If you don’t mind frequent watering, a pot puts fresh herbs at your fingertips—not to mention, provides lovely greenery and fragrance. You can keep one in a sunny kitchen spot, on the back steps, porch or patio, or go whole-hog like our friend Connie has just done and stake out an elaborate garden plot.

Your local nursery can provide assistance, and there’s plenty of advice online. Here are the steps to snipping:

1. Pick a sunny spot. Most culinary herbs originated in the Mediterranean and other sun-drenched regions, so they need at least eight hours of sunlight a day.

2. Seeds versus plants. Seeds typically need to be started indoors one to two months before it’s warm enough to move them outside. At this point in the season, look for plants (they’re also easier for beginners).

3. The right container. A larger pot of soil or potting mix* dries out more slowly. To keep the plants moist for the longest time, use the largest pot you can.

Your favorite herbs, ready to snip. Photo courtesy Whiteflower Farm.

4. Select your herbs. They should, of course, be the ones you use most often. Basil, rosemary, thyme and parsley are popular. We use chives every day for flavor or garnish. Don’t be seduced into planting something you don’t use, under the theory that if you have it, you’ll cook with it. Odds are that you won’t.

5. Choose watering-compatible herbs. That is to say, plant together herbs that require the same amount of watering. For example, basil likes more water, but rosemary likes drier soil. To keep the basil happy, you’d be over-watering the rosemary. Separate pots are called for.

Thinking outside the pot—and into a
wheelbarrow (with drainage holes, of
course). Photo courtesy BonniePlants.com.

6. Think outside the pot: How about something seasonal? Given that it’s iced tea weather, think about mint—which is a universal dessert garnish, too. How about some edible flowers—marigolds, nasturtiums and pansies, for example? They’re beautiful in salads, drinks, and as plate garnishes.

7. Prepare the container. Be sure there are sufficient drainage holes, and fill the container to a quarter of the pot’s depth with gravel or pebbles. They help with proper drainage.

8. Add the plants; plan to fertilize. The frequent watering required by herbs tends to wash nutrients from the soil/potting mix. Replenish them with fertilizer so your herbs will thrive. You can use a regular houseplant fertilizer every three weeks, at one-half the strength recommended; add a slow-release fertilizer when you plant; or look for a potting mix that contains the slow-release fertilizer.
9. Use daily. From breakfast eggs to a garnish for dessert, enjoy those herbs. The more you cut them back to use them, the more they grow. If you aren’t using a particular herb often enough, snip sprigs as a plate garnish or a cocktail garnish.

Giardiniera (jar-dih-NYAIR-uh) is an Italian word that means “from the garden.” In Italy, giardiniera has long been a way to preserve seasonal vegetables in vinegar for use during the winter.

Giardiniera is also called “sotto aceti,” which means “under vinegar,” a common term for pickled foods. It is often made with carrots, cauliflower, celery, onions and zucchini in red or white wine vinegar.

Veggies from the garden are pickled in vinegar, herbs and spices. In Southern Italy, olive oil can be added; Northern Italians seem to prefer a tangier, sharper vinegar brine.

Giardiniera is enjoyed regularly and is typically part of an antipasto.

Below:

> Many uses for gardiniera.

> A recipe to make your own.
 
 
GIARDINIERA COMES TO AMERICA

Italian immigrants brought giardiniera recipes to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In Chicago, Italian-American communities transformed giardiniera into a spicy, oil-based relish rather than a purely vinegar-pickle vegetable.

They minced the vegetables more finely and added chile peppers or flakes for heat. “Chicago-style giardiniera” became a staple topping for Italian beef sandwiches, subs, pizza, sausages, and hot dogs.

The result is a pickled condiment used like other pickles on burgers, eggs and sandwiches, from the classic muffaletta of New Orleans to the Italian beef sandwich in Chicago to an everyday ham and cheese. (See more uses below.)

Today:

 
Giardiniera adds crunch, tang, spice and often, heat, to perk up anything it touches. Low in calories and high in veggie nutrition, it’s a guilt-free addition.

Note: Chicago-style giardiniera is stored in oil (commercial brands often use a blend of olive and vegetable oils), which softens the heat and makes it more spoonable. It’s quite different from the crisp, vinegary Italian original.
 
 
USES FOR GIARDINIERA

 
 
RECIPE: MAKE YOUR OWN GIARDINIERA

Bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower, celery, hot chiles and pitted olives are common, but you can add whatever appeals to you, including non-traditional ingredients like mushrooms and okra.

There are mild and hot versions, the latter employing hot chile peppers.Enjoy it at home and bring a jar full as a house gift. After you make the first batch, you’ll be able to adjust the ingredients to create your ideal “signature” blend.

You can cut the vegetables as you like, from chunky to a more finely diced relish.

Note that if you use olive oil in the recipe, it will cloud up in the fridge. But will become clear again at room temperature.

Ingredients

 
Plus your choice of additional ingredients, such as:

 
______________

*Use good vinegar, and never distilled white vinegar.

[1] An Italian hoagie will often feature giardiniera (photo © DeLallo)

[2] Giardiniera is made in mild and spicy versions (photo © DeLallo).

[3] Turkey burger with giardiniera (photo © DeLallo).

[4] A muffaletta sandwich with giardiniera. Here’s the recipe. Photo courtesy Pillsbury.

[5] Fusion food: hummus topped with giardiniera (photo © DeLallo).

[6] Homemade Chicago-style hot giardiniera. Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste Of Home).

1. COMBINE water and salt in a non-reactive bowl; mix to dissolve. Add the vegetables and garlic. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. DRAIN and rinse the vegetables. In a clean bowl, mix together the vinegar with the oregano and pepper. Add the vegetables and mix to combine. Allow to marinate overnight in the fridge, or up to two days.

3. MOVE to an airtight container. Giardiniera improves over time, and will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks or longer.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

But there’s a bonus below: an absolutely delicious, old-fashioned ginger-sultana cake, courtesy of the England’s high-end food store chain, Waitrose.

Whether you buy or bake the cake, people will ooh and ahh over the beautiful rosette topping.

WHAT IS FONDANT

Fondant (sometimes called fondant icing) is a coating for cakes that is made from sugar and water, cooked to the soft-ball stage and then stirred or beaten to a creamy mass. It dries to a smooth, opaque matte finish and can be colored and/or flavored or left white.

Fondant is formed into a dough, rolled out and laid over cakes (typically wedding cakes) or petit fours. It not only gives the cakes a smooth and elegant appearance, but acts as a preservative and protection: The dense fondant keeps the cake underneath moist for the extra day it may take to assemble and transport. Also, fondant does not mar easily like buttercream.

A rosette cake topper, made from petals of fondant. Photo courtesy Waitrose.

We enjoy the taste and texture of fondant, although some people don’t care for the thickness or flavor. It should be noted that commercial fondant, bought already prepared, does not achieve the glory of made-from-scratch fondant. Homemade fondant can be addictively delicious, especially to people who like marshmallows.
 
Other Types Of Fondant

RECIPE: ROSETTE GINGER CAKE

Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 35–40 minutes. The cake serves 8–10.
Ingredients

*You can buy or make stem ginger: Blanch peeled, diced fresh ginger in boiling water for about 10 seconds; drain water and repeat process two more times. In a different saucepan, make a sugar syrup and then add the ginger, simmering for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

†Self-rising flour is flour with baking powder and salt already added. It is traditionally milled from softer, lower protein wheat; and it produces softer, more tender baked goods than all-purpose or higher-protein flours. If you don’t want to buy a bag, you can make a home version: Combine 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1½ teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.
 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 356°F. Grease and line the base of an eight-inch-round cake pan with nonstick baking parchment.

2. PLACE the butter, sugar, 1 cup of golden syrup and the chopped ginger and syrup together in a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the butter has melted.

3. PLACE the flour, ground ginger, baking soda and sultanas in a large bowl.

4. WHISK together the eggs and milk in a pitcher. Pour the melted syrup mixture and the egg mixture into the bowl of flour and beat well with a wooden spoon until blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

5. LEAVE the cake to cool in the pan, then invert the cooled cake onto a serving plate so that the flat bottom is on top. Brush with the remaining golden syrup.

6. ROLL out the fondant on a sugar-dusted surface to the thickness of a pound coin. Using a 1- to 1-1/2 inch diameter cookie cutter, stamp out as many discs as possible (you should get 55–60 pieces). Arrange an overlapping ring of fondant discs around the edge of the cake. Continue to arrange the overlapping discs towards the center of the cake, alternating the direction in which the circles overlap each other so that each ring forms a rosette pattern. Allow the icing to set for a couple of hours before slicing and serving.
 
There are more than 5,000 recipes can on the Waitrose website. Dig in!

While she used challah, eggs and cream to rich effect, here’s an even richer recipe—a signature brunch dish at the Sushi Samba restaurants in New York City (there are other locations nationwide).

If you’re in New York City for a brunch, head to Sushi Samba’s Gramercy or West Village locations. The French toast is on the $30 pre-fixe menu; bottomless Prosecco can be added for an additional $25.

Everyone else: Make it yourself at home!

You may notice that there’s no dulce de leche in the recipe below. That’s because dulce de leche is made by heating sweetened condensed milk until it caramelizes.

Soaking the bread in sweetened condensed milk embeds the flavor of dulce de leche in it.
 
 
RECIPE #1: DULCE DE LECHE* BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
_________________

*Sushi Samba, which has a Brazilian flair, uses the Portuguese term, doce de leite, instead of the Spanish dulce de leche.

[2] A loaf of brioche (photo © King Arthur Flour ).

1. PLACE brioche in a 275°F oven for 5-10 minutes to dry.

2. COMBINE all the liquid ingredients and add the bread. Allow the brioche to soak for 1-2 minutes.

3. COOK on a flat top or in a nonstick sauté pan for 2 minutes per side and finish in a 350°F oven for an additional 3 minutes, or just until the center has firmed.

4. GARNISH with the fruits of your choice and powdered sugar.

[3] Parisian pâtissièr Pierre Hermé bakes round loaves of brioche (photo © Pierre Hermé).

[4] A brioche roll—specifically, brioche à tête, with a “head” (photo © Elena Moiseeva | iStock Photo).

Brioche (bree-OASH) is light, slightly sweet bread made with eggs, yeast and butter, and glazed with an egg wash. Richer than a standard loaf of bread, brioche is used as a breakfast bread, for French toast and in combination with luxurious first courses such as foie gras and smoked salmon.

 
The word comes from Old French, broyer, to knead. The expression, “If they have no bread, let them eat cake,” commonly mis-attributed to Queen Marie-Antoinette (1755-1793), wife of Louis XVI. There’s more about this below.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF BRIOCHE

The word brioche first appeared in print in 1404. The recipe is believed to be based on a traditional Norman recipe, a form of which may have been brought to Gaul by the Romans (but Southern Europe was not focused on dairying, hence no butter, using olive oil instead).

The sweetness of the bread led it to be served as a pastry or as the basis of a dessert, with many local variations adding other ingredients, fillings and toppings [source].

Brioche is the best bread for French toast and bread pudding, and also famously served with foie gras and other meat-based terrines and mousses.

The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in his 1783 autobiography “Confessions,” writes that “a great princess” is said to have advised, regarding what to do about starving peasants, “S’ils n’ont plus de pain, qu’ils mangent de la brioche”. This is commonly translated as “If they have no bread, let them eat cake.”

After publication, it was speculated that these words of compassion and noblesse oblige [not!] actually referred to Maria Theresa of Spain (1638-1683), the wife of Louis XIV (her husband’s paternal grandmother), or various other aristocrats. If so, Marie-Antoinette may have known, and repeated, the phrase, which has since been attributed to her.

Either way, both aristocratic ladies, who never went without, could have used some compassion.

It’s National Muscat Day, celebrating a wine that hasn’t been discovered by enough Americans—especially those who enjoy a fruity wine with a touch of sweetness.

We’ve enjoyed white Moscato for years, as well as the sparkling styles like Asti Spumante and its semi-sparkling cousin, Moscato d’Asti (both made in the Piedmont region of Italy).

But we only recently received our first bottle of red Moscato, from our friends at Gallo Vineyards. It retails for about $7.99 per bottle, and we’ll be bringing bottles of both red and white Moscato to gatherings this summer.

 
THE HISTORY OF MOSCATO

Once upon a time, in a land called Muscat and Oman (a country that encompassed the present day Sultanate of Oman and parts of the United Arab Emirates), a wine was enjoyed so much that someone brought the grape seeds back to Rome for cultivation.

In turn, the Roman Legions brought Moscato to Gaul (encompassing present-day France). Today France and Italy are renowned producers of Muscat.

The are different strains of the muscat grape, including Muscat noir, black Muscat, which has a dark skin (red to dark purple) and is used to make the red variety.

Moscato is light bodied and low in alcohol—meaning that most people can have a second glass without feeling it. Gallo’s red Moscato has a perfumed nose and a palate laden with notes of citrus, honey and peach.

With its delicate sweetness and fresh acidity, this refreshing, medium-bodied wine is best enjoyed chilled, with anything from a cheese place to spice cuisine to dessert.

Here’s more on moscato, including 13 different ways to serve it.