#51: Nuts + Nuts Roasted Cashews

I am becoming quite spoiled and really starting to enjoy good, gourmet nuts. They are such a satisfying snack! I know people have been saying that for a long time, but I always thought of nuts as something to snack on at a bar, not something to keep in the house unless a certain recipe called for them.

When Food & Wine Magazine listed three types of international nuts on their 100 Tastes to Try list for 2008, I ordered them right away. We went through the Australian macadamia nuts (#50) rather quickly and have since placed three re-orders. More recently we tried the Indonesian cashews (#51). These I ordered from Nuts + Nuts in all four flavors: original (mixture of sweet and salt taste), lightly salted, honey sesame, and spicy (has bits of lime leaves and cut chillies). They are ALL GOOD! Honestly, I do not have a favorite.

The first ones I tried were the honey sesame and I was sure nothing could taste better than those. Then I tried the spicy and I thought there was a tie. Original is unique too and I figured the three flavors will be my preference over the plain ones. I finally tasted the plain ones and who would have though a plain, lightly salted, cashew would taste to good. I think the secret is the freshness. Each package is vacuum sealed.

I have a feeling I'll be ordering another round of nuts from them again. At only $3.00 a pack they are quite affordable. The company website is still not operational but you can order by contacting them via phone or email. Lucky for me I still have a few packs left.

#55: A Salty Chocolate Bar

I love milk chocolate. Sometimes, when I'm really in a pig out mode I like to eat potato chips and chocolate. It has to be good old-fashioned Lay's or some type of plain, greasy, salty potato chips. None of these fancy chocolate-dipped potato chips will do. There is just too much chocolate and not enough salt on those.

Image my surprise when Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2008 included a Salty Chocolate Bar as #55 on its list. I was definitely intrigued, and also doubtful. I ordered L’Artigiano’s Salty Chocolate Bar from Worldwide Chocolate. It was $8.99 for the 3.5 ounce milk chocolate bar.

At first I thought this candy didn't taste like anything special. It was good quality milk chocolate so I could not complain. As the last of my first bite melted away on my tongue, I started tasting the salt. Hm, I think I needed to do that again. So the second piece went down. Definitely more salt this time. Flakes of sea salt are right inside the chocolate - you can see them!

Overall, this candy bar is pretty good. It is definitely something interesting and unique so I'm glad I tried it. However I'm not sure if it completely addresses my salty/sweet craving. I miss the crunch and grease of my potato chips. So, while I do enjoy this candy bar, I think I will still turn to my Lay's chips and Lindt truffles for my fix.

#32: RJ's Natural Licorice

I am NOT a black licorice fan. In fact, I usually stay away from anything that reminds me of black licorice - even fennel. So I was a bit disappointed that RJ's Natural Licorice was listed as an example for Old-Fashioned Candy Makes a Comeback, #32 on Food and Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2008. But I went ahead and ordered it anyways.

I was a bit surprised that when I took a bit I the "gag reflex" I usually get with black licorice did not kick in. The licorice was very fresh and slightly chewy. It was almost like the black licorice flavor was on the outside, or even in just the smell. It tasted pretty good with a simple black licorice after taste. So I am quite pleased. I'm not sure if all "old fashioned" licorice is this good or just this manufacturer from New Zealand, but it was interesting to try all the same.

#35: Paromi Teas

Ah, a good cup of tea . . . is there anything better? I was happy when I saw that Exquisite Tea Blends was listed at #35 on Food & Wine's 100 tastes to try in 2008. That meant I got to try some new tea!

Paromi Tea was listed as an example of the Exquisite Tea Blends - specifically the Coconut-Almond version. I ordered that along with the traditional Earl Grey version. The tea come is these gorgeous little silk tea bags and is filled with flowers and dried fruits and herbs. They are really great and I'll definitely be bringing these to work!

#50: Brookfarm's Australian Macadamias

Everyone knows nuts are supposed to be good for them. They are a "good fat". I happen to love nuts. I got in the habit of having for a snack during diet times. Usually I turn to almonds. I was intrigued that this year Food and Wine list International Nuts for three of their 100 tastes to try in 2008. Listed at #50 are Australian Macadamias and Brookfarm's roasted nuts are highlighted as the example.

I ordered a 3-pack of the Oven Roasted with Kashmiri Chilli Macadamia Nuts from Amazon.com and they are awesome! They come vacuum sealed so they are super-fresh when you open the package. We ate the entire first package in one seating. High quality sea-salt with the fresh macadamia nuts is a great combo, but what really makes these stand out is the chilli flavoring that is added. There is a mild heat that gets stronger the more you eat. These are really great. I think I'm going to order the other versions - one just has sea salt and the other is has bush pepper spice added as seasoning.

Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2008

I had so much fun trying to taste everything on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007, I'm going to give it another go this year! Apparently it is an annual thing for them and they published Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2008 in the January, 2008 issue of the magazine. Food and Wine Magazine puts items on their list from three main groupings: Travel, Food and Drinks.

Obviously anything under the Travel category is really hard to accomplish. Sometimes You have to travel to the destination and go to an event or order something specific to eat. But I try to work my way around it by finding things locally. For example, #5 is Movie and Museum Meals. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago has a restaurant by Wolfgang Puck which is supposed to be really good. So even though that museum isn't listed, if I go to the one in Chicago I'll count it. Sometimes I'll find things online too.There are several chefs listed, like #7 Shanghai's New Star Chef. I'll search for some recipes or a cookbook published by him and maybe make something myself. So even though I don't get to go to his restaurant, my plan is to still sample his style.

Last year I accomplished about half of the list. I had a ton of fun doing it too. It was something I could go back to throughout the year. My vacations were on and off and if I happened to be one of the places on the list I made sure to check one thing off the list. Like when I was in Vancouver I was always ordering wine from the Okanagan Valley and it was great! So who knows where the year will take me - but I'm excited to give it another go. Hopefully I'll get closer to 100 this year . . .

Travel
1 - The Gulf Beyond Dubai
2 - Fabulous Trips for the Food-and-Wine Obsessed
3 - Olympic Buzz in Beijing
4 - Tokyo's Latest Dessert Craze
5 - Movie and Museum Meals
6 - New Zealand Wine News
7 - Shanghai's New Star Chef
8 - The Greenbrier Goes Modern
9 - Frankfurt Classics
10 - Carrots with Fried Shallot Gremolata (Restaurant: San Francisco)
11 - Kansas' New Food Scene
12 - Pebble Beach Food & Wine (March 27-30)
13 - Juicy Texas Burgers (Trend: Burgers)
Food Trucks (14-16)
14 - Food Shark; Marfa, TX
15 - Skillet; Seattle
16 - The Treats Truck; NYC
17 - Chickpea Tagine (Restaurant: Sydney)
Star Chef News (18-22)
18 - David Chang, New York City
19 - Jose Andres, Washington DC, and Los Angeles
20 - Eric Ripert, Philadelphia
21 - Elizabeth Falkner, San Francisco
22 - Jose Garces, Chicago
23 - Chinese Noodles with Cockles and Pork (Trend: Noodle Restaurants)
24 - Slow Food, American Style
25 - Costa Rica Goes Luxe
26 - Civilized Amazon Cruise
27 - Alain Ducasse Two Ways
28 - Belgian Bistro Boom
29 - Napa's Best Market

Food
30 - Fudgy Chocolate-Walnut Cookies (Cookbooks: Dessert)
31 - Great Ingredients from Family Farms
32 - Old-Fashioned Candy Makes a Comeback
33 - Prodigy Foods
34 - Faux Gras
35 - Exquisite Tea Blends
36 - Mackerel Makeover
37 - Cauliflower Curry (Cookbooks: 660 Curries)
38 - Locavore Bible
39 - Posh Poutine
40 - Smoky-Hot Ginger Stir-Fry (Cookbooks: Chinese)
41 - Microgreens at Home
42 - Creole Shrimp with Garlic and Lemon (Ingredient: Wild Shrimp)
43 - Healthy Bison Recipes
Sustainable Seafood: Best Bets (44-49)
44 - Atlantic Mackerel
45 - Dungeness Crabs
46 - Farmed Mussels and Clams
47 - Farmed Striped Bass
48 - Wild Alaskan Salmon
49 - Wild Pacific Halibut
International Nuts (50-52)
50 - Australian Macadamias
51 - Indonesian Cashews
52 - Sicilian Almonds
53 - D.I.Y. Tea
New Must-Try Chocolates (54-56)
54 - Square Turtles
55 - Salty Chocolate Bars
56 - Candy with Pop
57 - Spicy Roast Chicken (Ingredient: Pastured Chicken)
Frozen Food (58 - 60)
58 - Chocolate Souffles
59 - Dinner Dishes
60 - Silky Soups
61 - Praising Poularde
62 - The Ubiquitous Pistachio
63 - Beyond Gelato
64 - Grown-Up Jam
The Best New Juice and Waters (65-67)
65 - Frutzzo
66 - Fyxx
67 - Twist
68 - Maple-Glazed Beans
69 - Quick-Smoked Fish
70 - The Potato's Big Promise
71 - Yukon River Salmon
72 - Muesli: The Next Granola
73 - New Exotic Herbs
74 - Sweetbreads's Moment

Drinks
75 - Mother's Ruin Punch (Cocktails: Reviving Classics)
76 - Torrontes is the New Malbec
Oregon's Great Chardonnays (77 - 79)
77 - 2005 Argyle Nuthouse Chardonnay
78 - 2005 Domaine Serene Clos du Soleil Chardonnay
79 - 2005 Ponzi Chardonnay Reserve
80 - California's Best White Wine Blends
81 - Boutique Mixers
82 - Locavore Cocktails
83 - Barrel-Aged Beers
84 - Hungary's Excellent Table Wines
85 - Roast Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce (Wines: Local Lists)
86 - New World Negociants
87 - Small-Batch Mezcal
88 - Five Wines to Buy Now and Cellar
Green Beer (89-91)
89 - Fat Tire Ale
90 - Mad River Brewing Company
91 - Foster's Yatala Brewery
92 - Superlative Sake
93 - Long-Lost Spirits
Highbrow Bar Food (94 - 96)
94 - Holeman and Finch Public House, Atlanta
95 - George's At the Cove, La Jolla, California
96 - The Violet Hour, Chicago
97 - Hand-Pumped Cask Ales
98 - Five Wines to Buy and Drink Now
99 - Miso Lager and Other Japanese Beers
100 - Beer Cocktails: Amberjack (Trend: Ingredients)

In addition to this list, Food & Wine has published a Web Exclusive of the Best Restaurant Dishes to Try in 2008. I might dip into that list as well!