Ines Rosales Sweet Seville Orange Tortas
My first pick this month, Ines Rosales Sweet Seville Orange Tortas, happens to coincide with the centennial of the company. Ines Rosales started making her famous olive oil tortas by hand in 1910 and, today, a century later, they are still patted out by hand and hand-wrapped in the same village where Rosales began. No doubt the key to their success has been the simplicity of the tortas. The company uses unbleached flour, anise, high-quality extra virgin olive oil and a pair of hands to flatten out the tortas. The current owner, Juan Moreno Tocino, insists he has not changed the original recipe. Although they are now made in a modern bakery with HAACP quality controls, the tortas are still flattened and wrapped in their distinctive wax paper completely by hand by women from the village. The other difference between now and Rosales’ day is that, in addition to the original, there is now a savory line that includes Sesame & Sea Salt and Rosemary & Thyme, and the newest addition, Sweet Seville Orange Tortas. All the tortas are great to eat out of hand but they are also brilliant with cheese, cured meats and sausages. In fact, they are quite addictive, and with any luck, they will be around for another 100 years. For more information, call Mt. Vikos Imports at 781-834-0828, e-mail info@mtvikos.com or visit www.mtvikos.com
“The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook”
I have already written about “The Story of Tea” by tea importers and retailers Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss, a fantastic book that takes the reader along on a tour of the great tea locations throughout the world. Now, they have published a handy guide for any tea lover called “ The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook ” (Ten Speed Press, $16.99). This delightful, pocket-sized edition offers virtually everything one needs to know about selecting, brewing and enjoying the most consumed (after water) beverage on earth. With over 35 years experience retailing premium teas, the authors are the perfect guides to lead you through the labyrinth of the tea world. They begin with a concise overview of tea — where it comes from and how it is grown, harvested, and processed. Individual chapters are devoted to purchasing, steeping and learning about the six classes of tea: green, yellow, white, oolong, black and pu-erh varieties. Finally, they give detailed instructions on storing tea, offer a glossary of tea terminology and a buyer’s guide for places to buy or drink tea. I’m glad to see as much attention paid to tea as to wine and coffee, since it is easily as complex as those beverages, if not more. For more information, go to www.tenspeed.com
Gateau et Ganache Handmade Spring Marshmallows
Having agreed to be a judge for the 2010 San Francisco Chocolate Salon Awards, I received hundreds of chocolate samples to taste (I may not eat chocolate again for quite some time). One happy result was that I received from Gateau et Ganache , in addition to an assortment of its outstanding Chocolate Bonbons (“La Petite Indulgence”), samples of the most charming and delicious handmade marshmallows I’ve ever tasted or seen. Cut into daisy shapes with tiny dark chocolate “buttons” in the middle, the Spring Marshmallows were in lovely pastel colors and three provocative flavors: Lemon, Passion Fruit and Strawberry. The fruit flavors really pop on your tongue (probably because they are derived from actual fruit — lemon juice, passion fruit puree and strawberries) and the marshmallows themselves simply melt in your mouth. I was also pleased that they eschew the high-fructose corn syrup that is in most commercial marshmallows. For parties, dessert displays or simply as a wonderful snack, these marshmallows are a complete delight. For more information, call 650-384-0859 or go to www.gateauetganache.com
Immersion Hand Blender From Waring Pro
Immersion blenders have come to us from the restaurant industry, scaled-down versions of what are known as “Rambos” in kitchen slang, named for the iconic film character because they look similar to some of the massive weapons Sylvester Stallone wields in the trilogy (or is it a quartet?). Waring Pro ’s new Immersion Hand Blender (model #SB10) is as handsome to behold as it is efficient to use. It is simply marvelous for making soups, salad dressings, dips, sauces, creamy chocolaty mousses and other desserts. If you’ve never used one, you’re in for a treat. A clunky, chunky soup becomes a professional-looking, smooth, velvety purée with the hand blender, or you can blend it to whatever degree you wish. With bean soups, for example, I like to blend about half the soup and leave the rest with whole beans. It makes for a very nice texture and yet one can still get a sense of the beans. The immersion hand blender has become an integral part of our home kitchen just as it would be in any professional one. MSRP: $39.99. For more information, go to www.waringpro.com