PA Corporate Chef Steph's take from this week's Market Report "Good Buy"
Herbs!
My customers always want to know how they can get their food to taste as good as mine (#shamelessplug), or as good as the food they get in other restaurants. Aside from copious use of butter and astonishing amounts of citrus on just about everything, the best way to elevate any dish is with the use of herbs. Depending on the time of year or the particular dish it is more appropriate to use fresh vs. dried herbs, but generally fresh is my preferred route because they lend incredible brightness, texture, and color that you just can’t get from dried. Dried herbs are much, much more powerful than fresh herbs, and lend a much warmer affect to dishes, especially if they are added near the end of cooking, rather than muted in the beginning. Summer is a particularly luscious time for fresh herbs, with basil, tarragon, verbena, rosemary, cilantro, thyme, mint, and lavender reaching their peak. And herbs aren’t just for garnish. They are gorgeous as salad greens! From drinks to apps, mains to dessert, fresh herbs will bring your food from delicious to celebratory!
-Chef Steph
About the Chef
Stephanie Goldfarb is a Chicago-based chef and national food television personality specializing in seasonal, globally-inspired cuisine. Recognized as the winner of Food Network’s America’s Best Cook competition, and a celebrity chef on Kitchen Inferno and NBC’s Food Fighters, Goldfarb delivers unique and relatable culinary experiences to discriminating and casual diners alike. As the owner of the successful Seven Species Supper Club & Catering, she enjoys the challenge of building brand new menus each month that inspire both repeat clients and newcomers, and seeks opportunities to utilize new ingredients, techniques, and approaches in accessible ways.