Always place a rack in the bottom of the roasting pan, so the meat or poultry doesn't sit in its own fat drippings. And be sure to roast at a low temperature, about 350 F, to avoid searing the meat or poultry and sealing in the fat.
For basting, use fat-free liquids such as wine, tomato juice or lemon juice.
Heat oven to 400°F. Cut off wing tips; discard. Cut each wing at its joint into 2 pieces. Rinse wings well and dry with paper towels. Arrange wings in a large roasting pan. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Pour over wings. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn wings and continue roasting for 20 more minutes. Carefully pour off drippings in pan. Bake 10 more minutes until wings reach a deep brown color. Serve hot. Makes about 4 wings per serving.
This recipe serves 6 people. Due to the nature of this recipe, it adjusts the number of servings in multiples of 6 only.
by Jan Turner HazardClawed or Unclawed?
Most of us think of live Maine lobsters with those two large, meaty claws when we think of lobsters. You buy them live in many supermarkets today or have them sent to you via the Internet. If a Maine lobster is missing a claw, it is called a "cull".
Spiny lobsters, also called Rock Lobster, have no claws but hard shells and very long antennae. They come from both warm and cold water climates and are the most the source for frozen lobster tails. There are more than 40 species of clawless lobsters found around the world. They can grow as large as 15 pounds but most range from 1 to 5 pounds.
When I asked Chef Lee Lippert why they don't sell the tails from Maine lobsters, he told me they are just too expensive. The Maine lobster outgrows their tail meat after they reach one pound so the bigger the lobster, the less tail meat. In a one pound lobster, there is about 6 ounces of meat in a Maine Lobster tail but 7 1/2 ounces in a New Zealand clawless tail.
Warm Water or Cold?
When it comes to lobster tails, the first and most likely the most important decision you will make is whether to buy warm water or cold water tails. Warm water tails come mainly from Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America with big suppliers from Cuba and Nicaragua. Cold water tails generally come from Maine, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
According to Chef Lee, 1 out of 5 warm water tails that he handled while in the restaurant business were bad. What does he mean by bad?
What was his experience with cold water lobster tails?
Over his 25 year experience and having cooked more than 10,000 lobsters, he figures he only had 5 bad ones. That's some difference. It tells me if you want to avoid a disappointment when making a special diner, you want to buy cold water tails.
Yes, you will pay more for cold water tails. Lee figures it's about a $5.00 difference per pound but I think of it as buying an insurance policy. It will end up costing a lot more if you end up throwing one of the tails away besides ruining a beautiful dinner.
How can you tell the difference between warm water and cold water tails?
Quality and Taste Differences
There is a definite difference in taste and quality between warm and cold water tails. The cold water tails have whiter meat and are considered more tender because they grow more slowly in colder water. Most people will tell you the more expensive cold water tails also have a cleaner taste.
How to buy frozen lobster tails.
(serves 2)
2 Tbs butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 400.
Melt the butter in a pie pan in the oven as it's heating and swirl it around to coat the edges.
Mix together the eggs, milk, flour, and salt.
Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the melted butter. Lay the apple slices down in the butter. Pour the batter over the apple and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Take it out and turn it over onto a serving plate. Cut in slices and serve. Sprinke with powdered sugar, if desired.
Recipe by: Cheap Cooking
Did you know you can write your own cookbook? Even if you can't cook! You can create your own cookbook from some of your mother or grandmother's favorite recipes. Even if you absolutely hate to cook, if you write your own cookbook someone in the family will find a hidden recipe from their past that they have been searching for.
You can neatly type all the recipes or hand write them if formality is not important to you. The main thing is to get started. Getting organized is always the tough part. Once you've put together a few recipes the ideas will begin to jump out of your head!
First organize a few of your favorite dishes, whether it be desserts, main course entrees or simply a group of your favorite sandwiches. As you write your own cookbook you will want to categorize each section. You may find that you have enough ideas to write one complete book on sandwiches and another on desserts, etc., etc.
If you really start to get into the project, put your computer and digital camera to work. Use the same font as you type each recipe and include pictures of the finished meal. Or, if your instructions are a bit complicated, you can include photographs of each step along the way.
Once you have the project completed, simply store the pages in a neat three ring binder with those clear plastic protective sleeves.
So now you know you can write your own cookbook. Maybe you've just found a profitable niche. Cookbooks of all types are always on the top seller lists. I'll be looking for yours!
Turn your passion for cooking into some real cash! Learn how to write and sell your own cookbooks at Create Your Own Cookbook That Sells. Those dusty recipes in your file box may just make you rich!
By Steve Kettle
