If that doesn’t work for you, here are four more ideas, courtesy of the newest edition of the kitchen helper book, How To Repair Food:

• Dilute the soup. Divide the contents into two pots and add more liquid—broth, water, tomato juice, etc.—until the soup tastes right.
• Add canned tomatoes. If they work with the recipe, tomatoes and their liquid are sufficiently bland to absorb some of the saltiness.
• Add some fresh lemon juice. The acid can counteract saltiness. You can use lime juice if it’s better for the recipe.
• Add a few pinches of brown sugar. It won’t desalt the soup, but it may cover up the saltiness without over-sweetening the soup.

Discover the different types of soup in our Soup Glossary.

You can fix salty soup. Photo of bouillabaisse
courtesy MackenzieLtd.com.

Ganache-filled Halloween pavés. Photo
courtesy iGourmet.com.

The scary images on these dark chocolate pavés (flat-topped squares) from Christopher Norman won’t frighten away chocoholics.

The luscious, creamy fillings will banish all fears:

This type of decoration is known as transfer, short for cocoa butter transfer. The designs are reproduced in colored cocoa butter on large sheets; then carefully transferred by hand to the top of each chocolate.

A 5.3-ounce box is $32.99 at iGourmet.com.

Now that you’ve learned about pavés and cocoa butter transfers, master more chocolate terminology in our Chocolate Glossary.

But don’t overlook savory or sweet squash soufflé and squash pie (pumpkin is a squash, but you can make pies with butternut squash and other varieties). Add squash to stews and casseroles. Season it with your favorite spices (we like nutmeg and cinnamon) and fresh herbs. Make squash fries (like sweet potato fries).

Acorn and butternut squash are delicious vegetables that also can be puréed into a dip or hors d’oeuvre.

SQUASH DIP RECIPE
1. Bake or steam a 2-pound squash.
2. Place the flesh in a food processor with 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon orange rind and 1/2 teaspoon allspice. Blend on high for one minute or until smooth.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

Autumn Comfort Mac & Cheese incorporates
butternut squash, pancetta, cavatappi and a
variety of cheeses. Photo courtesy Tillamook Cheese.

Try these squash recipes, too:

• Autumn Comfort Mac & Cheese
• Butternut Squash Gratin
• Cream Of Winter Squash Soup
• Maple-Glazed Leg Of Lamb With Butternut Squash Purée

Dessert Recipes

• Butternut Squash Dessert Ravioli With Maple Syrup, Pears, Apples & Walnuts
• Butternut Squash Soufflé (a lighter version of pumpkin pie)

Check out our Squash Glossary, THE NIBBLE’s most popular article.

Excellent chocolate truffles from Cacao
Cuvée. Photo by Katharine Pollak |
THE NIBBLE.

Many chocolate truffles are pure chocolate-on-chocolate—ganache enrobed in cocoa or a hard chocolate shell. That’s fine for some people, but we need more excitement. Chocolatier Susan Pitkin has provided it.

She makes more than 20 flavors of truffles, from Coconut, Espresso and Lemon to newer flavors like Chili Pepper, Matcha, Saké and Sesame. And yes, there are classic Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate; and Peanut Butter truffles for Reese’s fans.

Many companies make truffles. The difference here is the quality of ingredients that makes the best ganache and a deft hand in flavoring it. We often find chocolate truffles boring, but we couldn’t stop eating these.

• Read the full review, which includes suggestions for serving truffles after dinner.
• Discover the history of chocolate truffles (an accident!).
• Learn more about ganache.

Small family farmers in developing-world countries grow much of the world’s cacao, coffee, tea, fruits and vegetables, cotton, flowers, ingredients for beauty products—more than 3,000 products in all.

The vast majority of family farmers must take whatever brokers or other buyers offer for their crops, which can be less than market price and less than what it costs the farmer to grow them. Conventional trade practices traditionally discriminate against these poorest farmers.

Fair Trade policies address these injustices. Fair Trade establishes practices that provide these farmers with fair terms of trade: fair prices—so they can make a small profit and send their children to school—decent working conditions and local sustainability.

Fair Trade Certified, the logo of Transfair,
is one of the global Fair Trade certifying organizations.

When you’re making a choice at the retail shelf and see a Fair Trade logo, think of the good that you’ll do by purchasing that brand.

• Learn more about Fair Trade.