Chives "have been around so long that their origin is unknown," according to "Field Guide to Herbs & Spices," by Aliza Green.
The long, quill-shaped stalks are hollow inside and colored an intense green and have a mild, oniony taste and aroma. This versatile herb is an allium, or member of the lily family, like leeks, garlic and onions.
Green advises care when buying, because cut chives do not last long; avoid chives "with an off smell or yellowed, slimy stalks." The greener and thinner, the more tender. Freeze-dried chives are available, but use them for cooking, not garnishing. Fortunately, chives are easy to grow and should come back each year, giving you a fresh supply near at hand.
Keep cut chives refrigerated, wrapped in paper towels in loosely sealed plastic bags, for no more than three to four days.
Chives are best used raw or slightly cooked, otherwise they lose flavor and aroma. Slice them with a sharp knife at the last moment before using. A tiny dice of chives looks beautiful scattered across about any savory dish we can think of: sauces, soups, potatoes, eggs, salads. They also have an affinity for fish and savory breads, such as biscuits or scones. Combine them with parsley, chervil and tarragon for the classic blend known as fines herbes . Other simple ideas: chive herb butter or chive pesto. The purple, puffball blossoms are edible -- good in salads -- but the stalks become tough once they flower.
Frozen treats are signs of summer
A sure sign that summer is near -- publishers are rolling out their latest batch of ice cream and frozen treat cookbooks.
For those without the cash or counter space for an ice-cream maker, Sunil Vijayakar's "Ices" (Ryland, Peters & Small, $12.95) is the answer. This small book covers sorbets, granitas and sherbets, and includes many recipes that don't require an ice-cream machine.
The mixed-berry iced souffles, for example, use a food processor to puree berries, which then are folded into whipped egg whites and Greek-style yogurt. The resulting treat is airy, elegant and delicious.
Even easier are the crushed ice sticks, also called golas. Essentially, crushed ice is pressed around a stick, then used to sop up fruit-based cordials.
For those who have indulged in an ice-cream maker, there is David Lebovitz' "The Perfect Scoop" (Ten Speed Press, $24.95), a hefty treatment of numerous ice creams, sorbets and granitas, as well as the things that go with and in them.
Though equipment is key, Lebovitz' recipes are simple and easy to follow. Many also are creative, such as sweet-potato ice cream with maple-glazed pecans and roasted banana ice cream.
There's plenty for those with less adventurous tastes, too. Including the lemon-buttermilk sherbet, which was deliciously rich and lemony.
Dress up desserts in colorful glassware
While it's certainly easier to eat ice cream directly from the pint, it can seem a bit gauche to try that when entertaining.
So to help you dress up your ice cream for company, glassware maker Libbey has introduced a set of funky ice-cream sundae glasses in a mix of bright pastels.
The Ka-dinks 5-ounce sundae glasses have a cool look and feel, and their naturally frosted appearance is enhanced by a quick visit to the freezer before being filled with your favorite frozen treat.
And if you're more the frappe or float type, Libbey has 17-ounce soda glasses in the same multicolored line. They are available at major retailers nationwide and at www.libbey.com/store/ both $19.99 for 4-piece sets.
Web site lets competitive cooks get together
Many regular cooking contesters subscribe to the Cooking Contest Web site at www.contestcook.com. It's $25 a year and covers most cooking and baking contests. It also includes a forum for members to swap information on contests.
A great source for barbecue competitions is The Kansas City Barbeque Society. The society lists competitions on its Web site, www.kcbs.us .
The site is free, but membership, for $35 a year, also gets you a subscription to the newsletter, The Bull Sheet.
Vanilla remains favorite ice cream
Despite the number of new and exciting ice cream flavors being introduced, vanilla remains No. 1.
Here are the nation's top 10 ice cream flavors as measured by percentage of sales for in-home consumption, according to the NPD Group's National Eatings Trends In-Home Database
Vanilla: 26 percent
Chocolate: 12.9
Neopolitan: 4.8
Strawberry: 4.3
Cookies n' cream: 4.0
Chocolate chip: 3.8
Butter-pecan: 3.2
Chocolate mint: 3.2
Vanilla and chocolate: 1.9
Rocky Road: 1.6
Source: NPD Group's National Eatings Trends In-Home Database
