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Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
Soft, chewy and chocolatey, these chocolate amaretti cookies are sure to become a fast favorite!
This rich chocolate variation of my popular amaretti morbidi cookies will delight your tastebuds. A few tablespoons of cocoa powder transforms these little almond cookies into rich, brownie-like bites of heaven.
The infamous amaretti strike again.
This time in the form of dark chocolate.
The result is soft and chewy and richly chocolate (surprisingly so for just a few tablespoons of cocoa powder), reminiscent of an almond-scented brownie.
I mean, amazing is what they are (dare I say this is my favorite variation yet? Of course, I said that about the last batch too… but then again, I’m totally a sucker for anything chocolate).
Much like the other variations, the chocolate amaretti use the same base recipe with the addition of one single flavoring ingredient, in this case, Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Everything else about the recipe is virtually identical.
It’s amazing how the addition of one ingredient can make for such a wildly different cookie!
(Be sure to click through/scroll down to see the recipe video!)
from Love and Olive Oil http://bit.ly/2WbAfP3
Future Fridays: Sophie Egan on the Conscious Eater
In this Future Fridays talk, Sophie Egan, contributor to The New York Times and author of “Devoured: How What We Eat Defines Who We Are,” looks at maker opportunity. Egan discusses two consumer trends she finds prevalent: a growing interest in functional foods, and an increase in personalized and build-your-own foods. In her What's the Big Idea? talk at SFA's Winter Fancy Food Show, Egan also introduces the concept of the “conscious eater,” someone who is interested in the larger impact of food on society. "I really think there's a huge market opportunity to co-opt this underlying desire for food to serve a function towards food as serving a greater function in the world," she says, "And with that, I think each of you can really think about ways to position your brands in a way that you not only meet the needs of the 'conscious eaters' but can also possibly breed more 'conscious eaters.'"
View Egan's full talk above as part of the SFA's Future Fridays series.
from Food Trends http://bit.ly/2PtD2ka
22 Favorite Craft Ginger Beers (Updated for 2019!)
Dedicated to my fellow ginger beer lovers, here’s an updated list of my favorite craft ginger beers, including my all time favorites as well as a few more unique brews worth checking out.
My love of ginger beer runs deep, a sentiment I’ve expressed before. But considering it’s been almost 5 years since my original best ginger beers post, I figured it was high time for an update.
I scoured the internet, stalked all the local stores, sent countless emails and instagram messages to craft soda companies begging them to please please ship me some in Nashville. Needless to say, this post is the result of over 4 months worth of research (everything I do? I do it for you).
All in all I was able to sample over three dozen new-to-me ginger beers (and thanks to my friends Phillip, Billy and Mike for lending their tastebuds to this endeavor – I know I made you taste a ridiculous amount of ginger beer, but your excellent palates and honest opinions helped me out immensely).
Let me just say… there are some really bad ginger beers out there. Plenty of mediocre ones, but some that were truly worthy of being dumped down the drain. I will not mention those ones here (I prefer to keep this space positive), instead, I’ll focus on the ones we loved that are definitely worth a sip.
I’ve sorted my discoveries into a few different categories, including new favorites, old favorites (carryovers from the original post that I still love), as well as a few good beginner options and some uniquely-flavored wild cards that are also worth trying.
I will note that we decided, for the sake of our sanity, to limit our tastings to just non-alcoholic ginger beers, opting not to venture into the vast world of alcoholic options. We skipped over anything billed as a ginger ale as well (which usually are much sweeter and with very little spice). There are a number of ginger beer brands I found that I wasn’t able to get my hands on, mostly because they simply weren’t available to me in the US (boo hoo), so this is by no means the be-all-end-all list of best ginger beers. If/when I try a new one that belongs on this list, I will come back and add it here.
from Love and Olive Oil http://bit.ly/2IU41UJ
Food & Tech: The Rise of Functional Ingredients
Members of the Food & Tech panel at the 2019 Winter Fancy Food Show talk about the functional ingredient trend and what it means for consumers to introduce more diversity into their diets.
Moderator: Morgan Oliveira, Grounded PR
Panelists: Ross Polk, Fullcycle Bio Plastics; Raja Ramachandran, ripe.io; Danielle Gould, Food + Tech Connect, Arturo Elizando, Clara Foods
from Food Trends http://bit.ly/2Pqdjce
Saucy Chicken Tinga Tacos
Tender chicken thighs braised in a flavorful tomato-based sauce, rich and subtly smoky with a pleasant amount of heat. No salsa necessary for these tasty tacos!
Chicken tinga is a one-pot wonder of a recipe; by cooking the chicken in the sauce you amp up the flavor exponentially, not to mention make it easy on yourself when it comes time to clean up.
Chicken tinga is everything you want in a dinner recipe: one pot, easy, flavorful, and it makes for great leftovers (those are the best kinds of recipes, don’t you agree?)
The robust tomato-based sauce is surprisingly flavorful considering it contains just a few ingredients, and the chicken soaks up all that amazing flavor as it cooks.
That said, you could certainly make the sauce as directed here and throw in some shredded rotisserie chicken at the end if you prefer.
While we dished up our chicken tinga in corn tortillas taco-style, you could also spoon it over rice or quinoa with a side of sautéed veggies, or even serve it over scrambled eggs for breakfast, ranchero style.
Since the chicken itself is so flavorful (not to mention super sauce so, no extra salsa needed), we kept the toppings simple: a sprinkle of crumbled cotija cheese, thinly sliced pickled red onions, and fresh cilantro (we scored and found some micro cilantro at the farmers market, which is one of my favorite microgreens but also one of the hardest to come by).
from Love and Olive Oil http://bit.ly/2Xvmf2V
Future Fridays: Minh Tsai on Rethinking Tofu
In this Future Friday talk, Minh Tsai, founder of Hodo Foods, breaks down his mission to re-educate and re-introduce consumers and chefs to tofu. Tsai's What's the Big Idea? session at the Winter Fancy Food Show shines a light on what is driving the plant-based food industry and what consumers are looking for in a plant-based dish. Though there were several considerations while creating Hodo's products, there was one thing that could not be compromised. "We knew this 15 years ago when we started the tofu company," says Tsai, "We wanted to make a better tofu and consumers will always want taste, no matter what. ...Taste remains paramount."
View Tsai's full talk above as part of SFA's Future Fridays series.
from Food Trends http://bit.ly/2UGIO7O
Bolos de Arroz (Portuguese Rice Muffins)
Bolos de arroz are a traditional Portuguese muffin made with part rice flour, which gives the muffins a tender crumb not unlike a sweet cornbread. With a buttery flavor and a hint of lemon, these sweet breakfast treats and sure to please!
These mountainous, golden yellow muffins bake up super tall with a crunchy, crispy sugar crust that will drive your tastebuds wild (because we all know taste is as much about flavor as it is about texture).
Having spent the last few weeks editing *literally* thousands of photos from our trip to Portugal, let’s just say I’m in a Portuguese state of mind (TAKE ME BACK!) Which got me reminiscing about these surprising rice muffins we enjoyed for breakfast on more than one occasion.
(I mean, I can count on one hand the number of times a muffin was one of the most memorable bites of a trip. Actually, I can count on no hands, because it’s never happened. Until now.)
Unlike pasteis de nata which are virtually impossible to replicate in a home oven, bolos de arroz (literal translation: bowls of rice) are downright easy.
They’re oh so buttery and perfectly sweet, with a tender yet hearty crumb and just a hint of lemon that makes the flavors sing. But the cherry on top? Well, it’s not a cherry, but the crackly sugar crust on top sure is wonderful.
It took me a few tries to get the recipe right, working from some ambiguous translations of various Portuguese recipes (chemical yeast? what is that?) but I finally nailed the signature domed top and sugary crust.
The muffins are actually a mix of all purpose and rice flours, not all rice flour like you might think from the name (so unfortunately they are not gluten free).
The rice flour gives the muffins an almost cornbread-like texture. The flavor is strongly sugar and butter, with just a hint of lemon that gives the muffins a note of sophistication without tasting obviously lemony (that said, if you love lemon I think these would be wonderful with double or triple the zest).
from Love and Olive Oil http://bit.ly/2Gk1a4B
Trams and Tarts and Sunset Sails: Four Days in Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon is for lovers… lovers of food and flavor, of mosaic sidewalks and hand-painted tiles, of vibrant color and culture and all the pasteis de nata your stomach can handle.
It’s true love, I tell you.
And I can’t wait to go back.
While Porto was downright lovely, it was Lisbon that truly stole our hearts and filled our stomachs (or should I say, filled our hearts and stole our stomachs? Either way.)
We spent 4 nights in this sunny capital city, friendly and colorful and utterly charming (although the city’s iconic ‘seven hills’ aren’t quite so charming when you’re verging on hangry and the restaurant you want to go to is at the top of one of aforementioned hills.)
It’s actually a lot like San Francisco, considering both cities have crazy steep hills in addition to bustling waterfronts, iconic orange bridges, and colorful historic trams… although that is where the similarities end. For starters, the weather is a whole lot nicer in Lisbon (we visited in mid-September, and while it did get a bit warm towards the end of our trip, overall it was just about perfect).
We took the convenient high speed train from Porto to Lisbon, which deposited us at the Rossio station, a mere 5 minute walk from our hotel (whenever we travel we try to research transportation before we book our hotels and try to find something as convenient as possible, without having to transfer to multiple subway lines, busses or taxis).
Since we were spending a bit longer in Lisbon, we opted to get a customized itinerary from Journy. I’ve waxed poetic on this amazing service before, but let me say it again: Journy is a traveler’s best friend. It will save you the hassle of scouring the internet for the best restaurants, sights and activities. Or, if you’re the type that just goes somewhere without spending hours upon hours researching your destination (who are you?!), it’ll save you from getting caught in the tourist traps and sub-par restaurants.
And while we strayed from the itinerary quite a bit (we opted to skip the half-day excursion to Belém because, hello lines) it still gave us a solid starting point, and more importantly, plenty of trustworthy food recommendations around which to plan our days.
(Psst! If you want to try Journy for yourself, sign up using my affiliate link and get a free day!)
from Love and Olive Oil http://bit.ly/2Z9GZil
Future Fridays: Nick Mendoza on Sustainable Seafood
For this Future Friday installment, Nicolas Mendoza, founder and CEO of OneForNeptune, speaks on sustainable seafood consumption. In his What's the Big Idea talk from the Winter Fancy Food Show, Mendoza explains how he transitioned from marine science and sustainable aquaculture researcher to snack industry innovator, noting, "As soon as I looked into the direction of the [snack] market, it was obvious that consumers were hungry for something healthier, and that in the three billion dollar meat snack space, more and more people were moving away from resource-intensive and, at times, unhealthy red meat for alternative options." OneForNeptune uses sustainably sourced white fish to create a jerky that appeals to those looking for a healthier snack, as well as those who want to help save the environment.
View Mendoza's full talk above as part of SFA's Future Fridays series.
from Food Trends http://bit.ly/2P38WE2
Sesame Stir Fry Noodles
Simple and satisfying, these stir-fried egg noodles are tossed with a toasty soy and sesame-based sauce that’s packed with flavor.
For a quick and satisfying dinner, look no further than these easy sesame stir fry noodles. Infinitely adaptable, you could add just about any combination of protein and veggies that you’d like to the flavorful sauce and noodle base.
If you search for sesame noodles, most of the recipes you’ll find are cold noodles with a thick sauce that’s usually more peanutty than sesame. Why is that? We love the flavor of sesame in all forms: from oil to paste to whole seeds, and yet we knew we wanted a hot, saucy stir fry noodle, not something cold and slimy.
The puzzling lack of such a thing is how this recipe was born.
Loosely adapted from our always popular Soy Sauce Noodles recipe, this nutty variation brings a little extra sesame kick in the form of tahini and extra toasted sesame oil.
We also mixed up the accoutrement, nixing the bean sprouts in lieu of shiitake mushrooms and some fresh baby spinach. You could also add other veggies, maybe use bok choy instead of spinach or add back the bean sprouts we removed. You could even add some cubed tofu or other protein to make it a more substantial meal.
from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/2FPRBKG
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