By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
Nobody can blame us for not doing the heavy lifting. As we do every year, we bring far more kosher food than should be allowed by law, and taste all of them. Every single one. All so you, our dear reader, know the best foods to serve at your Hanukkah party, or simply to give as host gifts to wherever you may be invited. Here we have our top 10 favorites, as well as the ones that you should stay away from. Each item includes our impressions, the price, and what store it came from. A special thank you to all of the stores that donated goods for us to taste.
- Blue Hill Bay Herring in Mustard Sauce ($5.99, Albertson’s Mercer Island): Lynn called it “Yummy” and marked it as her favorite. Sara called it amazing. “Never thought of this combination,” she said. “Mustard pairs really well with the pickled herring,” said Amanda. “Jubilee!” said Roberta. “Very good.” “Loved it!” said Celina.
- Mary’s Gone Crackers organic gluten-free crackers with jalapeño ($4.99, Central Co-op): “Really spicy and delicious,” said Shoshannah. “Spicy, creamy, cheesy, crunchy, perfect appetizer for the season,” said Andrea. “Good kick and healthy,” said Ilana. “Yum!” said Karen. “Great combo with a kick,” said Cheryl, in particular with…
- Albertson’s kosher salmon mousse ($17.99/lb.): “Yum! The dill really adds dimension,” I said. “Perfect!” exclaimed Emily A. “Great!” echoed Sara.
- Pumpkin cream cheese (Trader Joe’s, $2.99): “Very tasty,” said Mary Lou. Ilana, who got some at home, said it disappeared quickly when they dipped pretzels in it. “Would be great with French toast,” said Emily M. “Who needs the pie?” asked Sophia.
- Eden organic apple butter ($5:15, Champion’s): “Loved, Loved, Loved it!” said Cheryl. Then she took it a step further and put it on top of Golden Traditional Potato Latkes ($4.49, QFC) with a dollop of Galbani Mascarpone Fresca ($4.29, Central Co-op) for a delicious treat. “You’re welcome,” she said.
- Chocolate peppermint Joe Joe’s ($3.99, Trader Joe’s): “Twice the Girl Scout cookie,” said Sophia. Amanda said they had “Great peppermint taste.” Chris marked it as a favorite, but he loves anything peppermint.
- English Toffee with milk chocolate and almonds ($2.99, Trader Joe’s): “It’s fantastic. Just like the toffee you get in the expensive specialty candy shops,” said Jean. “Great flavor, salty and sweet,” said Amanda, though she found it “a little messy.” “Delicious!” said Lynn.
- Galbani Mozzarella balls ($4.99, Albertson’s): “So flavorful,” said Karen. “Delicious, great flavor,” agreed Amanda.
- Albertson’s bakery shortbread cookies with chocolate thumbprint ($5.79): “Shortbread is shortbread, but that chocolate in the middle just makes it so darn good,” I said.
- Peppermint crèmes ($2.99, Trader Joe’s): “Homemade peppermint patties!” exclaimed Celina. “What she said,” echoed Amanda. “Really good,” according to Roberta. “Yum! Absolutely perfect!” said Shoshannah. And Chris? Well, you know what he thinks.
Latkes topped with mascarpone and apple butter – a foodie take on Hanukkah!
You really can do better…
As much as we want to focus on the foods you should be serving at your Hanukkah events, we came up with so many that just fell short. Too short. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
- Hope Dips Organic Lentil Garlic Dip: “The lentil tastes as unappetizing as it looks,” said Cheryl. “Ew!”
- Kedem whole wheat crackers with garlic and dill: “Sooo terrible,” said Shoshannah. The worst flavor I have had in a while.” “Tastes like cardboard,” said Andrea. “The air in my mouth tastes better than this.”
- Kosher Farms Nacho Cheese Dip: “Not like cheese texture at all,” said Emily M. “Horrible!” said Lynn.
- Laromme Bowtie Cookies: “For eight bucks, I expected better,” I said. “They tastes like cardboard with a smattering of cinnamon. Yuck!”
No. Just no. - Tnuva Edam cheese: “Rubbery,” said Ilana.
