Art Bars Back at Gourmet Fusion!

Gourmet Fusion is happy to report that delicious Art Bars are once again gracing our shelves in Solana Beach just in time for Valentine's Day.

Ithaca Fine Chocolates, the makers of Art Bars, are the first US chocolate company to offer Fair Trade Certified chocolates. Art Bars are creamy Swiss chocolate that are certified organic, Fair Trade Certified, and feature an art reproduction on a collectible card inside the wrapper. 10% of profits on each bar go support art education.

They come in five different chocolate bars, and all ingredients are certified organic, soy-free and vegan!

Dark Chocolate: cocoa liquor, unrefined whole cane sugar, cocoa butter. Cocoa 58% min.

Extra Dark 70% Chocolate: cocoa liquor, unrefined whole cane sugar, cocoa butter. Cocoa 70% min.

Dark Chocolate with Coconut: cocoa liquor, unrefined whole cane sugar, coconut flakes, cocoa butter. Cocoa 58% min.

Dark Chocolate with Quinoa Crisp: cocoa liquor, unrefined cane sugar, cocoa butter, raw cane sugar, quinoa rice crisps. Cocoa 61% min.

Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs (bits of roasted cocoa beans): cocoa liquor, unrefined cane sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa nibs, raw cane sugar. Cocoa 70% min.

With their new, elegant and contemporary packaging, they make a great gift, or why not treat yourself to one while you shop?

Art Bars can be found at Gourmet Fusion, inside Leaping Lotus, 240 S. Cedros, Solana Beach, California.

I-Pot Sale at Gourmet Fusion

It's tea time again at Gourmet Fusion, and all our 17oz and 24oz I-Pots are on sale through January 31.

A great way to start the new year and brighten up your kitchen ready for spring - our new stock of spring colors has just arrived, including Pink Blossom, Sky Blue and Sugar Coral. I-Pots are not only modern, but practical, as well. The lead free ceramic contemporary teapot is dishwasher and microwave safe, and comes with a detachable flip-up stainless steel lid and double mesh infuser, also dishwasher safe.


They make a great gift, so why not stock up now for Easter and Mother's Day?

Both sizes are available online or in our Gourmet Fusion Store at the Leaping Lotus, Solana Beach.

Moroccan Entertaining Made Easy

According to celebrity cookbook author Paula Wolfert, the fascination with Moroccan cuisine has taken off in Europe, and America. Paula who is author of the 1973 cookbook, Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, which last year won the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame Award, believes that Moroccan cuisine is now very hot in America.

That being said, it is often difficult to find the time or ingredients to put together an authentic Moroccan dining experience. If that's the case, but you still want to create something elegant and exotic, Gourmet Fusion's white porcelain tagines can help.

They come in two sizes - the larger one measuring 6.25 inches diameter is ideal for single servings, and the smaller one (4.75") is great for desserts. Serve your favorite recipe in these restaurant quality tagines by Front of the House, or simply use them to serve nuts, olives, cheese and cold meats, buffet style. Add some exotic table linens and candles and you have a simple, Mediterranean atmosphere. They can be bought online, or at Gourmet Fusion in the Leaping Lotus, Solana Beach, CA.

Shrimp Provencale

If you are looking for a light, simple, yet elegant meal after the holidays, this Provencale recipe can be used with shrimp, mussels, clams or even, as in the original that this was adapted from - snails. It does have a lot of ingredients, so you would need to plan ahead, and the creme fraiche on top is optional.

The thing that made this recipe extra special was the use of a teaspoon of herbs from Provence with added lavender. These dried herbs are readily available in most supermarkets - I used Morton & Bassett's of San Francisco's blend. The blend of all the herbs and finely chopped vegetables makes for a very subtle, and interesting flavor, but it is not so strong that it overpowers the flavor of the seafood.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 3/4 lb medium sized shrimp with shell, deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/1/oz shallots, diced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 oz red pepper, finely chopped
• 2 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 oz boiled ham, finely diced
• 6 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons sweet (cream) sherry
• 8 fl ounce of fish or chicken stock
  
• 1-2 teaspoons herbs of Provence
• 1 small mild red chili, finely chopped
  
• salt
• pepper
• paprika
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 4 tablespoons creme fraiche
• handful snipped chives for garnish
• Boiled or steamed rice.
  

Method

1. Rinse and pat dry the shrimp, devein if necessary.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the shallots and garlic.
3. Add and fry the red pepper, mushrooms, ham and chili.
4. Add the shrimp and saute for 2 minutes.
   
5. Add the white wine, sherry and stock.
6. Add the drained tomatoes.
7. Season with herbs, salt, pepper and paprika.
8. Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
9. Serve over boiled or steamed rice, with a spoonful of creme fraiche for each person.
10. Garnish with snipped chives.