Suzi’s Blog
The Culinarian: A Kitchen Desk Reference
There is a special class of books that warms the heart of true foodies: the kitchen companion. These are reference books, not cookbooks. They are filled with facts and figures that answer the questions that can randomly arise in only the mind of food-obsessed individuals.
“Food –obsessed” is an adjective and complement. If someone uses that term against you as a slur, you should immediately pelt them with your emergency supply of M&Ms.
Oh, yes, you do. Somewhere in a coat pocket, there’s one of those little bags to tide you over just in case the subway halts between stations.
Well, I always carry one. And I suggest you do, too.
And, if the subway should halt, and you have time to read, then you should be toting around The Culinarian: A Kitchen Desk Reference by Barbara Ann Kipfer. The odds are that the almost four thousand entries in this book with both entertain you and answer just about any of the wild questions that pop up.
For example: sweetened condensed milk. Marco Polo claimed the Tartars on the plains of Asia had something like this a thousand years ago. But where did the modern variety come from? An American, Gail Borden, had the idea in 1852. He was crossing the Atlantic on an upscale ship — they had cows for fresh milk — but on a stormy voyage — the cows became seasick and there was no milk. Mr. Borden wondered how milk could be canned and thus available under dire circumstances. [It does seem that Mr. Borden also had a bit of a sweet tooth.]
On a more practical note, The Culinarian provides excellent descriptions of culinary terms, like braising. Our grandmothers knew exactly what it meant. For later generations raised with microwaves, “braising” can actually be foreign and even intimidating.
This is a fun book to read with every page containing information: some of it pure background [like that condensed milk] and some of it very practical. The section on frying has a half dozen essential tips to achieve excellence. For example, you should use only tender cuts of meat for shallow frying. Salt the meat and let it stand for 5 minutes before you fry. The salt will draw juices to the surface and those juices will caramelize during the frying process.
Let’s see: carmelization = flavor + sweetness. I wonder if Mr. Borden ever tried to …
This is a delightful book, conveniently small in height and width, but almost two inches deep and filled with thousands of things you’ll really want to know. Things in fact you should know.
Looking ahead, The Culinarian is a stocking stuffer any foodie would be thrilled to receive.
Cucumber Mint Splash
It can be a bit of a challenge to come up with a flavorful cocktail in short order. A bartender is trained to do it, but at home we tend to move a bit slower. If you want a cool beverage, now and with no fuss, where can you turn?
This idea uses ingredients readily at hand: some mint, some cucumber, vodka and club soda.
The original recipe calls for a 12-ounce glass, but I like a smaller 8-ounce one. That means, necessarily, that when you top off with club soda, there’s less room for the soda and less dilution of the vodka-cucumber-mint component. I don’t like my drinks watered down, literally, so I’m happy with this more intense version.
The technique here calls for muddling the mint in the glass. I will admit that I am not a good muddler. I muddle through, but I just never seem to grind the mint all the way down. My solution here is to quarter the mint leaves to get a head start, then put 2 teaspoons of superfine sugar in the bottom of the glass. Yes, the drink is sweeter. But, also yes, the grit of that sugar enables you to chew up the mint.
Lastly, if your cucumber is filled with seeds, then of course scoop those out before finely chopping.
Cucumber Mint Splash
Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients:
- Sugar for rimming
- 4 fresh mint leaves
- One 2-inch-thick slice of peeled cucumber, finely chopped
- Shaved ice for filling the glass
- 1 1/2 ounces vodka
- Club soda
Preparation:
Pour sugar into a saucer. Moisten the rim of an 8-ounce glass and dip in the sugar to coat the rim. Muddle the mint leaves in the glass. Add the cucumber.
Fill the glass with ice. Add the vodka and top off the glass with club soda.
Stir and serve.
Source: The Seven Stars Cookbook
