Cafe Dion

Brown Sugar

Bonjour,

We all know how hard it is to keep brown sugar soft. In an airtight container pour the sugar, take a clean q-tip, wet it on both ends and put it with the sugar, close the top and keep it in a dark place. It works!

A bientot, see you on next Thursday. 

©CafeDion 2015

How to Peel Pearl Onions

Bonjour,

Well I have been travelling all over for the last two weeks. First, a long weekend in Honolulu. The weather was perfect, 82 degrees, sunny with a nice breathe. Saw the beautiful Honolulu city lights downtown. We also mingled with 31,000 runners who were part of the Honolulu Marathon. That was not so nice. The island is very crowded, and super expensive. But it still feels like home to me. My husband and I were in Paris last week, where the weather was not too bad (for December) 50 degrees, windy and rainy. Checked on the farmer's market, I forgot how many different cheeses, meats and vegetables they have. The food in France is different than here. When you eat a camembert in Paris you can taste the cream, it is so delicious. Here in the States, it tastes like cardboard (they are so dry). The problem with the States is that they have so many laws and restrictions they take of the fun out of eating good foods. And then you have customs, you can't bring any food that contains animal fat. Dah! That's why they taste good. Get a clue !. I will be making Coq au Vin for Christmas, and a friend of mine asked me how to peel the pearl onions. Those little white onions are the devil to peel, but here is a trick. Try it, you're like it!

How to peel pearl onions:    

Slice the tip end of the onion off with a paring knife. Cut only 1/16 of it off.  Bring a pot of water to a full boil. Drop the pearl onions into the hot water. Boil the onions for 2 minutes, transfer the onions into a bowl of ice water.

Squeeze the root end of the onion gently and it will pop out of it skin. Discard the skin.

©CafeDion 2012

Oeufs Durs, Hard-Boiled Eggs and Tips

Bonjour,

A couple of friends wanted some clarification on a few French Expressions and British words:

1 - Bonne femme: "good woman" refers to dishes that are prepared in a simple, family style, they are served in the casserole dish or pan were they were cooked in.

2 - Beurre manie: " kneaded butter", equal parts of softened butter and flour, used to adjust the thickness of sauces and soups.

3 - British Cooking words we use everyday: Dover sole, Stilton,and Cheddar cheeses, Earl Grey teas, Worcestershire sauce, chutneys, trifles and fools, puddings, Hot Cross buns, Scones, malt whisky, etc. Makes you think!

4 - Acids help proteins coagulate, so adding either vinegar or lemon juice to water used for poaching eggs helps keep the eggs from spreading out.

Here is a quick recipe for the perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs. Enjoy!

Oeufs Durs:

Place eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add cold water to cover eggs by 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in the water. Heat over high heat just to the boiling point. Remove from burner. Cover pan. Let eggs stands in hot water for 15 minutes (for large eggs), 12 minutes (for medium eggs), 18 minutes (for extra large eggs). Drain immediately, and peel eggs right after cooling.

Note: To peel a hard boiled egg: gently tap egg on counter-top until shell is finely crackled all over. Roll egg between your hands to loosen shell. Start peeling egg under running cold water, (helps ease the shell off).

A bientot! See you next Thursday!

©CafeDion 2012

Tomato paste

Bonjour,

I was looking in the pantry for inspiration as to what to write about today. I don't feel very quick this morning. I managed to sprain my knee (this has nothing to do with my coffee drinks!) and unfortunately my doctor prescribed a pain pill resulting in my head feeling like a balloon.

But with that said, I saw a can of tomato paste in the pantry which reminded me of a technique I use when cooking with it. I used to throw away the rest of the can wasting a lot of tomato paste not to mention money. Here's a little trick to make it last longer. With a can opener, open the can at both ends leaving 1 top inside the can. Using the top left inside the can push the paste through. With a knife, cut off the amount of paste you need for your recipe. Wrap the can in Saran wrap and keep it in the fridge until your next use, up to 7 days.   Voilà!

Bon Appétit!

© CaféDion 2010

Herbs

Bonjour,

Fresh herbs:  I keep my parsley, sage, rosemary, mint, and thyme in a glass of water in the refrigerator with a plastic bag covering the top. I also sometimes wrap them in a damp paper towel and store them in a zip lock bag in the fridge. (those are the herbs I use all summer).

Dry herbs:  I like cooking with fresh herbs as much as I can, but trying to keep them fresh for a while is almost impossible.  I dry my rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, dill and any other sturdy herbs by hanging them up side down in a dry place. By using this technique, the moisture evaporates and the herbs retain their oils and  flavors. (This is how I preserve my winter herbs).  By drying your herbs this way, you know they will be fresh and full of fragrance, not like herbs you buy at the store. Who knows how long they have been in the container?!  There is one other thing you must remember; use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs, because dried herbs are much stronger than fresh herbs.

I remember my Grand-Mere used to keep bunches of herbs inside her glassed-in veranda in Paris. She also used the same method described above to dry fresh flowers. In the wintertime, her veranda always  looked like a flower shop and smelled like summer.

À bientôt!

© CaféDion 2010

Nuts

Bonjour,

Today let's talk about Nuts - the fruit kind!

It is always difficult  to keep any kind of nuts fresh. The reason is nuts have a high oil content so they spoil fast. CaféDion's solution is to put them in Ziploc freezer bags, keep them in the freezer, and use them when needed.  It is cheaper to buy plastic bags than to replace fresh nuts.

Just try it.

A bientot! See you next Thursday!

© CaféDion 2010

Soft cheeses

Bonjour,

How many times have you tried to cut neat slices of goat cheese, fontina, etc., and ended up with a huge mess? A good tip is to use unflavored dental floss. That way the slices won't break.   I use it all the time in my kitchen.

Happy cooking!

© CaféDion 2010