One Cheesy Problem

A quick reminder: if you're asking about a recipe you saw on-air, please don't forget to include the station and/or Web site in your e-mail.

Q: I saw a chicken recipe that called for an herb called sumac. What is that? --Mrs. Tierney

A: This is ordinarily the sort of question I'd answer via e-mail, but the name of the herb was so interesting I thought I'd share what I learned.

As you no doubt remember from childhood, poison oak and poison sumac were two things to be avoided because of the profoundly itchy consequences.

Culinary sumac is derived from the berries of the Sicilian sumac plant. It can be purchased at Middle Eastern food shops. Whole, cracked or ground sumac berries are also used to make a fruity, sour culinary juice that can be added to marinades, salad dressings, sauces and yogurt.

So, don't go out in the woods and start grabbing handfuls of irritating plants. Go to your local spice vendor!

A: Bruschetta, thanks to its prevalence on appetizer menus at every Italian and Greek restaurant on the planet, it seems, is one of the "hot" dishes right now.

Once you've made your own once, though, you'll never lay out $6.95 for six pieces of it again.

Are you ready? Got all your culinary expertise prepared?

Chop a couple of ripe tomatoes, an equivalent amount of goat cheese, a small bunch of fresh basil and as much garlic as you can stand. Add enough olive oil (this is the time to use that expensive extra-virgin stuff) to moisten and mix together to make something approaching a salsa.

Toast some slices of good, crusty Italian bread, lightly brushed with garlic butter, until light brown.

While the bread is warm, top with the cheese/tomato mixture.

What are you waiting for? Cancel those reservations at Vito's and get to eating!

Q: I have a problem thickening liquids when I use cornstarch. I use one tablespoon of cornstarch and two tablespoons of water, I think I could use the whole box and it would never thicken. My broth is bubbling, and I let it cook for a while after I put the cornstarch in. Should my water be hot or cold? Hope you can help me! --Betty M.

A: Your procedure sounds OK, but let's check a few things.

First, have you checked the expiration date on the box? Just like spices and other kitchen essentials, corn starch has an expiration date. It might be time for a fresh box.

You should ALWAYS mix the dry cornstarch with cool liquid (water, stock, etc.) and make sure it's dissolved and the mixture is smooth before you add it to your dish.

Where I think the problem may lie is with the temperature of your food. For maximum thickening, the gravy (or whatever you're making) MUST be brought to a boil after the starch mixture is added. If that does not bring the desired thickening, you may simply need to use a bit more cornstarch.

Q: My question is: how do you melt cheese for cheese sauce? I had some Kraft Mexican blend shredded cheese and slowly tried (key word tried) to make a cheese sauce for broccoli florettes. Well, a few minutes later I had a clumpy yucky mess. My husband told me to add a bit of milk so I did and it separated from the clumpy mess and settled on top. Is Velveeta the only cheese that can be melted like that? --Samantha

A: I'm going to pull you back from the Velveeta precipice, Samantha! What's missing in your mixture is a sprinkling of cornstarch. Without getting into the chemistry of the thing, suffice it to say that cornstarch will keep your cheese from separating and clumping up. You CAN add a bit of milk if the melted cheese is too thick, but that's a separate issue from the clumping.

Use about 1 ½ tbsp. of cornstarch per four cups of cheese. Toss the cornstarch with the cheese before putting it on to melt.

Q: I recently bought raw peanuts in the shell and I would like to know how to roast them. Betty B.

A: Excellent question, and one that'll leave your house smelling great!

To roast peanuts in the shell, place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and preheat your oven to 350° F. Roast them 20-25 minutes, or until your desired doneness. I'd recommend doing small batches at first until you hit upon the roasting time you desire.

Peanuts out of the shell can be roasted via the same method, but they only require about 15 minutes.

Got a question for Ask The Cook? Send it in and we'll get to work!