Saturday, July 22, 2006

Deglaze

Who uses it: Cooks, particularly sauce-makers
What it means: To collect the browned bits and drippings from the bottom of a pan by adding a liquid (usually broth or wine) and stirring. It's usually the first step in making a gravy.
How you can use it: When getting the last bit of good out of something. The word is pronounced "day-GLAHZ," in the French way, although you don't usually hear it said that way on the Food Network.

Headed down to Freeport (and then to Yarmouth) later this afternoon, but first I need to do some baking for Jen's baby shower, tomorrow. I am making toffee bars, an old standby, and a recipe for lemon bars that is new to me, and requires me to make my own lemon curd. I've never done that before, so we'll see how it works out. I'm also making finger sandwiches (cucumber, turkey & chutney, and peanut butter and jelly for the kids -- no fish, because I do not like fish, and since I'm the cook I get to say).

Lest you think that tomorrow's event will be all elegant and hoity-toity, I should mention that I will also be bringing two two-liter bottles of Diet Coke and a packet of Mentos, so we can all see the Diet Coke/Mentos phenomenon for ourselves. I saw it at a 4th of July cookout, and it is just as spectacular as the Internet video suggests.

No, you can't take me anywhere...

3 comments:

Jennifer Lechner said...

While I am excited for the baby shower, I think I am most excited about the Mentos display!

Anonymous said...

wet baby shower...eeewwwww

Sue

Ellen Clair Lamb said...

No one got wet in the Diet Coke/Mentos demonstration! Spectators watched from Jen's deck as I set it off in the backyard. Grace was disappointed that it didn't make an exploding noise, but the plume of carbonation was pretty impressive. Jen's friend Gretchen got some good photos, which I'll try to post.

We will repeat the experiment on the Bragdons' dock when you visit next month!