Christian MacKenzie Smith

There’s no fruit quite like the key lime. Similar to its larger more-known cousin, this tiny citrus bulb is moderately sour but is leveled out by a slightly sweet and almost sugary finish. Toby, one of our employees, the tall British one, said it best after taking his first taste “it’s almost like a summer love” he said,  “tart with a bite but oh so, so, so sweet”.

Because of its sweet and sour properties, key limes are perfect for beverages. Add a little bit of hibiscus syrup to the juiced key limes and you’ve got yourself one hell of a limeade. And even though it’s winter, this drink is tasty year round – especially when you bulk it up with a little vodka.

Ingredients:

• 1 part key lime juice
• 1 part simple syrup
• 2 parts water
• 1 splash of hibiscus syrup
• Optional: sliced key limes for presentation

Instructions:

1. After you’ve juiced your key limes, combine all ingredients and stir.

2. Serve over ice with optional citrus slices. Add vodka or gin for the adult version.

-Tip: Disgard when the lime slices start to sink.

This sweet and salty granola, that was once available only at the Brooklyn Flea, is now flying off of our shelves and into your homes faster than we could have imagined. Unlike other commercially made granolas, Early bird is baked with organic ingredients (when available) and crisped up using extra virgin olive oil, instead of less flavorful oils like palm or canola which is typical to store-bought brands. The granola is then studded with dried fruits and crispy nuts and then finished with a healthy sprinkling of salt, which makes for a brilliant flavor profile. Early Bird Granola is truly unlike anything you’ve tried before.

At Dep, you can find the Farmhand’s Choice, which has dried organic coconut, southern pecans, and maple syrup, and the Jubilee Recipe, which has sour dried cherries and pistachios, or the Crack of Dawn Bar which is a sweet and salty granola bar – all of which are flavored with olive oil and sea salt for a sweet and savory balance. You can eat it however you’d like but we can guarantee that it will most likely be by the handful.

We’re sure that you’ve all tried almond butter at some point, but I can guarantee you that this is completely different than anything you’ve ever tried before. Brittle Spanish almonds, which are roasted in olive oil and sea salt, are ground down to create an unbelievably textured spread that is both sweet and salty at the same time. Unlike traditional almond butter which can be sort of chalky and dry, this creamy spread is truly liquid gold.

Fancy up a regular old peanut butter and jelly by pairing OroLiquido’s Almond Butter with some of our fancy preserves like our insane balsamic strawberry jam. Or add into cookie dough for an unusual twist on a classic favorite. Or, do as we do and eat it by the spoonful.

Remember that amazing olive oil by Frankies that we were telling you about a few days ago? Well, we’re totally obsessed with turning it into a spicy thai chile oil that packs quite a kick. This fiery oil is perfect drizzled over freshly cooked pasta and broccoli; top with a sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano for a quick dish that’s huge on flavor. It’s good for a couple of months if kept refrigerated or in a cool, dry place, but when you take how delicious it is into consideration, it will probably only last a few days.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of Frankie’s Olive Oil
• 10-15 dried Thai chiles, slit down the middle

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil until small bubbles begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat and stir in chiles. Let come to room temperature and strain. Pour remaining oil into a glass dispenser (we bought ours from Whisk) and store in the fridge. It should last until for a month or so or it becomes cloudy; at that point, throw it away.

“The warm Sicilian sun, the rich volcanic soil, and the steady saline breeze from the Mediterranean come together to make this extra virgin olive oil one of the best in Italy every year.” If that’s not olive oil poetry, we don’t know what is. Frankies DOP certified olive oil tastes just as smooth as that last sentence rolls off the tongue. The trees from their vineyards are between 300-400 years old and because they own almost all of the acreage in their own DOP, Frankies has complete control over the regions production, which ensures that you get the highest quality olive oil possible.

When this olive oil is served at room temp, the flavors are bright, fruity, clean and crisp tasting but when it’s heated the entire flavor profile changes to release a butter-like oil that could even fool Paula Deen. We like to infuse Frankies with thai chiles (check for the recipe on Wednesday!). It’s a perfect topping to drizzle over pizza or mild Thai dishes that need an extra kick. Or if you’d like to use it for something more refreshing, drizzle it over fresh watermelon and finish with flakes of sea salt. Or just pour it in your mouth. We won’t judge.

Whenever we get a new product in, we’re thrilled to share some of our favorite ways to use them. As with our newest Marieke Gouda, straight from Wisconsin, we think it’s best when melted into a rich, creamy cheese sauce and paired with some smoky bacon. This sweet, nutty, and somewhat salty cheese is just as good when it’s not melted and placed on a cracker with a spot of tomato jam but we think you’ll really enjoy it this way. Be sure to pair with one of our ice cold lagers and you’ll have yourself a cozy little dinner, perfect for cold nights like these when the heat from your oven does more than just cook for your food.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag bow tie pasta
• 6 slices Nueske’s Bacon, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp Celles Sur Belle Butter butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 cups whole milk from Battenkill Creamery
• 8 Fine Cheese Co Olive Oil and Sea Salt crackers, crushed
• 1/2 pound Marieke Gouda
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° and cook pasta according to the directions.

2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, cook bacon until it begins to crisp up. Remove from pan and dispose of all but 1 tbsp of grease. Add 2 tbsp of butter and let melt until it stops bubbling. Add in flour and whisk until a nice, thick, golden roux develops; about 5 minutes.

3. Turn up the heat to medium/high and little by little, add in milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. After about 6-10 minutes, sauce should begin to thicken. At this point, lower the heat and add in the gouda, a handful at a time, whisking constantly in a figure 8. Turn heat off and whisk in the parmigiano.

4. In a greased baking dish, combine the cooked pasta with the bacon and cheese sauce. Gently mix together. It should appear to be a bit soupy as it will absorb during the baking process. Coat the top of the dish with the crushed crackers and dot with remaining dabs of butter. Bake for about 30 minutes until bubbly and golden and remove from oven. Let sit for about ten minutes and serve.

From California to Maine, Bee Raw Honey has worked with artisanal bee keepers to bring you some of the finest untainted and completely raw honey since 1999. Because their honey is sourced from individual apiaries, each bottle of Bee Raw Honey has a unique color, flavor, and taste. You might think that the labels on the top of each jar are the flavors, but in reality, it’s the plant that the bees were pollinating near. So instead of raspberry flavored honey, you get honey from bees that were living near raspberry plants. This slight hint of flavor makes each varietal completely unique and absolutely delicious. Use them for cooking or as a remedy for sore throats or allergies.

There are infinate ways to use Bee Raw Honey but here are some of our favorite ways to use the varietals. Simply sweeten a cup of camomile on a cold night with their Sweet Yellow Clover Varietal ,or drizzle their Wild Black Sage Varietal over some baked fromage de meaux en croûte with toasted almonds for a sweet and savory treat.

Soft scrambled eggs churned with zesty pesto and dotted with light and airy fresh ricotta may seem like a complicated dish that you might find at some posh brunch place around the corner, but when you use our fine products, this breakfast delicacy only takes about ten minutes to prepare and is dangerously delicious.

Ingredients:

• 4 Large Eggs from Feather Ridge Farms
• 1 tbsp of Battenkill Valley Whole Milk
• 1 tbsp of LeGrand Garden Pesto 
• 2 tbsp of Narragansett Ricotta
• 1 pat of Celles Sur Belle Butter
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Crack eggs and combine with milk and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously until thoroughly combined.

2. Heat small frying pan to medium low, melt butter and wait for it to stop bubbling. Add egg mixture and continuously stir with a plastic spatula until eggs are slightly runny. Turn off heat and gently stir in pesto.

3.  Remove from heat and top with ricotta. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Rated as one of the top twenty olive oils in the world, LA Organic has produced some of the most divine oils and vinegars in the world since the 1990s. And because we care deeply about your olive oil and vinegar consumption,  you can buy these fantastic products, from Spain, right here in our shop!

Drizzle the Intenso olive oil over fresh salads for a bright, fruity burst of flavor, or use the lighter, more delicate Suave olive oil as a finish on zesty soups or to infuse with fresh herbs as a dip for some of our crusty baguettes. As for LA Organic’s over-the-top delicious vinegars, we recommend using the Apple Balsmaic Vinegar as a main component in a simple balsamic vinaigrette. We love how the apple undertones stand out dramatically when paired against peppery arugula and salty mozzarella.

Basically LA Organic can do no wrong in our eyes…or in our taste buds.

Now that Christmas is over, it’s time to get ready for New Years Eve! And what better way to bring in 2012 than with an amazing, totally impressive aphrodisiac cheese platter! We recommend showcasing a nice wheel of Brillat-Savarin, which is a soft, spreadable, pasteurized cows milk cheese that boasts a fat content of over 75%. This triple cream brie pairs perfectly with a nice glass of bubbly and begs to be eaten with a fresh juicy strawberries and sweet, dried apricots. Serve with a sleeve of our favorite crispy fig or fragrant rosemary crackers from The Fine Cheese Co., a jar of lavender spiced asparagus from Brooklyn Brine, a handful of largueta Spanish almonds, and of course, some sweet honey. Add a nice chunk of Buche de lacey and a wedge of gruyere to this platter, and you’ll be sure to have one hell of a night!