Do you sprinkle Parmesan on pasta? Float croutons in your
soup? Here’s how to take those finishing touches to the next level—to enhance
and sometimes even surprise.
Making a grilled cheese sandwich with a spread made from an
herb flavored cream cheese will make a new taste you will wonder how you lived
without.
I think I began considering these items when I started taking
photographs of my completed dishes to put with recipes on the internet, but if
you make it look pretty you can also it taste pretty.
Using the adage of opposites attract you can come up with
several ideas to place on a dish, layering a contract like a salty with a sweet
or crunchy with a soft or even a neutral with an acid are great examples.
So instead of using croutons on a salad to add a crunchy
punch, try healthy nuts like sunflower seeds, almonds or walnuts. Sprinkle some cinnamon granola on your squash
soup or even some pumpkin seeds. Check out some other ways to flavor build with
Cinnamon here.
A squeeze of lemon or a pinch of citrus zest will brighten
the flavors in soups and rich sauces. Float a lemon wheel in a bowl of chicken
soup or add lemon, lime, and orange zest to traditional risotto. I also suggest
a sprig of lemon balm whose
bright green color will brighten up any dish.
Choosing dried fruits will add some intense sweetness and a
different texture. You can add them to
salad, trail mix or steamed vegetables.
Cheese is another component you can add, but less is
more. A few crumbles of blue cheese has
a lot of impact when sprinkled on a perfectly seared steak. When using cheese try a pungent with a softer
flavor or a soft light cheese with something that is more pungent. You know you love gruyere or Fontina or even mozzarella
melted on French Onion Soup.
And of course not mention of additions or garnishes would be
complete without talking about using herbs.
Way beyond Parsley on the side of the plate, remember that herb flavors
are lost during cooking, so adding a fresh herb after the dish is finished
brings a brighter more powerful flavor and a splash of color.
If you make pesto, try
adding it to something besides pasta. Stir
it into soup, or dab on top of steamed vegetables. Fresh herbs sparingly added to salad will
bring a bright flavor dimension to your salad and your dressing. Basil, Mint,
and chives are all perfect in a fresh salad.
Making an herbal butter is also a way to add herbs easily. I love herb butter on vegetables, stirred
into noodles as a side dish and added to toast or sandwiches. To see some herb butter suggestions, see this
previous blog post.
You know the adage that food made by someone else is
tastier, well this comes from you becoming nose blind to the scents when
preparing the food yourself. Adding herbs
or other scented items at the end before serving will give your nose a wake-up
and make the food you make taste even better.
No comments:
Post a Comment