Clear And Buttered Answers

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Q: Please tell me how to prepare clarified butter. -- Evelyn

A: Making clarified butter couldn't be easier. Melt unsalted butter over low heat in a heavy saucepan. Do NOT stir! Once it's melted, it will separate into three layers: a white foam on top (water), a layer of clear yellow liquid (butterfat) and a milky substance on the bottom (milk proteins). Spoon off the foam, or suck it up with a turkey baster, then GENTLY pour off the butterfat. That's your clarified butter.

Now, all you need are some crab legs or lobster tails!

Q: What makes a good soy sauce, and can you name some names? -- Christine G.

A: When it comes to "regular" soy sauce, there's really not a tremendous amount of difference among the national brands. Soy sauce is not terribly difficult to make, provided you've got the industrial equipment.

My preference is actually for Tamari soy sauce, which isn't a brand but rather a type of soy. It's richer and more flavorful than regular soy. It will cost you about twice as much, but it's worth it!

Q: I will be canning my usual sweet pickles soon and I wonder if I can substitute Splenda for sugar? -- Karen E.

A: Recently, I've seen bread and butter pickles sold by the Mt. Olive brand, and that got me to snooping around for a good recipe. I found a passel of recipes that called for taking a jar of dill pickles, then draining off the brine and refilling the jar with Splenda and cider vinegar.

Not satisfied, I dug further and discovered this recipe from the University of Georgia. Enjoy!

Q: What is the difference between using a fresh or a dried bay leaf? Can you chop up a fresh one and leave it in the food or does it have to be removed? Thanks, Bill

A: Fresh bay leaves are very hard to find, but can be used as a direct substitute for dried. Be very careful not to overuse them, as they will turn your dish bitter. For that reason, it's also best to remove the leaves before serving, as any diner who bites into one will not be a happy camper.

Q: My chocolate sheet cake looks beautiful when in the oven, however once I take it out, it always seems to fall. Can you let me know what is causing this? -- Peggy

A: There are numerous reasons why a cake will fall. You can provide yourself with some insurance by making sure that the white of one of the eggs in the batter is not beaten, but added with the other liquid ingredients. That will provide some additional protein structure to help stabilize the cake.

Also, make sure your baking powder and/or soda are not past their useful lifetime (marked on the package). If so, they won't work to their full effectiveness and your cake won't stand up.

Calibrate your oven! Over- or undercooking will doom your cake.

Perhaps most importantly, do NOT open your oven too early in the cooking process, before the batter has set. Curious bakers doom their cakes to life as a doormat.

Q: I am a new convert to your articles, so pardon me if you have covered this topic before. We recently switched to wheat pasta, as part of our change of diet for my diabetic mother and my constantly dieting self. We love it! It doesn't leave us with that bloated feel from eating the "wrong" kind of pasta, and is certainly better than dropping pasta from our lives.
I would be interested in your opinion and any advice you have on brands of wheat pasta. -- Jenny S.

A: Wheat pasta is pretty good stuff, although it will never fully take the place of traditional noodles in my menu. To me, the spaghetti noodles don't cook up quite as tender as traditional, nor do they hold the sauce as well. However, I do like their flavor with honey-dijon or peanut sauces. The nuttiness of the whole wheat compliments the sauce very well.

I use Heartland whole wheat pasta, but to be honest, I've not explored other brands much at all.

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