![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/c2tblog-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/lasagna.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nI think of this often when I\u2019m testing recipes. Last week, I\ncreated a gluten-free, dairy-free lasagna. Unlike many recipes, this first try\nwas remarkably good. I sent some out to tasters. They voted it a keeper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as the week wore on, and I tasted it cold, then hot\nagain, I was nagged by the vague feeling that something was missing. It took me\na moment (by which I mean days) to determine what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nutmeg. I hadn\u2019t thought to grate in a little nutmeg. Once I\nrealized I wanted that flavor addition, I was surprised. I\u2019ve eaten plenty a\nlasagna wondering why anyone bothered to add nutmeg. Now, I guess I know. The\nflavors just call for a little dab of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had a similar experience recently in which I created a\ndish that was nicely balanced and tasty but was missing a standout flavor. I\nthought of serving it with pico de gallo, but then decided liberally garnishing\nwith cilantro would work better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I tried it and it was better. That bright pop of flavor worked well, but it still wasn\u2019t quite right. My tasters tried soy sauce, Cavender\u2019s\u00ae All Purpose Greek Seasoning*, Tony Chachere\u2019s\u00ae Creole Seasoning, and Goyo\u00ae Adobo<\/a> All Purpose Seasoning with Saffron. We also discussed cardamom, turmeric, and orange juice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, I decided to add another dab of a seasoning blend\nthat was already in the dish \u2013 a combination of salt, pepper, garlic, lemon\npeel, and onion. That did the trick. That 1\/2 tsp changed an okay dish to one\nthat left you wanting more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And you don\u2019t even have to taste a dish to know it needs\nsomething. Sometimes all you need to do is stand over the pot and breathe in\nthe aroma. You can smell when something needs salt, or garlic, a savory\nundertone, or a citrusy top note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding a little dab at a time gives you the opportunity to\nadd more if needed. It\u2019s much easier to add than to dilute, so I like to start\nsmall. I say that. I\u2019ve been known to liberally shake spices over a pan before\nsmelling or tasting. Usually, I\u2019m happy with the result, but I\u2019ve overdone it a\ntime or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it\u2019s possible to add a little bit of too many flavors. The\nfirst example that comes to mind is gin, specifically Monkey 47. I find the 47\ndifferent botanicals less than pleasing (give me Hendrick\u2019s\u00ae\nany day). But the same thing happens with food. Too many flavors can send your\ntaste buds scrambling to decipher what they\u2019re experiencing. That can overshadow\nthe pleasure of cohesive flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I like to pretend it doesn\u2019t matter I left out a 1\/4 tsp of something or other. But it does. It may not mean the food is inedible, but that little dab does make a difference. It may even be the thing that makes a dish great!<\/p>\n\n\n\n *The Cavenders were customers of my parent\u2019s business. We gave jars of this spice blend<\/a> as gifts to family and friends for years before it was widely distributed. It was a hit every time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A little dab will do it when you\u2019re taking a dish from good to great! A few years ago, I was talking to a chef who remarked, \u201cI taste things all the time that are good, but if they just added a spoonful of honey, would be great! I just don\u2019t understand why they don\u2019t … Continue reading “A Little Dab Will Do It”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3099,3100,3101,3098],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4573"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4573"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4580,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4573\/revisions\/4580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}