The Chinese New Year holiday begins today. It’s also called Lunar New Year, since the date is based on the lunar calendar*; and other Asian countries in addition to China celebrate it.

The celebration lasts for 15 days, and an estimated 1.4 billion people around the world participate.

It’s the Year Of The Dog, one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac. The characteristics of the animal are believed to influence everything that happens during the ensuing 12 months.

Yet, while people universally love dogs, the zodiac isn’t as kind to them. Advice for the Year Of The Dog:

The dog’s vulnerability is procrastinate too long and miss that opportunity so be sharp-eyed this year in order to maximise on his own potential. Here’s [horoscope guidance] for your sign in the Year Of The Dog.

Here’s more about it, plus the traditional good-luck foods for Chinese New Year (potstickers are one of them).

Now, how about some Chinese fare to celebrate?

To us, potstickers, a traditional Chinese dumpling, are always a treat. They can be enjoyed fried (photo #2) or steamed/boiled (photos #1 and #3) with a dipping sauce, typically ponzu sauce; or served in more modern ways. Here are a few of them:

 
 
RECIPE: POTSTICKER DUMPLING SALAD

We loved the idea from Feel Good Foods: dumplings on raw vegetables: Potstickers + colorful salad = dumpling salad!

If you choose vegetable potstickers, it’s sustainable, vegan lunch or first course for Meatless Mondays. If you buy Feel Good Foods’ potstickers, it’s also gluten-free.

You can serve the salad with ponzu sauce or a vinaigrette of rice vinegar and sesame oil (or olive oil).

We created this recipe to match the photo. If you eat gluten-free foods, Feel Good Foods specializes in gluten-free Asian foods: dumplings, egg rolls and mains such as General Tso’s Chicken and Mongolian Beef.

Conventional potstickers are available, frozen, at many food markets. We buy ours at Trader Joe’s.

Ingredients

 
For The Dressing

You can use ponzu sauce or make this Asian-style vinaigrette:

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the vinaigrette. Combine the vinegar, soy and lime juice in a bowl or measuring cup. Slowly whisk in the oil until thoroughly blended; then add the herbs. Taste and add seasonings as desired.

You can make vinaigrette in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature and shake before using.

2. JULIENNE or otherwise cut the vegetables, and place in three rows across individual plates. Sprinkle the edamame over the salad. (We got artsy and placed them around the rim of the plate, one-by-one.)

3. STEAM the dumplings (fry them if you prefer). Add on top of the salad and serve with the ponzu dipping sauce.

You can lightly drizzle some dressing over plate and serve the extra on the side in a small pitcher or creamer, or simply pass the pitcher.
 
 
HOW POTSTICKERS DIFFER FROM OTHER DUMPLINGS

Potstickers are a crescent-shaped Chinese dumpling with a crimped edge. They are filled with ground meat, seafood or vegetables. In the classic Chinese preparation, they are pan-fried until brown on one side, then turned and simmered in a small amount of broth.

In the U.S. they are fried, boiled in water or broth, or steamed.

[2] Potstickers can be steamed or fried. Here’s the recipe from The Wanderlust Kitchen.

[3] Have a potsticker salad for lunch (photo courtesy Feel Good Foods, which makes gluten-free potstickers). The salad shown here comprises carrots, zucchini and red cabbage, but you can use any colorful vegetables.

[4] Whatever you choose, celebrate the Year Of The Dog (image courtesy Chinese Fortune Calendar).

[5] Want to make dumplings at home? Get this book!

Poststickers are similar in appearance to Japanese gyoza.

 
But…there are so many variations among regions and cooks that the differences can sometimes disappear.
 
 
PASTA TRIVIA

If you know your pasta history, you know that boiled ribbon pasta—spaghetti, linguine, anything cut into strands—was brought to Italy by Arab invaders in the 8th century. (What was brought is believed to have been the flat, linguine style).

But “pillow pasta”—stuffed pasta like ravioli and tortellini—is credited to Marco Polo. Returning to Italy from China at the end of the 13th century, he introduced the concept stuffed pasta—i.e., Chinese dumplings, which had been made as far back as 1700 B.C.E.

Italian cooks then developed their own styles, from the aforementioned to agnolotti, cappelletti, fagottini, mezzelune, pansotti, tortelloni; plus non-pillow styles including including stuffed shells and tube pasta (cannelloni, manicotti, etc.).

 
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*Unlike the Roman calendar, which is fixed, the lunar new year changes based on the cycles of the moon, although it usually falls between January 21st and February 20th. Other calendar systems, such as the Hebrew Calendar, also vary.
  

[2] Use yogurt in different types of sauces. Here, yogurt is blended with cheese as a dipping sauce for Pigs & Blankets, but you could eas easily use it on chicken, grains or pasta.

[3] Use herb-and-spice-flavored yogurt instead of mayonnaise to find chicken salad, potato salad, etc. Here’s the recipe from Chobani.

[4] Baked penne with spinach and sundried tomatoes. Here’s the recipe from Chobani. You can also use a spiced yogurt sauce to top spaghetti and other plain pasta dishes.

[5] Curried grilled salmon topped with raita, a spiced yogurt-cucumber sauce, dip and spread. Here’s the recipe from Chobani.

How much of it is savory, with no added sweetness?

Many of us have made spicy yogurt dips for crudités, from the simple addition of herbs and spices, to substituting yogurt for higher-calorie mayonnaise and sour cream in artichoke or spinach dips.

Why not extend your use of savory yogurt to every meal? Here are some ideas, inspired by Flavor & The Menu, a magazine and website for creative chefs.

Says the article: The acidic (tangy) bite of yogurt is a refreshing ingredient, that naturally lifts the flavors of other ingredients added to it.

At the same time, yogurt has a neutral flavor profile that pairs well with just about anything.

The magazine named spicy yogurt as one of its Top 10 Culinary Trends for 2018.
 
 
USES FOR SAVORY YOGURT

With its tangy dairy notes and creamy mouthfeel, Greek yogurt has long been used to create a variety of savory dishes:

 
Have Some Beet Yogurt Or Carrot Yogurt

One of our favorite techniques is to create containers of vegetable yogurt using purée of beets, carrots, pumpkin and other squash, spring peas and other favorites.

Simply cook and purée the vegetables; then mix them with plain yogurt in proportions to taste.
 
 
HOW TO FLAVOR PLAIN YOGURT

Greek-style yogurt is often turned into dips and spreads with the addition of cucumber, garlic, herbs and/or mint (think raita and tzatziki).

Start with Greek-style yogurt, then use high-impact flavors:

 
It’s almost impossible to make a pairing mistake.
 
 
SAVORY YOGURT AT BRUNCH

Here’s how you can use savory yogurt in just one meal category—brunch—suggests Flavor & The Menu.

Here are four ideas; you can create your own versions or find similar recipes on line:

 
How About Bagels?

An easy creation we like: Greek yogurt blended with garlic, dill and parsley, on a toasted bagel; sliced onions, tomatoes, smoked salmon, cracked black pepper and lemon zest at will (photo #1).

Tip: Mix the spread the night before so the flavors can meld.

Cooking over heat will cause yogurt to separate. To avoid this, let the yogurt come to room temperature and and use one of these techniques:

February 14th—Valentine’s Day—is also National Creme Filled Chocolates Day. It’s accurate to call them “creme,” as they contain no cream or other dairy.

But please allow us the opportunity to discuss how Americans use creme vs. cream when there is real cream involved. We’ll get to that below.

> Now, onto the creme-filled chocolates, below.

> Also below: cream vs. creme.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> Check out all the chocolate holidays (all 69 of them).

> The history of chocolate.

> The different types of chocolate: a photo glossary.

> Pairing wine with chocolate.

> The year’s 69 chocolate holidays.

> February 14th is National Creme Filled Chocolates Day.
 
 
SURPRISE: MOST “CREAM” FILLED CHOCOLATES HAVE NO CREAM!

Whether they’re called cream, crème, or creme, most chocolates with creamy centers contain no cream! Rather, they contain fondant, a mixture of sugar, water, and flavors whipped until “creamy.”

The exception: There exists a teeny minority of fine chocolates that are actually filled with whipped cream. Few American chocolatiers make them because of their shorter shelf life.

Leonidas, a Belgian chocolatier, is known for its chocolates filled with fresh whipped cream. Their signature Manon Café (coffee-flavored whipped cream) and Manon Blanc (vanilla-flavored whipped cream) chocolates have many fans (photo immediately below).

[7] Leonidas “Manon” chocolates are filled with whipped cream. The bump in the middle is a hazelnut (photo © Leonidas).
 
 
CREME-FILLED CHOCOLATES VS. BUTTERCREAM

When people refer to creme-filled chocolates, they are referring fondant cream. Fondant is sugar and water that has been cooked and whipped into a smooth paste, flavored with extract or fruit purée.

Fondant also refers to a stiff, dense, dough-like covering used to drape over cakes. Same ingredients, different proportions, different texture.

The fondant that fills chocolates is smooth and melts on the tongue. Depending on the recipe, when you bite into the chocolate it can be firm or almost liquid (like a the center of some cherry cordials/chocolate-covered cherries).

Yes, it’s creamy; it just isn’t cream.
 
 
What About Buttercream Easter Eggs?

Buttercream is essentially a frosting and a filling, typically used on cakes and cupcakes. It’s a base of butter and powdered sugar, sometimes lightened with egg whites (known as Italian or Swiss style buttercream) or thickened with heavy cream.

Yes, some high-end chocolatiers fill their chocolates with real buttercream. The taste is richer and more mellow, creamy rather than sugary fondant.

But because of the high butter content, the shelf life is shorter with real buttercream filling. Butter is sensitive to heat and buttercream can become rancid faster than fondant creams.
 
 
What About Buttercream Easter Eggs?

Most commercial “buttercream” Easter eggs are butter-enriched fondants. They have just enough butter to legally list “butter” on the ingredients label. But they’re essentially butter-flavored whipped fondant made with sugar or corn syrup and water.

Mass-market brands might have 1% to 5% butter, with the rest of the creaminess coming from vegetable shortening.

For a buttercream filling from a premium chocolatier, the filling is typically 15% to 30% butter. That’s a big difference in flavor (as is the quality of the chocolate surrounding it).

For major retail distribution, “fondant-style” buttercream is more stable.

 
 
Real Buttercream Eggs & Other Chocolates

If you buy an Easter egg from a high-end or artisan chocolatier, it’s likely to be true buttercream, made by whipping actual butter with sugar and often a lightener like marshmallow cream (e.g. Fluff) or egg whites.

If you want to know if it’s real buttercream, look at the ingredients list.

 
 
THE RANT CONTINUES: CRÈME (“KREM”) VS. CREME (“KREEM”)

There’s “cream,” indicating the presence of cream in the recipe, and there’s “creme,” which should only be used to designate that something is “creamy” without the presence of any dairy product.

That describes “creme”-filled chocolates. They have no cream.

Is it proper? No. It’s commercialism. (rant continues below)

[1] In the realm of cream-filled chocolates, there is no cream. The creaminess is fondant, a blend of sugar, water, and flavor. You can make these tart cherry fondant creams with this recipe (photo © Love And Olive Oil).

[2] These vanilla fondant cream-filled chocolates are also available in assorted fruit flavors (photos #2m #5 and #8 © Vermont Country Store.

[3] Raspberry creams (photo © Fannie Mae).

[4] Maple creams (photo © Albanese Candy).

[5] Yes, the centers of your favorite peppermint patties are peppermint cream.

[6] The inside of a cordial cherry can be solid or liquid, but either way, it’s a sugar-and-water fondant. Here’s the recipe to make these (photo © Taste Of Home).

In the U.S., adding an “e”” to the end of a word or using a pseudo-French spelling is a common tactic to make a product seem more elegant or “gourmet.”

But it’s a misappropriation. It borrows the visual prestige of the French word crème while completely ignoring the French pronunciation (krem).

Worse, it’s typically pronounced kreem, like cream—the spelling that should have been used in the first place!

Over time, this misusage has become so common that many Americans view “creme” as an appropriate stylistic variant of “cream,” rather than a foreign word.

In standard English prose as well as in the culinary arts, one should always use cream when referring to the dairy product. Use crème with the accent if referring to a French product: un café crème (coffee with cream), crème chantilly (whipped cream), crème brûlée, etc.

Thus, in the U.S., when naming a product or writing an article or menu, naming a recipe, etc., “cream” is the correct English spelling.

Not everyone is good with French accent marks, but anyone can spell creme and say krehm instead of kreem.

Is that a crime? Well…it isn’t accepted in professional literary or culinary circles, as we’ll discuss more below.

The bigger question is: If it isn’t a French dessert or confection—crème brûlée or crème caramel, for example—why not just use the English-language word cream, instead of, e.g., Strawberry Creme Pie?

We recently saw a menu listing “creme of mushroom soup.” Why not “cream of mushroom?” If you want to get fancy, go full-French: “crème de champignons.”

More than a few people—both professionals and home cooks—use “creme” in recipes that don’t even contain cream.

Instead, the recipes have fillings made with coconut cream, cream cheese, tofu, various starches and other ingredients that create a creamy texture.

So why not simply use the adjective creamy?

Some who choose the misspelling are pretentious, others are merely unaware.

We’ve spoken our piece. We are all ranted out. Thanks for listening.
 
 

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

[2] Beet juice is an under-used cocktail mixer. It’s also delicious as a straight juice drink (photo courtesy R.W. Knudsen).

For Valentine’s Day, treat yourself to a beet-red cocktail.

A Bloody Mary or Cosmo may be the obvious red drink choice, but we were looking for something new. We like this drink because, on a day loaded with chocolate and other sweets, it’s savory—although not as much as a Bloody Mary, because beet juice has naturally sweetness.

We developed the recipe using gin, but you can use whatever spirit you like. Mezcal gives it a nice smokiness.
 
 
RECIPE: RED BEET COCKTAIL

If you aren’t a juicer, simply buy the beet juice. If your supermarket doesn’t have it, head to the nearest natural foods store. Our favorite brands are Biotta, Love Beets and R.W. Knudsen (photo #2).

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the rim. Combine equal parts of salt and lemon zest. Use a lemon wedge to moisten the rim of the glass, and twist the rim in the salt-zest mixture to coat.

2. COMBINE the ingredients with ice and shake. Strain into a glass.

3. GARNISH as desired.
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*Beet juice is so sweet, that the drink doesn’t need any sweetener. However, the brown sugar adds a note of molasses. Taste the drink first before adding the sugar. To enable the sugar to dissolve, pulse it in the food processor until very fine. Alternatively, mix it with a bit of the juice, heat for 15 seconds in the microwave and stir to dissolve.

Spring begins on March 20th and Easter Sunday is April 1st…but IKEA is having a celebration on Friday, March 9th.

You can join participating IKEA stores nationwide* for a Påskbord, a Swedish smörgåsbord buffet in honor of the Easter holiday.
 
IKEA PASKBORD MENU**

The all-you-can eat buffet of classic Swedish food offerings includes:

First Course

 
Second Course

 
IThird Course

 
Desserts & Beverages

 
Boy, are we hungry!

All this and more is yours at the IKEA Påskbord buffet—but only if you get your tickets before they sell out (photo courtesy IKEA).

Tickets are available for only $16.99 per person, $4.99 for kids 12 and under, or at a discounted rate for IKEA FAMILY*** members of $12.99 per person, $2.99 for kids 12 and under.

Seating is limited, so head to your local IKEA store ASAP (find your closest store at IKEA-USA.com).
 
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* IKEA Carson will not host an Easter Påskbord in 2018.

**Menu is subject to change due to product availability.

***IKEA FAMILY is a benefits program that offers membership perks including special product discounts, sneak previews, free coffee and tea in the IKEA Restaurant, and more. Consumers can sign up for the free program online or in-store.