Flavors of the Month

Over the past month I have had the pleasure of trying a few new foods, seasonings, and drinks. Here they are. 

Both the pear port and the coffee liqueur you see on the left were Christmas gifts from GeneSplicer and his wife. The Horton Vineyards pear port is heavy, sweet, and sits somewhere, palate-wise, between Sweet Mountain Laurel and St. Germain. Great ice cold.  Apparently these folks also make an acai wine which I am looking forward to trying soon.

The Sheridan’s Coffee Layered Liqueur is an Irish import my friend and his wife first tried on a cruise ship last year. They loved it and found a way to get a bunch for themselves and to give out as gifts (they don’t sell it in the USA, see). The picture's not great but the bottle is actually two bottles in one. One side contains the "cream" portion and the other contains the java/whiskey portion. 

If you pour it just right (there are instructions on the back) you end up with the proper ratio of each liquid in your glass. I had no trouble with this, although I did have to fight the temptation to crank Chumbawamba on the stereo, lay face up on the kitchen countertop, and have my wife pour shots into my open mouth while yelling "Woo hoo!!"  at the top of her lungs. 

It was delicious with apple pie. 

These next gifts came from the sister- and brother-in-law who picked them up in a shop outside of D.C. called Under the Olive Tree - they specialize in awesome olive oils, vinegars, and salts.  

The tall bottles are two different types of olive oil, one is a hot and smoky Harissa infused oil and the other is a traditional 18-year-old olive oil.  Both were incredible with fresh sourdough, although I did have to fight the temptation to crank Chumbawamba on the stereo, lay face up on... oh... wait...

Man, I should never start these review things with the booze...

The shorter bottles are two different types of flavored sea salt.  One is black truffle flavored (perfect on popcorn) and the other, Yakima Smoked Sea Salt, is like a barbecue in every tiny pinch.  I look forward to using it on rubs and marinades in the future.  

The last group of new-to-me stuff here might look strange but they totally work together.

I was turned on to the Sriracha (Thai Hot Sauce) by Jimmydunes, and to the plain Greek yoghurt by a work colleague.  I like spicy stuff, especially if it has a lot of flavor which the hot sauce has in spades.  Garlicky (wow, that’s a real word!) and zesty (shut up, that word was the thesaurus’s idea) without being overwhelming.  Nice.

Now, normally I avoid yoghurt (on a scale of one to ten, I usually give it a “meh”) but I recently discovered that the Greek plain yoghurt is zero fat, high in protein, and can be used as a base for almost anything.  

For example, I mix half a container of the yoghurt, a couple of squirts of the Sriacha, and a small spoon of natural peanut butter to make a terrific dip for sesame rice crackers (or probably anything).  I mixed half a container with a small squirt of maple syrup and served it with apple slices for my kid and some friends of his and I knew I was going to have to to cut up more apples before I even left the room. I look forward to trying it with honey next.

Thanks, everyone, for the new flavors!  I look forward to repaying you in kind.  Hmmm... I wonder if Mighty Taco still does anywhere-in-the-U.S. delivery...