As promised, here’s the remainder of my favorite items from this year’s Fancy Food Show [1]. Sorry for the delay. I’ll be on vacation for the next 10 days, but in the mean time, why don’t you make an ice cream float with cold-brew iced coffee [2]?
Best novelty oil
[3]
There was tea oil (how do they get the oil out of those leaves?) and stoplight-green avocado oil, but at the end of the day, those novelty oils tasted as plain as canola. Not Miguel & Valentino’s [4] smoked olive oil. It had the heady aroma of pine cones and borderline bitterness to go along with it.
Best novelty oil runner-up
[5]
J. Leblanc roasted hazelnut oil [6]
Best cocktail nuts
[7]
Brookfarm macadamias with bush pepper spice [8] have bush tomatoes, Tasmanian mountain peppers, Dorrigo pepper, Byron Hinterland Lemon Myrtle and Australian sea salt. I don’t know what half of those things are, but they had the perfect balance of sage-like herbs and salt.
Best cocktail peanuts
[9]
Technically, peanuts aren’t nuts, so I had to give out an separate award to Earth Family’s salt-blistered peanuts [10]. The ridges give the peanuts extra crunch. In an age where green packaging is largely marketing, the words “organic” and “sea salt” really do mean something here. These are worlds beyond Planter’s.
Best savory sweet
[11]
Salt in caramel and chocolate is becoming common nowadays, so I thought the most creative salty sweet was Blue Bay Crab Co.’s peanut brittle with bay seasoning [12]. Salty toffee peanuts are as old as Crackerjack, but sweet nuts with paprika, mustard and herbs is a new taste sensation.
Best gourmet chips
[13]
Tyrells [14] from the UK makes parsnip, beetroot and carrot chips. If you like Terra chips, you’ll love these. They are hearty, so they won’t get crushed under the pressure of your fingers. They also have five varieties of potato chips, including jalapeno and sausage.
Best fruit-sweetened soda
[15]
In the realm of designer drinks, there was mint-flavored water, calorie-free drinks and fruit-sweetened sodas. Wild Fruitz’s sodas stood out because they taste just like the fruit itself.
Best gluten-free product
[16]
Michael’s [17] gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are some of the best cookies I’ve ever had, and they don’t even have wheat flour! I’m even biting my tongue because I’ve previously said that all-butter cookies are the only way to go. These gluten-free cookies have palm oil margarine (gasp!), but at least they’re free of trans fat.
Best ice cream flavors
[18]
Max & Mina’s [19] in Queens has kitschy flavors: rugelach, halavah (sesame candy) birthday cake and if you can stomach it — garlic and lox. Their flavors are creative enough to satisfy adult palates, but they also bring you back to your childhood. Sometimes I just want fun ice cream without all the shiso-Meyer lemon bla bla bla madness.
Best packaged cookie line
[20]
I just about gave up on Chips Ahoy and the like because I can taste the chemicals. If I wanted a cookie, I’d usually bake it, until now. Immaculate Baking Co.’s [21] all-natural chocolate chunk, key lime and pumpkin ginger cookies are great for snacking. May they replace all your Famous Amoses. They also have organic bake-at-home cookie dough. The only drawback is that their bagged cookies are all crispy; I don’t think it’s possible to make soft packaged cookies without preservatives.
Best sandwich cookies
Late July Organic Snacks [22] make great Oreo knock-offs. I couldn’t make something better if I tried. Too bad they don’t have as many flavors as Immaculate Baking Co.
Complete Fancy Food Show 2007 Gallery [23]
Related posts:
Fancy Food Show 2007 Favorites, the Chocolate [1]
Fancy Food Show 2006 Favorites, part 1 [24]
Fancy Food Show 2006 Favorites, part 2 [25]