FINE FOOD NOW BLOG

Sweet Pickled Peaches Arriving Soon!

2010-09-13T14:01:00.000-04:00

Good news! The annual peach harvest is now complete and we are just a few short days away from our inbound shipment of one of our all-time customer favorites -- Sweet Pickled Whole Peaches. Fresh, ripe whole peaches are pickled in a delicate, sweet syrup pack with just the right amount of spices to create this traditional Southern favorite that our customers have raved about for years. Pickled peaches are a fabulous accompaniment for meat, particularly pork.

The not so good news! As always, we will have a limited supply. Once their gone, it will be another year before they arrive again. So, place your order early!

Roses Are Red Sweepstakes

2010-09-06T12:31:00.000-04:00

Join our community of Facebook friends and enter our Roses Are Red Sweepstakes for a chance to win 50 long-stem roses, delivered to your door! Sweepstakes ends on September 30, 2010. And, don't forget to tell a friend!

Rose Colors and Meanings

2010-07-27T16:47:00.009-04:00

Cherry Love, the perfect rose to express your love

Texas Flowers, S.A. grows magnificent long-stem roses on a 50-acre, family-owned, eco-friendly plantation located near the foothills of the Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world. The roses are grown in greenhouses and cared for by a crew of dedicated Ecuadorian workers who cut, grade, bunch and box them for shipment from South America daily. Over 40 varietals of these radiant long-stem roses can purchased exclusively from Fine Food Now for delivery within the Continental USA via overnight service.

Have you ever wondered about the symbolic meaning of rose colors? The meanings of rose colors have changed throughout time.

This summary reflects the more universal meanings connected with rose colors today.

Red Roses: Symbolic reflection of romance, love, beauty, perfection
Deep Red Roses: Regret, sorrow
Yellow Roses: Joy, friendship, caring
Deep Pink Roses: Appreciation, joy, gratitude
Pale Pink Roses: Sweetness, innocence
Pink Roses: Elegance, grace
Peach Roses: Gratitude, appreciation
Orange Roses: Intense desire, passion, romance, excitement
Yellow Roses: Happiness, warmth, friendship, joy
White Roses: Innocence, purity, honor, spirituality, remembrance
Lavender Roses: Love at first sight, enchantment

Jewels of the Sea

2010-07-07T15:25:00.004-04:00

Lately, as the summer heat descends, I long for a trip up the New England coastline to visit Southern Maine. As a child, it was always exciting to arrive at the Portsmouth-Kittery Bridge and see the activity at the Naval Shipyard from the back seat of the car. Crossing the bridge into Kittery, the southernmost town in Maine, meant that you had officially entered Maine -- The Way Life Should Be, as the blue welcome sign says. If you aren't in a hurry, US Route 1 is the best way to explore this state's idyllic coastal towns. Kittery, known for its factory stores and seafood restaurants, is the oldest town in Maine. The York region has a reputation as a family beach destination. Ogunquit, chock full of bed and breakfasts and seaside accommodations, is an artists' and musicians' colony. It's main street is lined with quaint shops, bookstores, eateries and boutiques. There's also Wells, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Kennebunk Beach, Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, etc. North of Portland, the coastline becomes more rugged along the shores of Casco Bay.

Maine is renowned for its seafood tradition, and lobster is its crown jewel. Whether simply steamed in pots and served with melted butter, served up as lobster salad in fresh hotdog rolls with a side of chips, baked in pot pies, or dished up in a bowl of lobster chowder, you will not find any more fabulous, sea-kissed flavor than fresh, sweet Maine lobster. Maine lobster pounds, mostly with outdoor-only seating, accommodate travelers who want to enjoy a picnic of steamed lobsters and beautiful harbor views along the rugged Maine coastline. But, if you can't make the drive or you're simply an armchair traveler, you can still enjoy an authentic Down East dinner or any of our other fabulous seafood selections delivered right to your kitchen door.

Herbes de Provence : Provencal Herbs

2010-06-21T18:36:00.002-04:00

Herbes de Provence are a fragrant blend of herbs native to the hills of southern France. During the summer season fresh herbs are used in cooking, but the dried herbs are also wonderful and convenient for year-round use. Typically dominated by thyme, the traditional blend includes various proportions of basil, savory, and fennel. There is much debate as to whether lavender was included in the original Provencal blend or merely added for the benefit of American tourists who visited the region.

The French purveyor, Aux Anysetiers du Roy, was originally established as a fashionable restaurant located in the heart of Paris, near Notre Dame (45 Boulevard Saint-Germain). During the 1960s, celebrities and artists such as Salvador Dali, who once signed a pot of herbs, frequented there. The family Lombard, natives of Provence, have now created an exquisite line of potted herb products as well as a line of decadent chocolate fondues.

Classical French cooking insists that herbs should accent and compliment a dish, but never dominate it. This blend of Herbes de Provence is a fine addition to Mediterranean-inspired cooking. Add zest to your sauces, soups, stews, and grilled pizzas; use with olive oil to coat chicken or fish; rub beef, veal, or lamb with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and Provencal herbs, then sear and finish in the oven. Add flecks to fresh goat cheese drizzled with honey. The possibilities are endless. Truly a gift for every cook's spice cabinet.

Summer Dessert : Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2010-06-03T17:02:00.001-04:00

Remember your favorite summertime dessert growing up? Maybe it was fresh apple pie, mouthwatering strawberry shortcake, or German chocolate layer cake. My favorite dessert was my grandmother's pound cake. As a home baker, she made it frequently; probably because flour, butter, eggs and sugar -- the essential ingredients for making pound cake -- were always on hand in her kitchen. It required a limited amount of time, did not need to be frosted, and was perfect for feeding a large family. Definitely not a showy cake! And when it was baking, the aroma would drift through the kitchen and outside to the porch where we often played enticing us back to her kitchen to wait for the cake to finish baking and cool so we could have a slice.

Sour cream coffee cake is another favorite summer dessert. This cake is really just a twist on the basic ingredients of pound cake. The addition of sour cream enriches and moistens the batter, and the layers of cinnamon, brown sugar and nuts make it simply addictive. Cook it as a loaf or dress it up in a Bundt pan. It's the perfect cake to serve with coffee or for Sunday brunch.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Batter:

2 Cups Flour (all-purpose)
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/4 Sticks Butter (unsalted)
2 Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
8 ounce container Sour Cream

Filling/Topping:

1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
2-3 Tsps Cinnamon
1 Cup lightly toasted, chopped Nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine filling and set aside. For the batter, combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and add softened butter. Mix with your electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and sour cream. Add about 1/2 of the egg mixture to the batter, beating for about 1 minute. Add the remaining half of the egg mixture to the batter and beat for about 2 minutes. Scrape the mixing bowl and paddle and finish incorporating by hand. Add half of the batter to a loaf or Bundt pan (buttered). Top with half of the cinnamon-sugar-nut mixture. Add the remaining batter and smooth with a spatula. Top with remainining cinnamon-sugar-nut mixture. Bake for about an hour, or until the cake is risen and firm. Cool, remove from pan, serve and enjoy!

Butcher Salt (Sel du Boucher)

2010-05-17T16:16:00.001-04:00

To salt or not to salt before cooking is an age old debate. Old fashioned cookbooks often reference salting meat before cooking, while newer cookbooks are generally skeptical of the practice. So, what method is correct? Actually, it's simply a matter of timing. As a general rule of thumb, do it early because salting at the last minute will definitely pull the juices out of the meat, and toughen and dry the surface. If you salt early (even a few days before cooking), evenly and lightly over the meat, and then wrap it carefully and refrigerate until cooking time, the texture, juiciness, and flavor of the meat will be remarkedly improved. This is especially true of tougher cuts of meat, but works well for all cuts of meat. When you give salt enough time to penetrate the meat, the cells absorb the flavor of the salt, plus any herbs and spices added, deep inside the meat. Essentially, you are seasoning and tenderizing the meat all the way through. Remember though, everything is best in moderation, including salt, so salt lightly until you are thoroughly comfortable with the method.

Andresy Jams : A Taste of France

2010-04-12T17:43:00.001-04:00

For over 50 years, Andresy has been creating finely crafted old-fashioned French jams from the highest quality fruits, producing small batches in copper cauldrons to bring out the natural flavor of the preserved fruit slowly in hot cane sugar. Our shipment of these delicious confitures arrived recently and we awakened our tastebuds with all six flavors. The Blackberry Jam is delightfully thick with a rich, complex flavor, my favorite type of jam for bar cookies. The traditional Red Currant & Raspberry Jam is a sublime blend of currant juice, extracted from tiny red berry fruits, together with the sweet juice of summer's red raspberries. Sweet, golden Mirabelle Plums harvested from the French region of Lorraine made a superb preserve. For sour cherry lovers, I wholeheartedly recommend the extra fruity Morello Cherry Jam. Warm up some buttered biscuits and enjoy the hallmark flavor of dark Morello cherries picked at their peak. Sweet, ripe peaches from the peak of the summer harvest are highlighted in Andresy's Peach with Vanilla Jam. Serve slightly warmed over your favorite vanilla bean ice cream for an end-of-summer dessert. While all of the Andresy preserves are outstanding, the Wild Strawberry Jam is spectacular. The white strawberry flower of the wild strawberry is often the first sign of spring. The berries are much smaller than commercial strawberries, but oh-so-much sweeter. Andresy Les Confitures a l'Ancienne are simply awesome. Don't be afraid to dip your spoon!

In a Jam

2010-03-26T08:06:00.002-04:00

Bernard Le Gulvout is a master jam maker and the force behind L'Epicurien, carefully recreating the flavors of bygone days using the traditional techniques of open jelly pans and small scale production for his extra fruity French jams. His methods allow beautiful, ripened fruits which are sweetened the old-fashioned way with cane sugar, to retain the richness of their mouthwatering aromas, flavors and colors. The concentrated fruit flavors that will top your morning toast and delight your palate are the result of the jams' high fruit content, usually between 55% and 70%, depending upon the jam. Our new selections include Green Tomato Jam, White Fig Jam, Apricot Jam, Sweet Orange Jam with Orange Blossoms and Blackcurrant from Burgundy Jam. More marvelous confitures are arriving soon. This is just the start of our very own jam connection.

Traditions : Easter Ham

2010-03-22T12:05:00.000-04:00

Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, little peeps . . . everyone has a favorite Easter tradition. Mine is Easter ham. Growing up, our Easter celebration always included ham. It was the star of my grandmother's Easter table (along with the good china and silverware that was only used on holidays), served alongside traditional side dishes, relish trays, and rolls.

There's a whole world of ham. Fresh roasted ham is really a fresh pork roast, often thinly sliced and served with a hot gravy. Cured and smoked hams can be wet-cured or dry-cured. Dry-cured hams are also known as "country hams". These hams are coated with a dry mixture of salt, sugar and preservatives which remains on the ham for several weeks, causing the meat to dehydrate which results in a more concentrated, saltier taste and a firm, dry texture. Country hams take a good deal of prep time before eating, including soaking the ham in several changes of cold water over 48 hours to leach out the salt, then poaching it for several hours until fully cooked. Often, the ham is then baked with a glaze before it is served.

Wet-cured or brine-cured hams are also known as "city hams". These hams are cured in a solution of water, salt, preservatives, and usually sugar, then smoked over hickory, apple or maple hardwoods. Wet-cured hams are often referred to as ready-to-eat if the internal temperature achieved during the smoking process is at least 155 degrees. However, these hams are easily re-heated in a 325-350 degree oven (8 to 10 minutes per pound) which enhances the flavor.

McArthur's honey glazed spiral sliced hams have been delighting our customers for generations. If your Easter dinner plans include ham, you will love our ready-to-eat applewood smoked hams. Fine Food Now offers a variety of McArthur's half hams, whole hams, and party hams -- we have a ham that's perfect for your Easter table.

Watermelon Rind Pickle

2010-03-16T13:45:00.002-04:00

Watermelon is not just for slicing and eating. Rind pickles and preserves celebrate melon season year round and evoke memories of growing up with the unforgettable aroma of pickling spices in grandma's kitchen on a warm summer day, stacks of canning jars and lids, and treasured recipes written on slips of paper, passed down from mother to daughter. Watermelon rind pickles were regulars at county fairs, transcending Southern geography. For a delicious twist, wrap the rind pickles in bacon and cook in the oven on a high heat for an extraordinary appetizer.

Bar-le-Duc

2010-03-13T22:45:00.006-05:00

The origins of Bar-le-Duc go back as far as the 14th century. The first mention of this extraordinary jam dates from 1344, with judicial origins. It was said that when the nobility and the middle class won their court cases, judges were given a few precious jars in thanks. Very soon, these jams received the reputation of luxury items. It was, in fact, an honor to serve these famous French jams in little crystal jars.

Since inception, the manufacturing process has not changed. The red currants or white currants are seeded by hand with the help of quills by skilled artisans, then thrown into a boiling sugar syrup, a process that keeps the gooseberry intact with all its flavor and clear color. After this transformation, the only thing that remains is the flower of the fruit. This is what you notice in the small, beautiful jar that is the perfect offering for your own prince or lady of the court.