Great Taste

Violet passion

One of Great Taste's secret loves is the flavor of violet.  

The romance began in this writer's youth when she discovered Choward's Violet candies--with its long-lasting flowery taste and unforgettable aroma.

Now Great Taste is finding this fancy flavor more often. Violets seem to be popping up here, there, and everywhere--and not just because it's spring. 

Violets make an eye-catching addition to salads. They can be crystallized and served on cakes. Recently yours truly has been drinking violet tea, or, specifically, "The Violette" from Jardin d'Elen, France. 

Today Great Taste found a violet jelly recipe in a Post-Bulletin sister publication, Radish. This writer has come to realize that it's more than "okay" to love violet....She does not feel alone anymore. Do you love violet, too?    

Want something fluffy and yellow right now?

Check out this Lanesboro cook' s tempting recipe for lemon meringue pie--with plenty of photos to help it along.

http://cookoutofthebox.blogspot.com/

 

Paczki for Fat Tuesday? Info here

Paczki is a Polish deep-fried pastry, similar to a doughnut, with jam or custard filling. It's popular at this time of year; details:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/03/paczki-day-2011-where-to-_n_830805.html

In Rochester paczki is available at Daube's Cakes and Bakery.

 

How's that diet going? Time for a Jenny Lind Bakery reward?

Your Great Taste blogger weighed in last night almost 9 pounds lighter than a few weeks back.

Time to start dreaming up a sweet little reward. Red Wing, perhaps? Did anyone just think--Jenny Lind Bakery? 

Drool over this: http://www.jennylindbakery.net/bakery_menu.html#half 

The Upper Midwest and chocolate: Let's go crazy

News and views about "healthy" chocolate seem to only get better (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/chocolates-startling-heal_b_825978.html) and what's more, some of the best chocolatiers are right in our midst--in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and (just a tad south) Chicago. 

Let's start local with B.T. McElrath, out of Minneapolis: https://www.btmcelrath.com/index.asp. Offered by a number of Minnesota retailers, its shiny-as-if-buffed, refined candies can be discovered south of the metro Cities at ZZest Market & Wine Cafe, Rochester, Slant Avenue Mercantile, Laneboro, and Present Perfect, Northfield.   

Fresh from Duluth, 185 Chocolat (http://185chocolat.com/links.html) is featured in Rochester at Sopra Sotto.  

Our next door neighbor, Wisconsin, claims greatness with artisan dairy products and now can also pride itself on Candinas Chocolatier, made and sold only in the Madison area. (http://www.candinas.com/) 

Traveling via the northern route around Lake Michigan, GG arrives in Fudge Country--but that's for another blog post. Here is Grocer's Daughter Chocolate, in Empire, Michigan. /http://www.grocersdaughter.com/ Then its on to truffle specialist The Chocolate Garden, Coloma: http://www.chocolategarden.com/

Last stop, all off, Chi-Town USA. Vosges Haut-Chocolat, popular for its bar chocolates, offers bittersweet-and-salty selections, among numerous concoctions that give tastebuds a sensory high:  http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/?gclid=CIL02sW4nqcCFQgHbAodtXSQcQ Vosges is sold in Rochester at Zzest Market & Wine Cafe.

Ah, this was such a hard blog to post....The agony. GG indeed has tried candies from all of the makers listed here and can confidently state they are right up there (or close) with fine Belgian chocolates, yet they stand on their own in mix-it-up, witty American style. GG is undoubtedly missing some other splendid makers; please comment on your faves. 

Today is National Chocolate Mint Day

Hmmmm. You didn't know?

Now you do. There's always Frango Mints from Macy's, should you have the urge to splurge for today's event.

Do certain foods and drinks really deserve coast-to-coast celebration?  Like sticky buns (Feb. 21), clam chowder (Feb. 25), and Kahlua (Feb. 27)?

GG hasn't decided. She's still perusing The Nibble's guide: http://www.thenibble.com/fun/more/facts/holidays-february.asp

Fellow Great Taste poster Jay will want to look ahead to National Absinthe Day, March 5.

Thinking about...chocolate?

Le Cordon Bleu Chef's Series presents "Valentine's Day Chocolates; Truffles and More," 10 am to 1 pm on February 12 at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Minneapolis/St. Paul, 1315 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights. 

The class is described as a "hands-on session" in which participants create hand-dipped candies, chocolate truffles, and molded holiday confections. "Aspects of how chocolate is made, how to temper and theoretical application will also be discussed."

Pfeffernusse followup: Twelve Days or Sinterklaas?

From Wikipedia:

Pepernoten are originally a Dutch treat^{[citation needed]}, baked during 'Sinterklaas', a feast on 5 December (6 December in Belgium and Germany) on which little children receive gifts from the holy St. Nicholas, the partial inspiration for Santa Claus. In Germany, Pfeffernüsse are traditionally made during the Christmas season.

Truth is, the pfeffernusse are still on the kitchen counter and Gourmanda's diet didn't start yet, so--thanks to Jay--she is going with the Twelve Days of Christmas-Plus approach. 

In recent days GG made gnocchi using a recipe from Joy of Cooking. (Outstanding--though pretty labor intensive.) She also made beef stroganoff and she ate crepes with ricotta cheese and lingonberry preserves.    

Now she heads to Chicago and that doesn't bode well for eating with restraint.  The post-holiday diet will be jump-started next week. 

 

 

This cappuccino elegantly completes holiday dinner

If you have an espresso machine with steam attachment and not too many guests, considering finishing your holiday meal with a flourish. Ingredient list is short--though potentially pricey.     Freshly ground Milano-style European Espresso beans from www.kofficoffee.com OR your fave freshly ground espresso beans A quality caramel sauce, made with all-natural ingredients One ounce extra bitter chocolate (preferably Valrhona), shaved Whole milk Express two to three shots espresso into cup. Stir in a teaspoon of caramel and some chocolate shavings. Pour at least a cup of milk into metal container and steam as frothy as possible. Place dollops of froth over espresso and add a few tablespoons of hot milk. Squeeze one to two tablespoons of syrup in swirls on top of froth. Sprinkle chocolate shavings over frothy top. Serve immediately.

Cherry time

If you have never experienced the delectable sweet-sour sensation of Montmorency cherries in pie, ice cream or sundae sauce, here's your chance.

Silkey Gardens in Northfield is featuring u-pik or picked-to-order Montmorency tart cherries in limited quantities. All you need to do is find a tart cherry recipe of your choice and make it.

Strawberries, also grown at Silkey Gardens, are available now as well....Indeed Great Taste's kitchen sink has been dotted with leaves and hulls as freshly cleaned and cut local strawberries have been finding their way into scones, salads, and lemonade.

For more information on Silkey's fruit visit http://www.silkeygardens.com