We topped a rice cracker with roasted
red pepper, a bocconcino (mozzarella ball)
and pesto. Photo by Melody Lan THE NIBBLE.

• Skewer: Take long toothpicks and make a skewer of bocconcini (1″ mozzarella balls—the word means “mouthfuls” in Italian), red roasted pepper or sundried tomato, a small basil leaf and a pitted picholine olive. For a vegan dish, substitute cubes of tofu for the mozzarella.
• Canapé: Spread thin slices of baguette or flatbread with soft goat cheese, top with a marinated roma tomato (more tender and mild than a sundried tomato, which can be substituted), and garnish with baby arugula.
• Bruschetta: The toasted bread topped with a tomato “bruschetta” sauce and basil leaves is a perennial crowd pleaser.
• Stuffed Peppadew: Bright red peppadews can be stuffed with goat cheese or cream cheese, skewered with other veggies and/or cheese and used to decorate food platters.

*The French spelling places the plural “s” at the end of “hors,” not “d’oeuvre.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: We regret that this video has been discontinued by its producer.

Root vegetables have sustained mankind through millennia of winters, because they last for long periods in cool temperatures.

Root vegetables are plant roots eaten as vegetables. Beetroot (beets), carrot, ginger, Jerusalem artichoke, jicama, parsnip, potato and sweet potato, radish, rutabaga, salsify, turnip, wasabi, water chestnut and yam are just a portion of the long list of root vegetables consumed in the U.S.

A gratin (grah-TAN) is a method of food preparation in which a protein, vegetable or starch is served with a browned crust of grated cheese. The crust may also include breadcrumbs, egg and/or butter.

Gratin originated in France and is usually made in a shallow baking dish. The main ingredient can be baked (roasted) in the oven or cooked on the stove top. In the latter case, the toppings are then added and the dish is finished in the oven or broiler. The baking dish is usually brought to the table piping hot.

For winter entertaining, one of our favorite dishes is a root vegetable gratin of carrot, parsnip, sweet potato and turnip, made in our favorite red Le Cresuset baking pan. Even people who don’t like veggies succumb to the melted Gruyère cheese topping.

In this week’s cooking video, Martha Drayton of Whole Foods Markets shows us how to make a gratin with potato, sweet potato and celery root (celeriac)—an enhancement of the popular dish, potatoes au gratin.

If you’d like to substitute other root vegetables:

Make your holiday cheese plate even more festive by adding slices of fruit and nut bars.

We’ve been serving KIND bars, an in-depth assortment of flavors that pair beautifully with cheese.

• From the KIND Fruit & Nut line, serve Almond & Apricot Bar, Date & Walnut Bar and Fruit & Nut Delight Bar.
• The KIND Plus line is fortified with vitamins and fiber—perhaps even a better choice for those who party hearty. Serve a variety of flavors from choices that include Almond Cashew + Flax, Almond Walnut Macadamia Bar, Blueberry Pecan, Cranberry Almond, Mango Macadamia and Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio.

You can cut bars into square pieces or let guests tear off their own. Everyone will think your idea of pairing fruit and nut bars with cheese is ingenious.

What cheeses should you serve?

• Browse through our Cheese Glossary for inspiration.
• How to plan a cheese tasting.

Serve fruit and nut bars with your
cheese plate. Photo courtesy KIND.

Good things come in small packages, especially when the package contains Delysia Chocolates.

Nine of Delysia’s beautiful little truffles—square chocolate shells filled with seasonally-flavored ganache and beautifully decorated—are tucked into a four-inch-square scarlet box. The bright red box tied with a white satin ribbon is holiday-perfect.

Pieces in the Winter Collection, shown in the photo, are filled with eggnog, gingerbread and mint chocolate ganaches.

Want other flavors? Delysia makes 31 different collections (berry, citrus, latin, nuts, spirits, tea, white chocolate, wine, etc.)

We love smaller truffles rather than large ones because you can taste two different pieces for the caloric “price” of one. Delysia enable you to give special chocolates to someone who doesn’t want to over-indulge but still wants the best.

A nine-piece box is $20.00 at Delysia.com.

The artisan chocolatier also makes bark in six flavors, molded Christmas trees and much more that is truly delysi-us.

How do you keep a sliced apple from turning brown?

(Here’s why apples turn brown.)

Our grandmother dipped the slices into a solution of lemon juice and water. But the experts at the U.S. Apple Association recommend fortified apple juice, a better alternative not available to Granny (or to Mom, either).

The vitamin C that is used to fortify apple juice contains the same ascorbic acid as lemon juice. And it maintains the flavor.

So toss those apple slices into a bowl of fortified apple juice until you’re ready to serve or use them. There’s no need to toss out the apple juice: Drink it!

Pick The Right Apple

As with all fruits and vegetables, each cultivar (variety) has unique properties. In the case of apples, some varieties brown more quickly than others. So the second part of the tip is to look for “slicing apples” with better browning qualities.

If you want to serve apple slices, or keep them from browning as you prepare a pie, use this tip. Photo courtesy U.S. Apple Association.

This may become moot in the future. Okanagan Specialty Fruits, a biotechnology company in British Columbia, has genetically engineered apples so the flesh won’t brown.

However, as a genetically modified organism (GMO), the cultivar is currently seeking USDA approval, which can take years.

Although some consumers steer clear of GMOs, there is overwhelming evidence that GMOs are safe.

GMO tomatoes and grapes, for example, are already in supermarkets.