Asian Recipes

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The Unrivaled Practical Guide for Asian Cooking

Which type of flowers are suitable for crystallizing? There are some better to use than others.

Many highly scented flowers are edible: fruit blossom, jasmine, lilac, wattle, clove-scented pinks, primroses, roses and violets. However, never eat flowers that have been treated with pesticides or any that are grown from bulbs as they are toxic. The flowers must be perfect, very fresh and completely dry. Use them as quickly as possible as they will begin to fade and wilt rapidly.

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11:15:00 on 10/26/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -

Are there any variations on the traditional flour, butter and sugar crumble? Sometimes we would like our crumbles to have something more in the way of crunch.

We can always add texture in several ways for our crumbles. Sprinkle the crumble topping with 30 g or 1/4 cup of coarsely chopped hazelnuts or walnuts, or flaked almonds before baking. Or use a coarser sugar such as demerara instead of caster sugar, and replace 30 g of the flour with the same weight of toasted muesli or crushed amaretti biscuits. Add these at the same time as the sugar.

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09:30:00 on 10/26/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -

Is there any way to determine how much topping to add to a crumble?

The shape and size of the dish you use will determine how much topping you should add. Choose a wide shallow dish rather than a narrow, deep one for a crumble; in a deep dish there will be a little less crunchy crumble showing on top, but plenty underneath which will not become crisp. Using a shallow dish with more surface area will result in a thinner, crispy topping.

Don't worry if some of the juice from the fruit seeps through the crumble. These sticky parts taste sweet and delicious - they are one of the best bits and every crumble should have some.

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08:30:00 on 10/26/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -

How to make croutons that are healthy but still tasty?

Usually croutons are made by frying 5 mm cubes of bread in oil or butter, which is delicious but rather high in fat. They can also be toasted, which cuts out the fat, but this tends to reduce the flavor. For a reasonable compromise, toss the cubes in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, then spread them on a baking tray and bake them in an oven preheated to 190 degrees C, for about 10 minutes, or until they are completely crisp.

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07:07:57 on 10/26/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -