Currently viewing the tag: "topping"
Use this slightly sweet concoction as a sauce when cooked a little loose, or reduce it further and use it to glaze something, like Romanesco or cauliflower, fish, or pasta. For this dish to be successful, the tomatoes must be ripe and flavorful. If they are not, find another recipe to use.
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This is for a salad featuring crisp shaved radishes and turnips, but would be great on cold poached salmon, or hot grilled salmon. Try it with shrimp, or a Mediterranean themed poached chicken salad with arugula, frisée, etc. Although the recipe calls for Meyer lemons, you can use Eurekas. Just watch for the level of tartness.
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This topping grew out of another recipe used on salmon. This is a little more subtle, and more floral with the addition of the fennel seeds and lavender. While made initially for seared halibut, it would go nicely with pork chops, chicken, or other firm fleshed white fish. It can be tossed with kale or other greens as well, or stirred into grains such as farro or barley.
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Very simple, but with bright flavor that is great with lightly smoked fish such as salmon, trout, sable, etc. It is excellent on toasts with avocado or with cucumber, and crackers. It was originally part of a sushi roll called the Norway Roll from my restaurant. The roll had this, smoked salmon, cucumber spears for crunch, paper thin slices of Meyer lemon, and additional dill minced and scattered on the outside of the roll. Once made, the dill flavor will permeate the cream cheese.
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Having always been a stickler as to the definition of “pesto”, I have relaxed about this a bit, but still feel “pesto” should contain an herb, garlic, nuts, and olive oil. In this case the herb is the fronds from fennel combined with a little parsley for bulk, the nuts are coarsely chopped almonds, and the pesto is pretty runny. There is no cheese in this, although you could add some young Romano to the recipe if desired. This recipe was meant for Carrots with Fennel Jam, but would work well with chicken, fish, pork, pasta, or drizzled on spaghetti. Mortar and pestle is my preferred method for texture and longevity of end product, but a blender works, and the method for that is listed after the mortar method.
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“Condiment” is used for lack of any better word, but I suppose salsa, jam, or chutney could be used as well. It is, essentially, sweet vegetables cooked until melting, to boost the flavors of earthy late season peppers. This is used as a topping for seared and quickly braised mei quin. Use as a side dish, add ground pork, tofu, or bits of leftover chicken and serve with rice for a main. A mandolin is very helpful with this recipe.
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Coulis is a French term for a sauce type that has changed over the years (centuries really). Originally it referred to juices released from meat when cooked, and then later, during the era of nouvelle cuisine, it became a sauce made from fruits or vegetables that was pureed and strained. If it needed to be thickened, it was done through gentle reduction rather than binding it with flour or another starch. Coulis are great for when you want a pure flavor that sings of the ingredient. It is common to use a little pinch of sugar, salt, or a dash of vinegar to help bring out flavors in coulis. Coulis are used as sauces, contrast elements, or even soup bases. You can refrigerate the coulis in a jar or squeeze-bottle and warm it gently in water on the stove. If you allow the coulis to get too hot you will lose the color and the bright flavor. This is a very simple coulis, and easy to prepare quickly.
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A slightly chunky vinaigrette with a bright, funky aroma, this dressing works on salads and is excellent as a topping for grilled fish such as snapper, tilapia, or halibut. Use with pork medallions, chicken with cumin and oregano, or even on noodles like ramen tossed with vegetables and leftover shredded meat.
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I hesitate to call this a jam as it is useful for more than toast. Try this with pork, chicken, or turkey. Good on sandwiches or as a smear, and would be nice on a cheese plate. This would be good made with berries that are a little over-ripe or starting to look less than perfect.
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This is a great combination of flavors that all support and play off each other. Romano cheese is a classic pairing with early season favas, so if this is being used with pasta or as a dip add some grated or crumbled romano. This mélange is great for fish, grilled chicken, sandwiches of fresh mozzarella and salumi, or toss it with orecchiette pasta or some chunks of summer squash that have been grilled or pan seared.
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So simple, and yet so flavorful. This is one of those things where the whole is so much greater than the parts. Do not try doing this in a food processor. It will simply be a mess. From this basic recipe there are many other directions you can go. Use Meyer lemon and or orange zest. Add lime to it and use cilantro.
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Here is a sauce that feels rich in the mouth and has big flavors. The texture of the sauce comes from the squash and onions, and there is no cream in it. This sauce was devised for topping red beets, but it would be fine for fish, chicken, or even pork. It would also be nice on pasta as a fun twist on the classic Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce (see recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli on site). Stuff ravioli with chard and cheese, or add ground turkey or pork, and top with the sauce.
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Although it says marmalade, there really is no citrus peel here, it is just that the carrot shreds look like orange zest. Use this to top fish, pork chops, or chicken roasted with a fennel coriander seed crust (see the recipe). You want to have your Ben-Riner or mandolin handy for this recipe to make things easier, but a sharp knife can do the trick as well. The best pan for this recipe is a “chef’s pan”.
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Persillade is a condiment or topping, the most basic version of which is a mixture of chopped flat leaf parsley (persil in French) and garlic. Different iterations feature vinegar, different herbs, pepper flakes or powder. Anchovy often shows up in Provençal versions. Look for it in French, Cajun, Quebecois, and other French influenced foods, as well as Greek cuisine. Adding lemon (or other citrus) zest turns it into gremolata, the traditional topping of osso bucco, which are slices of lamb shank slow cooked and topped at service with aromatic gremolata. This is a variant that includes toasted bread crumbs that add a nutty quality, as well as crunch to a dish, and mitigates the powerful flavors of garlic and lots of parsley.
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This sauce is part of a steamed potatoes and tomato dish that was inspired by a Tortilla Española, but is can be used with other things as well. Try it with garbanzo beans, grilled shrimp, or as a dip for flatbreads and crudités. It would be good under poached eggs as well. By the way, this is the perfect way to use the core of the cauliflower.
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Tapenade is a caper and olive paste that comes from Provence, France. The word comes from “tapeno”, the Provencal word for caper. This paste is extremely versatile, being used for things like crostini for appetizers, a topping on grilled salmon, and marinade for roast chicken, lamb, or beef. Use it as a quick pasta sauce, on pizza, or even spoon a dollop into tired leftover soup to add some zip.
Use either black or green olives, oil-cured or brined. Oil-cured are easier to work with (if pitting the olives yourself), but brined can produce a great impact, too. Traditionally, tapenade is made with anchovies. I don’t usually use them but the recipe includes that option.
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This sauce has an intensity to it-both sweet and deeply earthy/carroty. The color adds a burnished look to the plate, and this technique is pretty versatile. I know this sauce is really good, as I once watched a couple at my house eating it, and when the wife asked the husband to get something for her, she ran her bread through his sauce and got half of it. When he called her on it, she was unrepentant. Next time they were over and I made the sauce, I doubled the amount and put some in a pitcher next to her. It all disappeared.
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