The Mollie Stone's Blog
Legends and traditions have been part of humanity for centuries. As St. Patrick’s Day approaches on March 17th, do you know about the legends and traditions of the Irish, their meanings and how they came to be?
Legend of the Shamrock
Many people from all over the world believe the shamrock is the symbol of Ireland. It is not, but one could say it’s the emblem of Irish culture. The ancient Druids honored it as a sacred plant, believing it had the ..read more
Irish Coffee is delicious any time of year, but tastes extra special as St. Patrick’s Day nears. Essential to this coffee cocktail is a good Irish whiskey. The word whiskey comes from the Gaelic term uisce beatha, meaning “waters of life.”
To make Irish Coffee at home, all you need is brewed coffee, thickened cream, brown sugar and of course, Irish whiskey. The coffee is drunk through a layer of cream, which floats at the top.
We recommend serving your Irish Coffee in a clear ..read more
Brine-preserving beef dates back to 11th century Europe. Traditionally, it was cured using coarse salt the size of corn kernels. The word “corned” is derived from an Old English word for grain, or small hard things the size of grain.
Interior fat (marbling) is what gives corned beef its tender texture and delicious flavor. Some cuts have exterior fat as well, which you can trim before or after cooking to your preference.
We have three different cuts of corned beef available from ..read more
Our Roberts Corned Beef is a taste of Old World San Francisco and a staple for St. Patrick’s Day meals. Mollie Stone’s is proud to carry Roberts, which has also found its way onto the menus of Tommy’s Joynt, Lefty O’Doul’s, Marin Joe’s and other quintessential Bay Area restaurants.
Roberts is a fifth-generation, family-owned business in San Francisco celebrating 100 years of business. The great-grandfather, G.H. Roberts, arrived in America from New Zealand with a family recipe for corned beef ..read more
A bright orange, extra-large variety, the Sumo citrus is super sweet, juicy, naturally seedless and easy to peel. Each Sumo has a distinctive top-knot and weighs about 10 ounces, making it the largest seedless mandarin available.
Family farmers in California’s Central Valley successfully harvested the United States’ first Sumo trees last year. The Sumo may be in only its second season here, but took 30 years to cultivate in Japan.
Keep reading to learn how it was developed, and how to choose ..read more
Leap year only comes once every four years. Here are some things you may or may not know about February 29.
Why do we need to have leap years?
The ancient Egyptians were the first to determine that the Earth actually takes a bit longer than 365 days to circle the sun. The extra 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds annually are accumulated over the course of four years and we “catch up” with an extra day every 4th year (2012, ..read more
Twice a year, the latest and greatest new products come together in one place: the Fancy Foods Show. Mollie Stone’s buyers and store managers recently attended the Winter Fancy Foods show right here in San Francisco to look for great new specialty and gourmet items for our shelves.
We tasted our way through small batch caramel sauces, locally produced cheeses, artisan cured meats, creative salty snacks, unique beverages and much more. Afterwards, we compared notes and got to work bringing our ..read more
Roll out the red tablecloth for these Oscar worthy recipes! We took a look at the 2012 Best Picture nominees and selected a recipe for each of the movies. Some might be a stretch, but we assure you that they’re all delicious and adaptable for serving at your Academy Awards party on February 26th.
1. Hugo: Caramelized Onion Bruschetta. These deeply caramelized onions served over sliced Baguette would have been a great snack for Hugo at the Parisian train station.
2. Moneyball: ..read more
February 14th, Valentine’s Day, is the most romantic day on the calendar in the United States and is celebrated throughout the world. It is known as a lovers’ holiday. Whatever you choose to call it, one thing is certain: love is in the air.
In today’s society, love is expressed in many different ways. These include the giving of a love note called a valentine to that special someone or a more elegant gift such as roses or chocolates. 189 million ..read more
The elegance of a lobster dinner is perfect for special occasions, from Valentine’s Day to anniversaries to birthdays. However, we’re going to let you in on a secret. Lobster is incredibly easy to prepare – simple enough even for a quick weeknight dinner.
There are two foolproof ways to cook a live lobster: steaming and boiling. In both cases, you must plunge the lobster, head first, into boiling water as a humane way to kill it instantly. Lobsters will turn their ..read more
