Cooking with Stonewall Kitchens Maple Bacon Aioli

Published July 15, 2014

I first tasted Stonewall Kitchens Maple Bacon Aioli at the Summer Fancy Food Show this June, and my first thought was that this might be good to slather on some chicken breasts and bake. So when a couple of jars of the aioli arrived in the mail from Stonewall Kitchens today, there was no question but that I was going to race home and see what I could do with it.

I stopped first at Trader Joe’s, but the chicken breasts were expensive, so I got turkey cutlets instead. This is an experiment, after all, and we’re talking about $6 instead of about $11 for enough poultry to make dinner for two.

So, okay. I dipped out a few tablespoons of the Maple Bacon Aioli onto a saucer and dragged the 1/2-inch cutlets through it to coat them on both sides, then laid them onto the foil-lined baking pan that fits into the countertop oven. About 18 minutes at 400 degrees, and the cutlets were nicely browned and ready to serve.

OMG! Spectacular! Juicy, luxuriously unctuous, fantastic. You could totally serve this to all your pickiest gourmet friends without missing any of the conversation. I think that next time I’ll make it with some roasted Brussels sprouts and I’ll lay the baked cutlets over some mashed potatoes, so that the Maple Bacon Aioli will lend its bacony goodness to the potatoes. No reason to spend the extra money for chicken breasts unless you want to.

–Lorrie

New Line of Cold Beverages from Boyd’s Coffee

Published July 15, 2014

Boyd’s Coffee^®, the oldest family-owned coffee company in the Pacific Northwest, is ready to chill with its new line of cold beverages, which includes Boyd’s Iced Tea, Boyd’s Ice Cap™ and Boyd’s Iced Coffee. This new line enhances and continues Boyd’s authentic, high-quality-for-the-everyman experience with compelling merchandising and easy-to-operate, energy-efficient equipment options.

Boyd’s Iced Tea

Backed by a 114-year history as a tea purveyor, Boyd’s emphasizes the fresh-brew experience with its rebranded line of Iced Tea with eight flavors including Original Brew (black tea), Green Tea, Tropical Tea and Raspberry Herbal. The addition of Torani^® syrups such as Cane Sugar Sweetener, Raspberry, Peach and Blackberry create limitless options for operators. In addition, fresh-brewed iced tea is the number one purchased beverage in restaurants and is significantly more profitable for operators than the bag-in-box option.

Boyd’s Ice Cap™

The whimsical and refreshing Ice Cap™ line captures the nostalgia of childhood summers, featuring an updated, fresh design and innovative flavor options. With frozen coffee drinks growing in popularity, especially with millennial consumers, Boyd’s offers a combination of coffee-based flavors, such as French Vanilla and Mocha, and fruit-based flavors, including Cherry Smart Bomb and Strawberry Banana Smoothie.

Boyd’s Iced Coffee

As iced coffee drinks continue to build a following among all consumers, and particularly among millennials, Boyd’s Coffee offers shelf-stable iced coffee beverages available in Kona Blend Mocha and Kona Blend French Vanilla. Iced coffee is a well-liked beverage in all dayparts as well as year-round.

The Iced Tea replaces the company’s former Island Mist^® product, and the new Ice Cap was formerly Coffee House Freezers^®.

Boyd’s Coffee provides everything operators need for a highly profitable beverage program, including reliable, space-saving, easy-to-operate, energy-efficient equipment as well as visually appealing merchandising from posters to equipment dressing and flavor labels. For information about Boyd Coffee Company’s products and services, call 800-545-4077 or visit www.boyds.com.

Mrs. Prindable’s Gourmet Caramel Apples

Published July 15, 2014

Mrs. Prindable’s hand-selects extra-fancy apples based on crispiness, juiciness, and size. The Gourmet Jumbo Apples are an impressive 4.5 inches tall and 1.5 pounds. These enormous apples are available in eleven flavors and serve up to 10 people. While smaller than the Jumbo Apples, the Petite Apples are still sizeable at 3.5 inches tall and half a pound. These beauties are available in seven flavors and serve one or two people.

Each orchard-fresh premium apple is dipped by hand in creamy, smooth caramel cooked that same day. Then, depending on the flavor chosen, the apple is hand-rolled in the finest nuts and toppings. Gourmet caramel apples ordered from Mrs. Prindable’s are made to order to ensure freshness and are delivered without delay.

Natural Caramels combine the creamy caramel Mrs. Prindable’s is famous for with exotic flavor combinations to deliver a uniquely delicious bite-size indulgence. Each decadent treat offers a sophisticated visual experience in addition to satisfying caramel and chocolate cravings.

Nielsen-Massey Offers Range of Flavors

Published July 15, 2014

Throughout its more than 100 year history, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has earned its reputation as a manufacturer of the finest extracts in the world. The full line of Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Vanilla products include: Vanilla Beans and Extracts from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico; sugar and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar, Organic Fairtrade Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Organic Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Beans.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas also offers a full line of pure flavors: Pure Chocolate Extract, Pure Almond Extract, Pure Orange Extract, Pure Lemon Extract, Pure Coffee Extract, Pure Peppermint Extract, Orange Blossom Water and Rose Water. All Nielsen-Massey products are all-natural, allergen-free, and certified kosher and gluten-free.

The company is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois, with production facilities in Waukegan and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.

New Cookbook Offers Soda Recipes

Published July 15, 2014

An icy, bubbly beverage is just what everybody needs to perk up on a warm day or a hot night. But it probably doesn’t occur to many of us that we can actually make our own at home–with or without a store bought machine – we’re talking from scratch.

Believe it or not, crafting a delicious carbonated beverage is easy, according to the author of a new book, Making Soda at Home. Author Jeremy Butler breaks down the science of carbonation which will enable readers discover recipes that are easily adapted for each of the three methods for carbonation. It even walks readers through how to make a soda bar, complete with “kegerator.” Offering resources like homebrew forums, shopping guides, and industrial suppliers, the book provides a resourceful guide for everything soda. Inside readers will find:

Coconut-lime or peach sodas for a hot summer day
Tonics like root beer, sassafras, sarsaparilla and ginger ale
Instructions on how to brew expert clones of beloved favorite dews, peppers, pops, and colas
There’s even a recipe for butter beer

In addition, the book offers a comprehensive approach to the craft of soda making with a section on the three major carbonation methods–something that does not exist in other soda making books.

Making Soda at home is published by Quarry Books. Retail price is $24.99, $27.99 in Canada. The book is also available as an e-book.

Grandpa’s Kitchen Offers Cup-for-Cup Gluten-Free Baking Flour

Published July 15, 2014

Grandpa’s Kitchen is owned and operated by the Shrock family in Ogden, Utah. When they were diagnosed with celiac disease in 2004 they did not know how many other people struggled with the same disease. What they did know is that they felt better living a gluten-free lifestyle and wanted to share what they found with others. At first, the family tried a variety of gluten-free products, but found it an unsatisfactory experience because of the lack luster taste, texture and consistency. They began to experiment with home-made recipes and gluten-free flour mixtures and were able to create a blend of flours which produced an edible, delicious, moist bread. This inspired them to launch Grandpa’s Kitchen in 2007, with the first product being a gluten-free bread mix.

Today Grandpa’s Kitchen continues to manufacture the bread mix, which is now a bread/pizza crust mix. The family also publishes their “Family Favorites” gluten-free cookbook to help others realize how easy cooking gluten-free really is and how good it can taste. They are very excited about their gluten-free baking flour which is a perfect combination of flours and starches blended to give delicious results as a cup-for-cup wheat flour replacement.

Customers continually send emails telling Grandpa’s Kitchen how long it has been since they had a good piece of bread and how much they love Grandpa’s Kitchen gluten-free baking mixes. The Shrock family hear stories every week about the benefits others have found by living a gluten-free diet.

Grandpa’s Kitchen gluten-free mixes are available at leading grocery retailers, food services, organic and natural food retailers, food catalogs and online. Find a store at www.grandpas-kitchen.com. Grandpa’s Kitchen loves to get emails (grandpaskitchen@gmail.com) and will respond to questions anyone has about celiac disease, living a gluten-free lifestyle or about their products.

Nona Lim Asian Noodles Make Gluten-Free Salads

Published July 14, 2014

This summer, up your noodle salad game with some Asian rice noodles by Nona Lim. These extraordinary noodles are sold in the refrigerated section fresh for delicacy.

Whether you just want some delicious new Asian inspired flavors or think there might be a gluten-free person at your picnic, these are great new products to grab. Find them in Whole Foods nationwide.

Nona Lim Noodles have a suggested retail price of $4.39 for a 14.8-ounce package.

Bella Sun Luci Offers Healthy Sun Dried Tomato Snack for Grocery

Published July 11, 2014

Mooney Farms has launched a healthy and bold snack line that delivers. The BBQ variety offers a double-dose of sweet and spicy, or choose the Smokey flavor, slow roasted over an open flame just long enough to infuse a rich aroma and taste. This one-of-a-kind snack line combines premium California sun dried tomatoes and select spices to bring you a fat-free, lycopene-rich snack that is full of flavor.

The launch of the new Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato Snacks makes it easier for anyone who has ever faced the dilemma of choosing between a healthy and delicious convenient snack.

“The new Bella Sun Luci snack bags unites the much-loved barbecue spice and smoky flavors with our premium sun dried tomatoes, and packs layers of great flavor in every bite,” said Mary Mooney. “We found that fans of one flavor are often fans of the other — so we made it easier to enjoy them together as the ultimate savory and sweet snack combination.”   

The suggested retail price is $2.99 for a 3.5-ounce bag. The Bella Sun Luci snack bags are available at Safeway banner stores nationwide.

Chateau d’Estoublon EVOO on its Way to USA

Published July 11, 2014

Super-premium French olive oil producer Chateau d’Estoublon has signed with leading specialty food importer and distributor, New Jersey-based Epicure Foods, which will distribute the fine extra virgin olive oil through its new “Chef’s Mandala” division, which is dedicated to importing only a few exceptional, super-premium European products each year. Chef’s Mandala only selects one fine product per regional category, and Chateau d’Estoublon is the brand that made the cut for French premium olive oil.

“We’ve looked for a long time for a French olive oil with a flavor profile that is consistently high quality over a period of several harvests, which is extremely difficult to do with mono-varietals,” notes Epicure principal, Stephen Drezga. “We’ve finally found it with Chateau d’Estoublon, whose exceptional oils are also available in single varietals, which we don’t find from France,” he adds.

Epicure, which has built a reputation as one of the most respected gatekeepers of specialty food since 1971, will be rolling out Estoublon to specialty food as well as premium restaurants nation-wide. “We’ve been hearing overwhelmingly positive feedback on the products, whose exceptionally beautiful packaging and presentation offer retailers great opportunities for eye-catching merchandising, as well as positioning as both food and gift items,” adds Drezga.

Absolutely Gluten Free Foods Introduces Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Published July 11, 2014

Absolutely Gluten Free Foods is introducing a flourless, cauliflower crust gluten-free pizza, which will be hitting supermarket shelves in August.

Absolutely Gluten Free pizzas are available in two varieties: Mozzarella and Non Dairy Mozzarella Style topping. Individual pizzas are just 57 calories each and contain only 1.7 grams of fat or 2.0 grams of fat.

According to Mordy Dicker of Absolutely Gluten Free, “The cauliflower pizzas not only address the fast-growing gluten free-market, but the low-calorie, low-fat and lactose-free market as well. This will be the first nationally available cauliflower crusted gluten-free pizza. Being able to fulfill the needs of these rapidly growing markets with America’s favorite food is a win-win for the retailer and the consumer. Absolutely Gluten Free cauliflower pizzas, which were first introduced to the trade at Expo West earlier this year, received an overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic response.”

“Absolutely Gluten Free Pizza provides the health benefits of cruciferous rich cauliflower and antioxidants which help to protect the body,” states nutritional expert Ellen Piernick. “In addition, Absolutely Gluten Free Pizza offers healthy levels of fiber and protein making it a great choice for an after school snack for children.”

Absolutely Gluten Free pizzas are packaged and shipped frozen, three pizzas to a box, and will retail for approximately $4.99. They are certified gluten free, non-GMO and certified kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU). United Natural Foods International (UNFI), a leading national, natural food distributor will be the first to begin shipping the product in August 2014, in time for back-to- school.

Absolutely Gluten Free is headquartered in Bayonne, New Jersey, and currently has a line of flatbreads and crackers available in stores nationwide. Follow on Facebook and Twitter @AbsolutelyGF and online at www.absolutelygf.com.