Great Restaurant Meals At Home

(CBS)  With food prices soaring, taking your family out to eat can get really expensive.

But chef Joey Altman is sharing the secrets behind great restaurant meals in the book he just co-authored with Jennie Schact, "Without Reservations: How to Make Bold, Creative, Flavorful Food at Home" (Wiley).

In addition to his restaurant expertise, Altman hosts the popular San Francisco-based cooking show "Bay Cafe," which enables him to spend a lot of time with top chefs from across the country. It's considered a must-see for top chefs and food personalities working in or visiting the Bay area.

And as The Early Show's "Chef on a Shoestring" Saturday, he had only $40 to create a three-course meal for four people.

Altman opted to make it a spicy one geared toward summer. The menu: Spinach-Strawberry Salad; Spicy Lemon & Basil Chicken; and Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Fresh Raspberries.

Take-Home Tips:

Toast pine nuts for about 8 minutes to bring out their natural buttery flavor.

Soak and drain capers to remove excess salt.

Mandolines start at $10 and can be used with most fruits and vegetables.

FOOD FACTS

Feta is an aged cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads, pastries and in baking. In Greek cuisine, Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece with ewe's and goat's milk. Feta is salted and cured in a brine solution (based on water or whey) for several months, it dries out rapidly when removed from the brine. Feta cheese is white, usually formed into square cakes, and can range from soft to semi-hard, with a tangy, salty flavor that can range from mild to sharp. The cured cheese easily crumbles.

Pine Nuts have been eaten in Europe and Asia since the Paleolithic period. Pine nuts are best when lightly toasted and have a rich buttery flavor. They are frequently added to meat, fish, vegetable dishes and are an essential component of Italian pesto sauce. Pine nuts contain thiamine, vitamin B1 and protein. Many dieters eat pine nuts because of their proven ability to suppress hunger.

Dried Currants are actually small raisins - the dried fruit of the Zante grape, originally from Corinth, Greece. Zante currants are very small and intensely tart flavored. They are not usually eaten raw, instead used for making raisins and occasionally wine. When dried, they are often referred to as dried currants or just "currants" and in this form are used in cooking and baking.

Capers are actually immature buds plucked from a small bush native to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions of the world. Fresh caper blossoms are not especially flavorful, but their sharpness increases dramatically after sun-drying and brining in vinegar. The caper is often used as a seasoning or garnish. Capers are a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine.

Zucchini is a small summer squash. The zucchini can be yellow, green or light green, and generally has a similar shape to a ridged cucumber. Mature zucchini can be as much as three feet long, but are often fibrous and not appetizing to eat. Unlike cucumber, zucchini are usually served cooked. It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as soufflés.

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. An Italian phrase which literally means "cooked cream." It can be made a day or two in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to be served.

To read excerpts from "Without Reservations: How to Make Bold, Creative, Flavorful Food at Home," by Joey Altman and Jennie Schacht, click here.

FOR ALTMAN'S RECIPES FROM SATURDAY'S SHOW, GO TO PAGE 2.

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