Placing one or two bay leaves in unused flour or rice will serve as a deterrent to weevils.

If you’ve overcooked the crème anglaise (or any other custard-type sauce) and you have a slightly curdled texture, try quickly whisking the sauce with a wire whisk. If this doesn’t work, sometimes the sauce can be blended to a smoother consistency with the help of an immersion blender, regular blender or food processor.

If you glance over at the stove-top and notice a pot that’s just about to boil over, if you can get there quickly just blow on it: the cooler air rushing over the top surface will cool things down just enough to keep it from boiling over. You then have time to adjust the cooking temperature to prevent this from happening again.

If a look into your brown sugar reveals that it has gone hard as a brick, try this trick: place the sugar in a microwaveable bowl with a couple of apple slices or a few drops of water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 1/2 minute or so. If still hard, try another 1/2 minute in the microwave. This will usually soften the sugar enough to work with it.

The editors of Restsaurants & Institutions magazine have named Emeril Lagasse the 2004 Executive of the Year. For the full story, please read the June 15, 2004 issue of R&I magazine.

Chef Emeril Lagasse returns to Fetzer Vineyards Valley Oaks Ranch in Hopland, Mendocino County, September 24-25 for a harvest-time weekend featuring a trio of fun-filled events benefiting the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.

(Las Vegas, NV - JUNE 25, 2004) - Emeril Lagasse’s award winning restaurant Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House opened its doors in November 1995 at MGM Grand. The restaurant will re-open in early July with a new look created in partnership with New York design firm, the Rockwell Group of New York City.
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Green beans look best when they are green. To help them stay this way, blanch them in very salted water (it should taste like seawater). When they have reached the desired stage of doneness, remove them from the water and place directly into a cold water ice-bath. This will halt the cooking and will help preserve a vivid green color. Don’t worry about the beans being too salty, a lot of the salt will leach out into the cold water bath.

by Elizabeth Pearce

The irony of teaching English is that you never get to read much. Well, not much fiction, anyway, since my colleagues and I spend most of our days correcting compositions turned in by bleary-eyed freshmen that stayed up all night to churn them out.
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by John DeMers

When is la belle France more like Italy, Greece or Spain?

Jamais, you say, remembering the lush cream and butter, the regular applications of goose fat, the decadent desserts. Or, if you’re smart and possibly tanned, you might follow Emeril’s lead and answer with the title of one famous travel book: Toujours Provence.
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