8 Ways to Use Toe Jam

T.O.E. Jam - Tangerine, Orange & Elderberry Jam

If you're looking for something a little out-of-the-ordinary, our Toe Jam can't be beat.  After all, it's not everyday you hear someone say, "Man, I really wish I had some Toe Jam to go with these Ritz Crackers."  But once you try our best-selling T.O.E. Jam, you'll feel the need to buy a jar, and maybe one for each of your friends.  Toe Jam combines tangerines, oranges and elderberry into a tangy, citrus-flavored jam that blends wonderfully into sweet and savory dishes in addition to being a fruit spread on breads, pastries, and meats. 

Spread it, Glaze it & Top it Off

The beauty of Toe Jam is that it's more than just a jar of jam you'll reach for every morning when you make your English muffin,  it's a jar of epicurean pleasures and possibilities.  You can use T.O.E. Jam as a spread for sandwiches, use it to create a glaze for pork, lamb or chicken, or use it as a topping over fruit crumble or my favorite, the fruit center of jamwich cookies.  In fact, there are so many ways to use Toe Jam, we've decided to make you a helpful list.

8 Ways to Use Toe Jam

Toe Jam Appetizers or Hors d'oeuvres

Add T.O.E Jam to crackers with cream cheese for an easy appetizer.

Great recipe from Julie's Eats & Treats Cream Cheese Dip

Use T.O.E. Jam with goat cheese, smoked cheddar or brie along with caramelized onion to top crostini for an impressive appetizer. 

Find this great recipe for Onion and Jam Crostinis at Cooks with Cocktails 

Toe Jam as a Condiment 

Add Toe Jam as a condiment to spice up dishes and cheese plates.

Your Southern Peach's beautiful Cheese Plate

Toe Jam Pancakes

Just pour gourmet TOE jam over fresh hot pancakes and add a dollop of whipped cream!

Sour Cream & Jam Stacked Pancakes from The Novice Chef

Toe Jam filled Baked Goods

Make a Toe Jam Fruit Crisp by Pouring a layer of homemade toe jam in a glass pan over a mixture of oatmeal, butter, brown sugar, and almonds.

Oatmeal Crumble Bars by Averie Cooks

Toe Jam Ice Cream

Make an easy Fruit Sundae: Just pour old fashioned toe jam over ice cream or add a layer of Toe Jam to Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Easy Cookies and Jam Ice Cream Sandwiches from Framed Cooks

Make Toe Jam Turnovers:

Cut puff pastry into squares, fill with toe jam, crimp the edges with a fork and bake until golden brown. The combination of Tangerines, Oranges, and elderberry juice make a delicious turnover.

Raspberry Cream Turnovers by Well Floured

Toe Jam Glaze for Meat or Vegetables:

Use toe jam as a delicious glaze on meats such as fish, lamb, pork chops, or as a glaze on vegetables.

Glazed Tenderloin by Skinny Taste

So there you have it, 8 ways to use Toe Jam.  Whenever you want to change things up a bit, and add the wonderful Tangerine, Orange and Elderberry flavor combination to something, make sure you have a jar of Dennis Port General Store T.O.E. Jam on hand.  

Brigham's Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe

One of the best things about running a cook shop is learning about great recipes.  This usually happens when asking a customer for what purpose they'll be using the item they wish to buy.  Today, Theresa came in to buy a double-boiler insert.  When I asked her what she was making, I received the most heavenly edible gift recipe ever, the iconic recipe for Brigham's Hot Fudge.  My eyes probably bulged out of my head and my hands flew to my mouth to muffle a gasp of joy when she uttered the words, Brigham's Hot Fudge.  My love affair with Brigham's Ice Cream began in the womb, it's embedded into my family's DNA, and I admit as a child I fantasized about a bedroom-sized ice cream freezer full of Brigham's Vanilla Ice Cream.  And right after my love for ice cream sits my love for all things chocolate, especially hot fudge.  According to Theresa, who grew up in West Roxbury (and realized she knew my grandmother, a Bernadine, during the course of our conversation), she gives out mason jar gifts full of this decadent sauce every year at Christmas to the joy of her friends and family.

Boston's Classic Hot Fudge 

I was incredibly overjoyed when Theresa kindly offered to write down the recipe for Boston's classic hot fudge sauce, because I was prepared to beg.  And the fact that she knew the recipe by heart attests to the commitment she has to making it as often as possible.  So without further ado, let's get down to making the most delicious recipe for hot fudge that is so good, you may become like some of Theresa's hot fudge gift recipients, who forgo the ice cream and just eat it straight from the jar.

PRINT:

For a printable version of Boston's Best Hot Fudge recipe click the "print" button.  What do you think?  Is this hot fudge sauce recipe not the best, most heavenly edible gift ever?

*Update

Home Made Boston's Best Hot Fudge Labels

I made labels for my ball jar lids using Avery Design & Print Online.  They almost look a little too professional, so much so that my dad didn't realize I had slaved over the stove to make him his beloved hot fudge sauce for Christmas.  I'd be happy to share these labels I made with you.  Just click HERE to print my Home Made Boston's Best Hot Fudge labels for your own canning jar lids.

The best thing about printing these from the Avery website is they let you choose how many you want to print.  This recipe makes about 4 1/2 regular sized ball jars, so I only wanted to print 4 labels and save my printer ink.  I was so happy that I was able to print just the 4 labels I needed.

LaBelle's Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos for the Big Game

I heard that the Super Bowl is the second biggest day of eating next to Thanksgiving. That helps explain why Joe is so busy chopping onions! (It seems like he just can't stop!)  This is our favorite cutting board, btw.

One of his go to recipes to make for Super Bowl Sunday is his amazing Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos. His unique blend of spices helps to give these nachos a flavorful advantage over your everyday loaded nachos appetizers.

So enough with the pre-game show, let's get on with the recipe for Persian-influenced Spicy Beef Nachos.  Yes, these nachos are not your typical Mexican-style but have more of a middle eastern flavor.

I can't proceed without sharing Joe's passion for quality meat.  Every week, he drives across Cape to go to his favorite butcher at Peterson's Market in Yarmouth Port.  We live practically next door to a large super chain supermarket, which is convenient, but you can definitely taste the difference, hence the long trip to Peterson's.   So get some nice, lean ground beef, a couple of sweet (Vidalia if possible) onions, paprika, mustard powder, curry powder, chili powder, allspice, and cinnamon...oh, and don't forget the garlic.  I don't think Joe makes anything without garlic.  I've even found garlic cloves in the washing machine after doing the laundry...that's another story...Get out a sharp knife and start chopping.  Make sure you have sour cream and salsa on hand and my favorite, guacamole.

Persian Infused Spicy Beef Nachos                  Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef

2 cups shredded cheese - cheddar is always a nice choice

2 sweet onions

1 clove garlic

scallions

1 chopped tomato

1 tablespoon mustard powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/3 cup sliced black olives

Directions

1.  In a large saute pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil at medium to medium-high heat.  

2.  While the pan is warming up, dice the onions, then add to the pan.

3.  Add your spices and garlic, stir, and let everything get nice and sweaty.

4.  Add ground beef and continue stirring a breaking up and combining spices and onions with the ground beef.  Cook until it's no longer pink.

5.  Spread 1 layer of nacho chips out onto a greased 9" x 13" baking dish.

6.  Add a layer of Spicy Beef, cheese, tomatoes, scallions and olives.  Repeat.

7.  Broil on high for about 5-7 minutes.  Do not walk away from the stove!

8.  Remove from oven, sprinkle with more green onions, a scoop of sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

Serve and enjoy!

How to Make Pretzel Dogs

Want to make something fun for the big game?  Joe's had Pigs-in-a-Blanket on the brain lately, but wasn't getting much in the way of feedback from the peanut gallery.  What's a good chef to do?  Kick it up a notch with Pigs-in-a-Pretzel.  We enthusiastically cheered for home made Pretzel Dogs and you can watch him make them in this fun Pretzel Dog video.


As you can see, making the dough is a pretty simple process...

Then it's just a matter of letting the dough rise a bit, then wrapping your dogs...

After giving your dogs a little water bath, salt them then pop them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.

The fun of making Pretzel Dogs is nothing when compared to the faces of your game-day guests when presented with a platter brimming with Pretzel Dogs.  Joe made a great Loaded Spicy Beef Nacho platter to go with our Pretzel Dogs.  Stay tuned for that recipe!

Pretzel Dogs                                                             Print

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1 cup water

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 cup hot water

coarse or sea salt

8 hot dogs

Directions

Preheat oven to 475°

1.  Combine flour, salt, sugar, yeast and 1 cup water by hand or with a mixer.

2.  Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

3.  Lightly flour dough and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.
4.  Stretch out dough a bit, then with a bench knife cut into 8 finger-sized pieces.
5.  Roll your dough pieces out until they are about 8" long.
6.  Beginning at the end of an uncooked hot dog, wrap one dough 'snake' around each hot dog.
7.  Let the wrapped hot dogs rest a bit in a baking dish while you prepare a hot water bath.
8.  Dissolve baking soda in one cup of boiling water.
9.  Pour water over dogs, then transfer to a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt.
10.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Culinary School Supplies Shopping List

I recently met an enthusiastic young man who's headed off on a culinary adventure.  He'll be studying classic French cooking techniques and international cuisine.  Where's he going?  He's enrolled in the spring semester at BU's Culinary Arts Certificate Program and he came into the store with his Culinary School Supply Shopping List.   If you didn't know, Boston University has an innovative, intensive culinary course of study that was co-founded by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin.  Along side Jacques Pepin, some notable instructors include Mary Ann Esposito, Jody Adams, and Ana Sortun.  It looks like a fabulous, state of the art program and if you're interested in cooking and not looking to spend several years in college and many thousands of dollars, this certificate program is just a semester long.   

You may be wondering what was on the young man's school supply list.  Here are the Culinary School Essentials required by BU's Culinary Arts Program:

Culinary School Supplies

1. 8" Chef's Knife
2. 3" Paring Knife
3. Y-Peeler
4. Lemon Zester Rasp
5. 6" Boning Knife
6. Instant Read Thermometer
7. Digital Timer
8. Serrated Bread Knife

Not only is this a great list for someone just starting out in the culinary field, but it's also a solid list of must-have kitchen tools for any home cook or someone outfitting their kitchen for the first time.

Foodie Wish List: Cooking Tool Classics

Foodie Wish List: Cooking Tool Classics by labellescapecod featuring serveware

Foodies are easy to shop for!  We've assembled some of our top gift picks for Foodies:

• Joyce Chen Strainer Skimmer: in some circles it's called a spider!
• Oxo Mandolin: great for quickly slicing veggies, cheese, and more.
• DeBuyer Iron Chef's Grill Pan: this pan is AMAZING.
• Trudeau Garlic Slicer & Press:  for serious garlic lovers.
• RSVP Endurance Pierced Colanders: best rated by Cook's Illustrated.
• Bonjour Mezzaluna Cutting Board: a customer favorite for spices.
• Zyliss Cheese Grater:  pasta loves this tool...and so does Caesar salad.
• TruBamboo Sushi Server Set: so cool.
• Microplane Meat Tenderizer: a great way to tenderize meat.