Dukkah It Out
Get a taste of Egypt with dukkah.
The pounded mixture of nuts and spices is traditionally served alongside bread and olive oil for an appetizer or snack. Dip a hunk of crusty bread into olive oil, then into the dukkah mixture. It makes for the world’s easiest hors d’oeuvre, especially with the harried holidays upon us.
Serving dukkah has never been easier, either, now that Kit Crawford and Gary Erickson have come up with ready-to-use packaged blends. You know Crawford and Erickson best as the founders of Clif Bars and Clif Family Winery.
Gary & Kit’s Napa Valley Dukkah come in three varieties: Classic Hazelnut, Toasted Sesame and Pistachio, and Savory Coconut.
Recently, I had a chance to sample them.
The Classic Hazelnut is full of sesame seeds, ground hazelnuts, anise and citrus. The Toasted Sesame and Pistachio has is buttery tasting, with a slight minty hit at the end, which I really liked. The Savory Coconut is sweet and spicy, reminiscent of Indian chutney.
The blends are quite concentrated in flavor, so a little goes a long way. Dip you bread lightly into them or else they might taste too overwhelming.
The dukkah blends also can be sprinkled on roasted butternut squash or grilled chicken or whisked into a vinaigrette for your favorite green salad.
A 2.5-ounce pouch is $7 at Cliff Family Winery.
More: Clif Bar’s Panforte for the Holidays
A wonderful spice blend. Perfect with bread and olive oil.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a great idea! Although one can make one’s own blends, often it’s easier to buy them, particularly if they involve nuts or spices one normally doesn’t keep on hand. I never make my own garam masala, for example, or ras el hanout. Thanks for the heads up on this – looks like a great product.
The hazelnut sounds amazing. So great to see new and fun products develop like this.
I’ve never had dukkah, but it sounds wonderful. Especially once I read how quickly those hors d’oeuvres came together!
We got our first taste (and introduction) to dukkah after the first Foodbuzz festival. It’s such a great mix of spices and flavors!