Apples are a low-calorie, high-fiber food that are a great snack on their own or great in sweet and savory dishes.  The most popular ones are Lady, Jonathan, Winesap, Rome, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Braeburn.  These are all high in antioxidants and nutrients.

Guess what?  The organic Pendragon apple lowers cholesterol and inflammation in the body and is deemed the healthiest apple.  The second runner up is Golden Delicious.

Be sure to wash all your fruit well and don’t be afraid to eat the peel!

Fresh herbs versus Dried:  Because dried herbs lack the moisture of fresh herbs, their flavor is much more concentrated.  The general rule is to use one-third the amount of dried herbs as you would use fresh.  If a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, use 1 teaspoon dried instead.  In addition, when cooking with fresh herbs, it’s best to add them at the end of the recipe, so the heat doesn’t destroy their bright color and flavor.  If using dried herbs, add them in the beginning.  This way their flavor has time to better infuse the dish.

Does Garlic ever go bad? How should I store it?

Yes. When garlic cloves start to shrivel and soften, and dark spots appear, they’ve seen better days. Eating garlic at this stage won’t make you sick, but it can taste hotter, which isn’t always what you want. Garlic is in it’s peak in June and July when new crops are harvested but it is certainly available all year round. Look for bulbs with fat cloves, store in an open container in a cool place. Please not the fridge! This encourages sprouting. This pesky green shoot can be bitter so it should be removed. At this point the garlic takes on a milder flavor, which some may like.

Skimming the Fat:  To remove excess grease from browned ground beef or sausage, “blot” the extra fat from the pan using a piece of bread.  This also works for skimming fat off the top of soup or chili, and it’s great for absorbing oil when cleaning off the bottom of the pan.  Try it!

Tip of the week #1

Brown spots on your cauliflower?  Why not use a potato peeler to remove those yucky spots.

When a recipe calls for butter that’s been melted and cooled, melt just a little over half of the amount called for in the microwave, then stir in the remaining butter.  The heat from the melted butter will melt the rest as the added butter cools down the entire mixture.

Making whipped cream? I recommend using pasteurized heavy cream to make whipped cream. It has a higher milk fat content than whipping cream and has a richer flavor and nearly doubles in volume. Plus the volume holds longer because of its higher milk fat content. It must contain at least 36% milk fat but no more than 40%. And while you are mixing the heavy cream in a mixer, add a touch of pure vanilla and a bit of sugar! Yum!

Ingredients

4 oz. Tuscan Farms Eggnog
1/2 oz. Kahlua
1/2 oz. Liquor 43
Cinnamon
Chilled Martini glass
Shaker or Tumbler
Ice

Directions

1) Fill shaker with ice.
2) Add ingredients.
3) Shake briskly and strain into a chilled martini glass.
3) Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Compliments of Mixologist Michael James from LaStrada Restaurant in Staten Island.

Sized Right

When rolling dough to a specific dimension, placing masking tape on the work surface in the shape and size needed takes the guess work out of measuring.  I just roll until I get to the edge of the tape – no more stopping to measure in the middle of rolling.

Send me some of your clever kitchen tips.  Please include your name and e-mail address and you could win a $50 Visa gift certificate if I select your tip.

Stay-Clean Twine

To keep butcher’s twine clean and tangle-free, I feed it through a hole cut into one corner of a resealable plastic bag.  That way it’s always sanitary and easy to use when I need it.  Another way is to place it inside a bain marie and pull the string as needed.  Either way, it stays clean.

Send me some of your clever kitchen tips.  Please include your name and e-mail address and you could win a $50 Visa gift certificate if I select your tip.