Food & Wine Tasting - February 29th

Change in my plans and I'll be working this Saturday!!!

February 28th

12:00 to 4:00 PM

I have some great recipes/samples with Sardines, Cockles, Mussels, Anchovies ... you get the drift.

Food & WIne Tastings - UPDATE

Hey all!  Hours are being cut at the store;  I'm the first one to get cut.  I have a client who wants food demos, so I'll be working for myself.  Might as well go where the money is.  Also going back to NY to see my parents.  If the store needs me,  I'll be back sometime in April.

You know how to reach me!

XOXO

Recipes: Sesame Cream Cheese - Unexpected Company Seafood Spread - Summer Sausage with Jarlsberg Spread and Cornichon - Beef Chili

I'm finally getting around to posting recipes from my previous couple of tastings.  I'll start with the 3 recipes that received rave reviews from customers and my fellow TFM teammates.  It was rated as one of my best sampling assortments/ideas.

First up is an ever so easy recipe that can be quickly prepared.  It's one of those "who knew" recipes.  The most commented "who knew" was - "who knew you could marinate cream cheese in soy sauce?"

Sesame Cream Cheese

1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese         

Soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds
Sesmark Plain Rice Crackers

In a medium-small container, place cream cheese.  Add enough soy sauce until the block of cream cheese just starts to float.  Cover and refrigerate. Marinate 3 hours up to overnight; turning halfway through.

Note:  If marinating  3 to 5 hours use 100% soy sauce. If marinating overnight, use 50/50 mixture soy sauce/water. 

Remove from soy sauce and coat with sesame seeds.  Serve with Rice Crackers.

*****

Loved, loved, loved by everyone who tasted.

Unexpected Company Seafood Spread

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 Tbl. TFM Original Cocktail Sauce

1½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning

1/3 c. diced red onion

8 oz. TFM (Deli) prepared seafood salad

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, cocktail sauce and Old Bay until smooth.  Stir in onion and seafood salad.  Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.  Serve.

A few comments on Saturday were 'not enough cocktail sauce' and other 'not enough Old Bay'.  You can add these ingredients to taste.  However, I must say, that I prepared double recipe so I would have it for both Saturday and Sunday.  Sunday the flavors were much more pronounced and no one commented on lack of flavor for either ingredient. 

*****

I'm not a summer sausage fan, but we had some, in the shape of a football no less.  It looked like the perfect product to sample out.  But ... you know me ... let's do something with hit.  This was perfect - easy to prepare, delicious, and a nice change from the "usual".

Summer Sausage with Jarlsberg Spread and Cornichons
1 Olympia Provisions summer sausage
1 container TFM Jarlsberg Spread
1 jar Maille Cornishons
crackers

Drain a few cornishons and slice horizontally.  Set aside.

On your favorite cracker layer - a slice of summer sausage, Jarlsberg spread and top with a cornishon. Serve.

*****

This last recipe was on the meat counter at the store.  I gave it a go.  This recipe just parts ways with the "love, love, love".  It was more of the okay, nice, it's good.  Most of the customers, TFM teammates and I enjoy more of a meaty, thick, hearty chili.  The flavor/spices in here were nice, but it wasn't close to thick and hearty. Definitely not meaty.  Way too much bell pepper.  But here it is.

Food and Wine Tasting - January 25th & 26th

The week got away from me.  Forgot to post.

YES.  I am working this weekend.  12:00 to 3:30 PM.  I'll see what's in stock and take it from there.  We shall all be surprised together.

Wine and Food Tasting - January 18th & 19th

Weekend #2

I'm ready to get the party started with more delicious recipes.

Corporate has me sampling, everyone's favorite, Spicy Southwest Dip.  Along with 
     - Blue Moose Asiago Dip
     - TFM Original French Rounds
     - Celery Sticks
     - Carrot Sticks

As for Me ...
     - Unexpected Company Seafood Spread
     - Sesame Cream Cheese
     - Summer Sausage 
     - WINE!

Recipes: (Instant Pot) Beer Brats - Jarlsberg-Bacon Spread - Kumquats and Ricottta with Mike's Hot Honey

Okay.  Let me clarify - best weekend ever for 2020.  Aside from recipes being a hit with everyone, I did sell a lot of product.  I'm always going for delicious, but also easy to prepare.  

This was my first weekend sampling for Super Bowl party ideas.  We have 3 more weekends to go, to build your party.  Here are the recipes for this weekend ...

INSTANT POT!  One of my favorite and most used tools in my kitchen.  Sooooo many of you told me you received one for Christmas, but still have it in the box.  Let me say, "TAKE IT OUT OF THE BOX!"  Use it once and you'll be hooked.  

(Instant Pot) Beer Brats

6 Brats

2 onions, sliced

2 Tbl. vegetable/canola/olive oil

2 bottles beer - Lager

½ stick butter

6 pretzel buns

1 jar Freak Flag Organics Smokey Red Mustard

Heat Instant Pot to SAUTÉ/NORMAL.  When HOT add oil and begin browning brats. When browned, remove from pot.  Do not drain any of that goodness from the pot.

To Instant Pot, add onion.  Sauté until translucent.  CANCEL cooking.  

Place brats on top of onions.  Dot with butter. Pour beer over brats. 

Place lid on pot and make sure pressure valve is closed. Set Instant Pot to PRESSURE (LOW/NORMAL) and WARM is off. 

Cook time is 7 minutes. 10 minutes natural release, then open pressure valve to release any remaining steam/pressure. When red pin drops, remove the lid.

Serve with or without buns and Freak Flag Organics Smoky Red Mustard.

When I saw Freak Flag on the shelf, I thought, "Let's play and introduce customers to this."  Brats and Super Bowl came to mind.  To switch it up, put it on a pretzel bun!   Sold a lot of brats, pretzel buns, and Freak Flag Red Mustard.

Saturday I prepared this recipe with Yuengling Lager.  Sunday I used Blue Mountain's Lager.  Blue Mountain had a mild flavor; did not add any character/flavor to the recipe.  I personally prefered Yuengling as did Gene (you know Gene - Deli, sings a lot, spouts off food recipes and ideas all the time).

Sunday, I sampled Red Dragon English Cheddar with Whole Grain Mustard.  HUGE hit.  It also paired nicely with the Beer Brats.

*****

The following recipe, is from 2014 (back when I worked at TFM Huguenot).  It was a hit then and a hit this past weekend.  The seasoning I used in 2014, TFM no longer sells, so I changed it to my "jump up and down" seasoning (which is new into the store) Spanish Chorizo Seasoning.  The first recipe I used it in was (Instant Pot) Spanish Chorizo Shredded Pork.

Jarlsberg-Bacon Spread

½ lb. Jarlsberg cheese, shredded

6 slices TFM Market Style bacon, cooked and crumbled OR

     1 pkg. Epic uncured bacon bits

1/3 to ½  c. finely chopped red onion

¾ to 1 c. mayonnaise

1 tsp. TFM Spanish Chorizo Seasoning

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Mix until thoroughly incorporated.  Refrigerate overnight to let flavors blend.   Serve with Original Pretzel Crisps, Pretzel buns, TFM French Rounds, or your favorite crackers.

I did use TFM's Market Style bacon.  Cooked it, removed the fat, and chopped it.  I'll take fresh bacon over bacon bits any day.

FYI - if you need the Jarlsberg cheese shredded, just ask the cheese specialist or anyone in the Deli, and they will be happy to do it for you.  

*****

This last recipe was TFM Corporate's required sampling.  A "who knew" kind of recipe.  No one thought about the combination of Ricotta, kumquats and hot honey.  Creamy.  Hint of sweet.  Hint of spice.  Crunch. FYI - the more Mike's Hot Honey you put on, the hotter it will be.  

Kumquats and Ricotta with Mike’s Hot Honey

1 pint kumquats

1 (16 oz.) container whole milk ricotta cheese

1 sourdough baguette, sliced

1 (12 oz.) bottle Mike’s Hot Honey

½ c. caramelized walnuts, roughly chopped

Slice kumquats into thin round pieces.  No need to peel.  Remove any large seeds.  Set aside.

Preheat broiler.  Place bread slices on sheet pan.  Broil until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons ricotta tablespoon ricotta on top of each bread round.  Add 4 to 5 slices of kumquat on top.

Drizzle with desired amount of honey and garnish with walnuts.

FYI - I used TFM's Original French Rounds.  It was easier for Bakery and for me.  However, I think sourdough would be a nice flavor addition.

Off to plan next weekends sampling.  I already know what Corporate wants.  Now to figure out some delicious party food for what I want.

Wine and Food Tasting - January 11th & 12th

YES!  I am working this weekend.

With the craziness of the holidays past, I will try and post the weekends I am working.  However, I'm back on the kick of, "they don't pay me to work at home".  You know - planning, printing recipes, updating a blog.

With that "rant" over ...

Corporate has me sampling a 'kumquat, ricotta, hot honey' appetizer.  One dish isn't enough (for me) for sampling. I'm going to try and focus on food for Super Bowl parties.  This weekend will be beer brats in the Instant Pot. Of course, wine. 

Come sample and shop!  Remember, DON'T MAKE THE WINE LADY MAD!