Tzatziki tops minced smoked salmon for a
sophisticated appetizer. Photo by Grenouille
Films | IST.

Salsa, from Mexico, is one example. Greek tzatziki (tsah-tsee-kee) is another.

A chilled mixture of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt and some fresh herbs (dill, mint or parsley), the cucumbers can be seeded and finely diced or puréed and strained.

Classic uses in Greek cuisine include as:

More ways to enjoy tzatziki:

 
Made with nonfat Greek yogurt, tzatziki is one of the healthiest sauces or condiments you can find, tasty and low in calories.

Try this tzatziki recipe.

People with lactose intolerance can use soy milk yogurt or try buffalo’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk yogurts, all of which are more easily digestible than cow’s milk yogurt.

More of our favorite dips and salsas.

 
*What’s the difference between a gyro and souvlaki? The preparation and shape. Souvlaki is cubes of meat (lamb, pork, chicken), cooked on individual skewers. The word means “small skewer” in Greek. The meat can be served on the skewer, on a bed of rice or in a piece of pita. Gyro means “going around.” A leg of lamb or other meat is cooked on a vertical rotisserie. The meat is sliced from the leg and served in pita. Döner kebap (“rotating meat” in Greek) and shawarma (“turning”) are other words from different regions, referring to the same food.

But flavored coffees only substitute for dessert if you’re a serious calorie counter. There are other ways to approach “dessert coffee.” This recipe from Eight O’Clock Coffee shows how to really enjoy coffee and a dessert in a single cup.

If this sweet, dessert-like coffee keeps you away from a piece of cake or pie, you actually save on calories. If you’re seriously counting calories, make a reduced-calorie version with caramel-flavored coffee (here’s one from Starbucks); whip some cream with powdered noncaloric sweetener and use a half dozen chocolate chips instead of the toffee candy.

CARAMEL COFFEE ”DESSERT”

Ingredients Per Serving

Preparation

1. Drizzle half of the caramel syrup into the bottom of mug. Pour in coffee. Add milk and whipped cream.

2. Drizzle the remaining caramel syrup over the whipped cream. Garnish with toffee candy.

Variations

You can turn this concept into a multitude of “dessert coffee” recipes.

Find more coffee recipes.

Find more dessert recipes.

If you enjoy baking bread, try Indian naan.

Naan, which means “bread” in Persian, is a flatbread similar to the original, pocketless pita. It is usually leavened with yeast and baked in a tandoor (clay oven). This distinguishes it from roti, which is cooked on an iron griddle called a tava (almost all Indian breads are cooked on a grill or griddle).

Chef Edward Hamann of Sur La Table’s cooking school demonstrates how to make this fragrant flatbread in a conventional oven (on a baking stone or pizza stone—if you don’t already have one, get a round pizza stone to serve both purposes). It bakes quickly, in just three to four minutes.

If you’re a garlic lover, you can sprinkle minced garlic atop the bread before baking.

You can serve naan with any cuisine whatsoever. For an Indian-style snack, add some chutney or raita, seasoned yogurt with cucumbers.

Nigella Seeds

Nigella is a lovely, delicate flower, grown in English cottage gardens since the Elizabethan era. Its triangular black seeds have been dried, roasted, and used for flavoring since ancient times.

The flavor of Nigella is similar to cracked pepper; the oil in the seeds has an aroma similar to oregano.

If you can’t find nigella seed, also called kalonji—or don’t want to buy a spice for only one recipe—simply substitute celery seed, cumin seed, or black or toasted sesame seed.

Find more of our favorite breads and bread recipes.

See the different types of bread in our bodacious Bread Glossary.

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

This year, change it up with a Cranberry Margarita, Pomegranate Margarita or Grapefruit Margarita recipe.

The first two recipes are from Avión Tequila; the last is from Felix restaurant in New York City’s SoHo, where Avión Silver is the tequila of choice.

POMEGRANATE MARGARITA RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the tequila, pomegranate juice, orange liqueur and sour mix into a shaker and shake vigorously.

Flying Pomegranate Margarita. Photo
courtesy Avión Tequila.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the tequila, cranberry juice and sour mix into a shaker and shake vigorously.

2. STRAIN over ice or serve straight up in a Martini glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

Grapefruit Margarita. Photo courtesy Felix Restaurant.

GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITA RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. RIM the glass by moistening the rim and twisting it on a plate filled with the salt/pepper mix.

2. COMBINE the tequila, Cointreau and juices into a shaker and shake vigorously.

3. STRAIN over ice or serve straight up in a Martini glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

Advice circulates that coffee beans should be kept in the freezer to maintain freshness.

False!

Freezing the coffee coagulates the natural oils contained in the beans. These oils need to emulsify to produce the body and mouthfeel of the coffee.

Coffee is best right after it is freshly-roasted. Beans can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks, but an airtight container is crucial. It protects the internal moisture of the coffee bean and keeps out odors.

Of course, the best storage advice is to buy what you need as you need it.

If you find yourself with too much coffee on hand, consider brewing iced coffee to keep in the fridge. Coffee is a source of healthful antioxidants. If you don’t have a caffeine sensitivity or high cholesterol, iced coffee is a refreshing cold drink.

What About Ground Coffee?

Ground coffee that is not in a sealed vaccuum pack will begin to go stale within 24 hours after the coffee has been exposed to air.

Connoisseurs with sensitive palates can notice a decline in flavor two hours after the coffee is ground!

Light & Heat Are Enemies

Keep all coffee away from direct light and heat. They begin to cook the coffee oils, and will affect the flavor and aroma properties.

Coffee Trivia: Why The Lemon Peel?

In Europe, you may see coffee—especially espresso—served with a piece of lemon peel. The peel is rubbed around the rim of the cup.

This was originally used to counteract the taste of over-roasted, bitter espresso. The lemon oil in the peel blocks the bitterness.

Italians traditionally serve top-quality espresso without lemon peel; to serve peel means the coffee isn’t as good as it could be. However, some people grew to enjoy a hint of lemon with their espresso. If you do it (we do), there’s no shame in serving lemon peel.

MORE ABOUT COFFEE

Find information galore, recipes and things you never knew about coffee in our Gourmet Coffee Section.