Image used with permission by copyright holderWhenever we see a pile of wonderful Prosciutto di Parma on a charcuterie board, our eyes get big. The delicious saltiness of that dry-cured Italian ham just makes our palettes jump for joy, so when we saw that the newest edition of Short Stack, a series of small cookbooks that focus on one ingredient, was centered around our favorite Italian ham, we couldn’t hide our excitement. For the edition, the folks at Short Stack tapped Sara Jenkins, a New York-based chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. Jenkins even worked in Florence and Tuscany before moving to New York to open what would become two of the city’s most popular Italian restaurants, Porchetta and Porsena, and authoring two cookbooks. Mario Batali even gave Jenkins huge praise: “Sara’s one of the few chefs in America who understands Italy and how Italians eat.” Now to us that sounds like an excellent CV for somebody who wrote a book about Proscuitto di Parma.
The 48-page, hand-sewn booklet comes complete with a vibrant cover and tomato-red pages. Jenkins provided a number of recipes that we can’t wait to try, like cold cantaloupe soup topped with prosciutto crostini. Others are a more adventurous take on traditional recipes that use prosciutto, like olive oil-fried slices of persimmon wrapped in prosciutto or salmon with prosciutto-cider broth or roasted corn and crispy prosciutto tucked into warm corn tortillas and topped with lime, pepper and cilantro. The booklet also comes with a number of stories on the dry-cured ham. Our mouth is watering just thinking about these dishes. We can’t wait to try them out at home, and we’re sure you can’t wait either, so go grab yourself the latest copy of Short Stack.
Gather (most of) a pour-over coffee system for $116 at Amazon
Have you been looking for coffee maker deals and thinking you’d prefer to create your own full pour-over system? Right now, Amazon has the deals for you, with great discounts on a coffee dripper and an electric gooseneck kettle. We’ll take a look at how each works separately, but you can combine them to make most of a full pour-over system. All you need to do is add some filters and you can start making some great blends, like the Cafe Grumpy festive coffee that’s available right now. If you still need to learn what pour-over coffee is, we can help you with that too. Here’s a look at the deals involved.
Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper -- $27 $30 12% off
If you’re learning all about how to make pour over coffee, you know how vital a coffee dripper is. The Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper is specially designed to produce an evenly brewed cup of coffee. It’s made from durable Japanese ceramic so it retains heat to ensure a balanced temperature throughout the brewing cycle. It has a minimalist look with a single large hole, which improves pour flow and provides you plenty of choice: Pour quickly for a light flavor or more slowly for a rich and deep taste. If you’ve been studying the differences between pour over and drip coffee, you’ll soon see what a world of difference a good coffee dripper makes.
Can you make great coffee in a single serve? Klatch Coffee’s answer
Is there a better option than K-Cups?
While K-Cups can be appealing to coffee drinkers who value convenience at home or in the office, they're not the right choice for everyone. Although it's a fast and easy way to prepare a single cup of coffee, there are a few downsides to the system — namely that K-cup pods can be difficult to recycle (and while refillable pods exist, that depends on the user choosing that option, which isn't always a given considering quick and convenient are two of the main appeals of the system). We interviewed Klatch Coffee's expert roaster, Heather Perry, to learn more about the specialty roaster's approach to single-serve coffee.
Klatch Coffee's single-serve coffee alternatives
Klatch Coffee's single-serving Bruvi pods make it easy to enjoy high-quality, specialty coffee wherever you are. The brand has partnered with a few select providers who share their vision, one of which is Bruvi.
"Bruvi is an improved pod coffee system with a couple of unique features," Perry said. "First is taste and quality; the proprietary brewing system brews to the same high standards as specialty coffee roasters like Klatch Coffee, including adjusting the brewing parameters to match our brewing recipe. That’s why premium coffee from roasters like Klatch is offered on the Bruvi platform. Second, Bruvi’s B-Pods are enzyme-infused and designed to be tossed in the trash, making them guilt-free. B-Pods degrade faster in the landfill without leaving microplastics behind."
It’s also worth noting that for coffee drinkers who only want a single cup at a time, single-serve brewing can be more efficient on resources like water, coffee, and energy. Pre-portioned coffee doesn’t spill, and machines only heat the water needed for a single cup. There’s no waste from discarding leftover coffee from a large pot.
Canadian whisky deserves a spot in your home bar (and these are our favorites)
Canada is home to countless, memorable whiskies
If you're a fan of whiskey and you haven't branched out into Canadian whisky (unlike the US, Ireland, and Mexico, Canada omits the 'e' in whiskey), you're missing out on some special expressions. Whether you enjoy blended whisky, spicy rye, or other types of whisky, Canada has something for every palate.
Sure, Crown Royal and Canadian Club might be the most well-known names, but many more noteworthy whiskies from our friendly neighbors to the north are absolutely worth adding to your home bar cart.
Our favorite Canadian whiskies
