Good Cooking's Culinary Facts
Lapsand Souchong is a black tea with a smoky, dark taste. It is black tea that is
smoked over a wood fire to dry.
The
Cote Rotie, or Roasted Slope, with its steep, sun drenched hillsides produces
red wines that are warm, robust, full-flavored and richly colored. The
wines from this Cote du Rhone region of France are highly praised.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape
is another area of the Rhone named so in 1305 when Pope Clement V built
a summer castle there near Avignon.
Scarmorza
is an Italian cheese similar to Mozzarella but firmer.
Please
pass the tunke! That is please pass the gravy in German.
In
the restaurant business, your rent on the space should be around 7% of
gross sales for initial budgeting purposes.
Fresh
crabmeat in New England most often is from the Jonah Crab.
Freshly
cooked beets are quickly peeled by rubbing off the skins with your hands
under cold running water.
Cook
one pound of pitted plums with one cup of sugar and two teaspoons of pectin
(Sure-Gel) for a quick plum jam.
Feuille
de brick is French for a type of pasty dough similar to Filo dough.
More
facts from past updates---
Dobostorte
is a rich chocolate-filled seven layer cake.
Margarine
was first produced in France in the late 19th century.
Barley
was mentioned in the Bible as one of the foods that was destroyed by the
plagues of Egypt. (Exodus 9:31)
Anchovies
are members of the herring family.
Pimpinella
Anisum is the Latin name for Anise.
Mascarpone
cheese is a soft creamy cheese that is a key ingredient in Tiramisu.
Boston
Cream Pie is the official dessert of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Serrano
Ham from Spain is similar to the Italian Ham known as Proscuitto.
The
primary grape used in making sherry wine is the Palomino fino grape.
It
takes about 275,000 crocus flowers to produce 2.2 pounds of saffron.
Fruit
Smoothies aren't a "New" drink, they have been around for hundreds of years, particularly
in India and the Caribbean.
Decanting
is the term for separating the wine from the sediment in the bottom of
a bottle.
The
tomato was legally changed from a fruit to a vegetable by a Supreme Court
ruling in the late 1800's.
Vinegar
is added to water when poaching eggs to keep the egg white from spreading.
It
takes 12 minutes to hard boil a large egg.
The
Aztecs are credited for domesticating the turkey.
The
French name for monkfish is "Lotte", like in parking lot!
Madeira
wine is produced on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Eggplant
Caviar is a spread made of baked eggplant, garlic, onions, tomatoes and
olive oil.
The
chemical make-up of baking soda is NaHCO
Cacciatore,
as in the Italian dish Chicken Cacciatore, means Hunter Style.
A
Tostada is a tortilla that is pan fried flat and then topped with many ingredients.
Chow
Chow is a Pennsylvania Dutch sweet relish of cabbage, peppers, cucumbers
and other vegetables.
Chinese
Five Spice Powder is a blend of 1 part each: powdered cinnamon, ground
cloves, ground fennel seed, ground star anise, ground Szechwan peppercorns.
Measure all ingredients, then blend together in a blender or food processor.
You may also use a mortar and pestle.
Harissa
is a North African Hot Sauce and can be made with the following ingredients:
3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika,
1/2 teaspoon powdered cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, 1/2 cup olive
oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree
till smooth, you may also use a mortar and pestle. Please note that this
is a very hot and spicy dipping sauce!
Ten
Popular Herbs to Grow and Use in Cooking: basil, thyme, chives, rosemary,
tarragon, parsley, marjoram, sage, mint, and oregano!
Arrugula
or Rocket (Eruca sativa) is a member of the Mustard family
(Cruciferae).
Oysters
Rockefeller was created in 1899 by Jules Alciatore at Antoine's Restaurant
in New Orleans, Louisiana. This rich oyster dish was named in honor of
John D. Rockefeller, one of the wealthiest men in the United States.
Ecrevisse
is the French name for Crayfish.
Pineapple
Fool is a popular dessert in Jamaica. It consists of chopped drained
pineapple blended with sweetened whipped cream and served in ice cream
sundae glasses.
Pawpaw
is the West Indian name for papayas.
Beurre
Blanc is a butter sauce made with white wine, shallots, cream and butter.
Lobster
Pie is a casserole with cooked lobster meat topped with crushed Ritz crackers,
butter, lemon, sherry wine and cream. It's then baked in an oven until
golden brown.
Spinach
leaves can be deep fried until crispy and crunchy and used as a garnish
on many dishes. It looks great as a garnish on fettuccine Alfredo.
A
Kir Royale is made with 1/4 oz. Creme de Cassis and 5 oz. Champagne.
Did
you know that curry powder gets its yellow color from a spice called turmeric!
Did
you know that chive blossoms are edible. Try some chopped and sprinkled
on your salad or baked potato!
When
boiling lobster an average cooking time per pound is 10 minutes, for larger
lobster of 3-4-5-etc. pounds, cook twenty minutes for the first two pounds,
then 5 minutes more for each additional pound. A 5 pound lobster
when added to boiling water and then having the water returned to the boil
would take 35 minutes of simmering. You may prefer less time if you let
the lobster cool in the hot liquid.
Did
you know that Chef Auguste Escoffier (1847-1935) worked with Cesar Ritz
at the London Savoy, Connaught and Carlton hotels. He also was in charge
of the kitchens at both the Paris and London Ritz. Escoffier was considered
the "King of Chefs and Chef of Kings." An international gourmet society
was formed in his honor and has branches in most US cities and around the
world. Les Amis D'Escoffier and Les Dames D'Escoffier celebrate his memory
with formal, multiple course dinners and fine wines. Escoffier wrote a
guide to cooking, Chili
Powder has four main ingredients; cumin, ancho chilies, garlic, oregano.
It's
not uncommon for chefs and their helpers to work 12 hours per day!
Drambuie
is a liqueur made from Scotch malt whiskey flavored with heather honey!
Fresh
Rock Shrimp season in Florida begins in July, and runs though March.
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