This cream is heavy, not whipped
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.
Jerry, 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.
Can you please reprint your bean soup recipe that had cheese tortellini in it? My family loved it! — Trena, Sacramento, Calif.
Trena, I’d love to! You’ll need:
1/2 pound dry kidney beans or 2 (16-ounce) cans of kidney beans 1 bay leaf Sprinkle of garlic powder 1/4 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 1/4 teaspoon basil (dried, crushed) 1/4 teaspoon oregano (dried, crushed) 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 9 ounces of cheese tortellini 2 cups fresh spinach (chopped fine) 1/4 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. If this sounds like a recipe you’d like to try, then you might want to order my Heloise’s Spectacular Soups pamphlet, which you can have by sending $5 and a long, stamped (71 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Heloise/Soups, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 782795001. Or you can order it online at Heloise.com. 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. Enjoy!
BISQUE VS. CHOWDER
What is the difference between bisque and chowder soups? — Maddie H., Braintree, Mass.
Maddie, bisque is a rich, 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.
Recently, I stumbled across an article about cooking with aluminum pots, and the author claimed it was dangerous because it’s a metal that can leach into foods. Is this true?
— Heidi W., Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Heidi, more research needs to be done, but it’s believed the human body can handle aluminum in small amounts, although most aluminum pots have been oxidized, and the coating blocks the aluminum from coming in contact with your food. Researchers believe that some metals may pose a health risk if they accumulate over time, so dispose of an older pot that may have lost some of its coating.