It was a great sampling for Memorial Day weekend. Originally I wasn't going to work, but my plans changed. Let's begin with the two, hands down favorite recipes. With all the sampling I do, remember ...
TOMAHAWK STEAK! Who doesn't love a great steak?! (Okay, Vegetarians and Vegans.) When I saw the steaks in Meat Department's case I just had to ask them to let me cook them for sampling. (TFM will be selling these through the summer.) Customers enjoyed. My coworkers enjoyed (I always feed them). Meat Department sold all but 2. My manager with happy.
Cooking this is easy.
1. Rub steak with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. On HOT grill cook 3 minutes each side, starting with fat side down
first.
3. Finish off flame/indirect heat, or in oven (350 degrees), until
internal temperature of 125 degrees (I cook to rare).
The Tomahawk Steaks were so tender and juicy. I cook to rare, not just because that's how I enjoy it, but so every customer can enjoy -
- those who like it rare, it's already cooked that way,
- those who want it medium rare, I can put their piece on the grill and
cook it more.
Aside from all the customer comments and compliments, I have to say the BEST one was one gentleman who asked me to please stop sampling the steak because he wanted to find out if he could purchase what I had left on my cutting board.
*****
My original plan was to prepare Stonewall Kitchen's Dirty Martini Dip, but we did not have enough Blue Cheese Olives in stock. I went with "Plan B" and modified their recipe for Tillen Farms Garlic Jalapeno Olives. HUGE hit!
Garlic Jalapeno Spread
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt (nonfat or full fat)
1 Tbl. minced jalapeno, seeded
1½ Tbl. minced red onion
¼ c. shredded cheese (Colby Jack, Manchego)
Stonewall Kitchen Sea Salt Crackers
Place softened cream cheese in the bowl of an
electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until light and
fluffy. Scrape down the sides and add the yogurt. Continue to beat
until well combined.
Add olive brine, chopped olives, jalapeno,
onion and shredded cheese.
Garnish
with additional olives and serve with Stonewall Kitchen Sea Salt
Crackers.
Wow! Who knew? Everyone who sampled this took a recipe sheet. Everyone who sampled this recipe commented how delicious it was My coworkers couldn't stop telling me how much they enjoyed it. Even people who didn't like olives sampled and enjoyed it. It makes my heart happy.
So, notes on Saturday and Sunday recipe preparations ...
1. I used a Colby Jack blend from dairy.
2. I used 5% Fage Greek yogurt.
2. Saturday, a few customers said they tasted a lot of olive and brine.
No garlic or jalapeno. So, Sunday I added jalapeno and red onion.
Jalapeno for that hint of a kick and to offset the brininess. Red
Onion for texture/crunch.
4. As for brininess, reduce the amount of brine you put in to
2 tablespoons.
I can't wait to sample the Dirty Martini Dip! Stay tuned ...
*****
Matiz Pippara Peppers These are new in the store. I had to share with everyone. The peppers are from Spain and for me GREAT on a Charcuterie Board. Not spicy and a nice brininess to them.
I purchased a jar and had them at home with a semi-soft (Naked Goat) goat cheese and Cooper's Hawk Chardonnay-Riesling blend. The slight acidity in the wine and brininess in the peppers made it a delightful pairing.
I've read (online) that this goes well with White Anchovies. Also, eat after dipping (a bit) in Sea Salt.
I am going to visit this booth at the Summer Fancy Food Show and see what else I can find/sample at TFM.
*****
Taste Elevated Sweet N Tangy Mustard Seeds. This is not mustard, but mustard SEEDS. Soft. Delicate. Slightly sweet. Slightly tangy. This also paired nicely with Naked Goat goat cheese. Although you can use this in salad dressing and as a condiment (i.e. on burgers (or even in burgers))'
I enjoy it on a Charcuterie Board. (What can I say? Wine. Charcuterie. Sit. Sip. Chat. Relax. That's me!)
.
As an aside, I'm not a mustard fan. But this isn't mustard. You can find this stocked in the section with olives and pickles.
I'm also going to visit this booth at the Summer Fancy Food Show and see what else I can find/sample at TFM.
*****
Sunday I went a little ... out of the box? When picking my wine for sampling, I chose New Age as my white. Perfect for the hot weather. They suggest serving it with a squeeze of lime. Then I see Margarita Cotton Candy. Margarita's use lime ... Cocktails use cotton candy ...
It was a fun and tasty combination. One customer purchased the cotton candy to put in her Margarita.
My goal is to inspire customers and give them different ideas.
I put this combination on the scale of ...
appealing to customers who enjoy a sweeter wine.
*****
Lastly, Pineapple Sage Sangria. I found this recipe in Better Homes & Garden, June, 2019. It sounded refreshing, so had to give it a go.
Pineapple
Sage Sangria
(From Better
Homes & Garden, June, 2019)
4 sprigs sage
1 c. ice
1 bottle fruity white wine, chilled
2 c. pineapple juice, chilled
¼ c. orange liqueur
Garnish:
½
orange (sliced), 2 c. fresh pineapple cubes, 1 c. blueberries)
Combine sage and ice in a large pitcher. Muddle and stir until sage is bruised and
fragrant.
Add white wine, pineapple juice and orange
liqueur. Stir.
Add
garnishes. Chill at least 1 hour or up
to 8.
I only prepared this on Saturday since the end result was ... not the best. Although the fruit was DELICIOUS.
I prepared the recipe (as above) using Apothic White wine and orange juice (I cannot use liqueur at the store). Customers found it refreshing and quite tasty. HOWEVER, by the end of my sampling the sage flavor was offensive; no longer subtle and no longer refreshing. The sangria was only prepared for 5 hours and recipe indicated up to 8.
My suggestion/options: 1. use less sage. 2. use the same amount of sage and consume the Sangria in 3 hours or less. 3. (my personal favorite) Don't make it at all.
