By The Washington Post
Each week, the staff of The Washington Post’s staff fields questions about all things food at live.washingtonpost.com. Here are edited excerpts from that chat. Recipes whose names are capitalized can be found in the Post’s Recipe Finder at washingtonpost.com/recipes.
Q: I have potatoes, cheese and frozen low-fat buttermilk (along with normal pantry items). Can I make a decent gratin out of this? Every recipe I see calls for whole milk and/or heavy cream. Would the buttermilk make it too tangy? Should I make macaroni and cheese instead?
A: Yes, you can, with a tweak! When buttermilk boils it can curdle or become grainy. A good pinch of baking soda should help neutralize its acidity for your gratin purposes. If the recipe you’re using calls for making a white sauce separately on the stove top, heat the mixture gradually. Same goes for mac and cheese: If you toss together the buttermilk, cheese, cooked pasta, seasoning, etc., in a casserole that goes right into the oven, I’d also add a little baking soda to the mix. — Bonnie S. Benwick
Q: Do you have any interesting ideas for using miso?
A: We have tons of recipes that use it, and I’ll share those in a minute, but first let me share something off the cuff I did the other day: I roasted a head’s worth of broccoli florets (tossed with olive oil and a little salt — less than I would usually use because of what would follow), and while it was roasting, I scooped a couple tablespoons of miso into a large bowl, along with a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast. And when the broccoli came out, while it was still warm, I fairly vigorously tossed it with that mixture, adding a little more olive oil, and it was amazing. More ideas: Miso Dressing; Udon With Shiitakes and Kale in Miso Broth; Miso-Marinated Cod; and Carrot and Miso Soup. — Joe Yonan
Q: I want to open a package of lox to make some cloud eggs, but I don’t know what to do with the leftovers (majority) of the package. Recipes/ ideas? Also, how long will it last in my refrigerator?
A: It should last about a week in the refrigerator. You can chop leftover lox and smush it into softened cream cheese with dill and chives to make a spread (on rounds of cucumber and for bagels). You can stir lox into softly scrambled eggs with onion — that’s a classic. I also like pasta recipes with smoked salmon, such as Tagliatelle with Smoked Salmon and Tomato and Smoked Salmon Pasta. — Bonnie S. Benwick
Q: I found powdered peanut butter and thought it might be a good way to add flavor to cookie recipes without trying to figure out how to add peanut butter itself. Do you know whether I would replace some of the flour with the powder, or if I just add the powder to the recipe with no other changes?
A: An article on Epicurious says you can swap powdered peanut butter for one-third of the flour called for in baked goods. (If a recipe calls for 3 cups of flour, use 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of powdered peanut butter.) For a non-baked good, we have a recipe for a very tasty No-Churn Peanut Butter Curry Ice Cream. — Kara Elder
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