Hamptons Lane is a monthly subscription box that is carefully curated for those of us who loves cooking, as well as discovering new cooking tools and flavors. Every month, you will receive a themed box that includes a booklet of recipes centered around the theme and between four and seven specialty tools and full-size, shelf stable ingredients. Once you sign up, each month you’ll receive an email describing that month’s new box. You can choose to skip that month without any penalty (no later than the fifth of the month), substitute another box for the current offering or, if need be, you can cancel at any time.
DEAL: Save $10 off your first box with coupon code hellosubscription10.
There are also add-ons that you can choose from for each theme. That Pumpkin Pecan Butter looks amazing!
And, when you go to choose your box, there aren’t just one or two alternatives. This month, there were 24 boxes that subscribers could choose from!!! And, they all look awesome. We received the New American themed box for review.
Here is the recipe booklet for the New American box. Inside the cover, there was an interview with a New York Chef, a note about the contents of the box from Hamptons Lane and an introduction to the people and their businesses who supplied some of the ingredients in this month’s box.
There is also a detailed product description of every item in the box and how to use it.
The rest of the booklet were all delicious recipes. There are 13 recipes that somehow incorporate one or more of the tools and/or ingredients from the box. Just look at those caramels!
Have you ever needed something, but you didn’t even know that you needed until you got it? This thing is like that. It is a Prepara Silicone Roasting Rack ($14.99). It’s all twisty and moveable, so you can shape it to fit any pan or to hold up any thing that you are roasting perfectly.
I love this thing. I am principally looking forward to using it to make meatloaf. I hate it when the meatloaf is all greasy and gross because it stewed in the fat that cooked out of it… Yuck. Now, I can put this under it to keep the meat raised above the drippings. I have already tried it out on a ham and it worked wonderfully. Just watch your baking time, because the ham was done in about 30% less time than it normally takes! (See pictures of the delicious ham below.)
Tin Dry Mustard ($8) was next in our New American box. “Tin Mustard are manufacturers of delicious mustards, based in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Born from a passion shared among friends – Tin Dizdarevic, a classically trained chef and Tin’s late brother Jan Dizdarevic – Tin created their first mustard recipe initially as a challenge – to have something natural, flavorful, and memorable to serve with his dishes. Started in 2011, Tin Mustard continues to grow and thrive and produce innovative and exciting new products.”
See, you thought it was Tin Mustard because it came in a tin didn’t you? (Me too.) But, no it’s actually the creator’s name. How appropriate.
I added this with brown sugar and maple syrup to make a ham glaze (see further down) and it was wonderful!!! I am planning on making the Mac n Cheese with Caramelized Onions from the recipe book for Thanksgiving (it has a whole tablespoon of this wonderful stuff in it). Plus, the mustard comes in this cute old fashioned tin. Love it.
The next bit of yumminess to emerge from the box was this Blake Hill Preserves Cranberry Orange Chutney (6.49). Isn’t chutney a lovely word? It really does make one feel fancy to be able to lean over to your neighbor at the Thanksgiving table and request that they please pass the chutney. “Would you mind passing the chutney please and thank you?”
So, yes it is as good as it looks. And, it is good on everything. We ate it on the ham (the one I roasted on the included baking rack and glazed with the Tin Mustard) and on top of homemade buttermilk pie (keep going, there is a picture of it further down) and I am going to stick the chutney in my purse and take it with me to Grandma’s house and eat it on my Thanksgiving turkey. Woohoo!!!
Why yes, that is Duck Fat. Delightful, delicious, you need some too, Epic Provisions Cage Free Duck Fat ($10.99). “Cage free duck fat from Epic Provisions is our new favorite sauteeing, baking, frying, and roasting pantry staple! There’s not much this cooking oil can’t do. The high smoke point makes it ideal for cooking-depth and deliciousness are added to everything from roasted or stir fried vegetables to creating flaky pie crusts. We guarantee you’ll be putting this oil over everything in no time.”
I really appreciate that this company sees the necessity of number one, using all of the animal and avoiding waste, and number two, cooking with animal fats. It is so wasteful that the fat is often drained off and thrown away. Grandma used to save bacon grease for a reason (so do I). It’s good, and in moderation, it is good for you. This Duck Fat is a beautifully rendered light, nearly white to clear oil that has a multitude of uses. So far, I have used it to grease my cast iron pan (I love cast iron) that I cooked the ham in and used it as the fat to make a pie crust for my homemade buttermilk pie. And those Duck Fat Sea Salt Caramels are at the top of my to-do list!!!
The last item in the box and the second kitchen tool was this Microplane Classic Grater ($12.95). “The best selling kitchen essential has endless uses – run cinnamon sticks or whole spices like nutmeg or allspice over the Microplane when garnishing drinks or desserts. If you don’t have room for a garlic press, grab your Micorplane and you’re left with a perfect garlic paste. Grate Parmesan and other hard cheeses onto popcorn, pasta, or pizza for a quick bit of cheesy flavor. Perfect for effortless citrus zesting to add natural flavors to a lemon creme brulee or a classic vinaigrette. Ask any chef around, a Microplane is an essential kitchen tool that is designed to extract the best flavors from your food.”
So, Rachel Ray has been saying that everyone needs one of these for years, but I didn’t really believe her until now. I used it to zest a little lemon peel into my buttermilk pie and to grate the nutmeg, also for the pie. And, I grated a little cinnamon into my coffee this morning with it… Wow. It was that good.
So, here’s the set-up. My favorite cast-iron roasting pan, greased with the EPIC Duck Fat and the Prepara Silicone Roasting Rack in place to put the ham on.
I placed the spiral sliced ham, large side down, on the Prepara Rack and then lined the bottom with peeled and diced sweet potatoes.
When the ham was nearly done I glazed it with a mix I threw together of the Tin Dry Mustard, brown sugar, and maple syrup and then baked it for a few more minutes to set the glaze. It was perfect. Having the right tools and spices really makes everything come together.
Here is the buttermilk pie. EPIC duck fat in the crust (just use it instead of the prescribed oil in your favorite recipe), lemon zest and nutmeg (used the Microplaner) in the filling and a dollop of the Blake Hill Chutney on top.
I loved the New American box from Hamptons Lane. The tools and ingredients were the perfect additions to my Thanksgiving meal plans. I was especially impressed with the EPIC duck fat. It is wonderfully versatile stuff! The box was filled with ingredients and tools that are practical, useful and yummy!
Do you subscribe to Hamptons Lane? What did you think of this month’s box?
Comments
Can I come over for dinner? I don’t know how I ever survived without my Microplane, it was life-changing. Everything looks so good!
Sure!! But, it’s leftovers tonight. 🙂 And, I know, right? Life before microplane. I’m not sure how I survived.
The food u made looks so perfect ! I couldn’t help but wonder what buttermilk pie is
Thanks!! Buttermilk pie is wonderful stuff!! I usually kinda wing it, but here is good recipe to get started with http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13802/buttermilk-pie/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%202 I usually add more eggs and a little less sugar in mine.