"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."Adlai E. Stevenson
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Crazy About Crockery
As with most cooks, when I first turned to my crockpot it is because I want something savoury and easy because I don't have the time to cook. When you check out Crazy About Crockery for the first time you will see that your crockpot can easily become your ...
How to Easily Make Sourdough French Toast Like Cracker Barrel
I got an idea one day when I was in a Cracker Barrel restaurant eating breakfast. They had sourdough French toast and it was the best French toast I'd had, so I wanted to re-create the recipe at home. I haven't gotten this down to a recipe with exact ...
Quick Reference Guide for Buying, Storing and Serving Cheese
Cheese is more than just peeling back the wrapper on a slice of American cheese. There are proper buying, storage and serving procedures that will help maintain freshness and ensure enhanced flavor and texture. When buying cheese consider these three ...
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Garlic, there's nothing like the smell of garlic. It's great in soups and sauces, roasted with meats or on it's own, and it's wonderful mixed with butter and slathered on bread and then baked.
The scientific name for garlic is Allium Sativum. It is related to the lily and the onion. Although related to the onion, and having a flavor that very slightly resembles that of an onion, garlic does not bring tears to the eyes when chopped.
When buying fresh garlic, be sure that the head feels very firm when you squeeze it. Over time, garlic will soften and begin to sprout, which turns the garlic bitter. To store fresh garlic, keep it in a dark, cool place, such as the basement. Do not refrigerate or freeze the garlic, as it will begin to loose it's taste.
To peel a clove of garlic, place it on a cutting board, and put the flat of the blade of the knife against it. Press down on the other side of the blade with the heel of your hand, flattening the garlic slightly. The skin will come right off.
The strong flavor and odor of garlic come from sulfur compounds within the cells. The more cells that are broken, the stronger the flavor of the garlic will be. For the mildest flavor, just use a whole or slightly crushed clove of garlic. For a bit stronger flavor, slice or chop the garlic, and for the strongest flavor, mash the garlic into a paste.
Cooking garlic tames the strong flavor, and changes it in different ways, depending on how it's cooked. If using in a sauce, it can be sweated or sauteed. In sweating the garlic, it is first chopped finely, and then added to a cold pan with some oil, it is then gently heated, causing the oil to become infused with the garlic flavor. To sautee garlic, heat the oil in the pan first, and then add the chopped garlic, stirring frequently, and being careful not to let the garlic burn and become bitter.
Roasting the garlic softens the flavor, and makes it soft and perfect for mixing with cream cheese to spread onto toast, or just spread on the toast itself.
To roast the garlic, take a whole head of garlic, and remove the papery outer skin. Place the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, and drizzle with some olive oil. Loosely wrap the garlic in the foil, and place it into a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove the garlic and let it cool. When cool enough to handle, separate the cloves of garlic, and squeeze each one. The flesh should pop right out. The roasted garlic is great mixed with cheese or potatoes, or on it's own.
Don't be afraid to use garlic in your cooking. Garlic is flavorful, and healthful, and of course, it will keep those pesky vampires away.
About the Author
Tim Sousa is the webmaster for Classy Cooking, a library of free online recipes. Come and check out our selection of recipes, or share your own recipes with others.
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Try this Valentine's Day recipeRochester Democrat and ChronicleEither way, this Persian pound cake recipe is a rosy way to say I love you to your favorite cake lover. The secret ingredient here is rose water, which is made from distilled rose petals and is in fact a byproduct of perfume making.and more » |
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Romantic Recipes: Valentine's Day Dinner For TwoHuffington PostTo plan the perfect evening at home, all you need is a pretty setting and a simple recipe. It can be as low-key as you like or over-the-top romantic with fresh flowers and lit candles. Whichever you choose to do, we've got you covered with the recipes ...and more » |
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