It beginning to feel a lot like Christmas….
The sights, the smells, the sounds and the race towards the finish line! You’ve been in early each day grabbing your breakfast, lunch and dinner in one swoop. We’re glad to be here for you and are upping what we have in our coolers right now. More dinners, more appetizers and we’re trying to keep something out for lunch from early to late.
We’ve got your back! And its Friday night pizza again…see the bottom of this post.
New items in the store…Pretzel snacks requested by Jane, turkey sausage requested by Mason and buck wheat snacks requested by a lovely woman whose name we did not get.
And our artisans have been busy restocking our shelves so that you will find some last minute gifts that are extraordinary. We can wrap them for you too. And don’t forget a Canterbury Country Store gift certificate…let them choose their own gift.
Cooking with nuts…
With the advent of gluten-free living the use of nuts as a flour replacement has become a focus for many. But nuts in cooking have always been widely used in many food cultures but maybe not in yours. Nuts add protein and healthy fats which often lends to cutting down on other less healthy fats in a recipe and can add a unique flavor component and incredible texture.
To be truly satisfying, Dave and I think each dish of cooked food should have some crunch to it…isn’t that why we like chips with Dave’s soft sandwiches?? Or why you have liked my soups that have a crunch topping that you can add?? Nuts can add that crunch to any dish.
Here are a few recipes using some of the nuts we carry in the store…
Toss a 1/2 cup of Tamari almonds into a stir fry of fresh vegetables cooked in olive oil. When veggies are done, serve this over rice with your favorite hot sauce or more Tamari sauce then drizzled with olive oil.
Instead of using panko bread crumbs to your breaded baked chicken recipe, use finely chopped walnuts instead.
And by the way, we are able to sell these fresh tasting organic nuts for less than many other places. Small store, small price; go figure!
This is a great one-dish meal for brunch or supper. It also makes a great appetizer!
Put in your food processor and process until the peanuts are ground fine.
- 1/2 cup 1949 Nut Co. Zesty Sriracha Peanuts
Add and process further until the mixture is more finely ground:
- 1/4 fine cornmeal
Add and blend until the mixture comes together:
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup milk
Scatter this mixture into the bottom of a pie or tart pan and press it firmly to cover the bottom and edges. Bake this at 350º for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Whisk together:
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup cream
- 1 cup cottage cheese (full fat is best)
- 1/4 grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp prepared country grainy mustard
Toss into the mixture:
- 2 cups micro greens [the store will be carrying these local greens next week] OR 2 cups finely chopped baby greens.
Pour the mixture into the pie crust just removed from the oven and put it back in for another 40 minutes. Let sit for 20 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.
TIP: Place your pie pan or tart pan on a baking sheet to assure even temperature baking and to prevent bubble over into your oven.
In our case right now, slices of my walnut cranberry blue cheese tart. This one of our holiday favorites!
Tips on nuts:
- Nuts should never taste bitter. If they do, they are old. (for example: many people think they do not like walnuts but many walnuts in the stores are rancid already. Return them if they taste bitter.)
- If you plan to keep them for a while, store them in the freezer. No need to thaw them to use them.
- If you will use them regularly outside of the freezer, store them in a cool dark place. Heat and light will turn those healthy oils rancid so keep them away from warm places like near your oven for example.
- Which nut has the longest shelf life? Peanuts because they are not actually a nut and their oils are heat and shelf-stable.
Have a great week everyone and we’ll see you soon! Your store keepers,
Jane and Dave
CLICK HERE for the weeks menu.
Friday December 15. Order ahead 12” organic sour dough pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here. $15.95 Call to order and choose a time slot 603-783-9933.
Choose:
- Prosciutto, pineapple and roasted red peppers & cheese with red sauce.
- Tomatoes, thick-cut fresh mozzarella with red sauce
- Fig and orange zest with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
- Cheese only on red sauce always by request
Canterbury Country Store 