Internet ingredient sources for foodies of the frozen north
This time of year, many of us consider it an occasion to treat others and ourselves to the best of the best when it comes to holiday meals.
Ben Bohen is a local chef and food writer. His column appears every Wednesday.
In a town the size of Juneau, this sometimes means ordering by phone or the Internet to find that exquisite something to make your holiday dinner complete.
Since overnight shipping is not available to Juneau, ordering food from afar might sound iffy. But, in my experience, if you stick to products that hold well during shipping - or that can be easily boxed with ice packs to maintain temperature - second-day air shipping is safe and reliable. I have had frozen cuts of meat that were packed with insulation arrive two days late but still solid.
Some companies charge extra for shipping to Alaska regardless of the size of the order, so it is not always cost-effective to order small items. Consider going in on an order with friends so that you can share shipping costs. The prices given here do not include shipping.
If you or someone on your gift list are serious about cheese, you need to check out www.Murrayscheese.com, the Web site of the venerable Murray's Cheese Shop. Featuring artisanal cheeses from the U.S., France, Italy, Spain, Holland, England and elsewhere, the site conveniently allows you to search for cheeses by country. With so many options, limiting your choices to firm and semi-firm cheeses, which travel exceptionally well, can help narrow your focus.
Here are a few of my favorite cheeses: Ibores ($13.99), a raw goat's milk cheese from southwestern Spain, has a pleasant sharpness that leads into a buttery finish. Farmhouse Very Aged Gouda ($16.99) - the single malt scotch of cheeses from Holland - is more than five years old and has a very hard, almost crumbly texture. Shropshire Blue ($14.99) is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Nottinghamshire, England, that offers elements of both Stilton and a farmhouse Cheddar with ashy blue veins running through sharp orange flesh. All of these cheeses are strong enough to stand up to the cold nights, hearty fare and big wines that are typical of this time of year.
For meats, visit www.dartagnan.com, the Web site of D'Artagnan, a purveyor of meats based in New York State's Hudson River Valley. D'Artagnan sells charcuterie and specialty meats such as duck, rabbit and game to many of America's finest restaurants. All of D'Artagnan's poultry and game birds are free range, including incredibly tender quail ($13.00 for four whole birds). There are a number of intriguing sausages available, including duck with Armagnac and rabbit with ginger (both $7.95). Through the fall and winter, D'Artagnan is offering 8- to 10-pound wild turkeys.
Ham is a time-honored favorite as a centerpiece for both sit-down and buffet-style holiday meals. And since hams are cured for long term preservation, they ship without trouble. For lovers of powerfully smoky and well-salted hams, the meats sold by S.W. Edwards and Sons of Surry, Va., are sure to please. The Edwards have been curing hams for more than 75 years using high quality pork and lengthy aging periods. They do not inject their meat with the water and additives common in mass-produced hams.
The Edwards Virginia Ham is hickory smoked and aged for 4 to 6 months ($39.95 for a 10- to 12-pound bone-in ham, which serves approximately 25 people). The company's signature Wigwam Ham is aged for a full 10 to 12 months ($79.95 for an 11- to 12-pound bone-in ham, which serves approximately 25 people).
These hams are intensely flavorful with a richness that is perfectly cut by salt, and are best served thinly sliced with good bread or potatoes. The Edwards Web site is www.virginiatraditions.com.
For my own Christmas dinner I'm considering the whole 10-pound goose from Dean and Deluca. When Joel Dean and Giorgia Deluca opened their first store in New York City 25 years ago, America's obsessive pursuit of the finest foods was at its dawn. They made available to passionate amateur cooks the artfully produced ingredients from this country and abroad that were being introduced to diners at new American restaurants in California and New York at the time. Today, there are Dean and Deluca stores in major cities across the country.
The company's Web site offers almost as wide an array of options as its brick and mortar stores. The breadth of choices at www.deandeluca.com includes meat, cheeses, olives, spices, oil, vinegar, caviar, cakes, chocolates, cakes, coffee, tea and cookware.
Ben Bohen is a local chef and food writer. Comments may be sent to him in care of reporter Julia O'Malley at jomalley@juneauempire.com.