Mantry is a subscription box that describes itself as “the modern man’s pantry.” Each month they ship gourmet food items in their signature wooden crate.
Mantry sent us this box to review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Mantry
The Cost: $75
The Products: Artisan foods for the modern man’s pantry.
Ships to: US only.
Check out all of our Mantry reviews and the Food Subscription Box Directory!
This month’s theme is Pizza Party.
Each box comes with a fold out card detailing each of the producers behind the food included and where they come from.
Hayden Flour Mills Pizza Flour- 1.5 lb, value $9.50
This stone-ground flour hails from Phoenix, Arizona. The blend of Hard Red Spring and White Sonora flours makes for a smooth texture and crispy crust.
The Gracious Gourmet Lemon Artichoke Pesto- 7 oz, value $10
Jar Goods Classic Red Tomato Sauce- 16 oz, value $8
Jar Goods Classic Red Tomato Sauce can be used on pizza, pasta, or as a base for chili or stew. It’s made in small batches with simple, fresh ingredients and is derived from the recipe used at famed Jersey City Italian restaurant, “Jule’s.”
This month’s box was supposed to include Genovese Pesto from Scarpetta; however, the shipment didn’t arrive in time and Mantry had to substitute a different product. To inform customers about this swap, Mantry included the following card:
It’s always a little disappointing when this happens, but I think Mantry handled this hiccup in a positive, professional way. And, as a result, I was actually excited about the last minute substitution! According to the card, this pesto won the 1st place Sofi Award (like the Oscars for food) for Outstanding Pesto in 2011.
Vermont Smoke and Cure Smoked Pepperoni- 7 oz, value $7
Del Duca Prosciutto- 3 oz, value $5
Vermont Smoke and Cure Smoked Pepperoni is made with locally raised pork and fresh herbs. It’s then smoked over corncob and maple wood. Smoking the pepperoni results in a less oily product, and the smoky flavor mellows the spiciness of the meat.
This prosciutto is made in Rhode Island from dry-cured American ham. To help preserve its mellow flavors, Mantry recommends adding it to pizza after baking.
Grey Ghost Bakery Lemon Sugar Cookies - 8 oz, value $9
A few of the cookies in my pack arrived broken, but, luckily, most of them were just fine. Grey Ghost Bakery is based in Charleston, SC, and I’ve sampled some of their other products thanks to subscription boxes. These particular cookies are made with candied lemon zest and topped with pearlized sugar.
Faced with so many incredible ingredients, I was hit with an overwhelming pizza craving. Without delay, the hubby and I promptly cleared our schedules for a pizza night. Since the recipe for Hayden Flour Mills Heritage Pizza Crust recommended proofing the crust for an entire day, we made the dough the day before we planned to bake our pizza.
When it was time to make our pies, we couldn’t agree on toppings (isn’t that always the way it goes!?!) so we decided to make two smaller pizzas instead of a larger one. I decided to make the Prosciutto, Pesto, & Arugula Pizza and my husband wanted the Smoked Pepperoni & Basil Pizza. So we rolled out the dough and assembled our selected toppings.
Here’s the unbaked pepperoni pizza.
And here’s the unbaked prosciutto pizza. (Note that for this recipe, most of the toppings are added after the pizza is baked.)
They each baked for about 14 minutes at 475 degrees. (The recipe called for the oven to be set at 400, but I know my oven and that isn’t hot enough for pizza.)
The pizzas baked up beautifully.
To finish off the prosciutto pizza, I needed to add my toppings. I’d set them aside earlier, so they were ready to go.
I added dollops of pesto, ripped two slices of prosciutto over the top, and topped it all with the roughly chopped arugula.
Both of the pizzas were excellent. The crust was a little breadier and less chewy than I’m used to, but the flavor was great. All of the toppings Mantry provided were delicious. In particular, the red pizza sauce, prosciutto, and pepperoni were standouts! The smoked pepperoni was delicious and added a really nice smoky flavor that complemented the full-bodied red sauce. I also really liked the lemon pesto. I thought it added a nice brightness that cut through the richness of the cheese and prosciutto.
To finish the meal, we followed Mantry’s recommendation to turn the Grey Ghost Bakery Lemon Sugar Cookies into Lemon Cookie Sorbet Sandwiches. (Which really just entailed adding some raspberry sorbet.)
The cookies were crispy and chewy, and I loved the addition of candied lemon peel. They were so good with the tart sorbet!
Verdict: I really enjoyed this box, and I thought the curation was excellent. The products included were all delicious and of very high quality, and I was inspired to make some really amazing pizza. I also liked how Mantry provided easy and delicious recipes that incorporated the ingredients in the box. I thought the recipes were terrific and very easy to make. All that being said, this box has a value of about $50 (only 2/3 the cost of the box). It’s not unusual with Mantry for the value of the items to fall short of the cost of the box, so I think this subscription is best for those who highly value curation, presentation, and packaging.
What do you think of the February 2015 Mantry box? Did you have your own pizza party?
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