GOOD TASTES.Byline: Natalie Haughton Staff Writer COOKBOOK: Pam Anderson is back again, problem-solving and bringing us more of her best recipes in her third book, ``Cook Smart: Perfect Recipes for Every Day,'' (Houghton Mifflin Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational publisher in the United States. The company's headquarters is located in Boston's Back Bay. It publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers ; $28). In this volume, as in her other two, ``Perfect Recipe'' and ``How to Cook Without a Book,'' she shares can't-fail recipes and sensible techniques for everyday dishes we all love. This time around she includes oven-fried chicken, crab cakes, ribs, chocolate cake, vegetable lasagne, french fries, great gazpacho, peach pie and much more - some 100 recipes total. What makes her books unique is that Anderson tests and retests recipes dozens of time to deliver creations that taste superb and work flawlessly with as little time and effort as possible. Cooking smart means making a dish the best it can be. No special gizmos, gadgets or equipment are required - and recipes use readily available supermarket ingredients. For instance, to avoid overcooking shrimp and ending up with rubbery, dry results, Anderson's numerous experiments confirmed that shrimp are best steamed, covered, on low heat stove top in a single layer on a collapsible steamer basket over an inch of water (that has previously come to a boil) for 4 to 6 minutes. This method yields tender textured shrimp with a half-heart shape as opposed to boiled shrimp which she found were tight and rubbery. Anderson, a food columnist for USA Weekend USA WEEKEND Magazine is a national publication distributed through more than 600 newspapers in the United States. It reaches 49 million [1] readers in 23 million households [2] every weekend. magazine, and former executive editor of Cook's Illustrated Cook’s Illustrated is a bimonthly American cooking magazine founded and edited by Christopher Kimball and published by Boston Common Press in Brookline, Massachusetts. , writes essays (preceding each recipe) detailing her experiments that are particularly appealing, especially in understanding the dish and principles that can be applied to other cooking scenarios. - Natalie Haughton TURN OUT SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM: For those who love soft-serve ice cream or yogurt and want to produce it at home with a bunch of add-ins, Applica Consumers Products, Inc. just introduced the electric Black & Decker Arctic Twister Ice Cream Mixer. It's quick and convenient to use. Simply scoop your favorite store-bought ice cream or yogurt into the top of the mixer and add pieces of candy, nuts, granola, cookies, partially frozen fruits, etc. to the tube to make lots of creative concoctions. Turn the power on and start pumping. In just minutes, the mixer will dispense a soft-serve treat from the shoot into a cup, bowl or ice cream cone An ice cream cone or cornet is a cone-shaped pastry, usually made of a wafer similar in texture to a waffle, in which ice cream is served, allowing it to be eaten without a bowl or spoon. . The mixer is fun to use for entertaining at birthday parties, kid's festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. , holidays and the like. Suggested retail price is $65 to $70. Look for the mixer at Bed, Bath and Beyond stores or order by calling (800) 231-9786 or going to the Website www.blackanddecker.com. - N. H. NEW: The J.M. Smucker Company recently introduced two new ice cream toppings to its line - Twix Magic Shell and Milky Way Milky Way, the galaxy of which the sun and solar system are a part, seen as a broad band of light arching across the night sky from horizon to horizon; if not blocked by the horizon, it would be seen as a circle around the entire sky. Ice Cream Topping. The Twix product combines chocolate and caramel with bits of cookies. You simply squeeze onto ice cream or frozen yogurt and it ``magically freezes in seconds.'' Crack the shell and dig in. It's delicious; tasters gave it a thumbs up. Although the Milky Way topping is supposed to taste like a combination of chocolate, caramel and nougat nou·gat n. A confection made from a sugar or honey paste into which nuts are mixed. [French, from Provençal, from nougo, nut, from Old Provençal noga, from Vulgar Latin (according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. company literature), we thought it tasted mostly like caramel - but it was excellent in any case. Suggested retail prices for a 7.25-ounce jar of Magic Shell and a 12-ounce jar of the topping are $1.99 and $1.89 respectively. Look for them in the ice cream topping section of supermarkets. - N. H. FARMERS MARKETS: The new Encino Commons Farmer's Market is now open Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Paso Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
Beginning August 2, the Village at Sherman Oaks will host a farmer's market each Friday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will be located on Vesper Avenue between Ventura Boulevard and Moorpark Street. If you live in the neighborhood, checks these out. Both will offer fresh fruits, vegetables and plants along with fresh breads, sweets and more. - N. H. DINING OUT: Acknowledged as one of the top seafood restaurants in the west, Water Grill, downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or , has begun serving a $35 three-course prix-fixe lunch on weekdays. The menu, which changes weekly, offers diners an opportunity to experience a variety of dishes from Water Grill's chef Michael Cimarusti and pastry chef Wonyee Tom. A sample prix-fixe lunch could begin with a choice of three starters, one a selection of half a dozen oysters on the half shell, another a chilled white gazpacho soup with lump crab meat and olive oil, and the third possibility a salad dish of field greens with crisp vegetables and a mustard vinaigrette. The main course might be a North Atlantic skate wing with Spanish chorizo cho·ri·zo n. pl. cho·ri·zos A very spicy pork sausage seasoned especially with garlic. [Spanish.] Noun 1. , Piquillo peppers, green onions and tapenade ta·pé·nade n. A spread of Provençal origin consisting of capers, black olives, and anchovies puréed with olive oil. [French, from Provençal tapéno, capers.] Noun 1. , or pan-roasted French dorade with yellow sweetpea potatoes, haricots verts and yellow wax beans. Desserts might be profiteroles with caramel ice cream and bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. chocolate sauce or a selection of house-produced ice creams and sorbets. The Water Grill, 544 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, serves these lunches, in addition to their regular lunch menu, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays. The restaurant is also open for dinner daily. For reservations, call (213) 891-0900. - Larry Lipson CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Book: ``Cook Smart: Perfect Recipes for Every Day'') (2) no caption (Black & Decker Arctic Twister Ice Cream Mixer) (3) no caption (Twix Magic Shell and Milky Way Ice Cream Topping) |
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