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For past issues of the Market Report,
visit our Market Report Archive!
November 2003 Market Report
A
PDF version is now available!
Pâté Season
is Here
Pâté, although often served
at high-brow events, is not food for snobs. Okay, I admit,
it fits perfectly at some Versailles-scale grand reception:
ladies and gents in formal dress nibbling on pâté
served on mini toasts, sipping Dom out of tall flutes. Well
enough, but there’s no way I’m going to limit
my consumption of various well-seasoned ground meat preparations,
i.e. pâté, to Cinderella’s ball. Pâté
is simply great food, especially when there is a little chill
in the air. Flavorful, fulfilling, comforting…that’s
pâté, and why my friend Michel Cellerier, a cheese
merchant in Lyon, eats a hearty portion of coarse pâté
de campagne washed down with a glass of Beaujolais after a
hard morning’s work selling brie and Gruyère.
Similarly, longtime Oakwood Meat Manager Helge Buflod used
to take a healthy slice of pâté, pickles, and
two slices of bread for a sandwich fit for a Viking. And it’s
why you’ll love pâté spread on a thick
toasted slice of DLM Farmhouse Bread after raking leaves or
shoveling snow and building a warm fire.
 We
have tasted several lines and dozens of varieties, and we’ve
settled on Fabrique Délices as our favorite brand when
it comes to quality and natural ingredients. And they taste
phenomenal. In one tasting, we tried their Truffle Mousse
versus two other brands. Fabrique Délices blew the
others away.
So how do you eat pâté? Lots of ways. For example,
try a slice in a sandwich with sliced cornichons, crispy lettuce,
and a little mayo or mustard between slices of toasted DLM
Rustic Country Bread. Have it with a salad, a baguette, and
a glass of Beaujolais. Spread a little on toast and have it
with soup for lunch. Serve it on mini toasts as an appetizer
at a party with, if you’re feeling fancy, Champagne.
One little piece of advice given to me by a street vendor
of pâté in Paris in the 15th arrondissement:
don’t eat pâté with cheese (“Jamais
avec fromage!” were his exact words). The combination
may be a little too heavy. Save the cheese for another occasion
or after dinner. In any case, make pâté a part
of your diet this fall and winter. You’ll love it!
- Hand-Sliced Fabrique Délices Pâtés
save $1.00 lb
- 7-oz Fabrique Délices Pâtés save
50¢
Department
Features
Every month, we feature select items in our
stores and provide you with detailed descriptions. Many are
new items and/or on sale!
GROCERY
Stock Up on Flavor
 One
comment we often hear from folks who visit DLM for the first
time is that our love for food is evident everywhere. Just
last week we heard such from visitors from Minneapolis, Seattle,
and Richmond, Virginia. A quick walk around the store reveals
tantalizing food everywhere, from crusty breads to exotic
cheeses, from well marbled Coleman steaks to interesting wines,
from abundant fresh organic produce to mouth-watering, made-from-scratch
entrées in the Deli. You would think that all grocery
stores would love food, but passion for good flavor and quality
is the exception in the typical supermarket. We strive to
be much more than typical, even in the center of the store.
Yes, of course our Grocery Department offers you the everyday
necessities at fair prices, but simply selling stacks of paper
towels and canned veggies is not our raison d’etre.
You will find a wide range of interesting foods in our Grocery
Department, because in fact, we are as passionate about good
food there as anywhere else. Following are just a few examples.
Make sure your pantry is well stocked this winter!
 Olive
Oils and Nut Oils
In each store, you will find dozens of extra-virgin estate
olive oils. Our selection includes oils with fruity characteristics,
others that are peppery, some light, and some with depth of
flavor. Talk to one of us in the store or just read the descriptive
signs in the section to find an oil to make your food tastier…as
well as healthier. Our best seller is our own Vera Jane’s
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany, Italy. It is medium-bodied
with peppery and grassy tones, a superb oil for the price.
As for nut oils, we feature the outstanding LeBlanc walnut
and hazelnut oils from France (drizzle over salads, cheeses,
and seafood dishes). Our own Jack’s Grill Grapeseed
Oil is great for cooking and making homemade mayo, and the
flavorful Mac Nut macadamia nut oil from Australia is excellent
over salad greens, as well as for higher temperature frying.
Preserves, Jams, and Honeys
We give you a bunch of great ways to make your morning toast
exciting, including for example, preserves from Michigan,
honey from Tuscany, and caramel from Argentina. Whether it’s
our own Dorothy Lane Market Michigan
Red Tart Cherry Preserves, Dr. Pescia Honey from Tuscany,
or La Salamandra Dulce de Leche (an incredible caramel spread)
from Argentina, you can always find exciting flavor in this
section of the store. We are especially proud of our own Dorothy
Lane Market Preserves. Produced for us by our friends at Cincinnati’s
Clearbrook Farms from premium fruit, these are some of the
cleanest, fruitiest, most delicious preserves you will ever
taste. The large French canning jars are the perfect size
for families and make great food gifts. Pickup a jar or several
today.
Coffee and Tea
Whether you are a tea lover or coffee aficionado, we are a
one-stop shop. In the Grocery Department, we feature some
of Boston Stoker’s higher end roasts such as Genuine
Hawaii Kona Extra Extra Fancy and Jamaican Blue Mountain.
We also are pleased to offer a range of other interesting
brands such as Café la Semeuse, roasted in Switzerland,
as well as an excellent line from a funky, small Seattle roaster
called Caffé Vita. As for tea, we offer Taylors of
Harrogate for the traditionalist, and for the more adventurous
we have a large range of The Republic of Tea. Another notable
line of tea is Numi, which is premium, organic, and comes
in several intriguing flavors.
Chocolates and Sweets
We are crazy about good chocolate and candy! A quick visit
to our checkout displays is a mini tour of some of the world’s
best packaged chocolates and candies. Whether you crave the
creaminess of classic milk chocolate of
Switzerland’s Lindt, something nutty such as Turron
(almond and honey candy) from Spain, or the complex flavor
of a bar of dark Scharffen Berger chocolate from California,
we have what you need. And which is our favorite? Our own
DLM Chocolate Bars made especially for us by our friend Ghyslain.
Ghyslain utilizes high-grade Criollo cacao: 64% dark chocolate
made with cacao from Guayaquil, a variety from Ecuador known
for its intensity of flavor, and our milk chocolate bar is
composed of 38% Maracaïbo, another Criollo, this time
from Venezuela.
Spices
Nothing adds to the experience of eating well like the intelligent
use of spices. With spices, quality does make a difference—a
big difference. To see for yourself, open the lid of any normal
supermarket brand, take dill for example, and compare it with
our Dorothy Lane Market dill. You will note a marked difference
in quality and depth of aroma. That quality directly translates
into much better flavor in your food. Our spices are carefully
picked from the best sources from around the world and then
dried in small batches, fresh, as we
order them. The company that we work with, Vann’s, is
a small family-run company and is as fanatical about food
and flavor as we are at DLM. Our spices are available in all
the traditional varieties as well as several unique ones,
such as our DLM Brandied Pepper. Sprinkle a little over the
next steak or roast you cook; you won’t believe the
flavor it adds. We also feature a couple of other high-quality
lines such as Golden Fig and Morton & Basset Organic Spices.
To discover all these exceptional foods and more, take a little
time to browse our Grocery Department, and feel free to ask
any one of us for help. We would love to show you around,
and if necessary, pop open a jar or package and give you a
little taste. Whether it’s in the Grocery Department
or elsewhere, we look forward to sharing our love for good
food with you!
- 8 oz LeBlanc Walnut or Hazelnut Oil $11.99 save $2.50
- 24 oz Dorothy Lane Market Preserves $6.49 save 50¢
- Numi Tea 20-ct box $4.29 save 70¢
- 3.4 oz DLM Chocolate Bars by Ghyslain $2.99 save 60¢
BEER
& WINE
November Means Nouveau
The coming of November brings about the incredible
wine hype of Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Nouveau is the
wine used to celebrate the harvest of the new vintage and
has a basic taste: a supple plummy freshness, very clean,
and very refreshing. It is so fresh in character because Nouveau
is packaged and shipped to arrive in retail shops around the
globe on the third Thursday of November. This year, Dorothy
Lane Market invites you to help us celebrate the wine harvest
with the 2003 Beaujolais Nouveau arrivals. On November 20,
all three stores will taste out a variety of these wines from
noon-7 p.m. Join us in celebrating the recent wine vintage.
Kenwood Pinot Noir
If you have not tasted this wine for a while, or at all, you
are missing a real value! Full of bright cherry and strawberry
fruit with hints of smoke and herb in the middle of the palate,
we think this wine is extremely food-friendly and the perfect
pairing with either your Thanksgiving dinner or that mid-week
meatloaf! $12.99 saves $4.00
Laurent Perrier Brut
Simply put, this is one of the most fantastic Champagnes for
the money that we have tasted in some time! A very old company,
Laurent Perrier’s non-vintage brut is a delicate blend
of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier that is aged
for 3 ½ years! It is vibrant, dry, full of citrus fruit
with a touch of the classic “bread dough” nose.
Perfect paired with smoked salmon, Thai food, or simply as
an aperitif. $39.99
Holiday Food & Wine Show
Our sixth annual Holiday Food & Wine Show
will be on Thursday, November 6 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at our
Springboro store. Exceptional wines, live music, lots of fantastic
food, and Riedel stemware you get to keep! Tickets are $60.00
each and must be purchased before the event. Purchase yours
today at any of our stores. (Limited number available.)
BAKERY
Really Good Bread—Right
Under Your Nose
It’s human nature. The notion that you’ve always
gotta go “there” to get the best of “it.”
And it seems, the farther away “there” is, the
better “it” is. The best fruits and veggies are
from California, we assume. The best beer is from Belgium,
we think. The best hand-crafted cheese? France, of course.
I wouldn’t argue that California is a fantastic source
of produce year round, Belgian’s have been making great
beer for centuries, and a spoonful of triple cream Clarines
from France…pure heaven. But you would miss out on a
lot of great flavor that’s right under your nose, so
to speak, if you were to ignore locally grown vine-ripened
tomatoes, American-crafted beers such as Bell’s Brewery
from Kalamazoo, or Capriole Farmstead goat cheeses from nearby
southern Indiana.
The same “prophet is not honored in his home territory”
principle is true with crusty bread. If it’s not from
San Francisco, New York, or Paris, “forget about it,”
some say. Again, those places should be recognized for exceptional
bread with bakers like Acme and Artisan Bakers in the Bay
Area; Amy’s Breads and Balthazar in Manhattan, and Poilane
and Paul in France’s capital. Wouldn’t it be wonderful
to have bread of such caliber on your table every day? Actually,
you can, by stopping in at DLM for our artisan bread! Indeed,
you should, because
such daily doses of mouth lingering flavor take you “there”
in an instant.
Several factors make Dorothy Lane Market artisan breads great.
You could put these characteristics into three general categories:
ingredients, methods, and the X factor. What about ingredients?
We use purified water, sea salt, minimum amounts of wild yeast,
and the best flours available in North America including King
Arthur flours. In breads that call for eggs we insist on the
superior flavor of Dale Filbrun’s organic eggs. If the
recipe calls for butter, we use high-fat artisan butter from
Vermont. Good ingredients mean a lot, but in bread baking
know-how is vital. Our bread bakers are artisans. Their skills
directly translate into the quality of the bread. They know
how to develop and maintain the healthy fermented mixture
of flour, water, and yeast called “poolish” or
“sponge” in a temperature- and humidity-controlled
environment. They know how to mix the sponge with more flour
and water, and how to work it into dough. They are experts
at how much to work the dough before forming each loaf by
hand. Finally, they bake them to crispy perfection right on
the hot hearth in our large European ovens.
So what is the X factor? Call it love of good aroma, call
it passion for flavor, call it…the joy of making good
bread. You see it when Tina Jones cheerfully offers a slice
of baguette to sample at the Oakwood Bakery. You hear it when
German-native Martin Rudat proclaims “guten brote baken!”
(good bread baking!) as he unloads the hearth oven at Washington
Square. You sense it when Artisan Bakers Ray Westfall and
Renee Ross smile and confidently ask, “what do think
of today’s bake?” as they finish off another day’s
work at Springboro.
Stop by our Bakery and have a taste, and see if, in this
case, the artisan bread from your local DLM is every bit as
good as any from “there.” If you agree, then make
the aroma, the crust, the lingering, mouth-filling flavor
of Dorothy Lane Market artisan breads a daily habit all winter
long. It’s an experience that will make you happy, and
maybe a little proud to be right here.
* Along with Martin, Ray,
and Renee, the proud creators of our Artisan Breads are Dorothy
Upton, Mike Miller, Richard Zink, Leonard Moshholder, David
Baggott, Kris Johnson, Dan Pierce, Gary Schobin, James Madden,
Feng Hai Li, Matt Krebs, Selami Ahmeti, and Bakery Director
Scott Fox.
SPECIALTY
CHEESE
Wine & Cheese Party
With the fresh autumn air and the leaves changing colors,
it’s time to put away the summer toys and spend time
inside. This is the time of year when I really enjoy sitting
in front of the fire with a glass of wine and some cheese.
A
question I am often asked is which cheese to serve with which
wine? Here are a few cheese and wine pairing suggestions.
For the whites, a Spanish Rioja such as Ramirez de la Piscina
is delicious with a firm Appennino Parmigiano-Reggiano. A
tasty Camembert complements a glass of B & G Vouvray,
a Chenin Blanc from the Loire. Just about any Sauvignon Blanc
such as Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé from France (or also
from New Zealand or Australia) pairs surprisingly well with
Chevagne (goat cheese). The high acid in the wine matches
perfectly with the pungent acidity in the cheese. You can
always lay out the baked Brie with a domestic sparkling wine
or Chardonnay, but trying new cheeses can be an interesting
experience.
As for the reds, Luna Sangiovese from Monterey or an Italian
Chianti is delicious with some Cave Aged Gruyère. I
also enjoy an old vines Zinfandel from California with Mozzarella
di Bufala. The cheese mellows out the Zinfandel, and
the wine makes the cheese seem richer. Cheddar cheese is one
item on the plate most people would think to be an inferior
pairing with wine. Aged Grafton Vermont Cheddar is an exception
to the rule when it is matched with a Shiraz or Shiraz Cabernet
from Australia. And finally, my personal favorite cheese and
wine pairing is a blue-veined cheese (or a creamy Italian
Gorgonzola) paired with a nice, rich Port. It produces a toffee-like
characteristic, which is a surprisingly delicious experience.
The key is to try a few new cheeses with your wine; you might
be surprised and find a new favorite!
HEALTHY
LIVING
Healthier Holiday Choices
Many of you have mentioned to me that as the holidays approach,
you’re concerned with diet (and dietary) slip-ups. It’s
like from Thanksgiving through the New Year we have no will
power. And chances are even if we did have will power, we
wouldn’t want to use it. So, let’s face it. We’re
all going to splurge. We all love holiday goodies and I’m
the first to admit my indulgences. In fact, it’s the
best excuse to eat chocolate that I can think of!
But as we do indulge, let’s do it wisely. Let’s
make sure that the homemade cookies, cakes, pies, and other
baked goods are more than just empty calories. And let’s
look at what kind of substitutions we can make with ingredients
that are a little more healthful. Maybe that way we can cut
down on our guilt.
Refined, bleached flours and sugars not only provide zero
nutrition, but can elevate cholesterol, triglycerides, and
blood sugar. They can also aggravate inflammatory conditions.
So when buying these products for holiday baking, check out
our Bob’s Red Mill line. You’ll find flours made
with whole grains like wheat, spelt, and rice. They are genuinely
stone-ground, retaining the germ and the bran, which provides
the greatest amount of nutrients and fiber. Their whole wheat
pastry flour is perfect for the more delicate baked goods.
Many gluten-free options are also available for those with
special considerations. The entire line of Bob’s Red
Mill is on sale at a 25% savings throughout the month of November.
It’s a great opportunity to stock up for the entire
holiday season.
Instead of using plain old refined white sugar, consider organic
sugars, like those from Hain, which retain the nutrients from
the sugar cane. You’ll even find organic powdered sugar
for the traditional Christmas sugar cookie. Sucanat, or evaporated
cane juice, naturally contains trace minerals and doesn’t
have a rapid effect on blood sugar. It’s a perfect substitute
for brown sugar. The maple sugar from Highland Sugar Works
also would make an excellent and interesting substitute for
sugar, and their maple butter makes a luscious frosting.
Please don’t even consider using margarine or shortening
in your baked goods. Those hydrogenated oils are as artery
clogging as you can get. Go ahead and use butter. I think
it makes everything taste better anyway.
Here are a few other suggestions to help with holiday overindulgence.
First, try to cut down on portion sizes. As you slow down
your eating and savor the wonderful flavors before you, you’ll
find you won’t eat as much. No need to stuff yourself,
just look forward to leftovers. And finally, try to get some
daily exercise. Even a brisk walk around the block can make
a difference in burning calories.
So this year, as the holidays roll around, don’t deprive
yourself. Enjoy what you want, but just do it wisely by making
healthier choices.
SCHOOL
OF COOKING
November Classes
Couples Cooking Together
Couples will have fun cooking together while preparing this
elegant five-course dinner menu.
Holiday Cookie Class
An annual favorite from Kathy Neufarth.
Pumpkin Desserts: More Than Pie
Dispatch food editor Robin Davis demonstrates a whole new
batch of sweet pumpkin creations just in time for Thanksgiving!
Totally Thai
Explore the aromatic flavors and tastes of Thai cuisine in
dishes that move beyond the familiar pad thai and meekrob.
Breakfast & Brunch Holiday Pastries
Pastry Chef George Geary is back at DLM sharing his secrets
for making the very best holiday breakfast and brunch pastries.
Beary Special Gifts (for ages 6 to 9)
Our “beary” special homemade goodies are perfect
for gift giving for any occasion.
Holiday Brunch Fare
These do-ahead and make-ahead holiday brunch dishes are sure
to please family and friends.
The Best of Asian Wraps
We’re wrapping up with the tastiest wraps from all of
Chef Carrie Walters’ wrap classes.
Bûche de Noël
Students will create their own mini Bûche de Noël
cake (holiday yule log) in this hands-on class taught by Chef
Randall Price, resident chef at La Varenne.
For a complete listing of all classes, visit our School
of Cooking page.
Club DLM card is required for
all sale prices. Prices herein are valid through November
30, 2003. In the event of a typographical error, in-store
prices will prevail. All sale items are limit five with Club
DLM card.
Recipes
For a printable version of the recipes listed
below, click here.
Prosciutto and Gruyère
Pinwheels
From Bon Appetit, March 2003
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 of a 17.3-oz package),
thawed
- 4 oz thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Gruyère cheese (about
2.5 oz)
- 1 egg, beaten to blend
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Place pastry sheet on work surface. Cut in half, forming
two 9½- x 4¾-inch rectangles. Arrange half of
prosciutto on one rectangle, leaving 1/2-inch border along
one long side. Sprinkle prosciutto with half of the basil,
then top with half of the cheese. Brush plain border with
egg. Starting at long side, opposite of the border, roll up
pastry jelly-roll style, pressing gently to seal long edge.
Wrap in plastic. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form
second log. Refrigerate until firm, at least three hours and
up to two days.
Position rack in center of oven. Line two large baking sheets
with parchment paper. Cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch thick
rounds. Arrange rounds on baking sheets, spacing one inch
apart. Bake one sheet at a time until pastries are golden
brown, about 16 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack with a spatula.
Serve warm. Makes about 30 pinwheels
Note: These can be baked ahead and frozen. Reheat in a 350º
F oven for 10
minutes.
Blue Cheese Apple Bites with Pecans
Ingredients:
- 30 frozen Mini Fillo Dough Shells
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
- 3/4 cup crumbled Maytag blue cheese (about 4.5 oz)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375º F.
Place fillo shells on an ungreased cookie sheet. In the following
order, fill shells with apples, cheese, and pecans, distributing
evenly. Bake until shells are crisp and cheese begins to melt,
about 15 minutes. Makes 30 appetizers
DLM
School of Cooking Favorite!
Sweet Potato Soup with Rum Cream
Perfect for the chilly fall weather, this
soup is as smooth as velvet. Serve as a first course or pair
with half a DLM Storied Sandwich for a hearty casual meal.
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 9 cups Bowman & Landes Chicken Stock
- 2½ lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/4 cup Stonewall Kitchen or Highland Sugarworks pure
maple syrup
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed
saucepan. Add the onion and curry powder and cook for 6 minutes,
stirring occasionally. The onion will be soft.
Meanwhile, bring the stock to a simmer in a separate saucepan.
Add the sweet potato cubes to the onion mixture, the chicken
stock, maple syrup, thyme, and the cayenne pepper. Simmer,
partially covered, for about 25 minutes or until the sweet
potato is soft.
Remove the thyme sprigs and puree the soup in batches. Strain
the pureed soup, if desired, and return to the pan. Add the
cream and nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat to serving temperature. Serve topped with a dollop of
Rum Cream. Makes 12 cups
Rum Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 3 Tbsp good quality dark rum
- Pinch of sugar
Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add the lemon juice, zest,
rum, and sugar, and beat until almost stiff.
Remember to visit our online Recipe
Archive for a wide variety of recipes sorted into many
categories.
Monthly Prizes
Throughout the month of November,
each time you use your Club DLM card you will be given a chance
to win...
- $75 Gift Certificate to Cooks’ Wares
- $25 Gift Certificate to Galan’s Fine Gifts
at Washington Square Shopping Center
- Half Heavenly Ham®
($45.00 value)
One set of prizes will
be awarded at each store location
unless otherwise specified. No purchase necessary to enter.
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Bakery
