August is flying by and Fall is in "the air". The oppressive July heat wave is finally over and we are finally able to open our doors, windows and enjoy "playing" outside again. Next to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, I find this time of year the most stressful. While most of the world around me is buzzing with back-to-school preparations and activities, Joe's garden is yielding produce at breakneck speed:
A couple of days ago, he picked a tree full of plums (hundreds) and apples are not far behind. That will be the end of our fruit season. While I have all sorts of apple recipes ready to post, I'm working on something very special here on KE for those plums, so stay tuned!
Our basil is glorious and tomatoes are ripening as I type. Recipes for these are coming this week on KE!
Kitchen Encounters got one interesting question and one wonderful comment this week, so, here they are (and keep them coming... I enjoy hearing from each and every one of you):
Q. Geanna asks: I have recently been given my grandmother's recipe file. In many of her recipes, she refers to "scalding" the milk. How do I "scald" milk? Do I just boil it?
A. Kitchen Encounters: Scalding milk means to heat it to just below the boiling point. Many cooks use a double-boiler for this, because it insures that the milk doesn't scorch, but, a heavy-guage saucepan will work just fine. Your grandmother put this instruction in her recipes because "back in her day", prior to pasteurization, scalding killed organizms and enzymes in raw milk that prevented the emulsifying agents in milk from thickening. If you are using pasteurized milk, the manufacturer has already scalded the milk for you, which makes scalding milk unnecessary!
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C. Leslie says: Melanie, when I saw your recipe for lemon meringue pie show up on the internet I wanted to cry (tears of joy). This is my dads favorite pie recipe and my mom made him one every year. My mother suddenly passed away two years ago and if she had a recipe written down, I cannot locate it. She baked lemon meringue pie for him every year on his birthday. His birthday is coming up on August 31st and I am making your recipe for him! Thank you!
A. Kitchen Encounters: Leslie, you made my day with this comment! I am so pleased you are making my recipe for him. I've received LOTS of great comments about it so I know he will enjoy it! (My recipe for ~ My Love Affair w/Lemons & Lemon Meringue Pie ~ can be found in Category 6.)
Enjoy your weekend everyone, and once again: To leave a comment or ask a question, simply click on the blue title of any post, scroll to the end of it and type away... or e-mail me directly!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipes, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2012)
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