Properly Preparing Fennel | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

For those that don’t have much experience cooking with or eating fennel, it can look a little intimidating.  So, where do you begin? After understanding a few quick tips on how to properly shop for, purchase, store and cut fennel, you can, and may enjoy, finding ways to incorporate more fennel into your diet! So here is the skinny…

Shopping:

When shopping for fennel, the first thing I look for are that the fronds (the leafy green part at the top of the stalk) look bright green and free of blemishes or spotting. Feel it, smell it, heck even taste it – if no one is looking – before placing it in your basket. Secondly, the actual fennel bulb itself – the part you will be eating – should be white without any bruising, cuts or blemishes. Give it a gentle squeeze making sure it is solid without much resistance.

Preparing:

When preparing your fennel, follow these steps:

• Step 1:
  • Remove the stalk by cutting just above where they attach to the bulb.
    
• Step 2:
  • Reserve the fennel fronds for a beautiful garnish. Finding ways to bring the ingredient from inside to finishing touches (i.e. garnishing with its leaves) is a great way to fully represent an ingredient.
    
• Step 3:
  • Cut the fennel bulb in half from top to bottom.
    

• Step 4:
  • Remove the core and stem by cutting a triangle in the bottom.
• Step 5:
  • Depending on your desired purpose, quickly and efficiently thinly slice or chop each half as they will discolor due to oxidation. The most common use for fennel is sautéing, pureeing into a soup or roasting.
    

Now that you know how to shop for and prepare fennel, let’s hit the store! We have some shopping to do.

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Cooking for Guests | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

When cooking for guests, or even a date, never ever try making a dish for the first time! Beside adding more stress to your plate – literally – cooking a new recipe can easily turn from a great idea to disaster!  Here are a few other tips to consider when preparing your menu.

Be Realistic:

Regardless of how many people you are inviting, always be realistic about what you can manage. For example, how much counter space do you have? How many burners, and ovens will you need at any given point? And this should be a given, but do you have enough manpower to execute all components for each dish? Don’t rely on your guests to help as they may be in the mindset of mingling and not cooking.

Set the Table:

One thing you can do to save yourself the day of, is to set the table the day before. Don’t forget to add flowers to your shopping list!

Menu:

Write down the menu, print any recipes you need and pull out the serving pieces for each dish. This way you know that everything will have a home and can easily be transferred once ready. I go a step farther and place a sticky note in each serving dish so when its time to serve, there is no question what goes where.

Shopping:

Actually write a shopping list and try to purchase as many items as you can  (the non-perishables like stock, canned items and sturdy vegetables like potatoes for your famous au gratin) as far in advance as possible. This way, the day before you are simply picking up proteins, lettuce and flowers.

Timing:

Write out a quick overview of when items need to be removed from the fridge (especially any proteins), when the oven should be turned on, when to start cooking, adding finishing touches, tossing, plating, serving, filling water glasses, corking wine, etc. Nothing is worse than a wilted salad and cold casseroles.

Execution:

If people ask to help, they most often genuinely mean it! This can especially come in handy when its time to serve and dishes are just finishing cooking. Have them help plate, garnish or even bring to the serving area. People like to feel included as if they were a part of something so offering them a simple task “can you grab me the platter that says pork chops” can easily do the trick. Don’t ask them to cook or cut anything as chances are they didn’t dress for an evening of cooking. And lastly, always offer them an apron.

Finishing:

As guests finish their meal, don’t collect plates until everyone is finished eating. This way, no one feels rushed. You can always say something like “I am going to start the coffee, would anyone like some with their dessert?” for a nice subtle way to encourage faster eating.

And lastly, as your guests make their exit, always thank them for a wonderful evening even if they didn’t thank you.

Now with that, let’s set The Table Together!

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!