Pesto without the nuts? It can be done
Q: My husband recently had what we think was an allergic reaction to pistachios, and we’ve been told he’s likely developed an allergy to tree nuts, which include pine nuts. Any suggestions on a good substitute for these in pesto? I was thinking sesame seeds.
A: How about pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds? They’re bigger and might give you a bit more of that crunch/texture that you would get from nuts.
Q: I love the idea of sweet potato slabs instead of veggie burgers that are dry, crumbly and often more work than the end product. I love the drying effect the salt gives the potato. Would this technique work for other vegetables? I could easily see a sandwich being created with layers of beets, sweet potatoes, and carrots. Any more recommendations for going beyond the flavourless bean patty?
A: Salt-roasting works best when the vegetable in question has a lot of moisture, like a sweet potato. A beet, for instance, already has a great, firm texture when cooked (as long as it’s not overcooked), so you could just slice that into big slabs, perhaps marinate them after cooking for a while, before putting on the sandwich. Carrots, similarly, hold up better — and of course, are smaller, so you could exactly get that slab effect. Author Martin Nordin has some recipes that call for smaller vegetables to be twirled/arranged in interesting ways that lend themselves to bun placement. One uses sliced eggplant that you fry, then layer/roll with tomato purée, mozzarella and Parm and bake before you form the burgers. That one looks good, too!
Q: I made babas au rhum this weekend for a friend with a craving and am left with extra rum syrup flavoured with orange, cinnamon, clove, ginger and allspice. What are some good uses of this either in cocktails or in cooking?
A: Try using it in an Old-Fashioned, whiskey- or aged rumbased, and maybe as a daiquiri flavouring as well.
Q: I tried to clarify chicken stock with egg whites following Julia Child instructions. The result was still not clear, and tasted sort of toasty, definitely different from usual. Thoughts or suggestions for next time?
A: Next time you start from scratch, don’t bring the liquids to a full boil. If you use a whole chicken, go ahead and remove all the skin and fat that’s easy to pull off. Rinse the bird inside and out, carefully and under a small stream of running water in the sink, before putting it in the pot.