Old-Fashioned Advice

from Laura Fonty's New Book

"Les Secrets de Grand-Mere"

Counsel Tips From the Kitchen

Cheese stored under a glass dome, stays fresh at
room temperature and looks wonderfully tempting.
To keep the dome from clouding over with condensation,
put some sugar cubes on the cheese plate - they'll
absorb the moisture.

Give the savor of almonds to
your preserves by cooking a few pieces of crushed
almond, tied in a small, carefully knotted cheesecloth
bag, along with the fruit.

Fragile cut herbs, such as
fresh coriander or basil, will stay perky if they
are kept in a glass jar rather than wrapped in
plastic or paper. A good way to preserve their
fresh flavors for future use is to freeze them in
an ice cube. Place your snipped herbs - either one
or a mix you like for stews - in the bottom of an
ice-cube try and cover with a small amount of water.

To keep lemons juicy, store them
in a bowl of water, changing the water regularly.

Dried fruits mixed in a cake batter have a tendency to
sink to the bottom of the pan. To prevent this, dust
them with flour, or vigorously shake fruit and flour
together in a bag. Then add them to the cake batter.

To prevent milk from boiling over while cooking,
put a small metal - not silver - spoon
in the bottom of the saucepan.

What is a traditional Sunday dinner without a fruit tart?
Your halved plums, peaches, or apricots will not make
the tart crust soggy if you put them on the pastry cut
side up. A fine layer of bread crumbs brushed on the
pastry will absorb the extra juice.

To add flavor to dried prunes
or apricots to be used in a cake or compote,
soak them first in strong tea.

~ Acknowlegements ~

Victoria Magazine
The Joy of Cooking
Amish & Mennonite Kitchens


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