The holidays are quickly approaching and that means it’s time to start thinking about… you guessed it, food! It’s that time of year when, if you’re hosting, family starts asking what you’re going to do and you start to panic because you have no idea.
Let us help you with some tips, along with the help of Flavor Fields seasonings and microgreens. The key is to keep things simple: prepare just a few boldly flavored dishes, rather than a myriad of meh preparations that no one will remember.
Layering flavors is essential, building the dish with the final flavor profile in mind. The result will be a complex and appetizing preparation that will keep your guests talking until next year’s holidays!
Flavor Fields offers many ingredients that are almost guaranteed to enhance your holiday preparations. None are as prolific as our Herbes de Provence. This dried herb blend comes from the Provence region of southeastern France.
The Lafayette Spice Blend includes five herbs, each with its own distinct flavor profile and importance to the blend: savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano. Each herb is harvested at its absolute peak of flavor and slowly air dried – this process results in a flavor and color that is second to none.
Our Herbs de Provence will boost any protein you may have planned for the holidays, but we have one in particular in mind… turkey! The giant bird is obviously synonymous with Thanksgiving and increasingly with Christmas meals.
Herbes de Provence would make an incredible dressing accompaniment to your T-Day bird, but would have the same impact on a roasted pork loin or prime rib. Even if you plan to go the vegetarian route this year, the herb blend would have just as much impact as a whole roasted squash or celery root.
Let’s talk about cranberry sauce, shall we? It’s on everyone’s table, but it doesn’t always look good or have some variation in flavor from the norm.
Have fun this year! Whether it’s the boxed variety or something you threw together from scratch (we’re not judging, we love them both) they can both look a little dowdy without extra aesthetic love.
Enter: our edible flowers! Both our pansy flowers and cornabria flowers would add a gorgeous touch to your cranberry side this year. Our snap dragon flowers, nasturtium flowers and apple blossoms would also make an eye-catching update.
If you’re planning to make your own this year and want to give it a little extra flavor, try making a bag of Cumeo peppercorns. Their grapefruit and lemon nuances would give an amazing burst of flavor that your guests wouldn’t expect but would soon love.
And the star of the show? It’s not the turkey. You guessed it, mashed potatoes! Everyone loves them (and we’re no exception). The thing about mashed potatoes is that you really don’t want to mess around much with the flavor profile.
The best mashed potatoes are all about consistency. Milk, butter, salt, cream, Perhaps some roasted garlic or cheese if you really want to go crazy, but even those two ingredients are completely useless.
Where you have some leeway with the mashed potatoes is your favorite pepper. Everyone knows that the best mashed potatoes are finished with a few grinds of pepper. The pepper you choose can make a big difference! We can recommend our wild tail peppercorns for their original earthy flavour.
Or perhaps our smoked long peppercorns for their intense touch of smoky heat. Both would take your must from zero to hero very quickly.
Finally, let’s not forget the cake. Pumpkin pie, indeed! This is another classic that most people prefer to keep as such, but what if we made it a little bigger…
Our pink peppercorns will add a delicious and surprising touch of sweet juniper to your dish, sprinkled on top of your cake or topped with a scoop of whipped cream. Kampot long red peppercorn would also make an amazing cake topper. With notes of cloves and dried fruit, it would add just a hint of heat if grated on top just before serving. Yum!
We hope this brief introduction to the world of holiday dishes has given you inspiration for your next dinners. Holiday meals can be anchored in tradition, but still have room for innovation and change – that’s what makes them so fun! This year brings something new to the table with Flavor Fields!
