The second day of the Fancy Food Show brought some amazing products and oh my gosh some bad products too. I will not talk about the omg products because I am confident they won’t be picked up anywhere. Yes they were that bad.

Here are the products that stood out today.

Beverages

Hint, whose motto is “drink water not suguar”  showed off its cucumber water which pleased my palate.  I can imagine using this in a salad dressing or just drinking it.  The difference between this and just putting cucumbers in water is that it is instant and sometimes the cucumbers after a while get a little soggy.  This keeps it free of soggy cucumbers.

Hint flavored waters

Vin Jus is a refreshing non-alcoholic aperitif that really is crisp and tart.  Lately many of my friends are looking for non-alcoholic drinks that aren’t too sweet and that are refreshing. I would say this hits the spot.

Fizzy Lizzy also makes refreshing non-alcoholic beverages but would go in the category of a pop.

My favorite was grapefruit. I also had the grape.  I don’t usually like grape because it is too sweet but my nose first detected the grape and then my taste buds.  The grape wasn’t too sweet like the normal grape drinks.

Spices, gelato and best of show

Yesterday, as I was looking at a colleague’s press kit there was a strong smell of fennel.  It turned out that he stopped at the Pollen Ranch booth so, I went there on Monday.   The Fennel Pollen is so good. I also had the fennel pollen spice blend called Divine Desserts. This would be excellent on top of a salted dark chocolate caramel.  What I also liked about this booth was the enthusiasm of the staff.  I was curious where they got their fennel.  They pick it wild but make sure that it hasn’t been sprayed.

Gelateria Naia makes gelato but they use some of my favorite products.  The Numi (Tea company) Earl Grey gelato is their new product.  It was not over brewed or overpowering.  Naia actually went to Numi and checked out their teas and then came back with gelatos for the Numi staff to taste using their teas.

Naia gelato

Naia’s web page is very charming and informative.  The company name in Greek means flowing and it is also the name of one of the founder’s daughter that was born when the company was forming.    One thing that I have noticed is that I too have searched for a good gelato in California — not understanding why they were such a big deal until I went and had gelato in Italy.  Naia’s gelato has ended my search.  All of the flavors were excellent.

Best of Show so far:  California Caviar.  I tasted the caviar on Sunday and went back on Monday.
We will see what Tuesday brings.

by Patti Regehr

Caramels made from goat’s milk

Sunday was the first day of 2010 Fancy Food Show.  What did I like?  I was impressed by Happy Goat which makes caramel out of goats milk and goat butter.  The caramel had a tang that goat’s milk added to the flavor.  If you want to make this yourself, check out Martha Stewart’s recipe for Goat Milk Caramel with Spirits.  I also liked the booth that showcased their truffles on popcorn.

Pressed caviar

Another taste sensation cane from California Caviar. The pressed caviar had the taste of caviar but not the texture –the best of both worlds.  California Caviar also had what they called  Bacon and Eggs. This caviar was infused with bacon — very tasty.

Some of my favorite tea companies weren’t  here this year and others had smaller booths. I will check on Monday to see if there are more vendors or if the economy has made companies just opt for smaller space.I love salads and especially liked samples from Summer Fresh, a Canadian company that makes and ships pre-packed salads, dips and snacks. Having said that, I still prefer to make my own salads or buy them locally.

Summer Fresh offers salads and dips

by Patti Regehr

What stays true with the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco (January 17th, 18th, 19th) is that it is an epicurean and must I say a Hobbit-like delight.

Every year it is fun to taste new things, see what companies are still around and see new trends.   Two and three years ago, companies weren’t relying on their staff too much to show off their products.  I was a little disappointed that many “staffers” really didn’t know much about the product nor did they seem to care…It was just a job for them.  Last year was better.  Maybe it was the economy, or maybe something else,but more people staffing the booths not only worked for the company but also knew the product.

I am really looking forward to this year.  I will like to see how the economy is affecting the products.  Will being greener, cooking simply, locally, organically, and cheaply be the themes?  How about the Chocolate Bidding Wars that are going on will we see any posturing or melting?

Although, salt should be limited in consumption, the salt booths are an amazing taste bud delight.  This product really does make a difference in cooking if you want to get your taste buds going.  Things really do taste differently depending on what type of salt one uses.

Vinegars?  There aren’t many booths on this product…olive oils yes, vinegars no…but what does a really good vinegar taste like…and how many people know the difference?

Rice Vinegar is there at the show…but how about Apple Cider Vinegar or Balsamic vinegar.  That will be my search this year.

Teas- pretty booths, good presentation…the competition on teas is amazing.

What I want to taste and show my local grocery buyers:

• Non alcoholic beverages that are more savory than sweet
• Fast food:  soup, quick preparation packages that have taste but not as much salt/sugar
• Packaging….I would like to see packaging be less of and more environmentally sound.

Like the rest of America, I was really looking forward to a Thanksgiving feast at my in-laws. On the table were homemade gnocchi, turkey, green beans, Italian bacala and of course mash potatoes. However, the star of the show was an amazing truffle salt that created a party in my mouth. I drizzled it on mashed potatoes, on my turkey and on my green beans. The next day I sprinkled it on my salmon. This magic salt instantly turned any dish that I made into a delicacy. I loved this salt so much that I took a picture of it on my iPhone so that I could go home and order it myself. My father in law thought I was crazy, but I couldn’t get enough of this salt!

I later looked at my iPhone picture in order to do some research on where I could buy my own jar of happiness. I discovered that the flavor that I couldn’t get out of my mouth was Black Truffle Infused Sea Salt (Sale con Tatufo Nero). This black truffle infused Atlantic sea salt is from Italy and is sold by the truffle company named Tartuflanghe. A two ounce jar costs $23.99 on Amazon.com but is well worth the price because with a little pinch you can transform any meal and the jar will last for a few months if used sparingly. Now that I know who manufactures this salt, I plan on buying a few jars for myself.

The second truffle experience I had was in a little café called Café Brioche in Palo Alto. I went to Café Brioche with my husband for a romantic French date. We ordered the mussels and the lamb, but once again, I was memorized by the truffle. As a French fry lover (hence why I am also an exercise fanatic), I am always on the quest for the perfect fry. Almost every restaurant attempts to make French fries and thus you have to be especially interesting or unique in order to catch my eye. Café Brioche’s truffle oil French fries were DELICIOUS! They were cooked perfectly and full of flavor. I loved them so much that I had to go back the next week just for the fries. YELP gives Café Brioche 3.5 stars, which I agree with, because for French food you can really find more elegant places elsewhere. However, I give the truffle oil French fries 5 stars and will return to the restaurant just for them.

Until next time, the Food and Exercise Junkie

One of many dishes you can make with a packet of spices. (credit Waverley Kitchens)

by Patti Regehr and Larry Magid

The San Francisco Bay Area where we live has plenty of Indian restaurants and many of them have a buffet lunch. The food tastes great but just as with any cuisine; Indian food can be high in calories and fat. It can also be expensive.

But it doesn’t have be that way. There are many delicious Indian recipes that not only taste good but are good for you. Trouble is, most of us Westerners have no clue how to prepare Indian food.

Enter Waverley Kitchens a new website that promotes and sells products that make it extremely easy to whip up a great Indian dish.

The key is using the right blend of spice.  Instead of having to locate and learn to use a variety of spices, Waverley Kitchens packages them up for you in convenient packets that you mix with rice and fresh vegetables.  The best way to get started is to order their $9.99 Trial Pack that comes with spice for one curry, one sabji and one raita.

The website not only has information about the products but recipes and videos on how to prepare authentic cuisine using their spices.

And Waverley Kitchens is doing something you don’t often see on sites that sell products. It has also created a social network to encourage its customers or just site visitors to share tips, recipes and ideas with others. Using the Ning social networking platform, the Palo Alto, California-based company has created an environment where people can sign up for an account and express themselves.

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