The Cold Salad Debate

 It;s picnic an d barbecue time. Home chefs will be debating what sides to make. There's always  a debate. Which works best? A traditional greens based?Beans - but what kind?Potato or macaroni? WHat works the best?

Some may think a green salad would be too fancy for any outdoor do. Not so? A You can make a Ceasar salad using fresh chicken or  shrimp from the grill. A plain green salad with just tomatoes and buttery Bibb lettuce is a great accompaniment to  hamburgers and hot dogs.It's also a a great side for a simple green steak. Keep in mind that that other veggies on their own make a great salad. Tomatoes in just olive oil and sprinkled with oregano and seasonings is a perfect side to any picnic or barbecue meal. Sliced beet salad is a very delicious side, especially with a vinaigrette. The same goes for string beans and broccoli. Broccoli salad can be done with  just oil and vinegar but it can also work with mayo and diced ham. Of course there is also bean salad. Three bean is the classic all home chefs turn to.This consists of cannellini , kidney and garbanzo beans but any combo will do. Even a chickpea and tomato salad is a great outdoor meal side.

The gold standard for any picnic ro barbecue is potato. Many feel it's not a barbecue without it. A classic recipe that also has chopped hard boiled eggs,  mayo , and chopped onions and celery. However unlike other salads, potatoes salads can be too watery , too bland, too much , too salty and too soggy. It should be made with care. It starts with cooking the potatoes until they;re tender - not mushy. Coo l then completely and use a cool temperature dressing. If using vinaigrette chill it in the fridge for a good half hour before using.If it;s too bland add interesting ingredients like dill or capers. This ratchets the flavor upa few notches. Too salty? Add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Macaroni salad may be a better choice if you're pressed for time. It;s an easy boil and then adding a dressing plus extras.What pasta is the best? Many go for the elbow shaped macaroni but fusilli is a better choice. It holds the dressing and imparts more flavor . Also extra also make a macaroni salad. Minced pepperoni or salami is a great add in as is chopped broccoli and tomatoes.

WHat salad should you make for your picnic or barbecue? Any one you'd like.It just has to be one that';s tasty and goes with what you';re serving.

The Flavor Star

How do chefs get the flavors right? How do they balance sweet with sour? Or add a dash of unami in a dish? They may have help - not just from the spice rack but also from the flavor star. It's appropriately named because for many chefs and home chefs it's their guiding North Star.

The Flavor Star is a chart showing the five flavors - salty, sweet, bitter, sour and unami, that savory taste usually associated with meats. namely steak.Using the chart can help in leveling a recipe's complex array of flavors , along with improving a dish's taste.Flavors can enhance each other. For example add a dash of salty to sweet and you've got a sensation. Home bakers for centuries have known that a pinch of salt brings out a cake's sweetness, Ramp that up a notch - add a dash of sea salt to chocolate chip dough or caramel and their sweetness plus other flavors such as chocolate and butter intensify. Here's an experiment you can try that exemplifies it. Take a heaping teaspoon of a caramel, topping - Smuckers is the best - and sprinkle some small nuggets of sea salt on top. Now eat the whole dollop, Yes, you do taste the salt, it's the first thing that hits you  - but you also taste the sugar and cream as if for the first time. Another example is the addition of something sweet to a salty tomato sauce.Without sugar, honey, or even carrot slices, the salt might be too tangy and even unpalatable.With the sweeteners, the sauce  is mellowed, savory without any lingering harshness of flavor.

You can download and print out the chart if you want. It's easy to remember what to do. If a savory broth  is too blah or bland, then give the dish a dash of soy sauce or miso. Anchovy paste is both unami and salty It is wonderful on steak (as any Piedmontese chef will tell you) . It brings out the meat's rich mineral flavor. It also brings out the flavor of vegetables, such as Savoy cabbage and Swiss chard. For a tasty sauce for these and even London Broil, make bagna calda, a Piedmontese "hot bath" primarily made of anchovy fillets., butter, olive oil, and garlic. The food's flavor will be the best you've ever had and you'll wonder why you didn't try this sauce before. As for foods being too bitter, a dash of sweetness helps. Even vinegar such as balsamic and apple cider can cut a savory dish's sour taste. You can also stir in a drop of maple syrup or dark honey too. If you don't have those then ketchup or barbecue sauce will do. Sour balances out spice and sweetness. If a dish is just too hot them  flick a teaspoon of sour cream or yogurt on top of it. As we all know spicy also helps both sour bland and even sweet bland. A chocolate cake with a kick of chili pepper makes for an exciting dessert. It just using the flavor star for a memorable bite.

 Make the Flavor Star your North Star. Use it to create memorable meals, desserts, and treats.  They'll be remembered for their incredible tastes.

Easy Meals For The Pre Holidays

The pre-holiday time can be crazy. It's a time of non-stop shopping or house cleaning. It's when  you're too tired to even chew, let alone cook. What to do?

I'll be honest I head to Acme or Stop and Shop.It's just easier. Look at what I got at my local Acme today.

It's their brand of gravy which tastes exactly like homemade.I paired it with their fresh from the bird slices of turkey

The meat was tender and juicy ,with a nice salty, crisp skin attached ,  tasting as if it came out of my new oven itself. I paired the two over slices of Pepperidge Farm sandwich bread.Yummmy!!!

A Rare Grape A New Wine

Is it possible for a wine to be new and salty? Surprisingly yes.There's a different kind of wine hitting oenophile's palates this summer and it's far from the other traditional whites.

Eric Asimov wrote about this refreshing change of pace in his Pour column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. He interviewed wine maker Salvo Foti at his vineyard located in the shadow of the famed Mt. Etna. He grows the rare carricante grapes that have been part of the Sicilian landscape  for millennia. They grow well  in the spongy volcanic soil. that's constantly soaked by endless rainstorms. In fact the Italian bureaucrats have recognized the area's affinity for the variety. In fact the brand Etna Bianco Superiore with 80 percent carricante can only come from the town,The flavor is unique because it has a certain salinity or saltiness Yet they can also be herbal and citrus tasting with a great minerality.. The wines are high in acidity and low in alcohol. They're different from the usual Sicilian whites, such as catarrato which can be bland tasting and low in acidity. Grillo and inzolia grapes can also be used for white wine however winemakers prefer using them for making the vastly popular  sweet, red Marsalas.American winemakers are taking notice of the grape. Californian winemaker, Kevin Harvey of Rhys Vineyards of the Santa Cruz Mountains is interested in growing the  variety.

Mr. Asimov suggests trying other carricante whites. They're not as rich , deep or complex as the Etna Bianco Superiore however they are cheaper ($20 to the other's $50) There is Tenuta delle Terre Nere which is only sixty-five percent carricante blended with four other grapes for a nice alternative.Like the better one, it does taste of herbs and citrus, and is both fresh and refreshing. There is the Outis  made by wine maker, Ciro Biondi whose vineyards are on the island's warmer southeast section,It is fresh and energetic with a fresh, lemony taste. There is also the 2014 vintage single vineyard Chianta Bianco that has a scent like a big basket of flowers. Another carricante based wine is Vigna de Milo which comes from outside the Etna region (and is also made by Signore Foti. Mr. Asimov declared it almost oceanic with great salinity and minerality. There is also Alberto Aiello  Graci's carricante, coming from north Etna which is seventy per cent and has a flavor that's herbal, mineral and sublime.  Carricante wines will probably be more and more popular here in the States as Californian wineries  start growing them,  I can see their novelty appealing to many American oenophiles , thanks to the novel salty taste.

Carricante wine is a different and refreshing alternative to the usual white wine. Try it chilled, this summer. Sip and pretend you're on a Sicilian beach , enjoying the breezes off the Mediterrenean

Edam Good Cheese

The holidays bring those ubiquitous wine and cheese parties. The question is what makes a good cocktail hour cheese? It could be Brie but that can get too runny and messy at times. Any of the Italian cheeses can have a sharp bite which can almost ruin taste buds. The best bet is the mild Edam, a wonderful cheese that can be sliced or cubed. It is a perfect accompaniment for breads and crackers and is also good on its' own.

Edam cheese originated in Holland and probably started in the 14th Century. It was a good cheese for traveling and made its way to the New World during the era of exploration. I t sis still popular in the US, Canada and the Nordic counties. Edam is also liked because it's one of the lower calorie cheese , being made with skimmed milk. It's lower in calories than its' cousin the Gouda cheese.If you;re looking for it in your local cheese shop, look for wedge with the black wax rind around it as opposed to the usual red. Edam cheese has a mild, slightly nutty and salty flavor. It won't over power the foods that it is served with

How to serve Edam? I usually like mine of pretzel flats. These are a type of cracker that have a baked pretzel exterior. They work perfectly with the Edam's mild taste . I also like the cheese thinly cut on brown bread. It makes a wonderful sandwich at parties .It's also is light and doesn't leave that heavy feeling that some other cheeses leave.

This holiday season , think of serving Edam cheese with your white wines and champagnes. Its' the perfect partner , allowing other tastes to be spotlighted. Its' mild , nutty flavor is subtle and doesn't go harshly with the stronger flavors of the season.