The Art of Food: A Look at SORTED and Their Festive Ingredients

As we approach Christmas, the festive ingredients are taking center stage. In this episode of SORTED, our hosts Ben and Jamie put through their paces a set of luxurious ingredients that promise to elevate your holiday celebrations. The first item on their list is Cerisettes, a type of handmade chocolate capsule filled with cherry liqueur.

Ben was initially hesitant about trying the Cerisettes, but after taking a bite, he was won over by the warm, syrupy flavor of the liqueur. Jamie couldn't help but laugh at Ben's initial reaction, and the two friends continued to chat and joke as they savored each bite. The conversation turned to the pretentiousness surrounding luxury food products, with Jamie pointing out that packaging and marketing can often contribute to this perception.

However, Ben countered that Cerisettes are a unique and special treat that deserves to be appreciated for what they are – an exquisite gift or a luxurious addition to any holiday spread. He noted that the fact that these chocolates have a stalk attached to them adds to their charm and makes them feel like a more substantial experience. With a price tag of £19.95 per piece, Ben admitted that Cerisettes might be a bit pricey, but for him, they are well worth it.

Moving on from the chocolates, Jamie introduced his next subject: Marrons Glacés. These 16th-century French specialties consist of sweet chestnuts that have been candied and glazed to perfection. Jamie revealed that the process of making these treats is lengthy, involving a traditional recipe that involves soaking the chestnuts in a cellar for three weeks before candy-making them for seven to ten days.

As Ben took his first bite of a Marron Glacé, he was struck by its familiar yet unique flavor profile – reminiscent of Japanese red bean paste. The texture was also noteworthy, with a smooth, creamy consistency that Jamie likened to a chestnut once it's cooked. Both hosts were in agreement that these treats are sublime and absolutely delicious.

As they continued their conversation, Ben and Jamie discussed the role of gifts during holidays and whether certain luxury food products like Cerisettes or Marrons Glacés make good presents for others. Ben pointed out that while these items might be expensive, they're also unique and special, making them perfect for gifting to someone who appreciates fine food.

However, there was a moment of levity in the conversation when Jamie acknowledged his earlier skepticism about Cerisettes being pretentious, only to later describe Marrons Glacés as "Japanese in texture and taste". It was a lighthearted moment that allowed both hosts to poke fun at themselves while still appreciating the beauty of fine food.

Throughout this episode of SORTED, it's clear that Ben and Jamie are passionate about food, and they're not afraid to explore new ingredients and flavors. Their enthusiasm is infectious, making you want to try these luxurious treats for yourself and experience the magic of Cerisettes and Marrons Glacés.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- We are sorted.A group of mates who have your backwhen it comes to all things food.From cooking battles,to gadget reviews.- Ben it's not worth it!- And cookbook challenges,to a mid-week meal packs app.- Crack your eggs, bake.- We uncover the toolsthat will help us allcook and eat smarter.Join our community, whereeverything we do starts with you.(upbeat music)(bright music)Hello and welcome to SORTED.It is just two days until Christmas.So we've got some potentially pretentious,festive ingredients to get us in the mood.- And first stop, is ourfabulous chef and friend, Ben,who is well known for his festive cheerand strange Christmas traditions.(bright music)- All right Ebbers, give it a lift.- Okay.- I mean, do youknow what these are?- They're something witha stalk, like a cherry.- Have a bite, what's in it?(slurping)- Wow.(Mike laughing)- I mean I know liqueurchocolates are a thing.But normally it's liqueur flavoured,it's not normally,a shot of liqueur insidea chocolate capsule.Yeah, it's got a warmth to it.That is lovely.I didn't even get to the cherry,but it's a cherry liqueur.Oh, the cherry's not been pitted.- Nope.There are, yep, sorry.They are whole cherries.(Jamie laughing)So there are stones in there Ebbers.Happy Christmas.(Jamie laughing)Cheers.- Cheers.- Merry Christmas.Oh! (laughing)- Without the surprise element,you both did better on the eating.- Oh that. (chuckling)That is fantastic.- My breath feels so warm.Ebbers, these are Cerisettes.Handcrafted using whole cherriesthat have been steeped in rich Brandyand generously dipped inBelgian dark chocolate.The cherries are infused in the liquorwithin 24 hours of pickingto ensure the highest qualityand freshness of flavour.Pretentiousness!We've covered this a lot.- Between sort of pretentious,premium, unnecessary,superfluous, novelty, wherein that bracket does it sit?I think a lot of the pretenceoften comes with also howthey're packaged and marketed.You say they come as nine.It's a nice little, quite exquisite gift.The fact that these, they have the stalk.They kind of are a bitmore of an experience.I think you'd probably warn peopleso the experience was pleasant.I think mine was sticky.But it was really yummy.- You can get Cerisettes fromlots of different places,from mass produced places,to higher end artisanal chocolatiers.- I think something likethat only has a place,around the festive holidays.But do you know what,if there was one of thosein a little paper case,set out at like a Christmas market,which I feel like I've missed this year.- Mm.- You'd grab one as you walked past.- So worth stealing is what you're saying.- Yeah, I'd pay for it- No, not stealing.if I was you mate.(Mike laughing)- Why would I steal...Good enough to gift, orgreat if you're hosting.- Gotcha.- Wouldn't buy them for myself.- Do you want to take aguess at how much these cost?- Nine in a box, two pound a pop, 18 quid.Then I go, it's actually quite a lot.So I take a bit off andI'll end up at 16 pounds.- They are 19 pounds 95.That does take into consideration,high-end department store in London tax.But they work out at twopounds 21 per Cerisette.Pretentious or not andwhat are your thoughts?- It's still a little expensive.I don't think it's pretentious.I think it's exquisite.(bright music)- Spaff!Give us a lift.- Mm.(bright music)- It's not gold bullion.- I was going to say,are they stock cubes?(laughing)- What do they feel like?- They feel semi-hard, little bit squishy.Oh, Oh, Oh.(Mike laughing)- Any idea what it is?Or have you seen one of these before?- It looks like a brain.It's either a nut,like it's been soaked ina sugar syrup for a year,or it's a fruit that's hadsomething similar done to it.- Good, give it a taste.Let us know what it tastes like.- You will know what it is,but whether you can pinpoint, it's tough.- It's sweet, chewy and I'msure that flavour is familiarand I'm trying to pinpoint it.I feel like it's somethinglike Japanese that we've had.Like, it's got the red bean,you know, those red beanbun type things that we had.That's what it is.It's that kind of texture and flavour.- Mate, these are a 16thcentury French specialty.(Jamie laughing)- But, what you're getting...- You're a nob.- No, no, no, no, no, I hear you.(Jamie laughing)- These are Marrons Glacés.They use the very best, sweet chestnuts.They pick the chestnutsand leave them in a sellerto dry for three weeks.They candy them for seven to 10 daysusing a traditional French recipeand then chuck them inthe oven for a few minutesand it glazes them and sets them,making the chestnutretain all of that syrupthat it's taken on.And you are left with these.I mean that is a long thing to sayand process to make, I imagine.- And you're getting that sameconsistency of a chestnut-once it's cooked-than you would, of somethinglike a red bean paste.- Yeah.- So from a texture,point of view and...- Like a pulse, yeah.- And a pulse-y kind of,although it is a nut,the way it's cooked,it has that creamy nutty pulsiness to it.- Should we try one Ebbers?- I'll have one.- I would love to try one.Cheers.(bright music)- I love these.- Mm!- Really good, right?- They are sublime.- They are,absolutely delicious.- I love them.- And so Japanese in texture and taste.(Jamie laughing)No, I was such a hypocrite earlier.And I was a (beep) about it,but that's exactly how I'd describe it.- It is, isn't it?- Do you see these as somethingthat you would gift to someoneor do you think you'd buy themwhen you're having people around?- The problem is, when yougift them or, if you had themand you brought them outwhen you have people there,you're going to have toexplain what they are.- And then in that themselves,does that make them pretentious?- At that moment, you become pretentious.- But they aren't pretentious,you become pretentious.- I don't know.I don't know whether...- Oh!- As soon as you stand there and explain,that, \"Well, rather than mince pies,I thought we all might enjoy...\"- Stop, stop, stop, stop.How would you really say it?- As well as mince pies...- No, no.(laughing)- I didn't know whereyou were going with that.(laughing)- And I think that's becauseof our circumstances.Whereas, in many parts of the world,these might be a regular thingat Christmas, as you said.- I don't think these are pretentious.These are something thatfamilies have in Franceand they enjoy and haveenjoyed for centuries.- Would you like to guessthe price for a box of 18?Now, considering that theyhave been shipped over,hand-picked.- Stored carefully in a balsa wood box.- Yeah, they've also got high-end,London department storetax and Christmas tax.- I wouldn't say I'd pay this,but are they 40 pounds?- They are 62 pounds for the box.Now, I am sure that youcan get them cheaper,especially on location.I'm going to ask thequestion, pretentious or not?- The product in itselfis not pretentious.It's a tradition, it's delicious.I can't get my head around the price.But if somebody bought themfor me I'd be very happy.(bright music)(audience clapping)- Number three Ebbers.This is very interesting for me.Because I know that you'lllook at this and go,\"I could make my own.\"Could you make somethingthat tastes this good?That's my question.- Peanut, spiced, a rather dark caramel.So possibly even someof the bitter caramel,as opposed to just sicklysweet, like a caramel snap.It looks very dark,but I'm guessing that mightactually come from the spices.Rather than just the caramel.- Following in thefootsteps of cronuts, duffins,cruffins, comes HarveyNichols' Festive Nutty Brittle.Lovingly mixed and stretched by hand-this is classic nut brittle,meets Speculoos,everyone's favouritespiced, Christmas biscuit.Do you know what a Speculoos is?- I love that.It's a wonderful kind of spiced...again, I associate itwith Christmas... biscuit.- Cloves, cinnamon,allspice, those types of flavours.Are you getting those?- Delicious.For me, it's all the same flavoursyou'd find in eggnog, pumpkin pieand kind of pumpkinspiced lattes, Lebkuchenand kind of Stollen andall of those wonderful,christmassy baked goods.Uh uh, you can have one.(Mike laughing)- Whoa!- Oh yeah, that is awesome!Mm, that is so christmassy!What's also cool about this is that,all of the confectioneryfor Harvey Nichols,which is a London department store,are provided by the samecompany, Fudge Kitchen.And for decades,they've been one of the UK'sunsung confectionery heroes.Using some recipes thatdate back to the 1800s.How much do you think it is?- Five pound 50.- Oh, Ebber's close.Six pounds 95.And to be perfectlyhonest, it's fantastic.And I would probably be happy buying that.- Isn't it weird though?Would you have paid six pound 95,if you hadn't have tasted it first?- No.- Mm.- As with many of these things.- Yeah.- Sometimes the cost isn't worth the risk.But now knowing that there isn't a risk,it's almost worth the cost in some cases.- But isn't so much ofwhat we've looked at today,the extreme for Christmas,which is the artisanal, the hand selected,the handmade and the traditional.Which is the counterto the mountainous-stackedhigh tubs of mixed chocolatesyou get in supermarkets, two for a fiver.We love that Christmasand we probably all do that at Christmas.And that's at one end,but Christmas also allows youto celebrate the traditionsand to spend a littlebit more on the thingsthat perhaps isn't a regular treat.- No.- But at Christmas,you can celebrate thosetwo extreme ends...- Simultaneously.- Of confectionery.I don't think it's pretentious.I don't think it's every day,So I think it is quiteexclusive, special occasion.- Get in the hot seat,because you're about tohave a delicious time.- Oh!(bright music)- J, have a spin around.- Oh!Wow!That is a bird.- (laughing) It absolutely is a bird.- I can't tell you what bird that is/was.- So on top, we've got a datesyrup and five-spice glaze.- Okay.- At the point when it was all roastedand that's what's given itthat wonderful bronzed effect.- Is it a turkey?It's a very small turkey.(Mike chuckling)It's either a smallturkey or a long chicken.(laughing)Goose?- Yes!So this is from Coombe Farmand they say that, \"We thinkthe good old fashioned gooseis a much under appreciated bird.Once upon a time, every smallholding would have kept a gooseto do duty, both as a guard bird,'cause they can be quite noisy,and as Christmas dinner.Because of the richness of their meatand the amount of fat they carry,geese never made it as commercial poultry.So, you as a family have had goose before?- Yes.I didn't think of it as like, \"Oh!\"I thought of it very much as,this is what people didin the Victorian era- Interesting.- Again, very traditional.- Very traditional.Well, obviously, have a carve!Have a taste!- Excellent.How do you carve a goose?Let's find out together.- It's very similar toa chicken and a turkeyin the sense that it hasthe same kind of anatomy.They're just different shapes.The parts are the same place.Or, if it's not like a duck or a goose,you can just quarter it.- Go on Spaff, you can do it mate!You can do it!- Often easy if you take the leg off firstand you've got more of a runwayat it, but it's up to you.Same as the chickencut down the loose bit,ball and socket joint, pop it out.How's it going for you? (chuckling)- These geese are made really tough.(Ben chuckling)You know you think youmight have a fight with one?Don't.(laughing)(upbeat music)- Oh, nice.Nice, nice, nice.I'd love some jus please,just a little teaspoon.- Just on the sides.- Yeah, I'mgonna put it on the side,I'm gonna put it on the sideOh you're going in with forks.(laughing)Cheers.- Cheers.Oh, wow!- Mm.- That is fantastic.I don't think I've ever had goose before.- It's super rich and it's not fatty,but it's got a, like a richness to it.There's almost game meat.- Yeah.- But it's not game meat,it's a different kind of, of note to it.- This is outstanding.- Goose is great.It's really similar toduck in that respect.- Mm.- To that duck breast.- Okay, so, goose as a whole,not at all pretentious for either of you,when we unveiled this.- No, not pretentious,but just old school and not front of mind,for, what I would think tocook for Christmas dinnerin the 21st century.- The tradition of roast goosegoes even back toancient Greeks and Romanswho used to have them at festivals.It's actually said thatgeese were plentifuland cheaper than the exoticturkey native to the new world.So made the best choicefor the holiday table.- So often, turkey is overcooked and becomes dry.Whereas a duck or a goose,you've got a bit moreleniency on the time,because it is a richer,slightly fattier, darker meat.They're more difficult to get hold of.They are less availablein our regular placesand wide scale farmed.So that probably comes at a cost.But actually if you haveone, I imagine, it's easier.It's definitely tastier.You get better fat off of it,which enables you to makebetter roast potatoes.There's a lot going forgoose at the Christmas table.- Would you like to guess howmuch this 4.5kg goose,which serves six to eight people, cost?Bearing in mind,it's from a really goodfarm and it's organic.- I'm going to say 70 pounds.- This goose actually costs 94 pounds, 95.- Really?- Yep.So as a comparison,Daylesford Farm, another organic farmthat we've used in the past.We got last year's Turkey from there.They do a four and a halfkilo turkey crown, organic.And that cost 110 pounds.- It is a lot of money.But as the centrepieceof your Christmas mealand experience,considering everything else actually,as part of the Christmas meal is cheap.It's all vegetables and things like that.- Well, the question is J,goose, pretentious or not?- It's not.It's a big duck.(laughing)- Well, over to you guys.Do you think any of those ingredientswere, number one pretentious.Number two, do you eatany of those regularlyand can tell us a littlebit more about it?We'd love to hear yourthoughts, comment down below.- And from everyone here at SORTED,whatever you have in the centrepieceof your Christmas table,we wish you a very, very...- Merry Christmas!- Saint Nicholas is off his moobson festive cheer right now.Because he's just seenthat he can gift SORTED food membershipin three, six and 12 month bundles!He's already been bossinghis mid-week mealswith the meal packs appand he loves the recipesin all the cookbooks!And that jolly funsteris losing his eggnogover the Feast Your Ears podcasts.So now, he can spread thesame levels of Christmas joyto all his foodie friends.But he does need to stoprequesting reindeer recipes.(beep)It goes without sayingthat we're not consumingall of these things, are we?But we are.(Jamie laughing)But we're doing on behalf of you.- So you even got it on your jumper?- Have I?(Jamie laughing)- No, sugar on your jumper...- Some candy canes.- Candy canes.- Oh!- You see, yeah, it was...Shall I lift the cloche?(laughing)- How much Brandy was in those chocolates?\n"