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Chef Chip Desormeaux - 678.480.4973

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AMUSE BOUCHE                 by Chef Chip Desormeaux

/ah-mooz boosh/ def: A small complimentary appetizer offered at fine restaurants. From French, literally, "it entertains the mouth."

Food & Entertaining Tips from The Portable Chef

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How are you?

W e're into the fifth issue of Amuse Bouche! I hope you're enjoying reading Amuse Bouche as much as I do writing it!

Since the first issue at Thanksgiving last year, subscriptions have increased by 30%. I love all the great feedback I've gotten from all of you! And when you invite your friends to subscribe, it makes it even more fun! I really appreciate that.

Enjoy!

The Five-Second Rule

Last weekend I was contemplating my next newsletter article while preparing a diaper bag for the kids to go to Mom-Mom's house.

While washing out bottles I lost my grip on a bottle top, sending it hurtling to the floor. I visually followed the errant nipple while it skittered about, until it finally settled in the corner by the sink. I picked it up, dropped it back in the soapy water and finished my task.

Then it hit me. Remember the "five-second rule"?   Or, for some of us with a more sterile outlook, the "three-second rule?" (Catholics only: you're allowed to add a quick Sign of the Cross to enlist God's protection.)

As a kid, I found this technique to work exceptionally well on cookies and candy.

I recall my mom explaining how one could tell how many children a mother has had by how thoroughly she cleaned off her babies' pacifiers.

The first baby, everything gets sterilized in boiling water and thoroughly dried before being returned to use. After the second baby, warm soapy water will do the trick. By the third, a quick rinse under the faucet is sufficient. By the fourth, or fifth baby, the five-to-fifteen-second rule gets implemented and back in Baby's mouth it goes!

I suppose there's something to be said for building up one's immune system, but as a chef preparing meals in people's homes all over Atlanta, I'm forced to have some pretty high standards for cleanliness.

Here are some quick facts for cleanliness and food safety:
- Harmful bacteria don't sit around and "count to five" before jumping on your food.

- Harmful bacteria like cookies and candy just as much as you and I do.

- In general practice, there are two ways to protect yourself against harmful bacteria: you can remove them or you can kill them.

- The most effective way to remove harmful germs is with warm, soapy water, applied vigorously.   However, if you need something sterilized, boiling will give you all the protection you need.

- For a quick fix, there's always the chemical solution: alcohol or bleach. But, be careful with bleach as it can be lethal to you too, especially if combined with other chemicals, like ammonia.

A few words of caution regarding cleaning your hands. It's about the ubiquitous "anti-bacterial soap" . Not only does it kill the good germs, but it will also strip away the natural oils on your skin, causing your skin to dry and crack, leaving you exposed to further attack from fungus and viruses.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go wash my hands and get ready for dinner!

Bon Appetit!

Chef Chip Desormeaux

But, Wait! There's More!
(Recipes, Nifty Gadgets, & Stuff Like That)

Recipes. Brrrr! It's cold. (At least it's trying to be.) Let's just have a bowl of chili and reminisce over what winter should be.

There are as many chilis as there are Texans with Dutch ovens. I have a few recipes, myself. (Although, I am not a Texan.)

For a lower fat and lower calorie treat, I like my turkey chili. It has coffee and chocolate in it. Can't go wrong with that!

What I like about it is it doesn't try to be a beef chili. It's big and robust like a chili should be, but light in the belly.

Click here  to view the recipe.

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Gadgets. Generally, I'm not a big fan of OXO products. (You know, those people who make the kitchen tools with the big black rubberized handles?) But there is one gadget that I'm really in love with. OXO makes a swivel vegetable peeler   that is truly superior. My old one died recently so I had to replace it. OXO changed their design since I bought my last one. The business end is a little heavier than the handle now, making it easier to do some speed-peeling.

About My Newsletter

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