The special guests on the Post’s recent online food chat included cooking teacher Linda Carlucci. Here are edited excerpts from that chat:
Q: I’m thinking of grilling or smoking some foods for Thanksgiving. Do you have any recommended dishes?
A: I’ve got several recommendations for you. One is the turkey. To find my recipe, go towashingtonpost.com/recipes and search for Bourbon-Brined Smoked Turkey.
I love grilled Brussels sprouts; just cut them in half (or not), drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and grill in a grill basket over medium-high heat, turning a couple of times, for about five minutes.
Another is scorched sweet potatoes. Simply throw the potatoes onto the fire (yes, directly onto the coals). With long-handled tongs, turn every 10 minutes for about a half-hour. When soft, remove, and make into your favorite puree recipe.
I used to smoke my own turkey, and I might this year. But years ago, I discovered Greenberg Smoked Turkeys in Tyler, Texas. They are amazing!
I have ordered one ever since: gobblegobble.com.
Q: A cake baking question: I like the fine texture that cake flour provides, but many recipes call for regular flour. Are regular flour and cake flour interchangeable in cake recipes?
A: I love cake flour, too. The thing is, it’s so much softer in protein than regular flour that you can’t sub one-for-one — at least not by volume. Cake flour weighs less. So if you weigh your flour, you can sub it; or if the recipe calls for all-purpose, you can weigh the amount, then put it aside and weigh out that amount of cake flour.
An estimate: For every cup of all-purpose flour, you will probably want to add an extra two tablespoons of cake flour.
Q: In preparation for holiday baking, I made a large batch of crystallized ginger for the first time. Very easy, and it tastes wonderful!
However, it darkened considerably as it dried. That won’t stop me from baking with it, but in the future, how can I prevent it from darkening?
A: That must be why they add sulfur to the ginger. I wonder if a crushed Vitamin C tablet might help. Some chefs (not I) add it to pesto to keep the basil green. I object to the acid flavor it contributes.
Q: I am a garlic lover and use it in everything. Where does one buy whole peeled garlic cloves? How long will they keep stored in the fridge? Will they maintain the taste of freshly peeled and chopped garlic?
A: You can find them in the produce department, refrigerated section, in a zip-top bag. They retain their potency!
Q: My husband has been looking for a new grill, and there are so many on the market. Can Jim Shahin offer suggestions for a novice buyer? Are the grills the experts use really expensive?
A: The grills used by top competitors tend to run into the thousands of dollars. Personally, I don’t think you can go wrong with a basic Weber kettle. (I like the Performer, which comes with an attached table and a pull-out charcoal bag holder.)
The bullet-shaped Weber Smoky Mountain is a good overall starter smoker.
You hear a lot of griping from the “experts” about low-end barrel smokers (firebox on one end, chimney on the other) and, true, they won’t last forever and they leak smoke. But (a) I’ve made sensational BBQ on them, (b) I’ve tasted sensational BBQ made by others on them, and (c) they teach you about fire. Brinkmann makes a pretty good starter version, available at chain hardware stores.
Q: Do you have any suggestions for what to do with lemon-infused olive oil? I was thinking of drizzling roasted Brussels sprouts with it and topping with fresh lemon zest but am open to other suggestions.
A: Here are some: vinaigrettes, roast chicken, olive oil cakes, delicate fish crudos, seviches, risotto, over the goat cheese on a cheese board. And go to washingtonpost.com/recipes and search for Lemon- and Honey Flavored Chicken!
Q: I sent my boyfriend to the grocery store to pick up anchovies and he came back with a couple of tins of sardines. Do you have any recommendations for interesting savory ways to use them up?
A: I think sardines taste great with cottage cheese on a crisp whole-wheat cracker, such as Ak-Mak. I know that the bones have lots of calcium, and they are edible, but I prefer to remove them.