Smoked Salmon

Along with caviar, earthy pates, terrines and cheeses, smoked salmon can be particularly tasty during the holiday season.For all its simplicity, smoked salmon can be difficult to choose. Although any salmon can be smoked, the two most common are Pacific King salmon and Atlantic salmon. The Atlantic, the most popular in the United States, has a rich flavor and dense silky texture, while the Pacific tends to be lighter in flavor and softer in texture.The best textured smoked salmon never sees the freezer.

St. John's College, the school that studies Great Books, and its neighbor the U.S. Naval Academy, the school that studies great sea battles, combine each year for an unlikely triumph - a really great lawn party where the annual croquet match takes a back seat to the elegant picnic food. Each year, in the spring, the two schools meet on the campus of St. John's - just steps away from the walls that surround the Naval Academy - for a lopsided competition. (St. John's leads in the series, 22-5.

The sun moves over the Saturday Pico farmers' market in Santa Monica, Calif., filtering through the canopy that protects the delicate herbs and baby lettuces at the Kenter Canyon Farms stall. The salad of market lettuces that we take for granted on the menu these days, an edible bouquet that tastes as good as it looks, effectively began in owner Andrea Crawford's garden. To be more accurate, Alice Waters' garden. Twenty-six years ago, Crawford began growing lettuces and herbs for Chez Panisse, literally in Waters' backyard.

International Food Market 7004 Reisterstown Road, 410-358-4757. Open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday You don't have to speak Russian to buy food at the International Food Market, a combination deli and grocery in the Colonial Village shopping center on Reisterstown Road, but it doesn't hurt. Most of the signs and the conversation in the store are in Russian. When I visited, I simply smiled and pointed. There is a huge meat counter, with more kinds of salami than there were states in the former Soviet Union.

My husband, a quintessential extrovert, never met a stranger, so after several decades of living with him, I'm no longer surprised when he mentions that he's invited friends over for wine and appetizers. He often asks a group of his fellow professors who are working on a project together to meet at our house for drinks, or he'll arrive home from work, announcing that he's met some new people I am certain to like, and that they can stop by for cocktails on such and such a day. He reasons that having guests in for sips and nibbles is not the same as a dinner party, so he can be spontaneous.

Today's lesson: Of all the flavors that return to us from the spring garden, there is nothing quite like the sweet taste of the Vidalia onion. Most of us don't associate sweetness with a member of the onion family, but the Vidalia breaks all the rules. Today, we will prepare one of my favorite dishes with these sweet onions: Vidalia Onion and Smoked Salmon Tart. It's perfect for summer entertaining.What are Vidalia onions? The Vidalia onion is an ordinary yellow onion that develops an extraordinary sweetness.

St. John's College, the school that studies Great Books, and its neighbor the U.S. Naval Academy, the school that studies great sea battles, combine each year for an unlikely triumph - a really great lawn party where the annual croquet match takes a back seat to the elegant picnic food. Each year, in the spring, the two schools meet on the campus of St. John's - just steps away from the walls that surround the Naval Academy - for a lopsided competition. (St. John's leads in the series, 22-5.

Roederer Estate Brut Rose, Anderson Valley ($26). This is without question one of California's best sparkling wines and a terrific splurge for the holiday season. It's a pale pink, almost white, bubbly with subtle strawberry and yeast flavors. Where many California sparkling wines can be aggressively fruity but disappointing in the finish, the Roederer rose is elegant, intensely penetrating and long on the palate. I'd serve this at a classy party, with smoked salmon and caviar.

What are the differences between smoked salmon, Nova Scotia salmon, lox and gravlax? All of these foods are examples of preserved, or cured, salmon. You could call salmon "the ham of the sea" because, as with the hind leg of the pig, this fatty, flavorful fish has been subject to all manner of preservation methods. Lox is simply salmon that has been soaked in brine. The result is, predictably, very salty. "Belly lox" refers to the trimmed midsection of the fish, the fattiest part. Lox, whose name derives from "laks," the word for salmon in German and Yiddish, is not for the faint of heart, though it stands up admirably to a bit of cream cheese.

Several times a year, we join friends for potluck suppers. We all love this style of entertaining because each of us is responsible for only one or two dishes. Our format is always the same. The hosts prepare the main course, and others bring appetizers, side dishes, salad and dessert. For our summer fete, I volunteered to bring a simple dish of caramelized zucchini and onions, but as the date neared, I called to offer another contribution as well: a salad made with bits of smoked salmon, morsels of creamy goat cheese and chopped Kalamata olives, which I had sampled at a small Left Bank Parisian restaurant called Le P'tit Troquet.

What are the differences between smoked salmon, Nova Scotia salmon, lox and gravlax? All of these foods are examples of preserved, or cured, salmon. You could call salmon "the ham of the sea" because, as with the hind leg of the pig, this fatty, flavorful fish has been subject to all manner of preservation methods. Lox is simply salmon that has been soaked in brine. The result is, predictably, very salty. "Belly lox" refers to the trimmed midsection of the fish, the fattiest part. Lox, whose name derives from "laks," the word for salmon in German and Yiddish, is not for the faint of heart, though it stands up admirably to a bit of cream cheese.

The sun moves over the Saturday Pico farmers' market in Santa Monica, Calif., filtering through the canopy that protects the delicate herbs and baby lettuces at the Kenter Canyon Farms stall. The salad of market lettuces that we take for granted on the menu these days, an edible bouquet that tastes as good as it looks, effectively began in owner Andrea Crawford's garden. To be more accurate, Alice Waters' garden. Twenty-six years ago, Crawford began growing lettuces and herbs for Chez Panisse, literally in Waters' backyard.

On separate occasions during the past few weeks, I have tasted two stunning appetizers. Both were simple yet sophisticated, and each was composed of unexpected but complementary flavors. While we were in Paris last month, friends invited us for wine and appetizers. The generous spread included crisp toasts topped with smoked salmon, thinly sliced avocado and ruby-red grapefruit segments. The salty smokiness of the fish paired with the creaminess of the avocado and the bracing accent of citrus formed a delicious trio.

My husband, a quintessential extrovert, never met a stranger, so after several decades of living with him, I'm no longer surprised when he mentions that he's invited friends over for wine and appetizers. He often asks a group of his fellow professors who are working on a project together to meet at our house for drinks, or he'll arrive home from work, announcing that he's met some new people I am certain to like, and that they can stop by for cocktails on such and such a day. He reasons that having guests in for sips and nibbles is not the same as a dinner party, so he can be spontaneous.

The space at 204 E. Joppa Road in Towson has become a black hole for restaurants. I'm not sure why so many places have struggled here. After Dici Naz Velleggia's closed in the early '90s, it was followed in rapid succession by Enrico's, Hampton's of Towson and then Rigatoni's. After being dark for a very long time, the place has reopened as JJ McBride's, a moderately priced steakhouse and pub. The location should have a built-in clientele -- it's in an apartment house -- and there's plenty of free parking for everyone else.

Wolfgang Puck, one of the most recognizable chefs in America, has taken readers inside the kitchens of his Spago and Chinois restaurants in previous cookbooks. In his sixth book, Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy (Rutledge Hill Press, 2004, $35), he takes readers inside his home kitchen. The result is a collection of 150 recipes that rely on fresh, yet readily available, ingredients that can be assembled fairly quickly. California-style pizza and panini, which made the Austrian-born chef famous in Beverly Hills, are here, but so are breakfast dishes, side dishes and meats.

PARIS -- I had hoped to escape the heat and humidity of the season because we are in Paris, where typically much of summer is mild. How wrong I was! This week the temperature soared into the 90s. I noticed that the heat affected what Parisians were eating. What I refer to as the three "S's" seemed to be the dominant theme for menus. La soupe, la salade and le sorbet were the foods of choice. French restaurants don't always include soups as a first course, but during the height of the hot spell I saw more than one soupe glacee or chilled potage suggested as an opener.

I think appetizers are often afterthoughts for many who entertain. Cooks concentrate on main courses and desserts and then think of what might begin a menu. But the truth is that hors d'oeuvres whet guests' appetites and often set the tone for a meal. So, whenever I have friends for dinner, I always offer some type of pre- dinner treats.In years past I thought nothing of preparing homemade pates and terrines, or baking individual savory tarts as openers, but today, like everyone else, I don't have time for such complicated creations.

Roederer Estate Brut Rose, Anderson Valley ($26). This is without question one of California's best sparkling wines and a terrific splurge for the holiday season. It's a pale pink, almost white, bubbly with subtle strawberry and yeast flavors. Where many California sparkling wines can be aggressively fruity but disappointing in the finish, the Roederer rose is elegant, intensely penetrating and long on the palate. I'd serve this at a classy party, with smoked salmon and caviar.

It's opening, it's opening. Cheeburger, Cheeburger, that is. The popular restaurant chain is debuting a franchise in the Baltimore area this Sunday. The '50s style diner has a spot in the Timonium Shopping Center - right across York Road from the Maryland State Fairgrounds. Krista Bedford - who owns the franchise with Rick Pannoni - describes the restaurant as offering "fun, casual, family dining ... with all fresh food, cooked to order." That includes fresh beef - formed into burgers varying in size from 5.5 ounces to 20 ounces - with your choice of more than 30 toppings, french fries cut in the kitchen, and onion rings battered and cooked to order.