Adding spice brightens food and gives it depth and complexity.

Properly seasoned food is the key to good taste.  When your guest comments on how great the food tastes you can be certain that the food was seasoned to perfection.  But how do you season to excellent taste?  The simple answer is that practice makes perfect, but having a starting point to guide you will send you down the right path.

Chef Mark Chayette, in response to an article in Restaurant Hospitality about properly seasoned food, says, “You can’t intellectualize about salt and pepper.”  Chayette understood the importance of the basics—you can use all the exotic ingredients you want to flavor your dishes but none of those elements will matter if your food is fundamentally off.  Chef Thom Bennet likens seasoning “to making music.  There has to be a harmony to the flavors that ultimately produces a flavor that is complex without having one taste or seasoning dominate and overpower the dish.  That is the magic part.”  If you want to read more about what these chefs and others say about seasoning, you can read the article here.

Making harmony is part of a process but will make the flavors of your food more vibrant than they would otherwise be.  Food must be cooked with salt in order for this to occur—and food that is salted at the table will just taste salty.  Tasting food in the back of the house and adjusting seasonings from there is absolutely imperative.  Dissect the flavor profile.  If you notice anything missing or if you notice one flavor dominates your dish, season accordingly.  Food should be a complex balance of flavors, a marrying of the five known tastes:  sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and Umami.

To accomplish this harmony, try practicing the following steps:

1. Does the dish need salt?  Most of the time the answer is a resounding “YES!”  Add about a half teaspoon at a time, stirring in between, to reduce bitterness and heighten the flavors.
2. Does the dish need more spices? The amounts of spices given in a recipe are usually a general guideline, and good chefs will adjust according to the needs of their restaurant.  Add just a pinch of spice at a time until you accomplish the flavor you want.
3. Does the dish need acidity? Acid will help the flavor in an entree shine.  Try adding a splash of citrus juice, some vinegar or wine, or even some hot sauce to brighten up the meal.
4. Does the dish need more depth? Remember, you want your food to be complex and not just ordinary.  If the flavors seem okay to you but seems a little lackluster, try adding umami flavors.  Worcestershire or soy sauce can do the trick, or perhaps minced anchovies or tomato paste will help your food achieve the brightness you desire.
5. Does the dish need more richness? Cream or butter will work wonders in melding the flavors in food.

Cooking need not be implemented with the same precision as, say, baking.  The biggest thing to remember is that it does take some practice to get the seasoning right, and detecting the subtle nuances of the food you are creating will get easier after time.  Cooking with this in mind will make the learning process easier, and really, more fun.  Because you get to taste all those great sauces and soups as you make them.  Bon appetit!

The post Spicing It Up in the Kitchen appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Premium Lemonade Concentrate Photo Credit: Island Rose Gourmet Tea

Island Rose Gourmet Tea was founded in the 1990s in Nassau, Bahamas.  Although they began by selling tea bags to resorts their business quickly evolved to include the tea and lemonade concentrates that have become the mainstay of their company. After just one taste of their delicious lemonade it was easy to understand the popularity of the product.

Using simple, natural ingredients Island Rose’s philosophy is that the “sum would always be greater than the parts.”  What this means is that by using real ingredients, as close to nature as possible, and combining them in the most perfect way, the final result will be amazing.  And as far as I can tell, they have succeeded.

The tea and lemonade concentrates boast a shelf-stable product with no artificial colors or flavors.  With a one year shelf life for unopened product, and one month after opening, you can be sure to have refreshing drinks at your fingertips without worrying about spoilage or product damaged from sitting in the warehouse for a length of time.

Island Rose’s Classic Black Tea is unsweetened goodness, reminiscent of the tea we make ourselves to cool off on hot summer days.  Refreshingly uncomplicated, this 11:1 concentrate is true to the taste of freshly brewed tea.  It “provides an eye-brightening energy kick without all the fillers,” just like a good glass of iced tea should.

The Southern Style Tea is the perfect blend of tea and sugar that you would expect to find in the South.   Made with the finest black tea and natural cane sugar, the 11:1 concentrate “will make any home down-home.”

Island Rose’s Premium Lemonade is “true summertime nostalgia.”  Made with real lemons and pure cane sugar this 5:1 concentrate is sure to knock your socks off.

Create the perfect beverage with Island Rose Gourmet Tea concentrates.  Whether you need a large batch to feed a crowd or a glass to serve to a single diner, Island Rose offers flexible preparation with no waste.  Or you can even combine the two to make an invigorating Arnold Palmer.  Custom carafes are available with easy-to-follow recipes stamped directly on the container, making preparation a breeze.

The post Refresh with Island Rose Gourmet Tea appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Now, though, wine pairing is much more than these generic matches.  While it is said that taste is subjective, there are quantifiable measures of taste that allow for pairing outside of the subjective flavors that are personal to the drinker.  Wine experts, then, seek to determine these tastes—bitter (tannins), sweet (residual sugar), and sour (acidity) components that are attributed to wines and subsequently used to match them with the foods they will most complement.  There is also a fourth component, the alcohol content, that causes a “heat” in the back of the mouth and some foods work to downplay that heat while others bring attention to it.

A wine’s tannins, derived from the skins, seeds, and stems of the grape, can be somewhat bitter.  When paired with dishes that are high in fat and protein (think red meat or hard cheese), the foods can tame those tannins, softening their astringent character.  Spicy foods or charred, seared foods, too, can complement the drying effect of the tannins.

The sweetness of wine will oftentimes balance spice and heat of a dish, but it can also accentuate sweet foods or contrast with salty fare.  Pair sweet wines with spicy Asian cuisine, for example, and the sugars in the wine will offset the spice of the peppers.  Bleu cheese couples well with sweet wine because the saltiness of the cheese is offset by the sugar content in the drink.

Acidity in wine can heighten the perception of flavors in a dish, but it can also be used to reduce them as well.  Rely on acidic wines to play off of foods in much the same manner as combinations used in cooking.  For example, the acidity of a lemon can be used to offset briny shellfish such as clams or oysters.  Serving a tart, acidic meal with an overly tart wine will allow the flavors to be more noticeable.

The alcohol content of a wine determines its weight and body, and heavier wines increase the awareness of density or texture in a meal.  Hefty wines should be used when you want to emphasize a quality of spiciness, saltiness, or weight in a meal, such as pairing a substantial cabernet with a marbled steak seared over an open flame.

The key to pairing wine with food is really to think of wine traits as flavor ingredients.  Using the tasting tools from previous articles, learn to tease out the subtleties of your favorite wines to then pair them with your favorite foods.  Below are just a few of the styles of wine and their best food counterparts to get you started.

Cabernet Sauvignon:  With strong tannins, this elegant wine pairs well with well-marbled beef and hearty fowl, foods with spicy rubs or soy marinades, and with grilled meats.

Merlot:  Rounder and softer than Cabernet, fruity Merlot is often matched with meaty fish such as tuna, lamb, or meats with fruit sauces.

Pinot Noir:  This light-bodied, low tannin red works best with earthy foods such as mushrooms or lentils, as well as with wild game such as venison.

Chardonnay:  The rich, creamy texture of this wine pairs well with white fish, poultry, and pork.  It is also a nice complement to pastas with cream and butter sauces, and works well with the creamy textures of winter squash.

Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio:  Crisp and light, with great acidity, match this wine with fresh herbs and coconut curries, with mild cheeses, or with shellfish and chicken.

Sauvignon Blanc:  This lean, crisp wine is a perfect addition to summertime fare, such as salads with mild vinaigrette dressing and green vegetables.  Its flexibility also allows for the combination of delicate fish or oysters, and a large variety of cheeses.

Champagnes/Sparkling wines:  Most dry sparkling wines are tinged with just a touch of sweet, making them a perfect accompaniment to salty foods or berries.

Although there is an art, and maybe even a bit of a science, to matching foods and wines, remember, too, that taste and enjoyment are very subjective and there is no real textbook way to account for your personal satisfaction.  What you read about pairing is really meant to be a guideline to demonstrate how the textures and flavors, weight, sugars, alcohol content, tannins, and acids of wine work with those same elements of a meal.  Practice will help you to understand your own preferences, and who doesn’t like to hone their skills when it involves eating great food and drinking great wine?

The post What’s Your Wine? Pairing with Food appeared first on Houston's Blog.

In addition to a history rife with heroes, from Frederick Douglass to Martin Luther King, Jr., to Jackie Robinson, Black Americans also bring to the table a delectable cuisine, borne from the days when slaves prepared meals for their families with little food and limited supplies and resources.   Staples such as black eyed peas and sweet potatoes, corn, and greens were used to make tasty concoctions that could be cooked in a cast iron skillet over an open fire.  Recipes and cooking techniques were passed along orally to later generations, and although meals have evolved to embrace a healthier lifestyle, the essence of the dishes remains the same.

Grits, or chitterlings, are simply coarsely ground dried corn.  There’s no wrong way to prepare grits, they take on the flavor of whatever you use to enhance the dish.  Butter, pork fat, herbs and spices, all enhance the corn in unique yet tasty ways.

Basic Grits Recipe

1 cup liquid (stock, water, milk)

¼ cup grits (coarse ground)

Bring liquid to a boil and add grits.  Reduce heat to low and cook about 30 minutes, stirring often, until grits have are thickened and creamy.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, add a pat of butter if you want, or maybe even some bacon fat or herbs.

Black eyed peas were thought to bring good luck when eaten at the New Year, although they were a staple all the year through.  Flavorful and full of nutrients, black eyed peas are as easy to make as grits!

Black Eyed Peas

1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight

1-2 large ham hocks

¼ cup diced onion

Pepper, garlic powder, salt, crushed red pepper, or other herbs as desired

5 cups water or stock

Simmer all ingredients for about two hours, until peas are tender.  Add more liquid as needed (liquid should always be about 1” over beans in the pot.)  When peas are tender, remove the ham hock and pull any meat from the bone and drop into the peas.  Serve over rice if desired.

Greens are an essential part of the “soul food” menu, and they are as easy to make as they are delicious to eat. Our friend the ham hock shows up again, and adds an unmatched salty-smoky flavor to the greens.

Mess o’ Greens

1 large ham hock

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Bacon drippings

1 onion, finely chopped

1-2 tablespoons vinegar (cider is best)

3 bunches collard greens, trimmed

Sugar to taste

Crushed red pepper to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the ham hock in 2 cups of water for several hours, or cook in a pressure cooker for about 45 minutes.

Saute the onion and garlic in bacon drippings, then add sugar, crushed red pepper, and ½ cup water.  Add the collards and simmer on low until wilted.  Pull the meat from the ham hock and add to the greens with the liquid used to cook the hock.

Sweet potatoes thrived in the soil common to the south, stored well over the winter months, and were rich in nutrients, thus making them a prevalent element of slave diet.  Just two large potatoes made a decadent pie, and the result was a treat that was naturally sweeter than its pumpkin counterpart.

Sweet Potato Pie

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

1 1/3 cups of sugar (brown, white, or any combination of the two)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

3 eggs

½ cup milk

6 tablespoons butter

Mix all ingredients until smooth and pour into an uncooked pie shell.  Bake at 350 for about an hour (pie should be firm when touched in the center.)  Top with whipped cream if desired.

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