Dinner

Rustichella's Primo Grano pasta, tuna stuffed piquillo peppers from Ortiz, Calabrian Miscela Explosiva, Sanchez Romate sherry vinegar and Marques de Valdueza olive oil

On the Fly: Lean at ZMO

Process mapping a Professional Presents order from start to finish to kick off planning for Holiday Season 2011!

Zing Tasting: American Spoon Fruit Perfect Sour Cherries

Know it: 

Michigan's Montmorency cherries are known for their color and flavor, and American Spoon up in Petoskey has preserved them in their own juices for a jar full of beautiful fruit

Look at it:  

A huge amount of fruit for the volume--whole, pitted cherries to the brim, surrounded by bright syrup

Smell it:  

Sweet and tart, like the best cherry pie filling you can imagine

Taste it:  

Firm and juicy with true cherry flavor all the way through

Great with:

Gelato, Manhattans, yogurt, pancakes or just a spoon

Pimento Party

Crafting the optimal scooping
structure for pimento cheese

Know it:

Ari likens Pimento Cheese to a culinary religion in the South, and we at ZMO are big believers.  We make it here from scratch with 2-Year cheddar from Grafton Village in Vermont, Hellman's, pimentos, sea salt and fresh-ground Tellicherry black pepper

Look at it: 

A creamy spread with distinct pieces of cheddar, tinted orange with bits of pimento and flecks of pepper

The makings of a great lunch in Paso Robles, CA

Smell it:

Just how you'd imagine with all the ingredients above.  If you can smell it without your mouth watering, something is wrong

Taste it:
Creamy and tangy with a little heat.  Absolutely addictive and without substitute.

Ready for battle

Great With:

A sandwich of tomatoes and Arkansas Peppered Bacon on Brewhouse Bread, homemade baked potato chips, John Macy's Cheesesticks and Roadhouse Burgers

 

Zing Tasting: Piment d'Espelette

Know it:  
Piment d'Espelette is a chili that originated in South America and flourished in the  Basque region of Southwest France. Since the 17th century its been used in the area for everything from flavoring chocolate to curing ham.

Look at it: 
Flecks of orange and red chili

Smell it: 
A bit smokey and sweet

Taste it: 
Light, sweet spiciness.  The heat is somewhere between an Anaheim chili and a jalapeno.

Great with:

Egg dishes, fish, Martelli Pasta

Zing Tasting: Spicy Sun Dried Tomato Spread

Know it:

Spicy Sun Dried Tomato Spread From the Tunisian estate of Majid Mahjoub, where sun drying is no hands-off operation

Look at it:

Deep red paste topped with Majid's estate olive oil

Smell it:

Garlic, coriander, heat

Taste it:

Concentrated tomato sweetness, spice from red hot piment, earthiness from caraway seeds

Great with:  
Farm Bread, grilled asparagus, sauteed onions and Ortiz Tuna

Land of Zing

Reminiscing about the West Coast, but it's good to be back at ZMO...