For Immediate Release:

WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS (August 12, 2013) – When planning summer menus, it’s easy to go on autopilot -- rotating grilled meats and light summer salads are fast and tasty, but become mundane after too much repetition.

This month, you can spice up your dining routines by adding fresh, bright flavors to your meats and vegetables, giving new zest to old favorites. Try these twists to spark your meal staples:

• Break out of an oil-and-vinegar rut by serving Almond Vinaigrette as a salad dressing. Combine Dijon mustard, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and Nielsen-Massey’s Almond and Vanilla Extracts, along with a little salt and pepper. Whisk, then toss with spinach or other salad greens.

• Make a Bleu Cheese Cherry Tomato Salad by mixing bleu cheese and Nielsen-Massey Lemon Extract with minced shallots, a dash of cooking wine, minced garlic, and softened cream cheese. Toss with a pint of cherry tomatoes for a fresh side dish that is a treat for your eyes as well as your taste buds.

• Upgrade your grilled salmon with a Vanilla Balsamic Marinade. Combine dried herbs, olive oil, Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar, and then marinate salmon (or chicken breasts) in the refrigerator before serving.

To add an extra element of surprise to your summer menu, try a new recipe entirely: Asparagus Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart. This savory summer tart is made with seasonal vegetables and the bright lemon flavor of Nielsen-Massey Lemon Extract. The tart is filling enough to stand on its own, or be served alongside a summer salad or grilled chicken breast. This dish is perfect for summer entertaining; make it before your party begins, and allow it to cool as you greet your guests.

Asparagus Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart
(Serves 6)

Ingredients

Pastry Dough
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup (1-stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Lemon Extract
3-4 tablespoons cold water


Tart Filling
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/3 cup diced sun-dried tomato halves
1/2 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Lemon Extract
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1 (6-ounce) log goat cheese, broken into 1-inch pieces

Directions
1. Add flour, salt and sugar to a food processor bowl, pulse. Add butter pieces and pulse until pea-size crumbles form. Add lemon extract and water, 1 tablespoon at a time until dough comes together. Shape dough into a disk; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll pastry on a lightly floured surface and place into a 9-inch tart pan that has removable sides. Press dough into tart pan and roll the pin over the pan to trim off the excess dough. Line the pastry shell with a piece of parchment paper and evenly fill with pie weights; dried beans are a good substitute if pie weights are not available.

3. Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remove parchment and pie weights. Prick bottom of tart shell with a fork and place back into the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside.

4. In a medium sauté pan, add olive oil, heat over medium-high heat. Add shallot, sun dried tomatoes and lemon extract sauté, for 1-2 minutes. Add asparagus pieces and sauté an additional minute, remove from heat; set aside.

5. In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Add cream, mustard, salt and pepper, whisk to combine; set aside. Evenly place asparagus-mixture in tart shell bottom, sprinkle with Romano and place goat cheese pieces on top. Evenly pour cream-egg mixture over top. Place tart in rimmed baking sheet and bake until done, about 25-30 minutes. Cool before

About Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
Throughout its more than 100 year history, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has earned its reputation as a manufacturer of the finest extracts in the world. The full line of Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Vanilla products include: Vanilla Beans and Extracts from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico; sugar and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar, Organic Fairtrade Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Organic Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Beans.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas also offers a full line of Pure Flavors: Pure Chocolate Extract, Pure Almond Extract, Pure Orange Extract, Pure Lemon Extract, Pure Coffee Extract, Pure Peppermint Extract, Orange Blossom Water and Rose Water. All Nielsen-Massey products are All-Natural, Allergen-Free, GMO-Free, and certified Kosher and Gluten-Free. The company is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois, with production facilities in Waukegan and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.

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Photos are available upon request. For more information about Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, contact:
Gardi Wilks, gwilks@savoragency.com
Savor – the food agency, 847.556.7511