Most croutons are miniature cubes. Some crouton lovers would like them much larger: more flavor, more crunch.

And they certainly make salads more fun.

So today’s tip is. Make jumbo croutons. They make salads more fun. And you can customize the flavors each time, so there’s no “crouton fatigue.”

 
GENERAL CROUTON TIPS

 
RECIPE: GARLIC CROUTONS

Ingredients

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Cut the bread into rounds or fingers.

2. TOSS the ingredients in a large bowl, coating bread thoroughly. Bake until toasted to your preference (light or dark), 15-20 minutes.

3. PREPARE and dress the salad. Top with warm croutons and serve. You can store croutons in an airtight container for a day or two.
  

For Sunday brunch or afternoon tea*, here’s a fun alternative to a chocolate croissant that provides another reason to enjoy seasonal berries.

RECIPE: BERRY CROISSANTS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SPLIT the croissant and spread the bottom half with cheese.

2. ADD the berries, whole or sliced, depending on size.

 
*Who has afternoon tea, you say? Well, THE NIBBLE is a far cry from Downtown Abbey, but we serve afternoon tea daily. Not everyone drinks tea, but it’s our chance to sample some of the many foods that arrive at our doorstep—baked goods, candy, jam, crackers, cheese, pâté and so forth—including coffee, tea and other beverages. If you want to serve a proper afternoon tea, here’s how.
  

Need something fancy—and easy? Here’s a lovely first course to make with spring asparagus. We serve the wraps individually plated with some watercress salad, to which we add some snipped chives or thin-sliced green onion.

The recipe is from Castello Cheese, which crumbles their Danish blue cheese as a garnish.

RECIPE: ASPARAGUS & PROSCIUTTO WRAPS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. TRIM the woody ends from the asparagus. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus for 30 seconds (90 seconds for thick spears), until the asparagus just bends. Alternatively, lightly steam the asparagus in a microwave.

3. WHISK together the olive oil, vinegar and garlic and roll and marinate asparagus in vinaigrette 30 minutes at room temperature. Make extra vinaigrette if you are serving the watercress.

4. GATHER the asparagus into bundles of 8 (if thin, 4 if thick) and wrap each bundle with a prosciutto slice. Arrange on a platter or individual plates. Decorate with crumbled blue cheese.

5. TOSS the optional watercress with vinaigrette and add to the plate.

6. PASS a peppermill for fresh-ground black pepper.
 
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PROSCIUTTO & SERRANO HAM

This is a complex question, because the authentic breeds of pig and curing techniques differ in Europe from what is permitted in the U.S. But a simple answer is: Both products are air-cured hams, with some differences in the breed and diet of the pig.

 
But it’s hard to state something definitively when you buy the product in the U.S. The best approach: Buy a small amount of each and decide which you prefer. If you’re buying it freshly carved (not pre-packaged), ask the counterperson what the brand is, and keep notes.
 
*Slender asparagus are easier to wrap; but if you can only find thick spears, use half as many.
  

Here are the simple steps to serving succulent, low-caloric, healthful roast fish (or grilled, if you prefer). Our tip was inspired by these photos from Eataly Chicago.

1. CHOOSE A FISH

Start with one of these varieties, which should cost around $11-12/pound. Plan on one pound per two people.

 
Have your fishmonger remove the guts and scales. See the next section, on how to pick the freshest fish.

Then, choose your aromatics.

But first, some tips on how to select the freshest fish.

Branzino with aromatics, ready to roast. Photo courtesy Eataly | Chicago.

Here’s the scoop, straight from our grandmother:

1. LOOK at the eyes. They should be clear and plumped out, not cloudy and sinking down.

2. CHECK the gills. They should look wet fresh-looking (like pulled from the water), the color red, orange or brown, depending on the fish. If they look dark brown and/or dried out, pick something else.

3. PRESS the flesh gently. If it springs back, the fish is fresh. If it leaves a permanent dent, pick something else.

4. AROMA. A fresh fish aroma is fine; a “fishy” aroma or whiff of ammonia is not.
 
What Are Aromatics?

Aromatics are herbs and vegetables that release delicious aromas and impart deep flavors into the dish.

They provide the flavor foundation in many dishes. Braises, sauces, sautés, soups, stews, stir-fries and stocks are some of the dishes that rely on aromatics.

For roasting fish, you don’t have to use one selection from every category below. We do use them all; but if you want to simplify your purchases, choose just one citrus and one herb.
 
2. PICK SOMETHING FROM THE CITRUS FAMILY

Slice it and insert it into the cavity (slice the grapefruit to fit). Buy an extra to cut into wedges for garnish.

3. PICK SOMETHING FROM THE CELERY FAMILY†

 
4. PICK A FRESH HERB

 
Save some extra sprigs for garnish.
 
†The Apiaceae family of plants is commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family—mostly aromatic plants. Others of the more than 3,700 species are anise, caraway, chervil, coriander/cilantro, culantro, cumin, dill, fennel, lovage and parsnip.

 
5. PICK SOMETHING FROM THE ONION FAMILY

 
6. OPTIONAL: USE WHITE WINE

If you have an open bottle with two cups of white wine you want to use up, use a baking dish instead of the baking sheet indicated below. Add the wine before the fish.

 
7. ROAST THE FISH

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Soak the entire fish in salted water for 10 minutes. Pat it dry. If the fish is particularly thick, cut three half-inch slashes on each side, no more than a half inch deep, to help the heat penetrate. Rub olive oil over the surface. Sprinkle the surface and the cavity with salt and pepper.

2. STUFF the aromatics into the cavity of the fish and transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet. You can cover the sheet with foil or parchment for easier cleanup. If you have leftover aromatics (other than the pieces for garnish), you can place them in the center of the tray and lay the fish on top.

3. ROAST the fish until the fish is just cooked through (we actually prefer ours rare), and a cooking thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fish reads about 135°F. The skin should be crispy. Cooking time will vary based on the weight and thickness of the fish, but it will be ready to test at 30 minutes.

4. GARNISH with citrus wedges and herb sprigs and serve. While this article may be long, once you’ve done it the first time, roasting whole fish is a snap!

We first learned of Back To The Roots, an environmentally-focused start-up founded in Oakland, California by two Berkeley grads, when they sent us a Mushroom Farm two years ago. It’s a kit to grow mushrooms indoors that utilizes recycled coffee grounds.

The company has since created Water Garden, a device that sits over a fish tank and grows herbs; and Garden In A Can, their own version of herbs-in-a-can.

These are specialty products. But recently, the company launched another product that has a place in every kitchen.

It’s a delicious, whole-grain breakfast cereal, with the curiously generic name of Organic Stoneground Flakes.

They’re not exactly flakes, but shaped like tiny bowls. That adds to their charm; but whatever the shape, we love their flavor and the wholesome nutrition.

Organic Stoneground Flakes are our new favorite cereal!

Just three ingredients: organic wheat, a bit of sugar and a dash of salt.

The U.S.-grown, hard red spring wheat is 100% stoneground, the ancient milling process that preserves all the protein, fiber and flavor of the whole grain.

The cereal is non-GMO and has a whopping 40g of whole grain per serving, almost your daily requirement of 48g; along with 6g protein and 5g fiber. There’s just a pinch of salt, and a small amount of sugar that balances the flavors without tasting sweet.
 
MORE GOOD NEWS

Packaged in an easily recyclable milk carton, the “flakes” are a crunchy snack from the box, a dry cereal to top with milk or yogurt, a crunchy topping for fruit salad, an ingredient for trail mix.

An order of two 11-ounce boxes is $9.99 plus $2 shipping on the company website.

The product’s mission is to “pour it forward”: Every photo posted to Facebook.com/backtotheroots generates a donated box of Stoneground Flakes to an elementary school cafeteria.

WHY YOU NEED WHOLE GRAINS.