Testing CookServ with Thai Stew and more

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Thai fish stew in Nambe Sauté Pan

Erika from In Erika’s Kitchen tested our CookServ 12-inch Sauté Pan by crafting a tantalizing Thai Fish Stew. The recipe is simple and tasty, and Erika promises the pan cleaned up quickly. Her biggest takeaway from trying CookServ:

“However you cook with this pan, here’s the most important part: You can carry it straight to the table with your head held high. You could put this pan down in front of Queen Elizabeth and it would likely be the most beautiful thing she’d seen on the table in a long while.”

The larger sauté pans are versatile. Natalie from Perry’s Plate used her CookServ to steam these artichokes with minimal cleanup effort.

Artichokes in Nambe CookServ via Perry's Plate

Natalie, like Erika, liked the design but also appreciated the durability of her CookServ:

I adore the handles and the curves in the side. Don’t get me wrong. This is a hefty pot, not just pretty. Durable, too. It also has handy nubs in the lid for automatic basting. Stunning and smart. Quite a catch.

Trying to decide if CookServ might be right for you? We have a 8-inch sauté pan expressly for that purpose. You can bring home the Try-Me Pan for only $50 and test the cookware for yourself.

First Reactions to CookServ

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Our new CookServ line will be in stock soon, but a few lucky food bloggers have tested the pans for us and have been posting reviews alongside some seriously delicious recipes.

Nam from Culinary Chronicle's reaction to receiving her CookServ pan
Nam from Culinary Chronicle’s reaction to receiving her CookServ pan

Aimee from Shugary Sweets cooked up a simple and yummy lemon-blueberry skillet cake in our sauté pan. Her thoughts on the pan?

Gorgeous, right?? I received the 12-inch saute pan and I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful this pan is to use! With a family of 6, it’s the perfect size! I love that you can cook on the stovetop and move it right into the oven!

Lyuba from Will Cook for Smiles made a complete Pad Thai dinner in her CookServ. It’s a quick recipe that we’ve already replicated at home and found delish. Her experience with CookServ:

I absolutely love that I can make dinner and just pick up the pan and set it in the middle of the table. It’s gorgeous and cooks perfectly! That’s a win/win in my book!

We’ll share more reviews (and chances to win our new oven-to-table designs) in the coming weeks.

 

Nambé’s Chirp Kettle Named Best of the Best

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Award-Winning Chirp Tea Kettle from NambeNambé continues its impressive debut into the housewares arena by winning the top design award at the 2013 Housewares Design Awards.

The Chirp Kettle, part of the recently introduced Nambé Gourmet line, not only won the Best Design for the Cookware and Bakeware category, but also the prestigious Best of the Best – Gold award as the best overall housewares design in the entire competition.

“It is a great honor to win this wonderful award, especially when you consider that Nambe after entering into Housewares last year, has now won a Housewares design award each year,” Nambé’s president and CEO Robert Varakian said. ”We look forward continuing to supply great housewares products as we build our Nambé Gourmet line, and we thank Homeworld Business for their support and encouragement of design.“

The Chirp Kettle, designed by Steve Cozzolino, is made of heavy-gauge stainless steel with a 5-ply disc bottom and brass harmonic whistle. It exemplifies the quality and design Nambé has become known for since its start in Santa Fe, NM, in 1951.

The Housewares Design Awards are presented annually by Homeworld Business. Additional information about the awards can be found here.

Must-Try Holiday Truffles and Toffee Recipes

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So often our condiment servers are used for dips and sauces. However, they work great for so many things. This time of year, we love seeing them used to serve up holiday snacks. The Infinity Two-Piece Server is perfect for presenting holiday candies.

Aimee from Shugary Sweets put together two great (and easy!) recipes for Nambé that will wow your guests and look stunning in our server.

This is how you serve candy! Nambe's Infinity Two-Piece Server

Holiday Truffles

INGREDIENTS

2 pkgs (11oz each) milk chocolate morsels
8oz tub Cool Whip, thawed
3/4 cup peppermint candy, crushed
3/4 cup toffee bits
16 oz vanilla candy coating, melted
16 oz chocolate candy coating, melted

INSTRUCTIONS
In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips for one minute. Stir and microwave another 30 seconds. Stir again until smooth. Allow to sit and cool to room temperature (about 20 minutes).

Line a freezer-safe baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Fold Cool Whip into room temperature chocolate. Drop by tablespoon onto lined baking sheet (it’s okay if they aren’t balls yet). Freeze for one hour.

Shape into a ball and roll in either peppermint or toffee bits. Return to parchment paper and repeat until all balls are formed. Return to freezer for 30 minutes.

Using a toothpick, dip each peppermint ball into melted vanilla candy coating. Place on parchment paper and sprinkle with some of the remaining peppermint bits. Repeat for all peppermint balls.

Using a toothpick, dip each toffee ball into melted chocolate candy coating. Place on parchment paper and sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Repeat until all toffee balls have been dipped.

Store in freezer until ready to serve.

 

Almond Toffee Bites served up in Nambe's Infinity Two-Piece ServerAlmond Toffee Bites

INGREDIENTS
1 cup salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
12oz milk chocolate, melted
1 cup unblanched whole almonds
1 cup finely ground walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS
On a foil lined baking dish (11×7)- or in a silicone brownie bite pan- arrange almonds in a single layer. Set aside.

In a heavy pan, combine butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Cook over high heat with a wooden spoon until butter melts, stirring constantly. Continue cooking an additional 5-7 minutes until candy turns the color of almonds (about 300 degrees). Pour over almonds. Cool completely.

When candy is cooled and set (about 2 hours), spread chocolate over top of toffee. Sprinkle generously with ground walnuts. If doing both sides, use only half of the chocolate and walnuts. Allow top to set before flipping over and doing bottom. When set, pop out of silicone pan and store in a airtight containers. OR cut into pieces. ENJOY!

Pomegranate-Pear Tart Recipe

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December is my favorite time to make desserts. Cookies, pies, candies and everything in between. Nam from The Culinary Chronicles was kind enough to craft this Pomegranate-Pear Tart recipe for Nambé. In the photo, it’s served up on one of our Currents dessert plates.

Pomegranate-Pear Tarts

Pomegranate-Pear Tart Recipe from Nambe

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Bartlett or Bosc Pears, cored and sliced lengthwise to 1/8 inch width
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon warm water
¼ cup pomegranate arils
fresh whipped cream or ice cream, optional

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, gently roll the puff pastry to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut the sheet into 4 equal squares.

Transfer the puff pastry to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving ample space in between each square.

Leaving a ½ inch border of the puff pastry around each square, shingle the pear slices so that all 4 pieces have been covered. Gently fold over the dough on each side of the squares and pinch the corners to seal.

In a small bowl, mix the honey and water together until combined. Brush the tops of the pear slices with the honey glaze. Transfer the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Rotate the sheet halfway through baking.

Remove the tarts from the oven and cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the tarts with the pomegranate arils and serve immediately with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Recipe and Contest

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Christi from Mom What’s For Dinner has crafted a hearty Chunky Vegetable and Rice Soup to serve up in Nambé dishes. Not only does it look gorgeous, but it’s gluten-free and delicious.

Chunky Vegetable and Rice Soup

You can see her recipe on her blog, but better yet, we’ve given her two place settings (2 bowls, 2 dinner plates, 2 dessert plates and 2 mugs) of our Sunburst dinnerware pattern to giveaway to her readers. The contest is open through Dec. 5, 2012, so you’ll want to hurry over to her blog and enter.

Good luck!

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Bacon-Herb Butter Recipe

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Need a great entree for holiday dinner parties? Nam from The Culinary Chronicles put together this excellent recipe for roasted Cornish game hens (with bacon-herb butter!) for Nambé. We think it will wow your friends, and it looks stunning on a classic Handled Tray.

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Bacon-Herb Butter

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Bacon-Herb Butter served on Nambe's Handled Tray

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 strips thick-sliced smoked bacon, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
½ tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt
black pepper
2 Cornish game hens, cleaned and dried
1 small yellow onion, quartered
extra virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a food processor, pulse together the butter, bacon, and herbs until combined. Season the mixture with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.

Take each hen and slide your fingers between the skin and breast meat to loosen. Be careful not to tear the skin. Gently rub 2-3 tablespoons of the butter mixture underneath the skin. Inside the cavity, heavily salt and pepper the hen. Stuff the cavity with the remaining butter mixture and quartered onion. Rub the exterior of the hens with olive oil and generously season with kosher salt and black pepper. Truss the hens with kitchen twine.

Place the hens on a large, rimmed baking sheet or shallow roasting pan. Rotating the pan halfway through cooking, roast the hens until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees–about 45-50 minutes. Carefully remove the hens and rest on a cutting board. Loosely tent with aluminum foil and allow hens to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Hostess Gift Ideas

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As we edge into the holiday season, everyone gets busier. While we’re all working hard and looking for gifts, there are also more chances to socialize with holiday parties. If you want a great hostess gift aside from the standard bottle of wine, we have some great pieces that will surely wow your friends and family.

Wine Chillers

Coquille Wine Chiller from Nambe Classic Copper Wine Chiller from Nambe Spiral Wine Chiller from Nambe

Others at the party may bring the wine, but you can be the one providing the wine chiller. The great thing about picking a Nambé wine chiller is its functionality. Our signature alloy retains heat and cold. This means your host can place the Coquille Wine Chiller in his freezer for an hour and have it keep a Riesling chilled on the table for hours.

Vases

Infinity Bud Vase with Orchid from Nambe Azzuro Vase from Nambe Heritage Ellipse Vase from Nambe

Whether you want to go with a no-fuss option of the Infinity Bud Vase that includes a silk orchid or a beautiful crystal piece for a friend who knows how to arrange flowers, one can always use more vases.

Candlesticks

Twist Candlesticks from Nambe Classic Copper Intertwining Candlesticks from Nambe Globe Candlesticks from Nambe

Officially add to the ambiance at a dinner party by gifting candlelight for the table. The modern design of our new Intertwining Candlesticks pair is sure to be a conversation starter every time they’re used.

Apple Kringle Recipe

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Apple Kringle served up on Nambe Grand Wood TrayAs we edge closer to Fall—everyone is ready for autumn, yes?—it’s time to start bringing out the warm wood pieces and baking with cinnamon. We reached out to Aimee from Shugary Sweets to help come up with a warm, sweet treat recipe for Nambé customers.

Did she ever. This Apple Kringle recipe is not only pretty, but also delicious. As a bonus, Aimee is giving away Nambé’s Grande Wood Tray and a set of dessert plates on her blog. Her contest is open through Sunday, Sept. 9.

Apple Kringle Recipe

INGREDIENTS
For the Crust:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp water

For the Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 apple, very thinly sliced (I kept peel on, your choice)

For the Glaze:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk

INSTRUCTIONS
For the crust, mix ingredients together until fully combined. Dough will be sticky. On a large parchment paper lined baking sheet, shape dough into a 13inch by 4inch rectangle. (will be thin, try to make even thickness).

In a small saucepan, heat water with butter until it boils. Remove from heat and bean in flour. Add eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Mixture will be paste-ish, it’s perfect.

Lay sliced apples over first layer of crust. Then pour (drop) second layer of “filling” over the apples. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes. Remove and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Slide parchment paper onto cooling rack and continue to cool completely.

For the frosting, beat butter with vanilla, cinnamon, milk and powdered sugar until desired consistency. Frost kringle while slightly warm (NOT HOT). Let set about 20 minutes. ENJOY.