| Integrated Marketing & Communications for the Food, Beverage & Hospitality Industries | |
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FAST, EASY & DELICIOUS HOLIDAY TAPAS TIPS RECIPES WITH CONSORCIO SERRANO HAMS November, 2008 – As people come together over the holidays to celebrate with family and friends, food and drink these days, the most important trend to emerge is greater value and quality. Value means more time to spend with loved ones and less in the kitchen. Value means versatility, and making less go further. Holiday tapas party bites made with Serrano ham deliver. (And in particular, those which bear the S” that stands for “Consorcio de Jamon Serrano Espanol” seal-of-approval mark of quality control). More recipes and serving suggestions available at www.consorcioserrano.com. Because of their richer and fuller flavor, these all natural air-dried cured hams prepared with centuries old artisan traditions and techniques require less to deliver more delicious flavor. Making a holiday party a sensation couldn’t be easier with tasty tapas made with Serrano ham. It’s no wonder the Serrano trend is rising, with more and more restaurants and home cooks serving them. Here are three simple mouth-watering tapas recipes made with Serrano hams from Spain that can be made in less than 5 to 20 minutes each! * * * Serrano Stuffed Mushrooms Ingredients: Preparation: Chef’s suggestions: Serrano & Cream cheese wraps Ingredients: Preparation: Chef’s suggestions: The Consorcio’s Serrano, Zucchini, & Pepper “Tapa” Ingredients: Preparation: Chef’s suggestions: Recipes courtesy of Consorcio del Jamón Serrano Español. For more recipes, cooking and serving suggestions using Serrano hams, visit www.consorcioserrano.com. The Consorcio del Jamón Serrano Español was established in 1990 as an association of 14 producers to offer a guarantee of strict quality control and as a collective promotional arm to market the Serrano hams of Spain. THE NATION’S #1 RATED CHOCOLATES OFFERS CUSTOMIZED “SMALL INDULGENCES” FOR THE HOLIDAYS October, 2008 – In uncertain times, chocolate consumption is one of the few things that don’t go down, in fact, it goes up! Chocolate offers not only comforting, “feel-good” moments (and even some possible health benefits), it is a pleasure and “small indulgence” that one can still afford. Perhaps that trip to France is postponed, that HD TV may have to wait, but not the pure pleasure of chocolate. So with the holidays around the corner, and in a volatile world – only the best will do. Rated a staggering 29 for excellence in the Zagat gourmet guide (yet again), Martine’s offers an ideal customized gift for the holidays. And this year, for the first time, Martine’s Chocolates lets you fill your gift box online with a customized selection of your (or the recipient’s) favorite chocolate pieces In addition, Martine’s now offers the same quality, unequaled taste and customization with her new line of sugar free chocolates. Martine’s Chocolates also offers a full array of exquisite solid chocolate creations. For Thanksgiving there are lifelike round Pumpkins, majestic Turkeys, bright Autumn Leaves, and chocolate Cornucopias that can be filled with Marzipan Fruit or Chocolates and turned into bountiful centerpieces. Chanukah and Christmas are celebrated at Martine’s with radiant Menorahs, jolly old-fashioned Santas, cute colorful Santa Bears, and elegant Christmas Ornaments, as well as many others. All creations are made from the same high quality chocolate as Martine’s boxed chocolates. They are hand colored and available in milk, dark and white chocolate in a range of sizes. These delicious treats are ideal as hostess gifts, stocking stuffers or holiday presents. They can be personalized too. Martine has developed a well deserved reputation for dispensing good advice on holiday gift giving and chocolate solutions. Martine’s Chocolates are made fresh every day at her shops in front of the customers, by using only the finest all natural ingredients such as imported Belgian Chocolate, American Cream and French Butter. Martine doesn’t simply have customers, she has fans who literally will not settle for anything else. Martine’s Chocolates, because you deserve the best. # # # Martine’s Chocolates’ flagship store is located on the 6th floor of Bloomingdale’s, at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City. Martine’s Chocolates too is located at 400 East 82nd Street (off 1st Avenue). The chocolates are hand delivered in Manahattan and shipped all over the world .They may be ordered online at martineschocolates.com, by calling at (212) 744 6289 by e-mail at martine@martineschocolates.com, or by fax at (212) 744-3604. For more information, the public can visit www.martineschocolates.com. NEW YORK’S ONLY TEA INSPIRED SHOP/RESTAURANT/BAR October 2008 – Sanctuary T, the tea purveyor and restaurant, introduces a holiday gift selection for tea lovers. Tea is the world’s most ancient and widely consumed around the world, associated with healthful living, building relationships, relaxing, and of course enjoyment. Sanctuary T offers wonderfully original tea and tea-related gifts for the holidays. Sanctuary T has designed a beautiful collection of teas and tea related lifestyle, home and beauty gifts and gift sets available for the holidays at their flagship store in New York City, or at www.sanctuarytea.com. In time for the spirit of the season, Sanctuary T assembles tea related holiday gift sets that capture the spirit of tea in its many facets. • Chai Lover’s Collection. Includes six 2 oz tins of premium loose leaf chai teas, from the traditional to the unique, as well as a recipe booklet with simple tips on how to make amazing chai drinks at home. Once you try these you’ll never accept “syrups” as a substitute again! Retail price: $39 ($49 with silver infuser). • Flowering Tea Collection. Hand tied teas unfurl into beautiful flowers. This collection includes three pieces of four different flowering teas (twelve pieces total) plus our popular double paned glass through which to enjoy it. Also included is a brief description of each tea and instructions for brewing. Retail price: $59 • Tea Lovers on the Go. Includes Sanctuary T’s popular insulated tea tumbler with a removable basket for brewing loose tea, and three 2 oz tins. Retail price: $42. Available in 3 varieties: Herbal, Ayurvedic ( Energy), &Fun Flavors. • Rejuvenation Kit. Includes everything one needs to relax with tea. Featuring a 2 oz tine of chamomile lavender tea, a Tea Leaf soy candle (real tea leaves dance as the soy wax melts), Sanctuary T Bath Salts, and an herbal glass sand timer. Retail price: $49 Individual gift items: Sanctuary T, in New York City’s Soho neighborhood at 337B West Broadway (at the corner of Grand Street). One of the distinguishing features of this unique combination retail shop, restaurant and bar is that the menu features a number of dishes using tea as an ingredient. www.sanctuarytea.com IN THE HEART OF SOHO, NEW YORK’S ONLY TEA THEMED A Haven For New York Visitors All Day LongTea, the world’s most widely consumed beverage after water, has an exciting new tea-themed eatery offering comfort, taste and pleasure throughout the morning, noon and night right in the heart of Manhattan’s famous Soho neighborhood. Perched on Soho’s main thoroughfare (West Broadway) Sanctuary T is ideal for a memorable meal, a rest from busy day of touring, and perfect for people watching and celebrity spotting – both inside and out. (The likes of Dustin Hoffman, Uma Thurman, Jeremy Piven, or Kate Hudson might be sharing a cuppa, at the next table.) Every morning one can find New Yorkers right along side visitors starting out their day reviewing their guides and maps while enjoying the fresh house made baked goods - rich scones, brioches, croissants, shortbread - to and hot beverages. Of course, coffees are served in addition to the 80+ varieties of Sanctuary T’s own brand of house blends. It’s not uncommon to see a happy visitor emailing friends and family using Sanctuary T’s free wifi. And for those without their laptops, owner Dawn Cameron is happy to let guests use the house computer to say hi back to friends back home. At lunch time, the menu gets busier, as does the “people watching” along Soho’s main thoroughfare – West Broadway. In the evening, with the cool sounds of the specially designed music, Sanctuary T serves up a creative array of cocktails at the bar using tea as an ingredient such as: plum iced tea with txakoli, vodka and guava, Earl Grey with gin, soda and lime, and white peach, Assam tea with Lambrusco, to name but a few. Owner Dawn Cameron set out to create a place where people could unwind, have fun and experience tea, culinary delights, and cocktails. The result is a thoroughly charming and elegant cork-paneled 45 seat restaurant and bar. “Tea has both calming and restorative qualities,” notes Cameron. “After all, that’s what the restaurant experience is about – the French word restaurant actually means a place people went to be restored,” she adds. The restaurant and bar is open seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, cocktails, and dinner. INTIMATE AND VEGETABLE-FOCUSED RESTAURANT TO OPEN IN MANHATTAN OPENING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29TH October, 2008 – Dirt Candy is a new vegetable-focused restaurant opening in Manhattan’s East Village on Wednesday, October29tht. “Just as there are a lot of steak houses that specialize in doing wonders with steak, and seafood restaurants that specialize in serving great fish dishes, I want to create a restaurant that specializes in cooking amazing vegetables,” notes chef/owner Amanda Cohen. Dirt Candy sets out to satisfy food lovers with a deceptively simple combination: offer extraordinary food made with the freshest ingredients, create innovative dishes with straightforward yet bold flavors, and serve it in an intimate elegant space. Chef/owner Amanda Cohen believes eating should be fun, food should taste good, and people should worry less about the barrage of conflicting food dogma they are bombarded with. With Dirty Candy, Amanda Cohen has created a restaurant where food lovers can relax, check the swirl of “do’s”, “don’ts”, “musts”, diets, trends, and fads at the door, and simply enjoy strong rich flavors and new tastes. In a word, eat good food and enjoy what the chef does to bring out the unique flavors of vegetables, fruits, dairy, and nuts. Representative dishes include an appetizer of Portobello Mousse with Truffled Pear & Fennel Compote and entrees such as the Carrot Risotto with Carrot Dumplings and Parmesan Curls. Desserts, like the Cornflake Tart with Popcorn Chantilly, are made by the pastry chef Debbie Lee, previously of P*ONG, Amuse, and Pure Food and Wine. Amanda personally presides over the entire restaurant from the open kitchen of the eighteen-seat eatery. “People should feel like they’re coming to my house and sitting down for a dinner party in my kitchen,” notes Cohen. White tables set on recycled linoleum against a background of recycled natural Kirei wood walls, contrasted with a bright orange banquette, set the stage for a dining experience that is almost as much fun for the eyes as it is for the palate. The modern décor and inviting setting offers personalized attention and service. For Cohen, part of the pleasure is in being able to engage with her guests directly; hearing their feedback and answering their questions. Besides Cohen, the entire staff consists of one additional sous-chef and a waiter. “I believe in strong, simple flavors and then layering them into a more complex experience,” says Cohen. “I like cooking with vegetables because they allow me to work with more subtle flavors and more complex, layered tastes.” Cohen’s commitment to satisfying with flavors is matched by her passion for ingredients. “Vegetables are amazing. Made out of little more than water, sunlight, and dirt they wind up growing into a candy store full of color and flavor. And that’s what I want Dirt Candy to be: nature’s candy store.” Amanda Cohen was the chef de cuisine at the critically acclaimed Heirloom, the chef de cuisine for two years at Pure Food and Wine, as well as the original chef at Teany, all restaurants where she honed her culinary skills. Dirt Candy is certified by the Green Restaurant Association and is made of recycled and sustainable materials. Dirt Candy, 430 E. 9th St (Between Ave A & 1st ) |
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