French Appetizers A Book Of Treats

Appetizers are usually the best part of a party or a meal. They're fun bites full of flavor. Even better are French ones, ripe with sophisticated flavors and ingredients. Now there's a new cookbook chock full of amuse bouches that will make any gathering a special event.

French Appetizers (Gibbs Smith Publishing 2019) was written by Marie Asselin, a famous food writer from Quebec who created the multi award winning  blogger Food Nouveau and author of Simply Citrus. In this latest book, she devotes all the recipes to apero,  a kind of gathering where bites and aperitifs are served.It's a French and French  Canadian gathering that translates into cocktails here in the States.It is an amazing book, with beautiful photographs by award winning food photographer Catherine Cote.It is divided into seven sections  such as Basics and Condiments , Breads, Sandwiches and Toasts and ends with Drinks. The book starts out with menu ideas.Ms. Asselin  has them listed from quick and easy which is a mix of homemade and store bought to the luxurious which can be made for birthdays, anniversaries and New Year's Eve. There's also a vegetarian version and dairy free one.There's even one for a park or beach apero as well as one for a large crowd. There is also good advice for planning a stress free apero with ideas as making recipes before hand and then freezing them, along with asking guests to help and always keeping staples on hand. The most important is planning and prepping ahead to allow for the most minimum work in the kitchen. After all, an apero is all about not just enjoying the food but also time spent with guests.

The recipes are amazing. Readers , especially Francophiles, will feel like kids in a candy store with this book. I love it. There's about two dozen recipes I am longing to try. There is a recipe for three kinds of tapenade, one with za'atar and green olives, along with black olive and lemon and sun dried tomato and basil. This is an easy recipe that anyone can make and serve on rounds of toasted French bread.The chicken and olive meatballs are another must try, as they would make excellent bites.She also takes traditionally sweet recipes and turns them into savory ones. Sweet buttery madeleines turn into a cheesy treat when Parmesan cheese and Tapenade replaces sugar. Another cookie  turned into a cracker is palmieres, those puffy puff pastry treats. Herbs, cheese and classic pistou, a tomato-y pesto.
Ms. Asselin's recipes aren't all French. There are also hummus and falafel recipes too,perfect with her savory shortbread sable cookies. A well rounded apero also has vegetables too and there are some mouth watering ones.Radish lovers will adore the veggie sauteed in bourbon and butter while vegans will go wild for eggplant caviar. There are also soup recipe such as the velvety cauliflower and apple veloute - a nice break from the nibbles. All aperos have a sweet ending and there are recipes for clafoutis bars and salted butter caramels. The drink recipes are for simple syrup and a kir cocktail.

French Appetizers is the must have book for hosts wanting to have this kind of get together. The recipes are delicious and varied. Perfect for the perfect apero.

The Fun Side Of Fermentation

Probiotics is the new buzzword in home cooking these days. Home chefs are discovering that fermenting has a variety of pluses for the body as well as giving a unique flavors to food and drink. Now fermenting is simple to do , thanks to a brand new cookbook that shows how easy it is.

Kombucha, Kefir And Beyond (Far Winds Press 2018) is a fun and informative book written by Alex Lewin and Raquel Guajardo..  Mr/Lewin is  graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and The Institute For Integrative Nutrition, He teaches fermentation classes and workshops while Ms. Guajardo, also a graduate of second school runs a cooking school in Monterey , Mexico, with a specialization in fermentation.She started her own brand of kombucha and fermented vegetables which can be found in stores in several Mexican cities. The book begins with a full description of fermentation and why we need it. The authors delve into the history of it , and how it came about  - from our earliest days  as "drunken monkeys." They also provide the history of fermentation and its' many benefits and how it can improve your life and your health. A huge plus of the book is the guide to the tools needed for fermentation. They go into great detail about what bottles  and jars are needed for storage (luckily cider and beer bottles and their caps can be repurposed for this).There is a special page explaining kombucha supplies along with detailed pages regarding safety and sanitation.They also tell what kind of soap to buy - namely low residue , unscented dish soap.There are also pages  devoted to fermentations most basic ingredients  water and sugar.

The recipes are exciting to try. Mr. Lewin and Ms. Guajardo start off with easy recipes that novice fermenters can test out. There's the Indian  lassi that can be made savory , sweet or just plain. There's the salty fermented lemonade that can also be made with lime for a refreshing and all natural sports drink. Home fermenters will love a recipe for the cute sounding ginger bug that is responsible for ginger ale and ginger beer.Raw ginger provides an excellent substrate for the growth of lactic aid bacteria. Yogurt lovers will enjoy the recipes for kefir and yogurt.The chapters become more advanced with kombucha and its' honey based cousin, jun.A really interesting chapter is vegetable drinks. There's a beet kvass made from the brine of fermented beets. Best of all it can easily be made in a Mason jar. There is also a radish  brine , a fascinating mix of cabbages , radishes and such spices as cinnamon , and peppercorns with a dash of oak leaves.For those who love soda, there are recipes for the all natural ones that have the same amount of fizz and flavor without the health risks. Some are reflective of Ms. Guajardo indigenous Mexican roots. There is hibiscus soda made with just dried hibiscus flowers, sugar and filtered water and a homemade grape soda.  There is also a chapter dedicated to pre-Spanish recipes such as pulche , a precursor of beer and the pineapple based drink tepache.Home brewers will get a kick and a buzz out of the beer wine and even hooch recipes along with ones for fermented cocktails!

Kombucha , Kefir And Beyond  is a fascinating trip into the world of fermentation. It's also an easy guide into creating tasty and nutritious drinks that are a plus to any diet. Buy the book, try the recipes and get ready for the benefits of probiotics.

Chopped Salad Fad Or Fixture

One of the hottest trends in food right now is something so cool, the chopped salad.It seems it's everywhere, from the Target snack bar to grocery store produce aisles. This tasty concoction comes right in time for the hot weather.It's a fun snap to make and easy to eat, especially on a hot day.

The origins of this versatile dish comes from around Cherry Hill , New Jersey and across the river , Philadelphia. John Scardapane came up with the idea.It's mostly an East Coast favorite, being gobbled up by millennials from Washington D.C. to New York. Many eatries, including the drugstore, Duane Reade even serve it. Home chefs can make it at home,.It's a simple     recipe. Start with a base .You can use romaine hearts or any kind of cabbage but you can also start with kale romaine and even ice berg lettuce. If you're having a big crowd over , then get a whole head of lettuce or cabbage because  chopped pieces mean a lot of pieces.However if you're making the salad for just the family, then use Dole's Chopped Salad Blends.Some are just plain mixes without dressings and extrashe company also sells whole salad kits that comes with dressing packets, almonds and sesame seeds along onions and carrots.My favorite are just the bags of    chopped salad.This allows freedom to add whatever into the salad bowl.

What can be put into a chopped salad? That's up to you and your tastes. You can chop up some plum tomatoes for color as well as the various peppers for color and nutrition.Broccoli is a nice addition and it chops up  nicely as does celery which is the perfect veggie for this. It also lends crispness and freshness. For more crunch and color chop some radishes and toss them in too.Avocados  can also be added in , but don't chop,instead slice wafer thin. Protein is usually added  in the form of grilled chicken,steak or shrimp. Flaked tuna or salmon can also be used, especially if you're making a Nicoise inspired salad  Chopping these require a  triple bladed mezzaluna knife however a regular one can do the trick as well.Dressings , again , are up to the home chef. A simple red wine vinaigrette works with a steak or chicken salad however you can also try anything else. Ranch is excellent with a chicken or even turkey based salad. A spicy, smoke infused dressing would be perfect for a  steak one     .Top it off with  crunchy, whether Asian noodles or any kind of nuts.Double fried croutons also would be yummy gracing any chopped salad.

Chopped salad is a fad that is fast becoming a fixture and why not. It's a snap to make and fun to create. Make a delicious version for lunch or dinner  and enjoy the perfect blends of taste  and texture, coolness and crunch.

Winter Pickles

Pickling is usually a summer activity. It's an easy way to deal with extra veggies , especially with all kinds of cucumbers. However you can also pickle in the winter too, with root veggies . It  creates not only an interesting side but also a fun and different appetizer at parties too.

It was the subject of an article(and a really great informative video) in today's New York Times Dining section,Melissa Clark of A Good Appetite took radishes, the traditional kind and a cool melon looking one Radishes make the best pickles during this time of year because they're watery and are able to absorb the juices. She then sliced them and pickled them in an interesting Korean influenced brine.The added hot flakes gave it more zing than a usual kind.

This is an easy recipe for anyone .You can be more truer to form and add some anchovies or Korean fish sauce.vegans can leave that out and rely on the hot pepper  for extra flavor.Without the sauce it;s basically a dry brine with the  radishes tossed and then "marinated" in diced garlic and ginger.the pepper has to be flakes ,Using powdered may give you very fiery kind of pickles and may make for some dangerous eating For a hint of citrus , Ms. Clark added a bruised lemon grass stalk but you can also added kaffir lime leaves too.

This may not be the time for fresh pickles yet if you want them ,make them.This pickled radish recipe is the perfect one for pickle lovers as well as for those who want to liven up their late winter meals.These are easy to make and easy to love, thanks to their fire and and spice.

Crossing Cruciferous Veggies

By now everyone should know what cruciferous vegetables are.Well , hopefully, because they are crucial to good health and a good diet. Not only that they're the most common and delicious. Best of all cruciferous veggies are also versatile too.

Cruciferous veggies include cabbage,cauliflower, cress, bok choi and broccoli. The name Cruciferous comes from the New Latin meaning cross. All cruciferous vegetables get the name from the shape of their flowers which are cross shaped.The veggies  are high in vitamin C and soluble fibers along with containing phytochemicals that reduce the risk of cancer. These types of greens can have a variety of tastes from the mild sweetness of cabbage to the sharp eye watering bite of wasabi and radishes. Another good aspect of them is that there are twenty five types which can be made a variety of ways.

What to do with cruciferous vegetables? A cook or chef can literally make anything with them. Watercress is part of this family  and it can be made into delicate tea sandwiches using whole wheat bread and homemade mayo. Cabbage is good stuffed or in soups as well as shredded in a tangy salad. Cauliflower is great as a dipper for healthy dips or in a turmeric laced soup. Use bok choi for stir fries or for chow meins. Put a few radishes in a salad for color and use wasabi as an eye opening jolt to sushi.Even mustard seeds , another cruciferous veggie can be used in flavoring  for any dish.

Incorporate more of these healthy veggies into your diet. They'll not only make life better but varied. Try all the different types in a slew of recipes. They're tasty and good!