COOKING TIP: Need Buttermilk?

If you do not have/can't find buttermilk for a recipe; mix 2/3 C plain yogurt with 1/3 C whole milk and whisk together. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and use in recipe.

FOOD TRIVIA: M & M's in World War ll

M & M's,  the sugar shell coated chocolate candy, packed in cardboard tubes, were included in U.S. soldiers C rations during World War ll because the chocolate would not melt in high temperatures and, therefore, were especially suited for troops serving in hot, tropical parts of the world.

THINGS I LIKE: Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

I like both sausage and mushrooms so I have put them both together to make a tasty appetizer or a small first course in a dinner.

                                                                        RECIPE

Ingredients

20 - 25 White Button or Cremini  mushrooms, depending on size

1 Lb sweet Italian sausage meat

1/4 C toasted Pine nuts, coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp dried Parsley leaves or 3 Tbsp fresh leaves, chopped

2 oz fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted

TT salt and freshly ground black pepper

TT red pepper flakes - optional

Tomato sauce - optional

extra virgin Olive oil

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 F

Wash mushrooms briefly; dry, remove stems and save for another use. Mix all stuffing ingredients together thoroughly.Take a small amount of the stuffing, make into a patty, fry and taste. Adjust seasoning according to your taste. Stuff filling into each mushroom cap, mounding in the middle. Place filled mushrooms in a heat proof dish that has been  coated with olive oil. Drizzle olive oil over mushrooms and place in oven until cooked through, about 20 -30 min. While mushrooms are baking, heat tomato sauce, if you are using it, and  nap the mushrooms with the sauce when you are ready to serve.

FOOD HISTORY: Pimm's Cup

I am assuming that most of you have not heard of Pimm's Cup or, if you did, are not sure what it is. Pimm's is a low alcohol (50 proof:25%) based drink from England first made with Gin, liqueur, fruit juices and spices. Served with ginger ale or, preferably, lemonade, it becomes a Pimm's Cup #1. (see below). Since it is a light , low alcohol drink, it has become the  favored summer drink of the British. It has been raised to the heights of High  Society drinks in England since it is quaffed during sporting events, such as Wimbeldon Tennis matches where, it is said, that visitors to the matches consume some 40,000 pints a year and that it's popularity is the number two English drink after tea. Pimm's Cup #1 is to Wimbeldon Tennis what the Mint Julep drink is to the Kentucky Derby, in  America. It is also a favorite drink at the Royal  Regatta and at village green Cricket matches. It originated at an oyster bar on Poultry Street in the City of London, where James Pimm, the owner, created the drink as a low alcohol oyster "chaser" after noticing that straight gin did not work quite well for the English Dandies. of the day. Pimm served the drink in tankards which he called the ,"house cup" and from that the drink took the name Pimm's Cup . The recipe was and still is a secret: only six persons are supposed to know exactly how it is made. Pimm's cup became so popular in bars and Gentlemen's clubs that Pimm started large scale production in 1854. The rage for gin containing Pimm's Cups became so great that in addition to the Cup made with gin, now called Pimm's Cup #1, Pimm created Pimm's Cup 2 (whiskey), 3(brandy),  4(rum), 5(rye), and 6(vodka). Pimm sold his company in 1865. Less than 100 years later, Pimm's could be found all over the British Empire and was a favorite with British troops in World War II. Pimm's Cups are still available today, however, only Pimm's Cups 1 and 6 are currently produced .

FOOD HISTORY: Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian Goulash is a stew consisting of chunks of meat (pork, beef, lamb, veal and, even, turkey) plus onions, browned in fat, then cooked with water or stock to which seasoning using garlic, caraway seed and, particularly, Hungarian paprika is added. Vegetables, such as, carrots, green pepper, parsnips celery and, perhaps, some tomato may be added. Goulash is the national dish of Hungary and, as with most traditional ethnic dishes, each family has their own variation in the ingredients used except that paprika and caraway seed are common to all. However, the original dish did not contain paprika, which is now known as the national spice of Hungary. Hungarians are the descendants of the eastern European /Western Asian tribes called the Magyars. The word "Hungary" comes from the Turkic word meaning "10 Arrows" that depict the ten tribes of the Magyars from whom current day Hungarians descend. The word "Goulash" comes from the word "Gulyas" meaning "herdsman" in Hungarian. As the Gulyas (herdsmen) would travel on long cattle drives, they would butcher the weakest cows, which couldn't make the whole journey, and made their meat into stews for them to eat. The herdsman had wild onions and caraway, which grew on the plains of Hungary, and added these to their stew. Their Gulyas evolved into the stew we know today as Goulash. However, Hungary did not know of paprika until the Turks invaded Hungary and stayed for 150 years (1526 - 1699). The Turks introduced exotic spices, including paprika into Hungary. Initially, paprika was used only as a decorative plant until the herdsmen (Gulyas) started to spice their stews with the fiery paprika. From the herdsmen's stew pots the spice found its way into the Hungarian peasant's stews and, eventually, into stews being served to the Hungarian aristocracy. Because the herdsmen travelled all over Europe, they introduced people from many other countries to their paprika flavored goulash. People from these countries adapted the spice into their own versions of goulash, adding ingredients, eg, wine, brown sauce, various other spices, etc. that no self respecting Hungarian (Magyar) would ever use. That aside, "goulash" style dishes are popular in Austria, Germany, Croatia and many other countries around the world, including the United States where, in fact, according to a 1969 Gallup poll, goulash was one of the five most popular meat dishes on the American cooking scene. What could they possibly have thought about that in Budapest?

THINGS I LIKE: Tomato Cheese Pie

 When it's  tomato time in New Jersey, there are no amount of ways in which to enjoy them: sliced, with just a sprinkle of salt, in a salad, made into a fresh tomato sauce, etc. One additional way that I take advantage of their sweet flavor is baking them into  a pie with cheese. This has become one of the ways I like them best and everyone who has eaten  the pies has enjoyed them, as well.  The recipe follows:

TOMATO CHEESE PIE   

  INGREDIENTS

        1)    Ripe tomato cut into uniform slices and blotted on paper towels to remove some of the tomato water.

3)    Cheese ( Swiss, Fontina, Gruyere, Jarlsburg or any other cheese you prefer) in slices or grated.

4)    Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

5)    Salt and pepper.

 PROCEDURE

Heat oven to 375F.

Put pie dough (homemade or store bought) into pie plate. Punch several holes in bottom of pie dough using a fork. Place in oven until lightly browned: 10 -15 min.

Remove and let cool.

Add a layer of cheese and top with a layer of tomato slices. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat one more time. Top with Parmesan or Romano cheese spread evenly over the top tomato layer.

Bake until cheese is melted and pie is hot: 15-30 min depending on your oven.

Remove and allow pie to cool for several minutes for the cheese to firm up, then eat and enjoy!

FOOD TRIVIA: The Orange Fruit and the Color Orange.

The color orange was introduced into English through the Spanish word "naranja", which is the Spanish used for the fruit we know as the orange. The word "naranja" was derived from the Sanskrit word, "naranga" meaning "orange tree". The English dropped the leading "n" and from the word "naranja" and, eventually, the word "orange" evolved as the English name for this fruit. Around the 16th century, the word orange started being used not only to describe the fruit but, also, to what we know now as the COLOR orange. Before this, orange as a color, was not in the English vocabulary. Prior to this change, the English referred to what had become the color orange, as "geoluhread"  which translates to "yellow - red"."

COOKING TIP: How to Keep a Lemon After Zesting

If, after the zest from a lemon has been taken off and you are not using the zested lemon for its  juice immediately, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for, at least, three weeks with little loss of juice.

FOOD HISTORY: Sliced Bread

Before sliced bread was invented, people baked their own bread or bought loaves of bread that they had to slice. Each time you sliced, you got a ragged and non-uniform slice. However, Otto Rohwedder from Davenport, Iowa had an idea for a slicer that would automatically cut bread into uniform slices for the consumer. He started working on his idea in 1912 and, over the next few years, had several working models. Many bakers rejected Rohwedder's invention, saying that the bread would fall apart and would get stale more rapidly than the whole loaf (which was true) and that the consumer didn't care to have pre-sliced bread. However, when the Chillicothe Baking Company( Chillicothe, Mo)  put one of the machines to work in 1928, these bakers found they were wrong. The local newspaper wrote, "So neat and precise are the slices and so definitely better than anyone could cut by hand with a bread knife, that one realizes instantly that here is a refinement that will receive a hearty and permanent welcome." In 1927, Rohwedder found a solution to the sliced bread becoming stale more rapidly, by devising a machine that not only sliced the bread but wrapped it as well. Rohwedder, in 1929, sold his machines to the Micro-Westco Company of Bettendorf, Iowa and served as Vice-President and sales manager of the Rohwedder Bakery Machine Company, a new division of  Micro-Westco. By the 1930's, sliced bread was fully commercialized, helped by the invention of the pop-up toaster, introduced in 1926, which required uniform slices for best results. In 1930, The Wonder Bread Company, using their own specialized slicing machines, was the first commercial manufacturer of wrapped, pre-sliced bread. By 1933, more bakers were selling pre-sliced bread than whole loaves and the sales of Rohwedders machines soared. In 1943, in the midst of World War II, the U.S. government actually banned sliced bread on the theory that the country needed the metal used in making bread slicing blades more for the manufacture of airplanes than for bread slicers. A public uproar over this edict was so great that it was rescinded within a few months. THEREFORE, PRE- SLICED BREAD WAS RETAINED AND WE ARE STILL EATING PRE-SLICED 60 YEARS LATER.

THINGS I LIKE: Elote (Mexican Corn on the Cob)

Now that we are in fresh corn season, I would like to tell you about to a way that Mexicans, who know a thing or two about corn, eat their corn on the cob. I was introduced to this method preparing corn for eating on the cob by Davey, a friend of mine from Mexico.

Elote

Husk fresh corn and cook, either by boiling, steaming or grilling. My personal preference is grilling but any way of cooking works. Coat the cooked corn with a layer of mayonnaise and roll in grated Cotija* cheese. Eat as is or sprinkle, to taste, with lime juice and/or chile pepper, and ENJOY.

*Cotija is a semi- hard Mexican cheese that is used for grating in the same way as the Italian Parmesan or Romano cheeses. I find that Cotija gives the best flavor with the corn because it has a stronger taste than Parmesan or Romano but these are acceptable substitutes if you cannot find Cotija cheese. However, I have found Cotija in several large supermarkets in my area. It was in the Dairy aisle cheese section rather than the Specialty Cheese counter.

COOKING TIP: Keeping Pesto Color Vibrant

When Basil is plentiful in the summer and lots of Pesto is going to be made, the following will prevent the Pesto from oxidizing and losing it's bright green color.

Blanch (plunge leaves into boiling water for 20 - 30 seconds), drain immediately and place blanched leaves in ice water to stop the cooking process. This process inactivates the Basil enzymes which cause the color dulling oxidation that comes with cutting, chopping, etc., the leaves. Remove from the ice water, dry leaves with toweling and prepare Pesto which, now, will retain its vibrant green color.

FOOD TRIVIA: Sardines

The small fish we get in cans, that are "packed in like" and called Sardines are, in fact, Herring. They are called Sardines because the process for canning them was developed  on the island of Sardinia.

FOOD HISTORY: Animal Crackers

While animal shaped crackers/ cookies have existed for many generations, they first were introduced from England into the United States in the 1800's where they became popular, instantly.Many small, local bakeries made their own version of "animal" or "circus" crackers. One of these, the Stauffer Bisquit Company of York, Pennsylvania, one of the first to jump into the business, produced their first shipment in 1871 and, even today, still produce animal crackers using a recipe little changed from the original. However, the modern product that we know of as "Animal Crackers'" came into being when two independent baking companies, the St. Louis, MO based Dozier - Weyl Cracker Co. and the New York based Holmes and Coutts Company merged to form the National Bisquit Co., now known as Nabisco. They developed a a "Circus" theme brand of animal crackers known as "Barnum's Animals" named after the most famous American "showman" and circus producer of the time, P.T. Barnum. The special, rectangular cardboard box, which  contained a variety of animal shaped crackers, was decorated as a circus wagon and was originally designed as a Christmas special and  had a string attached so the the box could be placed on a Christmas tree as  an ornament. Further, this was the first time that animal crackers were sold in a box rather than a tin container or, as bulk, in a "cracker barrel". Over the years, both  the number and variety of animals contained in the Nabisco "Circus Wagon" have changed but have always remained popular.The Nabasco brand of animal cracker is the largest selling; 40 million boxes sold each year in the United States and 17 other countries, world wide. However, in the United States, Stauffers, the original US commercial animal cracker bakery and the Austin division of the  Keebler Co. produce animal crackers, as well.as the Cadbury Co.in Great Britian and the Bahlsen Co. in Gremany.

COOKING TIP: Know Your Salt

Salt comes in various forms, each with it's own characteristics and uses. A brief summary of general differences  follows:

COARSE KOSHER: light, flaky, flat crystals. Adds subtle crunch. The larger grains give you less Sodium per teaspoon. The favorite of many Chefs.

TABLE: Fortified with iodine, Dissolves very quickly and is good for general use.

SEA: Large granules which means it doesn't dissolve rapidly. Is used as a "garnish" to give a crunch and subtle saltiness to both savory and sweet dishes -  soups, salads, etc. and sweet preparations, such as, cookies, chocolate candies and, even ice cream, Many different types from different waters vary in taste, so experiment to find the one(s) that suite your personal taste.

THINGS I LIKE: JIll's Corn Pudding

Several years ago, my daughter Jill brought a corn pudding to our Thanksgiving dinner. It was really good and has been a part of our annual Thanksgiving dinner brought, either, by Jill or my niece Toni. The recipe is not my daughter Jill's but was given to her by a friend who got the recipe from her aunt. Therefore, this post should really be titled Jill Savitt's Aunt Clara's Corn Pudding Recipe. However, while that was to long to fit in the title space, I want give the appropriate credit for the dish's origin. With that done, the recipe for this totally delicious and absolutely simple dish  to make follows:

CORN PUDDING

Ingredients

1 box Jiffy Corn Bread mix

8 oz sour cream

2 eggs

1 stick butter

1 can creamed corn ( about 15 oz)

1 can water (use the empty creamed corn can)

Directions

Heat oven to 400F.

Mix everything together and pour into baking dish.

Bake for 45 to 60 min but check for doneness after 45 min.

Enjoy!

COOKIING TIP: Preparing Dry Aged Steak with Umami Taste at Home

Previously, I wrote a post describing how one could prepare a steak at home, with taste as close as possible to the taste of a dry aged restaurant steak  (Dry-Aged Steak at Home (8/2/11). In a more recent (2/27/13) post, I described the history of UMAMI, the FIFTH TASTE. The new taste, UMAMI, is described as  "savory", "meaty" or "delicious".  Previously, it was thought that there were only four basic tastes; sweet, sour, bitter and salty.  In addition, I listed some of the ways in which the UMAMI taste could be added to food. Recently, I came across a description of preparing dry-aged steak at home which uses the method I described previously (post of 8/2/11)  plus a way of adding additional UMAMI taste to the steak. (Nathan Myhrvold , Food and Wine magazine  Oct 12, 2012, pg. 38). While the recipe calls for rib-eye steak, any steak, of equal size, could be substituted. The preparation requires six days to complete so plan, appropriately, for when you want the steaks to be ready for eating - the planning and wait will be well worth them. The recipe follows:

Two 12 oz, one inch thick thick, boneless,  rib eye steaks
1 1/2 Tbsp Asian fish sauce
kosher salt and pepper

1) Place steaks, in a single layer, in a sealable plastic bag. Add fish sauce and turn to coat. Press
 out as much air from the bag as possible, seal and refrigerate for three days.

2) Remove steaks from bag. Tightly wrap each one in a double layer of cheese cloth, place on a rack over a plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for three more days.

3) Unwrap steaks, discard cheese cloth and allow the steak to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Apply salt and pepper and grill.

Enjoy!

FOOD TRIVIA: Soft Drinks

"Soft drink", classically referred to nearly ALL  beverages that did not contain significant amounts of alcohol. Now the term is used, exclusively, for flavored, carbonated beverages. Since carbonated beverage makers were having a difficult time advertising their products due to regional differences in what their drinks were called ( soda, fizzy drinks, pop, etc.) the manufacturers all agreed on using the term, "soft drinks".

FOOD HISTORY: The Fifth Taste - UMAMI

When taste buds were discovered in the 19th century, it was thought that only four "primary" tastes could be picked up by the human tongue - salty, sweet, bitter and sour. This thought was continued until the early 1900's when a Japanese scientist exploring a taste phenomenon in Japanese cooking changed this concept. Dashi, a stock made from Kombu ( Kelp; a seaweed) has been an integral part of Japanese cooking for a very long time. It was found that foods cooked with Dashi, were given a delicious, complex taste that could not be  attributed to any one or combination of the four "primary' tastes. Why this was so was not clear until, in 1908,  Dr. Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese scientist at Tokyo Imperial University (now called The University of Tokyo)  discovered that glutamate (glutamic acid) was its  main flavor ingredient in Dashi and called the new taste sensation. "Umami", a Japanese word that has no exact  English translation but is interpreted as "savory" or "delicious" or "meaty" taste. After the discovery of glutamate as contributing to the Umami taste, other substances which gave a Umami taste were discovered in other very popular items used in Japanese cooking: inosinate found in  Bonito flakes - flakes shaved from dried, fermented  Bonito fish (also known as Skipjack Tuna) and guanylate found in Shitake mushroom stock. In the 1980's, further studies established that Umami associated with high glutamate - containing foods actually constituted a FIFTH taste component. Remember when most Chinese restaurants used monosiodiun glutamate (MSG) in their dishes. This was to give their food a UMAMI taste. Since that time, many UMAMI rich foods have been identified; seaweed, beef, tomatoes. Parmesan cheese, anchovies, Shitake and Enoki mushrooms, Asian fish and Soy sauces, among others.The Umami taste sensation is most intense in combination with salt: thus, a sprinkling of salt on a tomato intensifies its taste.Today Umami as a fifth taste is universally accepted. While the UMAMI taste is now established in a scientific sense, for centuries people around the world, INTUITIVELY, have prepared sauces and condiments which add UMAMI taste to dishes. Garum was a fish sauce made first by the Greeks and then the Romans.The Greeks made a sauce called "garos' a Greek word for a type of fish. Romans loved the sauce, took it over and made it their own way; salting Mackerel fish, letting it ferment in the sun and then filtering the fermented liquid to use as a sauce. Tomatoes were brought to Europe when Columbus discovered the New World. The Italians embraced the UMAMI containing tomato as the basis for many of their famous sauces. Asian cultures have used many UMAMI containing fermented products; the Soy and fish sauces of China, Japan, Vietnam . Thailand, etc and the British have their anchovy containing Worchester sauce. Science aside, TASTE wins out.

THINGS I LIKE: Mickey's "Puttler Jelly"

When I  was growing up, my mother, Mickey Holder, made a delicious smokey, chopped eggplant dish that we ate with toast or crackers. We called the dish "Puttler Jelly". Why it was called "Puttler Jelly"  was not clear to me but I ate it with great enjoyment. As I grew older, I became aware that chopped eggplant dishes were eaten all over the world, eg., Baba Ghanouj, chopped eggplant mixed with tahini (sesame seed paste) and seasonings was ubiquitous all over the Middle East. I have eaten Baba Ghanouj in ethnic Syrian - American, Lebanese - American and Greek - American restaurants and loved them all. In Greek restaurants the dish is called "melitzanosalata". In Turkey, where I ate it in Istanbul, the dish is called "patlican salatsi." In France, a similar dish is made, called "eggplant caviar" with olive oil substituting for the tahini. Many other European countries, including Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Armenia and Greece, to name just a few, prepare similar dishes. When I decided to write about my mother's "Puttler Jelly", I did a little research on this kind of dish and discovered that in Rumanian it is called "patlagele vinete". Is this where "Puttler Jelly" came from; a mispronouncing of the the Romanian "patlagele? There is not, to my knowledge, any Rumanian connection in my family tree. To my mother, this would not have mattered. She incorporated recipes into her family cooking from anyone with whom she had contact if she thought her family would enjoy them.; her "tomato sauce" recipe, for example, which is  still being made by the third generation of  our family, came from the  Carvel family (Caravelli when they got off the boat from Italy, as children). With more looking, I found that the word for eggplant in Yiddish is "patlejan". Since grandparents on both sides of my family and my parents, as well, spoke Yiddish this, more likely, is the root source from which the mispronounced  term, "Puttler Jelly" derived. Whatever is really the case, I still make Mickey's "Puttler Jelly" and it has been enjoyed by all who taste it. The recipe follows:

MICKEY"S "PUTTLER JELLY" RECIPE

 I call this a recipe but it is only, in reality, a guideline since I was  told what went into its making but with no specific amounts of each ingredient given. The final product will be unique to the person preparing the dish but I have given some "starting points" and will leave the taste of the finished dish  to the palate of each preparer.

INGREDIENTS

2  eggplants
1 large onion, small dice
minced fresh garlic - to taste
red wine vinegar or lemon juice - to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
extra virgin olive oil

PROCEDURE

Heat oven to 450F.
Cut eggplants in half and place, cut side down, on a sheet pan.
Roast until the skin is charred and the flesh is soft and fully cooked.
Allow to cool and, discarding the skin,  scoop out eggplant flesh into a food processor.*  Don't worry if a few "charred" parts of the skin are still attached. This gives a further smokey taste to the dish.
Add onion and garlic.
Pulse a couple of times adding olive oil until a coarse puree is formed.
Mix in small amounts of vinegar or lemon juice plus salt and pepper, tasting after each addition until the mixture has a creamy texture with the  balance of garlic, salt, acid and smoke that suites your palate.

* if you do not have a food processor, the eggplant can be mashed with a fork and the other ingredients added, as above.


Serve as a dip with wedges of pita, plain or toasted, or spread on crackers.

THINGS I LIKE: Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt cheese is prepared and eaten in many countries of the world and is known by different names:  Labneh in Lebanon, Saudia Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, Lebni in Armenia, Labne in Turkey and Dali in India, to name a few. When I was growing up, I never liked yogurt that was available in the U.S because of its, to my taste, "slimy" consistency. As an adult, however, my younger daughter Jill intoduced me to yogurt cheese that was called Labne. It was rich and creamy, with a consistancy of soft cream cheese, and had a delicious "tang" to it. I became an immediate fan. Subsequently, I learned how simple it was to make it using good, commercial yogurt products that become available in the market.

How I make it follows::

 Place a sieve or strainer, that is lined with several layers of wet, wrung out cheese cloth, over a dish or pan large enough to collect liquid that will drain from the yogurt.

Place yogurt, preferably Mediterranean, Greek or Bulgarian style, into the sieve/strainer and refrigerate overnight or, until the yogurt has reached the consistency of soft cream cheese. Discard the yogurt water.

To serve:

Spoon yogurt cheese onto a plate and mold into a mound shape. Using a spoon, make a well in the center of the mound. Fill well with the  best quality of extra virgin olive oil you have available, allowing the oil to "overflow" a little onto the plate. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs ( I use Mint but you can use different  herbs, Dill, Tarragon or other herb(s) of your choice) and serve with wedges of fresh Pita or Pita chips. ENJOY!

COOKING TIP: Seasoning Food

When seasoning food, the height at which the seasonings are sprinkled is important. The higher the height ( up to a point) seasoning is sprinkled on, the more uniform the distribution of the seasoning becomes. The more uniform the seasoning is distributed, the better the food tastes.TWELVE inches above the food is a good height to sprinkle on seasonings.

COOKING TIP: Buttermilk

Like to use Buttermilk but don't use it all?  Place 1/2 - 1C amounts in small plastic bags with closures, seal and place in the freezer. Defrost the amount you need in the refrigerator when a recipe calls for buttermilk.

COOKING TIP: Nuts to You - Salad!

Adding toasted nuts greatly dresses up any salad. To toast nuts (try to use uniform size), spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook at 400F for 7 - 10 minutes or until nuts turn brown. Shake or stir half way through toasting. Remove immediately and allow to cool before using.

                                                                  Alternatively

Place nuts in a skillet, in a single layer. Heat skillet to medium - high heat and toast nuts for 5 - 7 minutes or until they start to turn brown and are fragrant to the smell. Remove from pan as soon as they are done and allow to cool before using.

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FOOD TRIVIA: Earl Grey Tea

The distinctive flavor and aroma of Earl Grey tea (a blend of black teas from India and Sri Lanka) comes from it's being flavored with oil extracted from the rind of the Mediterranean orange (Citrus aurantium bergamia).

FOOD TRIVIA: Champagne "Cages"

The twisted wire cap, called a "cage", that holds the cork on a champagne bottle to ensure it doesn't "pop" off due to the pressure inside the bottle, is twisted 6 1/2 times no matter what is the brand of the champagne maker.