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By JANET K. KEELER, from staff and wire reports cold snap ceviche
Our search for food and drink that delivers maximum relief through little effort becomes more intense as the summer drags on and on. The Latin American dish ceviche, pronounced alternately seh-VEE-chee, seh-VEE-cheh or seh-VEESH, fits the bill in many ways. Most important, ceviche is wonderful served ice cold. At its essence, ceviche is raw seafood that's marinated, or cured, in citrus juices. Other ingredients, such as garlic, onions, tomato, cilantro and chopped red or green peppers, are often added to complement the seafood. Another beauty of ceviche, most often served as an appetizer or light lunch, is that nothing in it is cooked, which means no stove or oven heat pushing up the temperature in the house. To make ceviche, mix all the ingredients together and let meld in the refrigerator overnight. The citrus juices "cook" the seafood so that it becomes opaque just as if it had been cooked by heat. On a hot, humid evening, serve ceviche as the first course at a dinner party or as a salad with dinner. Use crisp, cold lettuce leaves to cradle the piquant melange, or maybe scoop it up with sturdy crackers. Close your eyes and feel the tropical breeze. Refreshing. Simple. Sophisticated. Ceviche. cooking classTo refresh somewhat wilted lettuces and other leafy greens, shock them with a quick shower under cold running water and then immediately pat dry or use a spinner. To refresh weary sugar snap or snow peas, try a 10-minute bath in ice-cold water. this web site cooksA tip from this everycook's site: If marshmallows become hard, tightly seal them in a plastic bag with two slices of fresh white bread and let stand for couple of days. The moisture from the bread will be absorbed by the marshmallows and soften them. If you're looking for a down-to-earth cooking site with plenty of tips and recipes, this one's a good bet. Food trivia, ingredient substitutions and a food glossary make easy work of kitchen detail. constant comment
"Today's restaurant is theater on a grand scale." wind chill factor
grilling corn
a good grind
don't skip siftingIt may seem almost old-fashioned, but when a recipe calls for sifting, it's a step worth taking. Even with pre-sifted flours, sifting eliminates lumps, but more important, sifting aerates the flour, affecting the final texture of the pastry. Sifting the flour together with other dry ingredients, such as baking powder and soda, spices, or salt, assures ingredients are evenly incorporated.
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
A recent item in the Chicago Tribune took a jab at our little stretch of gulf while giving some ink to a set of hors d'oeuvre picks from Sur La Table. "The seashells topping these elegant hors d'oeuvre wooden picks come from the Indian and Pacific oceans. They're so pretty, we wouldn't mind if they came from St. Pete's Beach, but whatever." Harrumph. It's St. Pete Beach and we notice it's quite suitable when the snow flies in Illinois. A set of 50 four-inch shell picks costs $7, and 5-3/4-inch picks are $11 at Sur la Table; to order by mail, call toll-free 1-800-243-0852 or visit 
To prepare corn on the cob for grilling: Pull the husks back, remove the silk, but leave most of the husks intact. Then twist the husk to make tight convenient handles. Lightly brush the corn with oil or butter and position them over a moderate to low fire, with the husky-handles off the grill, turning them as needed. Serve the corn husks and all for easy handling.
McCormick & Co. has introduced disposable salt and pepper bottles with built-in grinders that make it easy to flavor any dish. Remove the cap and twist the tops to grind whole spices. The McCormick Grinders are available in Black Peppercorn, Peppercorn Medley and Sea Salt flavors at a suggested retail price of $1.99. You can find them in the spice section of grocery stores. We especially like the pungent pepper medley, and the sea salt has more flavor than regular table salt so you will probably use less.
