Think outside the box when combining ingredients. That’s what Executive Chef Leo Forneas of Silk Rd Tavern did, topping a crispy fish fillet with julienned apples. He chose red-skinned apples to add a touch of color.

You can use raw apples or lightly sauté the strips in butter or oil. You can cook the apples in advance so as soon as the fish comes off the grill/out of the pan, you’re ready to roll. You can also add a bit of allspice, cinnamon, or nutmeg to the apples for another layer of flavor.

While the crunchy apples nicely accessorize the crispy skin of the fish, you can use them to garnish any grilled or sautéed fish.

You can also build on the idea, by adding slivered almonds, blueberries, or raisins/dried berries.
 
 
Julienne Vs. Baton

Julienne strips resemble small matchsticks, typically 1/16-1/18 inch wide and 1 to 2 inches long. To cut julienne strips, first cut the vegetable into 1/16 or 1/8-inch-thick slices, then stack the slices and cut them into 1/16 or 1/8-inch-wide strips that are of the desired length.

Find more of our favorite fish by pulling down the menu in the far right column.

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[1] Gummy worms, invented by Trolli, are now made by a variety of producers (photo © Black Forest | Amazon).

[2] Not just kid stiff: a sophisticated sundae. Here’s the recipe (photo © Infinite Taste).

[3] What’s more fun than a blue frozen drink? One garnished with gummies! Here’s the recipe (photo © My Incredible Recipes).

[4] Dirt cake is a popular recipe that features gummy worms. Here’s the recipe for this one (photo © Food Network).

That’s because many gummy candies are made with gelatin, an animal product that’s neither kosher nor vegetarian/vegan.

The traditional gummy candy is made with sugar, glucose syrup (more sugar), starch, flavoring, food color, citric acid and gelatin.
 
 
GUMMY CANDY HISTORY

The first gummy candies, Gummi Bears, were produced in 1922 by Haribo, a Bonn, Germany, confectioner.

Founder Hans Riegel invented the Dancing Bear, a fruit made in the shape of a bear. Why a bear?

In 19th-century Europe, it wasn’t uncommon to see dancing bears, skipping down the streets in parades and festivals. They were trained to skip, hop, whirl, twirl, and perform an array of tricks.

Riegel was inspired by these animal entertainers and felt that children would be attracted to bear-shaped candy.

In 1967 the Dancing Bears became Gummi Bears and spawned an entire zoo of gummi animals.

Worms are not zoo creatures, however, and Haribo did not invent the Gummi Worm.

Gummi Worms were introduced by another German gummi candy manufacturer, Trolli (named for forest trolls), in 1981. The U.S. Americanized “gummi” to “gummy.”

The boom in gummy popularity spawned versions that are organic, kosher, and halal. For the latter two, manufacturers have substituted pectin or starch for gelatin.

Goody Good Stuff is an all-natural gummy candy line that is made with a plant-derived gum.

It eliminates the need for animal-based gelatin while maintaining a smooth and clear consistency. There are no artificial colors or flavors and no possible allergens, such as gluten.

There are no worms, either. At this time, there are sweet and sour gummy candies in fruit, bear, and cola bottle shapes.

All of the products are vegetarian (some are vegan), kosher and halal. Here’s the company website.
 
 
THINGS TO DO WITH GUMMY CANDIES

Beyond snacking, bring out the gummies for parties:

 
Gummy Worm Cake

Back to gummy worms: Make this easy dessert or snack recipe for “dirt cake” using Oreos, gummy worms, vanilla pudding and cream cheese.

It’s appealing to adults as well as kids—really.

Everyone can use a little food fun!

The word comes from the Latin salata, short for herba salata, salted vegetables, a popular Roman dish. The vegetables were seasoned with brine; vegetables that sat in salted water for an hour or more become pickled vegetables.

Over the centuries, salad became a cold dish of vegetables and a dressing, sometimes with a protein: beef, chicken, eggs, seafood, etc. Today we have:

 
According to Health.gov, teen and adult women should have four servings of vegetables per day; teen and adult men should have five servings. If you’re weary of lettuce salads, try making salad without the familiar bibb, Boston, chicory, iceberg and romaine lettuces.

Lettuce-Free Salads

Instead, use arugula, baby spinach, carrots, celeriac (celery root), celery, cucumber, endive, fennel, green beans, microgreens, mushrooms, mustard greens, radicchio, radishes, sprouts, summer squash, watercress and things you come across in the produce section that you haven’t tried before in a salad.

Integrate some color: beets, carrots, cherry tomatoes. You can still use favorite garnishes: croutons, herbs, nuts, seeds.

If you like to have fun with gelatin, make an aspic with vegetables as shown in the photo, and serve it with salad on the side or on top.

What About The Dressing?

You already know this, but fatty dressings based on mayonnaise, sour cream. Stick with vinaigrettes made with a heart healthy oil (avocado, canola/rapeseed, flaxseed, olive, sesame, walnut).
Find more of our favorite salads and recipes.
  

A pan of caramelized onions. Photo courtesy
Melissas.com.

Today’s tip is a delicious make-your-own condiment, red onion marmalade. It is an addictively good finishing touch to lamb, poultry, pork, steak or anything from the grill, including pizza. No other condiment is needed.

You can also serve it with breakfast eggs, on toast and on sandwiches—try it with grilled cheese. The marmalade is so good, you’ll be sorry you didn’t make four times the amount. And you can give it as gifts.

This recipe is courtesy Melissas.com, an unbeatable resource for gourmet produce and healthy gifts.

The difference between onion marmalade and caramelized onions is the added brown sugar, vinegar and wine. You may also enjoy this recipe for caramelized onions.

RED ONION MARMALADE RECIPE

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a medium pan.

2. Add the onions and sugar and cook over a medium heat, stirring until soft and lightly caramelized.

3. Add the wine and vinegar and let cook for about another 10 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated and the onions are very soft. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over beef, chicken, lamb, pork or tofu.

4. Store leftovers in an airtight jar and use within two weeks.
WHAT IS MARMALADE?

Marmalade is a soft jelly, often citrus-based, that includes the flesh and often the peel of the fruit suspended throughout the jelly base. The sweetness of the jelly is offset by the bitterness of the peel.

Some products and recipes that are called marmalade—onion and tomato marmalades, for example—are actually misnamed jams and preserves.

Why? Perhaps because onion marmalade sounds tastier than onion preserves.

They may be thin, but 34° Crisps are rich in flavor. You can serve them plain or embellished in any variety of ways: with Nutella, peanut butter or jam, with cheesecake spread, with goat cheese or Brie, as a base for s’mores or delicate ice cream sandwiches.

They’re so thin that seven crisps contain just 50 or 60 calories, depending on the flavor. Those calories buy you just one small regular cookie.

Check out the full review and more beautiful recipe photos on TheNibble.com, along with this week’s recipe and cooking video.
 
Find more of our favorite cookies and recipes.