This year's Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco did not disappoint! From sparkling elderflower beverages to puerh tea to herb infused grapeseed oil, this year seemed to have even more unique products than last. We've posted our favorites in 2009 and in 2010
Here are a few of my favorites from the 2011 show:
1. Bacon Jam by Skillet
Okay, I know the bacon trend is overdone and even I am sick of it but this isn't your typical "bacon" novelty. This savory spread is made by rendering Niman Ranch bacon and simmering it for 6 hours with onions, balsamic vinegar and spices. As a result, it was full of incredibly complex flavors.
It was served on a cracker with brie and was the best thing I tasted at the show.2. Fresh Ginger Ginger Ale
This isn't your airplane ginger ale...it's how ginger ale is supposed to taste! After a sip of this, I knew I had tasted it before! Twice! First at Big Bowl restaurants in the Minneapolis area and then last year at Publican, in Chicago. I had actually mentioned it in a past post! It's phenomenal- sophisticated and totally appropriate as an accompaniment to a nice dinner. Available in original ginger, ginger jasmine green tea and ginger pomegranate.
We saw quite a few pairings with wine this year- chocolate, nuts, crackers, cheese. But, I really liked the idea of sweet and savory cookies that are matched with different wines. Each box contained three different flavors for a group of wines.
And to help you pair, there's a handy guide on the side of each box matching each flavor with a varietal.
4. The Bacon Pickle by Unbound Pickling
Ok, we've seen a rise in homestyle canning and Unbound Pickling has created a wonderfully hickory smoke flavored pickle that is actually vegan and has no bacon whatsoever.
We love umami- often called the fifth taste along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Umami is often described as a savory or meaty flavor and is common in Asian cuisine. There are natural sources of umami in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, and seaweed etc. These naturally occurring glutamates give that delicious umami flavor. You might recognize that another common food ingredient can provide umami- mono-sodium glutamate (MSG). However, this paste is made of foods that have naturally occurring glutamate and the ingredients list includes porcini mushrooms, olives, anchovies, parmesan cheese, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. (There is no MSG in this paste.) We can't wait to try cooking with this!
We ate this before snapping a photo! Yum, this single origin chocolate, Pure Nacional chocolate, has been recently rediscovered in Peru. And paired with the cacao beans, it is quite marvelous to taste. There's a lot of chocolate at this show, and thankfully, one of my colleagues had read about this rare chocolate in this article in the NY Times.
We featured the unusual Filipino ice cream last year in the best of 2010 Fancy Foods but this year, we liked the pops just as well! From halo halo to ube to Thai tea, these were a refreshing new taste in the category.
8. FruBee Fruit and Honey Pops
This room temperature blend of fruit and honey in a pouch can be frozen at home into a delicious treat. We loved the flavors in this sweet little treat from New Zealand!
9. Peque Oliva olive oil for kids
What would your first olive oil taste like? This Spanish olive oil, meant specifically for children, has a low acidity and delicate taste. It touts vitamins and high oleic acid content as well as aims to be beneficial for growth, sleep and health.
10. The Republic of Tea travel tea cup
This was the best giveaway at the show: a travel cup made by Bodum, complete with a tea strainer that allowed you to steep loose tea and then press it out to drink ( photo coming soon). It reminded me of a French press for tea and in a travel size! It was marvelous and I enjoyed their milk oolong tea during the show. I also loved the chocolate tea line as well.
And that was the show...did you have any favorites?
