By JANET K. KEELER from staff and wire reports
Published July 16, 2003
Blueberries
[Times photo]
Toll house cookies
Toll house cookies
If you love the all-American chocolate chip cookie, raise a glass of milk to Ruth Wakefield. As the innkeeper of the Toll House Inn of Whitman, Mass., she developed the recipe that would someday be a fixture on the back of Nestle chocolate chip bags.
Wakefield and her husband, Kenneth, purchased the inn in 1930; she often served the popular Colonial-era cookie called a Butter Drop-Do. One day, in the interest of variety, she added a chopped Nestle chocolate bar to the dough, expecting it to melt into the cookies as they baked. The chunks held their shape and a cookie was born.
The popularity of the cookies spread quickly, and by 1939 the Nestle Co. had introduced its semi-sweet chocolate morsels. Wakefield agreed to allow Nestle to distribute the recipe on its product. Part of the agreement was a lifetime supply of chocolate. Wakefield died in 1977, and the inn burned down in 1984.
Here's the recipe:
Mrs. Wakefield's Original Toll House Cookie Recipe
21/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Food Network's Alton Brown (Good Eats) dishes it out on the Rants & Raves page of his Web site. His latest beef? He's angry at the security folks at the Allentown, Pa., airport for refusing to let him board a plane last month with his 10-inch Calphalon skillet. He calls the security guy a goon and a bully, and claims he was hardly a security risk. Read more Brown huffings here. Oh, yeah, he has some nice things to say, too, but they aren't nearly as much fun to read.
Constant comment
"If you accept a dinner invitation you have a moral obligation to be amusing." - Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor in The Windsor Style by Suzy Menkes, 1988.
Cooking class
The dark, thick oil made from roasted sesame seeds adds a distinctive rich nuttiness to many Asian dishes. However, because of its pronounced flavor, this is not a cooking oil but more of a seasoning. Usually, it is added in the last stages of cooking or with a light touch in a marinade or dressing. Neutral tasting, light sesame oil is not a substitute for the darker version. Purchase Asian sesame oil in small quantities because it is highly perishable, and refrigerate it after opening.
What is that?
Stevia, the natural sweetener found in health food stores, tastes 200 times sweeter than sugar, with few or no calories. A few grains go a long way. Japan incorporates stevia, which comes from a plant native to Latin America, into many commercial foods. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls it a "dietary supplement," not a "sweetener." Advocates claim stevia does not raise insulin levels. Stevia's greatest salute states it is "natural," as opposed to artificial sweeteners.
A grate job
If you hate the chore of cleaning your grill, Grill Wipes from Grate Chef might make the job easier. The disposable wipes contain vegetable oil formulated specifically for the high temperatures of grilling, so you can clean and oil your grate at the same time. The wipes, about $3 for a package of six, are available online at www.barbecue-store.com For more information, visit www.gratechef.com or call toll-free 1-877-900-8415.
Go big blue
Research has shown blueberries may help prevent cancer, reduce the risk of heart disease and improve vision. Now R.C. Bigelow Inc. has found a way to capture those benefits in a tasty tea. Its new Blueberry Harvest is made with wild blueberries, along with herbs such as hibiscus, rose hips, chamomile and licorice root. It is caffeine-free and calorie-free. The tea is available in grocery stores for about $3 for a box of 20.
