HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: I read your column every day. I have recipes that call for heavy cream, but all I see on store shelves is whipped cream. Is there a substitute for heavy cream?
— Jerry B., Hammond, La. DEAR READER: You can make your own heavy cream. It needs just two ingredients: 3/4 cup whole milk 1/3 cup butter
Melt the butter. Once it melts, pour it into the milk and stir. You can use your substitute in place of heavy cream, but this will not whip. If you need to whip the cream into peaks, then use a whipping cream.
DEAR HELOISE: Can you please reprint your bean soup recipe that had cheese tortellini in it?
— Trena, California DEAR READER: You’ll need:
½ pound dry kidney beans or 2 (16-ounce) cans of kidney beans
1 bay leaf
Sprinkle of garlic powder ¼ pound sliced bacon (save
the drippings)
1 onion (diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
4 cups chicken broth 1 (29-ounce) can crushed
tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
¼ teaspoon basil (dried,
crushed)
¼ teaspoon oregano (dried,
crushed)
¼ teaspoon black pepper 9 ounces of cheese tortellini 2 cups fresh spinach (chopped
fine)
¼ cup Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Cook kidney beans with bay leaf and garlic powder. Fry bacon. In bacon drippings, saute 1 onion (diced) and 2 garlic cloves (minced) until golden brown. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, beef broth, basil, oregano and black pepper, then simmer. Add the tortellini and the kidney beans; cook 20 minutes. Add the spinach and cook another 10 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. To make this soup vegetarian, omit the bacon and use vegetable or olive oil to saute, and use vegetable broth to replace the chicken and beef broth.
DEAR HELOISE: What is the difference between bisque and chowder soups?
— Maddie H., Braintree, Mass. DEAR READER: Bisque is a creamy, shellfish-based soup, and chowder is a creamy soup that has vegetables (usually potatoes and onions), meat or fish prepared in a milk base. Hope this helps.