The Year of Eating Dangerously : Cooking It Safe

Many food dangers can be treated by the oldest sterilization process--cooking. Some of our favorite foods, though, are raw or nearly so, and for perfect safety we may have to learn new ways of making them. It may be some consolation to cooks who already consider egg-based sauces like hollandaise troublesome that at least the dessert sauce zabaglione is safe because of the beaten-in sugar, liquor and oxygen, and the ease of keeping it over 140 degrees for three minutes or longer.

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Sauces such as hollandaise and mayonnaise get their luscious texture from raw or barely cooked egg yolks. But how to make egg yolks absolutely safe?

In “The Curious Cook” (North Point Press: 1990), food science writer Harold McGee reported a successful method based on bringing the yolks (slightly diluted with water and lemon juice) close to the boil in a microwave oven and then letting them sit, covered, one minute.

Why the water and lemon juice? The water smoothes the consistency and the lemon juice hinders curdling. Why a microwave? Because it cooks rapidly and from all sides so you don’t get the hot spots where curdling starts. And why should the yolks sit one minute? One minute at 180 degrees has been found to sterilize yolks even when infected with billions of salmonella bacteria. (This recipe errs on the safe side, bringing the yolks to about 200 degrees. Actually, any food is sterilized at 140 degrees--if you hold it there for at least three minutes, which can be tricky with temperamental egg-based sauces.)

McGee stresses that you shouldn’t add salt to the yolks before cooking, because it will make them curdle. And don’t try making larger batches, or the whole egg mixture won’t necessarily reach the proper temperature. And note that for the microwave cooking process you will need a minimum of two whisks or forks (three would make things easier), because if you use a fork or whisk with raw or only partly cooked yolk on it, it could contaminate the sterilized yolks.

STERILIZED EGG YOLKS

2 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

Using fork or wire whisk, beat egg yolks until smooth in 2-cup glass measuring cup or 2-cup glass bowl. Add lemon juice and beat again. Add water and beat again. Place now-dirty fork or whisk in sink, or wash in hot soapy water.

Cover glass cup measure or bowl with plastic wrap or plate, place in microwave and cook on HIGH (100% power) until yolks begin to move. (Watch through oven window, standing back several feet; or after 30 seconds of cooking, open oven door at 10-second intervals to check.) When yolks begin to move, cook 8 to 10 seconds longer and remove from oven. Beat yolks until smooth with clean fork or whisk. Place now-dirty fork or whisk in sink (use clean fork or whisk for next step because there will not be time to wash dirty fork).

Return yolks to microwave and heat on HIGH until yolks begin to heave again. Remove and beat vigorously with clean fork or whisk until smooth. Cover and let stand 1 minute.

Note : If using extra-large instead of large egg yolks, use 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons water.

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“Since near-boiled yolks have taken a beating before they ever see butter,” writes McGee, “sauces made by this method are more fragile than the standard versions.” When making hollandaise he advises 1) to start making the sauce when the yolks are still hot from sterilizing and 2) not to let the sauce get above 120 degrees while cooking.

SAFE HOLLANDAISE

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch slices

Salt

Sterilized Egg Yolks, still hot in glass measuring cup or cooking bowl

Lemon juice

Using clean whisk or fork, beat 1 to 2 slices butter and dash salt into still-hot Sterilized Egg Yolks. Scoop mixture into small saucepan over low heat. Add remaining butter slices and beat slowly just until melted into sauce. Strain. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt and lemon juice. Makes scant 1 cup.

Each tablespoon contains about:

84 calories; 17 mg sodium; 57 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; trace carbohydrates; trace protein; trace fiber.

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For a traditional European mayonnaise, at least some of the oil should be olive oil, but McGee suggests that olive oil make up no more than 1/4 of the total, or the mayonnaise will lose its consistency overnight. Extra-virgin olive oil, unfortunately, must be avoided. It appears to contain something that interferes with emulsification.

SAFE MAYONNAISE

Sterilized Egg Yolks, cooled

1 to 2 cups oil

Salt

Lemon juice

Place Sterilized Egg Yolks in food processor or mixer and process until smooth. Slowly add oil in thin, steady stream. Add salt and 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice to taste. Process until mixture is thick and smooth. Makes about 1 1/4 to 2 1/4 cups.

Each tablespoon contains about:

103 calories; 16 mg sodium; 27 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; trace carbohydrates; trace protein; trace fiber.

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Ground beef is no longer considered safe unless thoroughly cooked. So how do you make steak tartare? The safe way turns out to be the most traditional way--buy a whole piece of meat and grind it yourself, which is also the way to get the best-tasting steak tartare. (If you want the traditional raw egg yolk, though, you’ll have to compromise: See the recipe for sterilized egg yolks.) To be extra-safe, trim the surface of the meat before grinding. This recipe is from “The Way to Cook” by Julia Child (Alfred A. Knopf: 1989).

SAFE STEAK TARTARE

3/4 to 1 pound lean beef trimmed of all visible fat, preferably from first cuts of round (nearest rump)

1/4 cup minced red onion

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 anchovies

1/4 cup capers

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Sterilized Egg Yolks, optional

Worcestershire sauce

Prepared horseradish

Hot pepper sauce

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Few minutes before serving, remove beef from refrigerator and grind in well-washed grinder. Divide into 2 portions and mound 1 on serving plate. Around it place 2 tablespoons onion, 1 tablespoon mustard, 2 anchovies, 2 tablespoons capers and 2 tablespoons parsley. Make indentation in mound and place 1/2 of Sterilized Egg Yolks in. Repeat with second portion of beef and garnishes. Pass with Worcestershire, horseradish, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Makes 2 servings.

Each serving contains about:

208 calories; 1,241 mg sodium; 85 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 30 grams protein; 0.22 gram fiber.

Note: Though this follows precautions sufficient for most people, high-risk individuals--such as children, pregnant women, or those with suppressed immune systems--should avoid any raw meat, no matter how it is prepared.

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The classic Caesar salad dressing is made rich and creamy by the addition of barely cooked egg (traditionally boiled one minute). You can substitute whole, lightly beaten eggs cooked according to Harold McGee’s technique for safe yolks, but the result tends to have a custardy flavor that changes the dressing. (McGee reports that the custardy effect is less noticeable when the dressing is well refrigerated, however.) As an alternative, here’s Marion Cunningham’s Caesar from “The Fannie Farmer Cookbook” (13th edition, 1990), which retains the basic flavor but is simpler to make and uses no egg at all.

SAFE CAESAR SALAD

1/2 cup olive oil

2 to 3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt

4 to 5 anchovy fillets

1 head romaine lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed and dried, wilted and blemished leaves discarded

2 cups croutons

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated or shredded into paper-thin bits

In blender or food processor, combine olive oil and garlic and process until smooth and creamy. Add lemon juice and dash of salt. Pour dressing into bottom of large salad bowl. Add anchovies and mash into dressing until well blended. Add romaine and toss together until leaves are coated and shiny. Add croutons and toss lightly to mix. Sprinkle cheese over just before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

351 calories; 471 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 31 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.65 gram fiber.