Condimentia: A guide for using condiment
Source of Recipe
submitted by Jenn from Femme
Condimentia: A guide to using gourmet sauces, oils and rubs
~*~ RUBS
Adding flavor doesn't get any simpler than using a rub – but there's a technique involved.
1. Brush meat or poultry with olive oil.
2. Sprinkle with rub.
3. Rub it in with your fingers; allow to sit for 5 minutes.
4. Cook. The rub should caramelize, but not burn.
~*~ FLAVORED VINEGARS
Flavored vinegars go places their apple cider cousin never dreamed of, from ice cream to cheese. Yes, ice cream – try vanilla with an aged balsamic vinegar or maybe fig vinegar.
• Mix a little balsamic or flavored vinegar with olive oil for a bread dip.
• Add to potato salad.
• Combine with plain mayo for a sandwich spread.
• Toss with cooked vegetables; serve warm or at room temperature.
• Cook thin onion rings in flavored vinegar; put on roasted meats.
• Sprinkle balsamic or fruit vinegars over vanilla ice cream or poundcake.
• Cook pork chops in fruit vinegar with sliced apples.
• Brush wine vinegar over sliced pearl onions before roasting.
~*~ SALSAS
It's "the great all-purpose meal starter," says W. Park Kerr of El Paso Chile Co. Salsa delivers "huge flavor but not huge fat." He tossed off a handful of ideas:
• Spike an anemic barbecue sauce with salsa.
• Mix salsa with sour cream for a dip. (This is a good way to tone down
a sauce that's too hot.) Serve it with style, in a big margarita glass, sprinkled with cilantro.
• Combine salsa with olive oil, tequila and lime juice for a marinade. Use on beef, chicken or fish.
Here are some other ideas:
• Use salsa as pasta sauce.
• Use it as a cooking sauce for chicken pieces.
~*~ 'SPREADS'
What can "spread" mean? Anything. Most spreads are packaged for bread, either plain or on a sandwich. But most spreads can go anywhere:
• Serve on grilled meat or fish.
• Use it in a roll-up or wrap.
• Swirl the spread into scrambled eggs just before they're done.
• Serve in a pita pocket with leftover grilled meats.
• Serve as part of an antipasto platter, in place of caponata.
• Serve on top of a block of softened cream cheese, with crackers.
~*~ JAMS, JELLIES AND MARMALADES
This is one of the most confusing categories. Many of the newer products, especially marmalades, aren't all that sweet. If you like pepper jelly, you'll find all kinds of combos, from raspberry-chipotle to papaya-habanero.
• Earth & Vine Provisions makes a Spicy Apple Garlic Jam (available at Cookworks) that's recommended for pork, chicken or lamb, or to swirl into melted brie; the same ideas would work for any fruit-and-chili product.
• Sylvia Varney of Fredericksburg Herb Farm showcased the company's edible-flower preserves by making sliced roll-ups with whipped cream and preserves on flatbread. You could try it with flour tortillas and fillers such as mascarpone or softened cream cheese.
• Use jams and jellies to baste ham or pork loin.
• Spread on pancakes instead of syrup.
• If the product contains peppers or other savory ingredients, use it as a sandwich spread with ham or turkey. If it seems too sweet, swirl a bit into mayonnaise, cream cheese or sour cream and use that on the
sandwich. To try: A brand just coming on the market is Tulocay's Made in Napa Valley. The company's tangerine-zinfandel "fruit condiment" is equally at home on a piece of fish or a bowl of ice cream. Tulocay has long made private-label lines for Dean & Deluca, Neiman Marcus and
others. Spokeswoman Valerie Brown says the names on the Made in Napa Valley line are purposely vague, so cooks aren't locked into one way of using a product. Example: Instead of "pasta sauce," they label theirs "savory sauce."
~*~ PESTOS
Pesto has become a generic term for any spread made of puréed herbs and veggies.
• Spread pesto on small toasts and top with herbs and a slice of goat cheese.
• Stir into mayonnaise.
• Serve on grilled fish.
• Spread on a grilled veggie sandwich.
• Stir into tomato (or other) soup.
• Mix with mashed potatoes.
• Stir into cooked pasta; add nuts and cheese.
• Stuff pesto under the skin of a chicken breast; bake.
• Use in deviled eggs.
• Spread on puff pastry and roll into a tight pinwheel. Slice and bake on cookie sheets; serve warm as an appetizer.
• Serve over scrambled eggs or as the filling in an omelet.
• Make finger sandwiches by spreading one slice of bread with cream cheese, the other with pesto.
~*~ FLAVORED SOY SAUCES
• Use to perk up plain white rice.
• Use in marinades for any kind of meat.
• Use in salad dressing.
• Mix with mayonnaise to make a dip for steamed vegetables.
Stewed Red Pork Chops:
Marinate 4 pork chops in seasoned soy sauce for 20 minutes to an hour. Finely chop 4 onions; sauté in 1/2 cup vegetable oil; simmer until tender. Add pork chops and soy to pan and cook over low heat for 60 minutes, stirring gently every 15 minutes. Serve over rice.
~*~ FLAVORED OLIVE OILS
Generally, reserve extra-virgin oil for dipping or drizzling on salads, cooked vegetables and other foods, rather than cooking.
• Spread fromage blanc (a soft, mild cheese) on slices of baguette or crackers; drizzle with ruby grapefruit olive oil.
• Drizzle lime olive oil over feta.
• Drizzle on grilled vegetables.
• Combine with soy sauce; add ginger or pepper flakes. Use to baste shrimp or salmon fillets on the grill.
• Use grapefruit olive oil on a spinach and avocado salad.
• Add to risotto.
• Toss cubed or sliced potatoes with orange olive oil, fresh sage and sea salt before roasting.
• Combine citrus olive oil with chopped fresh rosemary and soy sauce; use to marinate pork.
~*~ CITRUS OILS
Boyajian makes pure citrus oils – not just oil with a citrus flavor. They're more of a baking ingredient than a condiment. Use them sparingly, but do use them.
• Use citrus oils in place of or in addition to vanilla extract in baking.
• Add citrus flavor to buttercreams or other frostings.
• To add citrus oil to a cake recipe: Add 1/2 teaspoon citrus oil per cup of dry ingredients plus 1/4 teaspoon per cup of liquid ingredient. Try orange oil in a chocolate cake, or lemon in a poundcake.
• Use in marinades for a hint of flavor.
• Sprinkle into chicken dishes, from stir-fries to chicken piccata.
• Add lime oil and grated ginger to softened butter. Serve over cooked
fish or on muffins.
• Add tangerine oil to chocolate chip cookie dough. To try: Boyajian citrus oils (widely available in gourmet shops, but you may need to look in the baking section)
~*~ GRILLING, DIPPING AND FINISHING SAUCES
These can be interchangeable. Finishing sauces usually contain a lot of sugar, so they shouldn't go on the food until it's almost cooked, to keep from burning the sauce. Or, wait until you serve the meat and put the sauce on the side. Don't limit your dipping to cooked meats or bread. Serve the sauce with raw or cooked vegetables.
Barbecue Dolce: When grilled meats – any kind – are about 3 minutes per side short of being ready, brush them with a fruit-based sauce and return to the grill just long enough to caramelize the sauce.
~*~ SPIKED FRUITS
Some of these are savory enough to serve with meats. But if you have a sweet, liqueur-drenched fruit, dessert is a cinch.
• Serve over poundcake.
• Serve over chocolate mousse.
• Serve over brownies from a mix.
• Layer in a parfait glass with vanilla ice cream and cubes of cookie or cake.
• Stir into whipped cream and serve as a "fool" in stemmed glasses, or use as a filling between cake layers.
• Layer with pudding and cubes of poundcake; top with whipped cream.
~*~ CURDS
This is one time when you may want to just pick up a spoon and go for it. But if you don't finish the jar, here are some ideas.
• Spread on waffles or pancakes. Or make pancake pinwheels.
• Layer in a parfait glass with vanilla ice cream.
• Serve with store-bought shortbread cookies.
• Serve with angel food or poundcake.
~*~ Here are five kitchen staples that provide a base for just about any condiment your gift-giving pals throw your way.
Chicken breasts: Cook them in a sauce or ladle salsa, marmalade, mustard, pesto, flavored oil or any other savory condiment over them after they're cooked.
Pasta: Pesto, spreads and salsas make instant sauces. Or add chopped veggies and flavored olive oil.
Toasts or crackers: Serve with fruit-and-chili jams for an instant appetizer. Throw in some cream cheese, too.
Cream cheese: Mix with salsas, spreads, pestos, etc., for instant dip.
Frozen poundcake: Top individual slices with anything sweet, from chocolate sauce to spiked fruit.
MORE PESTO IDEAS
Pesto torta: Mix equal parts softened cream cheese and butter. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and layer cream cheese mixture with layers of pesto, beginning and ending with cream cheese. Refrigerate until set; unmold and serve with crackers. Use different flavors of pesto for pretty layers.
Artichoke Dip: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine a jar of Bella Cucina Artichoke Pesto (or any other flavored pesto) with 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Spoon mixture into an ovenproof casserole; sprinkle with a bit more Parmigiano. Bake for 30 minutes.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Baked Mushroom Caps: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine 1/2 cup of pesto with 2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley. Spoon into the caps of 24 medium mushrooms. Sprinkle with a little more cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
PARTY DOWN
Another way to use unopened sauces and such is to have a condiment potluck. Invite friends to bring whatever is sitting on their shelves. Provide several kinds of bread and crackers, some unusual cheeses as well as a block of cream cheese, olives and other nibbles. Then open all the bottles and jars and let guests sample.
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