Local News

Stuffed for the holidays

By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews

Everyone has the

    same dilemma at this time of year: that one person who is

    impossible to shop for. More often than not, these are the

    same people who eat three meals a day, and some of them even

    look down and pay attention to what they’re eating. If the

    person you have in mind doesn’t fit that description, Marty

    Jaffee can tell you why you should embrace Christmas on page

    3. For everyone else, a mother lode of fine eating awaits

    you.

   

    As loyal guinea

    pigs to the community we serve — that’s you, dear readers —

    the staff of JTNews held our very own food fest, just

    so you could have ideas of some of the yummy snacks out

    there that could also double as great Hanukkah gifts.

   

   

    We visited three

    stores for our big bounty: Metropolitan Market, the kosher

    Albertson’s on Mercer Island, and Trader Joe’s. We attempted

    to create as diverse a selection of goodies that we could,

    with one caveat: everything had to be kosher. We tasted

    nearly everything we purchased, and passed around the foods

    we enjoyed the most. By the end, none of us had any desire

    to see anything with sugar in it ever again, but these are

    the sacrifices we make!

   

    We decided to

    group our purchases into several different categories.

   

   

    • • •

   

    We’ll start

    Mediterranean-style. We picked up several items that

    would fit in to this category:

   

     

   

    Margaret’s

    Artisan flatbread with Sundried Tomatoes (Metropolitan

    Market, K-tablet, $4.99

   

    Osem

    Mediterranean Greek Manzanilla Olives (Albertson’s, OU,

    $3.49)

   

    Miller’s Goat

    Cheese (Albertson’s, OU-D, $3.79)

   

    Athenos Hummus

    (Metropolitan Market, Circle-K, $3.39)

   

    Joyva Chocolate

    Halvah (Albertson’s, Chaf-K, $2.99)

   

    Trader Joe’s

    Baklava Ensemble (Trader Joe’s, KSA, $4.29)

   

    We’ll be honest

    here: with some of these items, you could do better. But you

    could also do much, much worse. Take the Margaret’s

    flatbread. Though the sundried tomato gave these flaky

    crackers a strong flavor, taster Lynn found them to be

    “light and crispy with a hint of cheese.” The flatbread

    could stand on its own, but we had several items to add on,

    such as the hummus, which taster Susan loved.

   

    “I’ve always

    liked this stuff,” Susan said. Taster Patti found it to be

    “too strong,” with “too many spices.”

   

    The goat cheese,

    which came in a soft spreadable package, should have been an

    excellent complement to the flatbread, but compared to other

    similar products on the market, we decided it could have

    been better.

   

    “It’s flat

    tasting, it’s like it has this blah finish,” said taster

    Karen.

   

    The olives come

    in a can. Like every olive that comes in a can, you always

    feel like you can do better if you get them fresh, and this

    was, unfortunately, no exception. The olives had the nice

    bite to them that can be found in olives from this region,

    but after spending who-knows-how-many months packed in away

    in a basement somewhere, they were a little too soft for my

    liking.

   

    The halvah is of

    course an acquired taste, as anyone who likes to put blocks

    of paste in their mouths knows. But you can’t go wrong with

    the sweet honey baklava.

   

    “I thought it was

    very good,” said Susan, who also enjoyed the variety of

    baklava pieces in the container. “I like it’s an ensemble

    package. There’re different kinds.”

   

    Lynn said the

    baklava “needs a tad more honey. Fantastic. A great

    dessert,” and Patti liked the “nice buttery flavor.”

   

    • • •

   

    Next we decided

    to go local (but not lo-cal). We found all

    kinds of treats from around the Pacific Northwest and came

    up with these yummy items:

   

     

   

    Barry’s Bakery

    French Twists (Metropolitan Market, OU, $3.49)

   

    Partners Black

    Pepper Crackers (Metropolitan Market, Chaf-K Dairy, $3.29)

   

    Salmolux

    Alderwood Smoked Salmon  (Albertson’s, Chaf-K, $2.49)

   

    Dagoba Organic

    Lavender Chocolate Bar (Metropolitan Market, KSA, $2.65)

   

    Della Nonna

    Savory Biscotti – Rosemary (Metropolitan Market, Chaf-K,

    $5.49)

   

    Moto Bars –

    Banana Split, Cranberry Orange, Others (Metropolitan Market,

    Chaf-K, $1.59)

   

    Biringer Farms

    Lemon Tea Cookies (Metropolitan Market, Chaf-K Dairy, $2.99)

   

    Cougar Lemon

    Snickerdoodles (Metropolitan Market, Va’ad, $2.99)

   

    Pumpkin Seed

    Butter (Metropolitan Market, BC Kosher, $8.49)

   

    Chukar Cherries

    (Pike Place Market, REI, Chaf-K, prices vary)

   

     

   

    We matched the

    items with these not-so-local products, but still

    great for creating a fun gift basket:

   

     

   

    Terra Red Bliss

    Potato Chips with Olive Oil, Sundried Tomato & Balsamic

    Vinegar (Metropolitan Market, Chaf-K, $2.49)

   

    Pacifica Wasabi

    Mayonnaise (Metropolitan Market, OU, $4.99)

   

    Duchy Originals

    Gingered Biscuits (Metropolitan Market, OU-D, $6.99

   

    Cocoa Pete’s

    Berry Berry Dangerous 4-Piece Dark Chocolate Bar

    (Metropolitan Market, OU-D, $2.99)

   

     

   

    First, the

    Sweets Lover’s Package:

   

    We’ll start with

    the french twists, with a touch of cinnamon and sugar.

   

   

    “This is very

    good. Crisp and sweet,” said taster David, while our other

    taster Becky said, “these french twists are excellent, and

    they’re very low in fat and sodium. I’m definitely going to

    buy these.”

   

    Mix them with the

    Dagoba chocolate bar, which I liked as “a nice chocolate

    with a good aftertaste,” as well as did Susan, who at first

    couldn’t find the lavender.

   

    “I really don’t

    taste…oh, there it is!” she exclaimed.

   

    Since we’re on

    the subject of chocolate, with Cocoa Pete’s dark chocolate —

    the Pete, incidentally, is the same guy who stuck his name

    on Pete’s Wicked Ales — you can’t go wrong. The sweetness of

    the berries inside balances the bitterness of the chocolate

    on the outside.

   

    “These are good!”

    announced Karen. “I thought this was great, and great

    packaging,” she said of the little cardboard box the

    turtle-shaped chocolates come in.

   

    Biringer Farms,

    which like Chukar Cherries sells its wares in a storefront

    at the Pike Place Market, satisfied us with its

    tart-but-tasty lemon tea cookies. I thought they were a nice

    bite-sized treat. The powdered sugar counteracts the lemon

    tart. Susan said “they’re really tart, they’re quite good.”

   

    And speaking of

    the Chukars, we got ourselves a big box of their sampler,

    which had everything from dried Rainiers and Bings to nuts

    covered in white or dark chocolate. Lots of options, and

    lots of different explosive flavors. Like their fresh

    counterparts however, most of us liked the pure fruits the

    best.

   

    We tried Cougar

    Mountain Baking Company’s Lemon Snickerdoodles, but their

    soft, tasty cookies come in many flavors. David, who

    inexplicably tasted his cookie with a splash of wasabi

    mayonnaise, said, “Very, very good. The mayonnaise is a

    little overpowering for the cookie. It’s very good.”

   

     

   

    Mix in the Trader

    Joe’s Fat-Free Caramel Popcorn, and you’ve got yourself a

    basket!

   

     

   

    The Savory

    Treats Basket:

   

    As aficionados

    of sweet things from bakeries, the JTNews staff was

    taken slightly aback by the Della Nonna rosemary biscotti.

    It wasn’t sweet at all! “It’s beautiful packaging, and I

    like that it’s local,” said Karen. Our taster Louise liked

    the rosemary flavor.

   

    The Vashon-based

    Partners, with pepper crackers and granola, wowed us with

    their great flavors (though at a premium price).

   

    “These are really

    good. I’d buy these crackers,” said Susan, but Patti said

    they taste like they’re run-of-the-mill Ritz crackers. Becky

    liked their low fat content, and all of us liked them with

    the smoked salmon, which comes from a fishery right down the

    road in Federal Way, and all of us found to be quite

    delicious, on top.

   

    Between the fish

    and the cracker, to add a little kick to the hors d’oeuvres,

    Patti found that the wasabi mayonnaise “is the high point,

    in terms of interesting and tasty.”

   

    You might think

    of potato chips as an odd gift, but Terra, with its pretty

    bags and gourmet-style flavors, has raised the bar from the

    run-of-the-mill Frito-Lay’s. I thought that they tasted a

    bit like powdered tomato soup, but not bad for potato chips.

   

    Like we said, the

    bags are a pretty color.

   

    For the active

    member of your family, the Moto bars might be a good idea,

    though we expect they’ll taste better after a heavy workout.

   

   

    “It smells like

    fake bananas,” said Karen of the Banana Split flavor. For

    shoppers in the health food aisle, the pumpkin seed butter —

    which a lot of us expected to be somewhat akin to peanut

    butter — was nothing even close. To be fair, we’ll say that

    this is definitely an acquired taste, and one to take in

    small doses.

   

    “It’s green!” I

    said upon opening the container. After tasting it: “and not

    so good.”

   

    • • •

   

    If you want to do

    all of your shopping at one store, with one brand name, the

    Trader Joe’s basket will do you just fine. The

    grocery store, which specializes in its own branded packaged

    items, has many kosher ways to make a fun Hanukkah gift

    basket, but we decided to choose just a few:

   

     

   

    Trader Joe’s

    Dried, Pitted Montmorency Cherries (Trader Joe’s, K, $3.39)

   

    Trader Joe’s

    Chocolate Cluster Trio, (Trader Joe’s, OU-D, $6.99)

   

    Trader Joe’s

    Fat-Free Caramel Popcorn (Trader Joe’s, Chaf-K Dairy, $1.29)

   

    Trader Joe’s

    Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds (Trader Joe’s, OU, $1.29)

   

    Trader Joe’s

    Organic Mini Pretzels (Trader Joe’s, OU-D, $1.39)

   

    Trader Joe’s

    Roasted Salted Mixed Nuts (Trader Joe’s, KSA, $3.29)

   

     

   

    Not a lot can be

    said about the taste of nuts that hasn’t been said before,

    but to mix them with the dried cherries and even pretzels

    can make for a satisfying sweet-and-salty snack — and a nice

    Hanukkah treat. Throw in the chocolate clusters, with three

    different kinds of nut mixed in chocolate, and the baklava,

    and you’ve got yourself a basket — which you can also

    probably find at your neighborhood TJ’s!

   

    • • •

   

    While we’ve tried

    to come up with ideas to soothe the gourmet in your life, if

    you really want to make a hungry person happy, show up at

    the Mazon “Night of a Thousand Latkes” dinner on December 12

    and make a donation. Every cent from the meal puts food in

    the stomachs of those who need it most.