Last call for local (apps and more)!
Don't be a turkey: Hit up the Farmers' Market tomorrow to finish stocking your Thanksgiving table with cheese plates, snacks and other artisanal, locally-made treats.
Looking for some artisanal last-minute apps for Thanksgiving but didn’t organize in time for pre-orders? Tomorrow’s your last shot to hit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market at the Wilton Mall (in front of the movie theater) before Turkey Day.
My girl Shannon Onstot at Tyromance Fine Snacks is on fire — I’ll be sneaking in early a.m. (hours are 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) to stock up on some Thanksgiving table treats myself. (And go on a finding mission for other artisans to share here.)
Already a farmers’ market star with her gluten-free, low-glycemic charcuterie accoutrements (think crackers, marcona almonds, jams and nut mixes), but she’s recently upgraded to a commercial kitchen and added some delicious refrigerated treats.
In addition to a single-serving cheese plate that’s a snacker’s dream — and a large version that she’s wiped out of because of Thanksgiving — she’ll have a medium plate tomorrow with four cheeses that can easily be doubled up for larger Turkey Day crowds.
“I always put something a little special in the larger sizes,” she says. “Through November, I have this barista cheese, which has a coffee line through the center. It’s from Belgium and it’s outstanding. I also always throw in a chocolate-dipped date or another treat. And every plate also has at least one local or east coast cheese — New York, Maine or Vermont, for example.”
The chocolate-dipped dates have proven quite popular: “A nice little sweet treat that’s not going to kill your blood sugar,” she says. “I’ve been snacking on them a lot at home too — they’re made with a good Madagascar chocolate and a little sea salt, really simple.”
Also watch out for her killer breadsticks — and homemade smoked gouda dip to dip them them in.
“I’ve made Parmesan breadsticks for a while and they have quite a following,” she says. “They’re kind of like my grownup Cheez-It, and now I’m making them with sharp cheddar as well. So there’s Parmesan breadsticks or sharp cheddar straws. They’re good for dipping and snacking. They were actually a customer suggestion — one of my regulars loves the Parmesan breadsticks and he asked me to make the sharp cheddar ones because it’s similar to a recipe that he used to make in his family for cheddar straws.”
Next up: stuffed green olives with Spanish goat cheese and a pimento rub, gingerbread, shortbread and maple pecan.
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