The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 113

1 I f-i I i I I I I I n-it ii.i i i Tl "I "TI nuiiu LOS ANGELES TIMES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 19 Hll Back to Basics Candy add or subtract the difference when judging the temperature called for in the recipe. When not using a thermometer, work quickly to test the mixture. Dip the spoon, then let a few drops fall into the cold water and use your fingers to check the firmness. If the syrup hasn't reached the correct stage, continue testing every two to three minutes. A few other things to keep in mind when making candy: Measure ingredients carefully- Follow recipe directions to the letter.

Don't even try doubling or halving a recipe; it can result in subtle differences in bined ingredients so that they can boil rapidly without spilling over. The rate of heating is another important part of candy-making. Keep the mixture boiling at a moderate, steady level over the, entire The temperature rise slowly to about 220 de- grees. After that, it rises quickly. Water for the testing should be cold but not icy.

Use fresh water and a clean spoon for each test. Remove the pan from the heat while testing. At the higher temperatures, even a few more seconds over heat may be enough for the mixture to move to the next stage. Humid days are the trickiest time to make candy without using a thermometer. Moisture in the air is absorbed by the candy as it cools, causing some.

candies to turn out too soft--To compensate, cook the can- dies to a temperature about two degrees higher than you would on dry days. This is difficult to do without a thermometer, so if you're going to make candy even a few times a year in a humid cli- mate, it's probably worth invest- i'ng in this equipment. Check the accuracy of the thermometer each time you use it by immersing it in boiling water about 10 minutes. If the reading varies from the correct figure for the boiling point (212 degrees), For fondant, fudge and pan-ocha, the syrup is cooked to 234-240 degrees. They turn out firm, but since theyf retain some mois-1 ture, they are poft enough to bite easily.

Whenj made they have a velvety smooth texture Candies cooked to higher oni peratures rarge from chewy to very brittle. Examples are caramels, divinity, taffy, toffee, brittles and glaces. Both types should be made in a heavy pan with straight sides and a flat aluminum bottom. Aluminum provides the most uniform heat distribution, which means the candy is less likely to burn. The pan also needs to be at least four times larger than the com- cooking temperature, leading to failed candy.

Unless you've got a lot of experience, candy -making, unlike many other kinds of cooking, is not an interpretive art. Candy-making takes place at temperatures well above the boiling point, so don't use a metal spoon to stir. A long-handled wooden spoon will remain cool. Stir the candy mixture until the sugar dissolves. Be careful to wash down or steam off any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan, as directed in your recipe.

Crystals can interfere with the proper development of the syrup. Pour out the finished" mixture, but do not scrape the pan. By JOAN DRAKE v'V SPECIAL TO THe TiMCS A thermometer takes much of-tHf gaestwork out of cawty-WkiAl. But if you don't have. one you get a sudden urge'io, maH a batch of peanut brflfcleoVfudge, you'll probably (be abte to turn out a pretty good product using the old-fashicined cold water method of testing.1 In the simplest terms, candies are mad' by boiling sugar and water -together over moderate heat.

The temperature the syrup reaches and the amount of water thatfevaporates determine the' texture of the finished candy. Kb --V, rt i mi i lii Thread stage 230 to 233 degrees Soft-ball stage 234 to $40 degrees Hard-crack stage 295 to 310 degrees. Mixture separates into hard, brittle threads that break easily. Hard-ball stage 250 to 266 degrees. Mixture forms ball that is hard but pliable.

Soft-crack stage 270 to 290 degrees. Mixture separates into threads that are hard yet pliable. Firm-ball stage 244 to 248 degrees Mixture forms ball that holds shape but flattens when. pressed between fingers. ball in cold water Candy mixture falls from spoon Mixture forma but ball loses shape when in fine, thin thread.

removed. Photos by LAWRENCE K. HO Los Angeles Times GOOD COOKING Fall Into Entertaining Mode I Counter Intelligence Rising Sun VL' "gw 1 WP i ipiunu i nmmn i Gurry By ABBY MANDEL SPECIAL TO THE TIMES This is the perfect time to entertain friends at home and bring fall to the table. A dinner centered on Cornish hens, simply seasoned and roasted, finished at the end with a brushing of tangy orange sauce, is festive but not too difficult. Cornish hens are most easily handled by cutting them in half before roasting.

Served family-style on a platter, they make a great presentation. Pair them with this smoky wild rice casserole with vegetables and currants. There's enough cabbage and carrots in the mix to make a side vegetable unnecessary. Mandel's latest book, is "Celebrating the Midwestern Table," (Double-day 1996). ft: i a 3 AN ACLETO RAPPING Los Angela Tiims Cornish hens brushed with marmalade, mustard and balsamic sauce ORANGE-GLAZED CORNISH HENS 1 TANGY ORANGE SAUCE 'I Heat butter in 8-inch nonstick skillet over medr-um-high heat.

When hot, add celery and Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Combine orange juice and cornstarch saucepan; add marmalade, orange peel, vinegar, Port and cayenne pepper. Stir well. Simmer, uncovered, until somewhat thickened, about 5 minutes. Sauce will be flowing, not too thick.

Puree in blender or food processor fitted with metal blade. (Can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated.) 2 LAWRENCE K. HOLos Angeles Times Front: cutlet curry. Rear: corn soup; squid and seaweed spaghetti. CORNISH HENS By MAX JACOBSON There are more than 400 Indian restaurants in metropolitan Tokyo and at least 50 times that many no kidding that serve Japanese curry, a cheap filler food that verges on a national obsession.

Nearly every street corner cafe sells Japanese curry. Glutinous masses of it are served in every school cafeteria and company canteen from Okinawa to Hokkaido. It's as much a comfort food in Japan as any Japanese dish is. To non-Japanese, it's a culture-shock adventure in the idiosyncratic universe of the Japanese aesthetic. You can try a neatened-up version of it at the swell new Curry House in Beverly Hills.

Japan learned about curry from England about a hundred years ago. Because the English idea of curry was already a heavily edited version of Indian cooking ideas, what you have here is, needless to say, a very loose interpretation of the original curry concept. Physicists say that if all colors are mixed in equal proportions, the result is white. Japanese curry demonstrates that if you mix every spice you can think of, you end up with a thick, sweetish, oddly glazed brown sauce in which all the distinctive flavors have canceled each other out. The Beverly Hills Curry House is the latest link in a five-restaurant chain that includes locations in Cypress, Gardena, Del Amo and Little Tokyo.

The new location is by far the most attractive. Like Japanese curry itself, the ambience is an amalgam of elements that might not seem to belong together: frosted glass, a Japanese flower arrangement offset by a lacquered wooden backdrop, cobalt-blue Diva lights, cool jazz on the sound system and a team of waitresses who take care of you with disarming sincerity. With your Japanese curry you have a choice of meats, the best being the breaded pork cutlet, a sort of schnitzel hacked into neat rectangular slices. There are also half a dozen other variations, including beef, chicken, vegetable and lightly battered fried shrimp, the last being a natural with Japanese curry sauce. Then there's something the menu calls German curry.

For this dish, the curry sauce is garnished with about a dozen perfectly cut baby carrots, a like number of boiled string beans and a wiener that appears to have been pressed down onto a heated colander. Somehow it emerges from cooking TANGY ORANGE SAUCE 2 teaspoons butter or oil 14 cup minced celery 14 cup minced shallots 23 cup orange juice 1 teaspoon cornstarch 34 cup orange marmalade 1 tablespoon grated orange peel 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons ruby Port Pinch cayenne pepper CORNISH HENS 4 Cornish hens, about 1 12 pounds each Olive-oil-flavored nonstick cooking spray 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Orange slices Watercress WHERE TO GO Curry House 163N.LaCienegaBlvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 854-49S9. Open 11:30 a.m.-lO p.m. Monday-Thursday, 1 1:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday, p.m.

Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday. Beer and wine only. Validated parking in adjacent lot. All major credit cards.

Takeout. Dinner for two, WHAT TO GET Cutlet curry, spicy omelet rice, shimeji and kaiware spaghetti, hamburger steak, tofu cheesecake. 1 Split hens and remove backbone using kitchen shears (for easiest handling) or chefs knife. Lightly coat surface of hens with olive oil spray. 1 Combine salt, paprika and pepper and sprinkle on hens.

Arrange hens, skin-side up, in shallovy roasting pan large enough to hold hens in single layer and lined with heavy-duty foil. (Can be done several hours ahead and refrigerated, loosely covered.) 4 Bake hens on rack placed in lower third of oven at 425 degrees until well-browned, about 50 minutes. Generously brush halves with Tangy Orangp Sauce. Continue to bake until hens are deep bronze, about 5 more minutes. Brush again with Tangy Orange Sauce.

Arrange hens, skin-side up, on warm platter. Garnish with orange slices and watercress. SMOKY WILD RICE CASSEROLE 1 cup wild rice 2 cups water 1 12 tablespoons oil 1 cup chopped onions 1 cup sliced baby carrots 2 cups diced cabbage 12 cup currants 1 cup vegetable broth 1 12 teaspoons dried thyme 34 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper 1 to 1 12 teaspoons liquid smoke, optional 2 tablespoons minced parsley, optional Cook wild rice, covered, in water until tender, 30 to 50 minutes (makes about 3 12 cups). Drain. (Can be made several days ahead and refrigerated.) Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add onions, carrots, cabbage and currants. Cook until vegetables are heated through, about 2 minutes. Add 12 cup broth and thyme. Cook, covered, until carrots are tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer to 2-quart baking dish along with cooked wild rice, remaining broth, salt and pepper to taste.

Mix well. Can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Let come to room temperature before baking. Bake, covered, on middle rack of oven at 425 degrees until very hot, about 40 minutes. Stir in liquid smoke to taste.

Adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings. Each serving contains about: 234 calories; 710 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 1.88 grams fiber.

spaghetti sounds bizarre at first, but the delicate oyster mushrooms and the sharp radish sprouts complement each other and ika spaghetti makes good use of salty cod roe and squid, a Japanese take on the Italian bot-targa. Curry House's spaghetti Bolognese isn't bad, either. The beefy hamburger steak, served on a sizzling iron plate, is blanketed in your choice of teriya-ki, cheese, white or curry sauce. Another option is the Japanese dinner boxes, of which the best is una-ju, a huge portion of broiled sea eel on a bed of perfectly cooked rice, with miso soup and Japanese pickles on the side. Don't leave without taking a crack at coffee and dessert, a Western custom that the Japanese have refined into an art all their own.

This may be the best cup of coffee on the street, a strong, assertive blend of Yemen Mocha, Java and French roast. The best dessert is, I swear, tofu cheesecake. If I hadn't been told this was made from tofu, I'd have thought it was based on an extra -delicate ricotta. Oh, and did I mention that the coffee service includes heavy cream and rock candy syrup, both poured from elegant little glass vessels? That's exactly how they do it in Tokyo. But of course, a good cup of coffee is about $7 there.

The same money would get you two dishes of Japanese curry in Tokyo twice as much as you'd need, or perhaps want, for a food adventure. Remove cooking juices and separate fat. Stir juices into remaining langy Orange Sauce and heat in saucepan. Serve on side with hens. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 774 calories; 1,425 mg sodium; 216 mg choles terol; 50 grams grams carbohydrates; 53 grams protein; 0.23 gram fiber. with bumps dotted all over its surface, making it look like a New Age foot massager. Welcome to Planet Japan. Oddly, if you don't choose a curry dish, Curry House is a very good medium-priced restaurant and far more Japanese than the famous Matsuhisa three doors You can get a number of dishes that are eaten all over Japan, though they aren't exactly what we think of as Japanese, like a spicy omelet filled with a chicken pilaf dosed with flaked red peppers. Or Japanese spaghetti dishes, which have wonderfully eccentric toppings.

Shimeji and kaiware Kitchen Hp Cornstarch is used as a thickener in this glaze and others because it adds body to a sauce without clouding it, the way flour would. It is usually combined with a liquid before being added to a sauce to keep it from lumping. Cornstarch, which is used a lot in Chinese cooking, makes shiny, clear sauces, but it can be tricky to reheat..