Talk Cooking With Tom Fitzmorris Click here to ask, tell, or respond about recipes Click here for the Talk Restaurants With Tom page Bones For Stock-Making Bob asks: I'm curious as to what kinds of bones are used for making beef and veal stocks, and where they can be acquired. I've seen recommendations for knuckle bones, for example, but I've never seen them for sale. Tom sez: Different bones are used for different results. For most beef stocks, almost any kind of beef bones will do. Indeed, you can make a great soup stock from boneless meats--notably brisket. But "soup bones"--from the shanks and other big bones, cut crosswise--are best because they have a lot of marrow and collagen tissue that gives a good gelatin content to the stock. That "knuckle bone" you mention is also excellent, because all the cartilege in the joint releases more gelatin. For soup--especially onion soup--my own favorite is oxtails, which give tremendous gelatin and have enough muscle to not only flavor the soup but also provide some shreds of tasty meat. For making demi-glace, the standard is big leg bones of veal, roasted until very dark brown. But those have to be ordered from a butcher. Used to be that you could get them for free, but now the demand is great enough that restaurants actually buy bones unless they have an extensive in-house butcher shop. Multiplying And Dividing Recipes David asks: I have a rather large quantity yield recipe for creamed spinach that I would like to reduce to a more family friendly size. Do you know of a website or formula that will scale down the ingredients to a family-sized portion? Tom sez: That's an interesting idea that someone will no doubt create someday. But I wouldn't trust such a formula. My experience with restaurant recipes is that dividing the ingredient quantities by four (or multiplying them--many restaurant recipes make just one serving) often fails. For example, if a recipe calls for sauteeing a cup of onions in a tablespoon of olive oil, if you cut the onions by half you usually still need the whole amount of oil. Also, some quantities don't cook properly when you use smaller or larger amounts. Hollandaise, for example, must be cooked in a totally different way if you start with a dozen egg yolks instead of one. The good news is that a creamed spinach recipe is not likely to be so affected. I think you're safe just dividing the quantities. (Unless there's nutmeg in it, which some recipes for bechamel include. That should never be more than a sprinkle.) Storing Bacon Fat Bill asks: My mother used to keep a special container for storing bacon drippings on the stove when I was a kid. She used the drippings for seasoning many of her dishes. I'd like to know how long bacon drippings can be stored before it goes bad. I rarely cook bacon, but hate to throw away the rendered fat. I also don't see the containers at any of the kitchen gadget stores. Tom sez: Lots of people--including me--still save bacon fat for cooking. It's a great starting point for red beans, for example. I have a small canning jar I use for it. I put the cap on it and then store the jar in the refrigerator. I've never had a problem with its going bad that way. Animal fat sort of preserves itself, and at low temperatures it does so for a long time. Warren Leruth's Pecan Pie Recipe (And Others) Bobby asks: My wife swears she used to have Warren Leruth's  recipe for pecan pie, and that I was the one who lost the recipe. I have been doing searches on the internet for his recipe, but can not find it. You're my last resort. I need to get off of this damn sofa at night--my back is killing me! Tom sez: I know whereof you speak, brother. Warren Leruth didn't publish many of his recipes, and fewer still were for dishes he served at the restaurant. The pecan pie was one of the "back door" recipes in his Front Door, Back Door cookbook, a little collection he put out in the 1970s. Here it is: 3 eggs 3/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 cup white Karo syrup 1/2 stick butter, melted 1 cup pecans 1 nine-inch unbaked pie shell Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 1. Mix eggs, sugar and syrup thoroughly. Then stir in melted butter and vanilla. Finally, stir in the pecans. Pour the mixture into the pie shell. 2. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for a half hour or more before serving. Boiling A Can Of Condensed Milk (Don't!) Emily asks: What is the recipe where one takes a can of sweetened condensed milk and boils in in water a long while? I have always heard about it, but never knew what it produced, how long to simmer it and then, what to do with it. It does state on the can,"never heat unopened can." Tom sez: What this allegedly makes is a custard. It isn't, really, because there are no eggs in there. What you wind up with is something like panna cotta, the eggless Italian custard-like dessert. Or dulce de leche, the Latin American sweet-and-caramelized milk dessert. However, the manufacturers of condensed milk say in no uncertain terms that this should never be done. Cans have been known to explode. I strongly recommend you don't try this. Instead, here's a very good recipe for panna cotta, which is not hard to make and will be better than this boiled can stuff. The only reason anyone ever did that was to be able to say they did. Inside Round, Top Round, Eye Of Round Larry asks: One day on the radio you had a discussion with a caller about cuts of beef best used for roast beef. You mentioned that eye of round should not be used for any reason whatsoever. I was curious as to why. Secondly there was a cut, top or inside round I think, that was a little hard to find but not impossible if you just ask the butcher. Was that the correct cut and name? Tom sez: Eye of round looks so beautiful in the meat case that it is very popular. But it is an extremely lean muscle that does a lot of work, and so is very tough--especially when cooked over high heat with little moisture. The only thing to do with it, I find, it to chop it into tiny cubes for something like chili, or pound the daylights out of it for salisbury steak or something equally awful. In any case, it must be cooked a long time with low heat, and sliced across the grain. I never buy it. Inside round--also known as top round, especially the half of the top round in the inside of the animal--is a much better cut of beef. It is the one I prefer for roast beef poor boys. It's very juicy and gives a good gravy. It can be broiled as a steak (this is what Cuban steak is), but I prefer cooking it slow and long with lots of liquid to make a gravy. Looking For Chicken Marsala Lynn writes: Do you have a recipe for Marsala sauce? I had a chicken marsala dish at the Brick Oven years ago that I'd like to try. Tom sez: I don't have the Brick Oven's recipe for Marsala sauce, but that's a classic recipe, and the one above is a good one. It's designed for veal, but it can be made with chicken easily enough. You will need to cook the chicken in the pan a bit longer than you would for veal--especially if you use dark-meat chicken. Otherwise, the recipe is the same. Sacks Of Oysters On The North Shore We live in Covington, and are looking for a reputable place to buy a sack or two of raw oysters for a party we are having this Sunday. I heard you mention one on the radio show a couple of weeks ago. Also, how many people a sack of oysters feeds? Do we need to order them in advance?--Kim.   The place is Bill's Oyster House, which is a bigger processor and retailer of oysters than you will imagine, given its location. It's a shed behind the owners' house at 21370 Wilson Rd., between LA 21 and LA 59. (I'd better give you a map, here.) They prefer if you call a day or two in advance: 985-892-5164. They open early in the morning till about 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and sometimes (call ahead) from about 10 a.m. till about 2 p.m. on Saturdays. They have oysters by the sack (which contain about 150-200 oysters, depending on size), and shucked by the gallon, half-gallon, quart and pint. I buy from them all the time, and they're delicious. (And I just checked with them and they say the supply is good and salty today.) Cooling Before Refrigerating Jonathan asks: After you cook red beans, seafood gumbo, or chicken-andouille gumbo, should you let the leftovers cool to room temperature before putting them in the refrigerator? And  is there any difference as to how you care for the two abovementioned gumbos when having leftovers? Tom sez: Not to room temperature, no. The main reason you let potfuls of food cool before putting them in the refrigerator is to prevent the refrigerator from warming up, and thereby affecting other perishables in there. However, most modern refrigerators cool things so quickly that it's not a problem, unless it's a very large pot of very hot stuff. For food safety, let it cool to no lower than 14o degrees before getting it into the reefer. Reheating chicken-andouille gumbo is just a matter of putting it back on the stove (or in the microwave oven).  For seafood gumbo, that would take a toll on the shrimp, crabmeat, and oysters in it. I like to keep all the seafood out until right before I serve it, even the first time around. (The shrimp should be pre-cooked.) I certainly wouldn't let it sit in the gumbo in the refrigerator, where it will become like unto mush. Tropical Lobster Celeste asks: Do you know if there are any area restaurants that serve Carribean lobster? I understand that they taste quite a bit different from Maine lobsters, and I would love to try one. Tom sez: Caribbean lobster used to be very common around New Orleans. It was the standard at Antoine's, the restaurants in West End, and in Chinese restaurants. In fact, for a long time the only place that had any other kind of lobster was T. Pittari's, which pioneered Maine lobster here. Now every restaurant I know with lobster on the menu uses homardus  (the lobsters from Maine and Canada, with the big claws) instead of the warm-water langouste (which have very small claws, and provide only tail meat). Caribbean lobsters not only taste different from Maine lobster (not as good, I'd say), but have a different texture. They're rarely as firm (or, as some people would say, as tough). They're grilled much more often than Maine lobsters are. Nor do I know where you'd buy a tropical lobster to take home and cook yourself. They've really seemed to have vanished from the scene. Although they are still very commonly served in the Caribbean. I wasn't much help, was I? I'm hoping that a reader will forward some info. Boiling Shrimp Frank asks: I can't seem to settle on one method of boiling shrimp. I always heard that you bring the water to a boil, add the shrimp, let the water come back to a boil and then cook for three minutes. My shrimp typically stick to the shell using this method because it can take a long time for the water to come back to a boil. How do you boil shrimp where they don't stick to the shell? Tom sez: When shrimp are hard to peel, it's because they've been overcooked. Shrimp cook very quickly, and if you have the feeling that they need just a little more cooking, they're probably perfect. You have the basic technique almost right--except for one detail. When you boil shrimp, start by holding the pot of water ( a lot of water works better than a little) at a rolling boil with only the crab boil and other seasonings in it for about five minutes. Next, add the shrimp, keeping the fire on high. When you see the first bubbles come up as the water returns to a boil, turn off the heat completely and immediately. Let the shrimp just sit in the hot water for three to five minutes (depending on size). Then dump them into a bowl of ice water, or rinse them with cold running water. The only exception to this are very large shrimp. But you shouldn't be boiling them anyway. Fish Marinade Ana asks: Can you post the fish marinade you often mention on the radio--the one you credit to Chef Andrea, but with your version of it? Tom sez: I use this on most of the fish I cook by methods other than frying. Just mix together these ingredients: 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbs. lemon juice 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 3-6 dashes Tabasco 1 Tbs. soy sauce (my wrinkle on Andrea's formula) Whisk it together; it won't blend completely. Pour it into a shallow bowl, and set the fish fillets in the marinade for about a minute on each side. Let the excess drip off. Season the fish with salt, pepper, and other seasonings of your choice, and cook as desired. If you cook the fish in a pan, you might think about pouring the remaining marinade into the pan after cooking the fish and reducing it a bit, perhaps with some chopped garlic, green onions, crushed red pepper, or herbs. It can turn into a good sauce with little trouble. Gastrique Vic asks: What is a gastrique? It seems to be some kind of sauce for meats, but I can't find it on the food when it's mentioned on the menu. Tom sez: A gastrique is a highly reduced sauce, usually involving some kind of fruit juice and/or vinegar, cooked down to the point where it is almost a syrup.  It's another one of those things that chefs use to make it seem that their cooking is tremendously different from the cooking the you when I do at home. You or I would probably have little occasion to make a gastrique, and since you measure it out by the drop it wouldn't be worth the trouble for just a few servings. But nothing's stopping us from doing that. Cooking With Wine Mark asks: I am far from a wine expert, so can you recommend which wines are good for cooking when called for in a recipe? Tom sez: Very Important Point #1: You do not need to be a wine expert to drink or cook with wine. All you need to know is how to open the bottle, pour the wine into a glass, and raise it to your lips. Never concern yourself that you're ordering or buying the wrong wine. All food goes with all wine, with so few exceptions it's not worth worrying about. You can cook with any wine. (Exception: See Point #3.) Less Important Point #2: Cook with wine you have left over from the last bottle you opened. Either that, or keep a bottle of inexpensive ($10) dry white wine (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio. . . most wines are dry wines for cooking purposes) in your refrigerator for cooking. Red wine is used less commonly in cooking, but keep open bottles of that in the refrigerator, too. Exception Point #3: Under no circumstances should you ever buy what's labeled as "cooking wine." It's very bad wine with salt added to make it undrinkable. It throws off recipes and should never be used. If you have any, throw it away. It's utterly worthless. It will not be on the shelf with the other wines, but with the vinegar and stuff like that, so there's not much chance of confusion. Salt-Crusted Fish Many people have asked: How exactly do you bake that whole fish in a salt dome? Tom sez: That's an old idea that's been used for many foods over the years--notably prime rib. But Jamie Shannon, the long-time executive chef at Commander's Palace who died tragically at age forty, was the first person who ever did this for me with a fish. I'll never forget that night: it was at the chef's table in the kitchen with Dick Brennan, Sr. and fellow food writer Marcelle Bienvenue. Jamie brought out a large, shallow pan with what looked like a pile of salt in its center. With a pounder, he struck the pile, which cracked like a solid shell. He brushed the salt away from a red snapper, then removed the skin from the fish. The fillets were stunningly delicious, served with no sauce. It was pure, elemental fresh fish flavor. And it wasn't salty. The process is surprisingly simple. The hard part is getting a vividly fresh whole fish: redfish, red snapper, a small grouper, anything about four to eight pounds. Gut it and remove the gills and fins. Use a sheet pan much larger than the fish. Pour a layer of kosher salt about the thickness of three stacked coins in the center. Place the fish on top of the salt. Then cover the fish with enough kosher salt (Commander's Palace's cookbook says eight pounds is needed) to completely cover it. Scoop it up with your hands to make it in the shape of a dome. Put the pan into the center of a 450-degree preheated oven, and bake it for ten minutes per pound. (They say; a more accurate way to check doneness is to shove a meat thermometer into the center of the fish when you think it might be getting close. You want a reading of about 130 degrees.) The ticklish part is getting the salt off. The steam coming from the fish will make it form a hard shell, which you'll have to break without beating the fish up. Craefully brush all the salt away after you remove the shell, and even more carefully peel the skin away, starting at the top forward fin and moving towards the bottom of the fish and the tail. Then you'll be able to remove reasonably intact fillets. Be ready to eat when these are coming off; the fish is at its best immediately after coming off the bones. You could add a light sauce, but it's really not necessary. It's great with an herbal rice side dish. Crawfish Boil Options Greg asks: We're planning a crawfish boil Memorial Day weekend. I've heard there's an all-in-one seasoning bag you can drop in the boil.  Have you heard about this product? Any other ideas? Tom sez: Well, there's regular crawfish boil, which has everything but the lemon and salt in a bag inside that oblong box. Liquid crab boil has become so popular that many people have forgotten this older product. Then there's the granulated mix that even has the lemon and salt, sold in a big jar. It works okay, but something inside me says to use real lemons, real onions, real garlic, and real bay leaves. My instincts tell me that the flavors of the dried-and-granulated versions of those seasonings in particular will not be the same as fresh. But I've never done a blind tasting on it, and it could be that the difference is below the threahold of human ability to detect it. I invite other readers to weigh in on this. Cast-Iron Cookware: How To John asks:  I think I want a couple of pieces of cast iron cookware. I am considering a twelve-inch fry pan and a five-quart dutch oven with lid in the Lodge Logic line. Is this a good choice? Tom sez: Sounds good to me. Here are a few things to know about cast-iron cookware, the oldest kind of modern cookware in wide use. First, it is the nature of cast iron to take a long time to heat up and cool down. This has its advantages, the most notable among them being for deep frying. The iron will hold the heat better than almost anything else. On the other hand, while sauteeing something, if you leave the food in the pan after you turn the heat off, it will keep on cooking as if the heat were still on for quite awhile. It's just something you need to remember. Second, cast iron is brittle and heavy. It can break, and it can break things. It doesn't work well on electric stovetops, especially the kind with the glass-enclosed heat elements. Third, cast iron can rust. You must season it first. Here's how. Scrub it very well with a gritty scouring powder (the best is Zud, but Comet or Ajax are okay). Use a plastic scrub pad--do not use steel wool, which will actually cause rust. Rinse the pan very well and dry it thoroughly. Coat it with a generous amount of Crisco (or vegetable oil), and put it into the oven at 250 degrees for about a half-hour. When it cools, coat it again with more oil and repeat the pricess. The first few times you use it, deep-fry something in it. Then it will have a very good coating that will become non-stick over time. Don't wash it with anything but plain water after that. If it ever gets rusty, just repeat the process above. Happy cooking! Better Butter Gail asks: What brands of butter do the upper end restaurants use? I would like to put it into my pound cakes. Tom sez: Most restaurants buy butter from institutional distributors who don't market the same brands at retail. However, most of the butter that comes into this market--regardless of the brand--is actually made by Land 'O' Lakes. A taste test I did of a dozen salted butters with different brands showed no detectable difference in flavor. In general, unsalted butter is better than salted butter. The salt masks flaws, and also preserves the better. Unsalted ("sweet") butter has to be the best quality available, because it shows every problem. You can find some premium butters in the stores, particularly those with a gourmet tilt. The most widely-distributed brand is Plugra, an American-made butter that imitates French butter. The name is a respelling of "plus gras," which means "more fat." It's very good. However, whether this will make a dramatic difference in a pound cake is something I'd have to taste to believe. Although it just might! Bird-Eye Peppers Frank asks: I've seen "bird-eye peppers" mentioned in some local recipes. Most that call for the peppers are from old cookbooks. I remember my old aunt talking about them and I think she even grew them in her front yard. But nobody I know seems to know what they are or what they're used for. What say you? Tom sez: First of all, Frank, we don't allow O'Reillyisms on this page. Bird-eye peppers--also known simply as bird pepeprs, for reasons I know not--are small tapering peppers that get bright red when ripe. They grow with their points up, like Tabasco peppers (to which they are related). They are believed to be relatively primitive members of the casicum family (the New World peppers that include everything from bell peppers to habaneros. Bird peppers are quite hot, running in the range of 100,000 Scoville units, a measure of the relative amount of capsaicin, the active ingredient of hot peppers. (Habaneros are about 300,000, cayennes around 50,000 units, and jalapenos around 5,000.) If I had some growing I'd put one or two in a pot of beans, a few in a crab boil, or just  one with the seeds removed in a batch of guacamole. We see them most often marinating in bottles of vinegar. If you mess with these things, wear rubber gloves or wash your hands very well afterwards. How To Cook London Broil A radio listener asked: My wife thought she was buying sirloin strip steak at the store today, but it turned out to be labeled "London broil." How do you cook that? Tom sez: I wish the meat marketeers in supermarkets would quit using that name. It doesn't really mean much, because there's no cut of meat officially known as a London broil. The term really is a method of cooking, not a cut. The two cuts most often labeled London broil are flank steak (which, to my mind, is the classical cut to use for that dish) and top round. The two cuts have one thing in common: the grain (the muscle fibers) runs the entire width of the steak. Whenever you see that, it means you need to do three things when you cook it: Marinate. The marinade should not only season the meat, but tenderize it as well. The best is a mixture of pineapple juice, worcestershire sauce, and peppercorns. Grill or broil very hot. The meat needs the high heat to break it down. You should also cook it at least to medium, even if you prefer rare beef. Slice thinly across the grain. This can be done at the table, but a better idea is to do it in the kitchen with a sharp, non-serrated knife. In the case of the top round, it's best to slice at a slight bias to the grain. I'd season the beef pretty well with salt and cracked black pepper before cooking, too. It doesn't really need a sauce, but a red wine sauce made in the pan you initially sear the meat would be tasty. Crisp Skin On Rotisserie Chicken Bud asks: I have a rotisserie on my outdoor grill and I love it. But the one thing I can't get right is that the skin on the chickens never gets crisp, the way it does when I roast the chicken in the oven. What am I doing wrong? Or failing to do right? Tom sez: Nothing. The reason rotisserie chickens are so moist, tender, and juicy is that the juices never really leave the bird--they just move from the meat to the skin. As the chicken turns, the juices that would otherwise leak out in the oven and evaporate stay on the outside, and soak into the skin. Unless you grossly overcook the chicken, by the time the meat is done, the skin is still loaded with those juices and fats. If you really wanted a crisp skin, the thing to do is to fire up the oven to 450 degrees, put a few flakes of butter on the skin of the bird, and finish it in the oven for about five to ten minutes. But that seems like a lot of extra work to me for no great improvement in flavor. You just have to get used to the idea of soft, delicious chicken skin. Not everything has to be crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside, as appealing an idea as that is. What Is Pepper Grass? Lionel asks: I heard you talking about pepper grass as an ingredient in gumbo z'herbes. I never heard of it. Where do you buy it? What does it taste like? Do you really need it? Tom sez: A strange herb that's an historic ingredient in Creole cooking, pepper grass is known almost exlusively by the generation currently passing away. Pepper grass has scalloped leaves and tight little flowers that look like tiny cauliflowers. It wilts immediately after you pick it, but don't worry about that. It really does have a peppery kind of taste. You cannot buy it. Pepper grass is a weed that grows primarily in disturbed soils, usually in places that most plants find hostile. Neutral grounds and devil's strips are the most common places, especially if the soil is dry. There was always a small stand of the stuff right outside my old office, underneath the Claiborne overpass. Its main use is, as you note, in gumbo z'herbes. If you're very lucky, your gumbo z'herbes will have some pepper grass in it. But probably not. Where Is Turtle Meat To Be Found? Richard asks: Do you know where I may purchase turtle meat? I have never cooked it , but have had it before. Also, do you have a recipe idea? Tom sez: Turtle meat has become very hard to find in recent years. We have run through several species of turtle since I've been writing about food. When I came in, green sea turtle was the common starting point for turtle soup (the most common local turtle dish). Then we shifted to alligator snapping turtles (also known as "cowan," with a Cajun French pronunciation). That looked promising, because some people were farming them. They all failed: turtles grow far too slowly. Now most turtle meat comes from the Carolinas, Virginia, Iowa, and Kansas (of all places). It's usually the common snapping turtle. You might find frozen turtle meat at Langenstein's and Dorignac's. But it's more challenging all the time. As a result. most restaurants serving turtle soup now use other meats (usually veal) as well. Some recipes--like the  great one at Mandina's--use no turtle at all anymore. Ready-Made Demi-Glace Patrick asks: Do you have some suggestions of restaurants where the chef might allow one to  purchase home-cooking-size amounts of fresh chicken/veal/seafood stocks or demi-glace? Tom sez: Some restaurants will sell stock or demi-glace to you, but you usually have to be a regular customer for that. Even then, the restaurants don't like the idea, since stocks are at the heart of their kitchen and it's a lot of work to make them. A few stores have demi-glace. I've seen it for sale at Drognac's and the Whole Food Market. Martin Wine Cellar also carries a shelf-stable demi-glace which is not bad--although it's not as good as the perishable , real thing. For the stocks, I'd suggest making your own. It's less work than you might think. Most good cookbooks have recipes for stocks, and most of those boil down to (I did intend the pun) simmering meat or seafood in a pot of water with onions, celery, parsley, and herbs for anything from a half hours (shrimp or vegetable stocks) to a few hours (beef or veal stock). Once it's made, it hold up for days in the refrigerator, and nearly forever in the freezer. Make them very concentrated so you need to add only a  litte to get the flavor. Most important matter when making stocks: keep the heat to just barely the boiling point of water. A few small bubbles, not a rolling boil. Nutrition Info For Char-Broiled Oysters Barbara asks: Could you tell me approximately how many fat grams are in an average char-grilled oyster? I have had them at Dragos, Acme Oyster and most recently the Red Maple and love them. I'm hooked on these babies and worried. Tom sez: The good news is that you don't have to worry about the oyster. It's almost entirely water, with a little protein. The sauce, however, is another matter. I'd estimate that there's between a half-tablespoon and a full tablespoon of butter on each oyster, and around a half-teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. That adds up to between 60 and 100 calories, of which almost all are saturated fat calories. Multiply that by a dozen oysters, and . . . whoa. Why'd you have to bring this up? Briskets In Crab Boil Patricia from Cleveland sez: I read your answer to the question about lobsters in crab boil and I agree with you that it just doesn't work. But a few years ago I tried adding some crab boil to beef brisket and found that it made an interesting version of boiled beef. It also worked well with pre-boiling beef for a Texas-style BBQ whole brisket that is finished on the grill with sauce. Tom sez: Thank you for reminding me of that. A friend told me some years ago that when you boil a corned beef (which is a cured brisket) it makes it exceptionally good if you add crab boil--just a little--to the boiling liquid. That absolutely makes a big difference. I imagine the same would be true with an uncorned brisket. I would, however, keep that subtle. Come to think of it, I have tried this before. A bunch of years ago Paul Prudhomme did the closing supper for the Napa Wine Auction and served exactly that: brisket (as well as shrimp and sausage and onions) all boiled in crab boil. Not bad at all. Lobsters In Crab Boil Nicole asks: I've always wondered why someone couldn't boil a lobster in crawfish boil. That way, instead of peeling a hundred little crawfish, one could crack open just one lobster and have a huge piece of meat that would taste like a spicy boiled crawfish. Would this even be possible? Ton sez: About once a year someone--usually an eager chef who thinks he's thought of something totally new--rolls this idea out. It is not a good idea, in my opinion. The spice doesn't really penetrate the lobster unless you grossly overcook it. And the flavors of lobster are so subtle (even more so than those of crawfish) that its delicacy is lost when you have something as assertive as crab boil getting in the way. There are some people who tell me they like this anyway, but all my samplings of lobster prepared in crab boil seemed like a bad joke to my palate.But go ahead and try it once to satisfy yourself. But remember: great cooking rarely comes about when the primary aim is convenience. Frying Oysters Jane asks: I am from New Hampshire, now living in New Orleans. Could you give me a good, easy recipe for frying oysters? Tom sez: This might seem like an eternal verity in local cooking, but in fact the last few years have seen a change in oyster-frying vogue. Now most chefs in the upscale places are using a technique called "flash-frying"--in a small amount of very hot oil. Oysters cooked that way are in the fryer (or wok, a common tool for this method) as little as thirty seconds. They balloon out a bit when cooked that way, and are significantly moister. That doesn't please everybody, though--particularly those who've eaten fried oysters the way seafood houses have been frying them for a century or more. That usually flattens them out and firms them up. My way is somewhere in between. I heat an inch deep of oil (canola oil is what I usually use) in a deep, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven to about 385 degrees. While waiting for it to get up that high. Blend a cup of cornmeal with a tablespoon of salt and a half-teaspoon of pepper in a big stainless-steel bowl. (Alternative: using half cornmeal and half corn flour--Fish-Fri--will give a lighter coating.) Grab about a dozen oysters and toss them in there. Wait. Stop. I forgot to tell you to shuck them first. Toss a dozen shucked oysters into the bowl, and toss them around in there with a circular jerking of the wrist. That will coat them perfectly. Carefully put the oysters into the hot oil and fry them for about a minute. Drain on paper towels, and season with a shake of Creole seasoning. Enjoy! Avoid Wineburn Wayne asks: I like wine, but I find that drinking it gives me heartburn. What am I doing wrong? Tom sez: Some people get heartburn or stomach discomfort from drinking wine. You may have a medical problem that you need to tell your doctor about. But assuming that's not it, there are some things you can do to ameliorate the effects of wine's natural acidity; 1. Never drink your first glass of wine without eating something with a good bit of protein, fat, or both. Cheese has both and works well. Steak tartare is the ultimate. Even a glass of milk (or a brandy milk punch) helps. 2. Avoid wines that are high in acidity. Unfortunately, that's hard to determine, although it's usually mentioned in wine reviews. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir tend to the high-acid side; Gewurztraminer, Zinfandel, Riesling, and Italian wine varieties tend to be lower. 3. Finally, don't make wine the last thing to go down in a meal. Have a creamy or eggy dessert. Creme brulee, for example--it's both creamy and eggy. Or have cheese instead of dessert (or after it). Pasta Milanese Nathan asks: I am in search of a good recipe for pasta Milanese to cook for a St. Joseph Altar I am working on. We plan to feed about 500 people, so I figure I can take any recipe and multiply the ingredients required. Any help with this search would be greatly appreciated. Tom sez: The short answer is that pasta Milanese is just thick spaghetti (bucatini or perciatelli, a rounnd noodle with a small hole running through it), served with a basic red sauce with fresh fennel, anchovies, and pine nuts. It's topped not with Parmesan cheese, but bread crumbs, with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. The usual companion to this is bread-crumb-coated, panneed fish. The classic is real sardines from the Mediterranean--fish aboeight inches long, served whole. Dried, salted codfish is more common around here, but I hate that stuff, so I usually use something fresh like trout or redfish. I have the full recipe here. If you have a copy of my cookbook, it's on Page 136. Olive Oil For Bread Dipping Frank asks: Some Italian restaurants serve olive oil on the bread  plate in lieu of butter. I find it quite good, and I wanted to know what brand might be used. It seems to have a different taste than what I can get in markets.  Where can I find some of these brands? Tom sez: First, let's note that it might be the bread, not the olive oil, that's different. I notice that many Italian restaurants that do the olive-oil thing serve ciabatta or focaccia bread, which is inherently different and often flavored with herbs. Also, some of the restaurants add some balsamic vinegar to the oil (which never struck me as a great idea), or grind some pepper into it. All that said, you can count on this: the oil is an extra-virgin oil. I pay a lot of attention to this, and I've seen quite a wide variation in the quality of oil used. Some use inexpensive Spanish or Greek oils (most of which doesn't carry the country of origin anywhere on the label, just that it comes from the EU).  Others use first-class oild from Italy (or elsewhere--some Spanish oils are fantastic). If you want to find better olive oil than the typical supermarket has, I'd recommend a gourmet store like Martin Wine Cellar or, even better, Nor-Joe Imports (505 Frisco Ave., just off Metairie Road; 833-9240). They have many great oils there. My own favorite is SAICA (a.k.a. "Castelvitrano Oil"). It's a pretty green color and has a wonderful flavor, without being extremely expensive. I buy it by the gallon for about $35. Cooking Steaks Steakhouse-Style At Home Lee asks: I don't have an outdoor grill. What's the best way to prepare steaks on the stove or in the oven at home?  Tom sez: The best way of all is to use botht he stove and the oven. Not only does that give perfect reseults, but it offers you the option of making a first-class sauce for the steaks quickly and easily. This is the method used by many restaurants that don't have steakhouse-style broilers. And it's what I most often do myself at home. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add a couple of pats of butter and tilt the the pan to distribute it evenly. Generously salt and pepper the steaks, and put them into the skillet. Let them sit there without moving them for two to three minutes per side. They will stick to the pan, but become more or less unstuck when they're ready to turn. Turn them onto a different part of the pan and repeat the searing on the other side. If the steaks are really thick filet mignons, cook them on their sides as well as on their faces. This may be enough to cook the steaks to the right degree of doneness, especially if the steaks are less than an inch and a half thick. If so, turn off the oven and keep the door open a crack, and store the steaks in there while you do the next batch, or while you make the sauce. If the steaks are still very rare, put them on a broiler pan in the oven and close the door. To make the sauce, add a liquid--wine, Cognac (carefully, because it might ignite), beef stock, or even water--to the pan and bring to a boil while whisking to dissolved the pan juices and browned bits of steak. You can then add mushrooms, peppercorns, cream, or whatever else strikes your fancy, along with salt and pepepr to make a pan sauce. Steaks are rare at 130 degrees on the meat thermometer, medium rare at 135-140, medium at 145-150, and beyond that who cares. Sharpening Lorraine asks: I recently acquired a Chinese cleaver that I love, but it's pure steel and rusts with every wash. Do you have any suggestions?  Also, where can I get my knives sharpened professionally? Tom sez: Don't wash knives! Especially not in the dishwasher! Professionals never do. They run water over their knives right after use, wipe them dry with a towel, and put them away, preferably in a block. This is especially true of the kind of metal which you seem to have. I must tell you not to get too attached to that cleaver, as any knife that rusts that easily is far from the best quality. Good knives need to be sharpened only rarely. Buy and use a steel to true the edge frequently (the one I have is coated with diamond dust; I bought it at Caire Restaurant Supply). But actual honing and sharpening remove years from the knife's life. A home sharpener called the Chef's Choice 2 is a good one. I don't own one, because I don't think I need it. A guy who sharpen knives professionally shows up at the Farmer's Markets (Magazine at Girod Saturday mornings; Uptown Square Tuesday midday). He's not there all the time, but fairly often. One more matter: avoid banging your knives around. Never store them in a drawer. Red Drink An anonymous correspondent asks: My wife thinks Pop Rouge was a strawberry soda, and I believe it was red creme soda. Who is correct? Tom sez: First of all, in all matters your wife is always right. Surely you've learned this by now. However, just between you and me, in an actual blind tasting conducted at Time Saver #4 in 1967, we (I and the other guy I worked with) decided that Pop Rouge did not taste like strawberries. However, no other red drink did, either. We also found that it did not taste much like Barq's Red Creme Soda, the standard of the genre. I'm afraid you'll have to find something else to think about. Like how to avoid contradicting your wife without performing a virtual lobotomy on yourself. Blender Hollandaise Kathy asks: I've heard that you can make hollandaise sauce in a blender, and that it comes out just as well as making in the traditional way, and maybe even better. Is this right? How is it done? Also, who does your hair? Tom sez: I used to make hollandaise that way all the time. Blender hollandaise is much less prone to problems, but I don't think it's quite as good. Still, it's better than if you do it the traditional way and then break it. Here's how. Start with three egg yolks, a teaspoon of lemon juice, a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper. Put that all into a blender and run it just until everything is mixed thoroughly. Then melt a cut-up stick of salted butter in a microwave on fifty percent power for two minutes. (All microwaves are different, but in mine this gets it melted to point where it's beginning to bubble--and that's what you want.) Run the blender on medium speed while adding the butter in a very slow drizzle. After half the butter is in, add a tablespoon of water, and then add the rest of the butter, as slowly as before. This is almost foolproof, and gives you a nice fluffy hollandaise. You can set the blender container in a pan of warm water to hold it for awhile. As for what is left of my hair, Harold Klein, the barber at the Royal Orleans Hotel, cuts it. But I don't want to blame this mess on him. I have terrible hair and you're just trying to make fun of me. Eating Sushi: Fingers Or Chopsticks? Richard asks: In sushi bars, some people are always trying to tell everybody else the "right" way to eat sushi and sashimi. I'm especially curious as to how you should pick it up: with your fingers or with chopsticks. Some of these guys also say you should always eat a piece of sushi in one bite, which seems absurd to me. What say you, O Master? Tom sez: Stop that Master stuff. How you pick up the works of the sushi bar--which differ over a wide spectrum--depends on its size and shape. Generally, sashimi (the raw fish without the rice) is picked up with chopsticks. So are the pieces of pickled ginger that you use to change the channels of your palate when you move from one kind of sushi to another. Rolls and nigiri sushi (the kind with the ball of rice under the fish or whatever) can be picked up with chopsticks, but they're usually eaten with the fingers. (That's why you clean your hands with that hot towel they bring out when you sit down.) As for the one-bite rule, that's for real. But in Japan they're used to having this uncomfortable mouthful. And the pieces seem smaller to me over there. If you think you need to take a bite out of a piece, go ahead. But two bites is about it. (Although some of those absurdly large rolls that some places are maming these days may test that.) One thing you didn't ask about, but that I thought I'd bring up, is this: although the nigiri sushi is presented fish side up, rice side down, you always turn it over to dip it into the soy sauce, as well as to put it into your mouth. Hard, Cold Butter Henry sez: One of my pet peeves in restaurants is that many of them serve butter that's stiff, hard, cold, and impossible to spread on the bread without squashing it. What do you think about this? Tom sez: You share this distraction with more than a few people. It's one I hear all the time, although there are many others who aren't  bothered much by it. While this won't make it any better for you, I'll explain why it happens. Restaurants that serve butter on plates (as opposed to foil-wrapped pats, which seem to me to belong only i very inexpensive places) get a bunch of them ready at the beginning of service. But it's so warm in the kitchen that these might melt there. And there's no such thing as a butter cooler. So they keep it in a refrigerator, and there you are. Some restaurants get around the problem by serving whipped butter, which by its nature is on the soft side. I'd suggest mentioning this to every restaurant you go to, and see what they say. A Set Of Knives Steve asks: Tom, my wife wants a good set of kitchen knives as a Valentine gift. Something that will last, at a reasonable price. Can you also give me a location where to purchase the knives. Tom sez: Do not buy a set of knives. It seems like a great bargain--getting all those different knives, and a block to store them in. But in fact most of the set will be knives you will rarely need or use. It's much better to put that money into buying just two or three knives. The biggest expense should be for a big French chef's knife--the kind with the curved blade. Hold your breath and spend some real money on this--perhaps over $100. The second essential knife will be much less expensive, but you'll use it so much you want it to be the best: a paring knife. The third knife should be a hollow-ground (with the dimples on the sides) carving knife--but if you're trying to keep the expenditure down, you can get along without that one. Finally, get a steel to keep the edges true and sharp, and something to store the knives in or on. I buy all my equipment these days from Caire Restaurant Supply, 433 N. Bernadotte Street in Mid-City. They're an occasional sponsor of my radio show, (I tell you that for full disclosure), but they are professionals and have the good stuff, instead of the cheap or cosmetic equipment. One more thing: under no circumstances should you buy major knives with those fine serrations. They cut rope well, but when they lose their edge, they're garbage. Pancetta Hal wanted to know: I see "pancetta" on many restaurant menus now. I don't think I understand what it is. It seems to be something like prosciutto. Or am I just thinking that because it's usually in an Italian recipe that I find it? Tom sez: Pancetta is the Italian approach to bacon. It's cut from the pork belly, from which our familiar American bacon comes. But the Italian butchers cut it differently, and then roll it up into a spiral instead of laying it out flat. It's cured with salt and spices as our bacon is, but it's not smoked. That last distinction makes a difference in recipes. However, if you have a recipe calling for pancetta and you don't have any, the world will not come to an end if you use regular smoked bacon. Nuts To Fish Ed asks: In a few restaurants I've had fabulous pompano and other fish covered with a crushed macadamia nuts or almonds or pecans, pan fried. I tried to do something similar myself with speckled trout, but the nuts tended to burn and the fish tended to fall apart. Any suggestions? Tom sez: Most nuts, when roasted or sauteed, darken slowly, then suddenly go to black. This means that you must watch that pan assiduously, and as soon as you see a color that makes you think, "Okay, just a little more," that's the time to take it out. It will continue cooking a little longer even off the heat. The fact that you're having problems with the fish staying together also tells me you're cooking it too long. I'm also thinking that the oil may be too hot. Try doing it with butter over medium-high heat. But watch the pan carefully! Shallots, Scallions, Green Onions Marti asks: Some of the recipes in your cookbook call for green onions and some for shallots.  I thought they were the same. Green onions are also called scallions, right? But are shallots something else? Tom sez: The word "shallot" was indeed used for a long time in New Orleans for green onions. When I worked in a grocery store as a teenager, we ordered green onions from the wholesaler as shallots. But that usage has faded since true shallots have become widely available in grocery stores. Real shallots are a special breed of dried onions that look something like small garlic heads, often with a blush of purple on their very white skins. Often called "French shallots," they're a bit denser and more flavorful than, say, yellow onions. Or green onions. Which are also properly called, as you note, "scallions." Burning Up A Skillet, And Re-Seasoning It A radio listener asked me yesterday: I made some blackened fish in an old black iron skillet I inherited from my mother. The fish came out great, but now the coating on the pan is flaking off where the fish was. What happened? What can I do to solve this problem? Tom sez: When you use the standard blackening technique Paul Prudhomme popularized (and that is the best way), you heat the pan over your hottest fire until the inside smokes and then starts looking white. Not white-hot, but white with the ash from the oils that have seeped into the metal for long use. That is, unfortunately, what gives a well-seasoned black iron skillet its non-stick qualities.  You've burned part of that off. If you blacken dishes frequently, you should keep one skillet just for that purpose. You can return the one you just messed up to its former glory, however. First scrub it down to bare metal with a gritty cleanser (I like Zud, which is a little hard to find, but Dorignac's has it) and a plastic scrub pad (no steel wool!). Then rinse it very well and dry it thoroughly, preferably in a warm oven (about 250 degrees). When dry, let it cool enough to handle safely, than coat the inside with a layer of oil (I like using Crisco for this). Put it back in the oven for a half hour. Repeat the process above once or twice more. Then deep-fry things in it a couple of times. Don't use soap when you wash it--just a little water, or just a wipe if that will do the job. After a few more uses, your non-stick coating will be back. Dried Mushrooms Marla wants to know: I bought a package of mixed, dried mushrooms at Fresh Market in Mandeville thinking I could use them almost like fresh. I didn't like the results. What exactly can these be used for? Tom sez: Dried mushrooms have been widely used for a long time, especially in Asian cooking. You must first soak them in warm water, sometimes for hours, before you use them. At which point you can almost use them like fresh--but with a loss of a certain something. (Freshness, I guess.) Some chefs put them in a food processor, grind them up, and use them as a coating. I don't get a lot of mushroomy flavor from that use, but it still is an interesting innovation. Which Mushrooms To Eat? Charles asks: Can you recommend a field guide to edible mushrooms for our area (across the lake). I wonder if I've been wasting perfectly good mushrooms growing in my yard or on the way to the supermarket to buy the farm-grown kind, which I hear are grown in disgusting conditions. I am familiar with the concern and caution surrounding eating wild 'shrooms but you gotta start somewhere. Where? Tom sez: The best book I've found is the Audubon Field Guide to Mushrooms, which has pictures and text on almost anything you might find out there. However, it can't be said emphatically enough that eating mushrooms is not something a non-expert should do. There is absolutely no uniform characteristic that indicates poisonous or safe mushrooms. Too many look-alikes exist among both delicious and poisonous mushrooms. That said, I will admit to you that after reading up on one particular kind I found in my fields and mulling it over for two years, I finally took a leap of faith and ate them. They turned out to be delicious, although my wife still won't touch them. She may be the smart one. In France, one can take suspect mushrooms to the pharmacy and be told yea or nay on them. There is no such service here, although mycological groups (mushroom-hunter clubs) will often do that for you, if you can find them. The bottom line, though, is if you have even a little doubt, don't eat a wild mshroom. The consquences can be very bad. Sweating And Caramelizing Van asks: What are the criteria for "sweating" versus "caramelizing"? What do each bring to the table? Tom sez: The first term i sused more by chefs than home cooks. It means to cook the onions, celery, bell peppers, etc. in the pan just long enough that they become limp and damp as their water content steams out. If you keep those vegetables in the pan and keep cooking, the sugars (especially in onions, garlic, and carrots) begin to brown. If you're careful, you can cook these long enough that they become a rather dark "caramel" brown, and gain a distinctly sweet flavor. This can take some time. For example, when making onion soup, I usually have the onions in the pan for about a half-hour before I add the stock. At that point, I have a beautiful dark color and a fine sweet-herbal flavor. Either process can be done with oil or butter in the pan with the vegetables, although when I hear the expression "sweating" I associate it with cooking in the absence of fat. Why Do Some Dishes Taste Better Tomorrow? Amy asks: Why do some foods tend to become more flavorful a day after they're made? I just made some ratatouille out of Emeril's second cookbook (great if you haven't made it yet) and he says that it picks up more flavor after it's been reheated. I've also noticed this to be true with gumbo, chicken soup and  other things. Why? Tom sez: I've wondered that myself. After checking with many sources, I find that nobody is quite sure of what makes this happen, but they're all sure that certain things do taste better a day after being cooked. The most outstanding example involves beans and other legumes like peas. Here it is thought that the sugars and starches in the beans, which are largely undigestible by humans, oxidize somewhat and become more amenable to our system, part of which is our taste apparatus. I think also that the small amount of fats that beans are always cooked with manage to penetrate their substance more fully after a day or so. Vegetables such as are found in ratatouille are also not fully digested in our bodies, and I suspect that the breakdown of their substance caused by the acids in the rest of the recipe (particularly in the tomatoes) allows a better flavor release. But I'm just guessing. The New Year's Diet Rears Its Ugly Head Sean asks: Being a native like yourself (and a fellow UNO alum), I really enjoy  eating out. I need to lose a few pounds, and know I should concentrate on eating chicken, fish, etc. However, I'm a little concerned about the sauces that come with most of these dishes. What are some sauces to avoid, and which ones are relatively "safe?" Or should I just accept the fact that when I eat out I'm in trouble? Tom sez: The biggest problem with eating out is that most restaurants serve too much food. But looking at the sauce issue is not a bad idea. The matter of savory (as opposed to sweet) sauces is a simple one, if you're trying to avoid calories. Just look for, and avoid, fat. Sauces made from butter (meuniere, buerre blanc, hollandaise, roux-based sauces), cream (lots of those, but all pretty obvious), drippings (pan gravies) or olive oil (New Orleans-style bordelaise) are the high ones, and to be avoided if you want to lighten up. Those without fat are okay. They include most sauces dominated by tomatoes, demi-glace, stocks, wine, or herbs. Most of these have a little butter or olive oil in them, but not enough to worry about, and nothing else in them carries many calories at all. But don't give up on going out: just ask questions and ask for low-fat food. Any good restaurant can honor that request. Or do what I do: order whatever you feel like eating, and only eat half of what they serve you. Horseradish Denise asks: What is horseradish? I use it all the time, but I don’t know what it is. Tom sez: Horseradish is a root vegetable in the turnip family. The stuff in the jars ("prepared" horseradish) is usually just pureed horseradish root, sometimes with water added. But most supermarkets now have the actual roots, which you can grate yourself. It's very good, but can be very much stronger than you're used to. The pungency varies a lot, whether it’s the fresh or the prepared product you’re talking about; always taste it before plowing it into a recipe. One of my favorite ways to use horseradish is over roast beef, whether it be sliced as for a poor boy or a prime rib. I get a fresh horseradish root, trim it, then grate it with a cheese grater right over the beef. Really zingy. The Ins And Outs Of Freezing Beef Big George asks: When there is a sale on roasts such as prime rib, is it okay to freeze it if you plan to eat it in a week or so? Does freezing affect the taste or juiciness of the roast? How long can you safely freeze it? Is it best to defroast in the fridge or in a baggie in cold water? Tom sez: If you buy beef in vacuum-pack plastic bags--which most large pieces of beef are displayed in--there is no need to freeze it if you're going to use it within the next week. Perhaps not even in the next two or three weeks.  (Indeed, leaving beef in the cryovac pouch is the way most steakhouses "wet-age" their beef.) This advice doesn't apply to packages of beef which have clearly been wrapped in the store--just to the original plastic packs with a perfect vacuum. Freezing, I think, doesn't affect the juiciness, but does affect the texture of beef, making it soft and--if the freezing and thawing were done badly--kind of mushy. I avoid freezing beef whenever possible. However, if you must freeze, the rule is this: freeze it as quickly as you can (find the coldest part of the freezer. and put the beef there), and thaw it as slowly as possible. The best place is in the refrigerator. A big piece of beef will take several days to that that way. Meat thawed more quickly--in water, for example--has much more danger of texture change. Mail-Order Steaks? Will asks: My family and I love to grill steaks (filets). Can you recommend any of those mail order meats, like Omaha Steaks?   Tom Sez: Do not under any circumstances order steaks from any mail-order outfit. Most of them don't give any grade for their beef--and you know what that means. Although a very few of them have extraordinary beef, the price is out of all proportion to the tiny uptick in quality. More important, you can get better beef in local supermarkets. We are lucky enough in the New Orleans area to have some stores with very good butcher shops. The  best stores for beef are Langenstein’s two stores (800 Metairie Road, and 1330 Arabella, Uptown), Dorignac's (710 Veterans), Robert's (5016 W Esplanade Ave.), and the Whole Food Market (3420 Veterans and 5600 Magazine). All of those have USDA Prime beef--perhaps not all the time, but often enough. A great new development in meat markets is the first offering of dry-aged beef I've ever seen in these parts. The beef is in whole primal cuts, upwrapped, in special refrigerators for the aging to take place. Rouse's has them in some of its stores (5245 Veterans and 3461 East Causeway Approach in Mandeville, and perhaps elsewhere too), and so does Whole Food Market. What's The Best Oil For Frying? Pete asks: You were extolling the virtues of paneed pork (vs. veal or other meats) on the radio a couple of weeks ago. I wondered what oil you use. Olive oil breaks down at high temperature, and thus is not a good oil to use to deep fry anything.  But is it good for pan frying at medium to medium-high temperature?  I have never used canola oil for anything, although I understand that many people have said it is supposed to be "the best" oil in some or many regards.  What's your take on all this? Tom Sez: When I pan-fry anything in more than a film of oil, I use canola oil or peanut oil, favoring the former for panneed dishes and the latter for really deep frying. Both have a few characteristics Ilike. First, they have fairly high smoking points, and don't burn as easily. Second, the flavor is neutral (especially in the case of canola oil), and food fried in it tends to be very light. That’s also what you’re after in a panneed dish. You could use olive oil, but just the regular kind--not extra-virgin, which really gets to tasting funny if it should get even a little overheated. What Is Real Tiramisu? Samantha asks: I never know what I'm getting when I order tiramisu in a restaurant. Sometimes it comes out like a slice of cake. Sometimes they scoop it like pudding. I heard you say that some restaurant has a tiramisu in the shape of a Yule log. What's the authentic one? Tom sez: I've wondered this myself. Italians I've asked have told me both that it can be made like a layer cake and that it can be made with soft ladyfinger cookies (the scooped kind). I've noticed that no Italian I've spoken with has risen into doctrinaire mode and declared that only this way or that was is the right way, as I find they usually do about every food issue. So I'm inclined to believe that either is authentic. On the other hand, tiramisu is of relatively recent invention--perhaps no more than twenty years. The word (it's really three words shoved together, tira mi su) literally means "pick me up." It's so called because the cake (or ladyfingers) are brushed generously with espresso, before being layered with sweetened mascarpone cheese and dusted on top with cocoa or even slivered chocolate. (The dessert is evolving even as we speak.) It is (or should be) very light, so much so that yu practically inhale it. Then the jolt of espresso moves in. In Italy, tiramisu have become popular as a groom's cake at wedding receptions. The groom probably does need a pick-me-up. I had one at my own wedding. What's The Difference Between Pork Loin And Pork Tenderloin? This often comes up when we're talking about pork tenderloin. It could happen that you mean to buy a tenderloin, but instead get a just-plain loin, without the "tender-" prefix. There is a significent--but not disastrous--difference. The pork loin is the eye of the pork chop, and has about the circumference of a woman's upper arm. It can be as long as eighteen inches or so, but is usually cut into shorter lengths. It's a good cut of pork, and you can do a lot of the same things with it--but it's neither as tender nor as foolproof. Loin is, however, usually cheaper. Sometimes the loin is cut down to the size of a tenderloin and packaged in such a way that it looks almost the same. If the price seems too low (I rarely see pork tenderloins going for under $12 for a package of two threse days), get suspicious. On the other hand, I've been known to do the same trick myself, cutting a just-plain loin of pork to the size of a tenderloin. Not to fool anybody, but to make it cook faster or to smoke it. It's even better if you brine it (marinate in one cup of salt dissolved in one gallon of water for several hours, refrigerated). But that's another whole story. The tenderloin, on the other hand, is about as big around as a woman's wrist, about ten inches long, tapered at the ends, and weighs about a pound. Usually two of them come in a single package. These days I often see them packaged with a marinade of some kind, but my own taste is to avoid those and perform whatever marinating I might like myself. Why Are Breasts White And Legs Dark? Paul R. asks: Over Thanksgiving dinner, my son asked me why the meat in a turkey leg or a chicken leg is dark, while the breast is light. I didn't have an answer, but it started me thinking. If you know the answer, cane you also tell why ducks and geese have nothing but dark meat, even in the breast? Tom sez: It's all related to the amount of blood needed by the muscle in question. Dark meats (including beef and lamb, as well as chicken) are dark because they contain more myoglobin. That's a substance that holds oxygen in the muscle tissue for quick availability. It's related to, but not the same as, the hemoglobin in blood. (It's the source of the red juices that come from rare beef, often mistaken for blood by those who disdain properly-cooked steak.) Muscles that do a lot of work tend to conatin a lot of hemoglobin. Since chickens and turkeys don't fly much, their breast muscles have little myoglobin and are light in color. Ducks and geese and quail and squab all do fly, a great deal, and so their breasts are darker. The legs are dark because of all the walking chickens and turkeys do. What's All This About Brining A Turkey? A few dozen people have asked lately: I've heard you talk about it a million times, but I didn't catch the details. How do you brine a turkey, and why should I bother? Tom sez: Brining is a technique that's been around a long time. I first encountered it when I was a teenager working at the Time Saver, where we fried chicken. The supplier of the equipment gave us a big bucket in which we made a solution of salt. We'd put the chicken in there and the whole bucket into the walk-in cooler, and the next day we'd rinse the chicken, coat it, and fry it. I started doing that with turkeys about fifteen years ago, after I was reminded of the technique by an article in Cook's Illustrated magazine, a major proponent of brining. Since then, articles have appeared by scientists who explain what happens. Apparently the salt water causes a coiled protein in the meat to uncurl a bit, thereby releasing more natural moisture. This moves from inside the turkey to the outside--the exact oppisite of what you'd think happens. The main result is that the turkey--especially its white meat--comes out far moister than if you hadn't brined it. It does not come out salty. At least not if you follow the instructions. Here they are: 1. The ratio is one cup of salt per gallon of water. 2. Completely cover the turkey with the brine and let it marinate in it overnight. 3. This can be done in a big bowl, bucket, or in an ice chest, but the bird must be refrigerated while it is brining. However, the most convenient method is to buy a box of those plastic turkey-baking bags, which in my experience are watertight. Put the turkey in, fill it with all the brine it can hold, tie it off, and put it in the refrigerator (inside a bowl in case it leaks). 4. MOST IMPORTANT! After you remove the turkey from the brine, it's essential that you rinse the turkey inside and out in cold running water for about two minutes. Make sure any pockets of brine are flushed out. The brining is not for seasoning purposes, but to get the moistness unlocked. 5. After that, season the turkey (light on the salt, the usual amounts of pepper and other seasonings. Stuff the cavity with onions and rosemary or whatever. Then bake or smoke or even fry it (not recommended) as you ordinarily would. Don't worry about the salt. The only part of the procedure that shows saltiness is that the drippings, for some reason, are often salty. Make a stock from the wing tips and neck, and dilute the drippings with that when making your gravy. What Is Bordelaise, Really? Dick asks: I went to Mansur's in Baton Rouge a few days ago. I ordered grilled redfish. They had bordelaise sauce as an extra on the menu, so I ordered it, thinking of the fabulous redfish bordelaise served at Drago's years ago. I also thought of the spaghetti bordelaise I've always loved at Mosca's. Butter, olive oil, garlic, and parsley. They brought out something that looked like marchand de vin sauce. When I argued with the waitress, she went back to the chef, and he brought me a food encyclopedia which described it exactly as they had prepared it. Have I gone over the deep end, or is there one bordelaise sauce in New Orleans and another one everywhere else in the world? Tom sez: That's exactly it. Bordelaise is a reference to Bordeaux, where the main product is red wine. Anywhere in the world other than New Orleans, Bordelaise is a red wine sauce. For some reason, around New Orleans the word came to mean that olive oil/butter with garlic and parsley, particularly in the Italin restaurants and steakhouses. The switch happened after Antoine's came along, apparently: their escargots bordelaise does indeed use a red wine sauce. When I see the word on a menu, I always ask what they mean. Pizza To Go Gloria asks: We need to get take-out pizza now and then, because sometimes it's just the thing, and the kids like it. But there's no way to get it home before it starts getting cold and the crust starts getting soggy. Any ideas. Tom sez: This is a little more trouble than normal, but I think it's worth it. Many (but not all) pizzerias will be happy to sell you an unbaked pizza. They do everything they ordinarily do, but instead of putting it in an oven they put it into a box. Take it home, have the oven preheated to 450 degrees (preferably with a pizza stone in place), and slide the thing right out of the box onto the hot stone or pan. It'll take ten or fifteen minutes, but it will be a lot better--and you'll save most of the work of making a pizza from scratch. How To Preserve Crispy Coatings Gail asks: How do I keep my crispy foods crisp? I just made crab-stuffed shrimp, rolled them in egg wash and seasoned flour and deep fried. To keep them warm until they were all cooked I put them on a rack over a cookie sheet in a 350 oven. They lost the crisp. What should I have done? Tom sez: The problem was with the oven temperature. Next time you're just keeping something like that warm while finishing a batch, have the oven at 200. The higher temperature steams the moisture out of the middle and right into the crust. The lower temperature makes the crust even crustier. When the oven temperature is 200 or lower, there's a drying effect that supersedes the cooking effect. And the lack of crispness comes from an overabundance of moisture. Small, Expensive Oysters Earl asks: It seems to me that oysters are very small right now. Is thiere any reason for this? Tom sez: Half of it is a seasonal thing, but we should be about over that late-summer flabbiness that causes oysters to shrink incredibly when cooked. The other issue has to do with the weather. Apparently the alternating big thunderstorms with very dry weather washes so much concentrated junk into the water that the oysters get covered with silt. (Some of this has to do with after-effects of the hurricane.) The oyster guys say that the harvest is a but short right now, but that there will be enough oysters for Thanksgiving--if at a somewhat higher price. (And that owes much to a lack of oystermen and oyster boats, both of which were hit very hard by Katrina.) In other words, just wait it out. The oysters will get back up to their customary corpulence in a  month or so. Peeling Cheese Mary asks: I like to buy the interesting cheeses I see at the supermarket and really enjoy eating them as a late-night snack. But there's one problem I have. A lot of cheeses have a wax coating. Some other kinds have other coatings or mold--I'm not sure what that stuff is, actually. I know you're not supposed to eat it. But when I try to cut it off, I feel like I'm curtting off a lot of edible cheese, too. And at some of the prices you pay for thes. Well, you know. Is there a trick. Tom sez: I don't know whether this is common knowledge, but it's something that hit me as obvious a couple of years ago, after having this same problem for decades. You just use a vegetable peeler. The peeler removes just enough of the exterior to get the wax (or whatever) off, without digging away too much cheese. And since most cheeses are round and can't be trimmed efficiently with a knife, this method is very effective. My Cafe Au Lait Technique Fred wants to know: Tom, you always talk about your coffee and write about it in your diary, how great it is. I've tried making it with Union Coffee and Chicory, but I can't seem to get the French Market-style effect you make such a big deal over. Can you describe exactly how you make yours? Tom sez: Yes--but I'd better warn you about some variables. It's my experience that every coffeemaker works a little differently. Mine is a four-cup Melitta drip job with a cone-shaped filter. The flat-filter kind gets significantly less flavor extraction, I find. Also, different water makes different coffee. At home, I use unfiltered, untreated well water that I know is slightly acidic. Using exactly the same coffeemaker and same coffee in my office in town and New Orleans tap water, I get very different (stronger) results. All that said, here is exactly what I do. (And I just measured everything, specially for you.) I start with 2 1/4 cups of cold water and 1/4 cup of Union Coffee and Chicory. It brews. Meanwhile, I microwave (high) a large mug half filled with two-percent milk for eighty-eight seconds. (Another variable: all microwaves are different.) When it comes out, I add a heaping teaspoon of sugar and one packet of Sweet 'n' Low to the milk, which foams up slightly. Stir. Then pour the coffee in. A pleasant little head of foam results, like a semi-cappuccino. And then I enjoy. Tremendously. Dry-Aged, Wet-Aged Beef Yesterday, two different people asked me this on the radio: I don't exactly understand the difference between dry-aged and wet-aged beef. Can you explain? Tom sez: Dry-aged beef has become a very rare item around New Orleans, but to my palate it's the hallmark of the ultimate steak. Dry-aging involves storing whole beef roasts (most commonly, New York strip roasts and rib-eyes) in a refrigerator, exposed to the air. After two to four weeks, the outside of the beef gets very dark and hard. Sometimes a mold even grows on it. When the butcher deems it ready, he slices off the exterior eighth of an inch or so, cut it into steaks, and it's ready for the broiler. The advantages of dry-aging are that the flavors of the beef are concentrated, and the aging process itself adds a flavor that connoisseurs find delectable. On the other hand. some people find that same flavor reminds them of over-the-hill meat, and hate the idea. The disadvantages of dry-aging is that the beef loses a significant amount of weight, and so becomes more expensive to serve. Locally, only the Besh Steak House in Harrah's is currently dry-aging its beef. Delmonico was doing so before the storm, and will again when it opens next week. Smith and Wollensky was the only other dry-ager, but it's gone from here entirely. Ruth's Chris and Morton's used to dry-age, but no longer do. Wet-aging is, in my opinion, not aging at all. The beef roasts are kept in the vacuum plastic wrapper, under refrigeration, for as much as six weeks. They become tenderer, but there's no noticeable change in the flavor. Which will seem an advantage to those who prefer fresh-tasting beef. But to me it's nothing special. Fake Cappuccino Gina asks: I heard you describe a way you can make cappuccino using a microwave oven on the radio a few days ago. Would you explain that again? Tom sez: This may be a letdown. My little trick doesn't make cappuccino the way you'd get it in a restaurant (let alone with that ridiculous mound of foam they use in coffeehouses these days). It's much less dramatic, but I and my guests like it. I brew my usual blue-black coffee and chicory (my preferred brand is Union, but French Market and CDM Dark Roast with Chicory are also good). Then I put about three-fourths of a cup of milk into my somewhat oversize coffee mug, and microwave it for ninety seconds. I add a heaping teaspoon of very fine sugar (Domino is packing this in those new yellow plastic containers lately) and give it a quick stir. The sugar graules kick up a foam in the very hot milk, and when I pour in the coffee, the foam covers the top. Because it's all attached to sugar, this foam is also a little sweeter than the rest of the brew. So you get this immediate sweet, creamy sensation that I find a lot like that of a well-made cappuccino. Rapid Roux Techniques Joel asks: I have been using Paul Prudhomme's roux method for many years, in which you stir/whisk the roux constantly over high heat. When it gets  to the desired color, you stop the cooking with the immediate addition of the chopped vegetables.  It's worked pretty well for me. I am curious why I have not heard of anybody else in New Orleans  cookery using this method, as if it doesn't exist. I realize it's  not authentic, but it seems to accomplish almost the same thing in much less time. Tom sez: Nothing untraditional about it. Lots of people use that method, and that's the way I learned it growing up. It's in my own cookbook, in fact. And most chefs make roux that way. But it takes good timing. If you make the roux at a lower temperature, it's more forgiving if you don't stir fast enough, or have to stop, or cook it too long. That's why most sources recommend a slower roux. But I always recommend having the chopped vegetables ready to stop it when it gets to the right color. (It also has the effect of caramelizing the vegetables beautifully.) How To Peel A Tomato Paula read the recipe for Fresh Marinara Sauce (still in today's newsletter), and has a better way of peeling the tomatoes than I described: Loved your marinara recipe! Just a few months ago Gourmet had a great tip easier than the X-ing and blanching the tomato to peel it. They just showed how to use a basic veggie peeler (not the U-shaped peeler, but the old-fashioned one) to skin a tomato. I've done it, and it's really easy. You just basically scrape the skin off using the peeler, and it takes 30 seconds. And you're done. This little technique has changed my kitchen life! Focaccia Heather asks: A lot of restaurants serve focaccia bread, but when they do they make it seem as if it's something special. It reminds me of garlic, bread, but to tell you the truth I'd rather eat regular garlic bread. What is it, anyway? Tom sez: Focaccia (the name indicates that it's baked in a hearth, so it's been around awhile) is indeed growing in popularity. It's essentailly the same as pizza dough, although it usually includes more olive oil in the mix, as well as herbs and even Parmesan cheese. The difference is that it's rolled out after the first rise, and the second rise takes place in the flat form. (Pizza would be left in a ball for its second rise, and would be punched down afterwards.) Frankly, I think one of the main reasons for the rise of focaccia is that a frozen dough for making it can be bought easily from a food distributor. So all the restaurant has to do is bake it. The lighter versions are the ones most likely to be made in house. Garlic In A Jar Arthur asks: I often hear you castigate people for using chopped garlic from a jar. What's wrong with it? I like not having to chop up garlic any time I want to use it. Tom sez: The problem with chopped garlic in jars is the garlic. While it may look like fresh chopped garlic, in fact it starts out as freeze-dried chopped garlic, of the kind you can buy on the spice rack. They just add water or olive oil and put it in the jar. Freeze-dried garlic has no more garlic flavor than does garlic powder. When you saute it, you get no aroma--which right there takes it out of my pantry. I have encountered fresh garlic in a jar before. But only rarely. And even that lacks a fresh flavor to me. Just get used to the idea of chopping garlic, even if it's in a food processor. As usual, convenience is the enemy of good taste. What's Difference Among Whiskeys? A guy whose name I forgot asked me this on the radio yesterday, after I talked about the American Whiskey Festival that starts today here in New Orleans (see "Under The Table"): What's the difference between American whiskey, Bourbon, Scotch whisky, and Irish whiskey? Tom sez: Let's look at what they have in common first. They're all high-alcohol spirits made by fermenting malted grain (more or less the same first step in making beer), then distilling the alcohol from the mash. The alcohol, which is at that point colorless, goes into toasted oak barrels for a lengthy aging. The last step gived the stuff its color and distinctive smoky taste. The differences come in mostly at the grain level. Scotch (which is spelled "whisky," without the "e," for reasons of no importance) starts with barley that's malted over a peat fire. Depending on the source of the peat, the flavor differs. Scotch is often aged in barrels that were previously used for aging sherry, but they're usually used in any case. Irish whiskey also uses barley, but not the peat fire. So it lacks the distinctive smokiness you find in Scotch, and has a less assertive flavor. American Whiskey (it's called Bourbon if it comes from the old Bourbon County area of Kentucky) is made mostly from corn, with wheat and barley as well. The grains are ground into what looks like grits, fermented, then distilled. By law, all American whiskey must be aged in new oak barrels. They're toasted (looks burned to me) on the inside, and that's what gives the color and the smoky flavor. The differences among individual whiskies come from how long the stuff is aged, what kind of still is used, and thousands of other tweaks applied by the distiller. Preserving Basil In the last two days, two people have asked me this on the radio. It's a question I get every year at this time. I grow basil in my garden, and it's starting to look a little raggedy. I want to know how I can pick the best leaves off and freeze them or otherwise preserve them. Especially before the cold weather comes. Tom sez: Tragic situation. There is no good answer. Basil does not freeze well. At least, when you attempt to use it you'll find that its aroma and texture have been seriously compromised, so much so that it will disappoint you greatly. The same is true (perhaps even more so) for drying the leaves. About the only thing that works is to make a big batch of pesto sauce. Use fresh chopped garlic, butter, olive oil, and the basil. Do not add the pine nuts that are part of most pesto recipes. Put it in an airtight container and freeze it. It will be little harmed by the procedure, and the pesto will continue to provide a goodly supply of fresh basil flavor. Otherwise, fresh basil is one of those things that we must enjoy while it's growing, and long for when it isn't. That makes the first basil of the season taste even better, anyway. Skordalia Brad asks: Many years ago at a Greek restaurant on the West Bank, they served a thick white sauce with seafood dishesw. I thought it was great, but I haven't seen it since. And I can't remember the name of it. I remember it had a lot of garlic in it. Do you know what I'm talking about? Tom sez: I barely know what I'm talking about some days. But I do know this. The sauce is skordalia, made with garlic and bread (usually), although sometimes it's made with potatoes as a thickener. Also in there is some ground almonds. It is indeed delicious with fried seafood. Oddly, the other common partner for skordalia is beets, served cold as a salad. I also remember the name of the restaurant: the Royal Oak Restaurant and Pub. I'll write an Extinct Restaurant piece on the place later today or tomorrow. Crabmeat Ravioli Harley asks: Now that La Riviera is no more, where are we going to get that crabmeat ravioli? Tom sez: Good question. La Riviera, where founder and chef Goffredo Fraccaro created the crabmeat ravioli that won a national award, is not going to reopen. However, the recipe is still being prepared by Goffredo's best friend Chris Kerageorgiou at La Provence. And crabmeat ravioli also is uaually on the menu at Andrea's and Impastato's, among other places. It becamse such a hit that it was widely copied, Alfredo sauce and all. Where To Buy Fresh Oysters? Heather asks: I'm looking to buy fresh oysters. Can you tell me where in the New Orleans area I can purchase them besides Whole Foods? Tom sez: The best place to buy oysters is from an oyster packing plant. In New Orleans proper, the best is P&J Oysters, on Rampart at Toulouse. It's an old oyster house that shucks them right there. They also sell them in the shell, by the sack or in smaller quantities. Their quality is excellent. But they work early and close around noon, so go in the morning. Drago's also sells oysters by the quart and gallon, although they don't publicize that fact. If you happen to be on the North Shore, Bill's Oyster House is a first-class source of oysters. They're in an unlikely location, out in the countryside on Wilson Street, about a half-mile west of LA 59, north of Abita Springs. Romano And Parmesan: The Difference Alfred asks: I was reading today's Menu Daily about pasta amatriciana, and wondered whay you say that it's better to use Romano than Parmesan cheese. To me, Romano cheese has always been kind of the same, except cheaper. What's really the difference, anyway? Are the just from two different areas? Tom sez: Parmigiano and Romano cheeses are indeed from different areas--at least if they're from Italy. But that's not the biggest difference. They are made from different kinds of milk. Parmesan cheese is a cow's milk cheese. Romano cheese is made from sheep's milk. (If that strikes you as exotic, know that we eat many other sheep's milk cheeses--notably Roquefort.) There's a certain tang to Romano that's not present in Parmesan. In some dishes (like the amatriciana) that tang is very desireable. In others it would be a bit much. Other than that, the best versions of both cheeses (Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano) are made the same way, with very long aging times, giving the hard texture that works so well for grating. The Dish That Must Be Prepared Tableside Harry, who writes from Edinburgh, says this about tableside preparation of dishes in restaurants: There is one dish for which it makes all the difference: Caesar salad. I had my first-ever Caesar at Cardini's restaurant in Mexico City, the Cardini in question being the brother of Caesar Cardini, who invented the dish in Tijuana.  It (the one in Mexico City) was made tableside, and I was hooked. A long-gone Brailizian-Italian place in Hollywood made their Caesar that way, and the late-night waiter, who was a master, then went on to be maitre d' at a SF Valley   restaurant called Val's, and carried his mastery there.  When that place closed, I couldn't get a proper Caesar until Emeril's Delmonico opened. I think of most tableside prep as pure showbiz (like most airport  security), but a real Caesar tastes radically different from the other kind, and, once you've had a real one properly made, far, far superior. Corn On The Cob Bill and Daphne, Alabama sent me this after my piece about corn on the cob a few days ago: My wife and I have long since given up on boiling corn in a pot or cooking it on the grill. We simply cut the ends off, leave the shucks totally in place, and microwave the corn for five minutes (for two or three ears). Then we shuck, butter, salt and pepper. Absolutely delicious. Of course, it helps to have fresh Silver Queen or Silver King corn. © 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com

Index To Cooking Matters Click to go to the question in question. Click here for all restaurant and dining questions. Aged Beef, Dry And Wet Bacon Fat: How To Store It Beef Round: Inside, Top, and Eye Best Oil For Frying? Better Butter Bird-Eye Peppers Black Iron Skillet Seasoning Blender Hollandaise Bones For Stock-Making Bordelaise Sauce Breasts White, Legs Dark: Why? Brining A Turkey? Brisket Boiled In Crab Boil. Butter: Hard And Cold Cafe Au Lait Technique Cast Iron Cookware How-To Chicken Marsala Condensed Milk Boiled In Can Cooking With Wine Cooling Before Refrigerating Corn On The Cob Trick Crabmeat Ravioli Crawfish Boil Options Crispy Coatings Difference Among Whiskeys Dried Mushrooms Fake Cappuccino Fat Content Of Grilled Oysters Focaccia Freezing Beef Garlic In A Jar Gastrique Horseradish: What Is It? How To Peel A Tomato Kitchen Knife Sets: Which To Buy Knife Sharpening Lobster: Tropical Species Lobsters in Crab Boil. London Broil Mail-Order Steaks Marinade For Fish Multiplying and Dividing Recipes Mushrooms: Which Wild One Can You Eat? Nuts As A Coating On Fish Olive Oil For Bread Dipping Oysters By The Quart Oysters By The Sack, North Shore Oysters: How To Fry 'Em.