Carol's Culinary Cues (December, 2004)

(c) Carol Fenster, Ph.D. - President, Savory Palate, Inc.

8174 South Holly St., #404, Centennial, CO  80122

800.741.5418

ISSN 14244


IN THIS ISSUE:

  Chocolate Is Our Favorite!

  Getting the Most Chocolate Flavor from Cocoa

   It's In the Bag! Toaster Bags

  Get A Grip! OXO Makes It Easier

  Gift Ideas from Online Catalogs

  Chestnut Flour for Great Gluten-Free Baking

  Food for Thought


Chocolate Is Our Favorite

Thanks to the nearly 150 subscribers who replied to my query for your favorite cake flavor. Chocolate rules! Nearly 50% of you prefer chocolate (my favorite flavor, too!). Spice came in a distant second with 23% of the votes. Two flavors---yellow and white---tied for 3rd at 20%. The remaining votes were for carrot, lemon, coconut, etc..


Getting the Most Chocolate Flavor from Cocoa

Speaking of chocolate, you can boost the flavor of cocoa in baking by dissolving it in hot water first. For example, if you make my Chocolate Cake from Wheat-Free Recipes & Menus or Gluten-Free 101, stir the cocoa into the hot water or coffee when you start to make the cake. By the time you're ready for it, the cocoa will be dissolved.

 

This technique is important, not only because our gluten-free baking sometimes needs a little flavor boost after removing wheat, but because chocolate is best when it's flavor is at its fullest. No wimpy chocolate flavor for us!


It’s in the Bag! Toaster Bags
Tired of retrieving your crumbled slice of gluten-free bread from the toaster? Try the toaster bags from www.pamperedchef.com. The bread actually toasts right through the bag which has handles for retrieving it from the toaster. The four reusable bags cost $10, are dishwasher-safe and make a wonderful gift---to yourself, or a gluten-free friend..


Get A Grip! OXO Makes It Easier

After a disastrous week in the kitchen (a very bad cut on one hand and an oven burn on the other) I was especially glad that I have the easy-grip utensils made by Oxo. They're the ones with the black handles that reduce stress and strain on your hands and are easier to grip because they're larger and softer. My injuries made it difficult for me to even hold a utensil, much less put any pressure on it but even the OXO potato ricer was quite easy to handle. If you or any of the cooks in your family have hand injuries, arthritis, or other conditions that make using utensils such as potato peelers, knives, etc, painful, you might try the OXO brand. These utensils can be found at kitchen stores, some grocery stores, and online at most of the kitchen catalogs.


Gift Ideas from On-Line Catalogs

Ok, it's already the 2nd week in December and you're still searching for the perfect gift. Why not turn to the on-line cooking catalogs? You'll find many gift ideas, some fun, some whimsical, some not-so-necessary but intriguing anyway. Here are some web sites:

www.cooking.com 

www.chefscatalog.com

www.bakerscatalogue.com

www.williamssonoma.com

www.crateandbarrel.com

www.cookingenthusiast.com

www.amazon.com (kitchen department)

www.surlatable.com


Chestnut Flour for Great Gluten-Free Baking

You see it more frequently during the holidays, but chestnut flour is great for us year-round. I like to use it in my sorghum flour blend featured in Gluten-Free 101 and Wheat-Free Recipes & Menus in place of the 1/2 cup corn flour. You can find this flour in health food stores or order it from www.dowdandrogers.com.


Food for Thought

"Laughter is brightest where food is best."---Irish Proverb


Where in the World is Carol?
I’m teaching a class on pie crust and cookies at Wild Oats, 1111 S. Washington in Denver at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, December 14. Call the store 303.733 6201 to register ($5).