Avola Almonds from Dragée Pécou
Sugar coated almonds (dragées) can trace their culinary roots all the way back to honey and almond confections during the Roman era. A traditional delicacy often appearing at family celebrations, Almond Dragées are both a symbol of the seed of life, as well as a demonstration of the marrying of the "bitter" and the "sweet." To this day, Almond Dragées are a customary favor among table settings at weddings and christenings in many European and Middle Eastern countries.
Yet, not all almonds are created equal. Like Bronte Pistachios, prized for their exquisite color and fragrance, Sicily is the home of the Avola Almond, a rare almond variety of unparalleled flavor and crisp texture. Characteristically flat and wide oval in shape, they have a delicate perfume and a pleasant bittersweet flavor. When these beauties are candied with just a thin layer of sugar and vanilla, you have a classic Avola Dragée, the ultimate almond confection.
True Avola Dragées are very hard to find. Our search led us to Dragée Pécou, the premier manufacturer of dragée confections in France. Dragée Pécou works directly with Sicilian farmers to ensure only the finest quality Avola almonds are used in their Avola Dragées. Still a family run business, Dragée Pécou relies upon tradition-bound artisanal techniques; using slower treatments with pauses between steps, resulting in a far superior texture and evenness in coating. The impossibly thin coating of pure cane sugar and Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla does not overpower the natural flavor and crispness of the Avola almond.
Perfection comes at a price. In the United States, where "Jordan Almond" confections are the rule, true Avola Dragées may seem prohibitively expensive. But once you taste a true Avola Dragées, you may never go back to those imposters again!
British Holiday Traditions
Our traditional English Christmas Pudding, or Plum Pudding, is handmade with the finest ingredients. And we were absolutely stunned with the quality of the pudding when heated in the microwave. The cake was moist and tender and perfectly heat Brandy Buttered through.
The traditional companion to Christmas Pudding is Brandy Butter. Butter blended with sugar and Courvoisier V.S. Cognac, this is the sweet, creamy topping to make you pudding even more delicious.
We've seen a lot of prepared pumpkin, apple and cherry pie fillings out there - none of which we would eat. But the dedicated folks at Thursday Cottage prove to us that there is no need to try and make your own mincemeat. Their traditional Mincemeat is all you need for perfect pies packed in this simple jar. The ingredient list reads like a holiday shopping list - apples, currants, raisins, brandy, sultanas, candied citrus peel, cider, spices - it's Christmas in a jar!
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At a loss for gift ideas? If after poking around the site, you still can't make a decision as to what the perfect present is, send a Gift Certificate from MarketHallFoods.com! Simply enter their name and e-mail address and a message of your choosing. Choose a denomination starting at $25 and we'll send them an e-mail with a code they can use to shop online (and only online - these aren't redeemable in-store).
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