Street legal but seriously stupid

Sadly, there seems to be a market for candy and soft drinks inspired by drug culture. The most offensive example is Blow, a drink powder product that comes in glass vials that are further packaged in ‘stash boxes’ or ‘bricks.’ Some versions of this product also come with a Blow ‘credit card’ that can be used to divide the powder into portions.

Other products in this category include Crackheads Candy (which I mentioned a few weeks ago) and the notorious Cocaine Energy Drink that also borrow their names from drug culture. I noticed while researching these products that the contact info for both Blow and Cocaine indicates that these companies are located In Las Vegas. If only theses products were an example of something that ‘happens in Vegas, staying in Vegas.’

I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty open-minded person with a good sense of humour but I admit that I find these products worrisome. What do you think – am I overreacting? Are these drug-inspired products just harmless fun or an invitation to consider doing the real thing?

Nougat news and farmer’s markets

One of the signs that spring has sprung in Canada is the reopening of farmer’s markets. This last week I heard so much talk about ramps, morels and fiddleheads that I really can’t keep track of how many people I know have been to a local farmer’s market and are now cooking up these first of the season morsels.

Besides fresh locally foraged and farmed produce, Canadian farmer’s markets are great places to find homemade baking, preserves and artisan foodstuffs such as cheese. When I was in Edmonton in March, I spent a day with Brad Smoliak. Besides being a research chef, food stylist and cookbook author, Brad and his sister-in-law make wonderful nougat that they sell at two Edmonton area farmer’s markets.

Although many people make fudge, truffles and brittles at home, the art of nougat making seems to be fading. In fact, when I offered Brad’s nougat around the test kitchen, it became obvious that even among professionals, the definition of nougat is not top of mind. That’s too bad because nougat is delicious and deserves more recognition.

Nougat is a confectionary concoction that can be soft and chewy or hard and crunchy. It almost always contains nuts of various kinds (although usually not peanuts). Famous European nougats include Italian torrone, Spanish turron and Persian gaz.

Making nougat requires a bit of practice since you need to heat a sugar solution to just the right temperature before folding in egg whites and honey. The temperature of the sugar mixture determines the final texture of the nougat. Even sweet kitchen guru David Lebovitz cautions that nougat is “one of the most difficult of candies to master.”

I’ve never made nougat and after this kind of caution, I’m a little afraid to try. Does anyone have a recipe, advice or some nougat making tips they’d like to share?

Three candies I don’t want to try

I’m a bonafide sweet tooth. It’s seldom that I hear about a new kind of candy without getting a serious craving; however, these three new offerings in the candy section will stay in the store a long time if it’s left up to me to buy them:

• Absinthe Lollipops
• Caffeinated Snickers Bars
• Crackheads Candy

Sweet treats for dieters

Once a sweet tooth always a sweet tooth, I suppose. Although I’m trying to maintain my slim and trim new self, I do find it difficult to make the right choice when I get a hankering for something sweet. Cravings for Cluizel chocolate or Fat Witch brownies are only partially relieved by apple wedges or a yogurt. I have an aversion to the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners like aspartame so my sweet snacks, even the virtuous ones, need to be made with real sugar.

Although I’ll always love a decadent chocolate treat above all else, I have discovered a few better choices are that are satisfying and don’t leave me feeling like I’ve settled for second best.

Chimes Ginger Chews: Bonus points for coming in such a fab package, these all-natural, intensely flavoured confections are just 16 calories each. Each candy is individually wrapped, so you have to think twice before you pop a second one in your mouth.

Peek Freans Lifestyle Selections Cranberry Citrus Oat Crunch: Satisfyingly crisp and just sweet enough to cut the bitterness of coffee well, these cookies are less than 50 calories each.

Do you have a skinny sweet treat that you’d like to tell us about?