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Here's the thing about the Fancy Food Show,
you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet the prince. There are
thousands of products to sample and not nearly enough time to try them
all, so I let my intuition guide me and keep my eyes peeled for what
could be something delicious (plus I ask everyone I can about their
best discoveries).
Today I'm excited to show you the things I
loved the most. Next I will show you some cool new discoveries that I
think have a lot of potential...
So without further ado I give you my top 10 picks!
 Please
don't be offended but I affectionately call this salted butter caramel
sauce, sex in a jar. It is hands down the most delicious caramel I have
ever tasted. It comes from Isigny in Normandy featuring one of the only
AOC's
for butter. This jar of caramel contains salted butter, sugar and creme
fraiche. That's all. It has depth, balance, texture, and the flavor
lingers lusciously on your tongue. I discovered it in the French
section of the show floor and so far it is unavailable in the US, but I
did my best to convince someone at Zingerman's to import it. Fingers crossed!
Mother-in-law's Kimchi
was the only kimchi I saw or tasted at the show. I liked both
varieties, but was most impressed with the fresh and crunchy cubed
daikon kimchi, it had a wonderful bright quality. I think I could have
eaten a whole jar. It wasn't too spicy, and was bursting with
freshness.
 I'm already a big fan of Rogue Creamery
blue cheeses but there were two new ones I fell for at the show, Cave
Man, which is aged in a limestone cave and has some earthy notes, and
Brutal a limited edition cheese which is intensely flavored and super
creamy aged for 3-4 years. Good stuff! Keep your eyes open for it.
Do you ever use creme fraiche? Then you must seek out Kendall Farm's creme fraiche.
It is the most delicate and scrumptious creme fraiche on the market. It
also works great in recipes, you can whip it and you can add a dollop
to pan drippings and it won't just melt into nothingness, it will
thicken your sauce. It's tangy and silky and very decadent.
I found Zix ravioli cookies
in a section of products searching for a home "on the shelf." They are
flaky and rich, filled with a raspberry almond filling. I liked both
the regular and gluten-free versions. These are pretty cookies that
taste as good as they look. Locavores take note! They are from Sonoma
county.
 Sometimes you give something a chance that you're not quite sure about. So it was with J. Burger Seasoning
from August Kitchen. It is kind of like a mirepoix, that mixture of
onions, celery and carrot but in this case it has onions,
Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, bread crumbs and spices, cooked down to
a flavorful melange that can season and add texture to meatballs,
burgers, sauces, soups, stews, you-name-it. Available at Foodzie. Makes me wonder if I should make something like this to keep on hand in my own kitchen?
I liked all the Ramar
ice cream flavors I tried, but the More Than Coconut was my favorite.
It was green and included the flavoring of pandan leaves which lent
herbal vanilla notes. Very memorable. I look forward to finding this
ice cream from the Philippines in Asian grocery stores in the Spring of
this year.
I
recently went out to a much lauded Italian restaurant in San Francisco.
The pizza was ok, and the pasta wasn't anything special. I knew exactly
what was wrong. The dough of the stuffed pasta lacked that silky
smoothness with just a bit of give. Bertagni
pasta from Bologna is way better. It's available fresh in the
refrigerator section of markets and delis. The thickness of the pasta
varies depending upon the filling, for fillings that take longer to
cook the pasta is thicker. I tried the tortellini and am looking
forward to trying some of the ravioli next.
 I
have mixed feelings about goat milk products. Some cheeses and yogurts
made with goat milk are good, others are stinky, with too much barnyard
for me. The goat milk caramels from Happy Goat
made in old fashioned copper pots are pure genius, mild, soft but not
too soft, smooth and tremendously satisfying. Very impressive! A local
product too.
The final product is something I was sent a sample of not too long ago. It's the pancake and waffle mix from Kodiak Cakes.
I generally make pancakes and waffles from scratch, because no mix ever
lives up to my expectations. Kodiak not only makes light and crisp
waffles, and fluffy, tender pancakes, it is lowfat and filled with
whole grains! The ingredients are 100% whole grain wheat flour, 100%
whole grain oat flour, non-fat dry milk, dry honey (honey, wheat
starch), leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate,
Monocalcium Phosphate), egg whites and salt. Amazing! Available at my
local supermarket and a new staple in my pantry.
Amy Sherman is a San Francisco–based writer, recipe
developer, restaurant reviewer and all around culinary enthusiast. She
blogs for Epicurious , Bay Area Bites and Cooking with Amy .
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