Homemade Wedding Audio Class [2:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cristina from Philadelphia is looking for advice. She is considering a homemade wedding banquet for her upcoming wedding. Chef Sara Gibbs did just this same thing a few years ago and offers her expert advice on how to plan and prepare a homemade wedding feast.

 

 Eggs Audio Classroom [0:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Nancy from Belize is looking for some tips on preparing eggs in the shell. Listen to Chef Cary’s recommended process for hard and soft boiling eggs, peeling eggs, and general egg wisdom.

Did you know that Cary is just one of ChefsLine’s team of chefs who respond to home cook’s questions with one-demand, professional cooking advice by phone? Call us to cook while learning with the help of one of our caring chef instructors.

 

 Egg Yolks [0:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ann from Westhampton loves baking angel food cake but wants to make the most of her remaining egg yolks. Listen to Chef Adam’s quick response to her question about freezing the yolks. Following is an outstanding article from Gourmet Sleuth, our pick for best online resources for conversions and equivalents.

Tips For Storing or Using Left Over Egg Yolks, source Gourmet Sleuth

Store Individually - Egg yolks need to be stabilized before freezing or the thawed product will be pasty and hard to mix. For best results store the yolks pre-measured according to future use. If the yolks will be used for sweet or dessert recipes, add 1/3 tablespoon of sugar or honey per dozen yolks. If the yolks will be used for savory recipes add 1/3 teaspoon of salt per pint of yolks. The stabilized yolks may be dropped, one egg yolk in each section of a ice cube tray and frozen. Remove the egg yolk cubes and store in a freezer style zip-lock bag.

Thawing Frozen Yolks - All the yolks to thaw in the refrigerator for about 8 to 10 hours.

Egg Yolks in Sauces - Egg yolks make a very good thickener for sauces. Two or three yolks beaten lightly with a bit of cream will thicken 1 cup of liquid. The yolks should never be added directly to the hot sauce. First add a small amount, less than a tablespoon of creme to the eggs. Then spoon some of the hot sauce into the egg mixture. This process is called “tempering”. Stir the yolk mixture into the rest of the sauce making sure you don’t allow the sauce to boil.

 

 Pesto Audio Class [2:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Don from Alamogordo wants to use fresh seasonal ingredients for “pesto.” Listen to Sara’s quick and easy recipes for five different pestos with serving suggestions. Includes: Cilantro pecan pesto, spinach and sunflower seeds, roasted red pepper, sundried tomatoes, and parsley and basil. Yum!

Maureen of Scranton is looking for a substitution for gruyere. Listen above for Chef Sara’s suggestions. What follows is a little information on this versatile cheese.

Gruyère is named after a Swiss village. It is traditional, creamy, unpasteurized, semi-soft cheese. The natural, rusty brown rind is hard, dry and pitted with tiny holes. The cheese is darker yellow than Emmental but the texture is more dense and compact. Slightly grainy, the cheese has a wonderful complexity of flavors - at first fruity, later becomes more earthy and nutty. To make Gruyère, raw milk is heated to 93 degrees F and liquid rennet is added for curdling. The resulting curd is cut into small pieces which release whey while being stirred. Curd is cooked at 110 degrees F and raised quickly to 130 degrees F. The pieces become shriveled which is the cue to place the curd in molds for pressing. The cheese is salted in brine for 8 days and ripened for two months at room temperature or a quick method: 10 days at 50 degrees F. Curing lasts from 3 to 10 months (the longer the curing period the better the cheese).

Gruyère is generally regarded as one of the finest cheeses for cooking, having a distinctive but not overpowering flavor. In quiche, Gruyère adds savoriness without overshadowing the other ingredients. It is a good melting cheese, so particularly suited for fondues, along with Vacherin and Emmental. It is also traditionally used in French onion soup, as well as in Croque Monsieur, a classic French toasted Gruyère is generally regarded as one of the finest cheeses for cooking, having a distinctive but not overpowering flavor. In quiche, Gruyère adds savoriness without overshadowing the other ingredients. It is a fine table cheese, and when grated, it is often used with salads and pastas. source: Wikipedia

A great online resource for cheese information and purchasing is found at igourmet.

Once it becomes a little colder, we must organize some cooking sessions about racelette!

 

 Hot Soup [1:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Stacy faced a cooking dilemna, the perfect time for a call to ChefsLine’s culinary hotline at 1-800-977-1224. We responded right away with a quick email that follows but you can also listen to our tips for taking the heat out of her vegetable soup.

Hello Stacy,
We did not want to delay in responding with our standard recorded audio answer.
Have you tried using a slotted spoon to remove the habanero?
If unable to remove, know that you can do a few things:

1) Add more broth or water to the soup.
2) Rumor (unfortunately just rumor) has it that if you add a raw potato to the soup and then remove before serving, that you can cut down on the heat.
3) Limit the cooking time. The less time you cook the soup, the less opportunity the hot flavor has to penetrate the base.
4) If you can whip up some more soup and combine the two, this of course will help matters. Alas, it sounds like you have quite a bit of activity in the kitchen already and dinner is at 6!

If you have any more questions, please call the culinary hotline to speak with one of our chefs, live at 1-800-977-1224.
I hope we were able to help. Have fun cooking!

 

 Lots of Beans [1:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

James is throwing a big bean party! Listen to Chef Adam’s calculations on estimating quantity (24 pounds) and cooking times for this emerging chef from Victoria.

 

 Leftovers Make a Yummy Meal [0:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Leftover pork loin - yum! Listen now to Chef Cary’s fabulous ideas on how to pull together a great meal with leftovers.

 

 Football Food [1:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Q: We’re having some people over to watch football. We usually have chips and dip, pizza, beer. Any ideas for something more interesting and substantial, but not work?

A: Go Eagles, I mean finger-foods! Listen now for a quick answer to Jacob’s search for something beyond the chip and dip.

 

 Turn Down The Heat [1:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Q: Amy asks: “I have inadvertently added way too much hot pepper flakes to a pot of soup. How do I remove some of the excess heat without starting over?”

A: We’ve all done it! Too much of a too good spice in our soup, stew, or sauce. Listen now to suggestions for reducing the “heat” of your dish. Although 9 times out of 10 you’ll have to cook some more, it’s rare that you’ll need to start it all over again.