Shelf stable food product and mix kit

Abstract

A pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of at least one first food product having a defined shape and a second food product in dried powder form intended to be reconstituted with a liquid, and stored without refrigeration with the two food products after reconstitution of the second product to be utilized together, is enclosed in an air-tight sealed container which supports the first food product and encloses the second food product in a flexible sealed package within the container. The second food product in dried powder form comprises milk fractions, preferably selected from the group consisting of milk, whey, curd, cream, sweat cream and mixtures thereof, and is intended as a filler for the first food product which may be baked or cooked food products, such as cannoli shells, hollow pasta products, such as manicotti, pastries, such as lady fingers, to form dessert items such as cannoli, tiramisu and the like, or food entrees such as manicotti, lasagna, and the like.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of at least one of a first food product having a defined shape and a second food product in dried powder form intended to be reconstituted with a liquid, the mix kit intended to be stored without refrigeration and the second food product intended to be utilized with the first food product after being reconstituted with liquid, comprising: 
 an air-tight sealed container enclosing said first food product and said second food product, said container comprising:    a bottom portion defining an upwardly open area,    a plurality of side portions extending upwardly from the perimeter of said bottom portion, and    a removable top portion enclosing said first and second food products;    said first food product being supported by said container so as to retain its shape during storage and handling of said container;    and said second food product being enclosed in a flexible sealed package positioned within said container.    
     
     
         2 . The mix kit of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom and sides of said container are integral and formed of a transparent durable plastic material.  
     
     
         3 . The mix kit of  claim 1 , wherein said container includes at least one other side panel extending across at least a portion of the interior of the container thereby dividing the interior of the container into a plurality of sections.  
     
     
         4 . The mix kit of  claim 1 , wherein the removable top portion comprises a flexible cover of a transparent film.  
     
     
         5 . The mix kit of  claim 4 , wherein the removable top portion comprises a film selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         6 . The mix kit of  claim 1 , wherein the removable top portion comprises a flexible cover of an opaque film.  
     
     
         7 . A food product in dried powder form intended to be reconstituted with liquid, intended to be packaged with a second food product having a defined shape and to be stored therewith without refrigeration, and intended to be utilized with said second food product after being reconstituted with liquid, said food product in dried powder form comprising a dried cheese filler mix comprising: 
 at least one milk fraction which has been dried.    
     
     
         8 . The food product in dried powder form of  claim 7 , wherein the dried cheese filler mix comprises a plurality of milk fractions selected from the group consisting of milk, whey, curd, cream, sweet cream and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         9 . The food product in dried powder form of  claim 8 , wherein the dried cheese filler mix comprises a mixture of whey and sweet cream, and further comprises food starch, citric acid and flavoring.  
     
     
         10 . The food product in dried powder form of  claim 9 , wherein the flavoring comprises a sweetener selected from the group consisting of sugar and artificial sweeteners.  
     
     
         11 . The food product in dried powder form of  claim 8 , wherein the flavoring comprises chocolate flavoring.  
     
     
         12 . The food product in dried powder form of  claim 11 , wherein the chocolate flavoring is selected from the group consisting of white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, chocolate morsels, cocoa and chocolate substitutes.  
     
     
         13 . The food product of  claim 7 , wherein the dried cheese filler mix comprises from about 42% to about 72% by weight of the total weight of the mix of dried ricotta cheese mix and from 14% to about 44% by weight of the total weight of the mix of a sweetener selected from the group consisting of sugar and artificial sweeteners.  
     
     
         14 . The food product of  claim 13 , wherein the dried cheese filler mix further comprises from about 4% to about 24% by weight of the total weight of the mix of chocolate flavoring selected from the group consisting of white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, chocolate morsels, cocoa and chocolate substitutes.  
     
     
         15 . The food product of  claim 7 , wherein the dried cheese filler mix comprises from about 52% to about 62% by weight of the total weight of the mix of dried ricotta cheese mix and from about 24% to about 34% by weight of the total weight of the mix of a sweetener selected from the group consisting of sugar and artificial sweeteners.  
     
     
         16 . The food product of  claim 15 , wherein the dried cheese filler mix further comprises from about 10% to about 18% by weight of the total weight of the mix of chocolate flavoring selected from the group consisting of white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, chocolate morsels, cocoa and chocolate substitutes.  
     
     
         17 . The food product of  claim 7 , wherein the dried cheese filler mix comprises about 57% by weight of the total weight of the mix of dried reduced fat ricotta cheese mix, about 29% by weight of the total weight of the mix of a sweetener selected from the group consisting of sugar and artificial sweeteners, and about 14% by weight of the total weight of the mix of chocolate flavoring selected from the group consisting of white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, chocolate morsels, cocoa and chocolate substitutes.  
     
     
         18 . The pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of  claim 1 , wherein the first food product is a baked food product having a defined shaped.  
     
     
         19 . The pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of  claim 18 , wherein the first food product is a cannoli shell.  
     
     
         20 . The pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of  claim 1 , wherein the first food product is a pastry.  
     
     
         21 . The pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of  claim 20 , wherein the first food product is a lady finger.  
     
     
         22 . The pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of  claim 1 , wherein the first food product is a cooked food product having a defined shaped.  
     
     
         23 . The pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of  claim 22 , wherein the first food product is a hollow pasta product.  
     
     
         24 . The pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of  claim 23 , wherein the first food product is a manicotti noodle.  
     
     
         25 . The pre-packaged shelf stable food product mix kit of  claim 1 , wherein the first food product is a plurality of lady fingers and the second food product is a dried tiramisu filler mix.