Celebrating Colorful Crunchy Crystals – How Chefs & Mixologists are using our Herb Crystals® & Flower Crystals®

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  • June 19, 2013

Herb & Flower Crystals Bottles Group

Since its arrival earlier this year, our Herb Crystals® & Flower Crystals® line has been very well-received by the culinary community, and their responses are quite humbling. We hear from chefs and home cooks alike that they absolutely love the exotic look these crystals convey and that it has been such a unique and flavorful ingredient to include in their dishes. Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini says, “I love the basil crystals, not only for their vibrant flavor but also for the unique texture they impart to my desserts.”

Branching out to the bar scene as well, our Mini Herb Crystals® & Mini Flower Crystals® also got a loud response from cocktail connoisseurs and mixologists.

Feeling like proud parents, we wanted to show off some cool examples of how our customers have enhanced their creations by using our Herb Crystals® & Flower Crystals®, and to debut a few new flavors coming out in a few weeks!

Cocktails and Mini Herb Crystals® & Mini Flower Crystals® – A Perfect Pair

Our March trade show tour was where we really got to show off our stuff to mixologists and cocktail enthusiasts. There we realized that our Mini Herb Crystals® & Mini Flower Crystals® were an immediate hit. Everyone’s eyes were pulled in when we brought out our large display of cocktail glasses rimmed with the different flavors.

The vibrant colors drew their attention but it was after sharing a few tasting samples, when we watched everyone’s faces light up. They were captivated by the crystal’s fresh flavors. Many exclaimed, “Wow, they actually taste like fresh Basil or fresh Mint!” They were also intrigued to see a different substitute for plain white sugar for adding a unique sweetness to any drink, including tea.

The Mini Crystals® are a smaller, more granular than the regular Crystals, making them more adhesive and ideal for rimming cocktail glasses. Instinctively, we invited mixologists to take their creations to the next level and combine our Microgreens, Edible flowers, and Mini Herb Crystals® & Mini Flower Crystals® into their next cocktail concoction!

Check out Mixologists like Junior Merino with his The Big Apple cocktail. Rimming his cocktail with Herb Crystals® Fennel, and garnishing with our Apple Mint Tops. Check out his recipe:

Big Apple Cocktail with Mint Apple Tops & Herb Crystals Fennel Rim by Junior Merino

2 oz Hudson Whiskey

1/2 oz grilled apple juice

1/2 oz cinnamon syrup

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

1/4 oz Xtabentun Mayan Liqueur

1 dash of Junior Merino Roasted Apple & Toasted Spices Bitters

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and strain into a rocks glass rimmed with Fresh Origins Flower Crystals® Fennel and garnish with a Fresh Origins Apple Mint top.

The high praise and overall review by our mixologist, bartender, and cocktail-lover friends, was more than we could ever ask for. Thank you!

Herb Crystals®, Flower Crystals® & Chocolate! Oh my!

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Its a no-brainer. Our Herb Crystals® & Flower Crystals® make a pretty sweet addition to any chocolate treat. So if you’re a sucker for a box of chocolates or you know of one, check out The Madison Chocolatier West. They are beautifully coating their strawberries with white and dark chocolate and then covering with our Crystals and Crystallized Flowers! These fancy strawberries are not like any regular chocolate covered strawberry you see at the market. They have also put our Crystals on the inside of their chocolate ganache truffles. What a burst of flavor in your mouth. And the Crystals stay crunchy!

They create small batch chocolates, all hand made using the freshest fruits, herbs, spices and ingredients that have no preservatives added. Each ingredient provides unique flavor pairings for exceptional chocolates. Check out their photos here,

Topping New York’s Cronut Craze

Or if pastries suit your fancy, we would like to introduce you to the Cronut. If you haven’t heard of it yet, the Cronut is literally half-croissant, half-doughnut – yes they do exist!

After a few tries, its’ creator French pastry chef Dominique Ansel of Dominique Ansel Bakery, found the winning formula and successfully infused the French classic into a shape of a doughnut. Consisting of layers on layers of flaky-goodness, each Cronut is deep fried in grapeseed oil (like a doughnut), filled with Tahitian vanilla cream, rolled in cinnamon sugar, topped over with a sweet glaze, finished with sprinkle of our Flower Crystals® Rose. Each Cronut runs at $5 a piece and all customers are limited to six per person.

Despite being around for only a month, this pastry delicacy has already made a name for itself. So, we highly recommend you try it out if you’re in the area and make sure to order beforehand or get there early – really early. Watch Zagat’s Bizarre Bites coverage on the Cronut below:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vswiimBEvCk?feature=player_detailpage&w=640&h=360]

Congratulations to pastry chef Dominique Ansel and his revolutionary pastry skills! The world is a better place, now that you’ve created such a pastry gem.

New Herb Crystals® & Flower Crystals® Flavors

Chili-Lime Shrimp, Mango Salsa, Cilantro Rice

Herb Crystals®Cilantro on Chili-Lime Shrimp, with Mango Salsa & Cilantro Rice

We’re very excited announce a new flavor to add to the mix this week: Herb Crystals® Cilantro. It has an amazingly fresh & sweet Cilantro flavor. In a couple weeks we will be introducing Fruit Crystals® Lime and Herb Crystals® Hibiscus. We hope you all enjoy these just like the first batch. Let us know about your experience with our Herb Crystals® & Flower Crystals®. We would greatly appreciate your feedback and would love share your success story with the world!