Peachy's Pantry: Whom You Know Recommends Dulce Buttons by Koppert Cress!

Previously, we recommended Koppert Cress's Sechaun Buttons:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2009/12/sechuan-button-by-koppert-cress-usa.html
and the Pepquino:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2009/12/peachys-pantry-pepquino-by-koppert.html


We love to try their latest and greatest and we are pleased to tell you now about the Dulce Buttons!  Native cultures in tropical America have long used these tiny, white flowers medicinally and as an herbal sweetener. The earliest known South American physicians used the leaves and flowers in hot teas to remedy coughs, colds and asthma.  Dulce Buttons were introduced to European explorers in the 16th century and recognized as a fragrant, all natural sweetener.  

Imagine a flower 500x Sweeter than Pure Sugar...Koppert Cress

 chosen the name Dulce (candy) to express the South American character of the plant.  It will satisfy any sweet tooth!  Peachy's friend Nicolas Mazard has told us:

AVAILABLE  TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME ON MARX FOODS!  Top your confection with one button for a burst of sweetness.  Dulce Buttons & Leaves compliment ice cream and fresh fruit, as well as goat cheese and foie gras!  We recommend using the leaves to make a chiffonade, or to enhance salads with flavor and aroma!  Candy the leaves to top desserts, or crumble the tiny white buds over a green salad or atop dark choclate to add a striking color contrast and a sugary surprise!

ORIGINATED IN 

Tropical America 

TASTE  

Dulce Buttons are 500x sweeter than sugar, with a touch of mint and thyme. 

CULTIVATION

Dulce Buttons & leaves are grown according to strict HACCP food safety guidelines, in a socially responsible culture with biological crop protection.

AVAILABILITY
All-Year-Round   

PACKAGING

50 ct. Buttons & 10 ct. Leaves

50 ct. & 100 ct. Leaves

Peachy's Pantry Panel put these to the test, and they say with a sweet tooth:

Dulce Buttons - just the name sounds sweet!  And it's an entirely appropriate name, because these tiny flowers pack a powerfully sweet punch!  They measure only 4mm-5mm in size, but have an intense mint/thyme/anise flavor - chewing on one is literally like having a little herbacious flavor explosion in your mouth!  They can be eaten by themselves, and are a great, quick fix to satisfy a sweets craving.  The flavor is so mutifaceted that just one or two tiny flowers can be immensely satisfying!  However, I had more fun playing around with some different uses.  First, I made a mojito, using both dulce buttons and a few dulce leaves (the buttons and leaves are packaged together - 30 buttons and 10 leaves to a plasic "clamshell").  I muddled 8 buttons and 4 leaves with my superfine sugar and lime, added in rum, ice, and club soda and voila!  I had one of the best mojitos I've ever tasted!  I wish I could credit my bartending skills, but the star of the drink was definitely the flavor of the dulce buttons!  The drink was slightly more complex than your average mojito, and the depth of the flavor provided by the dulce buttons and leaves balanced out the sweetness.  Later on, I tried pairing a dulce button with a square of 70% dark chocolate.  It was a heavenly match - again, the role of the dulce button was comparable to the role you'd expect mint to play in such a pairing, but it was a much fuller, more well-rounded flavor.  And what amazed me was just how MUCH flavor came from the one tiny button!  Dulce buttons are relatively new in the U.S., but I expect them to become very big very soon!  As for me, I'm looking forward to experimenting even more with them and finding new and different ways to incorporate them into every day foods and drinks - a hint of the exotic is always welcome in my kitchen!

Dulce Buttons are definitely a unique food item. They are these small little buds pack a big punch. I love that something so small and delicate can have such flavor. It looks like a little plant but take a bite and boom it's sweet!   It's one of the most unique flowers I have ever had. I love that it also has a bit of a mint taste as well. You can use this flower on top of a desserts, ice creams and even a plain old salad. If you want something new and unique that is out of the ordinary then here it is! 

A self proclaimed gourmet chef friend of mine is always looking for something new and exciting to add to his collection of exotic spices.  Recently he had a group of us over for a delightful dinner and he said he had a dessert treat for us that we would enjoy.  He brought out small bowls of vanilla bean ice cream topped with crumbled Dulce Buttons and strips of the leaf from the same plant.  The Dulce Buttons have a taste of mint, thyme and anise.  Dulce Buttons are five hundred times sweeter than sugar, two hundred and fifty times sweeter than Stevia, what a treat for someone with a sweet tooth.  Of course I had to had some, so he told me to contact Koppert Cress USA of Cutchogue, New York, www.koppertcress.com.  I found out that the Dulce Buttons are grown in a clean, natural fiber (no dirt) requiring no cleanup. They are grown in a glasshouse resulting in a consistent quality and production is year round.  The product was shipped Fedex Overnight with an ice pack to keep them cool. Since receiving the Dulce Buttons I have tried them over a variety of fruits, in a salad, and in a cocktail with Star Vodka as that is the preferred beverage of Whom You Know and the panel.  One of my favorite uses was crumbled Dulce Buttons over red raspberries and cream, the sweet/tart taste was extraordinary.  My next use will be with some homemade, brewed ice tea, that should be a real treat!

Dulce buttons, or flowers, are packed with unbelievable flavor and a very little goes a long way.  The flowers are sweet, and taste of mint and licorice.  I had guests for dinner and added a couple of buttons to vanilla ice cream; all I can say is WOW!  I can't wait to try them next time in a cocktail-maybe a variation on a mojito?  I was surprised, and happy, to find they last for about a week and a half if you keep them in your refrigerator.  These buttons are really an unusual way to jazz up a meal, and because none of our guests had ever heard of them, a conversation starter.  I googled dulce buttons, and happily discovered they are extremely low-cal! The leaves are not as strong as the little buttons, and make a great salad addition.  

Dulce buttons are sweet as sugar! When I received the micro greens and read they are sweeter than stevia,  I was amazed...it's true.  I made iced tea for my son and daughter and added the buttons to float in their mango ice tea and it was naturally delicious.   As for the leaves, I used as a sweet garnish (in place of mint) to their vanilla ice cream on top of  a warm apple pie for a delicious sweet addition. Then I started thinking that using sweet button micro greens are endless... I will process the sweet buttons in my sweet cream sauces when baking. I will use with granola mixed into yogurt for a morning breakfast treat.  The possibilities are infinite and this is the most unusual and special micro green that I've come across in years:  fantastic and delivered so beautifully packed with ice and new chefs and non-chefs will agree... it's a naturally fantastic addition. 

Whom You Know Recommends the Dulce Buttons by Koppert Cress!

About Koppert Cress USA:

Koppert Cress BV started on July 1, 2002 in the Netherlands, after the company was purchased by Rob Baan.  In 1993 and 2001 the company received the prestigious AGF innovation award. This award, only handed out once every second year, was the right stimulant to continue with further developments. The company grew further and further and is now one of the leading horticultural companies in the world.

They proudly launched their first franchise in the USA in New York State in October 2006. Their Greenhouses are located on Long Island. The end-customers, the better cooks and chefs of the restaurants are the critical success factor of the company.  Their business emphasizes good partnership with the fruits and vegetables wholesalers. They order the fresh micro-vegetables, which they can receive daily all over the US. For them, the product disappears in a maze of hi-tech distribution, that can bring the product to Alaska or even to Hawaii.

The distributors provide Restaurants, Hotels, Caterers, Gourmet Markets and the various small fresh markets all over the world, including some of the most exclusive establishments in Manhattan.