I’ve mentioned how I plan my personal meals around condiments, and I’m not exaggerating! In fact, a condiment will inspire a whole meal for me. I guess it’s no different than a BBQ lover who sees BBQ sauce and immediately wants brisket, beans, and cole slaw.
Basic condiments like home-made aioli, mustards and ketchups are wonderful, but so are romesco, chimichurri, charmoula, persillade, harissa, chutney, and confit. So many condiments, so little time!
Recently I came across another sauce – Sauce Vierge – that is almost like a marriage of a fresh tomato salsa and persillade, loosely speaking.
I got excited when I read about the sauce, which includes tomato, lemon juice, and fresh herbs, because it’s a perfect sauce to make in the summer. And it’s summer!
Peel and seed the tomatoes, then roughly chop and place in a medium bowl.
Add the oil, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, and coriander.
Then add the fresh herbs. I used chives, basil, tarragon, thyme, and rosemary.
Cover the bowl, and leave to sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning, remove the cloves of garlic, and serve warm or room temperature.
To use the sauce, I grilled tilapia, and served the sauce at room temperature.
I wanted the sauce ingredients to really stand out.
I served the tilapia with boiled potatoes, on which I drizzled some of the herby oil. You can tell I’m not scared of a plate of olive oil!
In reality, is Sauce Vierge a condiment or a sauce? Where does a condiment start and end, and a sauce or paste begin?
Note: Instead of using the ingredients at room temperature, you can alternatively mix the ingredients in a saucepan, and simmer the sauce slowly over low heat for 30 minutes.
Mr. Paul Virant, author of The Preservation Kitchen, claims that aigre-doux means sweet and sour. He also uses the term mostarda, and there are mostarda recipes in his book as well.
He states that both terms describe “preserves for cheese snobs and wine geeks.” Well that got my attention! They are supposedly not interchangeable terms, but both “frequently mix fruit with wine, vinegar, and spices.” Confusing? Yes, a little.
His book was published in April of 2012. The first recipe that I made from the book that summer was Blueberry Aigre-Doux. It was simply a matter of putting fresh blueberries in canning jars, covering them with a spiced wine “syrup,” then canning the jars. When I was ready to sample the blueberry aigre-doux, I served it with a log of goat cheese and it was fabulous.
He also has recipes for vegetables aigre-doux. I have made and posted on butternut squash aigre-doux; here I used the squash on a salad. The squash was outstanding.
Being that I made the blueberry aigre-doux a few months before I started my blog, there is no photographic evidence of it. But I knew I would be making the cranberry version.
Now I’m making it again. It’s that good.
When my daughter first tasted this cranberry aigre-doux a few years ago when she was visiting, she claimed that “it tastes like Christmas!” That is a perfect description.
Rinse the cranberries, remove any bad ones, then let them dry on a clean dish towel.
In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring the wine, honey, vinegar, salt, and vanilla bean pod and seeds to a boil.
I decided to add a cinnamon stick to the wine mixture, even though it’s not in the recipe.
Scald 4 pint jars in a large pot of simmering water fitted with a rack – you will use this pot to process the jars. Right before filling, put the jars on the counter.
Add 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns and 1 star anise to each jar. Extract the vanilla bean haves from the wine-honey liquid and place one in each jar.
Pack in the cranberries, using about 6 ounces per jar. Meanwhile, soak the lids in a pan of hot water to soften the rubber seal.
Transfer the wine-honey liquid to a heat-proof pitcher and pour over the cranberries, leaving a 1/2″ space from the rim of the jar. Check the jars for air pockets, adding more liquid if necessary to fill in gaps. Wipe the rims with a clean towel, seal with the lids, then screw on the bands until snug but not tight.
Place the jars in the pot with the rack and add enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil and process the jars for 15 minutes (start the timer when the water reaches a boil). Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for a few minutes. Remove the jars from the water and let cool completely.
I served the cranberry aigre-doux over softened cream cheese.
It is very good with goat cheese as well.
Serve with croissant toasts, as I did, or water crackers.
I could live on hors d’oeuvres year round, and most of them would involve cheese. Actually, if I’m being honest, they could be only cheese platters, and I would die happy.
It doesn’t matter if the weather is warming up outside, to me there’s nothing much better than warm, melted cheese. It doesn’t have to be snowing outside for me to bake a brie. I guess the only exceptions are fondue and raclette, which I do limit to the cold months, but only because the meals end up lasting so long and being so heavy.
When when I do prepare a baked brie, or some kind of hot cheese canapes, I sometimes pair the cheese with a fig jam, a strawberry chutney, or a citus curd. Of course, that depends on the kind of cheese, but this following recipe for onion confit would go with everything from goat to cow cheeses, soft to hard cheeses, melted or not!
The onion confit is also a good condiment to serve with chicken, duck, pork, and grilled sausages. It would be really lovely served with a beautifully seared lobe of foie gras, alongside pate, or as a condiment in a sandwich of short ribs and brie. It’s really versatile.
Onion confit is sort of like a chutney, in that the onions are sweetened slightly. But because the onions are cooked in olive oil, and not caramelized, I’m calling it a confit. I hope you enjoy it!
In a small saucepan, add the olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Add the onions, sugar, and salt and stir well. Cover the saucepan and turn the burner to the lowest setting. Cook the onions for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, place the red wine, balsamic vinegar, and the cherry syrup or port. The cherry syrup is fruity, the port adds flavor but also a subtle alcoholic component. You can play with just about any ingredient like grenadine, pomegranate juice, or maple syrup, adjusting amounts accordingly.
Pour this mixture into the onions, and cook, simmering the onions, for about 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. The onions will end up a nice oily, sticky mess.
Cool the mixture completely, then place in a sterile jar. This recipe makes about 2 cups of confit. It can easily be doubled or tripled.
I am guessing that this onion confit would freeze successfully, but that’s if there’s any left. It’s really that good.
Onion confit topped on warm goat cheese, in the photo above, and on melted Fontina, in the photo below. It’s way better tasting than what it looks like, trust me.
note: this post was originally published 2 years ago.
I’ve been a faithful follower of the exquisite blog The Garum Factory for quite a while now. The owners of the blog, Ken and his wife Jody, are not your typical bloggers. In fact, I’m not sure why they blog, and how they find the time to take to the web with their recipes, photographs and commentaries.
Maybe Ken and Jody are no different than any other bloggers out there, in that they enjoy the interaction that comes with blogging, and the sharing of their favorite foods. But then, they really are different from most bloggers.
You see, Jody is Jody Adams, co-owner and chef of Rialto in Boston, Massachusetts. So that’s different. And if that wasn’t enough, her husband, Ken Rivard, is a journalist and photographer. So doesn’t that just make a perfect team for a perfect blog?
Even though my nickname is Chef Mimi, which hopefully everyone knows by now is just a nickname – I am not a chef and I have no desire to be a chef. Long hours in the hot kitchen, yelling at the underlings, perfection and consistency, working on holidays, I can’t cook with long sleeves, I hate wearing hats, my arches are too high to wear clogs comfortably… so many reasons why I have no interest in going to culinary school for the purpose of becoming a restaurant chef.
However, thank god some people do, because my best food experiences have been in restaurants around the world from chefs who have been slaving away in their kitchens. I honor great chefs!
So it was because I’m so enthralled with The Garum Factory blog, with both Jody the chef and Ken the photographer/writer, that I ordered their cookbook. It’s called, “In the Hands of a Chef,” and was published in 2002. It’s getting more difficult to purchase, but I was able to get one without any trouble. And, if you noticed I called it their cookbook – because it was written by Ken, who was responsible for the photographs as well! (Although not enough of them, might I add!) So how’s that for working together?!!!
So one evening I’m doing what I often do – reading my new cookbook, sticky notes in one hand, and a glass of wine nearby. Jody writes a very interesting introduction, detailing her road to becoming a chef and, subsequently, restaurateur. And then the recipes begin.
So why am I writing all of this? Jody and Ken certainly don’t need my approval of either their blog, cookbook, or the restaurant. I’ll explain.
On page 106 I come across a recipe for Skordalia, and something tripped my memory.
My husband and I have been lucky enough to visit Boston on two different occasions many years ago. I was especially lucky, in that I was the freewheeling spouse who took advantage of the beautiful weather both times, and walked miles and miles to see this beautiful city. I went to markets, bought some fresh lobsters for the people babysitting my daughters, sauntered through Little Italy, and had the best $4. lunch in Vietnam town.
One night we went out to dinner at a beautiful restaurant and were served skordalia. I had to inquire to find out what this fluffy white substance was. So I’m thinking now that it must have been a free offering before dinner got started. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have ordered it, not being familiar with the name, skordalia.
So, not that this is terribly profound or anything. In fact, the better story would be that my husband and I happened to have eaten at Rialto, but that wasn’t the case. Sorry.
But I thought it odd that I had enjoyed skordalia in Boston, and here was a skordalia recipe in Jody and Ken’s book based on recipes from Rialto. I haven’t come across the name skordalia since my Boston experience. So I began a Facebook chat with Ken. He immediately knew at what restaurant I’d had the skordalia. It was called Biba – quite famous in its time – whose chef/owner was Lydia Shire. I’ve always had good taste in restaurants, but it also helped that my husband and I were on expense account.
So then I asked if there was a significant Greek population in town, being that skordalia is Greek in origin. Turns out, it was just a coincidence, that I’ve only had skordalia in Boston. But I knew I wanted to make it myself, using the recipe from “In the Hands of a Chef” cookbook.
Ms. Adams may not appreciate that this is the first recipe I chose to make from their cookbook, because it’s certainly not representative of all of the recipes, but hopefully she’ll understand my motivation in wanting to make and taste this lovely concoction once again.
Skordalia is essentially garlicky mashed potatoes. Except it’s served like a hummus. And you can’t really tell it’s potatoes.
Jody writes, “In its homeland of Greece, skordalia blurs the distinctions between sauce and condiment, between condiment and side dish, between hot and room-temperature food.” See? It’s a little confusing.
Put the potatoes in a saucepan, add cold water to cover by 1 inch, season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them, or they will become waterlogged.
return the potatoes to the pan, and cook over medium heat tossing a few times until dry, about 5 minutes.
While the potatoes are still warm, push them through a ricer into a large bowl.
Beat in the garlic and olive oil. Add the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
note: The skordalia was really good as is, served with some pita chips. It’s garlicky, fluffy potato goodness. I drizzled a little bit of olive oil over the top before serving. But then, I also served the skordalia to my husband with a filet. (This recipe makes about 4 side-dish servings similar to mashed potatoes.) Before I could take a photo, he had eaten half of it and “ruined” my photographic opportunity. Oh well. Trust me, this is good stuff.
We’re well into the holiday season, and as much as I’m enjoying my pumpkin-infused recipes, as well as everyone else’s, it’s also time to start thinking about cranberries!!!
Every fall I make batches of cranberry sauces and chutneys early and freeze them, which doesn’t really make much sense. For one thing, I’m the only one who eats them in my immediate family, and so I always have leftover jars even after the holidays are over. I guess it just doesn’t seem like the holidays to me if I don’t make some kind of something with cranberries!
Today I’m making a compote. Compotes are pretty much sweetened, stewed fruits – sometimes mixtures of fruits, sometimes including dried fruits. A compote is not typically as sweet as traditional cranberry sauce. Of course you need some sweetness to offset the tart cranberries, but you don’t have to go overboard with the sugar. I mean, have you ever tasted the gelatinous stuff they sell in the can? Horrendously overly sweet!
However, if you do want a sweeter compote, just add more sugar! Or a little port! I’m not the cranberry compote police!
Sort through the cranberries in a colander, occasionally rinsing them with cool water as you do. Remove any discolored, rotten, or suspicious cranberries and discard.
Place the cranberries in a small pot. Add the zest, orange juice, and sugar.
Place the pot on the stove, cover it, and turn on the heat to low. You want to take your time doing this. The cranberries will slowly heat up, and along with the steam from the orange juice, and will gradually burst. This might take as long as ten minutes. At this point, remove the lid.
If much liquid remains, slowly cook it off, still keeping the heat low.
And there you have it. Let it cool, and use it as a condiment for pork or turkey, pair it with cheeses, or serve it over yogurt for breakfast. Room temperature or chilled both work depending which you prefer.
Get busy and make your cranberry condiments. They seriously take minutes to make. You’ll never buy the stuff in the can, ever again.
I eat because of condiments. I’ve been asked, “Want a little sausage with that mustard?” I can’t help it. Chutney, home-made ketchup, aioli, pesto, salsa, hot mustard, and even good old American yellow mustard on a corn dog. At a fair. It’s a rule.
When I catered for large groups, I sometimes made hearty “fancy” sandwiches, especially if there were going to be a men present. They wanted meat, and didn’t want to mess with the more fiddly offerings. So I’d grill beef tenderloin, make my own fun buns (you name it – I added it!) and always included some interesting and optional condiments for a more interactive buffet table.
These don’t have to be made from scratch. Add apple butter to a Dijon mustard and you’ve got an instant condiment for a fall spread. Add pureed strawberries to mayonnaise and you’ve got an instant condiment for a spring spread. It’s that easy. Just about anything that flavors in the way of ingredients can be added to mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.
Did you know that mustard is made from mustard seeds? Well, it is. Which means, if you own mustard seeds, you can make your own mustard. But better than that, if you own powdered mustard, making mustard is a snap.
Today I decided to make my own peachy mustard because I have three ripe white-fleshed peaches just begging to be used. And this mustard is so easy. I can’t wait to pair it with cheese, or a slice of ham. I really can’t wait!
Peel and core the peaches, and chop them up. If you don’t want to use a food processor later, then finely chop the peach flesh.
In a medium saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of water and 1 cup of the sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer until a syrup forms.
Add the peaches and cook them for 20 – 25 minutes.
The peaches will get juicy in the syrup, but then the mixture will reduce. If after the allotted time the peaches are still a little watery, reduce a little more. Then set them aside to cool.
In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar and remaining 1 cup of sugar. boil the mixture for about 15 minutes, then add the mustard and whisk to combine.
I used a sieve to avoid any clumps that couldn’t be whisked away.
Add the mustard mixture to the peaches and stir to combine. Taste to see what you think. It should be mustardy, but the flavor should be predominantly peaches.
Let cool slightly, then pass through a food processor using the disc with the medium-sized holes.
Then pour into storage jars. This made about one total pint. Place these in a water bath or simply store in the refrigerator. I’m pretty sure this mustard could also be frozen for later use.
Stay tuned till tomorrow for the verdict!