MAILBAG

Send your questions to Barbara Nosek at  celebritychefconnection@yahoo.com

or go to the "Food/Chef Qs" page on this website

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For the week of 11.19.08

Q - It's said all things come to he (she) who waits. Some time back we had a request for chocolate cake made with Coke, and I had such good intentions of searching for that in my files . . .

A - Well, lo and behold, our friend Ellen featured that very thing, right down to the marshmallows, in her recent newsletter (sign up at www.cookingwithellen.com) and you'll find it right on the ol' Recipes page - click at left. By the way, this is a really interesting site and Ellen's recipes in her newsletter are just outstanding.

Q - Can you suggest some possibilities for homemade gift baskets?

A - I sure can, but credit for them goes to one of the Nancylanders (sign up at www.nancyskitchen.com) who signs herself Florence IL. What I particularly like about her suggestions is the creative "holders" for various themes. Just some examples . . . Pasta: in a colander, pasta, sauces, spices, bread sticks, and wine. Movie: in a popcorn tub, microwave popcorn, candy (maybe some of the old fashioned kind - bjn), canned soda, videos, CDs or tickets to the movies. Picnic basket: in a wicker hamper, wine, glasses, cheeses, crackers, cheese board & knife, and a disposable camera. There were others in the list and in fact not all were food-based. Hope these give you some ideas for a theme, items to match, and then a clever container to hold it all.

As a p.s., this is also a highly recommended newsletter, filled with recipes, ideas, and some just plain visiting among her members (aka, Nancylanders).

Q - Can you suggest some new and different cocktails? That query, in various forms, is a common request. 

A - Here's one that came across the desk that sounds festive and fabulous for the holidays. It's called Blackberi Pie Cocktail and it's main ingredient is Stoli's Blackberi.  The full recipe is atop our Recipes page for this week. The drink creation comes from Mastro's Steakhouse, hugely popular in its California and Arizona locations, and soon to bring all it beefy goodness to Las Vegas, opening next year in Tivoli Village at Queensridge, a spiffy mixed-use complex in the northwest valley.

For the week of 11.12.08

Q - Is the Chef Jeff who has the new series on The Food Network the same Chef Jeff that was on your show last year?

A - Yes!  Jeff Henderson, at the time most recently executive chef at Cafe Bellagio here in Las Vegas, was on our debut show, September 5, 2007. And we couldn't be prouder to be among those who recognized and revered his long hard journey from convicted drug dealer to culinary super star - this took conviction of another kind, the self-belief that he could parlay his accidentally-discovered talents in a prison kitchen into a whole life turnaround and, kudos, kudos, kudos, he did exactly that.  For viewers who have not yet caught up with this inspiring series that gives at-risk kids a second chance, it's called "The Chef Jeff Project" and airs weekly, generally on Sundays at 10pm, 9 central.

Q - Can you tell me why is a #10 can called a #10 can or any can sizes (#3, #5, 303)?

A - Well this turned out to be a harder question than might be expected.  One smartypants website [www.ochef.com] answered the question by saying, "All the good numbers were taken?"  But seriously folks, it goes on, the major packaging manufacturers actually no longer use these identifiers, but rather dimensions that reflect the height and diameter of the various cans.  As to why they were called that in the first place, it appears to be just an arbitrary numbering system that evolved when can sizes were standardized back in the 1920s (no wonder most of us, OK barely, remember how that came about). Here are some comparisons, courtesy of the University of Nebraska site, http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciq-can-sizes.shtml . . .

For the week of 11.05.08

Q - This being a great time of year to buy shell fish, picked up some wonderful looking little neck clams.  I'm hoping there is an easy way to open them?  The info I found "just pop them open with a knife" does not seem to agree with the stubborn little guys I bought.  Also, what is the best size and type of clam for making steamers?

A - For this we turn - of course! - to Rick Moonen, maestro of all that comes from the seas and proprietor of rm seafood in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Chef Moonen indeed recommends a knife, in this case a small paring knife. He says, "There are two muscles on either side of the widest part of the shell. One side of the shell has a deeper curve than the other. Hold the clam in your hand with the side with the deep curve nearest your fingers. Work your knife between the shells and cut through the first muscle. This will release the shells enough for the next steps. Run the knife from one side of the clam to the other, with the tip scraping along the top shell, to release the clam from the top. When the you reach the other side of the clam, push the knife in to cut through the second muscle. Lift up the top shell and twist it. Run your knife under the clam to release it from the bottom shell."

As for selecting clams, Chef Moonen points to soft shell clams for steamers (and in fact these are often called "steamer clams").  He further says they "will always gape open around that chubby siphon.  You can tell they're still alive by touching the siphon; it should react a little . . . Clams need to breathe so be sure the bag they're packed in remains open until you get them home . . . Store clams wrapped in a damp kitchen towel or damp newspaper."  All this and so much more can be found in Rick Moonen's excellent book, "Fish Without a Doubt."

Q - Say it isn't so!!!  I heard that AJ's at the Hard Rock is closed!

A - Well there's some temporary good news, some additional good news, and then some bad news.  The first and the last add up to this - AJ's Steakhouse is not closed yet, but will do so on December 13, 2008.  But between now and then the restaurant is inviting guests to "Dine Like It's 1999," which is to say menu items offered at the same price as when the place opened in 1999.  For example, instead of the recent tariff of $44 for an AJ's strip steak, it's now $33.  Make it on a Friday or Saturday night and there will be a free side order of grand piano tunes.  Reservations at 702.693.5500.

Q - On the recipe for your Pound Cake, there is no salt or baking powder listed.  Do I use self-rising flour or cake flour?

A - Actually the recipe does call for a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and does not need baking powder.  It does call for baking soda, and as noted uses all-purpose flour.  If you give it a try, please let us know how you like it.  Others can find this Pound Cake version by Treasure Island Executive Pastry Chef Debra Mitchell on our Recipes page for the week of 09.24.08.

No Mailbag for 10.29.08

For the week of 10.22.08

Q - Is apple cider really just apple juice or does it contain alcohol or what?

A -  The really interesting "All About Apples" website gives us this distinction: apple cider is essentially apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process that removes coarse pulp or sediment. Their information in combo with further data from Answers.com further breaks this down by defining the unfiltered liquid that is bottled for immediate consumption as sweet cider which is generally non-alcoholic, while the same liquid that is allowed to ferment does develop an alcoholic content and this form is called hard cider.  Next week we'll take this a step further by turning the spotlight on applejack and apple brandy.

Q - Well it's that time of year again!  Help!  What to do with the leftover Halloween candy???

A -  We have a short answer and a half-promise. The former comes from that Internet list of household tips, and thanks again to both Trillis and Colleen for forwarding those to us, where we find a suggestion to chop up the candy bars with a food chopper, and use them to top sliced apples that are then baked at 350 for 15 minutes and served as is or with vanilla ice cream. It specified Snickers but probably many candy bars could do just as well.  And stay tuned.  We just may have a lot more on this is a special segment in the next couple of weeks.

For the week of 10.15.08

Q - Great drinks last week!  But how about something special for Halloween that would go with Mexican food?

A - Coming right up, and we can thank Hawaiian Tropic Zone, in Las Vegas at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.  Called Perla's Pumpkin Spice Margarita, it was created exclusively for HTZ by Las Chicas Cazadores, "a talented group of tequila ambassadors that bring the traditions and culture of Mexico to life through song, dance - and tequila."  Just click on our Recipes page in the left hand menu for the recipe.

    And this, by the way, is a real cool place, both the high design dining room and strip-side patio.  And as regulars know, given the omg-sized video wall, cabaret dancers, and parade of events, it's pretty much always dinner and a show here.

Q - Can you give me a REALLY GOOD recipe for pumpkin pie?

A - Well, no sooner had your question come in than the fates sent an answer - OK, not the fates, really, but rather, awesome Chef Raul who helms the pastry kitchens at the JW Marriott in Summerlin, the five-star resort in the northwest sector of the Las Vegas valley.  Hit our Recipes page for his surprisingly easy version, though it also does make enough for a crowd.

For the week of 10.08.08

Q - [This is actually the composite of ongoing requests for something new and different, in general, and beginning around now, for the holiday table]

A - From Trevi Italian Restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesars comes Chef Peter Scaturro's tasty twist on a classic risotto. Wait . . . come back!  He makes this fig and sausage version ever so easy to prepare. You'll find it at the top of our Recipes page.

Q - [And proving that our audience has "spirit," we receive an equal number of pleas fro something extraordinary in the cocktail realm]

A - Have we ever got the right stuff for you! And as a bonus, some new glassfuls from various MGM properties in Las Vegas are especially crafted to add extra cheer for the coming holidays. Just hit our Recipes page to find the secrets to the Pumpkin Spice Martini, the Jack-O-Lantern, and the Hot Chocolate Martini.

P.S. - If you are interested in enjoying some food and beverage selections "on the outside" this fall, by all means step into the MGM Grand Spa for the Hot Café y Horchata Pedicure, or the Kim Vo Salon at the Mirage for the Moroccan Jasmine Tea Manicure and Pedicure, or The Spa at New York-New York for a Relaxation Massage that calls upon citrus, peppermint, and an orange and chocolate bar (the latter for the inside).

For the week of 10.01.08

Q - I made the broccoli salad on your recipes page and it was just delicious, but the dressing seemed to get a bit watery after a while. Is there a way to avoid this?

A - OK, you're going to make me 'fess up. While I otherwise always buy fresh, loose broccoli, for this particular salad I use instead the bagged product because it seems almost impossible to get all the water out of the broccoli you wash yourself. The bagged broccoli is already washed and dried, and thus won't dilute your dressing. That recipe, by the way, is from the awesome cookbook, "A Taste of the Gunflint Trail," which also serves as a sort of virtual getaway to a magical part of our country.

Q - I recently caught up with your coverage of private dining areas in Las Vegas, and while this is a great reference, I'm wondering if there are any offbeat kind of places to hold an event.

A - A few places come to mind, and a couple of those are quite new. There are the two lodges in the mountains that are about 45 minutes and a world away from Las Vegas (www.mtcharlestonlodge.com and for the hotel, 866.538.6194). How about Liberace's home, across from UNLV, now called the Las Vegas Villa (www.lasvegasvilla.com).  Or the Majorie Barrick Museum at UNLV, (hrcweb.nevada.edu/Museum). As for those new places, the first is the historic downtown 5th Street School that has recently been reborn as a cultural arts center and has event/party space ranging from 5,600 sq/ft to over 15,000 sq/ft. (702.229.6469). That other one? Well can you say brrrrrr? It's the Minus 5 Experience at Mandalay Place in Mandalay Bay, where everything from the walls to the furniture to the actual glasses are made of ice, and it's available for weddings and more (lasvegas@minus5experience.com). For folks that may have missed it, check out the March 26, 2008, lineup in our Archives for that original report.

Q - I just moved to a small town and no one here has my favorite fast food which is gyros (if I'd known that, wouldn't have come here!). I can get pita bread in the grocery store, and I can fake the meat, but I need help with the sauce.

A - One of the best recipes I found comes from an unexpected source, and that's the California Asparagus Commission. They published a tsatsiki sauce recipe in conjunction with a pita sandwich made with lamb cubes and asparagus spears that have been tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and then grilled - the asparagus is then cut into 2-inch pieces. You'll find the sauce recipe right at the top of our recipe page.

For the week of 09.24.08

Q - Can you help me try to re-create a cake that a co-worker used to bring to our offices? It was dense like a pound cake, but would just melt in your mouth, and also had a slight almond flavor.

A - For all things pastry, we know we can always turn to the ever-innovative Debra Mitchell, executive pastry chef at Treasure Island, the Las Vegas Strip hotel and casino now more popularly known as TI. Just click on our main Recipes page and you'll find her delectable version right at the top.

Q - A new neighbor gave me a food basket that included a container with a hand-written label that said "Burrata cheese," and I'm too embarrassed to ask her what the heck it is.  Can you tell me, and also how to use it?

A - Burrata is a fun little hybrid that stuffs mascarpone cheese into a hollow ball of fresh mozzarella.  I have to say, though, I actually find it really, really bland. That's probably why it's usually paired with, e.g., tart fruits, roasted vegetables, or cured meats and fish. Then it becomes just kind of a creamy condiment. But, hey, you may love it just as it is. Experiment and see what works for you.

This is one we've had for a while, and now thanks to the June 2008 (yeah, little behind in the reading) issue of Santé Magazine, we have a good answer --

Q - I was telling my sister that I've just discovered how wonderful whole artichokes are, and she told me to be sure not to serve wine with them because artichokes spoil the taste of the wine. Is that true?

A - A story in that issue by Rebecca Chapa, quotes Chef/Owner Jim Barasso of Firefly Grill & Wine Bar in Encinitas, California, as saying, "The idea that artichokes cannot be paired with wine is a huge misconception," and he goes on to recommend "an extremely dry wine with high acidity. By the way, though this publication is directed to restaurant professionals, it is so rich in food and beverage buzz that it would be of great interest to just about any foodie. www.isantemagazine.com