Cooking Tips

To keep cream sauces from separating, shake the pan in a back and forth motion, and add just a tiny bit more cream at the very end. This will keep your sauce from having an oily texture. This method works better than the continual motion of a wire whisk.

A teaspoon or so of vanilla extract in Italian tomato sauces helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

Some cooks prefer to prepare soft custard over water in a double boiler for greater control over the coagulation process. It also works to constantly stir while cooking over low heat in a heavy saucepan.
The usual custard proportions are 1 egg plus 2 tablespoons sugar for each cup of milk. This is the minimum ratio of eggs to milk which will produce a properly thickened custard, although as many as 4 eggs may be used and the sugar may be increased to 1/4 cup. Increasing the sugar makes the custard less firm and lengthens the cooking time. Increasing the egg makes the custard more firm and shortens the cooking time. Two egg yolks may be substituted for 1 whole egg. Two egg whites will also thicken the custard as much as 1 whole egg, but the characteristic color and flavor will be missing.
Stiri constantly while cooking soft custard and be especially alert after about 12 to 15 minutes. Over low heat, it will take about 15 to 20 minutes for a standard recipe to reach doneness and the last few minutes are crucial. An undercooked custard sauce will be thin and watery; an overcooked sauce will curdle. The difference is a matter of only a few degrees. Test by dipping a metal spoon into the custard, using a thermometer, or both. When done, a thin film should cling to the spoon; the thermometer should register 160 degrees F.
To prevent overcooking and curdling, when it’s done, immediately remove the custard from the heat and cool it quickly. If the custard is to be served warm, use it immediately and refrigerate any leftovers. To serve chilled, prevent a skin from forming by pressing plastic wrap onto the surface of the custard. Chill thoroughly.
For safety, always make eggnog and ice cream from a cooked custard base.
An elegantly simple custard sauce makes a velvety topping for fresh fruit or steamed puddings, turns plain cake into a sumptuous trifle and serves as the golden pond over which poached meringues drift in Floating Island. You can also use the creamy sauce to enhance summer’s fresh fruits or to revive drying pieces of cake. Add more milk and lace with spirits, if you like, and you have eggnog. Enrich with cream and your favorite flavoring ingredients to make French-style frozen custard, the richest and smoothest of all ice creams. Nip soft custard with liqueur or Marsalai wine and whip it while cooking and you’ll produce the frothy delight known as sabayon to the French and zabaglione to the Italians.

Pick a pumpkin that is heavy for its size.
The pumpkin should be blemish-free and should be bright in color.
The smaller the pumpkin, the more sweet and tender it will be.
If you are going to cook the pumpkin, pick one that is grown specifically for eating, such as a sugar or pie pumpkin.
Pumpkini can be prepared like most winter squash.
A pumpkin can be stored at room temperature for 1 month. After it has been cooked and mashed, it can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Cut a medium (about 6 pound) fresh pumpkin into 5-inch square pieces. Remove the seeds and fibrous strings. Arrange the pieces in a single layer, skin side up, in a large, shallow baking pan. Cover with foil.
Bakei at 375 degrees F for 1 to 11/2 hours or until tender.
Scoop the pulp from the rind. Place part of the pulp in a blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Transfer the pumpkin into a strainer lined with cheesecloth or overlapping, large coffee filters. Set over a large bowl and press out any liquid. Cover the surface of the purée with plastic wrap and let it drain, chilled, overnight.
Microwave Instructions
Halve pumpkin; remove seeds and cut pumpkin into 1-inch cubes. Place in a shallow 2-quart dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap, leaving an opening for steam to escape. Microwave on HIGH (100 percent power) for 20 to 25 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Give the dish a quarter-turn every 5 minutes.

To Oven-Toasti
Spread them in a single layer in an ungreased pan. Bakei at 350ºF for 13 to 15 minutes, stirring and checking frequently.
To Skillet-Toast
Heat a skillet over medium heat and toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring often. They will pop and dance around like popcorn as they are roasted. Do not let them burn.

The technique known as ribboning is the way to perfect cake-making. When your egg batter forms a ribbon when dropped from lifted beaters, then it's exactly right. The batter should drop in a wide, flat band that folds in on itself. If it falls in thin straight lines without folding in, keep beating. Ribboning ensures both that the sugar is completely dissolved and that the eggs are well aerated and evenly dispersed. For this reason, it's always preferable to use a mixer rather than a food processor for cake batters.

Cook it in a non-stick pot on the stove, not in a rice cooker: first, be sure to rinse the rice with cold water until most of the starch is removed and the water pours off pretty clear. Then, add enough water to cover the rice and boil for about 7 minutes. Test the rice by biting into a few grains...it should be firm, but not crunchy. Be sure not to over-cook the rice at this stage (it's better to have it a little under-cooked). Drain in a colander and rinse the rice with about 2-3 cups fresh water. Put the rice back in the pot and steam with the lid on for 30-40 mins. Over low heat. The rice will develop a nice crunchy bottom that's delicious (eat this first so it doesn't get soggy!).

Rouxi is a thickening agent used in Cajuni cooking.
7 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over high heat until it begins to smoke (about 4 minutes). With a long handled metal whisk, gradually mix in flour, stirring until smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly until roux is a dark red brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. (Be careful not to let it scorch in the pan or splash on your skin.) Remove from heat and use as needed. Extra roux may be kept in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Never use a knife on pomegranates. Juice will run everywhere except where you want it, which is in your mouth. Instead, gently score the outside skin into lengthwise quadrants, being careful not to penetrate the seed cavity. Then break the fruit apart gently, following the natural divisions created by the pale, papery membranes that separate the seed compartments.
Remove the membranes by pulling them off with your fingers. Bend the skin of each segment back and either scrape the seeds directly into your mouth using your teeth or lift them out with a spoon.
Young children love pomegranates, probably because to eat them is to play with them. Just give them a bowl big enough to catch stray seeds that pop out and dress them in old clothes.
Pomegranatei juice is delicious in fruity drinks, sorbets and fruit salads. It also can be boiled down into a concentrated syrup (grenadine) that can added to cocktails, ice cream, rice pudding or diluted with carbonated water for a natural soft drink.