"savory" news and stories

There seem to be an endless variety of cookies that people trot out for the holidays. I know that I like to have a lot of variety when I'm just offering cookies (and perhaps hot chocolate) for dessert. Lex Culinaria has gone one better and made a batch o sweet and savory Cheddar and Cranberry Cookies. The cookies are very similar to shortbread, but with the salty tang of aged cheddar that makes them extremely snackable, much like a good cracker. The cookies are of the slice-and-bake variety, so the dough is rolled into logs and stored in the freezer. LC makes a very good point about how convenient it is to be able to just slice off a few rounds for baking when you want some, so you'll always have fresh snacks for entertaining and won't be overly tempted by having a huge batch sitting around.

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Jam does not have to be sweet, though it is most often defined as a preserved mixture of cooked fruit and sugar that is quite sweet. David Lebovitz kept in some of the fruit and sugar elements of a traditional jam, but added some less traditional elements to make his Shallot, Beer, Prune, and Cocoa Nib Jam. It might not be the perfect complement for your morning scone or muffin, but the sweet and savory relish makes a nice hors d'oeuvre spread with cheese and crackers or counterpart to meaty dishes, such as lamb or, as David suggests, foie gras. And even f you don't want it on a scone, it would probably still make a lovely addition to breakfast with eggs and sausage.

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Compound butter is butter that has a flavor, or additional ingredient(s) added to it. For example, I can think of several restaurants that serve garlic butter with dinner rolls (often barbecue restaurants), which is a compound butter. They are also sometimes simply called "herb butter," though they can be sweet or savory.

Compound butters are very easy to make and can have any number of flavors blended into them. The first step is softening the butter to room temperature. Once it is soft, the desired ingredients can be added . Herbs and spices are the most common because they are the easiest things to use, but just about any ingredient can be added. Lemon zest and dill make a great compound butter to "finish" a fish dish. Grated parmesan cheese, garlic and a bit of parsley make a wonderful spread for dinner rolls. If you choose to use cooked additions, like roasted garlic, make sure it is entirely cooled before mixing in, or the butter will separate. Use savory butters to top steaks, corn on the cob or any other dish you think needs a bit of extra flavor.

For sweet butters, you can add in any combination of spices, too. Pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon butters bake wonderful spreads for toast or waffles. You can also stir in a little bit of jam to make a fruity butter or maple syrup for a deliciously sweet addition to oatmeal. My favorite compound butter is served by Bill Granger in his Sydney restaurants: honeycomb butter, which has bits of smashed honey candies stirred in.

To store, simply return the mixed butter to the fridge to firm it back up. If you prefer to be able to slice your butter, shape it into a log on a piece of wax paper before refrigerating.

Diva Chocolates is a company that thinks you should be able to eat chocolate at any time of the day - not just for dessert. To this end, not only do they offer a line of decadent sounding hot chocolates, but they have grilling rubs as well. The rubs are blends of chocolate, cacao nibs, cocoa and spices that are designed to pair with specific types of meat, from beef steaks to chicken. Flavors include Mocha Java Steak Rub (espresso, dark chocolate and cinnamon), Spicy Pork Rib Rub (brown sugar, cocoa, paprika and pepper) and Orange Chocolate Chicken Rub (orange peel and roasted cacao nibs, along with a few other secret ingredients) are just a taste of their offerings. The Divas also have a page of recipe suggestions to get your grilling juices flowing.

I already use cocoa frequently when I'm making spice rubs myself, but I never thought of using actual chocolate to do so. Diva products are only available online at the moment, but they definitely sound like they're worth a try. It's nice to have lots of options on hand when the grilling season kicks off.

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Alanna, who writes the column (and blog) Kitchen Parade, has done it again. Even after cooking through a whole year's worth of different vegetable recipes, she still can come up with more! This Asparagus Custard Tart, for example, is a gorgeous example of what to do with fresh, spring asparagus. The tart is much lighter than a quiche and not nearly as eggy, though still very satisfying. It has a short, simple list of ingredients that blend together to produce a brilliant dish. Alanna slices it into eighths and serves it with a side salad as a main course, but with a fruit salad it could also make a lovely brunch or item. Don't be put off by the crust, either. If you're pastry-challenged, you can use Pillsbury refrigerated dough.

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