Among many uses, you can serve the El Rebost gels and the Pineapple and Coconut Purée with cheese. Cheese basket above from ArtisanalCheese.com. All other photos by Dhanraj Emanuel.
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KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.
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December 2007
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Cava Vinegar & Violet Gelées
Ethereal Gourmet Condiments From Spain’s El Rebost de L’Empordanet
CAPSULE REPORT: The unusual artisanal condiment gelatins and coconut purée from El Rebost de L’Empordanet are some of the most interesting foods we’ve seen in a long time. Condiment gelatins made from violets and Cava (Spain’s sparkling wine) transform a dish with just a dab. The Pineapple and Coconut Purée can make one loco for coco. The products are all natural, free of preservatives or chemical additives.
It is rare, even when hunting through a trade show with 100,000 products, to find a food that is different from anything you’ve tasted before. That’s how we felt about the gelées (gelatins) and fruit purée from El Rebost de L’Empordanet, of Girona, in the Catalan region of Spain (the company name means, “the little corner of the Empordà.” The Empordà is a region in Catalonia (divided into Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà, high and low), the most northeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula, where the Costa Brava begins. The capital of Alt Empordà, Figueres, is the birthplace of the surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, and houses many of his works in the Dalí Theatre Museum, one of Spain’s most frequently visited museums. Dalí pilgrims arrive to visit touch points in the life of a Dalí, scenes that appear in his paintings, including the Púbol castle (in the Baix Empordà region) and his home in Portlligat, in Cadaqués.
Perhaps it is a touch of Dalí legacy that has led to such fascinating condiments. We don’t know any American company that makes products like El Rebost’s. Their website is frustrating because we don’t speak Catalan; but we read enough Spanish to know that we want to try everything they sell. We wish that the entire line of gelées, confitures, melmelades and xocolates (that’s chocolate sauce, not candy) were available in the U.S. But we’ll be content with the three items we can get.
The products are imported by Matiz España, a division of a worldwide importer that sources and imports specialty gourmet products from Spain. They work with small family producers who create high-quality natural foods, traditional to their regions. These products are very special. Although they translate into “gelatin”—a word that unfortunately evokes visions of Jell-O—these gelatins should be thought of using the French word, gelée, or by the more modern word, gel.
El Rebost de L’Empordanet Gelées & Fruit Spread
Three unique culinary creations give the home chef special artisan ingredients to work with:
Violet Gel and Cava Vinegar Gel
How unusual...and divine. Violet Gel is made from natural violet essence and dehydrated rose petals (there are some pieces of petal in the translucent gel). It is the food of fairies...or elite gourmets. You could eat it from the jar, if you didn’t want to share it with your friends.
Cava Vinegar Gel, which looks just like the Violet Gel, minus the petals, is made from the famous Cava sparkling wine that is Spain’s answer to Champagne—a crisp, dry, and yeasty sparkling wine. It is made into vinegar that is used for reductions, on game and carpaccios, on vanilla ice cream and berries, and as seasonings for the local Mediterranean cuisine as well as Asian cuisines. Here, it is made into a special gelatin. |
An exciting new condiment. |
Both the Violet Gelatin and the Cava Vinegar Gelatin are exciting as:
- A base for sauces
- A topping for fresh fruit salad
- A garnish on a dessert plate
- A condiment for cheese and yogurt
Pineapple and Coconut Purée. |
Pineapple and Coconut Purée
More than just a textured tropical spread and topping, Pineapple and Coconut Purée is:
- A creative filling for crepes
- A topping for scones
- A condiment for cheese and yogurt
Every creative cook you know would love a jar of each of these—for fun and for fabulous flavor. |
EL REBOST DE L’EMPORDANET
Cava Vinegar Gel, Violet Gel, Pineapple and Coconut Purée
- Set of 3
6-Ounce Jars
$24.99
Purchase online at
CasaOliver.com
Prices and flavor availability are verified at publication but are subject to change. |
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Pineapple and Coconut Purée, Cava Vinegar Gel and
Violet Gel.
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