Valentine's Treats for your Sweet

 

Whether you're a serious monogamous lover or more of the booty call type player, we've got plenty of awesome V-day treats for your significant others, your friends with benefits, and your soul mate. We're even doing something super special this Valentine's day with Mast Brothers Chocolate. They generously donated a bunch of their amazing chocolate to our Valentine's Day charity event. We'll be making and selling goat cheese chocolate truffles and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Sandy Relief Funds. For two days only, the 13th and 14th, you can come in and buy our altruistic V-day treats. Not only do they taste good and make an awesome present, but buying them is like killing two birds with one stone. It's like, double giving in a way.

We've also got a bunch of other treats from Butter + Love, The Good Batch, and Biscotti. Come in and check out our treats, we know we've got something for everyone!

Poschiavo Spaghetti and Nonna's Spicy Tomato Sauce

It's Monday again and with the rest of the work week looming ahead, tonight's dinner calls for something quick, easy and relatively mindless. I'm talking about a recipe that's quicker than an episode of GIRLS and that could be done by a 12 year old. Something comforting, warm, and spicy to make this snowy day not so depressing. A meal that could be made when you're half alive, recovering from a massive weekend of partying.  

What is this soul-saving meal you ask? Well even though jarred spaghetti sauce and cheap noodles might've saved you when you were blowing all your money on beer in college, this grown-up version is something of a different feather. Simple yet delicious, our recommended Monday meal takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and only has four ingredients. Just throw some Poschiavo Swiss pasta into a pot of boiling water, add it to New York-made Nonna's spicy sauce and top it off with freshly torn basil and grated parmesan. Store-bought tomato sauce really can't get any better than this and I bet you're already excited about dinner tonight. With Tuesday approaching, life can only get better from here.

Ingredients

1/2 package Poschiavo Spaghetti

1 jar of Nona's spicy sauce

1/3 cup parmesan, grated

6 big basil leaves, torn

Instructions

1. Heat up Nona's Spicy Sauce on a medium sized pot and cook pasta in salted water for 12-13 minutes until it's on the crunchier side of al dente. Before the pasta is perfectly al dente, gently transfer the spaghetti into the sauce pot and allow it to finish cooking in Nonna's spicy sauce; about 2 minutes. Stir in torn basil leaves and top with grated parmesan.

Yuzu & Coconut Chicken Soup

Everyone is sick. So disturbingly sick, it's quite possible that chicken noodle soup sales are skyrocketing across the country. Sure, you may reach for this the bland, sodium-heavy soup blend because its flavorless aluminum can is comforting. But really, you can do so much better for yourself. Making soup truly isn't that hard and how good does a spicy, creamy, and citrusy Thai-inspired soup sound? A lot better than some weird canned "flavored" chicken stock studded with floating bits of weird meat and mushy waterlogged noodles, that's for sure. Yuck.  

We think you should totally bypass Campbell's and join us on TEAM REAL FOOD. And after a week spent in cooking schools in Thailand, all I came back with was this lousy NO IT'S AMAZING chicken soup to share with you. The spiciness from the chiles will totally clear your sinuses, the creaminess from the coconut will sooth your throat, and the citrus will pack you full of all that good vitamin c that you need so badly.

Ingredients:

2 carrots, sliced into medallions

1/2 large sweet onion, roughly chopped

1/2 cup straw mushrooms

1 tbsp butter

7 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup lucedio venere black rice, cooked

1 tbsp yuzu juice

juice of 1 lime

1 can of full fat coconut milk

1/2 tbsp galangal

1/2 tbsp ginger, minced

1/2 stalk of lemongrass tied in a knot

2.5 tbsp palm sugar

1 chicken boneless chicken breast, sliced into thin pieces

2 birds eye chiles, bruised and split

1 tbsp cilantro

salt

Instructions

1. In a tall soup pot, melt butter and add onions, carrots, galanga, ginger, lemongrass, and a pinch of salt; cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add chicken stock, coconut milk, and palm sugar and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and let simmer for 30 minutes or until broth starts to reduce.

2. Add the rice, mushrooms, and the sliced chicken breast and simmer until cooked through. Add the chiles, cilantro, yuzu, and lime and stir. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately

Welcome to the Dép!

Photo: Morgan Ione Yeager

We're proud to call Brooklyn home, and if you haven't physically stepped into our neighborhood and experienced how awesome it is, then let us tell you a little about what we've got going on.

We like to think of ourselves as a glorified bodega, hence our name Dépanneur, which is a French-Canadian term for convenience store. But we're not your typical corner store. Instead of slanging mass produced potato chips and high fructose filled chocolate bars, we strive to carry a collection of the smartest, delicious, and most innovative products from Brooklyn and around the world. From Mast Brothers chocolate, which is made on our very own block, to Almdudler, an Austrian herbal lemonade whose overseas popularity matches that of coca cola, we try to keep a curated stock that glorifies all that is awesome in the amazing world of artisinal food.

Our new website and online shop are meant to be a hub for like-minded foodies to shop, read, share, and of course, indulge. That being said, we're super proud of all the products we carry and because we feel like we have a personal relationship with our goods (don't worry, no one is doing anything weird with the curry ketchup), we're sure that you'll enjoy them just as much as we do.

Things truly are better when they're made by people who care.

Wecome to the Dép.

Satur Farms Brussels Sprouts

These tiny cabbage-like buds from Satur Farms flourish in the nutrient-rich soil and cool climate of Long Island. Unlike the strong, bitter, and mustard-y variety that is so often found at grocery stores, these tightly wrapped heads are nutty, buttery, and mild. Toss them in an easy balsamic and red wine glaze and their natural hidden sweetness is enhanced. This simple recipe takes about ten minutes to make and is delicious when dusted with a fresh grating of nutty Piave or Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve as a side dish or add into a tasty pasta dish.

Cavoletti di Bruxelles à la Nichelina 

Ingredients

• 2 packages of Satur Farms Brussels Sprouts
• 4 tbsp of Salvatore Bklyn's olive oil
• 4 tbsp of LA Organic balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp of red wine preferably from BOE 
• Salt & Pepper Instructions
• Optional - 2 tbsp of Piave or Parmigiano-Reggiano

Instructions

1. Rinse brussels sprouts thoroughly, trim ends and slice sprouts lengthwise.

2. In a large pan add 3 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat and place brussels sprouts cut-side down. Allow to cook until browned and crisped; about 7-10 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and toss until absorbed. Remove sprouts from heat.

3. Add remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red wine and scrape bits off bottom of the pan to deglaze. Turn heat to high and wait until liquid is reduced and coats the back of the pan. Add brussels sprouts back in the pan and toss to coat. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with cheese if you prefer.

Come Get Your Thanksgiving Sides

Thanksgiving is a day of many tasks, including (but not limited to) preparing a moist-on-the-inside-crisp-on-the-outside-bird, keeping certain relatives away from each other, cleaning the house, and cooking a wholleee lot of sides. Dépanneur wants reduce some of the stress that goes into preparing a Thanksgiving feast (and add some DELICOUS flavor), which is why we're whipping up scrumptious side dishes for you to pick up on the big day! Come to the Dép to reserve your sides in advance, at the delicious price of $8 a pint, $13 a quart, and $60 for five quarts! Then swing by on Thanksgiving (assign someone to babysit the turkey for a few minutes) to take them home. You're not gonna want to miss out on these super seasonal and satisfying prepared foods. If you want, you can even tell your guests you made them. Just pour the veggies into a pretty dish, heat up, and throw out the tupperware immediately.

Here's what we're offering:

• Purée of Pumpkin Soup with Austrian Pumpkin Seed Oil and Chili
• Brussels Sprouts, Grilled with Pancetta, Fried Capers, and Toasted nuts
• Straight Up Mashed Potatoes with a Touch of Roasted Garlic and Horseradish
• Glazed Winter Root Vegetables with Hard Cider and Herbs
• Cranberry Compote with Meyer Lemon Zest (available only by pint)

Sign up by November 19, 5 pm to reserve yours! Pay upon signing up. (If you forget to sign up by the 19th, you can try your luck and swing by on T-Giving to see what we have available.)

Bacon & Gouda Macaroni & Cheese

Whenever we get a new product in, we're thrilled to share some of our favorite ways to use them. As with our newest Marieke Gouda, straight from Wisconsin, we think it's best when melted into a rich, creamy cheese sauce and paired with some smoky bacon. This sweet, nutty, and somewhat salty cheese is just as good when it's not melted and placed on a cracker with a spot of tomato jam but we think you'll really enjoy it this way. Be sure to pair with one of our ice cold lagers and you'll have yourself a cozy little dinner, perfect for cold nights like these when the heat from your oven does more than just cook for your food.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag bow tie pasta
• 6 slices Nueske's Bacon, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp Celles Sur Belle Butter butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 cups whole milk from Battenkill Creamery
• 8 Fine Cheese Co Olive Oil and Sea Salt crackers, crushed
• 1/2 pound Marieke Gouda
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° and cook pasta according to the directions.

2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, cook bacon until it begins to crisp up. Remove from pan and dispose of all but 1 tbsp of grease. Add 2 tbsp of butter and let melt until it stops bubbling. Add in flour and whisk until a nice, thick, golden roux develops; about 5 minutes.

3. Turn up the heat to medium/high and little by little, add in milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. After about 6-10 minutes, sauce should begin to thicken. At this point, lower the heat and add in the gouda, a handful at a time, whisking constantly in a figure 8. Turn heat off and whisk in the parmigiano.

4. In a greased baking dish, combine the cooked pasta with the bacon and cheese sauce. Gently mix together. It should appear to be a bit soupy as it will absorb during the baking process. Coat the top of the dish with the crushed crackers and dot with remaining dabs of butter. Bake for about 30 minutes until bubbly and golden and remove from oven. Let sit for about ten minutes and serve.

Dépanneur in NYMag

Check out Danielle Walsh's super-flattering review of the shop for New York Magazine!!! "Murray’s Cheese alum Nichelina Mavros opened this locally minded gourmet shop with a European-style corner store in mind—the title is Quebec’s word for bodega. The sparkling yet rustic shop is filled with European packaged goods like spaetzle and curry ketchup as well as locally sourced comestibles like Satur Farms produce and chocolate bars from neighboring Mast Brothers. Although there are unique items like Elderflower soda and jalapeño mustard, the store also stocks standard grocery items like cereal, beer, and olive oil. The café pumps out tasty sandwiches and coveted Intelligentsia coffee, but the real star of the shop is the carefully curated cheese counter containing about twenty artisanal cheeses, some of which, like the cloth-bound cheddar made in Prince Edward Island, Avonlea, aren’t found anywhere else in New York City. An added bonus—Mavros lets customers sample anything in the store (even the packaged goods!) so you can know exactly what that $16 block of cheese tastes like before you buy it."

Read the full review here >>

Dép Party!

As the leaves turn crisp and the air, crisper, there’s no better to commemorate the changing of the seasons than with good friends, tasty drinks, and, most vitally, lots and lots of delicious snacks. This Friday, between 8 to 10, join us at Depanneur for some serious snacking—with such gourmet tastes as Mast Brothers chocolate, Sour Puss pickles, Salty Road taffy, Food Matters Again cheese (including new ones we’ll be offering soon), and Jeni’s ice cream! We encourage customers, friends of customers, even animals of customers to stop by our in-store get together; this is going to be a prime opportunity to sample some new and classic Dep offerings, as well as learn about the kickass people behind them. That’s right, the event will educational as well as delicious! Glenn from Food Matters Again is going to conduct some informal classes on cheese and charcuterie, Ali from Brooklyn Oenology is bringing organic Long Island wine, and word on the street is that Gabe the Fish Babe (of fish club fame) will be making an appearance. So put on your party dress (or party overalls, whatever, we don’t care) and come share some tasty nibbles with us. Come for the full two hours, or just pop in to say hi and eat a taffy. We want to see your beautiful faces!

OMG! A new sandwich!

Did you hear that? Did you hear that? We're going to be serving an all-new all-Brooklyn sandwich! This simple yet completely delicious sammie will be featuring Brooklyn Cured Pastrami, Roberta's sweet and salty butter, and Tin Mustard's whole grain mustard. The bread you ask? Well, that will be served on Balthazar's rye loaf and will be un-toasted so that you can taste all of that rye goodness. Come try one today! Or tomorrow. Or the next day.

Martelli Pasta

For some of us, spending more than just a weekend with our family seems a little overwhelming. Not for the Martelli family though. Nope, these kin-loving folk are the only ones that work in their middle-of-nowhere factory in Lari, a teeny tiny Tuscan town filled with olive trees and beautiful, sprawling grassy valleys. And when we found this bright, eye-catching package of yellow pasta, we had no idea how bad ass this family actually was. The Martelli's spend no money on advertising and the the factory that they've been occupying for almost 100 years prevents a certain trendy store from manufacturing in their quaint little town. Pretty rad, huh? We think so, and what's even better is how awesome their pasta is.

By using old school techniques, this pasta, which comes in four classic shapes, has a super-porous finish that is absolutely perfect for soaking up sauce while still maintaining a nice al dente bite. Not only do they use the finest hard durum wheat flour but they actually grow it on their own property. And unlike mass produced pasta, which is dried in a giant heated air blaster, the Martelli's dry their pasta for fifty hours using a low temperature that allows the pasta to retain a beautiful flavor and a perfect texture. We recommend tossing the cooked pasta with olive oil and freshly grated Parmigiano for a simple and quick meal that is surprisingly opulent.

New Year's Aphrodisiac Cheese Platter

Now that Christmas is over, it's time to get ready for New Years Eve! And what better way to bring in 2012 than with an amazing, totally impressive aphrodisiac cheese platter! We recommend showcasing a nice wheel of Brillat-Savarin, which is a soft, spreadable, pasteurized cows milk cheese that boasts a fat content of over 75%. This triple cream brie pairs perfectly with a nice glass of bubbly and begs to be eaten with a fresh juicy strawberries and sweet, dried apricots. Serve with a sleeve of our favorite crispy fig or fragrant rosemary crackers from The Fine Cheese Co., a jar of lavender spiced asparagus from Brooklyn Brine, a handful of largueta Spanish almonds, and of course, some sweet honey. Add a nice chunk of Buche de lacey and a wedge of gruyere to this platter, and you'll be sure to have one hell of a night!

Christmas Special: A Sweet Brooklyn Gift Basket

Here's our second gift basket which is absolutely perfect for any of your loved ones that have an insatiable sweet tooth and a special place in their heart for the neighborhood. With Spatzi's granola, Spoonable caramel, and our favorite salted almond chocolate that's made right down the street at Mast Brothers, this Christmas special is sweet in more ways than one. We can put these sugary goodies in a variety of styled gift baskets; from rustic wood to industrial wire - whichever you'd like. If you're interested to know more about the products, pricing, and/or other holiday gift baskets, stop by the shop or call us at 347-227-8424.

Christmas Special: A Savory Brooklyn Gift Basket

We love our neighborhood a lot. Like a lot. Not enough to be weird, but enough to sell these awesome gift baskets that feature all our favorite neighborhood-y products. From the spicy, vinegary McClure's pickle chips to the tangy Brown Ale spread by My Friend's Mustard; these products highlight the the awesomeness of Brooklyn artisans. Check back for our other neighborhood baskets later this week. And if you're interested in pricing, call the store at 347-227-8424.

GO WILLYSBURG!