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| | From:  DiAnhna (Original Message) | Sent: 4/13/2003 5:14 PM |
Ask The Cook: The Daily Grind
J. Scott Wilson , Food Editor
A quick reminder: if you're asking about a recipe you saw on-air, please don't forget to include the station and/or Web site in your e-mail. If you're asking about a Mr. Food recipe, it can most likely be found at www.mrfood.com.
Q: I want to make a juicy hamburger, but the meats at the grocery store have too much fat. What part of the cow do they use for the best burger? --
A: Funny you should mention hamburgers, as that's what's on the menu here at Chez Wilson tonight.
First off, quit buying your ground meat at the grocery store. If you don't have a neighborhood butcher shop that grinds to order, buy your steaks whole and make your ground beef at home!
You don't need a meat grinder to make ground beef. Your food processor will do the job quite nicely. I generally use equal amounts of sirloin and round (chuck can substitute for sirloin), cut into cubes. Load a few ounces at a time into your food processor and grind, pulsing about 2 seconds at a time, for 7-10 pulses. Check it by hand (WATCH THE BLADES!) for desired grind.
Mold your burgers by hand, adding a little kosher salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning, and enjoy!
Q: I read sometime ago that there is no difference between white and brown eggs other than color. Is this true? --
A: Ah, another culinary Urban Legend laid to rest! According to the Egg Nutrition Insitute (and every other reputable source I could find) there is no difference in either taste OR nutrition between brown and white eggs. The colors of the eggs are related to the colors of the chickens that produce them. That's all!
Q: I used a recipe that called for dry sherry. After opening the bottle, do I need to refrigerate it? The recipe uses very little sherry, so there is a lot left in the bottle. Will the sherry spoil if not used up very soon? --
A: Kept tightly capped and refrigerated, sherry will last nine months to a year. If you splurged and got the corked kind, your liquor store should have available a wine "keeper" designed to seal the bottle for storage.
Q: What is "bench flour?" --
A: I used this term in a "Short Orders" recipe and failed to explain it properly. Bench flour is flour not intended to be a major part of the cooked item, simply used to help keep dough from sticking to your kneading surface. It's generally intended to be all-purpose flour, although anything but self-rising can be used.
Q: I really enjoy your tips, along with your recipes. When the Chart House Restaurant was located in the French Quarter, I would sometimes get Coconut Shrimp. I have attempted several recipes for this, but have not been very successful. However, it's the dipping sauce that I can not find a recipe for. Do you have a recipe for the Dipping Sauce for Coconut Shrimp? --
A: The best dipping sauce I've come up with for Coconut Shrimp is a simple mixture of equal parts of pina colada mix and crushed pineapple (undrained), with a healthy handful of toasted coconut thrown in for texture. It takes all of three minutes to make, and has that "restaurant" taste.
Q: What can you do to take the can/metal taste out of canned tomatoes and tomato sauce?
A: A teaspoon of sugar per can of tomatoes will generally neutralize that "canned" taste. If you're of a mind, a splash of white wine will do the trick also. There are flavor compounds in tomatoes that only come out when mixed with alcohol, and you'll be surprised at how the taste will "bloom" with a dose of vino!
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| | | From: DiAnhna | Sent: 4/16/2003 2:10 PM |
Ask The Cook: Some Vintage Questions
J. Scott Wilson , Food Editor
Q: Many recipes ask for a "dry" white wine, or a "dry" sherry. What is a "dry" wine? I've never seen a wine in a store that said it was "dry."
A: For this question, I'm going to turn things over to my good friend Lisa Morrison, author of the Liquid Solutions column found in most of your Food sections and known as the Beer Goddess to her legions of admirers.
The term "dry" is a confusing one, indeed. How can a wine be dry? It's obviously wet!
Dry actually means "not sweet."
Dry wines tend to dry the mouth, whereas a sweet wine will have a detectable sweetness on the palate. A wine is dry when all the sugar in the grapes has been fermented into alcohol.
In general, red wines tend to be dry, but white wines run the gamut from super sugary to mouth-puckering dry.
What is saturated fat?
From a straight dictionary standpoint, saturated fat refers to a fat which is holding all the hydrogen molecules it can. Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature, such as those found in lard. Too much saturated fat in the diet increases levels of bad cholesterol. However, fats are an excellent source of energy and are necessary for a healthy human. Moderation is the key, here!
The one fat to watch out for is "partially hydrogenated," these are fats, such as those found in margarine, which are liquid but have been treated to make them more solid. Recent evidence indicates that the chemical changes induced by the hydrogenation process may make these fats far more dangerous than saturated fats.
How do you cook rutabaga and rhubarb? Do you have any easy recipes for either or both of these vegetables? --
These much-maligned and little-known veggies can perform a huge variety of functions. For brevity's sake, I'm going to include one quick recipe for each.
Rutabaga
Rutabagas are high in vitamins A and C and in potassium, calcium and magnesium. They can be used in salads, soups, pancakes, puddings and a whole menu of other things. Leave the skins on for best nutrition.
Honey-Baked Root Vegetables
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. butter, melted
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 small rutabaga, about 1 lb., sliced ¼ inch thick
Vegetable cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Combine honey, butter and salt in large bowl. Mix well.
Add vegetables and toss to coat.
Spray sheet pan with cooking spray and spread vegetables in single layer. Bake for 1 hour or until tender.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb looks remarkably like celery, and should be prepared as you would its green cousin. Make sure to remove and discard the leaves, as they're actually mildly poisonous. It is a good source of potassium, calcium and vitamins A and C.
Because of its natural good pairing with tart spring berries, my personal favorite concoction is old-fashioned ...
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
2 c. sliced rhubarb
½ c. white grape juice
2 tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 pint sliced strawberries
½ cup strawberry jam
1 c. sliced rhubarb
2 pie crusts
¼ c. strawberry jam
1 egg white
Preheat oven to 450° F.
Combine 2 cups rhubarb and grape juice in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, until rhubarb is tender, 8-10 minutes and then drain.
Combine cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in medium bowl mixing well.
Add strawberries and toss to coat. Stir in cooked rhubarb and ½ cup strawberry jam. Stir in 1 cup uncooked rhubarb.
Fill pie shell with fruit mixture and dot with ¼ cup strawberry jam.
Roll out remaining pastry to cover top. Brush egg white over top crust. Bake 10 minutes.
Reduce oven to 350° F. Brush egg white over top crust again. Continue baking 30 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and filling is hot and bubbly. Cool on wire rack
What is the difference between heavy cream and light cream? -
Heavy cream is at least 40 percent milkfat and will double in volume when whipped. Light cream is 18 percent or less milkfat and will not whip. It's best used for coffee, or poured over fresh berries.
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