The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley Introduces Two New Specialty Citrus Flavors
NAPA VALLEY, CA - The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley adds two new flavors to its leading line of premium fruit and vegetable purees. Meyer Lemon and Key Lime concentrates are both available April 5, the company announced today.
The new products respond to direct requests from professional chefs and bartenders for citrus flavor with more upscale appeal than standard lemon and lime concentrates. Both Meyer lemon and Key lime offer distinctive, desirable flavor profiles and are either regional, seasonal, highly perishable, low-yielding or some combination of the above-all challenges that The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley solves with its 100% natural frozen concentrates.
"Our new concentrates provide effortless, fresh-from-the-tree Meyer Lemon and Key Lime flavor year-round, without additives or added sugar," says Jennifer Sims, Marketing and Chain Sales Manager for The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley. "The whole idea behind our purees is to provide all of the flavor of fresh, hand-selected, premium quality produce with none of the fuss required in handling and processing fresh fruits and vegetables."
Meyer Lemon and Key Lime Concentrates are available frozen in 30-ounce plastic wide-mouth jars and come with screw-on spouts for easy pouring.
Meyer Lemon Concentrate:
The Meyer lemon, a cross between an orange and a lemon, has a distinctive, complex flavor and aroma with hints of sweet lime, lemon and mandarin. Less tart than the more common Eureka lemon, it is useful in flavoring both savory and sweet dishes. Originally used primarily as a landscaping tree, commercial crops are relatively rare. The Meyer lemon's delicate skin also makes it difficult to ship, and picked fruit can only be stored for a few days in the refrigerator.
The naturally sweet taste of Meyer Lemon Concentrate from The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley lends itself to hundreds of culinary uses. In desserts, Meyer lemon harmonizes seamlessly with white chocolate, honey, almonds or blueberries. It is an ideal flavoring for frozen desserts such as ices, sorbets, sherbets and granitas, baked sweets like pound cakes, layer cakes and frostings, shortbread and scones, not too mention the world's mellowest lemon meringue pie. Its subtle flavor is sublime in lemon curd and dessert sauces, panna cotta, custards crème brûlée and soufflés. On the savory side, Meyer Lemon Concentrate produces tantalizing vinaigrettes and aïolis that pair particularly well with asparagus and artichokes. Indispensable in the bar, Meyer Lemon Concentrate is especially complementary in vodka cocktails (Meyer Lemon Drop, anyone?) and signature margaritas.
Key Lime Concentrate:
The world-famous Key lime, an essential ingredient in authentic Key Lime Pie, is a specific variety of lime, smaller, rounder and more yellow in color than its more common cousin the Persian lime. The Key lime is also known as the Mexican or West Indian Lime and is not exclusive to the Florida Keys. In the grove, vicious and abundant thorns protect the fruit, making it difficult to pick. The Key lime is thin-skinned and not particularly resistant to cold, disease or pests. Seedling trees do not bear for up to seven years. All of these factors make the Key lime commercially less viable than the Persian lime for the grower, but for the chef, there is simply no substitute for its characteristically tart, distinctly aromatic, yellow-green juice.
Key Lime Concentrate from The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley makes real Key lime flavor effortlessly available year round for more than just that famous pie. Key Lime is a natural complement to all manner of seafood, especially ceviche, and adds a tart accent to fish and meat stews. Its one-of-a-kind taste enhances dressings, salsas and marinades for fish, meats and chicken. In desserts, Key Lime Concentrate adds spark to cheesecakes, mousselines and sorbets and complements white chocolate. It is a favorite in non-alcoholic beverages and inspired cocktails, especially mojitos and margaritas.
The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley is the leading U.S. producer of premium fruit and vegetable purees. Since 1989, The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley has introduced more than thirty flavors and has gained international renown for exceptional purees and concentrates made with top-quality produce picked, pureed and flash-frozen at peak-of-season. Previously available only to the restaurant trade, home chefs may now purchase select Perfect Purée products online beginning April 1st at amazon.com and all flavors by calling (800) 556-3707. For more information about The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley, its extensive product line, recipes and usage tips, visit www.perfectpuree.com. Foodservice customers may call (800) 556-3707 toll-free to locate a local distributor.