[...]... use a salad spinner or soak the extra moisture up with a kitchen towel Whatever way, try to dry them as well as you can Next, wrap the greens in a dry kitchen towel, roll them up fairly tightly in the towel, squeeze much of the air out and place this package in a plastic bag You will be surprised how well they keep this way in the refrigerator play © erdosh 17 Making it an entrée At the opposite end... the oven? Any robust soup that had been simmered for some time is a fine candidate play © erdosh 30 You can also use puff pastry for a soup topping, and this is the biggest challenge of all (see recipe) Once you learn how to produce puff pastry, you can use it many different ways in your cooking If you're timid in the kitchen, you can find commercially prepared puff pastry in the grocery store’s frozen... garnish ♦ Learn how to use a top pastry crust over soups ♦ Get into the chilled soup habit for quick, easy first course prepared well in advance play © erdosh 33 A worm in the cabbage is better than no meat at all Pennsylvania Dutch proverb MEET MEAT ~~~ play © erdosh 34 Years ago I spent a summer working in the Canadian wilderness, somewhere in northern Quebec Olaf, my boss, was a delightful man,... and plastic vases on each table with real dust on them—a glass-fronted counter displaying the usual donuts and cakes—the type of place that can surprise you with decent food, but don't count on it We were the only one s in the diner A short, balding French Canadian cook covered by a spotted off-white apron came out of the kitchen with the menu, a single sheet with very few entries written in French Olaf's... There are scores of commercial salad dressings available Some of these are even good But they are meant for cooks who don't realize how easy it is to make their own, no matter how little time they have play © erdosh 14 If you're really short of time, a simple vinaigrette dressing, consisting of 3 or 4 parts of good oil, 1 part wine vinegar, and a little salt and pepper, is perfectly appropriate for many... a reasonably easy task If you don't, you will still like putting the ingredients together though the product may not be a saleable art work You plan a composed salad in two stages First, decide at the kitchen table with a pencil and paper what ingredients you would like to use, keeping availability and seasonal aspects in mind Then, with your shopping list in hand, go to the market Substitute your originally... strips, then add the strips to your salad? Another example is peeled broccoli stems cut into thin rounds, match sticks, ovals or tiny cubes for varied shapes You can come up with dozens of others ideas play © erdosh 15 Besides the accustomed salad vegetables, you can use any other produce, including just about any fruit After cutting fruits that brown when exposed to air, immerse them in an acid bath... (gives the guests something to do), peppers cut into rings or narrow strips, beans and lentils left whole, and so on Some items you need to cook, like green beans, and any other vegetables that generally play © erdosh 16 don't taste pleasant raw You may prefer to blanch others, like carrots to intensify flavor and color Still others, like walnuts, are best lightly toasted to bring out flavors Do any cooking... composed salad, spread out the individual plates on a table or counter and start constructing The job takes some concentration, and it is best done without interruption If guests are hovering around your kitchen and you can't get rid of them, find an empty room Even the basement will do if there is a table Tear the selected greens into bite-sized pieces or use whole leaves and let the guests do the struggling... certainly not for the everyday meal Different Purpose—Different Ingredients The use for salads today actually goes far beyond the first course We can break down today's salads into four general types play © erdosh 11 Appetizer salads —this is a light first course designed to stimulate the appetite The body of this type of salad is greens in combination with other vegetables or fruit The dressing is . all. Harriet Van Horne INTRODUCTION Play or Chore? Is it a play or is it a chore? The art and science of cooking and baking may be either. If your kitchen work is a play, you'll get years of.