Can green tomatoes be frozen? We love fried green tomatoes and we have a lot of green tomatoes that we hate to throw away. I was wondering if they can be saved by freezing.--Don Fresh tomatoes, red or green, can be frozen by simply removing the hard portion at the stem end using a sharp paring knife. Place the whole tomatoes in a single... Read more →

Memorable Meals II Picture this - A warm, sunny spring day in Paris. Lunch outdoors at a restaurant just off the Place du Tertre in Montmartre within blocks of Sacre Coeur. A musician playing contrabass in the courtyard just outside. My bride of 30 years sitting beside me. Lunch was Brie Pané (breaded Brie) with a salad of mixed... Read more →

Is there a recipe for tenderizing steak with lard? Someone told me this works well and I would like to try it. Thank you. --Elsie None of my references say anything about tenderizing steak with lard, although there is a technique called larding, which is used to tenderize larger cuts of meat like roasts. To lard a roast, pieces of un-... Read more →

I like the gourmet whole pepper blends with the white, black and red peppercorns in them. What makes them different colors?--Anita White, black and green peppercorns, which are also included in some mixes, are all from the same plant, piper nigrum, which is a climbing vine native to parts of India and the Far East. Peppercorns grow in... Read more →

Occasionally, my wife, Pat, makes bread or dinner rolls, always with great success. This past weekend, however, her bread turned out flat and cake like, so I set out to figure out what might have happened. The culprit, it turns out, was likely our new oven. Pat sometimes leaves her dough to rise in the oven with the light turned on to add... Read more →

If you are lucky, at least once in your life you have had one of those meals that is so outstanding that it stands as a landmark, showing what really great food can be. This article is the first in a series recounting some of my most Memorable Meals. Signatures Restaurant, Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaSignatures Restaurant has received a Five... Read more →

Can I freeze cooked Dauphinoise Potato and what foods are absolute no no's for the freezer.--Lisa Raw potatoes cannot be frozen, as freezing converts the starch in them to sugar, resulting in an unpleasantly sweet product. Once they are cooked, however, this problem is lessened. To freeze Dauphinoise Potatoes, prepare them as usual... Read more →

Can I freeze cooked Dauphinoise Potato and what foods are absolute no no's for the freezer.--Lisa Raw potatoes cannot be frozen, as freezing converts the starch in them to sugar, resulting in an unpleasantly sweet product. Once they are cooked, however, this problem is lessened. To freeze Dauphinoise Potatoes, prepare them as usual... Read more →

What is crème fraîche? I have several recipes that call for it but I can't find it anywhere. --Eva Crème fraîche [pronounced 'krem FRESH'] is a common ingredient in French cooking. It is a fermented cream product with 30% or more butter fat, by weight, and is used to garnish soups or desserts. It is also used as an ingredient in... Read more →

Can you freeze tzatziki? I have gallons of it left after a wedding. help! -- Wendy This was kind of answered in the posting on Freezing Cream Cheese Dips. The chances are that your tzatziki may exude some water after it has been frozen and then thawed. If so, I would recommend pouring that off rather than trying to stir it back in.... Read more →