By Karen Peterson / For the Journal

Named for its address on S. Guadalupe, 401 is the latest addition to Santa Fe’s company of fine dining establishments. Welcome it is, too: we enjoyed a recent dinner laden with house-made goodies of all descriptions, at prices on the lower side of its fine-dining competition.

Somebody in 401’s kitchen must love pickles, because a mad assortment of them, all house-made, sparkles across the menu. We like pickles, too, and were quite dazzled by the array of vinegar-treated fruits and vegetables that appeared in 401’s pâté-and-pickle appetizer ($15).

Not that the pâté was any less intriguing: 401 delivers two varieties on the plate. One, the standard chicken-liver mousse, was very good, but the other, a pâté de campagne en croute, was so interesting we dispatched the waiter to the kitchen to find out about the ingredients.

Duck liver and calamata olives, he reported. The result was a darker and earthier version of this chunky cousin of the mousse, with the olives giving the whole an unexpected taste twist. The pastry case was appropriately flaky, too.

Pickled cherries were a dazzling foil to this meaty starter, as was the sweeter, but still tart, orange peel. Pickled raisins? Yes! Pickled beets, peppers, pickled onions, pickled Persian cucumber slices and pickled asparagus spears rounded out the selections. All were excellent, with the single exception of the asparagus, which we found too sour and un-nuanced for our taste.

We were quite taken with the “mustard caviar” atop the mousse, though – we took it to be straight-ahead brined mustard seed, an imaginative take on the obligatory complement to any respectable pâté.

In a similar vein, my companion chose the toast du jour ($9). Crostini appear to be a specialty here and vary daily. The Friday we dined, a chunky and very excellent smoked salmon was felicitously paired with whipped feta.

We might also have chosen pan-roasted peaches with pepitas and balsamic vinegar, an heirloom tomato salad with goat cheese and mint or a melon salad featuring smoked lemon oil, gorgonzola and basil from the lengthy and intriguing list of starters. Steak tartare was on the list, too, as was a Caesar salad featuring duck-fat croutons.

In fact, it might be more fun to assemble supper from 401’s lengthy list of starters, since it is longer by 50 percent than the list of main courses. The latter range from three kinds of pasta to lamb chops, steak frites and a daily fish preparation, which on the night we dined was soft-shelled crab.

Having just returned from a lengthy stay on the Pacific Northwest seaboard, I opted for one of the menu standards, fresh pasta with wild mushrooms in cream laced with Marsala ($18). My companion, in an unadventurous and carnivorous mood, opted for the steak frites ($28).

The pasta was billed as linguine, but more resembled fresh pappardelle. I like the latter better and was quite pleased. The cream sauce with its hint of nuts and slightly fruity undertone, courtesy of a judicious dollop of Marsala, was similarly delicious, and there was a generous and variegated handful of meaty mushrooms laced throughout. Lovely.

My guest pronounced her steak excellent and, judging from my sample bite, it was indeed. It was absolutely perfectly cooked to her medium-rare choice, well spiced with a crust of black pepper and very tender. The frites were perfect, too, and proper American “French fries,” not the skinny shoestring variety often served up.

The accompanying red cabbage slaw, spiced with more of those pickled raisins, showed the kitchen pickle-meister at work again. It was freshly crunchy and a nice foil to the meat, I thought. My guest was less intrigued.

We were ready for dessert, and dessert there was. As recited by the waiter, the evening’s list included a chocolate mousse, lemon-ricotta cheesecake, apple galette with whipped cream and tiramisu (each $10). We opted for the latter two and were pleased, although getting ahold of that slice of tiramisu was the only wait-staff glitch of the evening. Perhaps he misunderstood, but the chocolate mousse arrived in its stead and it took some more confusion to get that, tempting as it looked, replaced.

The tiramisu was worth fighting for, however. The lightest of cake and cream layers were balanced by a coffee-soaked bottom layer and a bitter-chocolate dusted top coat of cream. It was scrumptious.

My guest was equally pleased with her galette. The free-form crust was appropriately melt-in-the-mouth, and the single layer of apples both tender and tart.

The corner space formerly occupied by the Palace Swiss Bakery is now home to 401. It isn’t fancy, whimsically decorated as it is with a herd of dancing zebras across one wall and an eclectic mix of photographs. The service is attentive and knowledgeable, the kitchen prompt.

401’s dining room was pleasantly packed the night we dined, but we were pleased to note that the tables are well-spaced and conversation at normal volume was very pleasantly possible throughout. A soon-to-come patio promises more space.

Chef Laura Licona, a New Mexico native lately returned from Seattle, has started small; as we noted, the menu has nine appetizers and just six entrees, three of them pasta variations. We’d like to see the entrees expanded a little, delicious though they all sound, and trust that, as 401 matures (it opened in June), the choices will grow.

Little Bird Curious Confections trades in a cellophane bag with sticker for sophisticated yet fun packaging for its candied jalapeño products to gain entrance to retail venues.

By Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World

A most unusual taste combination, Little Bird Curious Confections’ candied jalapeño peppers were born one day when company co-founder Sara Meyers began experimenting in the kitchen with candying everything in sight. Says husband and co-founder Corey Meyers, “We joke that we had to keep the kids out of the kitchen, or she would have candied them!”

After receiving overwhelming praise for the products from co-workers, the Meyers began selling candied jalapeño products, as well as other candied treats, at venues such as flea markets and local boutiques. But to take their product to the next level, they needed to upgrade their packaging from a cellophane bag with sticker to a professional, polished presentation. Upon meeting with creative agency BrandFire, Corey Meyers says, “the ideas just started flowing.” From there, BrandFire assumed the rebranding of the product, in addition to the package design.

Says BrandFire Director of Content & Strategy Casey Hochberg, “They were looking for something that reflected the brand story and captured their passion for making their curious confections. The name ‘Little Bird’ meant a lot to them, so we create a playful brand and modern packaging that leaned into that meaning.”

Taking a deep dive into the brand, BrandFire learned that Little Bird’s most popular product was its candied jalapeños, which comprised 80% of their revenue. “We sensed their playful, experimental energy, so we focused Little Bird’s whole business on making ‘curious confections,’ which actually helped them decide which products to develop down the road,” says Hochberg.

The Meyers gave BrandFire free rein with the design, with the understanding that they wanted something “clean, bold, and fun,” says Sara Meyers.

The new package is a flexible stand-up pouch with zipper that holds 1 to 1.5 oz of product. There are four varieties under the Fire Bites name—Dark, Milk, and White Chocolate Covered, and Candied Jalapeños—and one under the Fire Bark name, Dark Chocolate Fire Bark with Crushed Candied Jalapeños. The pouch is made from a multilayer film construction of PET/ink/aluminum/linear low-density polyethylene, is five- or six-color gravure-printed (depending on variety), and is supplied by Dura-Pack.

Providing a clean, sophisticated backdrop, the pouch has a white background. The central focus of the graphic design is the jalapeños, which Hochberg says are a bigger story than the chocolate—“a pretty universal ingredient.” She adds, “The word ‘Fire’ in both product names carries some of that story, and great product photography with serious appetite appeal helps complete it. While the bites product uses a glossy finish, the bark features a modern matte texture to differentiate the two lines, while making sure they’re perceived as the same family.

The Little Bird name—taken from Corey Meyers’ grandmother’s name Faye, which means “little bird” in Yiddish—is part of a logomark that includes a red icon that can double as a bird, or as a chili pepper, which Corey Meyers says is a talking point for everyone.

The new packaging was launched in early 2015 and since then has been picked up by nearly 45 specialty and candy stores across the Southwest and East Coast, boosting Little Bird’s sales by 500%. Its most recent product, Fire Syrup jalapeño-infused syrup in three flavors, with packaging also designed by BrandFire, was introduced in summer 2016.

First used as a way to preserve foods without refrigeration, pickled vegetables have been a part of the human diet for millennia. Yet pickled vegetables other than the ubiquitous pickled cucumber have only started to appear in American quick serves and fast casuals in the last few years as chefs are finding that this one ingredient can add value to menus in many ways.

1. Pickled vegetables add brightness and excitement to dishes

One reason to add pickled vegetables to a menu is that they add unique flavor, texture, and color to almost any dish.

Robert Kabakoff, executive chef for Bruegger’s Bagels says that the brightening qualities of pickled vegetables are one of the reasons he uses them on the chain’s sandwiches, such as the Harvest Turkey Sandwich and the Bistro Burger, which both feature pickled onions.

“You can pull so much flavor from pickled vegetables that adds another layer to your sandwich,” Kabakoff says. “If you think about our food, you have pastrami, Muenster cheese, and things that are big, rich flavors, and you need that pickled vegetable to give you that little pop of relief.”

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is also using pickled onions to cut through bold flavors, as well as to add texture and color, to the New Mexico burger at his fast-casual chain called Bobby’s Burger Palace.

“The main reason we added pickled onions to the New Mexico,” Flay says, “is that pickled flavor cuts through the richness of queso sauce. Secondly, it adds crunch. And thirdly, we eat with our eyes too, and the magenta color is magnificent.”

2. Customization options are endless

Another reason pickled vegetables are gaining momentum as a trend is that they can be customized to capture the exact taste that chefs want for individual dishes.

As processes around pickling continue to improve, the availability of quick-pickled custom products that only take three or four days to produce, as opposed to the month needed for traditional pickling, means that customization options are virtually limitless.

“What’s pushing the pickled vegetable trend are uniquely flavored brines along with utilizing different varieties of vegetables, not just the basics like dill pickles or onions,” says Mike Leccese, director of culinary for Haliburton International Foods. “Root vegetables, fruits, legumes, and dried chilies are new ingredients that are hitting the brine.”

But chefs can choose more than just the ingredients that are pickled. They can also work with suppliers to customize unique brines to give pickled vegetables and fruits additional variety.

“The brine is traditionally water, sugar, salt—very basic, but we’re moving into diverse flavor profiles that are not necessarily over-indulgent with vinegars,” Leccese says. “Sometimes we use citrus juices, such as orange, pineapple, and lime. We also use vegetable and chili purees to help add body and spicy notes to brines.”

3. They can help your budget

In addition to elevating dishes, the versatile ways pickled vegetables can be used on a menu means operators can save money on ingredient orders. Pickled vegetables can be used in sandwiches, salads, and a variety of dishes, but even the brine can be used as an ingredient in other offerings.

For example, Leccese says, “We can customize a brine that could later be used in a vinaigrette, sauce, or as the curing liquid for ceviche.”

By multi-purposing the brine and ingredients across a variety of dishes, operators don’t have to order as many products to create a diverse menu.

As pickled vegetables continue growing in popularity, the innovations will continue along with them, and if history is any indicator of a food’s future performance, the long history of pickling means this trend will not be going away any time soon.

by Peggy Carouthers   –   QSR Magazine

Rennie Phillips

Scott City Musings

Back through the years, we as a family have consumed a lot of pickles, with most of these being dill pickles or sour pickles. I’ve eaten a few sweet pickles, but not very many. I just never cared for the sweet pickles. Marge has made and canned both kinds, but it still seems like our family prefers the dills.

We have tried recipe after recipe with some success and a bunch of failures. It seems like the sweet pickles turn out better on a consistent basis than the dills. Many times, the dill pickles end up soft and mushy. We have tried putting grape leaves in with the cucumbers, with a little success. Very little success.

Marge has made the pickles where you put the Red Hots in with them. Many like them. They are crisp when you bite into them.

Normally she uses big, overgrown cucumbers for these. She discards the skin and the core of the cucumber and only uses the solid outside part. I believe she soaks them in lime for a time.

It doesn’t really matter what kind of cucumber it is as long as it gets rather large.

A couple years ago we bought a book on fermenting cucumbers to make a sour pickle. The first couple attempts did OK, but the taste wasn’t exactly what I wanted.

I was a little hesitant about eating fermented pickles that hadn’t been run through the canning process. I tried them, but really didn’t eat enough to decide whether I liked them or not.

When you run pickles, tomatoes, green beans or whatever through the canning process, you get the veggies hot enough to kill any unwanted microorganisms that might be present.

Some of these microorganisms in an acidic solution don’t require more than a water-bath process, which raises the temp to around 212 degrees.

Some canned veggies, however, require a higher temp, so a pressure canner has to be used. I’ve had to do a lot of reading to feel comfortable eating fermented pickles.

We have been making a number of different kinds of pickles or close relatives this summer. One of our favorites is refrigerator pickles. Basically you can use almost any kind of cucumber for these pickles.

We have been using some European cucumbers as well as a Polish yellow cucumber to make refrigerator pickles.

We make them by leaving the skin on the cucumber and slicing them across the cucumber about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. We put ours in gallon jars. We fill the jar about half full before we add spices, onion and garlic.

We then fill the gallon jar with sliced cucumbers, along with the spices and such. Last of all, we fill the jar with a solution of vinegar, water, salt and sugar.

We then store them in the fridge and normally eat them for the next three or four months. Any cucumber will work for these.

Another favorite of ours is dill pickles. I grow particular kinds of cucumbers just for our dill pickles. This year I am growing cucumbers called H19 Little Leaf and General Lee. The H19 is a hybrid, while the General Lee is open pollinated. Neither of these is burpless. I also have a few Polish cucumbers for canning.

We try to pick these cucumbers on a daily basis so they are from about 3 to 5 inches long, which is perfect for dill pickles. It takes a lot of time brushing each individual cucumber to remove the spines and then nipping off the stem end.

By using special cucumbers we grow just for dill pickles, we have had good success with the pickles being crispy. We also have started using Mrs. Wages dill pickle mix. This seems to work as well.

Right now we have a gallon jar full of pickles fermenting on the counter. We used the small pickling cucumbers for this mix. We put dill, spices, garlic and three jalapeños in the salt brine.

It has bubbled now for going on two weeks. I tried a pickle the other evening and it was good, but on the warm side. I may have added too many hot peppers. I’ll cut back on the next batch.

Marge questioned me when I added the jalapeños. I hate to admit she was right.

Marge has spent the past three or four days making a mustard pickle that my Aunt Katie McMullen back in Nebraska used to make. You use small green tomatoes, onions, garlic, small cucumbers, cut-up cauliflower and a bunch of spices.

It is a kind of lengthy process preparing the ingredients and making the pickles.

I believe there are 14 quarts of these mustard pickles on our kitchen table. Marge ran all of these jars through a water bath to seal the jars.

If our ice box wasn’t so full of gallon jars and cut-up melons, I’d open a jar and sample. I may need to wait until some space opens up in the ice box.

Really, the most difficult part of making good dill pickles is getting enough small cucumbers.

Large ones will work, but the ones we have canned are usually soft. It takes a lot of cucumber vines to be able to pick a 5-gallon bucket of small 3- to 5-inch cucumbers.

If you want to make bread-and-butter pickles or another kind of sweet pickle, it shouldn’t be that hard to find the cucumbers.

Talk to some growers in your area. Go to the farmers markets. Check out the roadside stands.

Almost any cucumber will work, as long as it’s relatively fresh.

Happy pickling!