.

Coupe ceramic bowls (with shrimp) of the Conran shop, 866-755-9079 or conranusa.com; Towel (with shrimp) of ABC carpet & home, 212-473-3000 or abchome.com.

White ceramic mug from terrain, 877-583-7724 or shopterrain.com cutlery thrown; The baguette Board Maple cutting board by Tyler Hays for Lostine, anthropologie.com, or lostine.com.

© Nell Dodge for 603 here and there

Spears place mat of Suki Cheema, sukicheema.com; Maple syrup there 603 here & 603hereandthere.com.

Gradient Tea towel by Scholten & Baijings for hay from A + R, 800-913-0071 or aplusrstore.com.

Zig zag plate by Paola Navone from Fitzsu, 323-655-1908 or fitzsu.com.

Powerstone plates by Diane von Furstenberg, 888-472-2383 or dvf.com; "Hicks Hexagon" Hicks wallpaper by David Cole & son, Cole and son.com.

"Siirtolapuutarha" plate of Marimekko, marimekko.com.

Bloom deep plate of Bodo Sperlein for Nikko ceramics, nikkoceramics.com; Moon fork of Cutipol of Horne, 877-404-6763 or shophorne.com.

"Teorema" plate of ISI Milano, isimilano.com; Hemstitch linen napkin by Gayle Warwick of the silver Peacock, 212-426-2610 or thesilverpeacock.com.

Barga Indigo block printed linen by John Robshaw textiles, 212-594-6006 or johnrobshaw.com; Plate from Antico Doccia by Richard Ginori 1735, richardginori1735.com.

Spoon made of ochre, 212-414-4332 or ochrestore.com.

Palais Chinois wallpaper by Osborne & little, 203-359-1500 or osborneandlittle.com; Tonsui top in dandelion, 415-436-9500 or dandelionsf.com.

Willow wine glass canvas, 212-461-1496 or canvashomestore.com.

Taste tray by Paolo Navone for Reichenbach from Tabula Tua, 888-535-6590 or tabulatua.com.

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The Ultimate Wine Geek Road Trip

It is possible, but maybe not advisable, to visit five world-class European wine regions on a five-day road trip. F&W’s Ray Isle drives 1,707 miles on his no-pit-stops journey through Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Austria.

I blame it on the fact that I grew up in Texas. By which I mean, at some point it occurred to me that driving from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, one of France’s greatest wine regions, to Piedmont, one of Italy’s greatest wine regions, would be only a slightly longer trip than driving from Houston to Dallas. (Not to mention that at the end I’d be in Piedmont, a more appealing place than Dallas.) After that, the mental dominoes fell into place: What if I flew to Europe and hit the road, visiting five iconic wineries, in five great wine regions, in five different countries, in five days—the Priorat in Spain, Châteauneuf, Piedmont, Germany’s Mosel and finally Austria’s Wachau. I’d visit five legendary wineries, and I’d also have the pleasure of founding an entirely new pursuit—extreme wine tourism—in the process.

My starting point was Alvaro Palacios’s eponymous winery in Spain’s Priorat. The Priorat, about an hour-and-a-half southwest of Barcelona, is a steep, severe place that produces some of Spain’s most sought-after red wines. People have grown grapes here for hundreds of years, but the region only recently came to prominence.

Palacios was one of the small group of winemakers that recognized the Priorat’s potential back in the 1980s, and he is now its most famous producer. His top wine, one of Spain’s greatest reds, is called L’Ermita. The grapes come from a single, old, steep vineyard in the shadow of a 16th-century hermitage (it’s still in use; apparently, there’s even a waiting list to be the resident hermit). L’Ermita is a stunning expression of Grenache, a grape that reaches a pinnacle in the Priorat. “It’s one of the few grapes that can transform heat and aridity into something vibrant and refreshing,” Palacios said.

As I walked that morning in L’Ermita’s vineyard, there was certainly no lack of heat and aridity. With each step, I crunched through gravelly schist, kicking up red and brown dust; the sun was fierce. Palacios farms L’Ermita with mules, as the slope is too steep for tractors. As I hiked back up the slope, sweating, I felt fortunate not to have their job.

Palacios’s winery is a spare, modernist structure, its big glass windows looking past the town of Gratallops to hills scored by the terraces of old vineyards. We tasted a number of his wines, ending with the 2009 and 2010 L’Ermitas, which cost roughly $800 a bottle. The ’09, from a warm year, was a study in power, with immense tannins under its dark fruit; the ’10 was even better—extravagantly aromatic, perfectly balanced. They were both wines to sit with and ponder; wines for long, lingering, unhurried reflection. Instead, I checked my watch. “Uh-oh,” I said. “I’m sorry, Alvaro. I’ve got to get out of here!”

Ray Isle’s ultimate wine road trip includes stops at Europe’s greatest wineries, including Château de Beaucastel in France. Photo © Martin Morrell.

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The Ultimate Wine Geek Road Trip: France

The drive from the Priorat to Châteauneuf-du-Pape takes you from dusty and scruffy (Gratallops) to drab and industrial (the northern outskirts of Barcelona) to sunlit and idyllic (France’s Mediterranean coast). Four hours in, I was sailing along the E15 past Nîmes, under a glorious Provençal sun. To my right was the pastel-blue Mediterranean; to my left, maniacal French drivers, rocketing past me with fine Gallic disregard, even though I was doing 90 miles per hour.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape shares three important things with the Priorat: the sun, the Mediterranean and Grenache. The Priorat is a hardscrabble, impoverished region, despite the success of its wines; in contrast, the southern Rhône Valley, home to Châteauneuf, feels like an extension of Provence, all sparkling light, picture-postcard villages and gentle hills. The place is charming, not harsh. If a local farmer from the Priorat were to wake up here, he’d think he’d gone to heaven. At least until he realized everyone was speaking French.

I spent the night at a bed-and-breakfast; the next morning, I drove to Château de Beaucastel, one of the greatest producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Marc Perrin, a lanky 41-year-old whose family owns Beaucastel, looked surprisingly relaxed—surprising since it was the middle of harvest and his wife had had a baby three weeks before. “I’m not getting much sleep,” he admitted.

Châteauneuf du Pape tasting at L’Oustalet. Photo © Martin Morrell.

Beaucastel, unlike Palacios, is open to visitors by appointment, and the Perrins also own L’Oustalet, a tree-shaded restaurant with a great wine list in the nearby town of Gigondas. I had a superb alfresco lunch there with Perrin, but even so, the transcendent moment of this visit for me was back at the winery, tasting five vintages of Beaucastel’s great Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We tasted the 2009, 2008, 2001, 2000 and 1990. All were remarkable, but the 1990 soared above the rest. It had a transparent, dark ruby hue, with a tremendously complex flavor that kept sounding different notes: truffle, sandalwood, black cherry, cured meat, a little bit of black olive.

“There have been vines growing here since Roman times,” Perrin told me, “but my family purchased the estate in 1909. We’ve been organic since 1950, and working biodynamically since 1974, but we never claim it on the bottle. It’s like something my uncle used to say: ‘Some people go to church just to be seen at church, and others go simply because they believe.’”

Ray Isle’s wine road trip takes him from Spain’s Priorat to Châteauneuf-du-Pape in France. Photo © Martin Morrell.

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The Amateur Gourmet:<br> Real Heroes Don't Tweet

When the chefs and food writers we worship overshare online, it’s hard to keep them on their pedestals, observes the Amateur Gourmet (a.k.a. blogger Adam Roberts).

On a sunny day in New York City’s West Village, Calvin Trillin rode past me on his bicycle. To most passersby, he appeared to be a friendly man on two wheels, but from my perspective, I was witnessing the movement of a god. The iconic New Yorker writer, who inspired my own career after I read his book Feeding a Yen, is one of the last vestiges of a pre-digital era. Trillin doesn’t blog; Trillin doesn’t Tweet. If you’re looking to interact with Trillin, you’re more likely to do so on the streets of Manhattan than you are on the Web.

He is a rarity. Today, the chefs and food writers most of us revere—everyone from Mario Batali to Ruth Reichl—are only a click away. We know more about them than we ever did before (Amanda Hesser: “Organized my husband’s clothing closet by color”; Sara Moulton: “Home alone, going to order sushi for dinner...”); we can even quantify their “hero” status with Twitter followers, Facebook friends and website traffic. And though I’m grateful that these heroes are now so easy to reach, I’m afraid that something’s been lost along the way. We’ve traded in our idols for real people, just like us, whose email gets hacked (as Dorie Greenspan revealed via Twitter) and who forget to return the movies they rent from Netflix (Jonathan Gold, Born in East L.A.).

You may find it strange that I feel this way. I’m a food blogger, and my people are the ones to blame for this trend. If food blogs hadn’t taken off the way they did, and if there weren’t an obligation now for public figures to have an online presence to compete with the likes of us, the divide between everyday food people (bloggers, home cooks) and food heroes (cookbook authors, four-star chefs) would’ve remained firmly in place. But now the line has blurred: Food bloggers (Homesick Texan, Smitten Kitchen, 101 Cookbooks) are writing books, and food legends are starting blogs (ruthreichl.com).

And as glad as I am to know that my heroes are just like me on the Web and Twitter (Eric Ripert: “Earthquake in NY & I’m about to take midtown tunnel…not fun”), part of me dislikes the oversharing. If we’re all leading ordinary lives, who is left to push us toward the extraordinary?

I enjoy the image of Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey—both giants in their fields (food journalism and French gastronomy, respectively)—squirreled away on Long Island in the 1970s and systematically writing recipes for the New York Times on a typewriter. When MFK Fisher went to Mexico to visit her siblings in 1941, she didn’t Tweet updates from her journey or share a photo album on Facebook; instead, she wrote the memorable final chapter of The Gastronomical Me. This is the stuff of which heroes are made: a sense of mystery, a sense of being somehow apart. By evoking unreachable worlds, they spark a desire in many of us to reach anyway.

Away from the mindless chatter of the digital arena, the great among us still carefully craft meaningful dispatches to the world. It’s no coincidence that Gabrielle Hamilton of New York City’s Prune—whose book Blood, Bones & Butter was anointed by Anthony Bourdain as “the best memoir by a chef ever”—doesn’t have an online presence. She understands the virtues of keeping her lesser thoughts to herself and saving the good stuff for the work she plans to publish.

Same for Calvin Trillin, whose work never feels slight or irrelevant. Unlike so many of us today, he makes his words count, which is why I’d trade the opportunity to interact with him on Twitter or Facebook for another chance to see him on his bicycle. His quiet presence is a reminder of why so many of us entered this field in the first place.

Adam Roberts is the creator of The Amateur Gourmet blog and the author of the cookbook Keys to the Kitchen, out this fall.

Adam Roberts is the creator of The Amateur Gourmet blog. Illustration © Macrina Busato.

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Lessons from Legendary Chefs

F&W’s Grace Parisi honors five legendary chefs with delicious recipes that pay homage to their pioneering genius.

So many of my heroes are women, who inspire me in their determination to cook to please themselves, not just others. I created the recipes here as tributes. One honors MFK Fisher, who wrote in a 1949 essay that she’d be thrilled to be invited to dinner at someone’s house, even if the meal were merely canned tomato soup. For her, I’ve made a creamy tomato soup doctored with jerk spices. I feel a kinship with chef Gabrielle Hamilton, since we were in catering together early in our careers. I play on her sardine-topped Triscuits (the simplicity still flabbergasts me) by adding pickled chiles and a tangy aioli. And I show my respect for Julia Child’s wonderfully accessible take on French cuisine with my pear tartlets—a dessert I’m proud to say I served her in 1992 at her 80th birthday party.

My first exposure to authentic Mexican food was through Zarela Martinez, owner of Manhattan’s Zarela and author of four cookbooks. Her passion inspired me to try all sorts of new flavors. These stuffed flatbreads prepared with masa (dough made from corn) are my tribute to her. You can use rotisserie chicken in place of the pork, or omit meat entirely.

Recipe: Pork-and-Cheese Arepas with Tangy Cabbage Slaw

I had the honor of cooking for Julia Child’s 80th birthday party at the home of a former F&W editor in chief. At the end of the evening, Child graciously asked, “Who made that looovely dessert?” I managed to croak out, “I did.” These tartlets are a variation on that recipe.

Recipe: Puff Pastry Pear Tartlets

I learned to cook Indian food from Julie Sahni, the former chef and teacher who wrote the seminal Classic Indian Cooking in 1980. Her outstanding cookbooks lay out the basics in ways that make so much sense to me. My deeply flavored keema (minced) curry is based on those simple principles.

Recipe: Keema Beef Curry

Before she opened her iconic New York restaurant, Prune, Gabrielle Hamilton and I worked together in catering. Her signature dish, sardines on Triscuits (a cheap snack she ate in college), is both legendary and notorious. She taught me that it’s OK—admirable, even—to cook the food you grew up eating.

Recipe: Open-Face Sardine Sandwiches with Tangy Aioli

MFK Fisher, the great food writer, used to lament that she never got dinner invitations because people were too intimidated to cook for her. I feel the same way! Fisher wrote that she’d have been happy even with a can of tomato soup. I created this jerk-seasoned soup with shrimp in her honor.

Recipe: Creamy Tomato Soup with Shrimp and Jerk Spices

Dishes to honor legendary chefs like Zarela Martinez and Julia Child. Photo © Tina Rupp.

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F&W Editor Picks 2011: Top Cookbooks and Best Recipes

After a year of testing and tasting, F&W’s editors reveal their favorite cookbooks, recipes and cooking techniques of 2011.

Shiitake and Swiss Chard Soup with Hand-Cut Noodles
What I love about this soup from David Chang is how staggeringly fast and easy it is to make the noodles, and how incredibly chewy and delicious they are. Dried noodles just won’t cut it. Plus, I had a great time working on this recipe in the kitchen with him.

Chocolate Wafers with Ginger, Fennel and Sea Salt
Dark chocolate can be super-good-for-you in moderation, but it’s the modest amounts part that gives us trouble. I created this clever chocolate bark using healthy Finn crisps, antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and candied fennel seeds to satisfy my chocolate cravings.

Thai Chicken and Watermelon Salad
Thai flavors are ubiquitous these days, but I never get tired of them. When the weather is hot, this salad of watermelon, grilled lemongrass chicken and Thai dressing is a refreshing yet substantial meal.

Dry-Aged Duck Breasts with Golden Beet Panzanella
I never knew duck breasts could taste so amazing until we tested this aged-duck-breast dish from Chicago’s Paul Kahan. He lets the breast sit uncovered in the fridge for up to a week. This intensifies the flavor, making the duck taste even more beefy than it already does.

Chocolate Mice
Working on this Halloween story was just so much fun. These funny little chocolate mice are icky-cute and super-chocolaty. I vary the shapes for different occasions.

Tender, by Niger Slater
If I had to pick one book to consult for cooking vegetables (the "it" food of the year), it would be Nigel Slater’s Tender. Slater’s personal diary of cultivating and cooking from the garden makes me wish I had a backyard. It’s full of gorgeous pictures and tons of excellent, doable recipes.

Courtesy of Random House Publishing

My Vietnam, by Luke Nguyen
I’ve never been to Vietnam, but Luke Nguyen’s book (equal parts travel and food) is completely transporting. And it’s so beautiful. This is one book that I would have a hard time deciding between keeping on the coffee table or the kitchen counter.

The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan and Meredith Erickson
The owners of the Montreal restaurant Joe Beef are completely obsessed with Canadian food and French wine, and they are masters of unconventional French food. I love the way they think and cook, even if it’s over-the-top at times. Their pork schnitzel recipe is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.

Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food, by Sam Mogannam and Dabney Gough
When I shop, my head spins with choices: hormone-free, antibiotic-free, steroid-free, heritage breed, non-GMO, etc. So I love a book that teaches you how to shop smart. What’s best: Bi-Rite’s owner, Sam Mogannam (and his team) know how to make some truly great prepared foods, and their recipes are foolproof.

© John Kernick for The Meatball Shop Cookbook

The Meatball Shop Cookbook, by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow with Lauren Deen
Single-subject books make me happy, especially when the subject is one I adore, like meatballs. If you buy this book for just one reason, it should be the recipe for chicken meatballs, but there are plenty of other reasons, including more than 20 additional stellar meatball recipes, the 10 Commandments of a Great Sandwich and some seriously good salad recipes.

Smoking salmon on the stove
I always thought I’d need elaborate equipment to make lox at home, but chef Jason Alley of Comfort restaurant in Richmond, Virginia, set me straight with his awesome stovetop method. He hits a fillet of salmon with an intense blast of smoke just long enough to flavor it—but not long enough to cook it—and then cures it with salt and other aromatics, just like gravlax. It’s an amazing shortcut. Now I just need someone to show me how to make New York–caliber bagels on the fly. Try: Smoked and Cured Salmon with Orange Zest

Operating a pressure cooker
When I had the chance to pick Nathan Myhrvold’s brain earlier this year, I could have asked him anything. After all, he’s a former Microsoft CTO, a trained chef, an inventor, a cosmologist, a paleontologist, a patent guru and an overall mad genius. I had him explain the science of pressure cookers and the best way to use them. One useful tip: Regulate the heat to prevent steam from blasting out of the cooker’s vent. According to Myhrvold, vigorous steam is a sign of too much pressure, and the consequences include an unwanted drop in cooking temperature and possible damage to the device. It’s good to know, but in retrospect, maybe I should have asked him for his secrets to becoming a billionaire.

Making tofu
What the heck is tofu? It’s a question that had plagued me for years. I mean, I knew it was made from soybeans, but how exactly? I finally got an answer from Douglas Keane of Cyrus and Shimo Modern Steak in Healdsburg, California. The thing that amazed me the most is how similar the process is to cheesemaking: Coagulate soy milk, break up the curd, drain the whey and eat. Tofu suddenly seems so much more indulgent.

Finding a tamale shortcut for the lazy Gastronaut
I love masa, the maize dough that’s used to make tamales. But let’s be honest, assembling and steaming tamales in banana-leaf wrappers is a bit of an undertaking. Thanks to New York’s Alex Stupak, chef at Empellon, I now have the lazy man’s solution: the Tamal Pie. It’s basically a giant skillet filled with layers of masa that sandwich a delicious filling. Bake it, slice it and enjoy, hardly any assembly required.

Learning to prepare sushi, from rice to roll, with Morimoto
After learning to make sushi from Masaharu Morimoto, I don’t think I’m capable of singling out the most important technique—they’re all so cool and, frankly, essential if you want to make great sushi at home. From toasting the sheets of nori to fanning the seasoned rice and marinating fish like salmon in vinegar and salt, it’s all just really helpful stuff.

Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich Bars
From Cookies for Kids’ Cancer: Best Bake Sale Cookbook, by Gretchen Holt-Witt
In this recipe, a chocolate chip cookie crust sandwiches a crazy-good fudgy filling. Proceeds from the book support the fight against childhood cancers.

Chicken Skin Tacos
From The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan and Meredith Erickson
These indulgent tacos are filled with impossibly crispy chicken skin and topped with a clever "potato de gallo"—Joe Beef’s riff on fresh Mexican salsa.

Brisket Burgers
From Odd Bits, by Jennifer McLagen
Succulent, beefy and seasoned with just salt and pepper, these are possibly the best burgers ever.

Black-Eyed Pea and Kale Chili with Monterey Jack Cheese
From American Flavor, by Andrew Carmellini
Hearty and healthy, this delicious, quick-to-make chili is loaded with vitamin-packed kale and black-eyed peas. It’s my new go-to dish for New Year’s.

Grilled Okra Skewers with Roasted Jalapeño Dipping Sauce
From Basic to Brilliant Y’all, by Virginia Willis
This super-simple recipe showcases the best characteristics of okra—its fresh taste and crisp texture—without any of the typical gooeyness.

Vegetable Stock

A good friend recently introduced me to "freezer composting"—collecting onion skins, carrot ends and other trimmings in your freezer, then dropping them off at a neighborhood compost center. Now, before that phase, I’m getting even more mileage from vegetable scraps by using them to make stock. I fill a pot with the scraps, cover them with water, toss in a few bay leaves and simmer for an hour. With a bit of salt and a good strainer, it’s instant vegetable stock. It keeps in the freezer forever and makes homemade soup outrageously flavorful. Recipe to try: Vegetable Stock

Snack Bars
When I miss a meal on the go, I sometimes turn to commercially prepared energy bars—but they’re often packed with a scary list of unpronounceable ingredients and chemicals. At home, I mix dried dates, apricots, almonds, unsweetened coconut and tahini in the food processor and roll out super-tasty cookie balls. They make an awesome snack with tons of protein and fiber, and they have enough natural sweetness to satisfy afternoon dessert cravings. Recipe to try: Incan Super Power Bars

Applesauce
My new favorite fall tradition is buying a huge bushel of apples to cook down with my mom, who still uses the same food mill she had when she prepared baby food for me. We keep it simple: just apples, water and a few cinnamon sticks. It freezes well, so we can have fresh applesauce all winter long. Recipe to try: Ivor’s Pink Applesauce

Chips
It’s true, sometimes store-bought potato chips really do hit the spot, but I’d take crispy kale chips over deep-fried junk food any day. They’re salty and tangy and satisfyingly crunchy, and you can eat a ton of them without feeling guilty. Recipe to try: Crispy Kale with Lemon-Yogurt Dip

Hummus
I am notoriously picky about my hummus—the texture, the amount of lemon (it can never be too citrusy), the garlic (roasted versus raw). When I make it myself, I can totally control the flavor, and I add in bright notes with fresh basil or cilantro when my fire-escape herb garden is going crazy in the summer. Using dried chickpeas instead of canned makes it incredibly inexpensive. Recipe to try: Easy Hummus with Tahini

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