At Fine Food Specialist, we know that it’s the little touches that can make all the difference to your cooking. While one should never forget the basics, such as making sure to regularly taste and season your food with salt, there are other ways to pump up the flavour. Adding fresh herbs, top quality meat stock, interesting vegetables and new flavours means you can always add sparkle to your home cooked dishes.
Don’t forget the basics
Regularly tasting your food as it’s cooking and adjusting the seasoning is the single most important cookery principle. Remember, you can always add more but you can’t take it away. That said, people tend to under season their food, so make sure to add a good quality flaky sea salt, and always have fresh peppercorns in your mill.
Add fresh herbs
Fresh herbs can be the added punch of flavour that a meal needs. Try adding them to salads, side dishes such as carrots and potatoes, and sprinkling them over your food as a garnish. Herbs can be used in larger quantities than most people realise - try using tarragon as a salad leaf, for example, and try mixing up the varieties. We love to use chervil at Fine Food Specialist, particularly as it’s a herb that isn’t widely available but it is highly prized, particularly in French cookery.
Use good quality stock
Stock adds a baseline seasoning to your dishes, bringing rich, savoury flavour from meat or vegetables, along with saltiness. Using the best quality stock is crucial for achieving great results. We sell a range of stocks including chef’s chicken stock and beef stock and reduced versions, such as veal glace, which can be used in smaller quantities to bring instant depth and seasoning to a dish.
Add a rich, nutty touch
At this time of year it’s great to add some festive flavours to your cooking, particularly in the form of nuts and fruits, which can bring depth and rich bass notes to your festive treats. Try adding some toasted nuts to a salad, or why not try using some chestnut puree, to add a touch of luxury to festive bakes, sweets and other dishes.
Add an interesting side dish
Classic side dishes such as carrots, roast potatoes and brussels sprouts are popular for good reason, but there are plenty of other interesting vegetables available that will add some excitement to your table. Try using other root vegetables such as Jerusalem artichokes in place of potatoes, or use salsify, which is a slender root with a mellow, very slightly oyster-like flavour. It’s perfect in cheesy gratins, and makes a very comforting winter side.
Mix up your salad greens
Salad greens are a great way to bring a touch of much needed lightness to meals, particularly when there are a lot of rich dishes on the table! Adding a fresh green salad with plenty of sprightly dressing will bring contrast and extra seasoning. Why not try mixing up your salad greens to keep things interesting? We have a wide range of seasonal salad leaves and other greens for you to try, including lamb’s lettuce, rocket and chicory. Try using different colours and textures.
Add unfamiliar flavours
Adding some unfamiliar ingredients to your favourite dishes is a great way to introduce them to your family and maybe even permanently in your repertoire. A great example is adding ingredients into familiar favourites like pasta. Try adding a handful of monk's beard to a dish or regular spaghetti, for example, or using a little seaweed in the seasoning. Trying new flavours and ingredients in the kitchen will effortlessly add a little sparkle to meals.
Recipes to inspire you from Drogo’s Kitchen
Salsify and Caramelised Onion Gratin
Cauliflower and Chestnut Soup with Alba Truffle
Chicken with Perigord Truffle and a Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Goose Magret and Treviso Radicchio Salad with Chive Dressing
Wagyu Sirloin, Pickled Walnut and Stilton Salad
