So, last month I did a review of a Degustabox box. It's a delivery service that sends an assortment of different food products every month.It's not themed, so you won't get stuck with a box full of items based on a theme you don't happen to like. Some products are things you might find soon in your grocery store and others are a more local or regional.
The item that immediately got my attention was the White Lily All Purpose and White Grape Seed flour. And of course the first thing I thought of was ... bread.
I mean, it's usually the first thing I think of. And it's a really good way to taste the nuances of a flour since there aren't other flavors competing. Bread isn't sweetened like cake or cookies and it doesn't have vanilla or chocolate or nuts or other flavor-forward ingredients.
Well, okay, it could have those things.
But when I'm testing a flour in bread, I like to leave it fairly plain. I just used the basics for this recipe: the White Lily flour, bread flour, water, yeast, and a little bit of sugar, salt, and olive oil. Nothing fancy.
And since it was a warm day, I used my bread machine. Yes, me, the person who wrote a book about bread baking, used the bread machine. Again. It's summer, it's hot, and the bread machine doesn't heat up the house very much.The bread was interesting. Although the flour was a cream color, the bread had a purple-ish cast to it.
Not the sort of purple where you'd gasp at the weirdness of it, but the sort of purple where you look at it sideways and try to decide if your eyes are playing tricks or if there's something odd about the lighting. It looked a little like a light rye, but with that purple nuance.
The bread didn't have a distinctive flavor, but it wasn't plain bread, either. It was a little richer and deeper, perhaps. I think I'd like to try this flour in cupcakes and see what it's like. For now, I have bread for sandwiches.
White Lily White Grape Flour Bread Machine Loaf
1 cup water2 1/4 teaspoons Red Star active dry yeast (or bread machine yeast)
1 tablespoon sugar
4 1/2 ounces White Lily White Grape flour
7 ounces bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Put all the ingredients in your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (some suggest water first, other suggest water last, for example.)
Press appropriate buttons to knead and bake bread.
When the bread is done, remove the bread from the machine and let it cool completely on a rack before slicing.
What's in this month's Degustabox:
Besides the White Lily
White Grape flour, there was:
Sir Kensington's
Chipotle MayonnaiseThis isn't your regular mayonnaise - it's got chipotle peppers, tomato paste, smoked paprika, and spices. Great on any burger, or a spicy pasta salad, or a chicken salad. Or a marinade. Or deviled eggs. I've got a recipe in mind, so we'll see if it works.
Oregon Chai Tea Latte
powdered mixI've bought this before, and it's pretty darned good . You just add hot water and stir. I also like it chilled - you need to mix it with hot water first, then add ice to chill it down. I'm thinking about using a couple packets to make a chai-flavored ice cream, if I don't manage to drink it all first. Like I said, it's pretty good.
Goetze's Mini Cow Tails
candyI've never had these before, but they remind me of another candy I remember from when I was a kid. These are a nice treat, with caramel and a creamy center. They're the perfect size. They're disappearing fast. There won't be a recipe. Hah!
Loacker Rose of the Dolomites
chocolate candiesIf you like hazelnut and chocolate, you have to try these. There are little crunchy bits, as well. These are freaking amazing.
Vermont uncured turkey sticks
and cracked pepper beef and pork sticksI'm a huge fan of sausages like summer sausage, hard salami, and similar sausages. These are in that family, They're the perfect snack when I get home and I'm hungry and I need just a little something to tide me over until I have lunch or dinner. The ones I got to sample are 1/2-ounce sticks, but it seems like the ones they sell are 1-ounce, or there are larger 6-ounce sausages that you'd slice.
Popchips
Potato Ridges with Cheddar and Sour CreamI'd seen these in the store, but hadn't gotten around to buying them yet. These are baked, not fried, and have no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. But that's not the important part, right? They taste good. The texture is interesting. They're sort of puffy, but also nice and crunchy. Great for dipping. I'm going to hunt up some other flavors next time I go to the store.
Honey Bunches of Oats
with strawberriesI haven't opened this yet - I had a few other cereal boxes open, so I didn't want to have another one opened at the same time. I seldom eat cereal with milk - I either snack on it as-is, or I use it in cooking. This is a new one for me, but I've used plain Honey Bunches of Oats as a coating for chicken.
ALO Allure
juice with Mangosteen and Mango with aloe juiceI haven't tried this yet, because it seems like the perfect drink when I need hydration. It's going to hide in the fridge for a while. Interesting thing is that on the side of the bottle is a QR code that leads to some music. That's different. Check it out if you buy some. I have no idea if all the QR codes are different, or if they all lead to the same song.
You need to read about these on Buzzfeed. That says more than than I ever could.
That's a pretty impressive lineup of products, right? The box also included recipes, a sheet that showed the products and retail pricing so you know what you'll pay for the goodies when you go to the store (I added it up, and it was $34.53, but they'll cost a bit more if you can't find them locally and have to order online). And, for fun, there's instructions for how to fold an origami swan, and a little quiz.
I have a free subscription to Degustabox.You can get your first box for just $9.99 with the code R7TXK.