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About Jim Musumeci
Expertise
PLEASE, DO NOT MARK YOUR QUESTIONS AS "PRIVATE" AS WE ARE NOT SET UP TO RESPOND TO THESE REQUESTS. Cooking has been my passion for more than forty years, both professionally and at home. I welcome any cooking or food related questions, especially those concerning culinary techniques. My specialties are Italian and Puerto Rican cuisine, with skills in French and Southern style cooking as well. My nickname of “JimmyScones” came about from my love of creating flaky and delicious scones. I love researching food topics from my cookbook collection and on the Internet. Please ask questions on food preparation, cooking equipment, techniques, ingredients, recipes, and recommended cookbooks. Thank you and have a great day.

Experience
Cooking has been my passion and avocation for more than 45 years. My grandmother (‘Nani’) taught me the skills needed to cook a complete Sunday dinner by the time I was ten years old. I still treasure the memory of those magnificent aromas wafting through her kitchen. My background includes part time restaurant work and meal preparation for large organizations and churches, as well as planning and cooking hundreds of meals for dinner parties, family gatherings, and business functions. I have also completed several courses at the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE) in NYC.

Publications
The Sussex Voice and The Suburban Trends.

Education/Credentials
3 Years college level courses in communications. Specialty courses at The Institute for Culinary Education (ICE) in NYC.

Past/Present Clients
Fraternal Organizations.

You are here: Experts > Food/Drink > Home Cooking > Home Cooking > few q's

Home Cooking - few q's

Expert: Jim Musumeci - 11/1/2009

Question
1. I just tried making biscuits at home.. .they came out pretty good. ..i have a question though, it is regarding the "browned" bottom of the biscuits. . i put my biscuit dough on the parchment paper before putting it in the oven. i notice that the bottom gets pretty brown after the baking, like crusty dark brown.. .i wonder if it is ok and safe to BUTTER the parchment before layin the biscuit dough on there and so by doing that, the bottom will be brown but at least be soft from the butter? right now, after the baking is complete, i do the obvious which is brush melted butter on the top to keep it moist. ..just wanted to make sure that by buttering the parchment before laying the dough will not cause the parchment to "ignite" during the baking. ..is that what you would do also?

2. i tried making shrimp jambalaya. ..nvr had it before, in a restaurant that is so not sure what the PERFECT jambalaya is. ..is the texture of the rice suppose to be mushy like porridge or is the texture suppose to be like the white rice you'd eat from a chinese restaurant? or is it in between?

3. i tried making shrimp stock. ..i used the shells from 1# of shrimp and added onion, celery, carrots, and spices (dried oregano, thyme, basil) AND 6 cups of water. ..oh yeah, i sauteed the shrimp shells and veg first in oil and i was hoping that that method would bring out more flavor. ..i noticed that the taste of the shrimp stock was bland. ..did i put too much water? i mean, had i cut the water down by 1/2 and added only 3 cups of water, would the shrimp stock flavor be even more pronounced or does it not matter? so what i am trying to get to is: with just the shells and veg and water, the PERFECT SHRIMP STOCK would smell like shrimp but the flavor would be bland b/c you need SPICES LIKE SALT, ETC TO FLAVOR IT, CORRECT?

thanks

Answer
Thanks Carl and hello. Let's take a look at your questions individually.

1. I don't think that buttering the parchment paper will help you much with your browning..although it will soften the bottoms as you say. It would take extremely high temperatures to ignite the parchment, well above the 350-400 degrees you probably use for your biscuits. I can offer you some ideas that may help with your brown bottom problems. Some may seem obvious to you but others may be of some help.
  -Check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer top, middle, and bottom and adjust your settings as needed. Temps can vary by more than 50 degrees from what your dial reads. This difference can easily caused overly brown biscuit bottoms.
  -Bake in the center of the oven, especially with gas heat. The top and bottoms of the oven can be much hotter then the center.
  -If you are using a dark baking sheet, it may retain heat and burn your biscuits. Try using stainless or brightly colored aluminum pans.
  -Try a silicone, non-stick baking sheet in your pan, something like Silpat. They are an investment but work wonderfully.
  -Try doubling your cookie sheets to keep down the surface heat. Stack one sheet on another and bake your biscuits with both sheets stacked. This is a common restaurant trick.

2. Jambayala should be moist, but not mushy like oatmeal. It is similar to a slightly wetter version of Spanish paella. Use regular long grain rice, cook at a lower oven temperature like 300 degrees, and resist the temptation to remove the cover too often...which releases steam and cause drying. Try a less starchy rice like basmati if you want separate grains.

3. Shrimp stock is not as robust or full flavored, as say, a dark chicken stock. It is meant to help add the essence of the sea to your dishes. Use the shells from about 2 lbs. of shrimp with 4 cups of water for your stock. Your idea of sauteing the shrimp and veggies is good, but try adding a little salt to the mix, and covering the pan while cooking the shells in oil. This will extract every bit of flavor before you add the water. Simmer the shells covered for around 45 minutes, then strain out the shells. Now take the strained broth and cook the down uncovered until reduced to 1/3 to 1/2 the original amount of liquid. This is where you develop the real flavor. Season and add some fresh lemon juice if you like. Yum!

Hope this helps Carl   Please write again soon.

Jim "JimmyScones" Musumeci

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