Some Very Tasty Questions

Q: What is drawn butter? I see it on seafood menus served with lobster. Also, what is brown butter? --Joyce E.

A: Ah, a butter question to start the week! What a good omen.

Drawn, or clarified, butter, is butter separated into its three components: water, butterfat and milk solids. What you get in your little cup with your lobster tail is the butterfat.

Making it is incredibly simple. Melt the butter gently in a sturdy saucepan until you see the butterfat separating out and forming a thick layer in the pan. Most of the milk solids will drop to the bottom of the pan, and a layer of white foam will form on top. Gently remove the pan from the heat -- so you don't disturb the layers -- spoon off the top layer of foam, and carefully pour the pure butterfat into a clean container. The milky residue in the bottom will make some of the tastiest popcorn topping you've ever had.

Brown butter has a delightful nutty flavor, and is made by cooking clarified butter over low heat until it turns brown. It is often used in Indian cuisine.

Q: I'm always in a quandary when a recipe for calls for a bay leaf because they come packaged in a wide variety of sizes from ¾ of an inch to 2 inches. Recipes never mention the size of the bay leaf. Does it matter? --Ellen P.

A: Since the full essence of the bay leaf is hardly ever extracted during cooking, the size does not matter terribly much. Use your own judgment when using broken pieces, but remember that they will impart significantly more flavor than whole ones.

Q: Folks always tell me that shrimp don't need to be boiled for very long...say two to three minutes. First you get the pot boiling and then you put the shrimp in the boiling water. But, is that two to three minutes from the time you put the shrimp in the boiling water or after it comes back to a boil?--Frank

A: With all this talk of drawn butter and boiled shrimp, you folks are making me hungry this week!

There are a few schools of thought on the proper way to cook shrimp, but I'm going to stick with the one that works best for me. Add the shrimp to already-boiling water and let them cook for three minutes from the time you add them. Keep an eye on them, though! When they float and turn pink, they're done. Since shrimp are living critters, some may cook faster than others. Be ready with your skimmer or tongs to pluck out the early birds.

When they come out of the pot, I put mine on a bed of ice to stop the cooking process. Remember that food continues to cook as long as it's hot, so if you pile cooked, hot shrimp on a platter, the ones on the bottom are going to be shrimp jerky by the time they're peeled and eaten.

Q: My husband and I love fried fish and I would like to make it at home rather than go to a fast-food resturant, however, I would like to know what the ingredients are that make it so crispy. Thank you. -- Helen B.

A: My best success with firm, white fish such as cod, bass, perch and haddock has always come with a beer-based batter. Also, you can use a vinegar batter like the fish-and-chips stands in London do. Numerous recipes for either can be found online or in most cookbooks.

Now, for oily fish like catfish, avoid a batter and go for a seasoned cornmeal breading. The cornmeal will crisp nicely and the fish will not taste overly greasy.

And now that I'm sufficiently starving, I'm off to hunt the pantry!

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