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ByJulieCross SpecialtoTheWoodlandDaily Democrat Once upon a time, be- fore baby carrots and hum- mus and even before spin- ach dip, we had the relish tray. This bright harbinger of good times was a feature at every really good social event, on a seasonally ap- propriate platter for indoor events and snugly packed into special Tupperware (now a hot item on Ebay) for outdoors. The relish tray of my childhood had carrot and celery sticks, radishes cut into roses and green on- ions made to curl in ice water, jumbo pitted Cal- ifornia Olives, pimento- stuffed green olives, tiny sweet pickles and beau- tiful deviled eggs festive with paprika. A deluxe version would add cheese, usually pi- mento cheese in a jar (from whence came juice glasses, back when 4 ounces of juice was a serving) and cubes of sharp cheddar, Ritz crack- ers and Vienna sausages (so exotic!) While I have not eaten a Vienna Sausage these 40 years, I do make a version of the relish tray fairly reg- ularly, because it's the per- fect solution for summer eating. My version is packed into three 3-comparment containers, neatly stack- able in the fridge, and generally holds enough food (when augmented with crackers and bread) to make two good dinners and a bit of snacking. While it takes an hour or two to put together on a Sunday afternoon, the sheer luxury of preparing a week- night dinner by unsnapping lids is well worth the work. Most of the work is shop- ping and slicing, but I've in- cluded a few recipes below for fancy. Cheese: I like one soft, one spreadable and one sparky dry. If you remem- ber that cheese in a jar fondly, it's probably worth your time to whip up a batch of Pimento Cheese, which is also delicious on burgers. Our current favorite cheese picks are Valbreso French Sheep Feta, buffalo Mozzarella and Springhill cheddar. Meat: Ver y small amounts of salty cured meats are delicious – you really only need an ounce or two of each, so you can get the good stuff. Genoa sa- lami, domestic prosciutto (sliced to order in the Co-op Deli) and smoked salmon are all grand. When I'm feeling am- bitious, I make a batch of Potted Pork for the freezer. Pack it in small containers so you can thaw just one. Produce: Baby car- rots pale in comparison to freshly cut Nantes carrots, celery is nice if you like it, peppery rad- ishes are delicious, and jicama is crunchy and sweet. A ll of those keep nicely for several days in the fridge. Cut up melon also keeps well – be sure to scrub the peel well before slicing as a food safety precaution. Cu- cumber and avocado are very nice, but we cut them right before eating as they don't keep well. Pickled & Cured things: Olives are excellent, and a nice selection from the olive bar offers variety without any excellent work at all. Cornichons are delicious. When the sweet peppers come in, it's worth making a batch of Lydia's Peppers to keep on hand (also very nice on sandwiches.) Special bits: It's nice to have one or two spe- cial things if you have the time. Deviled eggs are the classic example, but any sa- vory cold appetizer would be nice – tiny tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad, while fussy to make, are always a hit. Some people grate their cheese, stir in the other in- gredients and call it done. I like mine run through the food processor. PimentoCheese 8 ounces sharp cheddar 8 ounces mild creamy cheddar 4 ounces jarred pimento peppers (I like Dromedary brand) -1 cup mayonnaise (1 – 2 tsps. Hot pepper sauce) Cube cheese and drain peppers. Place in food pro- cessor with cup mayon- naise and hot pepper sauce to taste. Whizz until well com- bined, adding more mayo until you reach the texture that appeals to you. Pack into a jar and chill. Will keep, refrigerated, at least a week. This is time consuming, but well worth the trou- ble once in a while. It's the same amount of work to make a little or a lot, so I make a lot! Potted Pork (based on a recipe from Bon Appetit) makes 1 8oz jar per lb of uncooked pork 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. dried thyme tsp. ground cinnamon tsp. ground cloves 1 Tbsp. kosher salt 2 –3 lb. skinless, boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt) 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter per pound of pork 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves Preheat oven to 275°. Mix together sugar, pepper, thyme, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Line a roasting pan with foil or use a Dutch oven with a lid. Pat the pork shoul- der dry and trim any fat that's more than inch thick. Rub shoulder with spice mixture. Place in pan and cover with foil or a lid. Clarify butter: put it in a heavy bottomed pan (a light colored one is a lit- tle easier) and cook over medium heat. Butter will melt and foam up: skim off the foam and continue cooking, skimming foam as needed, until butter is clear and solids have sepa- rated out to the bottom of the pan. Try not to let the sol- ids brown. This takes a good half an hour to do, and isn't something you can rush. Pour off butter and chill until firm, at least one hour. Reserve foam and solids for flavoring baked goods and mashed potatoes – butter solids will keep in the fridge for a week or the freezer for months. Roast pork until very tender, 3-4 hours. Remove from pan and let cool to room temperature. (You can refrigerate the roast overnight at this point.) Reserve drippings for an- other use. (Like what? Cook mushrooms, roast potatoes, wilt with dark greens or add to gravy that needs to be enriched. Fat is flavor, don't throw it out!) Pull the pork into shreds with your fingers or two forks. Remove any bits of skin, sinew or other icky bites. Put pork, 6 Tbsps of but- ter per (original weight) pound, and fresh thyme in a stand mixer. (If you have a paddle attachment, now is the time to use it, although I've done this with an old school mixer and beaters.) Beat on medium speed un- til nicely mixed and emul- sified. Pack into jars, being care- ful not to leave air pockets in the bottom. Smooth out the top of the pork with wet fin- gers. Melt the remaining butter and pour it over the top of each jar. Let cool, then screw on lids. Will keep in the fridge for at least a week, or put canning jars straight into the freezer. (Thaw in the refrigerator 48 hours.) To serve, bring pork to room temperature – let it stand on the counter for a couple of hours, or put the jar in a container of warm (not hot!) water. Serve with crackers, baguettes or lit- tle toasts. Mustard and pick- led things are very nice here. RELISH TRAY Spicing up a staple of many a social event "Deviled eggs are the classic example, but any savory cold appetizer would be nice – tiny tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad, while fussy to make, are always a hit." MARKDUFERENE-BAYAREANEWSGROUP The heat is on this summer as the all-things-fermented trend has turned our sights to bold, ethnic relishes. Clockwise, from le , Indian Peach Chutney, Onion and Cilantro Chutney and Thai Pickled Cabbage. COOK Keep yOur family safer frOm fOOd pOisOning Check your steps at foodsafety.gov dO yOu want that safe Or medium-safe? use a fOOd thermOmeter tO maKe sure yOu COOK raw meat and pOultry tO a BaCteria-Killing temperature. dO yOu want that safe Or medium-safe? Keep yOur family safer frOm fOOd pOisOning Check your steps at foodsafety.gov The Associated Press NEW YORK Five thousand people dressed in white got together for the world's largest popup picnic at a lo- cation revealed only at the last moment. Guests for last week's Diner en Blanc, French for Dinner in White, showed up at one of 24 designated spots where the secret venue was disclosed. Then came the specta- cle: dining and dancing under the open sky at Pier 26 on the Hudson River in Manhattan's tony Tribeca neighborhood. Participants brought what they wanted for a chic BYO, including food, tables, chairs and even silverware and can- dles. They also had to clean up after themselves. Wendy Chang, a Hawaii native who works for an ar- chitectural firm that helped build One World Trade Cen- ter, bought the white chairs she shared with friends at IKEA. While there, she also spotted the headdress she wore to the dinner: a white lampshade. "This is great for people watching," she said. "I love it." Cindy Joseph, a Brooklyn insurance analyst, called the evening "amazing." "You meet great new peo- ple under the stars," she said. Joseph said she and a friend brought their sup- plies on the subway. Each participant pre-reg- istered for the event, paying $30. Food and drinks also were available at cost. The phenomenon started in Paris in 1988 and has ex- panded to 60 cities on five continents, but organizers say the one in New York is the biggest. More than 125,000 people signed up this year. DINER EN BLANC N.Y. leads world's biggest popup picnic THE ASSOCIATED PRESS People dressed in white have dinner on Pier 26along the Hudson River during the Diner en Blanc event. PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Peking Chinese Restaurant DineIn,CarryOut&Lounge 860MainStreet 530-527-0523 10%Off yourticketwiththisad. Limit 1 coupon per ticket/table. No other discounts apply. Alcohol, taxes or gratuity are not included. Offer expires 8/31/15 Take15%offyourmeal with this ad dineinonly 723 Main St. 527.5470 www. palominoroom .com PrimeRibonFridaynights Open Tues-Sat FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, August 5, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B4