Thanks, Steve, for the formula. I love the taste of sesame seeds and especially like them toasted and added while still hot to a salad - but I've no experience with tahini.
I'd like to give it a try, but in the event I can't find tahini locally, can you suggest a good brand for online ordering?
Unfortunately, I'm not really a tahini expert... I just grabbed what I had in my pantry. The brand I happened to use this time was Joyva but any brand should be fine. Just make sure you thoroughly mix the tahini before use. Like non-homogenized peanut butter, tahini tends to separate into sesame solids and sesame oil upon standing.
Thank you for sharing this. I've been looking for something to go well with a fancy jar of honey I received as a gift. Honey and tahini are an excellent combination.
Also, per LindyD's question... My local Fry's, Safeway, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's all carry tahini. For me, it's in either the "natural foods section" or the Kosher aisle.
I don't notice too much difference between the various brands in terms of taste. As Steve already said, Tahini separates quite a bit and needs a good stir.
For what it's worth, Cooks Illustrated recommends the same brand SteveB has used. Joyva just happens to be the brand I see most frequently in the supermarkets.
Edit: I just noticed that Cook's Illustrated "not recommended" brand is the one I currently own and like. I've noticed that their reviewers frequently produce phantom distinctions between the brands.
are just full of themselves and can't believe that anything is good enough. I notice a lot of their recipes call for things that I cannot possibly get ( the difference in brands is one thing, but we simply don't stock some of the stuff you can find in large centers in the US) and then they whinter and whine about perfectly good stuff because its not as well developed in the flower notes or some other reason. Hello all I want is a recipe that works and works well, and too bad if it doesn't taste like it came from some fancy resturant, mostly I find those places suck anyway! I havent' had one meal at a resturant that I rave about to anyone. I have had meals at my aunts that I remember most fondly!
This was back in the late 1980s when I was involved with wholefood retail.
I love tahini in the dip "hummus bi tahina". We used to use it as a powerful vegan toast topper along with a smear of yeast extract.
Anyway, there was both light and dark varieties available. The dark was a little bitter, so was usually avoided. I haven't seen it on the shelves for years now. Even Tahini is rare on mainstream supermarket shelves in the UK, although it is easy to pick up in Continental stores and wholefood specialists.
I'm sure there is much truth in your comment manicbovine. Mass-produced sesame is likely to be of a relatively uniform standard., and processing probably too. So, I guess the only variable then becomes storage and freshness.
there is virtually ZERO tahina/tahini available...it's just as well that it's almost identical to the plain, 'white' Chinese sesame paste, which is available almost everywhere. (It's not cheap in Japanese supermarkets, however.)
If you can't find tahina, look in your nearest Asian grocery for a substitute. Check the ingredients, though, before you buy. There are several varieties—some are salted, sweetened, etc...not quite the same thing!
My hummus is pretty popular with my multi-ethnic circle of friends, many of whom are vegetarian. I've only made hummus in Japan a few times with "REAL" tahina that I picked up in the USA while on holiday. No-one noticed the difference when I changed to 'regular' sesame paste
Thanks, Steve, for the formula. I love the taste of sesame seeds and especially like them toasted and added while still hot to a salad - but I've no experience with tahini.
I'd like to give it a try, but in the event I can't find tahini locally, can you suggest a good brand for online ordering?
There are recipes online to make your own tahini. Just requires a decent food processor, sesame seeds, and a bit of vegetable oil/olive oil.
Hi Lindy,
Unfortunately, I'm not really a tahini expert... I just grabbed what I had in my pantry. The brand I happened to use this time was Joyva but any brand should be fine. Just make sure you thoroughly mix the tahini before use. Like non-homogenized peanut butter, tahini tends to separate into sesame solids and sesame oil upon standing.
SteveB
www.breadcetera.com
Thank you for sharing this. I've been looking for something to go well with a fancy jar of honey I received as a gift. Honey and tahini are an excellent combination.
Also, per LindyD's question... My local Fry's, Safeway, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's all carry tahini. For me, it's in either the "natural foods section" or the Kosher aisle.
I don't notice too much difference between the various brands in terms of taste. As Steve already said, Tahini separates quite a bit and needs a good stir.
For what it's worth, Cooks Illustrated recommends the same brand SteveB has used. Joyva just happens to be the brand I see most frequently in the supermarkets.
Edit: I just noticed that Cook's Illustrated "not recommended" brand is the one I currently own and like. I've noticed that their reviewers frequently produce phantom distinctions between the brands.
are just full of themselves and can't believe that anything is good enough. I notice a lot of their recipes call for things that I cannot possibly get ( the difference in brands is one thing, but we simply don't stock some of the stuff you can find in large centers in the US) and then they whinter and whine about perfectly good stuff because its not as well developed in the flower notes or some other reason. Hello all I want is a recipe that works and works well, and too bad if it doesn't taste like it came from some fancy resturant, mostly I find those places suck anyway! I havent' had one meal at a resturant that I rave about to anyone. I have had meals at my aunts that I remember most fondly!
Hi,
This was back in the late 1980s when I was involved with wholefood retail.
I love tahini in the dip "hummus bi tahina". We used to use it as a powerful vegan toast topper along with a smear of yeast extract.
Anyway, there was both light and dark varieties available. The dark was a little bitter, so was usually avoided. I haven't seen it on the shelves for years now. Even Tahini is rare on mainstream supermarket shelves in the UK, although it is easy to pick up in Continental stores and wholefood specialists.
I'm sure there is much truth in your comment manicbovine. Mass-produced sesame is likely to be of a relatively uniform standard., and processing probably too. So, I guess the only variable then becomes storage and freshness.
Best wishes
Andy
Mmmmmm
that looks lovely
I will certainly give that one a try. We use tahini a lot for cooking and we love it. Thanks for the formula. Will let you know how it turns out:)
there is virtually ZERO tahina/tahini available...it's just as well that it's almost identical to the plain, 'white' Chinese sesame paste, which is available almost everywhere. (It's not cheap in Japanese supermarkets, however.)
If you can't find tahina, look in your nearest Asian grocery for a substitute. Check the ingredients, though, before you buy. There are several varieties—some are salted, sweetened, etc...not quite the same thing!
My hummus is pretty popular with my multi-ethnic circle of friends, many of whom are vegetarian. I've only made hummus in Japan a few times with "REAL" tahina that I picked up in the USA while on holiday. No-one noticed the difference when I changed to 'regular' sesame paste
Cheers,
copyu