Dessert – The Goods

Maker Stories

This Just In-spiration:
Meet Artist & Doughnut Aficionado Meghan Cochran

April 16, 2018

There’s little we love more than snacking in the Marketing department here at UncommonGoods. We even have a weekly rotating snack schedule, which means that Wednesdays are everyone’s favorite days—days to gorge on bagels, cookies, fruit, or soft pretzels with a variety of vegan dipping sauces. (Ugh, this content creator’s mouth is watering now.) It was only natural, then, that we’d all go positively loco for artist Meghan Cochran’s Doughnut Art Portraits, which celebrate twelve different types of everyone’s favorite pastry. Decked out with frosting, sprinkles, and glazes of all types, they look good enough to gobble up. And yes, if you’re wondering, that is a French cruller.

We spoke with Meghan about her background, her career as an artist, and her inspiration—that is, her two daughters, Eva and Elle. Read on for our Q&A session with Meghan, complete with sneak peeks at new paintings and pictures of smiling kiddos with real live doughnuts. Hungry yet? Don’t worry; you will be soon.

Maker Stories

Uncommon Impact: Inside
Greyston Bakery

October 18, 2017

Even if you’ve never heard of Greyston Bakery, chances are good that you have, in fact, eaten their baked goods. Ever had a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie, or spooned your way through a full pint of Half Baked? Congratulations! You’ve had a little bit of Greyston in your belly. And it’s no coincidence that both of those flavors made it to Ben & Jerry’s top 10 list last year—Greyston’s brownies, which you can now snag in four flavors at UncommonGoods, are mind-blowingly tasty.

That’s not all, though. Like UncommonGoods (and Ben & Jerry’s), Greyston Bakery is a proud B Corp, and it’s New York state’s first Benefit Corporation, too. Founded by Zen Buddhist Roshi Bernie Glassman in 1982 in Yonkers, New York, Greyston is best known for its unique hiring model, dubbed Open Hiring™. “Open Hiring is simple,” says Ariella Gastel, Greyston’s VP of Marketing and Business Development: “If you want a job, come to the bakery, sign your name on a list, and wait to be called. No questions asked. No resume or interview needed.” Designed to break down barriers for those seeking honest work, Greyston’s policy provides opportunities to Yonkers locals who might otherwise encounter difficulty obtaining a job, whether that means they’re single parents, have trouble speaking English, or once struggled with homelessness. “It is hard to imagine how many people want to work but can’t because of barriers,” says Ariella. “Our mission is [to] create thriving communities through the practice and promotion of Open Hiring.”

Though most of our real live visits are to artist’s studios, we couldn’t resist making the trip up to Yonkers to visit Greyston’s facility ourselves. The promise of brownies, of course, was a draw, but we were equally excited to see Greyston’s mission in action and to have the chance to meet Ariella and longtime team members Cece and Raymond. Armed with questions and juuust enough space in our tummies for a brownie or two, we set off for Yonkers from Grand Central Station, a mere half hour from our final destination.

Maker Stories

This Just In-spiration: Meet Steve Reid and Judith Irving

April 30, 2015

Our makers never fail to motivate us, encourage our creativity, and fill us with inspiration. So, when a new design enters our assortment, we’re always excited to learn more about the person behind the product.

What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Steve Reid and Judith Irving, creators of our delectable Caramel Sauce Set.

When did you know you wanted to be makers?
Fat Toad Farm started out as an experiment in homesteading. As a family, we wanted to see how self-sufficient we could be. We began this adventure with some chickens, a garden, and hand-milking a lovely French Alpine doe named Jupiter in our garage. We slowly started to produce more milk than we could use as a family. At that point, my daughter Josey returned home from a five year stay in Mexico. She told us about a Mexican confection called “cajeta” (traditional name for goat’s milk caramel) that she said was very popular all over Mexico and that she had learned how to make. We made some small batches of it on our kitchen stove and it really was quite delicious! We gave some to our friends and family and it was a big hit. We soon realized that we had a really unique and delicious product on our hands and decided to take our “hobby” to the next level. Fast forward eight years and we are now milking 60 goats in a modern milking parlor, making our goat’s milk caramel sauce in our own commercial kitchen, and selling it to over 300 specialty food stores throughout the United States.

What was the most exciting thing about starting your own business?
We have always been excited and grateful to be able to working from our home, on our own farm, using our neighborhood land and working as a family. After years and years of “working out,” this has been a rare privilege. Being able to make decisions and seeing them being implemented from beginning until the end is also very exciting, and sometimes nerve wracking. The ability to make changes and improvements to our business rests solely on our shoulders which can be quite overwhelming and empowering at the same time.

What does your typical day at work look like?
On any given day you will catch Steve or Colene milking the goats early in the morning (6:00) and me [Judith] doing chores. Jenny and either Calley or Christine arrive at 7 to the caramel room Monday through Friday, to start the caramel production process. Jenny stays in there meticulously hand-stirring our velvety caramel sauce for about five hours in traditional copper kettles.

After morning chores are complete, you’ll find me printing off orders and labels at my computer and then preparing the days shipments from our “shipping center” at the back of our small farm store. Inside the farmhouse, Calley and Christine will be at the kitchen table, computers revved up, developing new marketing materials, products, and flavors, and generating all of our social media.

Midday, I do chores again, the caramel finishing team starts “bottling” the caramel until 3, I often do farm tours or handle basic financial work. By 4, the milking and chore team are back at it, the caramel team is done and wrapping up their administrative work. By 7 p.m., milking is done, the chickens are put to bed, the 2 baby goats that get bottles have been fed and everyone is off to whatever it is they are doing that evening to wind down. (Check out the video below to see everyone in action.)

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?
Walking around the farm you’ll see different kinds of toad figurines of all different colors, shapes, and sizes. In the beginning, when we were trying to think of a name for the farm, we had been walking through our fields and we kept finding these fat, healthy toads hopping as we walked along. Toads are a sign of a healthy ecosystem and fertile lands which we took as a good omen. That is when we became Fat Toad Farm. I think having real toads present as well as little trinkets, helps us remember how we started and how far we have come.

What are some of the things you’ve heard people say upon tasting your caramel creations for the first time?
“Oh my goodness!”
“I could just eat this straight out of the jar with a spoon.”
“I’m going to have to hide this from my husband.”
“I’m going to have to hide this from my wife.”
“This has no calories, right?”
“Mmmmmmmmmmm. Just one more taste…”
“Sweet, but not too sweet. Just right!”
“You can really taste the goat’s milk!”
“This is lick-the-spoon good.”

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?
“If Britney Spears can make it through 2007, you can get through today.” Surprisingly, we heard the quote on NPR and we all initially just laughed. Once we really thought about it though, it stuck with us. Here on the farm, things can get pretty hard but we have realized you just have to find the light and continue to work towards it.

Gift Guides

Hooray for Math! Planning the Perfect Pi Day Party

February 26, 2015

Whether you flew through calculus or crawled your way through freshman year algebra, a party with pie is something everyone can get behind. Enter Pi Day, a nerdtastic celebration of all things pi and pie.

For those of you who erased most of high school math from your memory (this writer who had to look it up on Wikipedia included), pi is the symbol used by mathematicians to represent the ratio of a circle’s circumference. Sure!

Since pi is an irrational number, it has an infinite number of digits in its decimal representation. However, the first few digits (3.141592…) are the digits used to designate the “Pi” holiday, celebrated on 3/14. This year is a special year, as 3/14/15 represents even more digits of pi! What a time to be a math lover!

UncommonGoods loves math, to say the least, so we had our pick of great pi paraphernalia. Using math plates, bottle openers, and pizza stones, we were able to create a well-calculated (get it???) table spread that was just as delicious as it was educational.

Pi(Z*Z)A Stone/I Eight Sum Pi Dish/ I Eight Sum Pi PlatesThey look like regular plates when full, but each slice of lemon meringue or apple crumble reveals a nerdy lesson in pie consumption. The Pi Plates and matching serving dish spell out a mathematical equation that reads “I eight sum pie”, which is exactly what you should be doing at a Pi Party. The pizza stone’s equation for volume spells out pi(z*z)a, just in case you weren’t sure how much cheesy perfection you should be dominating.

Pi Bottle Opener Nothing says party time like a signature drink. We printed out these simple labels to jazz up our favorite soda, but you could also make your favorite cocktails using 3.14 ounces as standard measurements. You can also find your favorite key lime pie martini recipe, if you’re feeling really fancy and literal.

Pi Wax Seal, Pi Bottle OpenerSure, a Facebook invite would do the trick, but who doesn’t love getting snail mail that isn’t a utility bill or questionable credit card offers? Our Pi Wax Seal makes a mathematical mark on all your correspondence.

However you decide to celebrate Pi Day this year, make it a celebration of math, geekery, and pastry. It’s the only day of the year when everyone can be a numbers nerd—even if you only ever used your calculator to spell funny words upside down.

Happy Pi Day! May your crusts be buttery and your fillings be plentiful.

The Uncommon Life

Gift Lab: Getting Through Winter with the Easy Scoop Ice Cream Server

February 3, 2015

Product: Easy Scoop Ice Cream Server

Research:
I know what you’re thinking. When you peer outside at the slushy streets, you’re more likely to daydream about the Chihuahuan Desert than a chilled dessert. I was right there with you. Commuting by foot in New York City has a way of influencing my food cravings to lean in reverse correlation with the weather. I accepted this as a nonnegotiable truth until I stumbled upon one of our Uncommon Knowledge topics from late November: Can ice cream get you through a cold winter?

I was surprised to discover that the largest consumers of ice cream actually live in Northeastern states! How could this be true when temperatures are less than lovely six months out of the year? It turns out that the fat content in ice cream makes us warmer. Our bodies produce more energy to break down the fat contained in the average ice cream cone, causing a rise in body temperature during digestion.

Armed with evidence that ice cream serves my well-being, I was really excited for the chance to test our Easy Scoop Ice Cream Server. First, I examined my go-to scoop method. Whenever I return from a late-night Americone Dream run, I’m usually too impatient to let my ice cream soften before awkwardly digging in with a secondhand spoon. This vicious cycle ends with me silently cursing as the spoon morphs further and further out of its intended shape.

This tool is designed to eliminate that waiting time (and rescue those bent spoons). The chrome plated aluminum handle, which is curved to fit comfortably in your hand, naturally conducts body heat and warms the head of the scoop, allowing for a smooth break into the ice cream. According to our product description, “an angled head works with the natural rolling action of your wrist to easily drive through topping-laden or frozen-solid ice cream. And the unique, spade-shaped edge is designed to get to the bottom of containers, letting you spoon out every last bit.”

Next, I did some background research. I learned that the original ice cream scoop was invented by Alfred L. Cralle in 1897, nearly 118 years ago! Dr. Karl Ulrich, the maker of this particular model, is a self-proclaimed ice cream geek who has been collecting vintage ice cream scoops for over 20 years. He decided to take a crack at redesigning the ice cream scoop for a homework assignment in his Coursera product development class. How cool is that?

Hypothesis:
Based on the above research, I suspect that this will be the best ice cream server I’ve ever used. However, I think this tool will only be worthy of its price if it truly functions as promised. Being a natural skeptic, I decide to host a mini ice cream sundae party to test the ergonomic properties of this product.

Experiment:
I enlisted the help of two guys who aren’t afraid to push the limits of a sugar coma, my boyfriend Jamie and our friend Dan.

We gathered our controlled gluttonous variables: ingredients for homemade brownies, vanilla bean ice cream from a nearby bodega, chocolate babka from Russ & Daughters, Dessert and Baking Salts from UncommonGoods, and spiked apple cider to wash it all down.

The first thing we observed was this product’s beautiful packaging. The server was wrapped in a soft cloth that could easily double as a shining tool. Right away, we all agree that this scoop is an instant conversation starter that should be on display, not shoved in the back of a miscellaneous kitchen drawer.

We whipped up Smitten Kitchen’s homemade brownies, using espresso salt from the Dessert and Baking Salts kit. While those baked in the oven, we decide to heat the babka as a base for our first sundae of the evening.

Once the babka was warm, the ice cream emerged from my freezer, ready to be scooped.

Before digging in, all three of us took turns holding the Easy Scoop Ice Cream Server. Though our hands vary in size and shape, it molded very well to each of our palms, making for a sturdy and comfortable grip, just as promised.

Jamie waited a long 30 seconds for me to snap some photos before breaking into the ice cream.

Amazingly, there was no resistance. Even though the server didn’t feel hot, the ice cream curled into the scoop like butter.

Thermal conductive properties: check!

Over the next few minutes, we each took turns testing the natural rotation of the server, studying how our wrists moved with each scoop. Luckily, we are each right-handed. (Unfortunately, UncommonGoods does not carry the left-handed model.) As advertised, the natural curve of the server really did work in harmony with our wrists, delivering Instagram-worthy scoop after scoop.

Designed for natural rotation of the wrist: check!

Once our first scoops were served, we topped our sundaes with various salts from the kit. Salted ice cream was a first for all of us. Overall, we were each pleasantly surprised by these sweet and savory additions. I highly recommend espresso, vanilla cardamom, and blueberry for extra goodness!

Allowing our bodies little time to digest those winter-warming fats, we dug into the brownies to start preparing round two. This time, our main priority was to test how this scoop performed in hard-to-reach areas. Our rectangular carton was perfect for testing the angular head of the server.

Using the same natural wrist rotation, Jamie found it very easy to scrape extra ice cream out of the corners of the carton.

Though we didn’t finish all of the ice cream that night, we were confident that this tool wouldn’t leave us with freezer-burned remnants once the carton was empty. The corners were already wiped clean!

Designed to scoop those hard-to-reach areas: check!

Three intense sugar comas: check!

After staying away from sweets for a few days, Jamie and I decided to conduct an impromptu experiment with cold cookie dough. If you’re still not convinced of ice cream’s seasonal benefits, this scoop also works well to form warm, winter-approved cookies!

Conclusion:
Dan: “That is the best damn scoop I have ever used!”

Jamie: “Buttery smooth. That is a gorgeous piece of aluminum.”

I couldn’t agree more! I was very impressed. Though this product has a higher price point, I think it’s just as beneficial in the kitchen as a restaurant-quality spatula or ladle. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a truly unique gift or a collector’s item. It’s clear that the makers paid close attention to every minute detail of the ice cream scoop experience, from start to finish. I can easily see this become a prized piece in a kitchen, not just as an accessory but also as a showpiece. My only advice is to be mindful of gifting this particular server to left-handed friends. Otherwise, cheers to ice cream sundaes and great design!

The Uncommon Life

An Uncommon Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up

November 22, 2011

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year or attending a potluck, consider taking inspiration for uncommon foods from a few of our favorite blogs. Who knows, you might end up creating a new tradition by cooking up one of the following dishes!

Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond’s unique city-to-country transformation and trademark style have landed her a book deal, Food Network show, and even a movie (to be released next year). Give your guests a taste of pioneer goodness with this unique pumpkin soup, and save yourself from dirty dish duty too!
(Image courtesy of The Pioneer Woman)

For another stuffed squash dish (and potential main substitute for any vegetarians at the table), Honest Cooking presents a Winter Squash With Stuffing and Goat Cheese that’s just as flavorful as any typical turkey.
(Image courtesy of Honest Cooking)

Finally, if you’re seeking an alternative to pumpkin or plain apple pie, Jenna of Eat, Live, Run suggests a Chocolate Angel Nut Pie that’s unique and uncommon, but still evokes all the flavors of fall.
(Image courtesy of Eat, Live, Run)

Whether you’re sticking to the classics or making something new, we wish you all an equally Happy Thanksgiving from UncommonGoods!

The Uncommon Life

Sweet Treats Week: Recipe #3

July 22, 2010

Doesn’t the name alone just make you smile? I’ve never met a more cheerful, upbeat dessert! If you have a summer birthday coming up, these are a fun alternative to typical ice cream cakes. They have a wonderfully delicate tropical-meets-vanilla flavor. And they feel very light and airy – thanks to applesauce as a substitute for oil and whip cream frosting. Plus, with oranges, pineapples and applesauce – it’s practically like eating a fruit salad! At least that’s what I told myself as I ate one for breakfast this morning… Continue Reading…

The Uncommon Life

Sweet Treats Week: Recipe #1

July 20, 2010

It’s Sweet Treat Week here at The Goods! And to kick things off on the recipe front, here is a sweet and tart little number that I whipped up the other night. It’s basically a key lime pie with Continue Reading…

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