Champagne Mango Salsa
Summertime brings a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables to our table and there is no better time to mix them together. With an abundant supply of champagne mangos and sweet grape tomatoes, consider making Champagne Mango Salsa – a delicious side dish that is simple and quick to make.
Great with crab cakes, salmon, or grilled chicken, the mango salsa can also be used as a topping on mixed greens. My family prefers the salsa heavy on the mango but the quantity of the major ingredients – mangos, tomatoes, avocados, scallions, and red onions – can be varied to your taste. However, the fresh chopped cilantro is key to the refreshing taste of this salsa so use a heavy hand. Read more 
Bavaro’s Italian Pasta Sauces
I’ve always been a big advocate of homemade tomato sauce but when there are no fresh tomatoes or boxed Pumi tomatoes in my pantry, or even a grocery store within miles (and miles), the jarred variety is the only option. Enter Bavaro’s Italian Sauces which could almost make me a total convert. These sauces smell and taste of summer ripened red tomatoes and make for an easy and delicious dinner for the family and a house full of guests. Stocked in my pantry three deep, Bavaro’s Italian pasta sauces are a staple I rely on when I can’t make homemade sauce and have 20 minutes or less to make dinner. Read more
The Tuna of Tunafish: Ortiz
Until I moved to Spain, I thought of tunafish as a relatively strong-tasting dry fish that needed to be toned down and doctored up with mayonnaise, chopped celery, onion, pickle relish, lemon juice, and mustard to be edible. Most tunafish sold in the US is packed in either vegetable oil or water (which does nothing to enhance the flavor of the fish) although tuna packed in olive oil (which does enhance the flavor) is now available in many markets. Still, most grocery store tunafish is nothing to get excited about. Then I discovered Ortiz Tuna (when I lived in Madrid) which is so unlike the typical grocery store tunafish that it’s hard to believe they come from the same family of fish. Read more
The Joy of Chocolate Sprinkles
Sprinkles – the sweet candy topping used on ice cream, frozen yogurt, cookies, cakes, donuts, and even bread – are called many different names throughout the world. In the United States and especially in the northeast, we refer to sprinkles as “jimmies.” In England, they are called “hundreds and thousands” and in Holland, sprinkles are called “hagelslag.” The French call sprinkles “decoratifs” meaning “decorations” or “nonpareils” meaning “without parallel” or “vermicelles.” Whatever you call this sweet confection, chocolate sprinkles are a delicious treat that shouldn’t be abandoned in adulthood. Read more
479 Popcorn
479 Popcorn is a premium artisan popcorn hand-made and air-popped in San Francisco, California. The company was founded by Jean Arnold whose love of popcorn began in her childhood when her mother used to make fresh popcorn in a hand-cranked stove-top popper. Jean grew up and attended Le Cordon Bleu in London before venturing out on her own in the organic popcorn business. Prior to starting her company, Jean discovered that 479 degrees is the optimal temperature for popping corn which is how she came to name her company. Read more
The Staff of Life: Poiláne
Everyone knows to visit the Louvre when in Paris, but not everyone knows to visit “Poiláne,” one of the oldest bread makers in the City of Light for a taste of what real bread should taste like. My friend, Nancy told me I needed to visit this bakery so on a beautiful sunny 70 degree day in Paris, I set off on foot for the Left Bank with plans to enjoy a bread – the French sourdough loaf – that’s been made the same way for hundreds of years. Read more
Ladurée in Paris
Most people go to Ladurée for the fresh macarons: a sweet meringue based confection filled with a ganache or buttercream. Crunchy on the outside, moist and soft on the inside, the classic small round macaron originated in France. Ladurée has been making macarons since 1862 and is the most well-known brand in the world, if not the most elegant. With more than 20 flavors offered in the most beautiful ribbon covered pastel boxes ever made, Ladurée macarons can make you feel like Marie-Antionette at Versailles. Read more
Jour Naked in Paris
Only the French could name a chain of restaurants “Naked Day” and get away with it. “Jour Naked” is a relatively new type of fast food in Paris that is sure to expand in popularity with tourists and locals who welcome the opportunity to choose the ingredients of their meal. While strolling the avenues of Paris this week, I discovered this treasure of a restaurant that specializes in fresh hand-tossed salads. “Jour Naked” does to salad what “Pinkberry” does to frozen yogurt: they take a good basic product and offer quality toppings to make it a real treat. Read more
Why Not Brownies?
Products that are difficult to make at home or those that someone already does an incredible job of making are the ones to seek out: crispy potato chips made in olive oil (San Nicasio), caramel (Suss or Bequet), Viennese Crescents (Amy’s Cookies), delicious sugar cookies that look as good as they taste (Eleni’s), chocolate chip walnut cookies (Levain’s Bakery), chocolate (Tristan’s, Maison du Chocolat, Marie and Freres), croissants (Galaxy Desserts through Williams-Sonoma), cream cheese biscuits (Gagne’s), granola (Early Bird or Adirondack), hors d’oeuvres (Dufour Pastry Kitchens), specialty desserts (Galaxy Desserts), and jams (Sarabeth’s). Notice there is no brownie supplier on that list. Read more
The Lime in the Coconut
The Coconut Pattie has been redefined and reached a new pinnacle with the creation of The Lime in the Coconut – a candy bar with a chewy coconut center, chunks of toasted macadamia nuts, lime zest and a touch of white rum all enrobed in dark chocolate. For those of us who grew up devouring Mounds Bars and for those who just call themselves coconut lovers, The Lime in the Coconut is pure bliss and it all started with the culinary talents of two very talented pastry trained chefs with a vision. Read more
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