Fried leeks are the elegant relative of fried onion rings. Chefs at fine restaurants use them to top steaks and fish for visually arresting height and palate-pleasing crunch.

The deep fried leek strips are equally at home atop a burger or eggs: omelet, poached or scrambled.

In the recipe in the photo, executive chef/owner Christopher Seckman of Louisville’s North End Cafe serves grilled Atlantic salmon atop an asparagus-shiitake risotto cake with chardonnay butter sauce and sautéed spinach (the photograph shows a substitution of asparagus in season).

The garnishes: fried leeks and a balsamic reduction.

Try your hand at making fried leeks. We predict they’ll become a popular garnish in your home.
 
 
RECIPE: FRIED LEEKS

Ingredients

1. Sift flour and cornstarch together.

2. In a frying pan, heat oil to 350°F.

3. Dust leeks in flour mix and fry in one layer until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Drain on a paper towel, season with salt (we use fine sea salt).

Find more of our favorite vegetable recipes.
 
 
WHAT TO DO WITH LEEK GREENS (LEEK TOPS)

Don’t toss the leek greens you’ve trimmed way. They can be julienned and fried separately for another dish. You can julienne and fry them or add them to soups and casseroles.

Here’s how to cook them.
  

Head to the Oregon Truffle Festival to get
your share! Photo courtesy Taste Of Oregon.
Check out this recipe for Roast Chicken With
Truffles.

Registration is now open for the eighth annual Oregon Truffle Festival, with Early Bird pricing available through September 30th. The festival takes place in the southern Willamette Valley, in and around Eugene, Oregon.

The Festival celebrates Oregon’s native truffles, which reach the peak of ripeness in late January. The truffles are foraged in the forest, then brought to glory on the table by prominent chefs, whose dishes are paired with fine Oregon wines.

Truffle lovers can luxuriate in all things truffle on January 25, 26 and 27, 2013. Consider it as a memorable vacation or holiday gift.

Ticket packages begin at $525 per person, plus travel and accommodations. Options include these events and more:

 
There is also a truffle cooking class and other trufflicious options.
 
Learn more at OregonTruffleFestival.com.

All about truffles.
  

Believed to have originated in Australia, the nuts grow on a genus of evergreen trees. They were named after named after John Macadam, a botanist who first described the genus.

While macadamia nuts contain even more heart-healthy monounsaturated fats than the nuts included on the FDA’s recommended list of heart-healthy nuts, they did not make the list because of their caloric density. (The FDA recommends that an ounce of nuts a day can be part of a heart-healthy diet.)

A one-ounce serving of dry roasted macadamia nuts, about 10 nuts, has 200 calories.* But that doesn’t mean that you can’t include them in your meals—just don’t eat them by the bowl full.

According to a 2008 study in the Journal of Nutrition, a diet rich in macadamia nuts may lower LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol (it’s the monounsaturated “good” fats lower blood pressure and cholesterol).

(Dog owners note: Like chocolate, macadamias are toxic to canines.)
 
 
WAYS TO ENJOY MACADAMIA NUTS

Some of our favorite uses:

 
Macadamia Butter

Pick up a jar of macadamia butter at a natural foods store (Artisana macadamia nut butter was a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week).

Use it as you would peanut butter—as a spread, in ice cream, in baking, in sauces. We like it as a sauce with this easy fish recipe.
 
 
FISH FILLETS WITH MACADAMIA BUTTER

Ingredients For 6 Servings

[1] Macadamia nuts (photo by Fotostreet | IST).

[2] Macadamia nuts growing on the tree (photo courtesy Hawaiian Host | Facebook).

[3] Macadamia nuts in shell.

 
Preparation

1. COOK THE FISH. Lightly rub fish fillets with oil and sprinkle with salt. Sauté or steam, as you prefer (you can also fry them). Move to a warm serving platter.

2. MAKE THE SAUCE. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the macadamia butter and cook over low heat for 1 minute.

3. PLATE & SERVE. Plate the fish, pour the macadamia butter sauce over the fillets. Garnish the fillets with chopped parsley and chopped macadamia nuts. Serve with a lemon wedge, your favorite green vegetable, steamed, and brown rice, quinoa or other whole grain.

More macadamia recipes.

Find more of our favorite nuts and nut butters.

 
________________
*It also contains 2 g of fiber, 2 g of protein and 20 g of fat (including 4 g of saturated fat); 15% of the daily value (DV) for thiamine, 8% DV for magnesium, 6% DV for vitamin B6 and phosphorus, 4% DV for niacin and iron and 2% DV for zinc and calcium.
  

Are you using enough microwave heat to kill
all harmful bacteria? Photo © Barry Schwartz
| Flickr.

But it’s not effective at killing harmful bacteria if the food isn’t heated to a safe internal temperature, according to the Partnership for Food Safety Education, a non-profit group. The misconception that the microwaved kill bacteria is one of their four featured food safety myths for 2012.

September is National Food Safety Education Month. The Partnership, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a network of retailers across the U.S., has launched its annual Home Food Safety Mythbusters. See how many of the four safety myths you believe.

About one in six Americans—48 million people—will get a foodborne illness this year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. The Partnership launched Mythbusters in 2009 to address common food safety myths and to give consumers actionable steps they can follow to protect themselves and their families from food poisoning.

The last mythbuster was the that was news for us, and good news at that!

MYTH: “If I microwave food, the microwaves kill the bacteria, so the food is safe.”

FACT: Microwaving itself isn’t what kills bacteria in food: It’s the amount of heat generated by the microwaves. Microwaved foods can cook unevenly because they may be shaped irregularly or vary in thickness. Even microwave ovens with a turntable can cook unevenly and leave cold spots in food, where harmful bacteria can survive.

WHAT TO DO: Be sure to follow package instructions and rotate and stir foods during the cooking process, if the instructions call for it. Observe any standing times specified in the directions: the heat from standing time may be needed to kill the bacteria. For foods that can harbor harmful bacteria, such as meat and poultry, check the temperature of microwaved foods with a food thermometer in several spots.

MYTH: “I wash all bagged lettuce and greens because it might make me sick if I don’t.”

FACT: While it is important to thoroughly wash most fresh fruits and vegetables, if packaged greens are labeled “ready-to-eat,” “washed” or “triple washed,” then the product does NOT need to be washed again at home. Pre-washed greens have been through a cleaning process immediately before going into the bag. Re-washing and handling the greens at home actually creates opportunities for contamination.

WHAT TO DO: Don’t rewash greens that have been washed already, and always handle pre-washed greens with clean hands. Make sure that cutting boards, utensils and counter tops are clean.

MYTH: “I don’t need to use a food thermometer. I can tell when my food is cooked by looking at it or checking the temperature with my finger.”

FACT: The only sure way to know food is safely cooked is to check the temperature with a food thermometer and confirm it has reached a safe internal temperature.

Color, texture and steam are not indicators that a food is safe to eat. The surface of a food might be steaming hot, but there may be cold spots inside.

WHAT TO DO: Keep a food thermometer on top of the microwave; this slender thermometer is unobtrusive. Clean the food thermometer with soap and water after each use.

MYTH: “I can’t re-freeze foods after I have thawed them: I have to cook them or throw them away.”

FACT: If raw proteins such as meat, poultry, egg products and seafood have been thawed in the refrigerator, then they can be safely re-frozen without cooking. Never thaw raw foods by letting them sit on the kitchen counter; the warmth of the room enables harmful bacteria to multiply quickly.

WHAT TO DO: Only re-freeze raw or partially cooked foods that have been thawed in the fridge. If raw foods are thawed outside of the refrigerator—for example, in the microwave or in cool water—they need to be cooked immediately.

Mythbusters educational materials, including a PowerPoint Presentation, a teachers’ kit, games for children and more, are all available as free downloads at Fightbac.org. You’ll also find the four tips from 2009 through 2011.
  

In no more than five minutes, you can make a drinkable dessert for grown-ups: espresso ice cream shooters.

It’s like a mini affogato.

This recipe comes from Starbucks, which has easy recipe ideas on its ice cream website.

Serves 4.
 
 
ESPRESSO SHOOTERS RECIPE

Ingredients

1. Add four teaspoons of liqueur to espresso. Pour chilled espresso into 4 chilled shot glasses.

2. If you are not using the liqueur, no sweetener is necessary. But if your preference is for sweet coffee, pre-sweeten the cup of coffee before pouring into shot glasses.

3. Top with a cookie scoop’s worth of coffee ice cream. Garnish, if desired, with cinnamon and serve with cut straws and/or espresso spoons.
 
 
> Find more of our favorite ice cream desserts.