"PantryStaples" news and stories

Green and red crab apples. Photo: Pink Sherbet Photography, Flickr.

• Chef Normand Laprise writes about the health perks, versatility and deliciousness of apples, and offers a recipe for Geneva Apple Puree.
  
• Canada's Le Mamirolle uses a French process to create a strong cheese with a sweet and salty taste for fromage fiends.
• Toronto's Pico serves "bipolar" cooking on the whole, but boasts an exceptional brunch.
  
• Sweet dining spots across Canada are experimenting with fancy versions of the classic marshmallow -- from pumpkin flavors to gelatin-free concoctions -- and offering up refined s'mores.
• As fall approaches, there are five things to add to your pantry: spelt, icewine jelly, matcha tea, spicy chocolate and barbecue sauce.
• Fish continue to suffer as we delight in all things from the sea. Now a new study says our obsession with omega-3 fatty acids could bring on "a forage fish wipeout."
• If done right, corn dogs can be a perfect party treat.

I know we're headed toward hard times, so what do you do? You start stocking up on the canned goods. Now you can add canned bacon, too.

Other than tuna fish, I'm not really a canned meat fan, but I think I'd have to make an exception for bacon. I could see having it in store for hard times, especially since it lasts for ten years. This stuff comes in a case of twelve cans on MREDepot.com. However, they're not doing promotion codes/ coupons due to high demand/increased cost/limited supply.

I guess if you want bacon that'll last for ten years, you'd better hurry!

Last night I was sitting around with some friends, having just finished a terrific dinner, when we stumbled upon the subject of our quirky pantry staples. Those things that you always have to have on hand that are a little out of the ordinary, in case you have a particular craving that must be sated. My friend Fran and her husband always have soba noodles in their cupboards. My parents always have honey toasted wheat germ in the fridge. I don't feel comfortable without a bottle of fish sauce, a vast backup supply of pepper corns and at least three different kinds of mustard.

What are those things that you need to have in your kitchen in order to feel comfortable and well-stocked?