The famous chefs’ saying is that authentic French cuisine cannot be made in the hurry–so why not let Karine & Jeff serve it to you in a glass jar or bottle and you just heat it up. I was lucky to meet their team at the French Food Week press preview at Fairway last month, and I was so impressed–their products actually ranged from French to Morrocan to Thai, were reasonably priced and you can just heat and eat! Dinner guests will think that you slaved over a hot stove all day! Each bottle or jar also conveniently says how many it will serve on the attached off-white tag.
I tried a few of Karine & Jeff’s products at home. The first two were soups, Morrocan Soup and Thai Coconut Milk Soup. The Thai Coconut Soup is well-spiced but tastes very mild. I love the fact that it contains, zucchini, broccoli and red peppers for an extra high dose of Vitamin A. It is simply spiced with coriander, lemon juice, unrefined sea salt and ginger. This is mild enough to serve children (I guarantee that they will love it, especially with a few wholesome crackers in it)!
The Moroccan Soup is much spicier and includes the unlikely (but tasty) combo os zucchini, celery, onions, tomatoes, chickpeas and apricots. EVOO is added to give it some richness and the strong tastes of cumin and coriander really come through here. I loved trying this with a Croque Monsieur on the side–this is the perfect food for a chilly New York autumn or winter day. The unrefined sea salt helps bring out the strong herbal flavors.
Then I tried two items that I think are great served cold as part of an antipasto or on their own with some salted crackers to be spread upon: Vegetables Indian Style and French Ratatouille. The Vegetables Indian Style consists of zucchini, potatoes, French peas, red and green bell peppers mixed with cold-pressed sunflower oil and spiced up with coriander, cumin, fenugreek, ground pepper, cinnamon, cardamon and unrefined sea salt. The fenugreek lingers long after the other flavors and it is quite an addicting taste; I have not had it in ratatouille before and love it. I heated up a small portion and turned it into a wrap with a soft white tortilla. It’s the perfect late-night not-so-heavy snack.
The French Ratatouille is what caught my eye (and palette) at the Fairway French Product Week press event I attended, and while I loved trying it cold on fresh French bread at the event, I loved having it warmed up at home. Again, I put this in a soft white tortilla and loved it accompanied by chicken, meat or alone as a snack. This also makes an awesome vegan sandwich filling. Some folks serve it with assorted French cheeses, which is certainly nice, but I like it on its own. The herbs and fresh and so inviting in this legendary French dish.
You can learn more about this wonderful crowd-pleasing organic line at http://www.karineandjeff.us. Once you try one product in their line, you will want to try all of them because they taste like they were just created in a classic French restaurant somewhere in downtown Manhattan. Who needs a vacation in Paris when you’ve got Karine & Jeff
