Yours Culinarily

Great ingredients: Right Amount, at Right Time

What do micro greens, truffle oil, fennel pollen, sumac, Ras el hanout and

smoked paprika have in common?

They are all great ingredients and can enhance a dish. Unfortunately they

are often incorrectly used and result in a clash of flavors and an

unnecessary increase in food cost. Use them wisely .

Micro Greens

Micro greens are just that, micro. They are

cut/picked between 8-14 days. They usually

have not had the time to develop full flavors

and can be bitter or rarely taste like their billing.

They do however offer a great way to enhance

a dish with another layer of similar or

complimenting flavors.

• Overuse of micro greens is widespread in restaurants and banquet

operations and more thought should go into their use.

• Micro greens should never be used for just the sake of a garnish or

to just add color. It is perfectly acceptable to use a particular micro

green to enhance a dish with the same, similar or complimenting

component, like a tomato, olive and fennel salad with micro basil.

• Micro greens should be lightly dressed and be seasoned when

used; generally with lemon, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Over dressed micro greens clump together and wilt quickly.

• A little goes a long way.  Often a large mound of greens quickly

over powers a dish with hard, under developed bitter flavors and

hurt your food cost. They should only be used to enhance a dish.

Truffle Oil

Almost all truffle oil is chemically enhanced oil, usually

olive or grape, with the synthetic aromas of truffles.

Truffle oil, used correctly, can be wonderful but more

often is misused with too much or with the wrong

ingredient.

• Truffle oil should be used more for the aroma then

the taste. More is not better and often with too

much it can leave a harsh burning in the back of

your throat. The beauty of a true truffle is that it leaves you wanting

more. Remember this as you use it.

• Despite truffle lore, truffles especially truffle oil do not go with

everything. One of the best ways to use truffle oil is to use it to

perfume lesser quality black truffles by gently steeping the shaved

truffle in butter, salt and truffle oil. Adding a small drop or two of

truffle oil to hot or warm dishes allows for a greater perfuming effect.

Remember 90% of what we taste is actually what we smell.

Fennel Pollen

Fennel pollen is the pollen collected from the

blooming flowers of fennel. The powder is

delicate and intense and can add a wonderful

flavor when just a pinch is used to the dish that is

being cooked.

• As with micro greens fennel pollen should

only be used with same, similar or

complimenting flavors.

• Fennel has a flavor similar to anise but sweeter and more delicate.

It is often mistaken for and/or associated with licorice and avoided

because of guest’s dislikes.

• Sprinkling a bit on a pieces of meat or fish just before cooking can

add a wonderful depth of flavor to the dish.

Sumac

Sumac is a decorative bush that grows wild

throughout the Middle East and parts of Italy. The

dark purple-red berries are sold dried or ground

and have a fruity, astringent taste. Sumac is

traditionally used in the cooking of Lebanon,

Syria, Turkey and Iran.

• Ground sumac is best rubbed into meats

for grilling and is good with potatoes, beets,

and in mixed bean salads.

• Sumac can be astringent - a rough, harsh, puckery feel in the

mouth, usually from tannin or high acidity, that red wines (and a few

whites) have. When the harshness stands out, it has the effect of

drying out the mouth. For this reason it should be used sparingly