Shallot, Minced

A colleague of mine once declared, “If I could, I would marry a shallot.” While I’m already spoken for, I, too, have a deep love of shallots. These alluring alliums are sweeter and less pungent than their larger onion cousins, and their gentle oniony flavor can enhance a variety of dishes. Raw minced shallots enliven vinaigrettes. Minced shallots sautéed in butter add depth of flavor to sauces, make a marvelous steak topping, and pair beautifully with sautéed mushrooms. One minced shallot can go a long way.

So how do you mince these small and irregularly shaped bulbs? Well, you could mince your shallot by randomly running your knife through it, but that seems to make the flavor more harsh…There must be a better way…

To mince a shallot, use a very sharp chef’s knife or paring knife, whichever you’re more comfortable with. Start by trimming the root.


(Don’t actually cut off the root end, just trim it to keep the little rootlets from getting mixed in with the rest of the shallot later. Also, the root end of the shallot will act as a little handle, keeping the shallot together and making it easier to hold onto as you cut it, especially as you reach the end.) Cut off the stem end.


Peel the shallot.


Place the shallot stem end down, and cut it in half.


Working with one half at a time, position the shallot near the edge of your cutting board (so that your knuckles don’t hit the board as you work) with the cut side down and the stem end facing your knife. Make a series of horizontal cuts parallel to the cutting board.


But don’t cut all the way through.


And be careful to keep your fingers out of the way of the blade.


Reposition the shallot in the center of your cutting board with the stem end facing the tip of your knife and make a series of vertical cuts parallel to the plane from the root end to the stem end of the shallot.


Again, don’t cut all the way through the root end.


Finally, reposition the shallot in the center of your cutting board with the stem end facing your knife and make a series of cuts at a 90-degree angle to the other cuts, as if you were just slicing the shallot.


When you reach the root end, discard it.


Shallots minced in this manner are relatively consistent, which means they will cook very evenly.


Some cooks like to switch the order of the first and second series of cuts, making the cuts from the root to the stem of the shallot first and then making the cuts parallel to the board. But since the most precarious part of dicing a shallot is cutting horizontally, it really is easiest to do that first, while the shallot half is still intact.

The distance between cuts determines the size of the mince. For a fine mince, make the cuts closer together, and conversely, for a larger mince, make the cuts farther apart.

If this looks familiar, that’s because this very same technique, but of course on a larger scale, is used for dicing and chopping onions.

Suprêmes

Have you ever heard of a suprême? No, not the members of the Motown group from the 1960s. But a segment of citrus fruit minus the membranes and seeds.

Suprêmes have a fantastic texture and look like little jewels. Orange and especially blood orange, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon and Meyer lemon, and lime suprêmes all make beautiful garnishes for sauces, salads, and desserts. Add a few juicy suprêmes to any dish with citrus for that special touch.

To cut suprêmes, use a very sharp chef’s knife or paring knife, whichever you’re more comfortable with. Start by cutting the stem end off the citrus fruit.


Then cut off the blossom end.


Stand the fruit on one of its cut ends and cut the rind away from the flesh in narrow strips.


Rotate the fruit as you go.


And try to remove all of the white pith but as little of the flesh as possible.


Continue until the fruit is naked.*


Then, cut each segment out from between the membranes. A citrus segment is shaped like a wedge, so to remove each one from the fruit, you will need to make two knife cuts, one on either side of the segment just to the inside of the membrane, that come together like a V.


Hold the citrus fruit in one hand and cut slowly and carefully.


Continue until all of the segments have been removed.


You can cut the segments over a bowl to catch the juices. Gently pick out any seeds from the suprêmes. Finally, squeeze the membranes into the bowl to extract the remaining juice.


* This same technique can be used for peeling melons, butternut squash, pineapples, mangoes, and kiwis.

Cutting Onions: Dice & Chop

How do you keep from crying when you chop an onion? I’ve heard of all sorts of creative suggestions: soak it, refrigerate it, chew gum, turn on a fan, keep your mouth shut, burn a candle, hold a match between your lips—I wonder if you’re supposed to light it first, wear goggles—how fashionable, or cut it under water—sounds slippery, which is scary when there’s a knife involved, and I don’t think that my cutting board would fit into the sink anyhow. Oh wait…maybe they mean underwater like in a swimming pool…now the goggles are starting to make sense…riiight. Did I say creative suggestions? I think I meant silly or questionable or downright absurd. So here’s my suggestion: learn how to chop an onion like the pros, quickly and efficiently and with a sharp knife. You won’t shed a tear. And, OK, I’ll admit that refrigerating onions does help a bit too.

To dice, or chop, an onion, start by trimming the root.


(Don’t actually cut off the root end, just trim it to keep the little rootlets from getting mixed in with the rest of the onion later. Also, the root end of the onion will act as a little handle, keeping the onion together and making it easier to hold onto as you cut it, especially as you reach the end.) Cut off the stem end.


Peel the onion.


Place the onion stem end down, and cut it in half.


Working with one half at a time, position the onion near the edge of your cutting board (so that your knuckles don’t hit the board as you work) with the cut side down and the stem end facing your knife. Make a series of horizontal cuts parallel to the cutting board.


But don’t cut all the way through.


And be careful to keep your fingers out of the way of the blade.


Reposition the onion in the center of your cutting board with the stem end facing the tip of your knife and make a series of vertical cuts parallel to the plane from the root end to the stem end of the onion.


Again, don’t cut all the way through the root end.


Finally, reposition the onion in the center of your cutting board with the stem end facing your knife and make a series of cuts at a 90-degree angle to the other cuts, as if you were just slicing the onion.


When you reach the root end, discard it.


Onions diced in this manner are relatively consistent, which means they will cook very evenly.

Some cooks like to switch the order of the first and second series of cuts, making the cuts from the root to the stem of the onion first and then making the cuts parallel to the board. But since the most precarious part of dicing an onion is cutting horizontally, it really is easiest to do that first, while the onion half is still intact.

The distance between cuts determines the size of the dice.


For a fine dice, make the cuts closer together, and conversely, for a large dice, make the cuts farther apart. A fresh salsa is great with finely diced onions. A medium dice is usually a good choice for sautéing. Onions cut into a large dice are best for roasting, stewing, and even stir-frying.

This very same technique, but of course on a smaller scale, is used for mincing shallots.

Click here for information on how to slice and julienne onions.

Chiffonade

Is it a musical movement? Perhaps a type of fabric? Or maybe a retro hairdo? Nope, nope, and nope, guess again…

Chiffonade means to cut food, particularly leafy herbs or vegetables, into strips or shreds, like little streamers. Chiffonade can also refer to the resulting shape.

To cut a chiffonade is very easy. Arrange the leaves into a neat stack.


Roll the stack up tightly.


And slice thinly.


Continue until the entire roll of leaves is sliced.


Then gently separate the individual pieces.


When cutting a chiffonade, use a very sharp knife. A dull knife will crush delicate leaves and cause the cut edges to discolor. Basil and mint are especially tender and can turn black quickly, so chiffonade them at the last moment before use.

The chiffonade is a very versatile shape. Prepare leafy greens like spinach, chard, or kale to be sautéed by cutting them into a coarse chiffonade. A chiffonade of cabbage, baby spinach, or romaine lettuce makes a pretty addition to a salad. Chiffonaded herbs such as mint, sage, and basil make great garnishes. Basil chiffonade is especially lovely scattered over a pasta dish. This is one knife cut that’s certain to add both visual and textural interest to your cooking.

Cutting Onions: Slice Versus Julienne

You may have already met julienne. Perhaps you’d like to get to know Julienne a little better.

Julienne works well with onions. But julienned onions are very different from sliced onions. Here’s how.

To slice an onion, start by trimming the root.


(Don’t actually cut off the root end, just trim it to keep the little rootlets from getting mixed in with the rest of the onion later. Also, the root end of the onion will act as a little handle, making it easier to hold onto the onion as you cut it, especially as you reach the end.) Cut off the stem end.


Peel the onion.


Position the onion in the center of your cutting board with the stem end facing your knife and cut slices of the desired thickness.


When you reach the root end, discard it. You can separate the slices into rings.


These are perfect for burgers and other sandwiches.

For half slices, which are great in salads, prepare and peel the onion as described above. Place the onion stem end down, and cut it in half.


Working with one half at a time, position the onion in the center of your cutting board cut side down and with the stem end facing your knife. Cut slices of the desired thickness.


When you reach the root end, discard it. The size of the resulting pieces can vary substantially; slices from the central layers of the onion will be much smaller than slices from the outer layers.


Julienne pieces of an onion look quite different—imagine them as very thin wedges of the onion. To julienne an onion, cut off the root end.


(This is the only onion knife cut where you would actually cut off the root end at the beginning.) Cut off the stem end and peel the onion. Stand the onion on one of its ends, and cut it in half. Working with one half at a time, position the onion in the center of your cutting board cut side down and with one of its round edges facing your knife. Since the onion is round, angle your knife sharply and begin cutting matchstick-size pieces.


Continue cutting in a radial manner, gradually changing the angle of the knife with each cut.


By the time you reach the middle of the onion, your knife should be at a 90-degree angle to the cutting board.


When you’re most of the way through, and it begins to feel a little unstable, flip over the onion.


And start again.


Put all these steps together, and it should look something like this.

The size of julienned onions is relatively consistent.


This means they will cook much more evenly than sliced onions and are a much better choice for sautéing, stir-frying, and caramelizing.


Click here for information on how to dice and chop onions.

Click here for information on how to julienne other foods.