Cow to Cone

I have the scoop on a cool and timely find; the product has an original story with quality and sustainability at the core of each hand filled pint. Good stuff. I am not talking about a microbrew. I am referring to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, the Ohio based artisan ice creamery.

Jeni's is a family owned and operated company with outside-the-box signature & seasonal flavors with a strong emphasis on the freshest ingredients. All the cream in every one of Jeni's ice cream pints is produced from the free grazing cows of Snowville Creamery, also in Ohio.

Ohio Love You is everything we are—our inspirations ... our ingredients ... our relationships with devoted customers, talented farmers and a supportive community. It is a celebration of everything that makes Jeni's ice creams truly splendid!

And of course, all of our ice creams are made with Ohio dairy from pasture raised cows. No antibiotics, growth hormones, herbicides or pesticides necessary ... cows eat grass, which their bodies were built to eat....When a local farmer brings bags of fresh mint, our team washes and chops it before steeping it in cream.

Here's the making of Backyard Mint: Note, the mint is from local Ohio farm, fresh picked.

Seasonal Flavors:

Brown Butter Almond Brittle
Based on the traditional Norwegian dessert krokan. Browned butter gives depth to salty, sweet almond brittle.

Backyard Mint
Pure, intense peppermint restrained and mellowed with sweet cream. Like a cool breeze on a hot day.

The Buckeye State
Our version of Ohio's favorite confection. Rich and salty peanut butter yields to the crunch of exceptional dark chocolate for perfect balance. Total comfort for Buckeyes and Buckeyes at heart.

Strawberry Buttermilk
Fragrant Ohio strawberries with rich buttermilk impart a light, clean finish. Like a bowl of strawberries and cream.

Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries
Buttery, milky sweet corn gives way flawlessly to sweet-tart black raspberry jam. Breath of honey on the finish.

Find Jeni's near you. And yes, they ship nationally.

images: Jeni's

British Blue

Flying for some can be challenging; dealing with airline delays, seasonal crowds and adjusting to time changes. So let's look at it with the upside of travel perspective. I Focus on the local foods that will greet me upon my arrival. Specialty foods are always at their best where they are locally produced. Here is one great example of a local cheese that pairs well with the upside of traveling to the U.K - Stilton cheese.

The Skinny on Stilton:

- Stilton Cheese is produced only in the three Counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.

- Must be made from locally produced milk that has been pasteurized before use

- Can only be made in a cylindrical shape

- Must be allowed to form its own coat or crust; must never be pressed  

- Must have the magical blue veins radiating from the centre of the cheese

- It takes 136 pints milk to make one 17 lb Stilton cheese

Tip: Best to take Stilton out of the fridge up to 2 hours before serving, to reach room temperature of at least 68 degrees F.

Think of Stilton beyond appetizers, salads and main courses. Stilton makes a perfect finish to spring and summer menus for dessert.

Serve crumbled Stilton with ladyfingers on top of sweet strawberries or figs. Add a few spiced nuts and drizzle a few drops of well-aged balsamic vinegar on top for a unique dessert finale. 

Sweet dessert wines go especially well with Stilton; such as Port or a full-bodied robust red.

Authentically Greek

Opa! Great way to start your morning. Great quality ingredient. Chobani Greek Yogurt, it's the real deal. And the list of benefits are as long as the ingredients not added. 

All natural. No preservatives. No artificial flavors, synthetic growth hormones: No rBST-treated milk, includes 5 live & active cultures, including 3 probiotics. Made with real fruit. Twice the protein of regular yogurts. A good source of bone-building calcium. Gluten-Free and Kosher-Certified. Safe for people with corn, nut and soy allergies.

Chobani's story begins with its owner, Hamdi, who was born and raised in Turkey; and is a third-generation maker of Mediterranean foods. He started AgroFarma with the vision of bringing high quality, all-natural products to the U.S.. After reaching quick success with Euphrates; authentic feta cheese, Hamdi launched Chobani and formed an expert team. Chobani's Master Yogurt Maker, Mustafa Dogan, custom blends special yogurt cultures just for Chobani.

"Mustafa's custom blends special yogurt cultures; we add these to the milk that we receive daily from local farms to make yogurt. We then strain this yogurt to make it outrageously creamy and ridiculously high in protein.

Did you know it takes three pounds of milk to make one pound of Chobani?"

Next the yogurt is strained to remove excess liquid. This magical step is what puts the ”Greek” in Chobani Greek Yogurt and makes the yogurt so outrageously creamy and rich.

It's made in the authentic Greek tradition, in New York State and available throughout the U.S.

Available at Whole Foods.

Cato Cured

Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 B.C.) wrote about making prosciutto over two thousand years ago and much hasn't changed with the preparation of Prosciutto di Parma. A dry cured ham has only the addition of salt massaged and rubbed into the flesh while dry aging for 10-12 months until the meat is both a flavor of perfect velvet sweet and salt.

Sliced paper thin and eaten with a slight cap of fat is the perfect starter to any meal or just by itself with an accompainment of really crusty ciabatta bread, nuggets of Parmegian Reggiano and definitely a glass of ‘big red’.

Can you imagine that over the past two thousand years the custom of a simple plate of ham, cheese, bread and wine has graced many tables, bringing reason to get together for just simple conversation and good quality food.

So wherever you are in the world, this tradition still holds true today, and it can be as simple as this.

 

Witbier

With the arrival of warmer weather it's timely for a refreshing ale to pair with that freshly grilled piece of locally caught fish. Here's my pick; Southampton Double White, my locally brewed boutique Belgian-style white ale. Frankly - any pick from Southampton Publick House gets my thumbs-up. You just have to try it. Have a look at the Living it UP! TV segment with Southampton's Brewmaster Phil Markowski.

Southampton Publick House

One of the most award-winning breweries in America— ranked in the top 20 for GABF medals won by a brewery in the last 10 years.

Living it UP! TV Segment