Experiment with spices this holiday season
PLATTSBURGH — By STEVEN HOWELL
Holiday time is synonymous with a bounty of food.
From soups and starters to a fresh-baked dessert, spices can often make or break a dish. Some area chefs recently shared their favorite holiday-time spices and ingredients and offered tips on using them correctly.
SPICING UP SOUPS
Any great fall meal begins with a hearty soup. Chris Dominianni, owner and chef of the Great Adirondack Soup Company, always starts with the basics.
For any soup preparation, Dominianni begins with a mixture of the spices – white pepper, onion powder, oregano, thyme, basil and marjoram. From there, he adds the likes of cumin and tarragon. And Dominianni goes the dehydrated spices route for his soups.
“Because the aromatics and essential oils always rehydrate in the soup,” he said.
Dominianni said that fresh herbs don’t do well when making the actual soup.
“After they sit and simmer in a soup for two or three hours, any of the flavors bleed out.”
Fresh herbs should only be used for one purpose in the soup-making process.
“Fresh herbs as a garnish in the end of the soup-preparation process really makes a difference,” Dominianni said.
For example, Dominianni likes to coat a pesto, garlic and pine-nut garnish over pasta and then adds the pasta as the final garnish.
And that’s another tip: Add your cooked pasta or rice toward the end.
“So incorporate fresh herbs into these starch garnishes for a better result,” he said.
Buy in bulk
Spice brands such as McCormick and Tone’s can be found at any local supermarket. But Dominianni prefers to buy his spices in bulk.
“The North Country Co-op has an amazing variety of bulk spices, he said.
You’ll save money as well.
“You’re often paying for the bottle, packaging or freight,” he explained.
Dominianni suggested storing your bulk spices in clean, airtight glass jars. Don’t keep spices over a heated area in the kitchen; room temperature is fine. Spices should keep for about three months before their potency starts to diminish.
ADD SOME HEAT
Scott Murray, executive chef at Anthony’s Restaurant Bistro, says don’t be afraid to really spice things up. Murray’s winter palate has a penchant for chilies.
“I do a lot of blends with New Mexican chilies, which are going to give you more fruit rather than spice, and chipotles, which will give you a little more smokiness and heat,” Murray said. “I’ll blend chilies this time of year with the other spices to give a sweet, salty and savory combination.”
For example, a recent recipe success from Murray’s kitchen was a butternut squash bisque that combined the sweetness of local maple syrup, the saltiness of a homemade chicken stock and the heat from select chilies.
Most of all, Murray’s best holiday cooking tip isn’t what to use, but when to use it. If you want to impress with a new recipe, try it with your immediate family first — don’t wait until 20 guests are sitting at your dinner table.
“It OK to experiment, but I would do so before the company gets there,” Murray said. “Go tried and true.”
FRESH VANILLA BEAN
Then there’s the best part of any meal: dessert. Adrienne Dionne, a pastry chef graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and manager of Delish, has a fondness for vanilla, particularly vanilla bean.
“You can use vanilla extract as much as you want, but nothing compares to the actual vanilla bean,” Dionne said.
Many people don’t know how to prepare a vanilla bean properly, she added. The process includes splitting the bean open and scraping the insides of the pod.
“I love the flavor of fresh vanilla bean,” she said. “It’s a different flavor than the extract.”
Dionne said to try a fresh vanilla bean when making a homemade, liquid-based recipe such as ice cream or crème brulee.
“Scrape out the bean, and let it steep in the milk,” she said. “The bean’s oils will infuse into the milk.”
It’s best to store fresh vanilla bean in an airtight bag.
Fresh nutmeg also ranks high on Dionne’s list of favorites. She says to opt for fresh vs. dried. Fresh nutmeg resembles a hazelnut or acorn in size and shape.
“Just grate it over a microplane zester,” she said. “And you don’t need much; it has a stronger flavor than dried nutmeg. You can tell the difference right away.”
CINNAMON A STAPLE
And there’s one spice practically every kitchen has in its cupboard, Dionne said.
“Cinnamon. Everybody’s got cinnamon on hand.”
As an ingredient for pie baking or a topping for French toast or cappuccinos, cinnamon is a given in any kitchen.
“It’s probably the most popular spice there is.”
Dionne suggested a little cinnamon exploration.
“There’s more than one type.”
For example, Cassia cinnamon, which comes from China and Southeast Asia, offers a strong, spicy flavor, while Ceylon cinnamon offers a smoother, sweeter taste that’s best for baking with fruit pies.
A great place to spice shop online is at Penzeys Spices at www.penzeys.com, Dionne said.
Steven Howell is the author of Montreal Essential Guide, a Sutro Media iPhone travel app available at iTunes.com.
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