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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Solving the lobster dilemma
Cooking calls for a light
head, a generous spirit, and
a large heart.
Paul Gauguin
(1848-1903)
I suppose this could be
said about Francois when he
is conducting a class with
his students. He is indeed in
his element in front of eager
faces, not to mention
appetites. As we sip wine
and get reacquainted,
Francois is making mental
notes of each person. He is a
master of personalities in
that he seats people near
others he feels will interact
well. Francois greets each of
us with a kiss to both cheeks
upon arrival. Once we sit
and receive our wine glass,
the introductions start. I’ve
made wonderful friends
through the cooking school
in addition to learning tech
niques in food preparation.
One of the most asked for
classes involves lobsters.
While Francois knows very
well that I haven’t personal
ly made anything with this
particular seafood, he does
keep encouraging me to do
so. I admit that it is on my to
do list. As my list gets small
er toward completion, I have
a decision to make. Live or
not? That is the question of
the day, week, month. I took
out some of Francois’
recipes to study and one
from Wiilliams Sonoma. I’ll
keep you informed as to
which I decide to make to
end (finally) my lobster
Satisfaction sealed in a Mason jar
A dip in the pool. Check.
Fresh lemonade. Check. A
cookout. Check. Vacation
Bible School. Check.
So far, summer is in full
swing. Yet I didn’t really feel
like my summer had truly
begun until I got out the jars
and the lids and the vinegar
and salt and made a few
pickles.
Actually, I’m a little late
getting started on my can
ning this year. But I can
gladly report that I have a
few jars of pickled okra sit
ting on the shelf, and more
to come. And I’m watching
the figs real close.
Some days I think I’m
More on lacing the summer sun's harmful rays
In last week’s column, I
wrote about possible risks
associated with over-expo
sure to our summer heat.
But did you know that there
are many medications that
may make your skin more
sensitive to the effects of
sunlight? This increased
sensitivity to the sun may
also increase your risk of a
heat related illness.
Most people have proba
bly seen the warning label
that their pharmacist places
on the bottles of some med
ications that reads “Avoid
prolonged exposure to sun
light.” This warning is refer
ring to the person taking the
medicine, not the medicine
itself.
This label indicates that
the medicine is one of the
many that may make your
skin more sensitive to the
effects of sunlight and that
you should take additional
precautions to avoid being
sunburned. And while this
sensitivity reaction (called
photosensitivity) may be
more common in fair-
A LA CARTE
From page 8A
Lemonade Pie I
This recipe from Betty
Crocker’s “Summer Get-
Togethers” is easy and cool.
Try garnishing with fresh
peaches or strawberries, or
use a chocolate crust for
color contrast.
4 cups vanilla ice
cream, softened
Catherine Collier Rentz
Let’s Get Cooking
catrentz@mindspring.com
dilemma. Of course I’ll need
to take a picture for
Francois as proof. And to
end the rumor, once and for
all. Enjoy!
Broiled Lobster with
Garlic Oil
2 garlic cloves, finely
chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive
oil
1 tablespoon melted but
ter
4 fresh lobsters (about 1
1/2 pounds each), split
lengthwise
Coarse (kosher) salt
1 lemon
Heat broiler; place rack at
least 6 from heat source. In
a small saucepan heat garlic,
olive oil and melted butter
over low heat. Brush lob
sters liberally with garlic
mixture and sprinkle lightly
with coarse salt. Broil four
minutes; baste with garlic
Sherry Martin
The Front Porch
Evans Newspapers
crazy. I look at the overflow
ing okra or the ripening
David Voltz
Pharmacy Q&A
voltzrph@hotmail.com
skinned people like me, it
can occur in all people,
regardless of skin tone.
It’s important to note that
it is not only sunlight that
your skin is more sensitive
to while taking these med
ications. You should also
avoid exposure to sunlamps
and tanning beds because
you may be burned more
easily by these as well.
When one of these medica
tions is taken, the chemical
in the drug is distributed
1 6-oz. can frozen
lemonade concentrate,
thawed
1 purchased graham
cracker crust
In medium bowl, mix ice
cream and lemonade con
centrate. Immediately spoon
into graham cracker crust.
Freeze at least 4 hours until
firm. Let stand at room tem
perature for a few minutes
FOOD&STYLE
mixture. Broil 3 minutes
more. Serve with lemon
wedges. Makes 4 servings.
Lobster and Corn
Chowder
Two live lobsters, 1 1/4-
1 1/2 pounds each
1 tablespoon canola oil
5 cups low-sodium
chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
3 ears of com, kernels
removed, kernels and
corncobs reserved
3 strips bacon, diced
1 yellow onion,
chopped
2 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 cups heavy cream
2 medium Yukon Gold
or other potatoes, diced
into 1/2 pieces
Salt and freshly
ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon chopped
fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped
fresh chives
Fill a large pot with 2
water; set over high heat
and bring to a boil; add lob
sters, cover and cook until
lobsters are red, about 7
minutes. Transfer lobsters
to a large ice bath to cool.
Remove meat from claws,
knuckles and tails; reserve
shells and bodies and refrig
erate meat until ready to
use. In a large pot over high
heat, warm oil. Add reserved
lobster shells and bodies and
fruit, and rub my tired back
and wonder why in the
world I have this compul
sion to fill those glass jars
with pickles, jams, jellies,
sauces and relishes. After
all, I live within driving dis
tance of a store. I can easily
go and buy just about any
thing I care to eat or cook.
But it’s not the same. You
just don’t get the same satis
faction looking at a pantry
full of store-bought jelly as
you do looking at the color
ful rows of jars filled by your
own hands.
I know I’m weird. When I
think about planning my
dream home, I think of the
throughout the body, includ
ing the skin. The presence of
the chemical in the skin
makes the skin more sensi
tive to ultraviolet (UV) radi
ation and more likely to
burn or react adversely to
UV exposure.
Some medications (such
as Retin A and Accutane)
are much more photosensi
tizing than others and the
degree of reaction may
depend on the dose of the
particular mediation being
taken and the duration of
therapy.
And since your skin is
more quickly affected by
sunlight while taking these
medications, the risk of heat
related illness is also
increased. People taking
these medications need to
not only take precautions
against sunburn but also
against heat exhaustion and
heatstroke.
If you are prescribed one
of these medications it is
important to not stop taking
the medication if you’re
going to be in the sun, just
before cutting. 8 servings
Lemonade Pie H
Here’s a variation on the
same theme, but made with
condensed milk.
14-oz. can sweetened con
densed milk;
1 6-oz can frozen lemon
ade concentrate, undiluted;
1 8-oz. carton frozen
saute until lightly browned,
about 5 minutes. Add chick
en broth, wine and corncobs,
bring to a simmer and cook
until reduced to about 2 1/2
cups, 25-30 minutes. In a
Dutch oven over medium
heat, saute bacon, stirring
occasionally, until crispy and
browned, 3-4 minutes. Add
onion, carrots, celery and
com kernels and saute, stir
ring occasionally, until ten
der, 4-5 minutes. Strain lob
ster-corn broth into Dutch
oven, add cream and bring
to a simmer. Stir in potatoes,
return to a simmer and
reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook until potatoes are ten
der, 15-18 minutes. Stir in
lobster meat, salt, pepper,
thyme and chives; cook, stir
ring occasionally, until lob
ster is heated through, 2-3
minutes. Adjust seasoning
as needed. Serves 4 to 6.
Lobster Soup Di Venezia
Tomato broth:
2 tablespoons of olive
oil
1 green onion, chopped
1 shallot, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
and diced
Pinch of fresh rose
mary
1 cup tomato coulis (or
a thick tomato puree)
1/2 cup of clam juice or
use the lobster broth
2 tablespoons of olive
normal things - big rooms,
big closets, glamour bath,
big front porch, and a gour
met kitchen. But you know
what I would really like - if I
could have my kitchen
exactly like I wanted it? A
canning closet. i-\
Yup. One closet or pantry
dedicated solely to jars, vine
gar, lids, rings, spices and
cheese cloth. No more
scrambling to round up
enough wide mouth jars for
pickles, or half pints for jelly.
No more searching for that
elusive magnetic wand used
to take lids out of hot water.
No more wondering where
in the world I am going to
take some precautions. Use
physical barriers such as
sunglasses, hats, and loose
fitting clothes. Wear sun
screen with a sun protection
factor (SPF) of at least 15 or
higher and make sure to
reapply as often as the prod
uct label recommends. And
drink lots of water while
outside in the heat.
So what are the medica
tions that can cause photo
sensitivity? It’s a long list,
so I’ll just mention some of
the more common ones. If
you have any questions
about your specific medica
tion, be sure to ask your
pharmacist or physician.
Along with Accutane and
Retin A, tetracyclines (such
as Doxycycline, Minocin,
Monodox, Achromycin),
sulfa antibiotics (such as
Septra, Bactrim, Azulfidine,
Gantrisin) and quinolone
antibiotics (such as Cipro,
Levaquin, Tequin, Floxin,
Avelox) are among the more
photosensitizing medica
tions.
Sulfa-related drugs (such
whipped topping, thawed;
2 prepared graham crack
er crusts
Fold sweetened condensed
milk and lemonade
concentrate into whipped
topping; spoon into crusts.
Freeze at least eight
hours. Garnish with lemon
slices. Can be made ahead
and kept in the freezer.
oil
1/2 leek, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 mussel per guest
1/2 sliced carrot
1 raw lobster tail,
shelled, split in half
2 raw lobster claws
1/2 cup champagne
Pinch of hot sauce
3 fresh green beans per
person
2 shrimps per person
Sprinkle of herb of
Provence
Heat the oil over medium
heat and saute the green
onion, garlic, shallot and
rosemary for 1 minute. Add
the tomato coulis and cook
for 1 minute. Add the clam
juice and simmer 5 minutes.
Puree through a blender
and set aside. Inside a large
pan over medium heat,
saute the leek and garlic
with the olive oil for 30 sec
onds. Add the mussels, lob
ster, shrimps and saute for 3
minutes. Add the wine and
hot sauce and cook for a
moment. Then add the car
rots and beans. Cook for 2
minutes, then add the toma
to broth and simmer for 5
minutes only. Serve at once
with country bread.
Maine Lobster in Cognac
and Cream Sauce
1 small lobster per per
son (about 1 pound),
split in half lengthwise
1/6 cup of butter
put all of the pear relish I
just made. No more trying to
remember where I stored
that lime that I didn’t use
up last year.
Things would come out of
the canning closet, right
ready to use, and go back in
neatly and orderly. A place
for everything, and every jar
in its place.
Then I could sneak into
my canning closet late at
night, switch on the light,
and soak in the greens, yel
lows, reds and purples glow
ing back at me. Satisfaction
sealed in a Mason jar.
Like I said, I’m weird.
Wouldn’t it be more normal
as Hydrochlorothiazide,
Maxzide, Lozol, Phenergan,
Thorazine, Compazine,
Prolixin and Trilafon) as
well as the sulfa-related oral
anti-diabetic medications
(Glucotrol, Diabeta, Glynase
and Micronase) are also pho
tosensitizing.
Some over-the-counter
medications may also cause
this reaction. Benadryl,
Claritin, ibuprofen, naprox
en and the herbal supple
ments St. John’s Wort, dong
quai and bitter orange all
have had reports of photo
sensitizing reactions.
And I could go on and on
listing drugs, but I won’t
because it’s a very long list.
These I’ve mentioned are
just some of the more com
mon offenders. If you are
taking a prescription med
ication, read both the warn
ing labels on the bottle and
the accompanying informa
tion handout that your
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2004 ♦
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped
onion
1/4 cup finely chopped
red onion
1/4 tomato coulis
A small garlic, diced
1/4 cup of tarragon and
chives, chopped
1/2 cup Chardonnay
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Generous dash of
Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
Saute the pieces of lobster
in butter until they are com
pletely red. Pour off the but
ter and deglaze the saute
pan with 3 tablespoons
cognac. Flame the lobster,
cover and set aside. Heat the
1/4 cup olive oil in a pan and
saute the red and regular
onion, chopped. When near
ly done, add the tomato
coulis, wine, chicken stock,
herbs, Tabasco sauce and
bring to a boil; add the lob
ster to the mixture and cook
covered gently on top of the
stove for 10 minutes. Keep
warm. Chop the green coral
and add one tablespoon of
butter in a large salad bowl
and whisk for 30 seconds.
Then add this mixture to
the cooking liquid. Blend it
well. Take the pan off the
heat. Season the sauce to
your taste and add the heavy
cream. Reduce by half. Serve
adding a sprinkle of fresh
herbs if desired.
Bon appetit!
to dream about having my
shoes all fined up in a row, so
that I will never again, in an
early morning scramble,
pull out one blue and one
black shoe and wear them
together?
But why be normal? It’s
much more delicious to
dream of filling jars, and to
find the time to try out just
one more new canning
recipe this summer.
Sherri Martin, who has
been growing her own veg
etables since she was knee
high to a grasshopper, is
Associate Editor of the
Macon County News Leader.
pharmacist gives you.
These should indicate
whether or not you ought to
be more cautious when in
the sun while taking your
medication. Ask your phar
macist or physician if there
is a specific medication
you’re curious about. And
even if you’re not taking a
photosensitizing medica
tion, always wear sunscreen
and drink lots of water while
outdoors.
If you have any questions
regarding medications or
pharmacy practice in gener
al, or comments, or sugges
tions for topics you’d like to
read about in this column,
just write to me. I can receive
email via voltzrph@hot
mail.com or postal mail at
Pharmacy Q&A, c/o The
Houston Home Journal, PO
Box 1910, Perry, GA. 31069.
All questions are confiden
tial, so you don’t have to give
your name.
9A
jm