How to Make Great Chicken or Turkey Broth from Leftovers
How to Make Chicken Broth the Easy Way
Yogurt Cheese and Ricotta Cheese Spreads
Minh’s Geranium Pickled Baby Onions
Minh’s Habanero and Kumquat Salt
Margie’s Sweet and Sour Cucumbers
EDIBLE PLATES
Crespelles
Crêpes (Four Kinds)
Croutons
Pita Chips
Crostini
Shirley Moore’s Pilaf
Slo-Mo Polenta
Shortbread Crust and How to Fill It
How to Make a Pie Crust
FOR THE NEW COOK
I learned to cook by watching skilled home cooks. I have never forgotten a long-ago Thanksgiving when my husband’s Aunt Beanie matter-of-factly began her turkey gravy by simply placing the roasting pan directly on the stove’s burners. Or when I saw a friend’s mother start her hard-boiled eggs in cold water. Or when a French friend of mine showed me how to clean mussels. Without these friendly guides, so much of cooking becomes the purview of the expert, the supremely trained chef. This book does not assume or require mastery; instead, it invites you to learn, to be inspired, and hopefully to continue on your own cooking journey.
HOW TO CARE FOR KNIVES
It is worth investing in a good set of knives. If you care for them, they will last a lifetime. Quality stainless steel knives are made so that the blade continues through the length of the handle. Another indication of quality is blades made of multilayered steel. A sharp knife is a pleasure to use. Knives need to be sharpened regularly, either by you or a professional sharpener. You will sharpen them more frequently if you can do this in your own kitchen. Acquire a two-grit diamond stone, 600 on one side and 1200 on the other. Push the blade edge down the length of the stone, beginning with the 600 grit. Hold the blade fairly flat (about ten degrees). You should be able to slip three quarters under the highest point of the back of the blade. Do your best to hold this angle to avoid rocking back and forth as you grind off the edge. Switch over to the fine 1200 grit, using the same motions but maintaining a slightly higher angle (four quarters instead of three). In both stages, you must press hard enough so that you are grinding away metal. You should feel the bite of the stone as it removes metal from the edge of the knife. You will know it is sharp when you delicately place the edge of the knife on your thumbnail and it catches instantly. A sharp edge has matching angles on each side. A sharpening steel acts as a repair mechanism between sharpenings by straightening the edge of the blade. It does not sharpen edges. It is a long, thin tool, cylindrical in shape, that comes with good-quality knife sets. Knives should be hand washed, dried immediately after use, and stored in a slotted countertop or drawer holder. Never put knives in a dishwasher.
HOW TO CUT MEAT AGAINST THE GRAIN
Roasts are basically muscle and thus have a grain to them. Most cuts are muscle that runs up and down the leg or along the backbone of the animal. Therefore, in order to serve tender, easily cut slices, it is necessary to cut across the grain of the muscle fiber. If the roast is on the tough side, then cut thinner slices. Fibers are tough, so shorter segments will be easier to chew. Thin or thick, presentable slices of even thickness require a sharp carving knife, preferably one with a long, straight, thin blade.
HOW TO CARVE FOWL
Begin by placing fowl breast-side up on the carving board. Carving fowl, whether a chicken, turkey, or something more unusual, begins with identifying the joints. For a large fowl such as a turkey, the breasts and thighs may be carved into slices as well. Unlike beef roasts, slicing fowl is always done with the grain.
Loosen the legs by cutting the skin between the thigh and the breast with the knife tip. Pull the thighs away from the breast toward the cutting board. Find the joint where the thighbone attaches to the carcass and cut straight down to remove the whole leg. Repeat with the other leg. Then wiggle each leg to find the joint between the thigh and the drumstick. Cut straight down on that joint and place those pieces on your serving platter. Repeat with second leg.
To remove the breasts from the carcass, cut down on either side of the breastbone until you feel the resistance of the cartilage beneath. Using that cartilage as your guide, run your knife down either side of the bird until the breast is separated. Do the same on the other side. Place breasts on the cutting board, skin-side up, and pull wings outward. Cut down at the second joint. Transfer wings to serving platter as is, or remove the wing tips by cutting at the joint. Serve breasts whole, cut each into two pieces, or slice and fan meat out. Dispose of the carcass or simmer it to make your own broth (see pages 34 and 35).
Some of my favorite and most-used cooking tools: sharpened knives, cook’s