Providing the Best for Our Customers Since 1982!
Key Ingredient - Lemons!
Pity the poor lemon, the selfless workhorse of the kitchen. Chameleon-like, it hides its light under a bushel, its merits camouflaged by whatever it's enhancing. It brightens every beloved classic that crosses its path, from chicken salad to deviled eggs to strawberry shortcake, without ever taking the credit. Lemon peel contains essential oils, meaning its zest contributes perfume as well as flavor to anything it touches. Lemon just can't help but make everything else look good. Its acidity stops peeled fruit from oxidizing, helps jam gel, stiffens whipped cream, and even "cooks" the raw fish in ceviche. It's the backup singer... the Cyrano. |
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The fruit of the Citrus medica tree, lemons are indigenous to India and China and reached the Mediterranean in the first century A.D., when Romans discovered a direct sea route between the Red Sea and India. Cultivated extensively in the Mediterranean basin since the fourth century A.D., the fruit arrived in the New World with Columbus. Lemons have a sugar content of just 1 percent, the lowest of any fruit. Perhaps it's that contrast - between its sunny, innocent appearance and the astringent, no-holds-barred taste - that makes the word lemon a near epithet in so many languages... we all know about the lemons at the used-car dealership! However, in the kitchen, lemons shine. |
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The Versatile Chicken ~
Chicken, capon, Rock Cornish hen, duck and turkey - these birds have come home to roost permanently on America's dinner table, and for good reason. They are easy on the pocketbook, gentle on the waistline, and never boring, for a chicken is to a cook what a blank canvas is to an artist. You can poach, roast, grill, steam, saute, or braise it; you can dress it down or dress it up and let it strut its stuff. Poultry is good hot, warm or cold, with knife and fork or just fingers. There certainly is enough chicken for every pot in America today, and more often than not it shows up two or three times a week. |
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Considering chicken breeds weren't developed and stablized until the 18th century, the now nearly universal love for chicken has come on like a virtual rage, and chicken is still gaining in popularity. It's a particularly valued source of protein because it's lower in calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol than red meat. Calories can be reduced by 25 - 30% if you remove the fat at the opening of the cavities or trim fat from chicken parts and remove the fatty skin. In addition, broiling, roasting, poaching, steaming, microwaving, and sauteing in a nonstick pan deliver up flavorful poultry without additional fat and calories. Want to shake up your dinner table? Try our Curried Chicken Breasts for something a little exotic. Serve with white rice and a green vegetable for a very easy dinner. "I have often noticed that when chickens quit quarreling over their food they often find that there is enough for all of them. I wonder if it might not be the same with the human race." |
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