The Chili Devil Margarita

With longer days ahead of us, what better way to bring in Spring than by indulging in some good ole' fashioned day drinking. Sure, you could go to a bar and hang out but it's definitely prime rooftop season and we think we found the perfect little mate to help you relax on top of your building. This sweet and spicy cocktail will knock you on your ass (believe us, we had a little too much fun testing this recipe) and is made with one of our newest arrivals and one of our old favorites. Royal Rose's Three Chiles Simple Syrup adds a deep smokiness to this margarita while the sweet and grassy notes from Belvoir's Lime and Lemongrass Cordial play with the bright burn from the tequila.

MAKES 2 DRINKS

Ingredients:

• 1/2 shot Rose's Simple Syrup - Three Chiles
• 1/2 Belvoir Cordials - lime and lemongrass
• 2 shots of tequila
• 2 shots water
• juice of one lime, save one small wedge
• 1 tbsp of raw sugar
• 1 tbsp of chile powder, mixed

Instructions:

1, Mix the raw sugar and chile powder in a shallow bowl; set aside. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and dip into the chili-sugar mixture.

2. Combine remaining ingredients in a shaker, over ice, and shake vigorously for thirty seconds. Add more ice to rimmed cups and gently pour mixture on top. Serve immediately. Repeat.

Hibiscus Key Limeade

There's no fruit quite like the key lime. Similar to its larger more-known cousin, this tiny citrus bulb is moderately sour but is leveled out by a slightly sweet and almost sugary finish. Toby, one of our employees, the tall British one, said it best after taking his first taste "it's almost like a summer love" he said,  "tart with a bite but oh so, so, so sweet". Because of its sweet and sour properties, key limes are perfect for beverages. Add a little bit of hibiscus syrup to the juiced key limes and you've got yourself one hell of a limeade. And even though it's winter, this drink is tasty year round - especially when you bulk it up with a little vodka.

Ingredients:

• 1 part key lime juice
• 1 part simple syrup
• 2 parts water
• 1 splash of hibiscus syrup
• Optional: sliced key limes for presentation

Instructions:

1. After you've juiced your key limes, combine all ingredients and stir.

2. Serve over ice with optional citrus slices. Add vodka or gin for the adult version.

-Tip: Disgard when the lime slices start to sink.

Early Bird Granola

This sweet and salty granola, that was once available only at the Brooklyn Flea, is now flying off of our shelves and into your homes faster than we could have imagined. Unlike other commercially made granolas, Early bird is baked with organic ingredients (when available) and crisped up using extra virgin olive oil, instead of less flavorful oils like palm or canola which is typical to store-bought brands. The granola is then studded with dried fruits and crispy nuts and then finished with a healthy sprinkling of salt, which makes for a brilliant flavor profile. Early Bird Granola is truly unlike anything you've tried before.

At Dep, you can find the Farmhand's Choice, which has dried organic coconut, southern pecans, and maple syrup, and the Jubilee Recipe, which has sour dried cherries and pistachios, or the Crack of Dawn Bar which is a sweet and salty granola bar - all of which are flavored with olive oil and sea salt for a sweet and savory balance. You can eat it however you'd like but we can guarantee that it will most likely be by the handful.

OroLiquido's Marcona Almond Butter

We're sure that you've all tried almond butter at some point, but I can guarantee you that this is completely different than anything you've ever tried before. Brittle Spanish almonds, which are roasted in olive oil and sea salt, are ground down to create an unbelievably textured spread that is both sweet and salty at the same time. Unlike traditional almond butter which can be sort of chalky and dry, this creamy spread is truly liquid gold.

Fancy up a regular old peanut butter and jelly by pairing OroLiquido's Almond Butter with some of our fancy preserves like our insane balsamic strawberry jam. Or add into cookie dough for an unusual twist on a classic favorite. Or, do as we do and eat it by the spoonful.

Thai Chile Infused Olive Oil

Remember that amazing olive oil by Frankies that we were telling you about a few days ago? Well, we're totally obsessed with turning it into a spicy thai chile oil that packs quite a kick. This fiery oil is perfect drizzled over freshly cooked pasta and broccoli; top with a sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano for a quick dish that's huge on flavor. It's good for a couple of months if kept refrigerated or in a cool, dry place, but when you take how delicious it is into consideration, it will probably only last a few days.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of Frankies Olive Oil
• 10-15 dried Thai chiles, slit down the middle

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil until small bubbles begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat and stir in chiles. Let come to room temperature and strain. Pour remaining oil into a glass dispenser (we bought ours from Whisk) and store in the fridge. It should last until for a month or so or it becomes cloudy; at that point, throw it away.

Frankies Olive Oil

"The warm Sicilian sun, the rich volcanic soil, and the steady saline breeze from the Mediterranean come together to make this extra virgin olive oil one of the best in Italy every year." If that's not olive oil poetry, we don't know what is. Frankies DOP certified olive oil tastes just as smooth as that last sentence rolls off the tongue. The trees from their vineyards are between 300-400 years old and because they own almost all of the acreage in their own DOP, Frankies has complete control over the regions production, which ensures that you get the highest quality olive oil possible.

When this olive oil is served at room temp, the flavors are bright, fruity, clean and crisp tasting but when it's heated the entire flavor profile changes to release a butter-like oil that could even fool Paula Deen. We like to infuse Frankies with thai chiles (check for the recipe on Wednesday!). It's a perfect topping to drizzle over pizza or mild Thai dishes that need an extra kick. Or if you'd like to use it for something more refreshing, drizzle it over fresh watermelon and finish with flakes of sea salt. Or just pour it in your mouth. We won't judge.

Bee Raw Honey Varietals

From California to Maine, Bee Raw Honey has worked with artisanal bee keepers to bring you some of the finest untainted and completely raw honey since 1999. Because their honey is sourced from individual apiaries, each bottle of Bee Raw Honey has a unique color, flavor, and taste. You might think that the labels on the top of each jar are the flavors, but in reality, it's the plant that the bees were pollinating near. So instead of raspberry flavored honey, you get honey from bees that were living near raspberry plants. This slight hint of flavor makes each varietal completely unique and absolutely delicious. Use them for cooking or as a remedy for sore throats or allergies.

There are infinate ways to use Bee Raw Honey but here are some of our favorite ways to use the varietals. Simply sweeten a cup of camomile on a cold night with their Sweet Yellow Clover Varietal ,or drizzle their Wild Black Sage Varietal over some baked fromage de meaux en croûte with toasted almonds for a sweet and savory treat.

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Ricotta and Pesto

Soft scrambled eggs churned with zesty pesto and dotted with light and airy fresh ricotta may seem like a complicated dish that you might find at some posh brunch place around the corner, but when you use our fine products, this breakfast delicacy only takes about ten minutes to prepare and is dangerously delicious.

Ingredients:

• 4 Large Eggs from Feather Ridge Farms
• 1 tbsp of Battenkill Valley Whole Milk
• 1 tbsp of LeGrand Garden Pesto 
• 2 tbsp of Narragansett Ricotta
• 1 pat of Celles Sur Belle Butter
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Crack eggs and combine with milk and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously until thoroughly combined.

2. Heat small frying pan to medium low, melt butter and wait for it to stop bubbling. Add egg mixture and continuously stir with a plastic spatula until eggs are slightly runny. Turn off heat and gently stir in pesto.

3.  Remove from heat and top with ricotta. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

LA Organic Olive Oils and Vinegars

Rated as one of the top twenty olive oils in the world, LA Organic has produced some of the most divine oils and vinegars in the world since the 1990s. And because we care deeply about your olive oil and vinegar consumption,  you can buy these fantastic products, from Spain, right here in our shop!

Drizzle the Intenso olive oil over fresh salads for a bright, fruity burst of flavor, or use the lighter, more delicate Suave olive oil as a finish on zesty soups or to infuse with fresh herbs as a dip for some of our crusty baguettes. As for LA Organic's over-the-top delicious vinegars, we recommend using the Apple Balsmaic Vinegar as a main component in a simple balsamic vinaigrette. We love how the apple undertones stand out dramatically when paired against peppery arugula and salty mozzarella.

Basically LA Organic can do no wrong in our eyes...or in our taste buds.

New Year's Aphrodisiac Cheese Platter

Now that Christmas is over, it's time to get ready for New Years Eve! And what better way to bring in 2012 than with an amazing, totally impressive aphrodisiac cheese platter! We recommend showcasing a nice wheel of Brillat-Savarin, which is a soft, spreadable, pasteurized cows milk cheese that boasts a fat content of over 75%. This triple cream brie pairs perfectly with a nice glass of bubbly and begs to be eaten with a fresh juicy strawberries and sweet, dried apricots. Serve with a sleeve of our favorite crispy fig or fragrant rosemary crackers from The Fine Cheese Co., a jar of lavender spiced asparagus from Brooklyn Brine, a handful of largueta Spanish almonds, and of course, some sweet honey. Add a nice chunk of Buche de lacey and a wedge of gruyere to this platter, and you'll be sure to have one hell of a night!

Hudson Valley Harvest Frozen Meats

The specialty meats from Hudson Valley Harvest will surely change your mind about frozen food. With cuts like tender Berkshire Pork Chops, juicy Hanger Steak, and zesty Breakfast Sausages, Hudson Valley does frozen food right by using only the highest quality of all natural products from locally sourced farms. Their meat is not only raised upstate, but the labels on each piece of meat also tell you which farm it came from, the farming methods that were used, and the distance the product has traveled from where it was raised to where it was packaged. We dig the simplicity of the methods that Hudson Valley Harvest believes in and we are even more stoked about the convenience that they provide.

Rosemary Crusted Apple Dijon Pork Chops

There's nothing quite like the flavorful combination of sweet apples and piquant dijon, especially when paired with salty pork chops. Go the extra step and add a crispy, fragrant rosemary crust to these sweet and savory chops, and you've got a dish that has flavorful depth and textural variety like non other. And when you try our new Hudson Valley Harvest frozen meats, you'll be surprised to see how tasty frozen meat can be-We were surprised ourselves! We like to pair this dish with some crunchy sweet potato latkes and creamy scallion crème fraîche for a refreshing and tart contrast.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Hudson Valley Harvest Berkshire Pork Chops
• 1 jar of Tyler Florence Apple Dijon Grilling Glaze
• 1 cup Panko
• 3 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp of Spectrum high heat sunflower seed oil

Instructions

1.  In a ziplock bag, add pork chops, 2 tsp of salt, half of the marinade, and shake. Seal and refrigerate over night.

2. Before cooking, add panko, rosemary, salt, and pepper to a small shallow dish, mix well. Add oil to a medium sized frying pan and turn to medium high heat.

3. While the oil is heating up, allow excess marinade to drip off of the pork chops. Douse both sides in panko mixture and make sure to coat evenly. When they're breaded, gently add the pork chops to your frying pan. Cook for about 6 minutes on each side, until crust is golden and the inside of the pork chops reaches 150°.* Remove from heat and set aside.

4. As the chops are resting, add the remaining marinade to the frying pan and turn to high heat, scraping all the bits off of the bottom. Whisk until sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes, and drizzle on top of pork chops. Serve.

* To avoid crust falling off, make sure not to move the chops until 6 minutes has passed.

Gift Cards!

There's no need to stress about Christmas shopping anymore! We've got gift cards available in any monetary increment you can imagine - as long as you have the funds to back it, of course. And with cows in little celebratory hats printed on the gift cards themselves, what's not to love? We're sure that this gift will make any foodie or neighborhood local righteously happy and will fill the bellies of your loved ones for months to come. You remember how much they love the #4 sandwich, right? I mean who doesn't? Well this is the way to give them a gift that keeps on giving.

Butternut Squash Risotto

You might have seen the newest addition to our produce selection earlier this month. Light yellow and shaped like a bell, these sweet and fibrous gourds from Satur Farms are one of our favorite things to roast during the fall. Baking butternut squash not only brings out their natural sugars and caramel flavors but it also primes the squash to be cooked in savory dishes like this rich and creamy risotto with nutty parmigiano. We recommend serving butternut squash risotto as the main dish, with plenty of wine and some crusty Roberta's bread, of course.

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and seeded, diced into .5'' squares
• 3 tbsp olive oil such as our LA Organic – Delicate Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cups of risotto
• 2 boxes of vegetable stock
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 4 tbsp salted butter
• 1.5 cups shredded parmigiano reggiano
• 4 sage leaves, julienned
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 shallots, minced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. On a large baking sheet, spread out diced butternut squash and toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until tender, about 35-40 minutes.

2. In a large dutch oven, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium high heat and add chopped onions and a little bit of salt, cook until translucent; about 6 minutes. Add shallots, 3 sage leaves, and red pepper flakes and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add in risotto, and continue to stir until toasted and fragrant; about 5 minutes. Pour in wine and continually stir until liquid is absorbed. Then add a cup of vegetable stock to the dutch oven, stirring the whole time, until liquid is absorbed; repeat three times.

3. Take the baked butternut squash and reincorporate 3/4 of it back into the risotto. Continue to add 1 cup of vegetable stock at a time, while stirring consistently, until the grains are tender, but still firm to the bite. Add in 1 cup of parmigiano and 2 tbsp of butter and stir until melted. Season to taste.

4. Garnish with remaining butternut squash, sage leaves, and cheese. Serve immediately

Belvoir Cordials

Back in the olden days, before genetically modified fruits and veggies overtook the market, people didn't have the luxury of eating fresh produce all winter long. Instead they preserved their harvest so they could enjoy the fresh flavors of summer during the coldest months of the year. And luckily for us, Belvoir Fruit Farms is still using those traditional techniques to bring us these aromatic concentrates that are completely natural and delightfully flavored with elderberry flowers. These fragrant fruit and flower cordials are excellent when splashed into a glass of sparkling water or when mixed with gin or vodka.

InStyle Magazine also wrote about our line of botanic cordials in this month's issue and listed our phone number, but oddly enough, they made no mention of The Dep itself. So if you're looking for Belvoir Cordials, be sure to stop by or give us a shout so you can try one of our favorite products.

The North 63rd

With all the heavy foods that are so often eaten during this time of year, it's nice to switch it up and sip on something that's super bright and refreshing; something that won't weigh you down, but instead lifts you up. That's why we love this refreshing cocktail that uses fruity pear and eldlerflower presse, florally gin, and earthy thyme. It's a cocktail that you can sip on year round, although we like it best during the chilly nights of winter.

The North 63rd

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of Pear and Elderflower Presse by Belvoir Fruit Farms
• 1 shot of gin
• 2 sprig of thyme

Instructions

1. Combine gin, leaves from one sprig of thyme, and soda in a shaker with a few pieces of ice. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds, and strain into a glass. Finish with one large ice cube and garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Christmas Special: A Sweet Brooklyn Gift Basket

Here's our second gift basket which is absolutely perfect for any of your loved ones that have an insatiable sweet tooth and a special place in their heart for the neighborhood. With Spatzi's granola, Spoonable caramel, and our favorite salted almond chocolate that's made right down the street at Mast Brothers, this Christmas special is sweet in more ways than one. We can put these sugary goodies in a variety of styled gift baskets; from rustic wood to industrial wire - whichever you'd like. If you're interested to know more about the products, pricing, and/or other holiday gift baskets, stop by the shop or call us at 347-227-8424.

Christmas Special: A Savory Brooklyn Gift Basket

We love our neighborhood a lot. Like a lot. Not enough to be weird, but enough to sell these awesome gift baskets that feature all our favorite neighborhood-y products. From the spicy, vinegary McClure's pickle chips to the tangy Brown Ale spread by My Friend's Mustard; these products highlight the the awesomeness of Brooklyn artisans. Check back for our other neighborhood baskets later this week. And if you're interested in pricing, call the store at 347-227-8424.

GO WILLYSBURG!

Tasting: Spoonable, Brooklyn's Saucy Caramel

 

Come into the shop today (Saturday, Dec 3rd) to try some of our favorite ultra-sweet and semi-salty caramel. Indulge yourself with four exotic flavor combinations; sesame caramel, salty caramel, peppered orange, and spicy chili. Whether you're stirring a spoonful of Spoonable into a piping hot mulled cider, or if you're drizzling some on top of one of our unique ice creams, this made in Brooklyn sweets company will be your partner in a sweet, sweet crime.

Beerfest