Top Pick Of The Week

June 2, 2009

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Truffle Almonds

We’re nuts about these Truffled Almonds. There‘s a close-up photo of the truffle bits below. Photo by Corey Lugg | THE NIBBLE. Styling by Lauren LaPenna.

WHAT IT IS: Gourmet nuts, beautifully gift boxed.
WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: Superb quality, artisan roasting techniques and deft flavoring of specific varieties.
WHY WE LOVE IT: If you “can’t stop eating” regular nuts, wait until you get a taste of these! A memorable gift, too.
WHERE TO BUY IT: Buy Online Here.
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Squirrel Brand Gourmet Nuts: Coveted By Humans

Page 2: Nut Varieties

This is Page 2 of a three-page article. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.

INDEX OF REVIEW

MORE TO DISCOVER

Varieties Of Gourmet Nuts

Ah, where shall we begin?

Italian Black Truffle Almonds®. Made with Truffle & Salt, a product we’ve bought and enjoyed from the Ritrovo Selection of seasoned salts, aromatic black summer truffles are hand0-harvested in Abruzzi area of Northern Italy and ground together with sea salt. A fabulous seasoning in and of itself, when used to enhance the fresh roasted almonds, the earthy and seductive aroma and flavor of black truffles permeates throughout. With a simple Martini, we felt as though we were living high, although we’re as recession-stressed as the next person.

Those who prefer their almonds untruffled can select the Tuscan-Style Almonds, the same California almonds (which Squirrel Brand says are sweeter and more tender than other varieties), lightly salted. Why are salted almonds called “Tuscan-style?” To quote Mimi Puccini’s opera, in “La Bohème,” Il perche, non so.*

*Why, I don’t know.

Truffled Almonds
Flecks of black summer truffle give divine scent and flavor to the Italian Black Truffled Almonds.
Peppercorn Cashews
Artisan Peppercorn Meyer Private Reserve Cashews. There are five different peppercorns in the blend. In this close-up, you can see the white and black pepper and tiny flecks of pink peppercorn.

Meyer Private Reserve Cashews. Grown in Brazil and at one time slow roasted and reserved only for the family of the Squirrel Brand owners, you can have these plump, buttery cashews (photo above) in two ways. Traditionalists can enjoy them lightly salted, those who love a frisson of a fine peppery aroma and tickle should try the Artisan Peppercorn blend with white, pink, and three varieties of black peppercorns. (See our Peppercorn Glossary for the different varieties of peppercorns.) The pepper blend is elegant and delicate; it comes up softly spoken on the finish. As Squirrel Brand CEO Brent Meyer describes his cashews: “This very specific roast yields a product that is similar to how prime beef is served—seared momentarily to lock in the flavor and roasted slowly to a medium rare finish. If the salted version is a prime steak, the Artisan-Peppercorn Blend would have to be Steak-au-Poivre.” We enjoyed the salted cashews, but the Artisan-Peppercorn Blend is an artisan food-lover’s delight.

Artisan Peppercorn Blistered Peanuts. The same pepper blend added to the largest grade Virginia peanuts produces another guaranteed favorite. As with the cashews, the pepper adds more aroma than heat. Then why are they “blistering?” It’s a special roasting process that yields a crunchier nut. Trust us, this is not like any “premium” cocktail peanut you’ve come across before.

Fleur de Sel Pistachios. Grown in California and dry-roasted in their shells, they are gentle seasoned with Fleur de Sel, the choice of great chefs worldwide (see our Salt Glossary for information on artisan salt).

Town & Country Nut Mix. A seasoned blend of cashews, almonds, runner peanuts, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds and sesame sticks. We didn’t taste it, but we hear this mix is truly delicious.

If we haven’t mentioned your favorite yet, perhaps you have a sweet tooth. The two sweeties are on the next page, along with serving suggestions for all of the nuts.

Blistered Peanuts
These jumbo peanuts are “blistered” crunchy, not hot and spicy.
Mixed Nuts
Town & Country Mix.

 

Continue To Page 3: Sweet Nuts & Serving Suggestions

Go To The Article Index Above

 

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