Good morning! Last week's newsletter came just before Valentine's Day so we hope that you enjoyed it with your sweetheart or loved ones! But we have lots to tell you about this week so let's get right to it.
Pepper's is very pleased to announce the first shipment of gluten free items from Duncan's Bake My Day! We have ready to roll Puff Pastry and Shortcrust Pastry, ready to bake Spanakopita Pockets and Sausage Rolls, ready to bake Apple Turnovers as well as Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers and a Flour Mixture in a 2 kg bag. You can find all of this (except the flour) in our frozen food section.
For those of you looking for an alternative to olive oil, perhaps you should give Pietro Coricelli Rice Bran Oil a shot. Its high smoke point makes it ideal for frying, but it's equally well suited used on raw foods due to its delicate flavour and pleasant, nutty aroma. Plus, it contains the plant sterols γ Oryzanol and Phytosterol, which has been shown to help the body reduce cholesterol absorption. This relative newcomer to the culinary scene might be just what the doctor ordered!
Our dairy department has added two new types of fresh cheese: Nanak Paneer and Damafro Quark, respectively. These cheeses and their uses might be a little misunderstood, if not completely unknown by many so let's take a closer look at the two.
An article from Chef Jamie Oliver's website has this to say about paneer:
"Paneer is a fresh, unsalted white cheese. It requires no ageing or culturing. It is very versatile and is an important food in south Asian countries, which is unsurprising considering milk is a prominent part of the cuisine. It’s also vegetarian, which suits the meat-free diet of many in India, and makes paneer a very popular ingredient for curries, particularly in the north. Paneer has a mild, milky flavour and a dense crumbly texture that goes beautifully well with strong spicy flavours used in many classic Indian dishes. Because it won’t melt like other cheeses, chunks of it can be stirred into soups or curries and remain intact. It is a star ingredient in some of my favourite dishes like saag paneer (spinach), shahi paneer (cream, tomatoes and spices), and mattar paneer (peas and tomatoes)."
Paneer is not new to the store, but this type of Paneer is twice the size and less costly than the brand that we previously carried.
As for the cheese that sounds like the name of a sci-fi character, Quark is made by heating sour milk until it curdles and then a lactic acid starter culture is added. This causes the milk proteins to separate and then it is strained. It typically contains neither rennet or salt and is very high in protein and very low in fat, making it a versatile ingredient in many a dieter's menu. Its taste has been likened to a cross between greek yogurt and cottage cheese.
One more new item in our dairy department is Lactantia Lactose Free Salted Butter! Lactose Free products are growing steadily in popularity with many people who have tried them saying that they taste equally as delicious as regular dairy products. We know a lot of you are going to be glad to be able to choose this butter and just so you know, we're working on adding lactose free cottage cheese and sour cream to the shelf as well (we'll let you know, don't worry!).
Many of you will be familiar with Jusu Bar seeing as there is a location just steps away from Pepper's on Sinclair. For those of you who are not familiar, Jusu is a juice bar that, starting back in Nov ’14 offered only cold pressed juice, smoothies & superfood shots. They’ve now added an entire grab-and-go food line-up made up of 100% organic, non GMO ingredients, that often include the pulp of their juices. These items include wraps, toasts, sandwiches, soups, salads, dips, snacks, hot elixirs, and treats. And some of those treats are now available at Pepper's!
Jusu Bar Energy Bars are now available in Peanut Butter, Ancient Grains and Berry Lime flavours!
That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed this week's newsletter. Take good care until next time!
Pepper's Foods