Palate cleansers may sound like they belong in the bygone aristocratic days of Downton Abbey, but they are relevant on today's table. They provide a refreshing break from a course that is too spicy or too gamey.They're also a nice way of slowing down a party dinner, giving guests time to digest and relax a bit.
This mini-course came about from the Italians who named it intermezzo. Basically it's a very small plate served halfway through a meal of several courses.It's usually a light two bite affair. A true Italian one features light neutral flavors such as basil, mint or parsley. It can also be any piece of fruit, sparkling wine or a sorbet. The last is usually a liqueur, wine or fruit flavor. The French, too, enjoy palate cleansers. They have a slightly different belief about them than the Italians do. In the Gallic diet, the cleansing plate is not only to wash away any lingering strong flavors from the previous course but also to aid in digestion, avoid heartburn and stimulate the appetite for the next course. In Normandy, the French province known for their apples, apple brandy or Calvados is used. It is a strong , fiery shot called trou Normand, Palate cleansers should work with the cuisines.. They shouldn't be overpowering and leave an aftertaste of their own the next course.If it's a homemade cleanser, then be sparing with the flavorings.Don't go overboard .The taste buds only have to be refreshed , not hosed down.
What is a good palate cleanser? Sometimes it's just a glass of water, well chilled with ice. Sparkling water can also be used, usually graced with a slice of lemon or lime, Surprisingly enough tea can also be used.Try a lightly brewed green, black or mint tea with the barest of sweeteners.It can be served hot or cold, but for fall and winter feasts serve it hot and save the iced version for spring and summer meals.Celery sticks or sliced Granny Smith apples make wonderful , informal palate cleansers. Serve them on a fancy plate after the first course. A sprig of parsley can also work too. Most palate cleansers are usually sorbets. It's usually lemon, lime or mint and it's easy to make. It's just taking
one cup each of water, sugar, lemon,or lime juice for the fruit sorbets. The mint requires one packed cup of chopped mint leaves two cups of water and two and a half cups of sugar. A quarter of a cup of sweet wine is also needed.It 's simmering over a low flame and then putting the liquid into an ice cream maker . One scoop is placed in a fancy silver or glass bowl and decorated with lemon, or lime zest for the fruit sorbets. The mint sorbet usually is decorated with a curled mint leaf.
A palate cleanser is a nice way to prepare the taste buds for the next course. Make it a sorbet or a plate of celery. It will be a hit with guests who want a refreshing change of pace.
Showing posts with label Granny SMith apples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Granny SMith apples. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
A Gathered Thanksgiving Part Two
Yesterday's New York Times Food section was full of recipes from Americans all over the country. The beauty of it was that it came , from all kinds of Americans, some here for generations , some newly arrived. What binds them - and us together is the love of one's heritage and pride in family dishes. Yet these recipes can easily be served at our tables creating a brand new holiday tradition.
The families that the Times wrote about and were covered yesterday here were from all over the world. The beauty of American cuisine is that it is constantly changing, adding new ingredients and flavors.Take the Ling family of Junction City, Wisconsin. They were from Hmong, Laos and always celebrated the harvest around this time. Thanksgiving feasting fits in perfectly and seamlessly with their celebrating. They raise and slaughter their own turkeys, preparing them with Southern Asian herbs such as lemongrass and kafir lime leaves. The filling is a vermicelli egg roll filling , full of shredded carrots, cabbage and cilantro doused with a salty fish sauce. In Nashville Tennessee , one would expect traditional Southern dishes like corn bread stuffing and green bean casserole. Not so with the Tayyar family who emigrated from Dohuk in Northern Iran. They will serve the Kurdish eprax, a carefully layered casserole of grape leaves along with stuffed cabbage, tomatoes squash and potatoes.,nsted of turkey there will be a row of lamb chops down the center of the eprax.There will also be chicken and turnip greens too, as they eat the traditional feast on a rug spread out on the floor.
Jamaican food is not normally considered Thanksgiving food yet Francine Turone uses the cuisine's spices for her turkey, The island born home chef brines the bird with a mix of cinnamon, cloves, allspice and juniper berries along with slipping clarified butter under the skin. She also serves a roast goat leg along with rice and peas in coconut oil. They celebrate her Milanese born husband Giacomo's culinary heritage. with tortellini in brodo or broth. Some recipes are handed down such as Debbie Himmler from the German influenced city of Cincinnati. Her oma's or grandmother' s rotkraut or homemade red cabbage is a family recipe from southwestern Germany.,a mix of shredded cabbage cooked with red wine and tart Granny Smith apples. Maren Waxenberg' s Scandinavian heritage shines through when she used to have gravlax and herring before the Thanksgiving meal.She continues on with blotcake for dessert. This is a sponge cake with whip cream and berries. Italians keep recipes through centuries and generations and the Conte family of Wall, New Jersey is no different. They make a fluffy spinach -mushroom stuffing instead of the usual bread stuffing. Their potatoes aren't mashed, rather roasted in olive oil and garlic They end not with pie but ith fennel and oranges dusted with salt and pepper.
America is a big kitchen ,full of recipes new and old. This was never more evident in yesterday's New York Times Food section. It is full of dishes, both sweet and savory that reflect our many different, cultures and backgrounds,nationalities and heritage.
The families that the Times wrote about and were covered yesterday here were from all over the world. The beauty of American cuisine is that it is constantly changing, adding new ingredients and flavors.Take the Ling family of Junction City, Wisconsin. They were from Hmong, Laos and always celebrated the harvest around this time. Thanksgiving feasting fits in perfectly and seamlessly with their celebrating. They raise and slaughter their own turkeys, preparing them with Southern Asian herbs such as lemongrass and kafir lime leaves. The filling is a vermicelli egg roll filling , full of shredded carrots, cabbage and cilantro doused with a salty fish sauce. In Nashville Tennessee , one would expect traditional Southern dishes like corn bread stuffing and green bean casserole. Not so with the Tayyar family who emigrated from Dohuk in Northern Iran. They will serve the Kurdish eprax, a carefully layered casserole of grape leaves along with stuffed cabbage, tomatoes squash and potatoes.,nsted of turkey there will be a row of lamb chops down the center of the eprax.There will also be chicken and turnip greens too, as they eat the traditional feast on a rug spread out on the floor.
Jamaican food is not normally considered Thanksgiving food yet Francine Turone uses the cuisine's spices for her turkey, The island born home chef brines the bird with a mix of cinnamon, cloves, allspice and juniper berries along with slipping clarified butter under the skin. She also serves a roast goat leg along with rice and peas in coconut oil. They celebrate her Milanese born husband Giacomo's culinary heritage. with tortellini in brodo or broth. Some recipes are handed down such as Debbie Himmler from the German influenced city of Cincinnati. Her oma's or grandmother' s rotkraut or homemade red cabbage is a family recipe from southwestern Germany.,a mix of shredded cabbage cooked with red wine and tart Granny Smith apples. Maren Waxenberg' s Scandinavian heritage shines through when she used to have gravlax and herring before the Thanksgiving meal.She continues on with blotcake for dessert. This is a sponge cake with whip cream and berries. Italians keep recipes through centuries and generations and the Conte family of Wall, New Jersey is no different. They make a fluffy spinach -mushroom stuffing instead of the usual bread stuffing. Their potatoes aren't mashed, rather roasted in olive oil and garlic They end not with pie but ith fennel and oranges dusted with salt and pepper.
America is a big kitchen ,full of recipes new and old. This was never more evident in yesterday's New York Times Food section. It is full of dishes, both sweet and savory that reflect our many different, cultures and backgrounds,nationalities and heritage.
Monday, June 6, 2016
The Ultimate Bacon Cookbook
Bacon lovers are a rare breed. Their lives revolve those mouthwatering cured strips and will do anything to incorporate it into their diets. Luckily, here is a great new cookbook out there with all sorts of savory and sweet recipes that feature bacon.
101 More Things To Do With Bacon (Gibbs-Smith Publishing} is a fun cookbook and a great Father's Day gift for those bacon loving paters. The book was written Eliza Cross, who has penned several of these little cookbooks featuring such diverse ingredients as pickles and beer.She is also a bacon lover and the founder of BENSA, the bacon enthusiast society. It is a slim cookbook (122 pages) but chock full of interesting recipes from breakfast to candy(!). She also includes two pages of helpful hints that help in cooking it. Home cooks will appreciate such facts as nitrate free bacon is sometimes saltier than regular bacon due to processing. She recommends adjusting the salt accordingly if using nitrate free slices. There is more advice regarding artisanal bacon, now a standard in some kitchens and being made by many adventurous home chefs.Also sweet flavored bacon, such as the ones flavored with apple cider, brown sugar or maple syrup may cook up faster than the regular kind and could burn quicker There are also tips on freezing and microwaving it as well as what to do with bacon grease. She gives smart advice on disposing it - never pour the down the sink.It solidifies quick and creates clogs. Instead put in into a can and dispose of it through the garbage. Bacon fat can also be reused in several recipes too and used to fry up hotcakes.
Bacon recipes are fun and these are no exception. The book is divided into different chapters, from breakfast - of course - to desserts. The breakfast ones are not what you would think, There are some truly original ones such as apple bacon strata, a layered breakfast casserole that features Granny Smith apples and pecans and the jalapeno bacon popper quiche, an egg pie loaded with heavy cream and cheese along with the strips and peppers. The appetizers are also varied . There is slow cooker bacon cheeseburger dip that not only uses a pound (!) of it but also a pound of lean ground beef for a fun and flavorful dip.Bacon batons are a neat way to start a party. These are spiced and sugar bacon strips wrapped around the thin Torinese breadsticks, or grissini, Bacon is also a fine addition to soups and Ms. Cross does add it to tomato bisque along to a wild rice and chicken chowder.. Bacon cheeseburger makes it way into soup with a dash of beer.There are also a chapter on salads, from macaroni to potato along with a chapter on sandwiches. Try the bacon cheese melts instead of the usual grilled cheese or the bacon cheese dogs.for a fun barbecue treat. The strips also make their way into such sides as bacon asparagus saute and bacon and mushroom dressing. Bacon is a wonderful addition to any main meal and compliments the flavor of other meats, poultry and seafood. There's even a BLT pasts with it and arugula gracing bowtie pasta. Bacon in dessert is also wonderful. There is the yummy man candy that also has dark beer as well as a bacon maple fudge. Try the bacon bread pudding with vanillas sauce.
101 More Things To Do With Bacon is a fun cookbook, perfect for any bacon lover. It is a fun mix of sweet and savory recipes.. Get it today to get more joy out of those cured strips of heaven.
,he books comes out in August but you can preorder it and others on Amazon.
101 More Things To Do With Bacon (Gibbs-Smith Publishing} is a fun cookbook and a great Father's Day gift for those bacon loving paters. The book was written Eliza Cross, who has penned several of these little cookbooks featuring such diverse ingredients as pickles and beer.She is also a bacon lover and the founder of BENSA, the bacon enthusiast society. It is a slim cookbook (122 pages) but chock full of interesting recipes from breakfast to candy(!). She also includes two pages of helpful hints that help in cooking it. Home cooks will appreciate such facts as nitrate free bacon is sometimes saltier than regular bacon due to processing. She recommends adjusting the salt accordingly if using nitrate free slices. There is more advice regarding artisanal bacon, now a standard in some kitchens and being made by many adventurous home chefs.Also sweet flavored bacon, such as the ones flavored with apple cider, brown sugar or maple syrup may cook up faster than the regular kind and could burn quicker There are also tips on freezing and microwaving it as well as what to do with bacon grease. She gives smart advice on disposing it - never pour the down the sink.It solidifies quick and creates clogs. Instead put in into a can and dispose of it through the garbage. Bacon fat can also be reused in several recipes too and used to fry up hotcakes.
Bacon recipes are fun and these are no exception. The book is divided into different chapters, from breakfast - of course - to desserts. The breakfast ones are not what you would think, There are some truly original ones such as apple bacon strata, a layered breakfast casserole that features Granny Smith apples and pecans and the jalapeno bacon popper quiche, an egg pie loaded with heavy cream and cheese along with the strips and peppers. The appetizers are also varied . There is slow cooker bacon cheeseburger dip that not only uses a pound (!) of it but also a pound of lean ground beef for a fun and flavorful dip.Bacon batons are a neat way to start a party. These are spiced and sugar bacon strips wrapped around the thin Torinese breadsticks, or grissini, Bacon is also a fine addition to soups and Ms. Cross does add it to tomato bisque along to a wild rice and chicken chowder.. Bacon cheeseburger makes it way into soup with a dash of beer.There are also a chapter on salads, from macaroni to potato along with a chapter on sandwiches. Try the bacon cheese melts instead of the usual grilled cheese or the bacon cheese dogs.for a fun barbecue treat. The strips also make their way into such sides as bacon asparagus saute and bacon and mushroom dressing. Bacon is a wonderful addition to any main meal and compliments the flavor of other meats, poultry and seafood. There's even a BLT pasts with it and arugula gracing bowtie pasta. Bacon in dessert is also wonderful. There is the yummy man candy that also has dark beer as well as a bacon maple fudge. Try the bacon bread pudding with vanillas sauce.
101 More Things To Do With Bacon is a fun cookbook, perfect for any bacon lover. It is a fun mix of sweet and savory recipes.. Get it today to get more joy out of those cured strips of heaven.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
