Contrast is at the center of many popular culinary trends. There's also a strong emphasis on contrasting textures within a single baked good. For example, soft milk breads and laminated doughs that have been hard-baked create exciting combinations.
Meat is cured when it's introduced to sodium nitrite or nitrate. There are natural and artificial versions of this. Artificially cured meats are manufactured in a lab, where nitrite is added in precise amounts to prevent nasty bacteria like botulism from forming, as well as preserving the color and flavor.
New American Light Lager (think: Budweiser) just doesn't stand up to the chilies in chili. As its name implies, a light lager is a type of beer with the mildest, most delicate flavor. While they're refreshing on a hot day, they certainly don't have a robust profile, nor the depth that's necessary to bring any nuanced tasting notes to chili, even after reducing with a simmer.
Country of origin labeling became mandatory on all international products entering the United States in 2009. The goal was to ensure American consumers knew where the products they were buying came from, enabling shoppers to make informed buying decisions. These products include everything from Mexican avocados to French wine to pasta from Italy, with the latter thankfully safe from recent U.S. tariffs. However, does the location a product comes from actually matter?
"The solution to everything was just add butter. It was the moment when I realized so much of the magic that occurs in pastry, but also in sauces, emulsification, creating that silky texture of a classic French sauce, it's all because of butter."
Inspired by Auguste Escoffier's exceptionally simple tartare, I've given his recipe a zero-waste twist by using whole boiled eggs and swapping in pickle brine from a jar of gherkins or capers to replace the vinegar. Everything else is optional: tarragon, mustard, cayenne add what you like or have in store. Traditionally, tartare sauce is delicious with fish and chips, calamari or in a chicken sandwich, but I also like it tossed through potato salad with tinned sardines and radicchio.