Tracklement

Tracklement, a term used almost exclusively in Britain; referring to any kind of savoury condiment served with sausages, potatoes and bubble and squeak or Ireland's Colcannon.

UK specialty producer, The Tracklement Company began with their award winning Strong English Mustard in the 1970s as somewhat of a challenge to make the English match of French's Moutarde à l'Ancienne (old-fashioned grainy Dijon mustard). Creator, William Tullberg, initially shared his homemade batches with a local pub and the rest is history. Demand dictated The Wiltshire England based Tracklement Company go full speed ahead into the condiment business for serious. This year will be their 40th anniversary. 

So what make's this mustard so special? A local farmer grows the yellow mustard seed for Tracklement only two miles away from the factory. The mustard seed is the highest quality, organic seed. The combined tradition of recipes and handmade techniques ensure the products are as good as homemade.

This strong, hot mustard follows the Victorian tradition of mustard making. Tempered by the judicious use of spices and vinegar, it is great with traditional English food such as hand-raised pork pies and good pork sausages!

 It's also excellent with turkey, pork and corned beef.

chefgeorgehirsch.com

St. Dalfour

During the First World War, sugar was very limited in supply and quite expensive. This circumstance with limited resources actually helped create a great idea. Because the Kistner family owned vineyards and had access to extensive supply of grapes, Mr. Kistner’s Grand-mère’s early 1900s French recipe, for jam was created with concentrated grape juice instead of sugar. St. Dalfour is located in the Aquitaine region of Southwest France, an area known for centuries of culinary excellence as well as the famous wines of Bordeaux. St. Dalfour Fruit Spreads are made from natural fruits and free of any preservatives or added sugar. 

The most obvious way to use a preserve is to spread on warm toast, but I suggest stepping outside the box this holiday season and use a small dish of Black Raspberry to spread on cheeses such as Chèvre or Gouda.  For a wake up on tapenade or hummus use a slight dollop of Apricot preserve, and guacamole with pear preserve. For a Fillet Mignon, make a red wine sauce reduction with the addition of Black Raspberry. And, I always like the natural combination of Black Cherry Conserves with cheesecake.

You'll find the saltiness from savories is complimented very well by a little tart-n-sweet from the preserves. Give it a try! BTW, St. Dalfour made my "Good Stuff" pick list.

Sun-Dried Tomato Olive Tapenade

Grilled Fillet of Beef with Red Wine Sauce 

Very Berry Cheesecake 

Moularde de Dijon

Made in Dijon, France. This mustard is made under the strict 300 year old guidelines for being labeled authentically Dijon. Great flavor avec tres bon value. traderjoes.com

Dijon is fitting beyond the frank; use in my good dijon no-yolk caesar dressing.

Yielding From Tuscany's Own

The McEvoy Ranch in California is evidence of dreams into action. The 500+ acres of farmland, once with fields of cows for dairy is now filled with award winning Tuscan olive varietals, yielding fruits + oils. So talk about choices - would you rather grow an olive tree, create your own orchard, get some olives or some olive oil? Yes, you can have any or all of the above from The McEvoy's Ranch. And they will teach you how to raise your tree.

The McEvoy's were artisans of food before it became cool, with all the buzz words like sustainable, organic, wind powered, bee friendly farmer... and the list goes on. The McEvoy Ranch is an incredible example of ideal co-creators with mother earth. BTW, their Tuscan Table Olives live up! to their reputation.

The McEvoy Ranch in California

Honey I Love You

Your body is a marvelous machine that deserves optimum fuel everyday in order for it to perform its best. Why not take today, Valentine’s Day + treat yourself to sweet goodness. Yes, yourself. Treat yourself to something that's good for you. I'm thinking enjoying some honey - it's one of my top food picks.

Eat it local. it's so good for you, especially when made by your local bees. Much like how wines differ in flavor according to where the grapes are grown, so does honey. The benefits, in addition to building your immune system and an all natural aid to outdoor allergies; honey is one of the most precious all natural sweeteners on the market. 

Take good care of yourself + keep spreading the love. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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