Monthly Archives: November 2023

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Give Your Special Customers the Gift of Good Taste

Posted on by Dan Lowry

For Chef’s and restauranteurs, there’s nothing more important to your business success. than customers who patronize your restaurant on a regular basis.

Many, almost seem like family.

You may reward them with a customer loyalty program, an occasional drink, appetizer or dessert. But during the holiday’s when we turn our attention to our family, even our “extended” family, there’s no better way to show your appreciation, then offering a gift that you’ve made yourself.

It’s personal.

For generations, baking and packaging tins of delicious homemade cookies were always a family holiday gift giving tradition.

There are however, some interesting and easy to make holiday culinary gift treats that you can make in your kitchen that will really impress.

Some can be made without even turning on the oven, or investing a lot of time.

Depending on your budget, and your time, any one of these ideas make an excellent gift and rather inexpensive gift for your special customers.

Below, each gift idea is rated by its estimated relative cost, minus the cost of the container you might choose.

Generally, we can categorize these ideas in terms of:

COST

$     under 5 dollars

$$   5 to 10 dollars

$$$   over 10 Dollars

AND EASE

* Easy,      ** Medium,      *** Challenging

Of course, it’s more personal if all of these ideas are house made and from recipes or products that you would use on your menu. It makes them special and memorable.

Some ideas are:                                                 Cost                            Ease

A House Seasoning Salt (1 cup)                           $                                  *

Caramel Sauce (2 cups)                                      $$                                 **

Hot Fudge Sauce (2 cups)                                   $$                                 **

Herb Flavored Vinegars (2 Cups)                        $$                                  *

Chocolate Clusters (per ½ lb)                              $$                                  *

Vanilla Extract (per cup)                                      $$$                                **

Vanilla Sugar (per pound)                                    $$                                  *

Clarified Cooking Butter (per cup)                       $$                                  *

Biscotti Cookies   (per pound)                             $$                                  **

Chocolate Truffles      (per pound)                      $$$                                **

Basil Pesto    (per cup)                                       $$$                                ***

Meat Marinade (Mongolian) (per cup)                 $$                                  **

Meat Rubs    (per ½ cup)                                     $$                                   *

House Made Granola                                           $$                                  **

As for packaging, you can use something as inexpensive as lidded deli cups, or, go all out and purchase nicer, small glass container, small tins or boxes as retailers such as The Container Store, At Home, Hobby Lobby, Michaels or similar outlets.

10
Nov
Culinary Education, For Chefs, Holiday Seasonings, On Herbs, On Spices, Recipes

Exactly What IS Poultry Seasoning?

Posted on by Dan Lowry

From early fall and all throughout the winter, you’ll find one particular seasoning in high demand as menus tilt more towards roasts, in particular, roasts of the “bird” kind.

And not only the roasts, but in many cases, the stuffing, dressings and other side dishes that often accompany them.

Although Poultry Seasoning isn’t exactly a “seasonal” seasoning, for all intents and purposes, our expectation of what roasted poultry “taste”, just naturally coincides with the savory flavor of this popular blend of herbs and spices.

Especially at Thanksgiving.

Exactly what is Poultry Seasoning anyway?

To begin, it is of course a seasoning blend, and as such, is always open to interpretation as to not only what specific herbs and spices are used, but in what proportion. Much in the same way curry powder, chili powder or Italian seasoning blends are.

If you’re buying a pre-blended Poultry Seasoning, and find one that you particularly like, stick with it, because it’s quite possible that a different brand will not have the exact same blend formula.

The most common herbs used in this blend are: sage, thyme, marjoram and rosemary. The most common spices being: nutmeg and black pepper.

6 basic ingredients. That’s it.

Among the variations to this blend, are using oregano instead of marjoram, (they’re closely related), and, the use of ginger.

You’ll also occasionally see Poultry Seasoning with the add-ins of onion, garlic, parsley, red bell peppers, celery seed, ground coriander, allspice or savory. But again, it’s not all that common.

Of course, poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, squab, quail etc.), isn’t the only protein whose flavor is graced by this popular seasoning. Pork is another center of the plate meat that is closely associated with Poultry Seasoning, and it’s no coincidence that a bread or corn bread stuffing, seasoned with Poultry Seasoning, is a go-to accompaniment with both.

In addition, gravies and sauces which accompany both poultry and pork dishes are often lightly seasoned with this blend.

Another great use for Poultry Seasoning is as a seasoning in flours and batters used for fried chicken, and with roasted vegetables. You’re even seeing it more and more used in fish dishes and with tofu.

You don’t have to buy the pre-blended Poultry Seasoning. It’s quite easy to create your own, or, you can have the Red Goose Spice Company make one exactly to your specifications if your usage complies with our minimums.

How to Make Poultry Seasoning

Sage and thyme are THE 2 key ingredients in this blend, and as such, you want to be sure that BOTH of these herbs are fresh and full of flavor.

This recipe is a volume recipe, as such, if you are using rubbed sage instead of ground sage, or leaf thyme instead of ground thyme, you will need to use nearly twice as much, as it will be less compacted in your measurement container.

You should also consider blending it with a food processor to ensure that all of the particulates distribute throughout the blend equally.

If all of your ingredients are ground, then all you have to do is stir or toss them to give you an equal distribution.

Lastly, after creating your blend, you’ll want to store it in an air-tight container in a cool place, to extend its shelf life.

Poultry Seasoning Recipe

Makes approximately 6 cups

2 Cups        Ground Sage

1 ½ Cups           Ground Thyme

1 Cup          Ground Marjoram

¾ Cup         Ground Rosemary

1/3 Cup              Ground Nutmeg

1/3 Cup              Ground Black Pepper

As mentioned, you can substitute oregano for the marjoram. You can also consider customizing this recipe by adding onion powder, garlic powder or any one of the other herbs or spices we’ve mentioned.

Whether you purchase a finished blend, or create one of your very own, fall is a wonderful opportunity to revisit Poultry Seasoning, one of the most popular seasoning blends in a Chef’s repertoire.

The Red Goose Spice Company is a valuable resource for all of your seasoning needs, whatever the season, and whatever your recipe needs are.