how-to – In Good Taste

What are French Mother Sauces?

Maris Callahan — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 23:04:44 +0000

A few days ago, a chef asked me if I knew about the French Mother Sauces and I nodded along as though I knew exactly what I was talking about, but officially I neither confirmed nor denied. I know that the Mother Sauces are seen as the foundations for many dishes and other sauces, particularly relating to French cuisine, but I was quite certain that I couldn’t name all five of them. Before we talk about the French Mother Sauces, we should talk about roux. Roux is the process of cooking fat (usually butter) with flour to create a thickening agent for the liquid that you want to turn into a sauce. It looks like a pasty white glob, but it’s pretty important in French cooking. It helps thicken the liquid so that sauce will coat the food properly, and even helps thicken items like tomato sauce, where you wouldn’t necessarily find flour. While a lot of French dishes rely on roux as a base, so do many Southern favorites (think: gooey macaroni and cheese) so it’s really a good thing to know how to roux. I mean know how to do. See what I did there? The CIA (Culinary Institute of America) […]

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The Ultimate Cheer Up Care Package

Maris Callahan — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 17:55:34 +0000

It’s never fun when a friend or loved one suffers a fall, accident or injury. You can do your part to help brighten their day with a cheer up care package full of their favorite things. This fall, my mom tripped walking her dog and broke her wrist, leaving her out of work for more than two months and in desperate need of some cheering up. Because I live multiple states away from my family, the one thing I could do was head to the store and put together a care package full of her favorite things, plus a few treats and surprises. Even though you’ll want to customize the care package based on their individual preferences, there are some staples that that would brighten anyone’s day. Chocolate, magazines and coffee or tea are only a few ideas. Here is a great checklist for anyone who wants to send or give a loved one some cheering up. Something sweet Even though there is a solid argument to be made for sticking with good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle after an accident or injury, nobody wants to receive a care package full of baby carrots. Spring for the good chocolate like Chocolove, […]

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How-To: Homemade Simple Syrup

Maris Callahan — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 05:04:31 +0000

Once you master making homemade simple syrup, you’ve officially crossed the threshold of adulthood. It means that you’re longer a college student that will use just about any liquid beverage as an alcohol mixer, including Jell-O. To make simple syrup is to up your cocktail game exponentially, from average to elegant. If you’re not a frequent drinker, it’s also a perfect ingredient to have on hand for homemade fresh basil lemonade, sweet tea or iced coffee. In short, simple syrup lives up to it’s name: simple to make, simple to use. It might not improve any other areas of your adult life, but it will certainly impress your grown-up drinking buddies. Simple syrup, by definition, is a sweet, thick liquid made of two ingredients: sugar and water. What sets it apart from its humble components is that it dissolves completely in beverages that require sweetener. To make homemade simple syrup, combine one part sugar and one part water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves (which it should in just enough time to pour yourself a glass of wine). Once you can’t see any sugar in the solution, take the saucepan off the heat and cool […]

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