Everyone needs a hand in the kitchen, and in lieu of any sous elves, Claire Dinhut – AKA Condiment Claire – picks the ones that will make your feast sing
Salt, sweet, bitter, acid, umami. While we don’t think to use too much “sweet” before dessert, it can counterbalance and enhance other flavours. Maple syrup is my sweetener of choice during the holidays because it just tastes cozy. Add it to roasted root vegetables or a poultry glaze, and it’s especially tasty in drinks, from hot apple cider to eggnog and even mulled wine.
I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like butter, or ooh and ah at a homemade one. Think of this ridiculously easy condiment as a blank canvas; you know your guests best, so feel free to add whatever spice, herb, or flavouring they’ll love the most. Think brown sugar and cinnamon; dried herbs and lemon zest; maple syrup and miso; parmesan and pepper; or gochujang and chopped spring onion.
Bovril is an absolute must during the holidays. It’s an easy way to start a gravy base, and an even easier way to glaze veggies, plus its history is surely a conversation starter. During the Franco-Prussian war in the 1870s, in an effort to feed his troops, Napoleon III commissioned John Lawson Johnston to develop a non-perishable protein. First named Johnston’s Fluid Beef, this salty spread made from beef bones, salt and flavourings was renamed Bovril in 1886.
