Category Archives: New Products

Nutty

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Can't eat just one.

That’s what I am.

It’s because I can’t stop eating these new Emerald Cocoa Almonds that landed in my mailbox recently as a sample. You know it’s a good day when the mailman brings you goodies like this.

The cocoa is baked into the almonds so there’s no messing up your fingers. That’s a good thing since I’ve been eating them by the handful. The wonderful roasty flavor of the nuts is married with a whisper of chocolate.  It’s not so much chocolate that it tastes like candy, but just enough to give it a haunting je ne sais quoi.

I’m already wondering what these might be like baked in chocolate cookies.

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A Visit to Penzeys in Menlo Park

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Can't wait to try the jar I bought.

Much like a visit to a neighborhood bookstore, a trip to Penzeys’ new Menlo Park store will have you happily perusing the shelves while losing all track of time.

The new store, which opened at 771 Santa Cruz Ave. in late November, is the Wisconsin-based spice giant’s first Northern California outpost.

Since opening in 1957 in Milwaukee, the company has become a mail-order phenomenon, with cooks nationwide clamoring for its more than 250 herbs, spices, and seasonings.

The Menlo Park store already seems to be a hit. When I visited on a Tuesday afternoon, about 10 customers were browsing their way through the small store. Employees behind the counter said the holidays have been quite busy, with customers loading up on spice gift assortments.

Find super long vanilla beans, and vanilla sugar, among the items for sale.

What I especially love about the store is how informative the simple displays are. You’ll find apothecary jars on each shelf, containing a large sample of the spices contained in the surrounding smaller jars for sale. On the outside of each apothecary jar is a short description of each herb or spice, where it comes from, and suggested culinary uses. Best yet, you can uncap each large jar to take a whiff of what’s inside.

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Truffle Fudge Bites

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How glam are these? (Photo courtesy of Joe Notaro).

You better have a big sweet tooth — and arms of steel — when you pick up John Kelly Chocolates.

The Hollywood, Calif. chocolatier makes divine gourmet truffle fudge bars that are so dense and heavy that you need to work out before eating them just to be able to lift them. For those with a more dainty appetite and wimpier biceps, John Kelly has just introduced Truffle Fudge Bites.

Yes, these are a mere 2-ounces, compared to the standard 8-ounce bars. They are designed to serve one. But seriously, they can easily serve two. Trust me on this.

Four come in a box for $14. And two varieties are available. Find them at Neiman Marcus, Bristol Farms markets, and online.

I’ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the “Bleh, save your money” far end of the spectrum; 5 being the “I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble some” middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the “My gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth” supreme ranking.

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Sweet Breams Are Made of This…

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Something fishy is going on...

Who am I to disagree

Travel the world and seven seas

Everybody’s looking for something…

as cute and precious as these.

With apologies to the Eurythmics, I just couldn’t get that song out of my head when I visited this unusual Japanese bakery in San Mateo, Sweet Breams. It specializes in taiyaki — tiny, filled waffles shaped like fish that are made to order.

When I taught a class recently at nearby Draeger’s, Cooking School Editor Cynthia Liu told me I had to stop by Sweet Breams. Good thing I listened.

Owner Tara Wong, who lived in Tokyo for a spell, got hooked on these adorable snacks as a child when she’d visit May’s Coffee Shop in San Francisco’s Japantown, where they also are made.

Traditional taiyaki are about 5-inches long. Wong thought there would be an even greater appetite for smaller ones. Hers are about 2 inches long, and made with waffle irons imported from Japan. There are four waffle irons. Each is named after one of the Beatles. And yes, she laughs, “Paul” is the most consistent one.

Azuki- and Nutella-filled fish.

She opened her shop about six months ago, and word is already spreading about it. Folks have come from as far as Sacramento to get their fix of the dainty, crispy, warm treats made from a smooth batter of both all-purpose and cake flours.

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Viva La Gourmet Foods

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Foodies who used to line up for hours when the fab Made in France/Village Imports would occasionally open its gourmet warehouse to the public, will rejoice at the news:

The former owners have opened a retail store, the Gourmet Corner, 873 N. San Mateo Drive in San Mateo (three blocks south of the Burlingame train station), which is open daily, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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