What’s on The Qui Ingredient Holiday Table?

If you’re hosting a Holiday dinner, you’re probably already thinking about what dishes you’ll have on your Holiday Table. Everyone can agree, this is one of the richest, calorie-laden meals of the year! Assembling a memorable culinary experience is a balance of traditional favorites plus trying something new now and then. The success of your menu rests on several factors. 

1. Balancing heavy dishes and fresh foods. No doubt whatever your recipe for sweet potato casserole, it is likely a heavy (but delicious) side. A little scoop of this dish goes a long way. What do you add to your table to balance the heaviness of this favorite? Some ideas are fresh, crisp cooked green beans (instead of the green bean casserole) or a light green salad. 
    

2. The perfect combination of sweet and savory. Sweet and savory can exist in one dish or come from a combination of dishes. The ultimate sweet / savory combination is a perfect bite of turkey and gravy with a dollop of tangy, sweet cranberry sauce. Or dressing that combines corn bread with sausage and dried fruit. Whatever your choices, make sure you have well-balanced options of both sweet and savory side dishes on your table. 
    

3. Harmony in the use of herbs and spices. A thread of common seasonings throughout your dishes creates harmony in your mouth. More than any other meals, Thanksgiving and Christmas plates are full from rim to rim with a little bit of everything on the table. (Watch out brumotactillophobics –- those of you who fear your food touching on your plate.) If you season your stuffing with sage and thyme, add a little bit of those herbs to your gravy rather than introducing another herb. Be careful to balance flavors rather than create competition for your taste buds. 

 
With these tips in mind, you can create your perfect menu while guiding your guests to contribute dishes that will maintain balance in the meal. How do I create the perfectly balanced Holiday Table? Here are a few of the side dishes starring at my house. 

The Qui Ingredient 

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White Pepper 

White pepper is used in dishes when you want the heat of pepper without the appearance of black flecks in your sauce – soups, white sauces and potato dishes, for example. White and black pepper come from the same plant but go through different processes for harvesting and drying which creates the variation in color as well as a slightly subtler flavor in the white variety.  

In general, whole peppercorns retain their flavor much longer than ground, which is why many recipes call for freshly ground pepper. White pepper – whether whole or ground – loses its flavor much faster than black pepper so make sure you only buy what you know you’re going to use.   

One caution – do your research when buying white peppercorns to get the freshest, best-tasting white pepper you can. Some white pepper is poorly processed and bleached to give it an extra bright white color. Look for creamy white, not beige, peppercorns without any specs of black or grey. Make sure the peppercorns are a uniform size. Check the label for the origin for another clue to the quality of your source. 

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