Recipe Mutiny: 02/07/19

Thursday, February 7, 2019

How to Make an Elegant Bejeweled Valentine’s Day Dinner

Brie baked in puff pastry with candied walnuts and fruit

For those who celebrate Valentine’s Day, there are generally two schools of style: the cutesy and the eleganza (okay, and also the hardcore). If heart-shaped everything and a candy-pink palette isn’t your jam, but neither is a homemade heart-shaped pizza, consider a sophisticated—but not necessarily fussy—dinner or dessert (or both) inspired by precious gems.

Taking your culinary cues from the rich colors and glossy luster of jewels is certainly more wallet-friendly than buying expensive baubles, but there’s nothing cheap about the look or taste of these delicacies. And you don’t have to go literal and make hard candy gemstones, either—though you absolutely can! Once you begin to look at produce and preserves and the rest of the food world with an eye to striking gold (or rubies, or emeralds…), you start to see an endless array of beautiful possibilities.

Feast Your Eyes by Brittany Wright, $13.52

If you wish the art on your plate could last longer, check out this stunning food photography book.

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Jewel Tones

Beet Carpaccio by Perpetually Chic

Your grocery store is a treasure trove: beets, both garnet and golden; ruby-veined radicchio and treviso; deep emerald spinach; bright peridot-green pistachios; glistening carnelian beads of salmon roe; glossy red Amarena cherries; shining citrus, especially red grapefruit and stunning blood oranges; ruby pips of pomegranate seeds; rainbow chard; certain dried fruits like cranberries and golden raisins; deep purple potatoes; sunstone-colored membrillo (quince paste, perfect with salty cheese); softly luminous, thinly shaved cured meats like prosciutto and Serrano ham, or smoked salmon (bonus points for beet-cured gravlax); glowing topaz honey or apricot jam—these are all outstanding ingredients in and of themselves that require minimal or no processing to bring out their best gem-like qualities.

Beet Glazed Salmon by Bird and Cleaver

Make them the star of a dish by setting them among simple, more neutral accompaniments; think restrained salads, cheese-topped toasts or crostini, and minimalist cocktails. This makes it possible to highlight a single beautiful ingredient or to jumble several together for a jewelry box effect—a salad composed of a single kind of leaf, scattered with supremed citrus segments, pistachios, and roasted beets, or reserved but gorgeous little toasts with brie and golden mounds of kumquat marmalade.

Shining, Shimmering, Splendid

Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Fudge Tart by How Sweet Eats

Some of the ingredients mentioned above definitely fall into this category too, but think about what techniques you can apply to more ho-hum tidbits to literally make them shine. Glaze fruit in a simple syrup—it makes for a lovely glistening aspect, and has the bonus of making pallid winter strawberries and other out-of-season fruits taste much better; add additional flavorings to your syrup if you want, like vanilla beans or cardamom. Along the same lines, you can use superfine sugar to frost fresh fruit, from cranberries to blackberries to grapes. Gelatin can capture bright yet translucent colors with high shine. (If you instinctively recoil at the thought of Jell-O, remember that the inherently fancy French have been doing aspic and gelée forever.) Unflavored gelatin can also give you impressive mirror glaze results on mousse cakes, in any gemstone shade you desire, from ruby red to sapphire blue. Candy kumquats and they turn to polished citrine. Make red wine poached pears and they glow.

Homemade Kumquat Marmalade with Brie by White on Rice Couple

On the savory side, go for sticky, shiny glazes on your main protein, whether meat, poultry, or seafood (or veggies, tofu, etc. for that matter)—made from red wine and/or cherries, blueberries, redcurrant jelly, or blackberry preserves, or go golden with honey and apricots. Luminous mixed-fruit chutney also works beautifully with various proteins.

Lucero Crushed Meyer Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, $21 at Sur La Table

A golden-yellow swipe of Meyer lemon infused oil on the plate is lovely, and lends a fragrant flavor to your dish.

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Or make a bright emerald-green oil-and-herb sauce (pesto or chimichurri) to spark shrimp, steak, roasted vegetables, or whatever else you like. Consider serving your main course over rice, quinoa, or couscous pilaf studded with dried fruit and nuts, or vibrant steamed greens with pops of contrasting color from pomegranate seeds or golden beet slivers scattered about.

Gold Plated

Gold-Dusted Chocolate Champagne Truffles by The Flavor Bender

Twenty-four karat food comes most obviously in the form of edible gold leaf, which you can sprinkle or smooth on literally everything for a touch of gourmet glitz—or try luster dust, for turning fudge into tiny gold bricks for instance. But you can also pay homage to the precious metal in the form of caramel, from a liquid glaze on a tart or flan to an amber brittle like on the top of crème brûlée. Or represent it with perfectly cooked pastry. Even just-so caramelized scallops or chicken have a reasonably golden hue. You can sort of nod to gold by tingeing dishes with saffron too, which happens to be an aphrodisiac; use it in risotto, add it to poaching liquid for pale foods that will take on the bright yellow tint, even stir it into easy ice cream.

Diamond Mine

Salted Dark Chocolate Tart by Gimme Some Oven

A liberal coating of sanding sugar can make cookies or truffles look like they’re covered in diamond dust, or large flakes of sea salt can sparkle on the surface of a chocolate tart to evoke a scattering of icy diamond chips.

Another nice thing about cooking in the color palette of fine gems is that it doesn’t have to be Valentine’s-specific. If you think Cupid is stupid and love is the worst, you can throw an especially fabulous anti-Valentine’s Day party to express your esteem for your single self—or shower your best ladies with edible jewels for Galentine’s Day to show them how precious they are to you. Or, break out the treasure chest ingredients for any grand occasion dinner, no matter where it falls on the calendar. But if you follow this MO for a special someone on the officially sanctioned day of high romance, they will remember and appreciate it always (not to be a downer, but probably even if things don’t ultimately work out).

So use these examples as inspiration, or follow some of the jaw-dropping recipes highlighted here and cook—then eat—your heart out.

Blood Orange Margarita

Chowhound

Blood orange juice adds a punch of color and extra-zesty flavor to a margarita. If you’re more into amethysts (and traditional Valentine’s Day bubbly), try the dead-simple and beautifully violet Elizabeth Taylor Champagne Cocktail. But if you want something bolder, blood orange is the way to go. Get our Blood Orange Margarita recipe.

Golden Beet and Citrus Salad with Spiced Honey Vinaigrette

golden beet, citrus, and avocdo salad with spiced honey vinaigrette

Cooking and Beer

This plate pops with brilliant color, and cutting the citrus into faceted shapes highlights their resemblance to edible gemstones even more. Crisp fennel and creamy avocado complement the juicy fruit, and a spiced honey vinaigrette brings it all together. Get the Golden Beet and Citrus Salad with Spiced Honey Vinaigrette recipe.

Smoky Purple Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon and Chipotle

Viktoria’s Table

Amethyst happens to be the traditional February birthstone, so this is an especially perfect choice for an unexpected Valentine’s Day soup—but if you can’t find purple produce (ube), bright orange sweet potatoes will work just as well and still be stunning. Get the Smoky Purple Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon and Chipotle recipe.

Puff Pastry Baked Brie with Fig Jam and Candied Walnuts

baked brie in puff pastry with figs, pomegranate, and candied walnuts

Aberdeen’s Kitchen

Golden, flaky pastry plus warm, gooey brie, plus bright, juicy pomegranate seeds and ripe figs? Yes, please! It’s almost too pretty to eat, but really, how could you resist digging in? Oh, and there are candied walnuts too. Get the Puff Pastry Baked Brie with Fig Jam and Candied Walnuts recipe.

Grilled Salmon with Beet Blood Orange Relish

Heather Christo

Beets are one of the most beautiful roots, not only for their incredibly vibrant hue but their incomparable earthy-sweet taste. Paired with balsamic vinegar and blood oranges, they make an elegant topping for simple grilled salmon that’s sure to win anyone’s heart. Get the Grilled Salmon with Beet Blood Orange Relish recipe.

Mini Beef Wellingtons

I Am a Food Blog

Fancy and fun, these mini nuggets of beef tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto, mushroom duxelles, and rich golden pastry may take some time, but are totally worth it. For the vegan and vegetarian sophisticates, there are delightful beet Wellingtons, but for the rest of us, a ruby center can be achieved by properly cooking these meaty little parcels of love. Get the Mini Beef Wellingtons recipe.

Gold Leaf Macarons

Sugar and Cloth

Dessert could be as beautifully simple as a scoop of luscious ice cream topped with edible gems of kumquat spoon fruit and their syrup, or chocolate mendiants, but if you’re up for a bit of a project, make macarons in a mix of jewel tones with the addition of shiny gold leaf. They may not last as long as actual jewelry, but they’re way more thoughtful (and tastier too). Get the Gold Leaf Macarons recipe.

DIY Gemstone Cupcakes

Alana Jones-Mann

You could probably even get away with just buying fancy chocolates (or make them yourself in this gem-faceted mold to fit the theme!), but if you intend to really wow, these crazy-amazing gemstone cupcakes cannot be beat. Get the DIY Gemstone Cupcakes recipe.

Marmara Authentic Turkish Delight, $8.97 on Amazon

For something a little easier, though, these rose-flavored candies are like translucent pink jewels.

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Check out our Valentine’s Day giveaway on Instagram; three lucky winners will get lots of goodies from Hotel Chocolat! And visit our Valentine’s Day headquarters to get more tips, tricks, and recipes (plus great Valentine’s Day gift ideas).

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop

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How To Cook Gluten-Free Pasta the Right Way

A Dozen Oysters You Should Know

Oysters are as iconic as they are polarizing; for every person who shivers in delight when a soft, slippery shot of brine slides down their throat, at least a dozen more shudder. According to most in the know, you’re meant to chew at least a couple times (otherwise, can you even taste what you’re eating?), but an oyster shooter is the only way some can stomach them. While cooking oysters makes them not only acceptable but extremely appealing to plenty (just witness the enduring popularity of oysters Rockefeller), certain connoisseurs of the raw bivalve often turn up their noses at even simply barbecued oysters.

They’re on a level with lobsters as far as associations with romance and special occasions, and Valentine’s Day in particular, but for most, they are certainly more challenging to truly appreciate than “bugs” (which allegedly have similar levels of ardor-enhancing zinc as the more famously aphrodisiac oysters, in case you’re looking for an excuse to stop eating them on the half shell). Whether you already adore oysters and want to get more familiar with them, or you want to try to start appreciating the nuances of oysters au naturel, the poetic words of Rowan Jacobsen can help guide you. He wrote the actual book on oysters—two, actually—so you can trust him.

A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America

Rowan Jacobsen's first book is now available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audio formats on Amazon.

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All things being equal, all oysters are not the same. The taste, texture, appearance, and general je ne sais quoi vary greatly depending on what kind you’re eating (which is determined by where they come from). So below, allow the expert to acquaint you with a dozen oysters worthy of your attention. At the very least, you’ll get to vicariously appreciate their quirks.

Following is an excerpt from Rowan Jacobsen’s “A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America,” Bloomsbury USA (September 4, 2007). Copyright Rowan Jacobsen. Original artwork for Chowhound by Bryan Christie Design.

To be a full-fledged ostreaphile—an oyster lover—you can’t just pound Kumamotos or Wellfleets all the time. You need to explore the full range of styles and varieties. Different oysters, after all, work best as beer accompaniments, culinary stars, or exotic curiosities. This alphabetical list of twelve prominent varieties provides a good representation of the classic types.

Beausoleil Oyster, Belon Oyster (or European Flat Oyster), and Colville Bay Oyster; illustrated by Bryan Christie Designs

Beausoleil Oysters

Néguac, New Brunswick

These small oysters are grown in floating trays in the harsh New Brunswick climate. Always petite and clean-flavored, in classy black-and-white shells, Beausoleils make ideal starter oysters, with the delightful yeasty aroma of Champagne or rising bread dough.

Belon or European Flat Oyster

Provenance Varies

No oyster comes close to the power of the European Flat (often called Belon, after the famous French oyster of the same species). It is brassy, in every sense of the word. Brassy because it tastes like metal, and because it is shamelessly bold, and because when it hits your tongue it slaps you awake like the opening blast of a bugler’s reveille. Try one if you can—just don’t make it your first oyster.

Colville Bay Oyster

Souris River, Prince Edward Island

Light is a term often ascribed to PEI oysters. Sometimes it’s a negative, indicating a lack of body and flavor. Sometimes, as with Colville Bays, it means transcendent. Colville Bays have plenty of body but also an addictive lemon-zest brightness. They are the oyster most likely to make you order another dozen. The dusky jade shells, when piled high, achieve the luminosity of moss on a rain-forest stump.

Glidden Point Oyster, Kumamoto Oyster, and Moonstone Oyster; illustrated by Bryan Christie Designs

Glidden Point Oyster

Damariscotta River, Maine

Native Americans ate Damariscotta River oysters for a millennium, as the hill-sized middens along its upper banks confirm. The extremely cold, salty water produces slow-growing oysters with fantastic texture and brine at the upper end of the register. These are the soft pretzels of the oyster world, chewy and salty and heaven with a cold beer.

Kumamoto Oyster

California, Oregon, Washington, and Mexico

The oyster that put the fruit back in fruits de mer. Kumamotos are famously melon-scented, sweet, and firm, with none of the bitter or muddy aftertaste that makes some oysters challenging. Closely related to the Pacific oyster, which also was imported from Japan, Kumos stay small and deep-cupped, and are revered by beginners and pros alike.

Moonstone Oyster

Point Judith Pond, Rhode Island

Some of the most savory oysters in the world come from a geographical arc running from the eastern end of Long Island, along the ragged Rhode Island coast, to Block Island, Cuttyhunk, and Martha’s Vineyard: the line marking the terminal moraine of the most recent glacier. Along that arc, mineral-rich waters produce salty oysters with unparalleled stone and iron flavors, of which Moonstone is the reigning king.

Nootka Sound Oyster, Olympia Oyster, and Penn Cove Select Oyster; illustrated by Bryan Christie Designs

Nootka Sound

West Vancouver Island, British Columbia

An oyster from pristine waters. Ain’t nothing on the Pacific side of Vancouver Island except orcas, sea lions, shellfish farmers, and the occasional kayaker. You know these oysters are clean, but clean waters do not necessarily make light-flavored oysters. Art-deco-patterned, lavender-flecked Nootkas, in fact, taste strong, with hints of muskmelon and a flavor of cold, slightly sweet raw milk—animal, but good.

Olympia

South Puget Sound, Washington

The only native West Coast oyster, once found from Baja to British Columbia, but now harvested commercially only in southern Puget Sound. These tiny celadon lockets hold delightful treasures: miniature oysters redolent of morels and butter and celery salt. Maddening to open, and maddeningly good.

Penn Cove Select

Samish Bay and Whidbey Island, Washington

Gorgeous, ruffled shells holding consistently plump, white oysters with black mantles. Penn Coves are multiyear winners of the West Coast’s Most Beautiful Oyster contest. They are a prime example of the “clean finish” style of Pacific oyster—light, salty, fresh, like a cucumber sandwich rolled in parsley.

Rappahannock River Oyster, Skookum Oyster, and Totten Virginiva (Totten Inlet) Oyster; illustrated by Bryan Christie Designs

Rappahannock River Oyster

Topping, Virginia

Famous as a Chesapeake oyster river for centuries. Of the twelve oysters on this list, Rapps are the quietest. Extremely mild oysters, exhibiting a simple sweet-butter flavor, they are easily overshadowed by saltier or fruitier oysters, so they don’t fare well in tastings. But on their own, with the most evanescent of wines, they can be a delicacy itself—a lesson in the pleasure of minimalism.

Skookum Oyster

Little Skookum Inlet, Washington

If Penn Coves exemplify the “light and lettucy” side of Pacific oysters, Skookums show Pacifics at the other extreme. These rich and musky oysters grow fat on the “algae farms”—mudflats—at the head of tiny Little Skookum Inlet, one of Washington’s oldest oyster sites. The brown and green algae that thrive on the mudflats, different from deep-water algae species, give Skookums an aroma of trillium and river moss, more earth than sea.

Totten Virginiva

Totten Inlet, Washington

The oyster that begs the question: Nature or nurture? By nature, it’s a virginica, the East Coast oyster, celebrated for its superior texture. But it’s nurtured in the gentle algae baths of Totten Inlet, famous for producing full-flavored Pacific and Olympia oysters. The result is an unlikely yet dazzling mutt—fat and round on the tongue, but cleaner and more mineral than a Pacific. If you prefer the Totten Virginica to Pacific oysters raised in Totten Inlet, then chalk one up for the Eastern oyster. If you prefer Totten Virginicas to East Coast virginicas, that confirms Totten Inlet’s revered status.

This excerpt was originally published on our site as part of the multi-page article “The Taste of an Oyster” on September 6, 2007. We thought it was worth restoring and highlighting. Consider it a love letter to oysters, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

You can download the original oyster identification poster here (from Rowan’s site, OysterGuide.com).

The Essential Oyster: A Salty Appreciation of Taste and Temptation

Check out Rowan's second book on the subject for even more oyster education and celebration.

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The Best Vegan Chocolates for Valentine’s Day

Vegan sweets are having a moment: After all, they’re top of mind for not only those on a vegan diet but also people who don’t do dairy or who are full-on paleo. And I have good news for everyone: All high-quality dark chocolate should naturally be dairy and animal by-product free.

I say “should” because unfortunately, a lot of dark chocolate is not dairy free. I tackle this in my book, “Bean-to-Bar Chocolate: America’s Craft Chocolate Revolution,” writing, “As soon as you start to see dairy like butter oil on the ingredients list, you know you’re in trouble.” That’s because some companies will substitute cheaper ingredients like butter oil or milkfat for expensive cocoa butter, bringing down the quality of the whole shebang. And who wants to eat subpar chocolate? (The one exception is the category of dark milk chocolate, but those bars should be labeled as such.)

Fortunately, more and more chocolate is truly vegan (with plant milk at a new popularity level, there are plenty of delicious vegan “milk” chocolate options as well), and the quality keeps skyrocketing. Here are some of the best of the best in each category.

Dark Chocolate Bars

LetterPress Amaranth Crunch, $10

LetterPress Chocolate

Chocolate maker David Menkes is fastidious in his devotion to his craft, and it shows in LetterPress’ Amaranth Crunch, a grown-up version of a childhood favorite. Crunchy amaranth is the perfect counterpoint to the fruity single-origin Belize beans Menkes uses here. No wonder it won bronze in 2018’s Academy of Chocolate Awards.Try It

LetterPress Amaranth Crunch, $12.99 on Amazon

In case you were looking for a little something extra to add to your Amazon cart...

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Areté’s Single-Origin Dominican Republic 70% Bar, $15

Arete

Areté’s Single-Origin Dominican Republic 70% Bar is bean-to-bar chocolate at its finest. The bright, dried-fruit notes of cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic gives way to the silky smooth texture of this decadent bar. And the understated mold with a figure of a ballerina makes me smile every time.Try It

Antidote Chocolate Raw 100% Cacao Bar, $8.50

Antidote Chocolate

For the serious chocolate lover who doesn’t have time to even mess with sugar, Antidote Chocolate to the rescue! The health-minded brand is completely vegan, and this 100 percent bar (read: only one ingredient, cocoa, and zero percent sugar) is delightfully mild and delicious.Try It

Antidote Chocolate 100% Cacao Bars, 6 for $49.50 on Amazon

Try this fascinating chocolate in a mixed pack, half with cocoa nibs and half with dates.

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Ritual’s Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, $9.50 at Mouth.com

Ritual Chocolate

Most of us think of vanilla and chocolate as opposites, but in reality most chocolate bars include either vanilla or vanillin (the fake version) in the background. Chocolate maker Robbie Stout turns that on its head in Ritual’s Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, highlighting whole bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar, which are currently some of the most expensive ingredients in the world.Try It

Cloudforest Holy Wood, $7

Cloudforest

So you’re avoiding dairy, but how about some wood in your chocolate? It’s not as crazy as it sounds: Cloudforest chocolate maker Sebastian Cisneros infuses his Holy Wood bar with Palo Santo wood, which is venerated in his home country, Ecuador, though he’s been calling Portland home for years now.Try It

Vegan Milk Bars

Raaka Coconut Milk Dark Chocolate Bars, 3 for $14.95 on Amazon

Raaka Chocolate

As a completely vegan company, Raaka was one of the first to start offering coconut milk chocolate. It’s rich, creamy, and addictive. Unlike most bean-to-bar chocolate makers, Raaka doesn’t roast its cocoa beans, so the bright notes of the single-origin chocolate using beans from the Dominican Republic shine through. (Check out their vegan oat milk chocolate too.)Try It

Charm School’s Coconut Milk Chocolate Maple Pecan Bar, $7.99

Charm School vegan chocolate with maple pecan

Charm School Chocolate

Chocolate maker Josh Rosen adds house-made maple-cinnamon candied pecans to his decadent coconut milk chocolate bar called Charm School’s Maple Pecan for a crunchy, delightful treat. He sources the cocoa beans from Belize, which are known for their fruity flavors—so it’s like eating the best PB&J ever.Try It

Askinosie’s Coconut Milk Chocolate Bar, $8.50

Askinosie Chocolate

The creaminess of Askinosie’s Coconut Milk bar always blows me away. It’s less coconut-forward than the others in this category, which can be a good thing. And another good thing: Askinosie shares profits with its farmer partners, like those in Del Tambo, Ecuador, where the cocoa beans in this bar are from.Try It

French Broad Chocolate’s The Buddha Collection, $17

French Broad Chocolate

No Valentine’s Day should go without truffles and bonbons! French Broad’s Buddha Collection is an all-vegan lineup from the bean-to-bar maker in Asheville, North Carolina, and includes truffles made with fun ingredients like coconut cream, peppermint oil, and strawberry and balsamic vinegar.Try It

Lagusta’s Luscious The Big Assortment, $64

Lagusta's vegan chocolate truffles and caramels

Lagusta’s Luscious

Caramel and toffee are usually made with a base of butter, which is why the vegan bonbons from Lagusta’s Luscious are super special. Lagusta’s punk rock persona takes it to the next level. (Keep your eyes peeled for a vegan chocolate cookbook coming from Lagusta’s in September 2019.)Try It

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What Is the Difference Between French Press and Pour-Over Coffee?

The Best Galentine’s Day Gifts for Your Girls

Let’s hear it for the girls! Galentine’s Day is all about appreciating the strong women in your life who support you day in and day out. While one gift could never communicate how important they are in your life—we’ve rounded up some sweet items that will definitely help you show them that you care. From delicious teas to heart-shaped serving dishes—there’s definitely something in here that your bestie will love almost as much as she loves you.

Cruisin’ Cats Kitchen Towel, $7.99 at TJ Maxx

T.J. Maxx

When I was getting married, I got the best gift idea from my mother-in-law after one of my showers: Wrapping candles in cute kitchen towels! She helped me decorate hostess gifts and tied them up with the cutest ribbons. This would be perfect for your friends if you’re hosting a Galentine’s Day party or just hoping to let them know you care.Buy

This heart fondue pot is the perfect, easy way to do something interactive when the girls are over. Set out a platter of fruits, breads and anything else that you want to slather in chocolate! (Try this Chocolate Stout Fondue recipe with Homemade Lambic Marshmallows, or for something more traditional, our Easy Chocolate Fondue recipe.)Buy

Check out our Valentine’s Day giveaway on Instagram; three lucky winners will get lots of goodies from Hotel Chocolat (enough to share with galentines for sure). And check out our Valentine’s Day gift ideas for more presents perfect for Palentine’s Day too.

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Our Top 6 Recipes Made with Real Milk

We’ve teamed up with Milk Life to bring you our top recipes made with real milk. From chicken fried steak to bread pudding we’ve got simple goodness covered.

Continue reading "Our Top 6 Recipes Made with Real Milk" »

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