Category Archives: New Products

Coconut Rice with Greens Made Even Better with San Francisco-Made Artisan Miso

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San Francisco's artisan-made Shared Cultures miso gives this coconut rice exceptional flavor and depth.
San Francisco’s artisan-made Shared Cultures miso gives this coconut rice exceptional flavor and depth.

When the heat is on, food deliberately goes very simple.

Because the last thing you want to do is crank up the oven, ignite all four burners, or linger one moment longer than necessary in a hot kitchen.

Still, that doesn’t mean you have to settle.

On the contrary, a dish like “Miso-Coconut Rice with Greens”may be a cinch to make in one pot on the stove or in a rice cooker, but it’s also soulfully satisfying.

The recipe is from the cookbook, “Cook Simply, Live Fully” (Harper), of which I received a review copy.

You just have to love the philosophy of that title, written by Yasmin Fahr, a New York Times recipe contributor and veteran cookbook author who spends most of her time on the Spanish island of Menorca.

The book includes 120 recipes that are wittily — and conveniently — arranged by your mood. There are recipes for “Lap Dinners” when you need nourishment but barely feel like making anything; “Coffee Table Dinners,” when you have a bit more time and energy; and “At the Dinner Table,” when you want a proper sit-down meal.

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Summer Sips, Part II

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Not all Prosecco is bubbly. This one is a still wine.
Not all Prosecco is bubbly. This one is a still wine.

Voga Italia Prosecco Still

A Prosecco that has no bubbles. And it’s intended to be that way.

Wait. What?

Nope, this isn’t Prosecco that lost its fizz after being opened for a couple of days. Instead, Voga Italia Prosecco Still is just that — a still wine.

It’s made by Voga Italia, part of Enovation Brands. CEO Giovanni Pecora explains that Prosecco can be made in three styles: Spumante (fully sparkling), Frizzante (semi-sparkling), and Tranquillo (still).

I had a chance to try a sample, which comes in a trendy contemporary bottle that looks very much like the a Voss water bottle. Unscrew the plastic cap and there’s a cork underneath.

This wine is made from the Glera grape from the Veneto region of Italy. With plenty of acid and minerality, this refreshing wine tastes of green apple, lemon, lime, and a touch of kiwi.

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Summer Sips, Part I

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The 2023 Dutcher Crossing Grenache Rosé made for the lazy days of summer.
The 2023 Dutcher Crossing Grenache Rosé made for the lazy days of summer.

2023 Dutcher Crossing Winemakers’ Cellar Grenache Rosé

Wisconsin-born and a teacher by profession, Debra Mathy shared a passion for wine with her father. So much so, that the two of them spent years looking at wineries around the world in hopes of one day buying one.

Sadly, just three months before she would buy Dutcher Crossing Winery in Geyserville in 2007, her father was diagnosed with melanoma cancer and passed away.

She pressed on, though, intent on fulfilling their dream. Indeed, she became the first single woman to own a winery in Sonoma. When she purchased Dutcher Crossing, it made five wines and consisted of 35 acres. Today, it produces more than 30 wines across 75 acres.

I had a chance to sample a bottle of the 2023 Dutcher Crossing Winemakers’ Grenache Rosé ($40) from the Dry Creek Valley. The pale salmon-hued wine is full of the lively flavors of strawberries and raspberries. Tangy and refreshing, it spent four months in neutral French oak barrels, giving it a tad more body.

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Jammy Crumble Crostata

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One dough is used for the top and the bottom of this tart that gets filled with your favorite jam.
One dough is used for the top and the bottom of this tart that gets filled with your favorite jam.

You know those times where you devour something indulgent, then promise yourself that you’ll work out twice as hard in the gym the next day to make up for it?

Well, you needn’t worry about that with “Jammy Crumble Crostata.”

That’s because your biceps and shoulders will feel the burn when you make this buttery, crunchy, tart-like creation that has a hidden filling of your favorite jam.

Yet have no fear. This dessert isn’t complicated or overly time-consuming to make. But it does require that you freeze your dough rock hard, then grate the whole shebang by hand, an endeavor that will make your arms feel the burn. It’s all for a good cause, though — to fashion a unique tart with a crisp cookie-like texture.

This winsome crostata is from “Beatrix Bakes Another Slice” (Hardie Grant), of which I received a review copy.

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New Safe Catch Trout Fillets

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Tender, lightly smoked Safe Catch trout fillets make a great addition to pasta.
Tender, lightly smoked Safe Catch trout fillets make a great addition to pasta.

The name Safe Catch says it all.

The Sausalito canned seafood company purports to be the only brand that tests every catch for mercury. Its newest product, Safe Catch Trout Fillets, is tested to a limit of 0.1ppm, more stringent than the recommendation by the Food and Drug Administration. The product has even been given the nod by the American Pregnancy Association.

I had a chance to try the new products, which come in two varieties: Skinless, Smoked Trout Fillets in Water; and Skinless, Smoked Trout Fillets in Sunflower Oil with Chili. The former contains only trout, water, and salt. The latter has only trout, sunflower oil, salt, and chili.

Two new varieties of trout.
Two new varieties of trout.

The rainbow trout fillets in both are boneless, mild tasting, tender, and flaky.

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