Palestinian cookbook author Reem Kassis discusses her latest cookbook, “The Arabesque Table,” which takes a fresh look at defining Arab cooking. Plus, we learn how food is used to create Hollywood sound effects, discover what people 80 years ago thought food would look like today and make pasta sauce out of tomato paste.

Questions

"I live at a high altitude and often add an extra egg to keep the baked goods more moist since baked goods often end up too dry in this climate. Am I handling the problem correctly? And what exactly is the role eggs play in baking?"

"I love caramels and would like to make them but I don’t want to use corn syrup. Is there a substitute?"

"I have a sourdough starter, but whenever I try to bake bread with it, my dough doesn’t rise enough, if at all, and I’m left with a dense, heavy loaf. I’m at a complete loss and would really appreciate some help!"

"We know olive oil has a low smoke point and is therefore not recommended for high heat cooking on the stove top. Why is it then that many recipes utilize olive oil in the oven on high heat?"