At the Table

If you subscribe to my newsletter, The Scrap Basket, you may have already seen that I mentioned the current butter board trend. It apparently originated with Justine Doiron, inspired by chef Joshua McFadden. Zestful Kitchen shared a butter board mini series though lots of others have shared their version too. I gave a shout-out to my daughter-in-law, Lindsey, who shares 'board' ideas back and forth with me... like a peanut butter board, a bagel board, or this gorgeous butter/cream cheese board! Yum.

Fast forward to last weekend, when our family gathered to celebrate THREE November birthdays. Lindsey and I took the opportunity to make our first butter board together! We used:

• one cup of soft, unsalted butter
• roasted garlic
• chopped parsley, thyme, & oregano
• lemon zest
• Maldon Flake Salt
• Bees Knees Salted Honey

Let's just say it was very fun to satisfy our butter board hankering, and it was tasty to boot. I think the family got a kick out of it, and we've already chosen another board we want to try.

Obviously, I'm always curious about food trends... are you? What's one you've tried or would like to try?

At the Table

Do you know Chili Crisp? I did not, obviously behind the times, as according to Molly and Matthew in their recent Spilled Milk podcast, chili crisp really became a trend in 2020. Other than just reading about it, my 'formal' introduction was in the form of a newsletter from DeLaurenti Italian market. I was placing an online order, and took the opportunity to add a jar of locally made KariKari to my cart.

I tried the chili crisp - ever so sparingly - on a hard-cooked egg, and it was pretty darn spicy. I loved the crunch though, definitely. As I continued to research, I learned that the standard, as far as chili crisp goes, is Laoganma, widely acclaimed as the original version. So next time I was at the grocery store, I picked up a jar to compare to the KariKari. I had heard that the Laoganma chili crisp wasn't as spicy, and it did have it's own unique flavor. But for me, it was definitely still pretty 'hot.'

According to Better Homes & Gardens, "The condiment is so hot—literally and figuratively—that chili crisp has a cult-like following at this point. That's likely because it's incredibly versatile and is not just burn-your-face-off hot; it's complex and layered with spicy, umami, and tangy flavors."

I'm kind of disappointed that I probably won't be hopping on this trend. I was - and am - really intrigued by it all, and know there are A LOT of versions available, and many recipes to make your own. But so far, it's a little spicy for my taste. 

Here's a little more reading in case you're interested:

• Serious Eats' Homemade Spicy Chili Crisp Recipe
• What Is Chili Crisp? 7 Ideas on How to Use It, according to professional chefs on Insider
• Chili Crisp Fried Egg Bowl from Food Network
• Chili Crisp Grilled Cheese compliments of karen's kitchen stories

So are you a fan? Just hearing about it like me? Share with us in the comments!