Food and Drink Tips

[The March Hare]

Subject: cooking ips


Five-minute hollandaise sauce
Sauces are often a sticking point in a cook`s repertoire. Try out this simple version which takes just minutes to make.

Preparation: five minutes
Cooking: five minutes
Serves four

100g/4oz butter
two egg yolks
two tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar

1. In a pan, heat the butter until almost boiling
*Meanwhile, blend the egg yolks in a blender with a tablesthingy of water and the lemon juice or white wine vinegar

2. With the machine still running, add the melted butter in a thin steady stream - the sauce will thicken quickly
*Season with salt and pepper and serve with the roast asparagus

PER SERVING
215 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate none, fat 23g saturated fat 14g, fibre none, added sugar none, salt 0.49g

PREPARE AHEAD
Cover closely with plastic film after cooking and keep at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave on "high" for 15 seconds, then whisk. Heat for 15 seconds more and whisk before serving.

Stop cheese sweating!
Open a packet of cheese and you`ll need to wrap it up once you`ve used some to keep the remainder fresh. However, some storage options are better than others.

TOP TIP: Stop cheese from sweating by removing all the packaging and wrapping it in tin foil.

Conjuring up a tasty salad dressing
With the summer season approaching we tend to eat lighter dishes. A salad makes a perfect starter or accompaniment to a main dish and French dressing drizzled over adds an extra zing to what can be a rather bland taste. Here are our guidelines on getting it just right.

French dressing is made using three parts oil to one part vinegar, but tastes differ and you`ll need to experiment to find the balance you prefer. All you need to do is pour the oil - preferably good quality olive oil - and white or red wine vinegar into a bowl and season well. Pour over your prepared salad, fold in well and serve immediately.

This will make a basic dressing, which can be made in larger quantities than needed and then stored in a corked bottle or jar with a lid. You`ll need to shake it well before you use it though, as the oil and vinegar will separate.

For variations on the standard dressing, crushed garlic can be added. A spot of mustard will give the dressing a bit of bite and a pinch of sugar can be used for those who prefer a sweeter taste.

You can also experiment with different kinds of oil and vinegar for some distinctive flavours.

[The March Hare]

Staples

A round up of useful tips from the experts at Agalinks

Pastry perfection
Pastry is hard enough to get right at the best of times. It takes plenty of practice to get the consistency correct and even then you can face the problem of it falling apart before it gets into the dish. And there`s always the finishing touches.

When whisking an egg to glaze your pastry, try adding a pinch of salt to the mixture. This should produce a more golden and less yellow colour when your pie or quiche comes out of the oven - a look your family will find hard to resist.

Bread to the rescue
Sugar can easily turn into a solid mass if left in the larder for a little too long. Instead of throwing it away, try this.

TIP: Soften brown sugar by placing a slice of fresh bread into the packet or jar and close tightly. It may sound a little strange, but you should notice a difference after a few hours.

A simple alternative to soured cream
You select your dish, dig out all the ingredients and start chopping. But it`s just your luck that the contents of the pot of soured cream won`t even stretch to a mere single serving, never mind enough for an entire family or group of friends. However, follow our simple tip and put an end to the panic.

Next time you run out of soured cream, don`t jump in the car and drive around desperately searching for the nearest open shop. You may not have endless supplies of soured cream in the fridge, but it`s likely you can lay your hands on a lemon and a carton of double cream. All you need to do is squeeze some lemon juice into the quantity of double cream equivalent to the amount of soured cream required and you have an effective alternative to the real thing.

Water working wonders with your baking
We add a dash of water here and there to plenty of recipes on a regular basis. But perhaps there are one or two tips you haven`t come across. Here, we offer you a couple of the less obvious ones.

1. Next time you bake a sponge cake, place a heatproof bowl in the base of the oven with a little water in. Cook the cake in the usual way and, with the help of the water, you`ll end up with a delicious moist sponge.

2. If you love grilling food but hate the smell it can give off, try putting a little water at the bottom of the grill pan. The fat that drips down will mix with the water and reduce the greasy odour

[juicyjude]

.........Bob, what were you on about, being beaten until stiff. Nearly choked on my tea then mate!!!!

[The March Hare]

juicyjude said:

.........Bob, what were you on about, being beaten until stiff. Nearly choked on my tea then mate!!!!

It's all in the mind jj

[juicyjude]

Mmmm perhaps you're right there chuck

[marmaris98]

tena moment jude