INGREDIENTS

1 can hearts of palm, drained and chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 cup chopped leek
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise

 DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a glass pie plate.
In a medium bowl, mix together the hearts of palm, mozzarella cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, leek, sour cream and mayonnaise. Spread into the greased pie plate.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until light brown and bubbly. Serve with Jacob’s Cream Crackers or Australian Water Wheels.

igourmet.com joins Orvis & St. Francis to Present: A Toast to the Bounty of our Land

An evening of big, bold wine and gourmet wild game

Join us as we toast the distinctive Orvis country lifestyle with St. Francis Winery & Vineyards and igourmet.com’s wild game meats to indulge in the fruits of our vineyards, mountains and valleys.

Orvis celebrates a long history of commitment to product quality, outdoor lifestyle and the natural environment. To exemplify this traditional approach to fine living, we have invited St. Francis Winery & Vineyards to educate our loyal customers on the art of pairing the big, bold flavors of St. Francis wines with wild game dishes. After all, being outdoors is only half the fun… this event is about what happens once you return home for the feast.

This never frozen, fresh-killed, free-range, organic turkey is very large - ranging from 18 to 20 pounds. Only whole organic grains and pure spring water are fed to these birds, without any protein supplements or added bi-products. Furthermore, no pesticides and herbicides ever come in contact with the birds or their food or water. Additionally, no antibiotics, no growth hormones, no arsenicals and no artificial light are permitted at any time. The result is a turkey with great flavor, tenderness and a 25% lower fat content than commercially raised alternatives. Ideal for larger gatherings, this turkey has great flavor, tenderness and a 25% lower fat-content than commercially raised alternatives.

And while we’re on the subject of Parmigiano Reggiano, this fantastically flavorful product from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy will put a smile on any cheese lovers face, and paired with a high-quality balsamic vinegar, will make an elegantly simple yet sublime gift for the gourmet or foodie. And specialty oils, vinegars, coffees, and other non perishable item will last quite a while in your pantry, making them gifts that your friends and family can enjoy throughout the year. Truly the gift that keeps on giving!

Specialty cheeses are also ideal for gift giving. This fastest growing segment of the specialty food world (in terms of both new products and also sales) offer a world of variety and a diversity of flavors unparalled by any other food group. And a selection of five half pounds of specialty cheese will serve eight guests generously if used for an after dinner cheese plate. Again the flavors are so pronounced that any more than a few ounces is overkill. And a holiday gift basket, in my opinion, is the perfect gift, period. I have given many over the years with great success. I must have bought my parents a hundred sweaters, scarves, shirts etc, that got thrown into a drawer (or elsewhere!) without a mention. But for the last ten years, I buy them a big gift basket of cheeses, salamis, jams, honeys and the like. And every year for months I hear “hey, thanks for that salami” or “your Mother and I just had that cheese, that blue cheese, what was that one?” I don’t recall that kind of feedback and enthusiasm over a pair of gloves! And, perhaps the best reason to give this type of gift is that, all too often, we just don’t purchase them for ourselves. Be it a question of being too busy, buying just what we need to get through the week, tightening our budgets, or unavailability at the local grocer, we very often forget to treat ourselves to some of the finer things. So let’s do it for one another. We’ll all thank ourselves in the end.

- Patrick  Ambrosio