A female chef joins the Michelin three star club, the perfect grater for fresh ginger, pastas from France and elderflower liquer….

Kefi, with its immensely appealing menu of affordable and approachable Greek cuisine, should be an Upper West Side favorite….

Eggplants are perishable, so use them within 2 or 3 days of purchase. Under ideal storage, 40-45 degrees F with high humidity (85%) they will keep only about one week.

When buying eggplant, choose fruit that have a nice glossy shine, and avoid ones with dull color - these will be overripe and bitter.

Eggplant is a good source of Vitamins A, C and B complex, and potassium.

Eggplant contains about 30 calories per cup.

SELECTION - Look for a symmetrical eggplant with smooth, uniformly colored skin. Tan patches, scars, or bruises indicate decay. Also avoid eggplants with wrinkled or flabby-looking skin. Oversized purple eggplants, usually over 6 inches in diameter, may be tough and bitter.

When you press gently on an eggplant, the finger mark will disappear quickly if the eggplant is fresh. Eggplant should feel heavy; one that feels light for its size may not have a good flavor. The stem and cap should be bright green.

STORAGE - Both cold and warm temperatures can damage eggplant. It is best to store eggplant uncut and unwashed in a plastic bag in the cooler section of the refrigerator. Do not force the eggplant into the crisper if it is too big, as this will bruise the vegetable. Eggplant may be blanched or steamed then frozen for up to 6 months.

PREPARATION - Wash the eggplant just before using it, and cut off the cap and stem. Use a stainless steel knife because carbon blades will discolor the eggplant. Eggplant should not be eaten raw. Eggplant may be cooked with or without its skin. However, large eggplant and most white varieties have thick, tough skin and should be peeled prior to cooking with a vegetable peeler.

Unlike many vegetables, eggplant is not harmed by long cooking. An undercooked eggplant can have a chewy texture; but overcooked eggplant is just very soft. Do not cook in an aluminum pot because the eggplant will become discolored.
Spices that enhance its flavor include allspice, basil, bay leaves, garlic, chili powder, oregano, sage, thyme, marjoram, and parsley. Eggplant is most often paired with tomatoes or onions.

BAKING: To bake a whole eggplant, pierce the skin with a fork several times, and cook it at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Baking whole eggplants produces a soft flesh that is easy to mash or puree.

BROILING: Cut the eggplant into thick lengthwise slices, and score them lightly with a sharp knife. Place the slices on a broiler pan or grill; brush them lightly with oil. Broil about 5 inches from the heat, and turn slices when they begin to brown. Eggplant should be cooked for approximately 5 minutes per side.

Eggplant may also be MICROWAVED whole, cubed, or sliced. Cooking times vary from 6 to 8 minutes for a whole eggplant to 3 or 4 minutes for a pound of cubed eggplant.

STEWED EGGPLANT is called ratatouille. For this dish, eggplant may be stewed alone, or with other vegetables. Simmer, covered with a liquid such as tomato juice, until the eggplant is tender. The cooking time is usually 20 to 25 minutes.
CDC.gov - 5 a Day

Article From: FoodReference.com 

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Contrary to what most people believe, and that includes most professionals, when using beer, wine or other alcoholic beverages in recipes, a lot of alcohol is left after cooking.
These are the facts from the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA (1989).

Alcohol remaining after preparation:
100% Immediate consumption
70% Overnight storage
85% Boiling liquid, remove from heat
75% flamed

Alcohol remaining: baked or simmered:
40% 15 min.
35% 30 min.
25% 1 hour
20% 1.5 hour
10% 2 hours
5% 2.5 hours

Substitutes for Alcoholic Beverages in Recipes
Choose the substitute considering the sweetness of the dish

White Wine substitutes in recipes
Apple juice or carrot juice.
Vegetable stock or Chicken stock straight or with a little white wine vinegar
1/2 cup rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon white grape juice.

Red Wine substitutes in recipes
1/2 cup of grape juice with 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar.
1/2 cup water and 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar.
Beef stock or chicken stock straight or with a little red wine vinegar.

Champagne substitutes in recipes
Ginger ale, sparkling grape juice.

Brandy substitutes in recipes
Apple juice, peach juice, white grape juice, pear juice.

Marsala substitutes in recipies
Orange, peach or pear juice.

Orange Liqueur substitutes in recipes
Frozen orange juice concentrate.

Beer substitutes in recipes
Chicken broth, beef broth, ginger ale.

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil.

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except olive oil by hand, using a light touch. Take a portion of meat in hand, and roll between palms to form a ball that is firmly packed but not compressed. Repeat, making each meatball about 2 inches in diameter.
2. In a large, heavy pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add meatballs in batches. Do not crowd. Brown well on bottoms before turning, or meatballs will break apart. Continue cooking until browned all over. Remove meatballs to a plate as each batch is finished. Let meatballs cool slightly; cover and refrigerate until needed.

Yield: About 16 meatballs.

Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus chilling2 cups pure maple syrup
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
6 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Pinch kosher salt.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put syrup in 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. (Use a large saucepan, syrup will bubble up quite high.) Lower heat to simmer and cook until reduced by about two thirds, 15 to 20 minutes. (Syrup is ready when a few drops on a chilled plate are very sticky when rubbed with your fingers.)
   
2. Arrange 8 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups in a flat-bottomed roasting pan large enough to accommodate them with 3/4 inch of space in between the cups. Evenly divide the custard among the cups; do not fill to the top. Carefully add enough hot tap water to roasting pan to come a third of the way up sides of cups. Cover roasting pan with foil, tenting it slightly so that foil does not touch top of custards.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in cream and milk. Return saucepan to heat and bring to low simmer. Meanwhile whisk yolks well with sugar and salt in large bowl. Remove maple cream from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes, then very slowly whisk it into the yolks. Strain through a chinois or fine-meshed sieve to remove any lumps of yolk.
4. Put pan on middle rack of oven and bake for 35 minutes; rotate pan, then bake another 15 minutes and check for doneness. The custards are done when the centers are set a bit, even jiggly like gelatin. Total baking time will be 50 to 60 minutes.
5. Remove pan from oven, remove foil, and let custards cool in water bath until you can safely pick them up, then let them cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, until thoroughly chilled.

Yield: 8 servings.

Got a recipe that involves cooking garlic? You might want to crush the garlic first.  That may be the best way to preserve the herb’s healthy compounds during cooking, a new study shows.  Garlic contains compounds shown to help prevent blood clots.  But most garlic studies have tested raw garlic, and cooking can damage those anticlotting compounds.Crushing garlic may help prevent that damage, report the researchers, who include Claudio Galmarini, PhD, of the agricultural sciences faculty at Argentina’s Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.

Galmarini’s team found that garlic cooked three minutes in boiling water or in an oven at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit has the same amount of the anticlotting compounds as raw garlic.

Full Article: click here..

An auction of wine labels at Sotheby’ s, olive oil from Sicily, cherry vanilla ice cream pie in honor of George Washington’ s 275th and an improved Chinese five-spice blend.