THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 30, 1995 TAG: 9503290043
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F6 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Morsels
SOURCE: Ruth Fantasia
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
SALMONELLA IS BACK in the news, and this time eggs are the conductors.
As a precaution, some news organizations put warnings on recipes that include raw eggs. Those I saw recently on one recipe read like the caution on a pack of cigarettes.
But you can still have your Caesar salad or hollandaise sauce: Simply pasteurize the eggs before adding them to the recipe, says Shirley Corriher, an Atlanta-based food chemist.
At a recent food writers' workshop in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., re Corriher said the pasteurizing of eggs is controlled by temperature and cooking time. Make an egg safe by heating it to 140 degrees and holding it for 3 minutes, or by heating it to 160.
Eggs scramble at 160 degrees so you want to avoid that method when a recipe calls for raw eggs. The solution, Corriher says, is to heat the eggs to between 150 and 155 degrees and hold them for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
First, combine the raw eggs with a liquid that will be used in the recipe - the cream in truffles or the lemon juice in hollandaise, for instance. Place a pan of cold water by the stove and place the egg mixture in an 8-inch skillet. Heat the eggs over low heat, constantly scraping the bottom with a flat wooden spatula.
When you see wisps of steam or tiny bubbles forming, you've reached the proper temperature. When the yolks begin to thicken, remove the pan from the stove and place the bottom of the skillet in the cold water. Keep stirring until you're sure the eggs have cooled.
Then, proceed with the recipe as directed. A vacation that cooks
If you're thinking of combining a vacation with cooking classes, consider the Country Cookin' Workshops at the Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May, N.J.
Last fall's session, which focused on Southern cooking and was featured in the Oct. 2 Flavor, was scheduled as a one-time event. But attendees had so much fun, the hotel has planned another.
Participants will awaken early to make spoonbread and fried fish, and spend the afternoon kneading Parker House rolls or making crab cakes. In between, there'll plenty of time to see Victorian Cape May.
The weekend sessions include two nights at the Chalfonte, seven hours of kitchen instruction, two dinners, two breakfasts, afternoon tea and a guided tour. Workshop fees are from $225 to $245. Call (609) 884-8409. Guide to produce markets
Virginia Grown,'' a guide to pick-your-own produce and farmer's markets in Virginia, is available. For a free copy, send your name and address to: Virginia Grown, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Marketing, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, Va. 23209. ILLUSTRATION: Eggs: latest salmonella scare.
by CNB