N U M B E R E IGH T Y -FO U R J A N U A R Y o F E B R U A R Y 2007

STR AT E D

Herb-Crusted Pork Loin

Big Flavor, Big Crunch

Perfect Pound Cake

Rating Dutch Ovens $40 Pot Nearly Beats $250 Favorite

Steak Frites Juicy Steak, Super-Crisp Fries

N a-Stuff Manicotti

Fudge without Fear Forget Your Candy Thermometer'

Thai Chicken Soup Secret Ingredient Y ields Big Flavor

French Onion and Bacon Tart

Sichuan Green Beans

Potato Primer

White Chicken Chili

Soy Sauce Taste Test

How to Roast Cauliflower

www.c o o ks i l l u s t r a t e d . c o m

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CONTENTS January 6- February 2007

2 Notes from Readers Readers ask questions and suggest solutions.

4 Quick Tips Quick and easy ways to perform everyday tasks, f rom cleaning cast -iron cookware to keeping pancakes hot.

6 The Best White Chicken Chili This Southwestern-style chili often cooks up bland and watery, with chewy bits of rubbery chicken that make home cooks ask . "Where 's the beef?" BY SANDRA wu

8 Authentic Steak Frites A good rendition of this bistro standard is hard to find in American restaurants. Sho rt of flying to Paris, how could we reliably enjoy this French classic? BY KEITH DRESSER

I 0 Herb-Crusted Pork Roast A fresh herb crust seems like a good way to enliven a boneless pork roast -but not if the crust has little flavor and falls off. BY CHARLES KELSEY

12 Streamlining Manicotti Manicotti may look homey. but blanching and stuffing pasta tubes is a tedious chore, and the ricotta filling can be uninspired and watery. We wanted a simpler. better recipe. BY REBECCA HAYS

14 Thai-Style Chicken Soup Authentic Thai chicken soup gains complex flavor in minutes via a handful of exotic ingredients. Could super­market substitutes deliver compa rable results? BY MATIHEW CARD

16 Potato Primer Think all potatoes are the same? Think again. Here are the basic information and cooking techniques you need to know for perfect mashed . roasted, boiled, and baked potatoes every time. BY KEITH DRESSER

18 Introducing French Onion Tart French Onion Tart is similar to quiche but delivers a more refined slice of pie, with more onions than custard. The problem? Rolling and fitting the dough into a tart pan. BY ERIKA BRUCE

20 How to Roast Cauliflower High-heat roasting intensifies the flavor of this under­stated vegetable. We wanted to maximize the golden exterior while ensuring a creamy interior. BY CHARLES KELSEY

21 Bringing Sichuan Green Beans Home This tangy . spicy dish offers an exotic change of pace fro m everyday green beans. We set out to overhaul its foreign ingredient list and si mplify a troubleso me technique . BY ERIKA BRUCE

22 Simplifying Fudge Classic fudge is f rustrating and co mpletely un predictable. After months of tests. we 've rei magi ned this recipe to make it utterly reliable-and surprisingly simple. BY DAVID PAZMINO

2 4 Seeking Pound Cake Perfection Don't be fooled by its sho rt ingredient list - pound cake is far fro m simple. More often than not . it bakes up heavy. squat, and dense. BY DAWN YANAGIHARA

26 Searching for Superior Soy Sauce This Asian condiment should enhance flavor and contrib­ute co mplexity to your food-not just make it salty. BY LISA McMANUS

28 Inexpensive Dutch Ovens Our favo rite Dutch ovens cost more than $ 200. Ouch' Is there a cheaper version that performs almost as well? Yes. I t costs $40. BY LISA McMANUS

30 Kitchen Notes Test results, buying tips, and advice related to stories past and present. directly from the test kitchen. BY ERIKA BRUCE

32 Equipment Corner Reviews of new items, u pdates on past tests. and sources for products used in this issue. BY ELIZABETH BOMZE

.:GOKJHG .;REEl'S

COOKING GREENS Not just a plate gamish, cu rly kale has an assertive, ea rthy flavor when

cooked. Darker Tuscan kale (or black kale) has wrinkled leaves. which are mo re tender and

delicately flavored. Collard greens are usually boiled or braised along with pork; their pungent

flavor pairs well with rich meat and bean dishes. Peppe ry mustard greens co me f ro m the plant

that yields the seeds used to make mustard. Beet greens, most often found with their bulbous

roots still attached . are earthy and flavorful and do not have to be cooked much beyond a quick

saute . They are closely related to chard . which has broad. crinkly leaves, prominent stems, and

a slightly bitter. mineraly flavor. Radicchio is not green at all but rather a tight head of burgundy

leaves; it can be eaten raw but is also good grilled or sauteed. Mild, f resh-tasting escarole is good

raw in salads and cooked in soups. Dandelion greens have a mildly bitter. tangy flavo r; young.

tender leaves are fine fo r salads, but mature leaves are better braised. Spinach, which can have

flat or curly leaves, requires little or no cooking .

COVER ( Lmwn:-): Elizabeth Brandon, BACK COVER (Ccwkinu Crcms): John Burgoyne

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EDIT ORIAL

RABBITS RUN IN CIRCLES

Just last week my wife, Adrienne, asked me to have the "birds and bees" talk with our eleven-year-old, Charlie. I, of course, kept putting it off, while Charlie pestered me

every night to sit down and answer all his ques­tions about relations with the opposite sex. So, after a full week of delays, he and I did, in fact, retire to the library for the great discussion. I posed like a wise and thoughtful Harvard don; Charlie sat eagerly on the edge of a footstool. What followed was blessedly unexpected. He asked only two questions, both of which had little to do with the core issues at hand. I quickly satisfied his need for information and then pretended I had done a marvelous job. When informed of the content of our discussion, my wife was not pleased-I had (thankfully) shirked my paternal duty.

Tom, our former neighbor and President Emeritus of the Old Rabbit Hunters' Association, has had similar conversations with me over the last 20 years, albeit on the topics of dogs and rabbits. My first lesson was that rabbits tend to run in circles, so a good hunter, instead of hotfooting it through the woods after an energetic bunny, will simply stay put and allow the dog to do his job. The rabbit, unless it holes up somewhere, always comes back around. (The amusing part, from Tom's perspective, was that he did not inform me of this well-known rabbit-hunting strategy for a couple of years, during which time I tried to run down a couple dozen "browns" on foot, which resulted in a display of ineptitude that Tom, I am told, enjoyed immensely.)

Then I learned the difference between a rabbit and a hare, how to train a rabbit dog to not chase deer, where rabbits are likely to sit, the fact that rabbits do not dig holes-they use natural cover

know a lot more then they let on. I remember a visit last summer with our demure neighbor Jack. Jack can be found every Sunday afternoon taking in the sun on a homemade wooden bench out­side Jean's roadside sauna. But, as it turns out, Jack spent World War II flying P-40s, chasing Rommel out of Africa.

or lairs abandoned by other animals (most of my rabbit expertise had come from old Bugs Bunny cartoons in which Bugs had done a lot of dig­ging)-the difference between 12-, 16- and 20-gauge shot­guns, how a semiautomatic gun works, what a choke is and how to adjust it, how to skin an animal, and then, through my own trials and tests, how to cook one. He also taught me to not rush a shot (his infamous

Christopher Kimball

One day last summer, he told me a war story about develop­ing a mechanical problem that

comment after I discharged three wide shots in a row still stings: "Need more ammo?"), the dif­ference between a 13-inch and a 15-inch rabbit dog, and why you should leave your hunting jacket by the side of the road in the event your dog gets lost. (He will find the coat and sit on it until you return.)

In cooking, there are folks who are funda­mentally curious as to process-why bad things happen to good recipes-and sympathetic toward the notion of culinary education. Readers of this publication fall into that category. Others are content to believe that cooking is about no more than positive attitude-anyone with suf­ficient enthusiasm can cook a great meal. This golden age of the American amateur has been a long time coming. In the 1959 movie Some Like It Hot, Jack Lemmon joined an all-girl band and ended up in a sleeper car with pajama-clad Marilyn Monroe all through sheer bluster, bound­less comic energy, and a borrowed dress. Now there is a guy who could have had a successful cooking show!

I am proud to say that my Vermont neigh­bors are of a different persuasion-they actually

sprayed oil all over the windshield of his plane. He had to roll back the canopy and make an emergency landing while flying the plane pretty much blind, looking out sideways. He bellied in, the plane digging a long trench, and then jumped out onto the wing brandishing his .45, not knowing if he was behind enemy lines. A dozen friendly locals showed up, made him a good hot lunch, and sent a messenger to the nearby British airfield. He was back at work the next day. Other neighbors, often spurred on by large quantities of dandelion wine, have related that they had wartime careers reminis­cent of The Big Red One, including fighting at Anzio and Sicily.

Much like our son, Charlie, many folks have enthusiasms that don't reach beneath the sur­face. But with no more than an extra spoonful of curiosity, we soon discover that rabbits run in circles, why stew meat often cooks up tough and dry (and what to do about it), and that your unassuming neighbor-the guy who is particu­larly fond of a big slice of pie-landed on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944. As Calvin Coolidge said, "No man has ever listened himself out of a job." Pretty good advice, even in the kitchen.

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JANUARY [:r FEBRUARY 200 7

NOTES FROM READERS Pepper Picking What is the difference between jarred pimentos and jarred roasted red peppers?

�Fresh pimentos are thin -skin ned , hear t ­shaped sweet peppers with a slightly bitter, aromatic flavor reminis­cent of paprika (a spice made from pimento pods). Jarred pimentos have been boiled to remove tl1eir skins and then packed in a brine of citric acid or vinegar.

ME LISA CAREY

ENFIELD, CONN.

P I M E N TO P E P P ER: P U NGE NT AN D SOFT

Jarred roasted red ROASTE D RE D P E P P ER:

peppers can be made S M OKY AN D TE N D ER from a variety of peppers, Depending on whether including pimentos and the peppers are boi led

bell peppers. As their (top photo) or roasted

name suggests jarred (bottom photo) , pimentos can

d d '

be labeled as either pimentos roaste re peppers are

or roasted red peppers. roasted to remove therr skins and then packed in an acidic brine.

We compared nationally available Goya pimentos with our favorite brand of roasted red peppers, Divina (made from Florina peppers, a type of pimento grown in northern Greece). Straight from the jar, the Goya pimentos had a "pungent," "complex" flavor with some bit­terness and astringency. Their texture was soft and slimy. The Divina roasted red peppers, on the other hand, had a smoky, sweet flavor and tender, toothsome texture. When we sampled red pepper dip and arroz con pollo made with

both peppers, opinions were split; some tast­ers preferred the briny pimentos while others favored the smoky red peppers.

If you're only going to buy one product, we recommend the sweeter, smokier flavor and firmer texture of roasted red peppers, but pimen­tos can be used in place of roasted red peppers in many recipes, as long as you don't mind their slightly bitter, briny flavor.

Wild versus Farmed Salmon I often see wild Alaskan salmon for sale at the market. How is it different from farmed salmon?

MEAGHAN SHEA

Q UEENS. NY.

�Setting environmental and sustainability issues aside, we compared wild salmon fillets witl1 farmed

-?CO M PIL E D B Y S A N D R A W U E

salmon fillets, noting variations in f.1ttiness, flavor, aroma, and color. We tasted fi·esh wild Alaskan king salmon ($15.99 a pound), which is avail­able year-rmmd either fresh, frozen, or tluwed (wild-caught salmon from Washington, Oregon, or California is available only seasonally), along­side fresh farmed salmon ($11.99 a pmmd) from

Norway in a basic pan-fried application as well as in a salmon cake recipe. Sometimes labeled "Atlantic salmon," farmed salmon is also widely bred in Canada, Chile, and the United Kingdom.

Both raw and cooked, the wild salmon had a rich, rosy-pink hue, while tl1e farmed salmon was lighter pink. Wild salmon attain tl1eir color by absorbing a carotenoid called astaxanthin from their krill-based diet, while farmed salmon eat fish feed supplemented with various sources of astax­anthin to enhance tl1eir grayish color. The feed

is available in a variety of compositions, enabling fish farmers to select the precise pink to reddish hue of the flesh they'd like to sell (much like using a color swatch).

The wild salmon exuded more oil in the pan than the farmed salmon but tasted leaner overall, with a "buttery, pleasant texture" and a sweet, fresh flavor. The farmed salmon, which get less exercise and consume more fat than wild salmon, tasted "fishy," with "slimy, soft" flesh and a "musty, fatty" aftertaste. When mashed, seasoned, formed into cakes, and pan-fried, the differences remained. Tasters overwhelmingly preferred the wild salmon, which had a rich, full but delicate flavor. In comparison, the farmed salmon had a "canned" flavor.

The flavor and texture of wild and farmed salmon will vary depending on a host of factors, including the species of salmon, tl1e season, and the place of origin. In this particular instance,

however, we found that the wild Alaskan salmon was preferable to the Norwegian farmed salmon.

Salting Sweets Every cake and cookie recipe I've come across calls for salt. What purpose does it serve?

JEAN HAZELTON

EA U CLAIRE, WIS.

..-Salt is a flavor enhancer that is just as impor­tant in sweet foods as it is in savory ones, so we assumed tl1at a cake or cookie made witl10ut salt wouldn't taste as good as one that included it. Still, we wanted to understand exactly how the flavor would change. To do so, we tasted two batches of yellow layer cake and sugar cookies: one batch with salt, the other witl10ut.

COOK's ILLUSTRATED

2

The flavor differences in the cake, which called for :Y4 teaspoon salt, were astounding. The salt­free cake tasted sweet-"like cotton candy"-yet bland. Tasters called it "mild," "flat," "dull," and "boring" and could barely detect vanilla flavor. The cake that included salt was also sweet, but the flavors of butter and vanilla were much more

balanced and pronounced. The differences were more difficult to nail down in me sugar cookies, which were coated generously with sugar and contained only 1/4 teaspoon salt. Still, some tasters could detect the flavors of butter and vanilla more readily in the "salted" cookies.

How does salt work its magic? While many cooks think of salt as simply a flavor enhancer, it can also mask less agreeable tastes like bitterness. We proved mis theory true in the test kitchen by adding a pinch of salt to inherently bitter foods like coffee and eggplant, and the perceived bitter­ness was cut in half. By suppressing bitterness, salt allows more desirable flavors-including sweet­ness and spices-to come mrough. Ingredients that can contribute bitter flavors in baking include yeast, leavening agents, proteins in flour, bitter­sweet chocolate, and vanilla.

To summarize, if a recipe calls for a pinch of salt, don't be tempted to omit it. Otherwise, you might be left with a singularly sweet and sugary dessert wim little complexity. Also, be sure when baking to use unsalted butter so tl1at all the salt comes from a single source and the finished prod­uct doesn't actually come out salty.

Seeding Canned Tomatoes When using canned whole tomatoes in recipes, should I leave the seeds in or take mem out? Will the presence of seeds affect me flavor?

CLARK DUNSON

SAN MATEO, CALIF.

...-To determine whether removing me seeds from canned whole tomatoes is worth me effort, we used seed-in and seedless samples in a quick salsa and in a marinara sauce. The salsa made wim seed-in tomatoes had a bit more brightness, while tl1e salsa made with seedless tomatoes was slightly sweeter. But tl1e differences were minor.

In the marinara sauce, me differences were still subtle, but more noticeable man in the salsa. This has more to do with tl1e moisture added by the gelatinous material surrounding me seeds man me flavor of the seeds. Because the seed-in toma­toes are so juicy, we had to cook the sauce made with them longer. As a result, the sauce made witl1 seed-in tomatoes was duller man the sauce

made with seedless tomatoes, which had a fresher, fruitier tomato flavor.

So where do we stand? In uncooked applications like salsa, don't bother seeding canned tomatoes. In cooked recipes (such as marinara sauce or tomato soup), where excess moismre from the seeds would prolong the cooking time, we recommend remov­ing the seeds. To do so, break the tomatoes open over a strainer set in a large bowl and use your fingers to scoop out the seeds and surrounding gelatinous material. Make sure to reserve the seed­less juice-you might need some of it to adjust the consistency of a sauce or soup.

Spray-On Seed Sticker When I made your Multigrain Bread recipe (March/ April 2006) and used nonstick cooking spray to help the oats adhere to the crust, some of the oats fell off afrer baking. I noticed that The Baker's Catalogue sells a product called Quick Shine that supposedly helps seeds stick to dough. Is it worth buying?

JERE MY H UR WITZ

ATLANTA. GA.

�We went back into the test kitchen and baked MuJtigrain Bread, finding, like you did, that non­stick cooking spray wasn't completely effective at adhering oats to the dough. The water (the other recommendation we made in the recipe) did a better job of keeping the oats in place. But couJd we do even better?

Quick Shine, an aerosol spray containing water, milk protein, canola oil, and stabilizers, purports to help toppings such as seeds stay smck to bread dough once the loaf is baked. To find out how well it

Ouick 'Shine

works, we made three loaves of ::.:_;;.:: Multigrain Bread, using water on '---- __....,

one, Quick Shine on another, and a homemade "glue" of beaten egg and milk on the last loaf. We coated

AEROSO L S PRAY FOR

BREAD

half of each loaf with oats and the other half with sesame seeds.

None of the oats and seeds had trouble sticking to the raw bread dough, and afrer the bread was finished baking, the loss of oats and seeds from the exteriors of all three loaves was equally minimal. So does Quick Shine work? Sure. But at $11.95 plus shipping for a 16-ounce can, we'Ll stick with water.

Pink Turkey Meat Why is mrkey meat still sometimes pink even after it is fully cooked? Is it safe to eat?

JOSEP H VOLPICELLI

BOSTON. MASS.

�Having prepared thousands of mrkeys in the test kitchen, we too have experienced the occa­sional slice of pink turkey meat. First off, always

WHAT I S I T?

This contraption looks l i ke a bottle cap opener, but I can't figure out

what the hooks on top are for. Any ideas?

A MY S HENG

BEDFORD, MASS.

In its closed position, this 41/2- inch tool does function as a bottle cap

opener, but when the fold ing cover is pu l led o pen, the sharp-toothed shaft

of a cork pu l ler is revealed (see i l l ustration at right). Th is antique (circa

1925) gadget is cal led the E-Z Cork Pu l ler.

Cork pu l lers are said to be helpfu l for d islodging a cork that is very tightly

sealed in a wine bottle. Unl ike a corkscrew, the barbed blade of a cork pu l ler

is inserted between the cork and the insid e of the bottle neck (not d i rectly

into the center of the cork) . Next, the handle is turned counterc lockwise

unti l the barbs grip the cork. Lastly, one's index and midd le fingers grasp the

" hooks," or finger grips, to pu l l straight up to remove the cork. Despite its

ingenious design, we found that yanking the cork out of a wine bottle using

the E-Z Cork Pul ler requ i red a strong grip and brute force. We' re content

to stick with modem corkscrews for a l l of our wine bottle-opening needs.

Not So Easy: Using the antique E-Z Cork Puller requires serious

upper-arm strength.

rely on an instant-read thermometer to ascertain doneness when roasting poultry. In the case of turkey, look for 165 degrees in the thickest por­tion of the breast and 170 to 175 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.

So what about the unsettling color? Just because a slice of turkey has a pinkish tint doesn't necessarily mean it is underdone. In general, the red or pink color in meat is due to the red protein pigment called myoglobin in the muscle cells that store oxygen. Because the areas that tend to get the most exercise-the legs and thighs-require more oxygen, they contain more myoglobin (and are therefore darker in color) than the breasts. When oxygen is attached to myoglobin in the cells, it is bright red. As turkey (or chicken) roasts in the oven, the oxy­gen attached to the myoglobin is released, and the meat becomes lighter and browner in color. However, if there are trace amounts of other gases formed in a hot oven or grill, they may react to the myoglobin to produce a pink color, even if the turkey is fully cooked.

When cooking turkey or other poultry, don't be afraid if you see a little bit of pink. As long as you've let your thermometer be your guide, the meat is perfectly safe to eat.

Using Prechopped Nuts I often buy prechopped nuts because they are much cheaper than whole nuts. Can I use them in recipes that call for whole nuts that are to be toasted before being chopped?

HOLLY BROWN

LANSING, MI C H.

�We were doubtfl!l tl1ere would be significant differences between chopped-tl1en-toasted and toasted-tl1en-chopped nuts, but we headed into

J A N U A � Y [y F E !l� U A R Y 200 7

3

the kitchen a.nyv,ray to try both kinds of nuts plain as well as in a mixed green salad and a pecan pie.

Because the prechopped nuts had more surface area, they were able to get more toasted all around and subsequently had a slightly fuller, "nuttier" flavor when tasted plain. Tossed in a salad dressed with vinaigrette and garnished with dried cranber­ries, however, the differences were less obvious. The same results held true in the pecan pie.

The short answer? The order in which you chop and toast nuts doesn't really matter, so by all means buy the cheaper chopped variety.

Storing Minced Garlic I use a lot of minced garlic. Ratl1er than buying tl1e jarred variety, can I mince my own fresh gar­lic, cover it with oil, and refrigerate it?

DONNA S MIT H

MIDDLESBORO. KY.

�As tempting as tl1is shortcut might seem, it isn't safe. There is a risk of botulism develop­ing in garlic that is stored in oil for more than a few days, even when it is refrigerated. BotuJism grows in anaerobic ( m.:ygen-free) conditions. Placing garlic into an anaerobic climate such as a container of oil creates a hospitable environment for producing the toxin. (Commercially made jarred minced garlic and garlic-flavored oil both contain acidic additives that kill harmful bacteria.) To make the task of mincing garlic less tedious, we recommend using a garlic press. It works just as well as mincing by hand, is much faster, and tastes infinitely better tl1an the jarred smff.

SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS We will provide a compli­mentary one-year subscription for each letter we print. Send your inqui ry. name. address, and daytime telephone number to Notes fro m Readers, Cook 's Illustrated, P.O. Box 470589, Brookline. MA 02447, or to notesfro mreaders@bcpress.com.

Quick Tips 3 COM PIL E D B Y D A VID P A Z M INO E

Transferring Fish Fi l lets A large fish fi l let or whole fish can make an impressive presentation, but it can be a challenge to remove the del icate fish from a baking sheet without it fal l ing apart. For an easier transfer, Renee Saxman of Rochester, M inn., reaches for a flexib le cutting board.

I . Sl ide a thin, flexible p lastic cutting board under the fish. 2. Gently s l ide the fish onto a serving

p latter, using a spatula if necessary.

Warp-Free Muffin Tins Mary Ann Gibson of Lompoc, Calif.,

often bakes half- batches of muffins

and finds that the empty cups heat

up rapidly d u ring baking, causing

the tin to warp. Her solution is to

place two ice cubes i n each empty

cup. Once in the oven, the ice

melts and the water prevents the

Cast- Iron Care Cast- iron pans often bu i ld up crud that can be difficult to dislodge with a

sponge, and clean ing cast i ron with a soapy scrubber pad wil l affect the sea­

son i ng. Mary Flynn of Naples, Fla., found that a luminum foi l makes an effec­

tive (and safe) scru bbing device. After using paper towels to wipe excess

grease from a cooled pan, she fol l ows the steps below.

I . Scrub the pan with a wad of heavy-duty a luminum foil, removi ng stuck­

on food.

2. Rinse and d ry the pan, then reseason it by using paper towels to wipe it

with about I tablespoon o i l .

Foolproof Lattice Top Transfer Fragi le strips of dough for lattice pies or tarts often break when they are transferred from the countertop to the pie. Trudy Mavin of Berkeley Heights, N.J., found a way

to make this del icate task foolproof. After rol l ing out pie d ough on parchment paper,

she proceeds as fol lows.

I . 2.

\ -�-\

,,

I . Transfer the dough , sti l l on parchment paper, to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife , cut through the dough and parchment paper to form strips. (If the dough is too soft to cut, p lace it in the freezer unti l firm, about 5 minutes. ) 2 . Using the parchment paper t o l ift the dough, transfer t h e strips t o the top o f the pie, gently pu l l ing the paper away to create a decorative lattice pattern.

Send Us Your Tip We will provide a compl imentary one-year subscription for each tip we print. Send your tip, name, and address to

Quick Tips, Cook's I l lustrated, P.O . Box 470589 , Brookl ine, MA 02447, or to quicktips@americastestkitchen.com.

COOK'

S ILLUSTRATED

4

Safer Potato Piercing Forks and knives someti mes get

stuck when piercing raw potatoes

to al low steam to escape dur-

ing microwaving. Al ison Baez of

Palmetto Bay, Fla., d iscovered a

better tool for the job. She pricks

the skin of the potato with the

sharp tip of a corncob holder.

Extra Refrigerator Storage Space Finding room for a large casserole dish in a cramped refrigerator is a fami l iar chal lenge for many cooks. Amy Ri ley of Reynoldsburg, Oh io , came up with this space-saving solution. Create an extra "shelf" by stacking a baking sheet on top of the casserole d ish , then p lace smal ler items on the baking sheet.

No-Slip Peppermil l When hands get wet d u ring

cooki ng, using a plastic or glass pep­

perm ill becomes a s l ippery, frustrat­

ing task. John Dahl of San Anselmo,

Cal if. , came up with a s imple rem­

edy. Secu re a thick rubber band

(often found on bunches of

broccoli) at the top of

the pepperm i l l . Grip the ru bber

band wh i le

grind ing. w z ,.. 0 "' " ::0 "' z I 0

z 0 � " t; 3

Opening Tight Lids Many jars are d ifficult to open

because of a tight vacu u m seal

created d uring manufacturing.

Tired of struggling, Joanne Lewis of

Brookfield, Wis. , discovered that a

church key could be used to fac i l i­

tate the process.

I. Fit the tip of the church key

under the edge of the lid and gently

lift the key to break the sea l .

2. The l id should now be easy to

unscrew.

Draining Sauerkraut To avoid d irtying a colander for a smal l job, Mary Clugstone of Binghamton, NY., drains sauerkraut in the plastic

bag in which it is packaged.

2.

I. Poke several holes in the bottom of the sauerkraut bag with a skewer or sharp knife. Uarred sauerkraut can be transferred to a zipper- lock bag. ) 2. Gently squeeze the bag over a large bowl or sink to drain the l iquid through the holes.

No-Stick Proposition Weary of battl ing with stuck-on price tags and labels on d ishware, glasses, and wine bottles, Lynda Bemel of Lakevi l le, Mass . . came u p with a novel way to release them. Point a hair d ryer set on h igh at the price tag or label until the g lue softens, a l lowing it to be peeled off with ease.

I.

Overn ight Bread Cooling Peggy Wegman of Auburndale . Mass . . often bakes bread i n the evening and finds that her loaves never cool suf­fic iently before bedtim e. Instead of wrapping a s l ightly warm loaf in p lastic wrap (a method that yie lds a soggy crust) or leaving it out on a rack (an approach that can attract kitchen critters) , she takes the fol lowing approach. Place the loaf on a cool ing rack and tum a large colander u pside down over the loaf, a l lowing it to cool safely wh i le preserving the crisp crust.

Keeping Flapjacks Hot A warm oven can be used to keep pan­

cakes hot, but this m ethod someti mes

results in a d ried-out breakfast. Rebecca

Cohen of New York, N.Y., uses the fol­

lowing trick for kee ping pancakes hot and

moist as they come out of the ski l let.

I.

Impromptu Cookie Cooling Rack Finding himself with a baking

sheet fu l l of hot cookies and a

shortage of cool ing racks, Jerry

Ammons of San Francisco, Cal if . ,

transferred the cookies to a

splatter screen to coo l .

I . Bring 2 c u p s water t o a simmer in a large saucepan . Place a large heatproof

plate on top of the saucepan.

2. As the pancakes are cooked, place them on the warm plate until serving time.

J A N UA R Y b F EB R UA R Y 2007

5

Double- Duty Onion Bag In need of a scrub pad for c leaning

d i rty pots and pans, Suni M cleod

of Uttle Rock, Ark., cleverly impro­

vised with an onion bag.

I. Wrap an e m pty perforated

plastic onion bag around a sponge.

2. Use the wrapped sponge and

hot soapy water to scrub cookware.

Hassle- Free Garl ic Paste M aking garl ic paste with the blade of a c hefs knife takes practice. Suzanne Phil l i ps of Akron, Oh io, s idesteps knife work with this easy method.

I. Roughly chop garlic c loves and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. 2. U sing the flat, unglazed underside of a smal l ramekin, press the garlic against the cutting board, smearing it to make a smooth paste .

tl

•'

R EC I P E D I A G N O S I S :

PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

( PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

The Chosen Ch i les

This small. smooth -skinned, forest­green chi le provides heat and a bitter,

green bell pepper-- l ike flavor.

_..(.,.

This long. medium-green, mi ld ly spicy chi le has an acid ic, lemony bitterness.

This large, heart-shaped , blackish-green chile is mild to medium-hot and packs a

rich , vegetal , sl ightly sweet flavor.

Authentic Steak Frites A good rendi ti on of th i s bi stro standard i s hard to find in Am e rican restau rants.

Sh o rt of fiying to Pari s, h ow co u ld we re l iably enjoy th i s Frenc h c lass i c ?

W hen most people travel to Paris, the first thing they do is visit Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, or the Louvre. Not me. When I

get off the plane, I head to a bistro and order steak frites. I know steak frites might seem like a pedes­trian choice-it's just steak with a side of fries-but in Paris, the steak is always perfectly cooked and the fries are AuflY on tl1e inside and crisp on the out­side, even when bathed in juices from the meat.

I've ordered my fair share of steak frites in American restaurants, but they often miss the mark. The fries are usually too soggy and the steak just isn't as Aavorful. Since I don't regularly dine in Parisian bistros, I set out to re-create steak frites in my own kitchen.

My Two Left Frites From past test kitchen work, I knew that high­starch russet potatoes make the best fries. Most recipes call for blanching the sliced potatoes in moderately hot oil to cook them through and then finishing them in hotter oil to render them golden and crispy. Following these steps was easy; achieving the desired result of a super-crisp fry that stood up to the steak and its juices was mon­umentally difficult. No matter what I tried, the fries were too tough, too soggy, or too greasy.

When I cooked the potatoes in a single batch, tl1e fries were very greasy. By cooking the pota­toes in two batches, I was able to increase the ratio of oil to potatoes. This also reduced the drop in oil temperature that naturally occurs when the potatoes are added. When I added all of the potatoes to the oil, the oil temperature dropped 125 degrees and the oil was no longer boiling. When I added half the potatoes, the oil temperature dropped just 75 degrees.

Squaring the Spud

The best way to uniformly cut fries is to start by trimming a thin slice from each side of the potato. Once the potato is "squared." you can slice it into '14- inch planks and then cut each plank into 1/4- inch fries.

3 B Y K EI T H D R E S S E R E

For super·crisp fries. we coat the potatoes with an u n l i ke ly ingred ient .

Why does tllis matter? When tl1e oil is very hot (well above 212 degrees), moisture on the surface of tl1e potato turns to stean1, witl1 hot oil taking the place of the escaping moisture. As the surface of tl1e potato becomes hotter and hotter, the outer coat­ing of starch begins to seal, making it more difficult for the oil and water to exchange. If tl1e oil isn't hot enough, the sealing process doesn't occur and the oil will seep into tl1e potatoes. Mi11imizing the tem­perature drop when tl1e potatoes are added to tl1e bot oil is an insurance policy against greasiness.

To find out whether the type of fat played a role in crispness, I tried cooking the potatoes in vegetable oil, peanut oil, and shorte11ing. The fries cooked in vegetable oil were bland and almost watery. The fries cooked in vegetable shortening and peanut oil were both crisp, but the shorten­ing left a heavy aftertaste, while the fries cooked in peanut oil were light and earthy-tasting.

Crispy Tricks Following these steps resulted in better fries. However, tl1e fries were still not crisp enough to stand up to the steak juices. Some recipes suggest soaking the potatoes in cold water before they are

COOK'

S ILL U S T R AT ED

8

cooked. Compared witl1 potatoes tl1at were fried witl1out presoaking, the soaked potatoes made slightly crispier fries with more even coloration. Other recipes call for "resting" the fries between the first and second frying. After 10 minutes of resting, I noticed tint the starches on the exterior of the blanched fries had formed a tllin film that indeed helped the fries become crisp once tl1ey were fried again. I was making progress, but I still wasn't completely satisfied.

It was time to try some more unusual ideas, so I turned to the Internet. I landed on the website of a company that makes frozen fries and learned tl1at they spray their potatoes with a thin potato starch-based coating. After more research, I real­ized starch was also a key ingredient in many fast­food fries. Could an extra layer of starch be the key to crispier fries?

I alternately tossed uncooked potatoes with cornstarch, potato starch, and arrowroot and fried up each batch. I saw an immediate improve­ment. Our science advisor explained that the starch was absorbing some of the surface mois­ture on the potatoes to form a gel-like coat­ing. This coating made a super-protective sheath around each fry, helping create the shatteringly crisp crust I had been working toward. Mter more tests, I determined that two tablespoons of cornstarch provided a Aavorless coating that guaranteed crisp fi-ies.

Steak My Claim In France, steak frites is usually prepared with a cut called entrecote (literally, "between the ribs"). Although you won't find this steak in American supermarkets, it's similar to our rib-eye steak­both are cut from the same area as prime rib. The one big difference is that entrecote steaks are quite thin, usually just 1h to �4 inch thick.

Even if your butcher will cut entrecote steaks, I discovered that they're not the best choice for my recipe. These thin steaks work well in restaurants, where blazing hot burners reign and steaks are cooked one at a time. With a weaker home stove and four steaks in the pan, I found tl1at tllicker rib-eyes gave me more time to get a nice sear on

Go to www.cooks i l l u strate d . com • Click on the Cook's Extra button for our

French Bistro Menu and recipe for Oven Fries. Menu and recipe available until june I, 2007.

One Steak Becomes Two

I n order to have four steaks that fit in a ski l let at the same time . it is necessary to buy two I -pound steaks and cut them

in half accord i ng to their th ickness. If your steaks are 1 '/• to 1 314 i nches th ick. cut them i n half vertical ly i n to smal l . th ick

steaks. If your steaks are th icker than I % inches. cut them i n half horizonta l ly into two th inner steaks.

TH I N STEAK: Cut in ha lf vertical ly.

the meat without overcooking the middle.

I had finally created a recipe that could almost rival the Parisian bistro meals I remember. The only hitch: The steak was a little bland. Maybe French beef is better? Then I recalled that most bistros spoon a flavored butter over the steak. Spread over the steaks while they rested, the herb butter added the exclamation point to this bistro classic. I no longer have to fly across the Atlantic to enjoy great steak frites.

S T E A K F R I T E S

SERVES 4

Make sure to dry tl1e potatoes well before tossing them with the cornstarch. For safety, use a Dutch oven witll a capacity of at least 7 quarts. Use refined peanut oil (such as Planters) to fry tl1e potatoes, not toasted peanut oil. A 12-inch skillet

is essential for cooking four steaks at once. The recipe can be prepared tl1rough step 4 up to 2 hours in advance; turn off the heat under the oil, turning the heat back to medium when you start step 6. The ingredients can be halved to serve two-keep the oil amount tile same and forgo blanching and frying tl1e potatoes in batches. If you prefer not to fry, follow our recipe for Oven Fries (see Cook's Extra on page 8 ) .

2 1h pounds russet potatoes (about 4 1arge) ,

scrubbed , s ides squared off, and cut lengthwise

into '!• · i nch by '!• · inch fries (see photo on

page 8)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

TH I C K STEAK: Cut in ha lf horizontal ly.

2. Pour off water, spread potatoes onto kitchen towels, and tl1oroughly dry. Transfer potatoes to large bowl and toss with cornstarch until evenly coated. Transfer potatoes to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let rest until fine white coating forms, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven fitted with clip-on-tl1e-pot candy thermom­eter, heat peanut oil over medium heat to 325 degrees.

4. Add half of potatoes, a handful at a time, to hot oil and increase heat to high. Fry, stirring with mesh spider or large-hole slotted spoon, until potatoes start to turn from white to blond, 4 to 5 minutes. (Oil temperature will drop about 75 degrees during tl1is frying.) Transfer fries to thick paper bag or paper towels. Return oil to 325 degrees and repeat with remaining potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and let fries cool while

cooking steaks, at least 10 minutes. 5. Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over

medium-high heat until smoking. Meanwhile, season steaks with salt and pepper. Lay steaks in pan, leaving 1/4 inch between them. Cook, not moving steaks, until well browned, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip steaks and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 120 degrees for rare to medium­rare, 3 to 7 minutes. Transfer steaks to large plate, top with butter, and tent loosely with foil; let rest while finishing fries.

6. Increase heat under Dutch oven to high and heat oil to 375 degrees. Add half of fries, a handful at a time, and fry until golden brown and

3 quarts peanut o i l

tablespoon vegetable o i l R E C I P E S H O RT H A N D 1 STEAK FRITE S

I

E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :

Spider Ski m m e rs If you peek into a restaurant kitche n . you ' l l see

chefs working over steaming stockpots or vats of

bubb l ing oi l using shal low, woven wire baskets on

long handles to retrieve blanched vegetables. french

fries, and th in - skinned wantons. Suffice it to say that

most chefs wou ldn 't part with their "sp iders . " as

they are cal led , which effortlessly scoop out mu ltiple

handfuls of food with one swoop and leave al l the

hot cooking oil, water, or broth beh ind .

But is one species of spider superior to the oth­

ers? Whi le cooking ski n ny french fries and plump

cheese raviol i , we noted that several model,, f. trapped too much l iqu id and sharp wire edges !J. snagged del icate raviol i wrap- . � {). pers. Wood handles soaked �

/ up oi l and water. d iscolor­

ing the wood and absorb­

ing odors . One model .

the Typhoon Extra- ST U RDY S P I D E R

Large Wire Skimmer

( $ 1 5 ) , avoided a l l

these flaws and is

our clear favorite .

-El izabeth Bomze

The Typhoon Extra-large Wire Skimmer sports a solid metal handle that won't soak up oi l or odors and a un iform mesh face that lets l iquid pass

through with ease.

puffed, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to thick paper bag or paper towels. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining fries. Season fries witll salt and serve immediately with steaks.

H E R B B U TT E R

MAKES ENOUGH FOR 4 STEAKS

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

'h med ium shal lot, m inced (about 2 tablespoons)

garl ic c love , minced or pressed through garl ic press

(about I teaspoon)

tablespoon m inced fresh parsley leaves

tab lespoon m inced fresh ch ives

'I• teaspoon table salt

'I• teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl.

2 boneless rib-eye steaks

( I pound each ) , cut in half Successful steak frites requ i res some careful tim ing. The first four steps can be completed up to 2 hours before d i nner. Once you start

cooki ng the steaks. you need to work qu ickly to get the steak and fries on the tab le . (see photos, above)

Kosher salt and ground black

pepper

recipe Herb Butter

(rec ipe fol lows)

1 . Rinse cut potatoes in large bowl under cold running water until water turns clear. Cover with cold water and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.

I . Rinse cut potatoes. 2. Toss potatoes with cornstarch . 3 . Air- d ry potatoes. 4. Blanch potatoes, in two batches, in 3 2 5 - degree

o i l ; let coo l . 5 . Cook steaks. 6. Fin ish fries, in two batches, in 37 5 -degree o i l .

J i\ N U II R Y b F E B R U A R Y 200 7

9

Perfecting Herb-Crusted Pork Roast A fresh h e rb cru st see m s l i ke a good way to enl iven a bone l ess

pork roast-b u t not if th e c ru st has l i tt l e fiavo r and fa l l s off.

Boneless center-cut pork roast is a poster child for the "other white meat" campaign. Its uni­form shape and compact eye of

meat make it an attractive, easy-to-slice roast. This cut is also widely available and won't break the bank. Now for the bad news. The center-cut roast comes from the leanest part of the pig, and it's very bland. It needs adornment. Enter the herb crust.

Typically a mix of fresh herbs and bread crumbs applied before roasting, an herb crust can be attached any number of ways. Some recipes brush the roast with mustard-or some other sticky, comple­mentary ingredient-and then coat it with herbs and crumbs. Others make an herb paste (think pesto) to attach the bread crumbs. Other recipes simply rely on the roast's exterior moisture to keep the herb crust affixed.

3 B Y C I I A R L E S K E L S E Y E-

My initial testing of existing recipes produced dismal results. Roasts emerged with pale crusts and minimal herb flavor. Recipes with a measly tablespoon or two

For fiavor in every b ite . we spread an herb paste in the m i d d l e and on top of the roast. A cheesy cru m b crust is the crown ing tou c h .

of fresh herbs and a handful of bread crumbs were the worst. But more herbs and crumbs didn't solve the problem; they just tended to fall right off, although the pesto-like pastes worked best. My tasters had one last complaint: The solid expanse

R EC I P E D I A G N O S I S :

When Good M eat Goes Bad Our in itial testing revealed a host of problems with

most recipes for herb-cnusted pori<. lo i n .

TOO LITTLE CRU ST

PALE AN D B LAN D

TOUGH

of lean meat seemed to overshadow the crust, and the best bites from each slice were those closest to the crust. Tasters hypothesized that somehow infusing the meat with herb flavor would unifY the crust and meat so that even if you didn't get a bite with crust, you'd still get pork with great herb flavor. I had my work cut out for me.

laying the G rou ndwork I took a big step back and reviewed some pork roasting basics. Based on previous test kitchen research, I knew that brining the roast in a salt­sugar solution for an hour before cooking would boost moisture and season the meat. I also knew that browning the roast would be crucial for ma-ximum flavor. Previous test results showed that searing the roast in a skillet on the stovetop before finishing the meat in a 325-degree oven works best. (The relatively low oven temperature allows the roast to cook evenly, so the exterior doesn't overcook while you wait for the center to come up to temperature.)

But even when I brined this roast before browning, it was still pretty lackluster. I decided to deal with the blandness issue first; I would

C O O K'

S I L L U S T R A T E D

10

work on the crust later. I tried adding chopped herbs and smashed garlic cloves to the brine, assuming that the brine would carry the herb and garlic flavors deep into the meat. My hunch was only half correct. Tasters detected garlic flavor, but the herbs were missing in action. Even when I threw fistfuls of herbs into the brine bucket, no one could taste them.

Confused, I wondered why the garlic flavor would come through but not the herbs. I spoke with our food scientist, who explained that gar­lic's flavor compounds are water soluble, so they can pass into the meat during brining. The flavor compounds in herbs are oil soluble and don't mix with the water in the brine, so herb flavor can't penetrate the meat.

If herbs need oil to carry their flavor, I assumed that marinating the roast in a mixture of oil, herbs, and garlic would do the trick. But even after 24

hours, the herb flavor had barely penetrated the exterior of the roast. Inspired by a recipe from my research, I tried cutting random slits deep into the roast before smearing on a thick herb paste. This technique showed promise, as tasters finally praised a roast for good herb flavor in every bite. With multiple slits, however, this roast was far from attractive. Could I do better?

After some experimentation, I found that cut­ting a single horizontal pocket across the middle of the roast was the solution I'd been searching for. The pocket was easy to make and could hold a handsome 1/4 cup of herb paste. Finally, each bite of pork contained herb flavor.

I discovered it was best to cut the pocket before brining. Also, tying the stuffed roast with twine kept the paste in place as the meat went from the counter to the skillet for browning.

Crust Building Now that the roast itself was more flavorful, it was time to work on the exterior crust. I slathered the browned roast with more herb paste, covered it with crumbs, and popped it into the oven. About an hour later, the roast emerged with an attrac­tive golden brown crust. Following protocol, I let the meat rest for 1 0 minutes (which gave the

Go to www. cooksi l l u strate d . com • Click on the Coo k's Extra button for

the reci pe for our reco m mended side dish ,Ciassic Mashed Potatoes.

• Reci pe available until June I. 2007.

'" z >-0 " a: :::J al z I 0

z 0 � a: t;; �

ST E P - BY- ST E P PRE PARI N G H E R B- C R U STE D P O R K ROAST

I . Score the Fat: Using sharp

boning knife, l ightly score fat cap

on roast to make '/•- inch cross­

hatch pattern .

2. Make Fi rst I nc i s i o n : 3 . Make t h e Pocket: C u t

a l o n g s ide o f pork, stopp ing

112 i nch short of oth e r e n d .

Pu l l open roast and use gentle

strokes to cut deeper pocket.

4. Stuff the Roast: Spread

'/• cup herb paste evenly into

pocket, using spatula and fingers

to make sure paste reaches cor­

ners of pocket.

5 . Tie the Roast: Fold roast

over to origina l shape and tie at

even intervals along its length

with 3 pieces of kitchen twi ne.

Starting '12 i nch from e n d of

roast, i n sert kn ife into m idd le

of roast. with b lade para l le l to

work surface.

juices time to redistribute and allowed the roast to slowly finish cooking from its carryover heat) and then sliced away. My knife blade revealed perfectly cooked, juicy pork, but tl1e crust didn't stay firmly attached. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the herb paste was sliding off the ren­dered fat cap. Scoring a crosshatch pattern into me fat cap before searing tl1e roast gave me paste something to grip and helped unifY tl1e crust and meat even more.

My last tasks were to tweak the herb paste and ramp up the flavor of the bread crumbs. Tasters wanted a simple mix of herbs in the paste and felt strongly mat the bulk should be made up by a neutral, soft herb, such as parsley (basil worked too) . Tasters liked quite a bit of woodsy thyme and a touch of intense rosemary to bolster pars­ley's mild flavor. Garlic was a welcome addition to the herb paste, as was grated Parmesan cheese, which made the paste tackier and easier to affix to the meat. A bit of Parmesan and minced shallot seasoned me bread crumbs, and some olive oil helped the crumbs crisp perfectly in the oven.

I had finally transformed dlis plain-Jane cut into a tasty roast mat offered herb flavor in every bite.

H E R B - C R U ST E D P O R K R O A ST

SERVES 4 TO 6

If only "enhanced" pork is available (tl1e label will state mat me pork was injected witl1 a water-salt solution; see photo, page 30), do not brine tl1e roast. Instead, simply season me snJ.ffed and tied roast wim salt before browning. Note mat you should not trim me pork of its layer of fat. While it is possible to substitute dried rosemary for fresh, do not substitute dried myme for fresh or me herb crust will be dry and dusty tasting. The roasting tin1e will vary widely depending on me dlickness of me meat. The roast can be brined, stuffed, and tied a day al1ead, but don't prepare me bread crumb topping until you are ready to cook.

boneless center-cut pork lo in roast,

2 112 to 3 pounds (see n ote above)

Tab le salt

1/4 cup sugar

large sl ice white sandwich bread , torn i nto p ieces

ounce Parmesan or pecori no cheese , grated

(about 112 cup)

med ium shal lot, m inced (about 3 tab lespoons)

4 tablespoons p lus 2 teaspoons o l ive o i l

Ground b lack pepper

113 cup packed fresh pars ley or basi l leaves

2 tablespoons m i n ced fresh thyme leaves

teaspoon m i nced fresh rosemary leaves

or 112 teaspoon dried

large garl ic c love , m inced or p ressed through

garl i c press (about 1 112 teaspoons)

l . Following illustration 1 above, lightly score fat cap on pork, making 1/4-inch crosshatch pattern. Following illustrations 2 and 3, cut pocket in roast. Dissolve 1;2 cup salt and sugar in 2 quarts water in large container; submerge roast, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Rinse roast under cold water and dry moroughly witl1 paper towels.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about sixteen 1-second pulses (you should have 1 cup crumbs) . Transfer crumbs to medium bowl (do not wash food processor work bowl) and add 2

5. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add roast, fat side down, and brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes, lowering heat if fat begins to smoke. Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

6. Using scissors, snip and remove twine from roast; discard twine. Following photos below, spread remaining herb paste over roast and top wiili bread crumb mixnrre. Transfer baking sheet witl1 roast to oven and cook until thickest part of roast registers 145 degrees on instant-read tl1er­mometer, 50 to 75 minutes. Remove roast from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Internal temperantre should rise to 150 degrees. Using spatula and meat fork, transfer roast to carving board, taking care not to squeeze juices out of pocket in roast. Cut roast into lh-inch slices and serve immediately.

H E R B - C R U ST E D P O R K R O A S T

W I T H M U S TA R D A N D C A RAWAY

Follow recipe for Herb-Crusted Pork Roast, sub­stituting l tablespoon minced garlic for shallot in bread crumb mixture, replacing rosemary wim 4 teaspoons whole-grain mustard and l tablespoon toasted caraway seeds, and reducing oil in step 3 to 2 tablespoons.

tablespoons Parmesan, shallot , 1 tablespoon oil, \-8 teaspoon salt, B u i l d ing a Bette r Crust and \-8 teaspoon pepper. Using fork, toss mixture until crumbs are evenly coated wim oil.

3. Add parsley or basil, tl1yme, rosemary, garlic, remaining 6 table­spoons Parmesan, 3 tablespoons oil, l!s teaspoon salt, and l!s teaspoon pepper to now-empty food processor workbowl and process until smootl1, about twelve 1-second pulses . Transfer herb paste to small bowl.

4. Following illustrations 4 and 5, spread 114 cup herb paste inside roast and tie . Season roast with pepper (and salt, if using enhanced pork).

Apply the Paste : After brown -ing roast in ski l let and removing kitchen twin e , use rubber spatu la to spread rema i n i ng herb paste even ly over top of roast.

J A N U A R Y [y F E B R U A R Y 2 00 7

] ]

Affix the Crumbs: Spri n kle Parmesan- laced bread crumbs on top of roast and then gently press them in with hands . F in ish cooking roast in ove n .

Streamlining Manicotti Manicotti may l o o k h o m ey, bu t b lanc h ing and stuffing pasta tubes is a tedi o u s c ho re, and

th e ri cotta fi l l ing can be uninsp i red and wate ry. We wanted a s i m p l e r, bette r rec i p e .

I have a love/hate relationship with manicotti . Well-made versions of this Italian-American classic-pasta tubes stuffed with rich ricotta filling and blanketed with tomato sauce­

can be eminently satisfying. So what's not to love? Putting it all together. For such a straight­forward collection of ingredients ( after all, mani­cotti is j ust a compilation of pasta, cheese, and tomato sauce ) , the preparation is surprisingly fussy. Blanching, shocking, draining, and sndting slippery pasta tubes require more patience ( and time) than I usually have . In addition, a survey of manicotti recipes proved that most recipe writers don't get tl1e filling right; too often , the ricotta­based mixture wrns out bland and runny.

Test Tu bes Testing started with the pasta component. Cheese-stuffed pastas have been consumed in Italy since medieval times, and traditional recipes used either homemade crespelle ( thin, eggy, crepe­like pancakes) or rectangular sheets of homemade pasta as wrappers for the filling. ( Both are ter­rific, though neither fit into my streamlined schematic . ) Over time, most Italian-American recipes evolved to use ready-made dried pasta shells instead of homemade wrappers. For mani­cotti, pasta tubes are parboiled, shocked in ice water to stop the cooking, drained, and stuffed with ricotta filling. It was on this approach that I focused my attention .

Some recipes require a pastry bag for filling the long, hollow cylinders with ricotta; others explain how to snip the corner from a zipper- lock bag to create a mock pastry bag. Many recipes take a different approach altogether, suggesting a small soupspoon for stuffing the tubes . With a bowl of basic ricotta filling at my side, I took a deep

N O S H O RT C U T AT A L L

Many recipes replace

the trad itional pastry

bag with a zipper-lock

plastic bag. But using a

p lastic bag to stuff par­

boiled manicotti shel ls

i s a messy. frustrating

job that is e l iminated

by our s imple recipe.

3 B Y R E B E C C A ! l A Y S E

Forget tri cky stuffi ng m ethods. O u r rec ipe re l ies on no-bo i l lasagna nood les and a s imp le fi l l i ng tec h n i q u e .

breatl1 and gave each method a u·y. The pastry bag was messy but workable . However, many cooks don 't own a pastry bag, and I didn't want to write a recipe requiring a specialty tool . Using a zipper-lock bag to force the ricotta into a slick parboiled pasta mbe was maddening; most of the cheese oozed out of the bag, with an embarrass­ingly small amount actually making it into the tube . The soupspoon was equally frustrating; I eventually gave up on it and used my fingers instead . Noticing my impatience, a colleague sug­gested slitting a blanched noodle lengthwise, packing it with filling, and putting the stuffed tube into a casserole seam side down . Not bad, but this method still called for blanching, shock­ing, and draining the noodles .

I found a "quick" recipe that seemed worth u·ying on the back of one of the manicotti boxes . I t called for stuffing uncooked pasta tubes with ricotta, covering them with a watery sauce , then baking. Filling raw pasta tubes with cheese was marginally easier than stuffing l imp parboiled noodles, but it wasn't without missteps: A few

C 0 0 K ' 5 I L L lJ S I R ,\ I I· I)

1 2

shattered along the way. Still , I followed the recipe through, watering down a jar of tomato sauce with a cup of boiling water and pouring it over the manicotti . After 45 minutes in the oven, this manicotti was inedible, with some of the pasta shells remaining uncooked and the pink, watered-down sauce tasting, well, l ike water.

Nearly at my wit's end, I remembered the crespelle and fresh pasta sheets, which didn't have any of the assembly problems associated with manicotti tubes . Spreading the filling onto a flat wrapper had to be easier than cramming it into a floppy tube . I scanned the fine print on a package of store-bought crepes, hoping to use them instead of crespelle , but alas, they were far too sugary. Fresh pasta sheets aren't sold at many supermarkets . It was then that I thought of no-boil lasagna noodles. What if i softened the noodles in water, turning them into pli­able sheets of pasta? This method worked like a charm. After a quick soak in boiling water, no-boil lasagna noodles could be spread with filling and rolled up in a few easy minutes .

The Big Cheese It was a given that ricotta would serve as the base for the filling, but was whole milk, part-

skim, or even fat-free ricotta preferable? All were fine , but part-skim ricotta provided an ideal level of richness, allowing the other flavors to shine .

In addition to ricotta, shredded low-moisture mozzarella and Parmesan are generally added to the fill ing. I wondered if other cheeses might fare better. After testing cream cheese, fresh mozza­rella, fontina, Asiago, pecorino, and aged provo­lone, I decided to stick with tradition, opting for mozzarella and Parmesan .

Without eggs, the fill ing separates, becom­ing loose and watery. After experimenting with various amounts of whole eggs and yolks, I set­tled on two whole eggs . B ut eggs alone didn't completely ward off a runny filling. The proper amounts of mozzarella and Parmesan also proved key; specifically, a generous amount of mozza­rella was necessary.

As for seasonings, a few specks of parsley plus salt and pepper are the norms. Looking for improvement, I explored other options, eventu­ally settling on a combination offresh parsley and basil ( dried herbs were too harsh ) .

5 "'

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S T E P - BY- S T E P I MAN I C OTTI 1 , 2 , 3

In our streaml ined recipe, the ricotta fi l l i ng is spread onto softened no-boi l lasagna noodles, e l im inating the s l ippery

task of stuffing parboiled manicotti shel ls .

I. Soak no-boil lasagna noodles in 2. Using sou pspoon , spread about 3. Rol l each noodle by hand and

boi l ing water for 5 minutes until p l i - II• cup fi l l i ng onto three- q uarters of place i n baking d i s h . seam s ide

able, using t ip of paring knife to sepa- each nood le , leavi ng top quarter of down .

rate noodles and prevent sticking. noodle expose d .

Fi n ish ing Touches A slow-cooked tomato sauce didn't fit into my streamlining goal, so I was relieved when tasters preferred the bright, fresh flavor of a 1 5 -minute sauce made with olive oil, garlic, and diced canned tomatoes pureed in a food processor to give the sauce body quickly. I punched up my quick recipe with fresh basil leaves and a dash of red pepper flakes.

Finally, most baked pasta dishes benefit from a browned, cheesy topping. The best approach was to add a light sprinkling of Parmesan, passing the casserole under the broiler before serving. This, at last, was manicotti that won my complete affec­tion : great tasting and easy to prepare .

BA K E D M A N I C O T T I

SERVES 6 TO 8

We prefer Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles for their delicate texture resembling fresh pasta . Note that Pasta Defino and Ronzoni brands contain only l2 no-boil noodles per package; the recipe requires 16 noodles. The manicotti can be pre­pared through step 5, covered with a sheet of parchment paper, wrapped in aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month . ( If frozen, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days . ) To bake, remove the parchment, replace the aluminum foil, and increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours .

Tomato Sauce 2 ( 2 8 -ounce) cans d iced tomatoes in ju ice

2 tab lespoons extra-virg i n o l ive oi l

3 medium garl ic cloves, m inced or pressed through

garl ic press (about I tablespoon)

112 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Table salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basi l leaves

Cheese Filling and Pasta 3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese

4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)

8 ounces mozzare l l a , shredded (about 2 cups)

2 large eggs, l ightly beaten

3f4 teaspoon tab le salt

112 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basi l l eaves

1 6 no-bo i l lasagna noodles (see note above)

1 . FOR THE SAUCE: Adjust oven rack to mid­dle position and heat oven to 375 degrees . Pulse 1 can tomatoes with their juice in food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 or 4 pulses . Transfer to bowl . Repeat with remaining can tomatoes.

2. Heat oil, garlic , and pepper flakes ( if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes . Stir in tomatoes and 1;2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 1 5 minutes. Stir in basil; adjust seasoning with salt.

3. FOR THE CHEESE FILLING : Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs in medium bowl ; set aside .

4. TO ASSEMBLE: Pour 1 inch boiling water into 1 3 by 9- inch broilersafe baking dish, then add noodles one at a time . Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish .

5 . Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 112 cups sauce . Using soupspoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you ) , leav­ing top quarter of noodle exposed. Rol l into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down . Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered .

6. Cover manicotti with aluminum foi l . Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foi l . Remove baking dish, adjust oven rack to uppermost position ( about 6 inches from heating element) , and heat broiler. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan . Broil

) i\ :-.l lc ARY 6- F IO il R U ARY 2 0 0 7

1 3

r A s r 1 N G : Ricotta Cheese Original ly crafted from the whey by-product of

Romano cheesemaki ng. ricotta cheese has garnered

fame on its own as a white , cushiony fi l l ing for baked

pasta d ishes. As ricotta has gained global popu lar­

ity. however, preservation methods used by many

large-scale manufacturers have turned these once

fluff)'. buttery, sweet curds into chalky. sour spreads.

Seeking at least one noble specimen, we sampled

four national ly avai lable brands of part-skim ricotta.

The th ree commercia l ly processed brands­

Dragone , Sargento . and Sorrento-consistently

garnered unfavorable adjectives such as "rancid , "

"grainy. " "soggy, " and just pla in "yucky. " At the other

end of the spectnum entirely sat Calabro 's "fresh,"

"creamy." and , as one taster put it. "perfect" curds­

the hands-down favorite . Baked into rol l s of pasta

and smothered with homemade tomato sauce and

fresh herbs, the d ifferences were sl ightly less appar­

ent. though not altogether u nnoticed .

Al l three commercial brands are packed with gums

and other stab i l izers to guarantee shelf-stab i l ity for

weeks. Calabro ' s curds, on the other hand . are

fresh -drawn from noth ing other than Vemnont

famn whole mi lk. skim m i l k. a starter. and a sprinkle

of salt. Granted , the latter's shelf life spans only a

matter of days. but one spoonful should be enough

to guarantee its quick d isappearance from your

fridge. If you can 't find Calabro, read labels and look

for another fresh ricotta without gums or stabi l izers.

N OT F O R U S

-El izabeth Bomze

.______, F R E S H I S B E ST

When it comes to ricotta, choose a freshly made cheese without gums or stabil izers. We

particularly l ike Calabro ricotta, which is available nationwide at Whole Foods Markets.

until cheese is spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes . Cool 1 5 minutes, then serve .

B A K E D M A N I C O TT I W I T H S A U S A G E

Follow recipe for Baked Manicotti through step l . Cook 1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage , casings removed, in 2 tablespoons olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to break sausage into 1/2 -inch pieces, until no lon­ger pink, about 6 minutes . Continue as directed, adding garlic and pepper flakes to sausage .

Go to www.cooksi l l ustrated.com • Click on the Cook's Extra b utton for

Baked Man icotti with Prosciutto and Baked Manicotti Puttanesca.

• Recipes available until J une I. 2007

Thai-Style Chicken Soup at Home Au th e n ti c Tha i ch i cken so u p ga i n s co m p l ex fi avo r i n m i n u tes v i a a ha n dfu l of exoti c

i ngred i e n ts . Co u l d su perm a rket su bsti tu tes d e l ive r co m para b l e resu l ts ?

W henever I g o out for Thai food, I start my meal with a bowl of tom khaa gai, or the easier-to-pronounce translation :

Thai chicken soup . It doesn't look like much­a creamy, pale broth laced with chicken slices, mushrooms, and cilantro-but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in flavor. Sweet and sour components balance the richness of lemon grass­and-lime-infused coconut milk, which, in turn, tempers a slow-building chile burn . It makes my own chicken noodle soup seem as enticing as hospital food.

So if Thai chicken soup is so good, why don't I make it at home? Simple : ingredients . Its complex flavor is largely derived from such exotica as galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, and bird's eye chiles. I'd be hard pressed to find most of these ingredients at my market. That being said, I wondered if a plausibly authentic version of Thai chicken soup could be prepared with more readily available ( i .e . , supermarket) substitutions.

Broth Matters I found a handfiJl of "simplified" or "American­ized" Thai chicken soup recipes that, while largely informative regarding substitutions, mostly missed the mark. Each lacked the taut balancing of hot, sour, salty, and sweet components that makes Thai cooking so compelling. (Appropriately enough, that balance, in Thai, is called yum. ) So, for the time being at least, I stuck with the authentic reci­pes. I'd address substitutions once I knew how best to prepare the soup. I spent a long day shopping to find all the required ingredients and set to work.

Variation in Thai chicken soup recipes tends to center on rwo basic components : brorl1 and gar-

A Little Dab ' l l Do Ya !

Why ru n a l l over town looking for authentic Thai ingred i ­

ents l ike ga langa l , b i rd ' s eye ch i les, and kaffi r l ime leaves

when a jar of supermarket Tha i red curry paste del ivers a l l

those flavors i n super-concentrated form ?

3 B Y M A T T I I E W C A R D E

perfect. Much longer and tl1e brotl1 tasted bitter, vegetal, and overextracted.

While the simple simmer certainly suf­ficed, I wondered if sauteing the aromat­ics before adding me liquid, as is common for Western-style soups, might improve matters . I cooked rl1e shallots, galangal, lemon grass, and cilantro with a little vegetable oil until softened, men added the chicken brotl1 and coconut milk and proceeded with the recipe . Tasted side by side against tl1e original memod, tl1e broth prepared with sauteed aromatics tasted much clearer and fuller. A little extra effort, perhaps, but the "fusion" method paid off.

Plenty of c h i c ke n , m u s h rooms, and garn ishes make th i s q u ick soup a meal .

After preparing a few more batches with varying ratios of chicken brom and coco­nut milk, I settled on equal parts of each. Rich tasting wimout being cloying, and definitely chicken flavored, me blend was perfectly balanced. I also tried a technique I had come across in a couple of recipes . The coconut milk was added in rwo parts: half at me beginning and tl1e remainder just before serving. What seemed fussy made a big difference, as me coconut fla­vor came tl1rough most clearly.

nishes. Traditional recipes typically prepare the broth in one of rwo methods . The first involves poaching a whole chicken in water with aromat­ics ( just like my own chicken noodle soup ) , after which me broth is blended wim coconut milk and further seasoned; the chicken-now shred­ded-is stirred in with me mushrooms. In the second approach, chicken broth and coconut milk are simmered wim me aromatics, after which min-sliced raw chicken and the remaining ingre­dients and seasonings are added. Both methods have rl1eir merits, but I much preferred me lat­ter, which took half the effort and time without any apparent injury to flavor. The richness of me coconut milk and assertive seasonings evidently added big flavor fast.

How long did me broth and aromatics need to simmer for the best results? I cobbled togetl1er a working recipe from tl1e best I had tried-a blend of chicken broth, coconut milk, lemon grass, shal­lots, galangal, and cilantro . A scant 1 0 minutes after the broth had come to a simmer proved

C O O K'

s IL L USTRATE D

1 4

N o Su bstitutions, Please Now came me hard part : making substitutions . Most of me "simplified" recipes I tried or reviewed replaced tl1e lemon grass wim lemon zest, but I found me swap objectionable . Lemon zest-in conjunction with the sweet coconut milk-made for a brotl1 wim an odd, candy-like flavor. Dried lemon grass also failed to impress, lacking any of the depth of the fresh stuff. Luckily, I discovered lemon grass to be more readily available than I had assumed .

Galangal is a knotty, peppery-flavored rhizome distantly related to ginger, which most food writers suggest is the perfect substitute . While it wasn't perfect to me-ginger lacked tl1e depm of flavor and piney finish of galangal-it would make do.

Kaffir lime leaves, the fresh or dried leaves from a potent variety of tropical l ime, lend tl1e brom a particularly floral , deep flavor and alluring aroma. Lime zest is the usual substitute, but one I felt lacked the intensity oftl1e leaves . Once again, the substitute felt like a distant second.

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This was a bad trend. Replacing the authentic ingredients was not working as well as I hoped, and the soup was not tasting nearly as good as I expected. Perhaps authentic flavor really wasn't possible without the proper ingredients .

Then I found my magic bullet. At one tasting postmortem, a colleague suggested red curry paste, an ingredient I hadn't considered to that point. While it is never added to traditional Thai chicken soup, the curry paste did include all the exotic ingredients for which I was trying so hard to find acceptable substitutions. I whisked a small spoonful of the paste into the soup in front of me and was struck by the surprising transformation from boring to--dare I say?-authentic .

Curry paste is usually added early on in cook­ing to mellow its potent flavor, but I found this flattened the flavors too much . Adding a dollop at the very end of cooking-whisked together with pungent fish sauce and tart lime juice-allowed the sharpness of the galangal , the fragrance of the kaffir lime leaves, and the bright heat of the chiles to come through loud and clear. Out went the mediocre ginger and lime zest and in went two teaspoons of easy-to-find red curry paste .

Ch icken and Mushrooms With the broth under my belt, I could finally tackle the chicken and mushrooms. I initially thought that rich-tasting thigh meat would be the best choice to stand up to the full-flavored broth, but it was too fatty; boneless, skinless breast meat was better.

As for the mushrooms, oyster mushrooms are traditional but hard to find. Supermarket options

T E C H N I Q U E I S L I C I N G C H I C K E N B R E A ST S

Our Tha i -Style Ch icken Soup cal ls for th i n s l ices of

boneless. skin less ch icken breast that wi l l cook i n

just a min ute or two. To make s l ic ing easier. place

the chicken i n the freezer for 30 m i nutes, then cut

the breasts i n half lengthwise . F irmer, narrower

pieces of chicken wi l l be easier to sl ice on the bias

into 1/a - inch-thick sl ices.

like cremini, shiitake , and white mushrooms each had their merits , but the latter proved to be the closest match to the mild flavor and chewy texture of oyster mushrooms . Sliced thin and submerged in the broth, they quickly softened and absorbed the soup's flavors like a sponge .

A sprinkle of cilantro usually suffices as a finish­ing touch , but tasters wanted more . The clean, bright heat of thin-sliced serrano chiles and sharp bite of scallions did the trick.

With twenty-odd minutes of cooking and a minimum of hands-on effort, I had Thai chicken soup that tasted every bit as good as that served at my local Thai restaurant. Will I ever make plain old chicken noodle soup again?

T H A I - S T Y L E C H I C K E N S O U P

SERVES 6 TO 8 AS AN A P P ETIZER O R 4 AS A MAIN COURSE

If you want a soup with less fat, it is possible to substitute light coconut milk for one or both cans of regular coconut milk. Fresh lemon grass can be omitted, but the soup will lack some complexity. Don't be tempted to use j arred or dried lemon grass-their flavor is characterless . If you want a spicier soup, add more red curry paste to taste . For a more substantial meal, serve the soup over 2 to 3 cups of cooked j asmine rice . The soup can be prepared through step l up to one day ahead of time and refrigerated, but it should be com­pleted immediately before serving, as the chicken and mushrooms can easily overcook.

I teaspoon vegetable o i l

3 lemon grass sta lks , tough outer leaves removed ,

bottom 5 i nches halved lengthwise and s l iced

th in crosswise

3 large shal lots, chopped

8 sprigs fresh c i lantro , chopped coarse

3 tablespoons fish sauce

4 cups low-sod ium chicken broth

2 ( 1 4-ounce) cans coconut m i lk, wel l shaken

tablespoon sugar

112 pound wh ite mushrooms, cleaned , stems

trimmed, cut i nto 'I•- inch s l ices

pound boneless, skin less ch icken b reasts, halved

lengthwise and sl iced on bias i nto 1/a - i nch-th ick

p ieces (see i l l ustration at left)

3 tablespoons ju ice from 2 to 3 l imes

2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste

Garnish 112 cup fresh c i lantro leaves

2 serrano ch i les, s l iced th in

2 sca l l ions , s l iced th in on bias

l ime , cut into wedges

l . Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until j ust shimmering. Add lemon grass, shallots, cilantro, and l tablespoon fish sauce; cook, stirring frequently, until j ust softened, 2 to 5 minutes (vegetables should not brown) . Stir

J A N U A R Y b F E B R U A R Y 2007

I S

T A s T ' N G : Cocon ut M i l k Cocon u t m i l k i s not the th i n l i qu id found inside

the coconut itself; that is ca l led coconut water.

Coconut m i l k is a product made by steeping equal

parts shredded coconut meat and either warm

m i l k or water. The meat is pressed or mashed to

release as much l iqu id as possib le , the m ixtu re is

stra ined , and the resu lt is coconut m i l k.

We tasted seven nationa l ly ava i lab le brands

(five regular and two l ight) i n coconut pudding,

coconut rice, Tha i -Style C h icken Sou p , and green

ch icken cu rry. Among the five regular brands, tast­

ers gravitated to those with more sol id cream at

the top of the can (most cans recommend shaking

before open ing to red i stri bute the sol ids) . These

brands also had a much stronger coconut flavor.

In the soup and cu rry, tasters preferred Chaokoh

because of its exceptiona l ly low sugar content ( less

than I gram per 1/, cup) . By com pariso n , brands

with more than twice as much sugar ( Ka- Me,

G oya , Thai Kitchen) tasted "sacchari n e . " I n the

sweet rec ipes , tasters gave velvety Ka- M e top

votes for its "fru ity" and "complex" flavor. In these

reci pes, the extra sugar was an advantage .

The l ight coconut m i l ks we tasted were not

nearly as creamy-a serious flaw in desserts but

less so in sou p . Of the two l ight brands tasted, we

preferred the richer flavor of A Taste of Tha i .

-Garth C l ingingsmith and El izabeth Bomze

SWE ET AS S U GAR

C R EAM O F TH E LEAN TH E C R O P C H O I C E

Among the ful l -fat coconut mi lks , Ka-Me ( left) is best suited for sweet recipes, whi le Chaokoh (center) is our favorite for soup. A Taste of Thai l ight coconut mi lk (right) was surprisingly good .

in chicken brotl1 and l can coconut milk; bring to simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until flavors have blended, 1 0 minutes . Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer and discard solids in strainer. Rinse saucepan and return broth mixture to pan .

2 . Return pan to medium - high heat. Stir remaining can coconut milk and sugar into broth mixture and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms, and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink, l to 3 minutes. Remove soup from heat.

3. Combine lime j uice, curry paste, and remain­ing 2 tablespoons fish sauce in small bowl; stir into soup. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish witl1 cilantro, chiles, and scallions. Serve immediately with lime wedges .

Potato Primer Th i n k a l l potatoes a re th e sam e ? Th i n k aga i n . H e re a re th e bas i c i nfo rmati o n a n d coo ki ng tec h n i q u es yo u n eed to kn ow fo r perfect mash ed , roasted , bo i l ed , and baked potatOeS eve ry ti m e . B Y K E I T H D R E S S E R

Until recently. most markets sold potatoes under generic names, such as " baking potato" or " boi l ing potato , " which

helped shoppers choose the right potato for each rec ipe . But now many markets sel l potatoes by varietal name, such

as Yukon Gold and Red Creamer. So how do you use these potatoes/ We fin d that potato varieties can be d ivided i n to

three major categories based on texture. What causes d ifferent potatoes to have d ifferent textu res? In a word . starc h .

D RY, FLO U RY POTATO ES

What You Need to Know: Also known as " baking"

potatoes. this gro u p conta ins more tota l starch (20

percent to 22 percent) and amylose than other catego­

ries, giving these varieties a d ry, mealy texture .

How to Use Them: The best cho ice when baking and

fryi ng. I n our opin ion , they are a lso the best potatoes

for mash ing. because they can dr ink up butter and

crea m . Good when you want to thicken a stew or sou p

but not if you want d i stinct chunks of potatoes.

Common Varieties: RUSSET, RUSSET BU RBAN K ,

I DAHO

" I N - BETWE E N " POTATO ES

What You Need to Know: These potatoes conta in Jess

total starch ( 1 8 percent to 20 percent) and amylose

than dry, floury potatoes but more total starch and

amylose than firm . waxy potatoes. Although they are

" i n - between" potatoes. the i r textu re is more m ealy

than firm , putti ng them closer to d ry, flo u ry potatoes.

How to Use Them: They can be mashed o r baked but

won ' t be as fl uffy as d ry, flo u ry potatoes; they can be

used i n salads and soups but won ' t be q u ite as fi rm as

waxy potatoes.

Common Varieties: YUKON G O LD , YE LLOW

FI N N , PU RPLE PERUVIAN , KE N N E BE C ,

KATAH D I N

B UYING AN D STO RIN

N EW VERS U S O LD POTATO ES

Potatoes can be categorized as "new " or "early"

potatoes and "o ld " or "ma i n crop" potatoes. Both

new and old potatoes can come from any variety

of potato . New potatoes are th i n -ski n ne d , less

mature potatoes harvested in the late spring and

summer. They are less starchy than "ol d " potatoes.

because they haven 't had t ime to convert their

sugar into starc h . These potatoes should be used

as firm . waxy potatoes. regard less of variety. Old

potatoes are fu l ly mature and are harvested i n the

fa l l . They are usua l ly starch ier and have thick ski ns .

These potatoes are often he ld in cold storage . or

cure d , i n order for the i r skins to toughen , which

he lps protect the i r flesh for better storage . Most

potatoes sold in supermarkets have been cured

and can be considered "o l d " potatoes.

Fl RM , WAXY POTATO ES

What You Need to Know: Also known as " bo i l i ng"

potatoes, these conta i n a re latively low amount of

tota l starch ( 1 6 percent to 1 8 percent) and very l i ttle

amylose , which means they have a fi rm , smooth , waxy

texture. Freshly dug potatoes, which are often cal led

"new" potatoes, fal l i nto this gro u p .

How t o U s e Them: Perfect w h e n y o u want t h e pota­

toes to ho ld the i r shape , as with potato salad ; a lso a

good choice when roasting or bo i l i ng .

Com mon Varieties: R E D BLISS, FRENCH

F I N G ERLI N G , RED C R EAM E R , WH ITE ROSE

WHY ARE MY

POTATO ES G R E E N ?

The green patches fou n d

on some potatoes are

caused by prolonged

exposu re to l ight or

improper storage. Th is

d iscoloration is prod uced

by chlorophyl l and is

usual ly an ind ication

of increased levels of a

natura l ly occurring toxic

alkaloid cal led solanine . I ngesting solan ine can

lead to i l l ness, so if you

discover green patches

when peel i ng you r pota­

toes, s imply cut off the

affected areas.

BUYI N G

Look for fi rm specimens that are free o f green spots, sprouts ,

cracks, and other b lemishes. We genera l ly prefer to buy loose

potatoes. so we can see what we are getting. Stay away from

potatoes in plastic bags, which can act l i ke green houses and

cause potatoes to sprout, soften , and rot.

STO RI N G

If stored under unsu itable heat a n d l ight c i rcumstances. potatoes

wi l l germ i nate and grow. To avoid this . kee p potatoes i n a coo l ,

dark, d ry place . Although s o m e experts warn that refrigerati ng

potatoes can d ramatica l ly increase the sugar leve l , we 've n ever

encounte red this problem in the test kitchen . Store potatoes i n

a paper ( not p lastic) bag and away from o n ions , which give off

gases that wi l l hasten sprouting. Most varieties shou l d keep for

several months. The exception is new potatoes- because of the i r

th i n ner skins . they wi l l keep no more t h a n one month .

Total starch content in potatoes can range

from 1 6 percen t to 22 percent. But just as

i m po rtan t as the total amount of starch i s the

type of starc h . There are two kinds of starch

molecules-amylose and amylopectin -and

they behave q u ite d ifferently. Amylose

molecules , wh ich are shaped l i ke long cha ins ,

easi ly separate when cooked i n the p resence

of water. Th is exp la ins why russet potatoes.

which have a h igh amount of amylose . are the

best choice for mashing. I n contrast, amylo­

pectin molecu les have a com pact, b ranched

shape that ho lds together when cooked and

he lps the potato remain i n tact. Varieties with

more amylopecti n , such as Red Bl iss . are the

best choice for bo i l i ng .

R E D B L I S S POTATO

Remains Firm When Cooked

R U S S ET POTATO

Tums Crumbly When Cooked

C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A r E D

1 6

MAS H E D

Start with dry, floury potatoes and s immer

them with their pee ls on . Yes, th is is more

work than the usual peel -and-d ice method,

but keeping water out ensures fluffy

mashed potatoes with an earthy flavor. It is

also important when m ixing the potatoes

to add the melted butter before the half­

and- half. When butter is added before

the half-and-ha lf, the fat coats the starch

molecules. i nh ib iting their i nteraction with

the water in the half-and-half. The resu l t is

a s i lkier, creamier mashed potato .

BAKED

Start with a dry, floury potato and bake

it at a re latively low temperature , which

a l lows some of the starch i n the flesh

just ins ide the ski n to break down into

sugar and gives the potato a rich flavor. To

ensure that the flesh does not steam and

become dense, open a baked potato as

soon as it comes out of the oven .

ROASTE D

Start with waxy potatoes (they have more

moisture than other varieties) and cover

the pan with foi l for the first half of the

roasting time so the potatoes steam in their

own moisture and become creamy. Remove

the foi l and continue roasting unti l the

exteriors are crisp.

BO I LED

Start with fi rm , waxy potatoes and boi l

them with their ski n i ntact. Toss with

butter and serve , or. for salad . cut and toss

potatoes with vinegar. salt , and pepper.

Th is techn ique a l lows the potatoes to

easily absorb the vinegar. creating a fu l l e r­

flavored salad .

HAN D MAS H ER: For chunky, home-style

mashed potatoes. the too l of cho ice is a

hand masher. These mashers come in a l l

shapes and styles, but our choice is the Profi

Plus Masher ( $ 1 5 . 99 ) . With i ts perforated

disk and comfortable gri p , the Profi mashes

potatoes with m in imum effort.

Pee l ing H ot Potatoes

IF YO U M U ST PEEL

Over the years , we've tried

many d ifferent pee lers , and we

recommend the OXO 1 -Series

Swivel Pee ler ( $ I 0) . Th is stu rdy,

maneuverab le , and i ncred ib ly

sharp pee ler s imp ly outdoes

the competition .

The most effic ient way to peel a just-boi led

potato is to spear it with a fork and then

use a paring knife to remove the pee l .

O p e n i ng a Baked Potato

Use the ti nes of a fork to make a

dotted X on top of each potato .

Press in at the ends of the potato to

push the flesh up and out . Besides

re leasing the steam qu i ckly, this

method he l ps trap and hold on to

b its of butter.

F l i p p i n g Roast Potatoe s

Press a metal spatu la aga i nst the pan

as you sl ide it under the potatoes

to protect the crisp crust. Fl i p the

potatoes so that the other cut s ides

come in contact with the hot pan .

Is It D o n e Yet?

Poke the potato with a sharp paring

kn ife and then try to l ift i t out of the

water. If the potato c l i ngs to the kn ife

even for a second , back into the pot

it goes .

F O O D M I LL: Part food processor

and part s ieve , a food m i l l qu ickly

produces s i lky mashed potatoes

whi le separating out any stray peels .

Of the food mi l l s tested i n the

kitchen , our favorite is the R. S .V. P. Rotary Food M i l l ( $ 1 9 . 9 5 ) .

R I C E R: Like a food m i l l , the ricer pu rees the

potato whi le removing any u nwanted skins .

The d rawback to a r icer is that its hopper is

qu ite smal l and it requ i res a fa i r amount of

e l bow grease . which makes p rocessing a large

batch of potatoes laborious . Our favorite is

the Cu is ipro Potato Ricer ( $ 29 . 9 5 ) .

J A N U A R Y & F E B R U A R Y 2 007

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BAS I C POTATO RECI PES

M A S H E D P O TAT O E S S E RV E S 4

Place 2 pounds scrubbed (and

unpeeled) d ry, floury potatoes in large

saucepan with cold water to cover by

about I i nch . Bring to boi l , then simmer

over med i um- low heat unti l tender and

fu l ly cooked (see i l l ustration below) ,

20 to 30 m inutes. Dra in and peel

potatoes. M i l l , rice , or mash potatoes

(see "Three Tools for Mashing") . Stir in

8 tablespoons me lted unsalted butter.

fo l lowed by I cup warm half-and-ha lf.

Season with I 1/2 teaspoons table salt

and ground black pepper to taste.

B A K E D P O TAT O E S S E RV E S 4

Place 4 med i um d ry, floury potatoes

d i rectly on midd le rack in 3 50-degree

oven . Bake potatoes unti l skewer gl ides

easi ly through flesh , about I hour and

I S m inutes. Open immediately (see

i l l ustration at left) , and serve with butter

and salt.

R O A ST E D P O TAT O E S S E RV E S 4

Toss 2 pounds fi rm . waxy potatoes. cut

i nto %- inch wedges, with 3 tablespoons

ol ive o i l , salt, and pepper. Place pota­

toes flesh side down on rimmed baking

sheet and cover tightly with foi l . Cook

potatoes on midd le rack i n 425-degree

oven for 20 m inutes. Remove foi l and

continue to roast u nti l s ides of potatoes

touching pan are go lden brown , about

I S m inutes. Carefu l ly turn potatoes over

and continue to roast unti l golden brown

on the second s ide, 5 to I 0 minutes.

B O I L E D P O TAT O E S S E RV E S 4

Place 2 pounds scrubbed fi rm , waxy

potatoes in large saucepan with cold

water to cover by about I inch. Bring

to boi l , then s immer over med ium- low

heat unt i l tender. at least I 0 minutes for

l - i nch potatoes and up to 1 8 minutes for 2 112 - inch potatoes. Drain and toss

with butter.

FOR SALAD : Cool potatoes sl ightly, cut

with serrated kn ife i n to %- i nch chunks,

and place on rimmed baking sheet.

Drizz le with 1/4 cup red wine vinegar,

1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pep­

per. Let stand for 20 m inutes, then

transfer to bowl and d ress as desired .

Introducing French Onion Tart French O n io n Tart is s i m i l a r to q u i c h e b u t d e l ive rs a m o re refi ned s l i ce of p i e , wi th m o re

o n i o n s tha n cu stard . Th e p ro b l e m ? Ro l l i ng a n d fi tti ng th e d o ugh i n to a ta rt pan .

The French h ave a knack for making incredibly delicious dishes out of very simple ingredients . Case in point : onion tart . French cooks elevate a common

vegetable to the status of foie gras by gently sim­mering it in butter, enriching it with custard (eggs and heavy cream ) , and baking it in a buttery crust. As the more refined, chic cousin of quiche, this preparation utilizes a slim tart shell and more onions than custard.

At least that's how I remember this tart from trips to France . Re - creating this me mory at home was a different story. My crust came out impossibly tough and crackery-a disappointing end to the lengthy chill ing, roll ing, and rest­ing process of making pastry dough . And after delicately cooking the onions for over an hour, like most French recipes specify, and then finally making tl1e custard and baking the whole thing together, I was more frustrated with this tart than enchanted by it .

But my tantalizing recollections steered me back into the kitchen to find a way to simplify the crust and truncate the overall preparation time . After all , if l could make a successful quiche, with all its varied fil lings, then I could certainly tackle this basic onion tart.

Keeping a Ud on It Standing by the stovetop for an hour babysitting slowly simmering onions seemed unnecessary. Or so I thought. Starting the onions on high heat and then finishing them on low ( tl1e test kitchen's standard method for caramelizing onions ) pro­duced more tender onions, but these were far too sweet and one-dimensional for this applica­tion. It became apparent that the right cooking technique-one that tenderized the onions with­out making them candy-sweet-was crucial for a tart witl1 so few ingredients. And a quick cooking method would be nice .

To speed things along, I added liquid to the onions at the onset of cooking ( in a nonstick skillet, so as not to encourage browning) in the form of chicken broth, white wine, and water. But all three made the onions waterlogged, and the broth and wine added flavors that overshadowed the onions . I tried finishing the onions in tl1e heavy cream, but this made tl1e onions slimy and over-reduced the cream, resulting in a gluey filling.

Next, I put a lid on the skillet for the first 1 0

'3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E

I had more work to do. M any versions of this recipe add bacon, and I could see why: Both salty and smoky, it added a welcome savory edge to the filling. If I rendered the bacon before sprinkling it on top, it acted as a nice crisp foi l to tl1e creamy filling. And cooking the onions in the rendered bacon fat instead of but­ter tempered tl1eir sweetness even more . I also replaced the usual perfumey nut­meg with woodsy fresh thyme.

Taking a bite of iliis tart was now a pleasant experience-sweet, soft onions and creamy custard offset by salty bacon and a buttery crust-but I had a hard time getting through an entire piece . It was simply too ric h . I wasn't using all that much bacon (j ust four slices ) , so I looked to the custard ( a mixture of eggs and heavy cream ) . Reducing the eggs fro m three to two and switching out cream for half-and- half solved the richness issues . While tl1is tart was still certainly a luxuriant meal, at least now I could eat a whole serving.

Crust Evolution Th i nk q u iche with more on ions and bacon and less eggy custard . I now was ready to tackle tl1e other big

challenge in iliis recipe : the crust. Getting minutes to jump-start the onions over moderate heat without browning them, and then I finished tl1em over low heat with the lid off. This most closely approximated the original low and slow method, but it only shaved about 1 0 minutes off the cooking tim e . Becoming exasperated, I just left the lid on the whole time, stil l turning down the heat after 1 0 minutes once the onions threat­ened to brown . Voila-onions that cooked in half the tim e ! Leavi ng tl1e lid on allowed tl1em to cook entirely in their own j uices, so they became tender more quickly and retained their pure onion flavor. And they cooked more evenly, requiring minimal supervision-just a stir here and there .

It came as no surprise that sweet onions, such as Vidalias, didn't work in this recipe . Red onions stained the filling an odd, brownish-purple color. Both white and yellow onions were solid choices .

Sweet Tart The proper onion and the right cooking method toned down the overall sweetness of my tart, but

C 0 0 K ' 5 I I . L l l S I R A I F D

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an all- butter dough into a tart shell in one piece is time-consuming and stressful-and often requires patching torn dough back togetl1er and moving it in and out of the refrigerator to keep it from getting too soft. I wanted to cut out the steps of rolling out and repeatedly chilling the dough. A pat-in- the-pan crust seemed like my best bet.

I tried several recipes, which included every­thing from shortening to eggs and even cream cheese . But they produced crusts that were all too cookie- like and crumbly and, more i mportant, lacked the intense butteriness of a traditional tart dough . Just patting a standard tart dough into the shell didn't cut it, eitl1er : The little pieces of butter, which are normally smeared into the

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ST E P - BY- S T E P I N O R O L L I N G R E Q U I R E D

Whi le there are many methods of coercing dough into a tart pan , we found th is was the s imp lest and qu ickest method to ensure an even crust-and no rol l i ng p in is requ i red .

I . Spri nkle walnut-sized c l umps

of dough even ly into tart pan .

2. Working outward from the

center, press dough into even

layer, seal ing any cracks.

3 . Working around edge , press

dough fi nmly into corners of pan

with index finger.

4. Go around edge once more ,

pressing dough up sides and into

fl uted ridges.

5. Use your thumb to level off

top edge. Use this dough to

patch any holes.

dough during rolling, melted in the oven, leaving unsightly holes and cracks in their place .

Since cutting back on butter was not an option-tl1is produced a tough, shrunken crust­! turned to me mixing method . In an effort to rid the dough of visible pieces ofbutter, I beat room ­temperature butter until soft and then added flour, salt, sugar ( an ingredient that boosted both flavor and brownin g ) , and ice water. But this dough was too soft to press into the shell, even though it baked into a promisingly uniform crust. Switching back to cold butter, I cut it completely into the flour mixture using a food processor. Because me butter was fully mixed into the flour, I could now add less ice water man traditional recipes in which the butter is still in small chunks and doesn't hold the dough together as wel l . Finally, m y dough was firm enough t o press into the pan, and once baked, it was sturdy enough to hold up to a heavy filling like my onion custard .

With just a few minor changes to a classic recipe, I bad produced a crust that was the ideal enclosure for my onion filling. With none of the usual fuss, I could now bring a perfect slice of France to my table at home .

F R E N C H O N I O N A N D B A C O N TA RT

SERVES 6 TO 8

Eitl1er yellow or white onions work well in this recipe, but stay away from sweet onions, such as Vidalias, which will make me tart watery. Use a 9- inch tinned-steel tart pan ( see page 30 for details ) . This tart can be served hot or at room temperamre and pairs well witl1 a green salad as a main course . Leftovers should be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 325 -degree oven for 10 to 1 5 minutes.

Crust 1 1/• cups ( 6 '1• ounces) unb leached a l l -purpose flour

tablespoon sugar

'h teaspoon table salt

8 tablespoons ( I stick) unsalted butter, cut i nto

112- inch cubes and wel l ch i l led

2-3 tablespoons ice water

Filling 4 ounces bacon (about 4 sl ices) , halved lengthwise,

then cut crosswise i nto '!• · inch pieces

Vegetable oi l , if needed

1 112 pounds (about 3 med ium) yel low or white

on ions, halved through root end , peeled, and

cut crosswise into 1/• · i nch sl ices (about 6 cups)

(see photo below)

3f. teaspoon table salt

sprig fresh thyme

2 large eggs

112 cup half-and-half

'I• teaspoon ground black pepper

1 . FOR THE CRUST: Spray 9 - inch tart pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in food processor with four 1 -second pulses. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; pulse to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse sand , about fifteen 1 -second pulses. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and process until large clumps form and no powdery bits remain, about 5 seconds, adding up to 1 tablespoon more water if dough wil l not form clumps . Transfer dough to greased tart pan . Fol lowing i l lustrations above , pat dough into prepared pan . Lay plastic wrap over dough and smooth out any bumps or shal­low areas . Place tart shell on plate and transfer to freezer for 30 minutes.

2. Adj ust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen tart shell on baking sheet; l ightly spray one side of l 8 -inch square extra-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil with nonstick cooki ng spray. Press foi l greased side down inside tart shel l , folding excess foil over edge of pan . Fill with pie weights and bake until top e dge just starts to color and surface of dough u nder foi l no longer looks wet, about 3 0 minutes . Remove from oven and carefu l ly remove foil and weights by gathering edges of foi l and pulling up and out. Return baking sheet with tart shell to oven and bake until golden brown, 5 to 1 0 minutes . Set baking sheet with tart shel l on wire rack. Do not turn off oven.

3 . FOR THE FILLING: While crust is baking, cook bacon i n 1 2 - i n c h nonstick skillet over

J A N U A R Y [y F E B R U A R Y 2 00 7

1 9

medium heat until browned and crisp, 8 to 1 0 min­utes . D rain bacon through mesh strainer set over small bowl ; transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate . Return 2 tablespoons bacon fat to ski l ­let , adding vegetable oi l to make up difference if necessary.

4. Add onions, salt, and tl1yme to skillet. Cover and cook u ntil onions release liquid and start to wilt, about 1 0 minutes . Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, covered, until onions are very soft, about 20 minutes, stirrin g once or twice ( if after 1 5 minutes onions look wet, remove lid and continue to cook another 5 minutes ) . Remove pan from heat and let onions cool 5 minutes .

5 . Whisk eggs, half- a n d - half, and pepper together in large bowl . Remove thyme sprig from onions; discard . Stir onions into egg mixture until just incorporated . Spread onion mixture over baked crust ( still on baking sheet) and sprinkle bacon evenly on top .

6 . Return baking sheet with tart to oven and bake until center of tart feels firm to touch, 20 to 2 5 minutes . Cool on wire rack at least 1 0 min­utes . When ready to serve, remove tart pan ring; gently slide thin- bladed spatula between tart pan bottom and crust to loosen, then slide tart to serving plate . Cut into wedges and serve .

T E C H N I Q U E I A C UT A B O V E TH E R E ST

S l ic ing the on ions crosswise a l lows them t o soften

and break down more read i ly than s l ic ing them

pole to po le .

How to Roast Cauliflower H igh - h eat roasti ng i n te n s ifi es th e fi avo r of th i s u n d e rstated vegeta b l e . We wa n ted to

maxi m ize th e go l d e n exte ri o r wh i l e e n s u ri ng a c reamy i n te ri o r.

I don't understand why most cooks boil cauliflower. When things go wrong ( and they often d o ) , the cauliflower is smelly (from overcooking) and mushy. Even when

you avoid overcooking, boiled cauliflower is bland. No wonder delicately flavored cauliflower often gets drowned under a heavy blanket of cheese sauce .

When I want to add flavor to vegetables, I often turn to my ove n . Roasting is a great tech­nique for coaxing big flavor from vegetables; the dry heat caramelizes the natural sugars i n everything from potatoes t o onions. I had never roasted cauliflower, but it seemed worth a try.

I found three basic techniques in my research: roasting the cauliflower su·aight up, blanching it in water then roasting it, and steaming then roast­ing it. Each method separated a cauliflower head into florets before roasting on a baking sheet in a very hot oven ( around 475 degrees ) . Each simple preparation coated the cauliflower florets with oil, salt, and pepper at some point in the procedure .

When all three versions were sampled side by side, the blanch-roasting technique was the loser of the bunch . The florets were soggy and had little color ( read: flavor) . The straight-up roasted cauliflower was wel l liked for its caramelized exte­rior, however it cooked unevenly and had some dried-out, gritty florets. Finally, the steam-roasted cauliflower emerged with creamy, evenly cooked florets but so-so browning and flavor.

My goal was to combine the last two methods and produce nicely caramelized cauliflower with

Bigge r Than a Pe nc i l

Cutting the caul iflower head from pole to pole into large

wedges (about the length of a penci l) exposes more surface

area to the hot sheet pan . And leaving the core intact makes

it easy to fl ip the pieces halfWay through the caramel ization stage so that both sides gain a golden exterior.

3 B Y C l l i\ R L E S K E L S E Y E

a creamy texture . While testing the straight-up roasting technique, I noticed that the cauliflower was shedding its moisture in the first mi nutes of roasting. I was pretty sure that covering the bak­ing sheet would trap this moisture and add just enough steam to cook the cauliflower properly.

After some tinkering, I discovered that l 0 minutes was tl1e perfect amount of time to leave

the foil o n . The steam kept the florets moist enough to withstand the next 2 0 minutes of roasting and prevented them from turning dry and gritty.

Served with a dri zzle of extra-virgi n olive oil or a quickly prepared sauce, roasted cauli ­flower i s a revelation-sweet, creamy, and packed with flavor.

R O A ST E D C A U L I F L O W E R

S E RV E S 4 TO 6

This dish stands well on its own, drizzled with exu·a-virgin olive oil, or witl1 any of the following sauces . Also, some tasters liked spiced versions made with either curry powder or chili powder. Simply stir 2 teaspoons of eitl1er spice into tl1e oil before seasoning tl1e cauliflower in step l .

med ium head caul iflower (about 2 pounds)

114 cup extra-virgin ol ive oi l , p lus extra for drizzl ing

Kosher sa lt and ground b lack pepper

l . Adj ust ove n rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Trim outer leaves of cauliflower and cut stem flush witl1 bottom. Cut head into 8 equal wedges so that core and florets remain intact ( see photo ) . Place wedges cut side down on foi l - or parchment- lined rimmed baking sheet . Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oi l and sprinkle with salt and pepper; gently rub to evenly dis­tribute oil and seasonings. Gently flip cauliflower and season other cut side with remaining 2 table ­spoons oil , salt, a n d pepper.

2 . Cover baking sheet tightly with foi l and cook for 1 0 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until bottoms of cauliflower pieces are golden, 8 to 12 minutes . Remove sheet fro m oven, a n d , using spatula, carefully flip wedges . Return sheet t o oven and continue t o roast until cauliflower is golden all over, 8 to 12 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste, driz­zle with oil (or sauce ) , and serve im mediately.

C 0 0 K ' S I L L L' S T R A r I· D

2 0

S O Y- G I N G E R S A U C E W I T H S C A L L I O N

M A K E S E N O U G H F O R I R E C I P E ROAST E D CAU L I F LO W E R

I f using this sauce, use vegetable oi l to roast the cauliflower instead of olive oil .

2 teaspoons vegetable o i l

2 med ium garl ic c loves, mi nced or pressed through

garl ic press (about 2 teaspoons)

I tablespoon m inced fresh gi nger

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons m i ri n

I tablespoon rice vinegar

114 cup water

teaspoon toasted sesame oi l

med ium scal l ion , wh ite and l ight green parts

sl iced th in

Heat vegetable o i l in small skillet over medium­high heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute . Reduce heat to medium-low and add soy, mirin, vinegar, and water. Simmer until slightly syrupy, 4 to 6 minutes . Drizzle sauce and sesame oil over roasted cauliflower and garnish with scallions .

C U R RY - Y O G U RT S A U C E W I T H C I L A N T R O

M A K E S E N O U G H F O R I R E C I P E ROAST E D CAU LI F LO W E R

tab lespoon vegetable o i l

large shal lot, m inced (about 4 tab lespoons)

2 teaspoons curry powder

114 teaspoon red pepper flakes

'h cup water

114 cup pla in yogurt

I teaspoon ju ice from I l ime

2 tablespoons m inced fresh c i lantro leaves

Table salt and ground black pepper

Heat oil in small skil let over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in curry powder and pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute . Remove from heat and whisk in water, yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste . Drizzle sauce over roasted cauliflower.

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recope for Sherry Vinegar-Honey Sauce with Almonds. Rec ope avaolable untol June I, 2007

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Bringing Sichuan Green Beans Home Th i s tangy, sp i cy d i s h offe rs an exoti c c h a nge of pace fro m eve ryday green bea n s .

We set o u t to ove rh a u l i ts fo re ign i ngred i e n t l i st a n d s i m p l i fy a tro u b leso m e tec h n i q u e .

W henever I order Chinese food, the one dish I get witho u t fai l i s S i c h u an green beans . The flavors of

this addictive concoction-with its wrin ­kly, sweet beans, sprinkled with morsels of flavorful pork and coated in a pungent sauce-are hot, aromatic , and tangy all at the same time.

Because this preparation lends such flair to the frequently bland green beans, I wanted to create my own recipe . Traditionally, tl1e beans are deep - fried i n a wok filled with oil, yielding a wrinkled appearance, slightly chewy texn1re, and more intense flavor. In an effort to replicate tl1ese effects minus tl1e grease and mess, I roasted tl1e beans in a small amount of oil in a 450-degree oven until tl1eir skins shriveled and turned golden brown. But instead of me quick five-minute fry, mese beans took more tl1an 20 minutes; plus, I had to dirty an additional pan to cook tl1e pork and make tl1e sauce .

3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E-

Seeking something more streamlined, I tried our traditional stir- frying method, in a large skillet over high heat . This method was indeed quicker and more efficient, but

Lightly charred i n spots and coated with a pungent sauce and sti r-fried pork. these green beans are someth ing specia l .

the beans were more crisp than chewy and they weren't flavorful enough . For my next test, I cooked the beans a few minutes longer, u ntil the skins began to shrive l . The beans were now slightly chewy ( just like I wanted ) and i ntensely flavorful . By letting the beans stir-fi·y longer than usual, they had become charred in places, giving them a deeper, caramelized flavor that more tl1an compensated for the fact that they were not being deep-fried.

Once tl1e beans were perfectly cooked, I trans­ferred them to a plate while I made the sauce . Authentic recipes rely on elusive ingredients such as Sichuan preserved mustard stems to produce the characteristic tang and modest heat. I tried su bsti­tuting pickled ginger, pickled jalapenos, and even dill pickle in my stir-fried beans, but tl1eir individual assertive flavors showed tl1rough . Fresh m ustard was also too strong, but dry mustard added a nice, subtle tang. I tried different vinegars-botl1 rice and white wine vinegar were too sharp, overpoweting the other sauce flavors of soy, fresh ginger, and gar­lic . Dry sherry plus a little sugar produced tl1e right level ofbotl1 acidity and sweetness .

My sauce now had the proper tang but still needed more heat. Adding more mustard didn't work, so I tried fresh chiles and red pepper flakes . T h e pepper flakes h a d a straightforward punch, but I wanted a deeper heat as well . My tasters said black pepper was too mild and cayenne too hot, but ground white pepper was perfect, adding aro ­matic warmth and a complex muskiness . A touch of cornstarch made the sauce cling to each bean, delivering more punge1;t flavor with each bite . Some chopped scallions and a drizzle o( sesame oil were the perfect finishing touches .

I n restaurants, it is common to find chopped or shredded bits of Chinese barbecued pork mingling with the beans, but I found that sim ­ple ground pork worked fine at home . And no advance preparation ( such as mincin g or mari­nating in soy sauce ) was necessary, as the pork absorbed the strong flavors of the sauce while addi n g a meaty rich ness to the dish .

With their crinkled , chewy texture and intrigu­ing spicy tang, Sichuan green beans were no lon­ger lost in translation . They were easily made at home-and without the mess of deep-fi·ying.

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2 1

S T I R - F R I E D S I C H U A N G R E E N B E A N S

S E RV E S 4 A S A S I D E D I S H O R 2 A S A M A I N C O U RS E

To make this dish vegetarian, substitute 4 ounces of shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and minced, for tl1e pork. If using mushrooms, you will need to add a teaspoon of oil to me pan in step 3 before adding the mushrooms . The cooking of this dish goes very quickly, so be sure to have all of the ingredients prepped before you start. For infor­mation on Chinese long beans ( the u·aditional choice in this recipe ) , see page 3 0 . Serve this dish with steamed white rice .

2 tablespoons soy sauce

tablespoon dry sherry

teaspoon sugar

112 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon ground wh ite pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons vegetable o i l

I pound green beans, ends trimmed , cut into

2 - inch pieces

1/4 pound ground pork

3 med ium garl ic c loves , m inced or pressed through

garl ic press (about I tablespoon)

I tablespoon m inced fresh gi nger

3 sca l l ions , wh ite and l ight green parts sl iced thin

teaspoon toasted sesame oi l

l . In small bowl , st ir together soy sauce , sherry, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, pepper flakes, mustard, and water until sugar dissolves; set aside.

2. Heat oil in 1 2 -inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add beans and cook, stir­ri ng fi·equently, u nti l crisp-tender and skins are shriveled and blackened in spots, 5 to 8 minutes ( reduce heat to medium- high if beans darken too quickly) . Transfer beans to large plate .

3 . Reduce heat to medium-high and add pork to now-empty skillet . Cook, breaking pork into small pieces, u ntil no pink remains, about 2 min­utes. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring con­stantly, until fragrant, 1 5 to 2 0 seconds. Stir sauce to recombine and return beans to pan with sauce . Toss and cook unti l sauce is thickened, 5 to 1 0 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir i n scal ­lions and sesame oil . Serve immediately.

Simplifying Fudge Classi c fu dge is fru strati ng a n d co m p l ete ly u n p red icta b l e . Afte r m o n th s of tests , we 've

re i magi n ed th i s rec i pe to m a ke i t u tte rly re l i a b l e - a n d su rp ri s i ng ly s i m p l e .

W i th its short ingredi­ent l ist and seemingly humble pedigree , you wouldn't think fitdge is

all that hard to master at home . After all , this classic American confection calls for j ust three main ingredients ( sugar, milk, and chocolate ) and was popular­ized 1 00 years ago by college women who prepared it in their dorms . How difficult could it be to make great fi1dge in a fully outfitted test kitchen? After four months of testing (and developing tendonitis from stirring 1 ,000 pounds of fudge ) , I can tell you that traditional fudge-with its slightly grainy but melt­in-your-mouth creaminess-is anything but easy. The fi1dge pioneers at colleges like Vassar, Smith, and Wellesley were certainly not cooking on hot plates, and I suspect there were more than a few chemists in the bunch .

Real fudge-the kind you can buy today at boardwalk shops in any touristy beach town-is started by cooking sugar, milk, and chocolate until the resulting mixture (called a syrup ) reaches a tem-

::> B Y D A V I D P A Z M I N O �

perature somewhere between 2 34 and Good fudge takes just I S minutes of work.

242 degrees (depending on the recipe ) . To test doneness, most sources suggest dropping a small bit of the scalding-hot syrup into cold water and rolling it between your fingers until it feels like a soft ball . To prevent further cooking (which would make the finished fitdge gritty and crumbly) , d1e syrup is poured onto a large marble slab, cooled, and pulled to produce d1e creamy yet slighdy dry texture mat is the hallmark of good fi1dge.

To replicate this texture in the test kitchen, I dirtied more pots with cemented and gooey hunks of chocolate than I cared to clean . Without a slab of marble to cool the fudge, I eventually figured out ( after more man 1 5 0 batches ) how to make really good old-fashioned fudge ( see "Diary of a Frustrated Test Cook," page 23 ) , but was it foolproof? Crossing my fingers, I sent my recipe to our professional recipe tester, a former pastry chef who lives in Texas . She had problems making the fi1dge in her hot and humid kitchen . Another colleague tried the recipe at home and failed because he relied on a cheap candy ther-

mometer. It turns out that a cool, dry kitchen and precise digital thermometer are must-haves for my old-fashioned recipe . After four months of work, I conceded that it was time to try another path, one that wouldn't demand ideal conditions and would yield a more forgiving recipe .

Fol lowing the Easy Fudge Road Cookbooks are filled with "easy" fudge reci­pes mat replace the sugar syrup with conve­nience products-eimer marshmallow cream ( aka Marshmallow Fluff) or sweetened condensed milk-d1at contain sugar rendered more stable by cooking. After initial testing, it became clear d1at mese recipes have fewer pitfalls than their tradi ­tional bred1ren, but d1ey aren't wimout flaws.

Marshmallow Fluff, a mixture of cooked sugar and egg whites, was introduced in the 1 92 0s . By the 1 950s, "never-fail" and "foolproof' fitdge recipes with Fluff were widely published in cook­books and women's magazines. But as I tested

C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D

2 2

various versions of the basic recipe (which calls for cooking Fluff with sugar, evaporated milk, and butter and d1en pouring this mixture over chopped chocolate ) , I realized d1at precise tim­ing was vital to its success. Sometimes this recipe would yield c reamy fudge , but other times it was greasy. Even when this recipe worked, i t was more l ike a chewy candy bar than fudge .

I had better luck with recipes based on sweet­ened condensed milk-milk and sugar cooked in a vacuum until most of the water in the milk evaporates . No real cooking is necessary to make fudge with sweetened condensed milk. Just heat the sweetened condensed mi lk and chocolate until me chocolate melts, pour the mixture into a pan, and chill until firm . Unfortunately, me tex­ture of this fitdge was more like frosting, and me flavor was reminiscent of a too-sweet milk choco­late bar. But given the simplicity of this method, it seemed worm testing further.

Most fudge recipes wim sweetened condensed milk call for semisweet chocolate or a combina­tion of semisweet and milk chocolate . B ittersweet chocolate took d1e sugary edge off d1e fi1dge, but my tasters deemed d1e overall flavor too sour and "adult ." I had better luck supplementing some of the semisweet chocolate with unsweetened chocolate . Two ounces of unsweetened chocolate lessened the sugary i ntensity while leaving the approachable flavor of semisweet chocolate intact.

Now that me chocolate flavor was boosted and d1e sweetness was tempered, I needed to find a way to change me texture of my fudge; it was too soft and dense and needed to be firmer and lighter, more l ike traditional fudge . The only moisture in the recipe was in the sweetened condensed milk, and I figured d1at cooking off some of dlis l iquid would make me fitdge drier and firmer. Unfortunately, simmering sweetened condensed milk proved highly problematic; it easily sntck to me bottom of d1e pan and burned-not exacdy what I had in mind for a foolproof recipe . I was at a loss for how to make my fudge firmer and lighter.

That's when inspiration struck. If I couldn't remove moisture, maybe I could change the tex­ture of my fudge by adding another ingredient. EJ Go to www. cooksi l l u strate d . com

• Click on the Cook's Extra button for our recipe for Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge .

• Recipe available until June I . 2007 .

s "'

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Th ree Key I ngred ients to Q u ick, Re l iab le Fudge

.... Baking Soda"' ,.. N:f,g, da""'=9 .. Oeodo.uing

SWE ETE N E D CO N D E N S E D M I LK Takes the place of traditional sugar

syrup.

BA K I N G S O DA

Increases the pH of the fudge and makes the texture firmer.

U N SW E ETE N E D C H O C O LATE Adds intensity and tames excessive

sweetness.

Chemical leaveners have the potential to change the texture of cakes and cookies, so maybe they would work their magic on fudge . I chose bak­ing soda, which reacts with acidic ingredients (everything from buttermilk and lemon juice to

chocolate ) to produce carbon dioxide and thus lighten and l ift baked goods.

Starting with l/4 teaspoon, I mixed baking soda with the chocolates before melting this m ixture with the milk. Something was clearly happening: The fudge was becoming drier and less waxy, and it had a more traditional texture . After some research, I discovered that the baking soda was not only reacting with the acids in the choco­late but also altering the pH of the fudge . The proteins in the milk and chocolate are sensitive to changes in pH, losing their ability to retain moisture as the pH increases . One-half teaspoon of baking soda made my fl1dge drier and firmer without imparting any off flavors .

I had almost finished my marathon fudge odyssey. The baking soda made my fl1dge firmer, but it was still too dense . Luckily, I had one more trick to try-nuts. Sure enough, a cup of chopped walnuts made my fudge seem lighter and otTered a nice counterbalance to the chocolate . My final recipe is utterly reliable and takes just 1 5 minutes to prepare . It was worth the long, long wait in the test kitchen.

I S - M I N U T E C H O C O LAT E WA L N U T F U D G E

M A K E S A B O U T 2 1/1 PO U N D S

The quality o f the chocolate used will affect the flavor and texture of the fudge . We prefer Ghirardell i semisweet and unsweetened choco­late in this recipe . Don't be tempted to make this fudge without the walnuts; they are crucial to the texture . If you prefer, you can use toasted nuts in this recipe. Make sure to remove the fl1dge from the double boiler before the chocolate is £lilly melted. If the chocolate stays in the double boiler too long, there is the possibility of the chocolate separating and producing a greasy fi.1dge . This fudge wil l change texture and become drier the longer it is stored. Store the n1dge, tightly wrapped in plastic , in a cool place for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for 3 months . If frozen,

allow ample time to let it reach room tempera­ture before cutting.

1 6 ounces sem isweet chocolate , chopped fi ne

2 ounces unsweetened c hocolate , chopped fi n e

112 teaspoon baking soda

1/a teaspoon table salt

( 1 4-ounce ) can sweetened condensed m i l k

tablespoon van i l l a extract

cup coarsely chopped wal nuts

l . Cut 1 2 -inch length extra-wide heavy-duty aluminum foi l ; fold edges back to form ?l/2- inch width . With folded s ides facing down, fit foil securely into bottom and up s ides of 8 - inch ­square baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2 . Toss chocolates, baking soda, and salt in medium heatproof bowl unt i l baking soda is evenly distributed. St ir in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Set bowl over 4-quart saucepan containing 2 cups simmering water. Stir with rub­ber spatula until chocolate is almost fully melted and few small pieces remain, 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Remove bowl fi·om heat and continue to stir until chocolate is fi.Illy melted and mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in walnuts . Transter fi1dge to prepared pan and spread in even layer with spatula . Reti·igerate until set, about 2 hours . Remove fudge fi·om pan using foil and cut into squares .

TO MAKE DOUBLE BATCH : Line 1 3 by 9 - inch pan with two sheets of foil placed perpendicular to each other and double amounts of all ingre­dients. In step 2, use large heatproof bowl and Dutch oven containing 4 cups s immering water.

I S - M I N U T E P E A N U T B U TT E R F U D G E

Follow recipe tor 1 5 -Minute Chocolate Walnut Fudge, substituting 1 8 ounces peanut butter chips for chocol::Jtes in step 2 and omitting walnuts.

I S - M I N U T E R O C K Y R O A D F U D G E

Follow recipe for 1 5 -Minute Chocolate Walnut fudge , substituting 1 cup miniature marshmal­lows, 1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts, and l/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips tor walnuts in step 3 .

) :\ N l l :\ R Y (j- F E H I{ l ' ,\ R ' 2 0 0 7

2 3

Diary of a Frustrated Test Cook The most basic o ld -fashioned fudge recipe cooks

granu lated sugar, m i lk, chocolate , com syrup , but­

ter, and sa lt u nti l the syrup reaches 234 to 242

degrees on a candy thermometer. The mixture is

cooled, then sti rred . Sounds s imple but, as I found

out over many months, this process requires ski l l

and patience. My O ld -Fash ioned Chocolate Fudge

recipe (see Cook's Extra on page 22) is more rel i ­

ab le than most, but it has p lenty of qu irks. Here 's

what l leamed along the way.

Add More Chocolate: Most older recipes don't

have enough chocolate flavor. Using 2 ounces of

chocolate per cup of sugar (rather than the standard

I ounce) and replacing the com syrup with chocolate

syrup (basical ly com syrup with cocoa powder) fixed

the chocolate issue.

F U D G E ·AT H O N David Pazmino made 1 ,000 pounds of fudge

during h is four months of recipe testing.

Precision Counts: When I cooked the syrup to

234 degrees, the fudge was soft and gooey; at 242

degrees, it was dry and crumbly. I d iscovered that the

ideal temperature is 238 degrees, but even then the

texture varied depending on the method I used to

cool and stir the mixture.

The Quick Chil l : Fudge shops pour the hot syrup

m ixture onto cool marble tables. Without a marble

s lab, I had to cool the syrup right i n the pot, which

took 90 minutes. Could I speed it up? Dividing the

chocolate , cooking half, and freezi ng the other half

to be added with frozen butter at the end of the

cooking process cut the cool i ng time by 45 minutes.

Shocking the hot pot in cool water shaved another

I 0 minutes from the cool ing time.

Big M uscles: Stirring the fudge took more

strength than I imagined-and I ' m no 98-pound

weakl ing. Eventual ly, I developed a lazy-man stir:

a couple of passes around the perimeter of the pan ,

l ifting the syrup and letting it fal l off the spoon so

that it wou ld cool more quickly, and then stopping

for a m inute so the sugar cou ld form the smal l crys­

tals that make trad itional fudge sl ightly grainy. After

about 8 minutes, the fudge began to lose its shine

and stiffen . Th is was better than stirri ng constantly

for 20 minutes, but it sti l l wasn 't easy. -D. P.

Seeking Pound Cake Perfection D o n ' t be foo l ed by i ts sh o rt i ngred i e n t l i st- po u n d ca ke i s fa r fro m s i m p l e .

M o re ofte n tha n n ot , i t bakes u p h eavy, sq uat , a n d d e n se .

I am a baker by nan1re . I like to weigh ingredients and measure dimensions careful ly. I am comfortable work­ing with meringues, sugar syrups,

and delicate pasnies. But a simple pound cake? Over the years, I 've been vexed and humbled trying to make a good one . I 've never found a recipe for a pound cake that both looked and tasted good . Those that looked good tended to resemble yel­low layer cakes: Auff)r, bouncy, and open­textured . Those that tasted good were superlatively buttery and fine-pored, with a suede-like texture, but often baked up as Aat and firm as bricks .

3 B Y D A W N Y A N A C I I I A R A E

perfect for the eggs, too . Most cake recipes say to add the eggs

Pound cake recipes date back to the eighteenth century and originally called tor a pound each of A our, sugar, butter, and eggs . But the historical recipes I 've tried were too heavy and den�·· Lv please modern palates . At some point during pound cake's evolution, baking powder began to appear in recipes, presumably to guarantee that the cake rises in the oven . The downside to adding baking powder is that the cake loses its ultra­plush character and begins to take on

Pound cake has a s imp le ingred ient l ist, but the m ixing method requ i res precise attention to deta i l .

one at a time, mixing well and scraping the bowl after each addition . Frankly, the pound cake never worked well using this method. The delicate batter just couldn't absorb a whole egg at once yet retain its aeration. Some pound cake recipes require a more extreme method-the eggs are beaten together in a measuring cup d1en slowly dribbled into the creamed butter and sugar, a process d1at took up to 5 minutes and tested my patience . Ald10ugh I was skeptical about this fussy method, I was surprised to find that the resulting batter was in fact more stable and pro­duced substantially better pound cake rl1at rose higher and had a lighter texmre . I repeated this experiment over and over again and discovered that a full 5 min­utes was unnecessary. The beaten eggs could be added very gradually in 60 to 90 seconds, as long as d1e mixtme was beaten a few additional minutes once the last of the egg was added.

A consultation with our food scientist

coarser yellow cake attributes. I wasn't interested in such a pound cake .

Back in 1 994, the test kitchen adjusted the proportions in the original pound-of-each reci ,Je to create a delicious version of classic (no leavencr) pound cake . But over the years, this five-ingredient recipe has been my nemesis . Sometimes the cake rises nicely, but not always. As one of the most experienced bakers in the test kitchen, I 've been nonplussed by my unsuccessful encounters with this temperamental recipe. I decided to put an end to all the nonsense and retool a classic recipe to make it more reliable .

It ' s No Cakewal k Most cake recipes, including those for pound cake, start by beating butter and sugar toged1er in a process called creaming. During creaming, the sugar crystals are pushed through the butter and cause the formation of tiny pockets of air. After more than a dozen failed cakes, I learned that the commonly called-for room temperature butter ( i n the past, we've found that 70 degrees is the ideal butter temperature for most cakes )

produces flat, dense pound cakes. Looking into my mixing bowl , I could see that the butter was getting too warm ( its temperature rose to 75 degrees by d1e time I was finished creaming it) and too slack to aerate .

revealed why slowly adding the eggs pro­duces a more voluminous batter and higher rise in the cake . When added slowly, rl1e egg proteins coat the other ingredients with a thin film; if the eggs are added rapidly, the egg proteins form a thick film . Just as a thin rubber balloon is easier to

A chemical leavener adds Lift to most cake batters . But without any leavener, pound cake demands maximum aeration from the butter-which means keeping the temperan1re of d1e batter below 70 degrees . Since creaming heats up the butter, starting with chilly 60-degree butter greatly increases the odds of success. This was my first big discovery.

Just because the butter and sugar are properly creamed doesn't mean success is guaranteed. After a dozen more fail­ures, I learned that too-warm eggs can deflate the batter. And if the eggs were too cold or added too quickly, d1ey were difficult to incorporate and the air was knocked out of the butter by the time I had smooth batter. After more trial and error, I concluded that 60 degrees was

C O O K ' s I L L U S I' R A I E D

2 4

T E C H N I Q U E I S L O W A S Y O U G O Pound cake batter is so de l icate that it wi l l deflate if you add the

eggs one at a time or add the flour too qu ickly, as most recipes

suggest.

EGGS: With m ixer runn ing , FLOUR: Sift flour over batter pour in beaten egg mixture in in three add itions, fo ld ing in slow, steady stream . each add ition with spatu la .

'" z )-0 \:> " :::J al z I 0

Successfu l Cream ing

Cool butter and thorough mixing are essential to our pound cake recipe . We tried our recipe in four standing and handheld

mixers (al l set to med ium-h igh speed) and found that the creaming time varied from 5 to 8 minutes. These gu ide l ines wi l l

help you determine when the butter i s a t the correct temperature and when the butter and sugar are properly creamed.

RO O M TE M P E RATU R E B UTTE R Room temperature butter (70 degrees)

yields completely to pressure.

OVE RC R EA M E D BATT E R Once sugar has been incorporated,

butter temperature wil l rise to about 7 5 degrees. Batter wil l be very soft and

look slick, shiny, and wet.

F LAT CA K E Cake wil l be flat and dense.

-

C H I LLY B UTT E R Cool butter ( 6 0 degrees) yields slightly to pressure and wil l crack

when pressed.

P E R F E CT LY C R EAM E D BATTE R Once sugar has been incorporated,

butter temperature wil l rise to about 68 degrees. Batter wi l l be l ight, fluffy,

and off-white in color.

D O M E D C A K E Cake wil l dome nicely.

inflate than a thick one, a thin protein film offers less resistance to a rising cake batter in the oven .

Flour Power It was time to add the flour-cake flour, to be precise, as all -purpose is too protein-rich and yielded dry, tough cakes in my tests . The mixer did a poor job of incorporating the flour and, as a result, the batter became overworked. A5 much as I wanted to find a simpler option, I found that sifting the flour over the batter and folding it in by hand was required. Sifting lightens and fluffs the flour, making it easier to incorporate, which also reduces the risk of overworking the batter.

After baking more than 50 cakes, I had finally arrived at a foolproof recipe for classic pound cake, and my confidence as a baker was restored.

C LA S S I C P O U N D C A K E

M A K E S O N E 9 B Y S · I N C H LOAF

As directed in the recipe, the butter and eggs should be the first ingredients prepared so they have a chance to stand at room temperature and lose their chill while the oven heats, the loaf pan is greased and floured, and the other ingredients are measured. Leftover cake will keep reasonably weU for up to 3 days if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature.

1 6 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold , p lus

extra for greasing pan

3 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons van i l la extract

I % cups (7 ounces) cake flour, plus extra for dusting

loaf pan

'12 teaspoon table salt

I 1/• cups (8 % ounces) sugar

1 . Cut butter into 1 -tablespoon pieces and place in bowl of standing mixer; let stand at room tem­perature 20 to 30 minutes to soften slightly (butter should reach no more than 60 degrees) . Using din­ner fork, beat eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in liquid measuring cup until combined. Let egg mi.xture stand at room temperamre until ready to use .

2 . Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter 9 by 5 -inch loaf pan; dust pan liberally witl1 flour and knock out excess .

3 . I n standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and salt at medium-high speed until shiny, smooth, and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, scrap­ing bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula . Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, gradually pour in sugar ( this should take about 60 seconds) . Once all sugar is added, i ncrease speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is fluffY and almost white in color, 5 to 8 minutes, scraping bottom and sides ofbowl once . With mixer running at medium speed, gradu­ally add egg mixture in slow, steady stream; this should take 60 to 90 seconds . Scrape bottom and sides of bowl; beat mixture at medium-high speed until light and fluffY, 3 to 4 minutes ( mixture may look slightly broken ) . Remove bowl from mixer; scrape bottom and sides .

4 . In 3 additions, sift flour over butter/egg mixture; after each addition, fold gently witl1 rub­ber spatula until combined. Scrape along bottom of bowl to ensure tlut batter is homogenous .

5 . Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until golden brown and wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 70 to 80 minutes. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 1 5 minutes; invert cake onto wire rack, then turn

J A N U A R Y 0 F E B R U A R Y 200 7

2 5

E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :

Loaf Pans Seven years after applauding the Baker's Secret

Non -Stick Loaf Pan as the best avai lab le choice, we

wanted to see if anyth ing new could best this bargain

pan , which is avai lab le for $6 i n supermarkets. Seven

pound cakes, seven loaves of sandwich bread , and

hours of baking later, we had a motley crew of baked

goods and some new thoughts about loaf pans.

B igger pans-Anolon ' s Suregrip Nonstick Loaf

Pan ( $ 1 6 . 9 5 ) and KitchenAi d ' s Professional

Nonstick Loaf Pan ($ 1 9 . 9 5) -al lowed the sandwich

bread to bake up a bit f luffier than did smal ler pans

but yie lded dense, square pound cakes. Narrower

pans- inc lud ing the Baker's Secret, Pyrex's Glass

Loaf Dish ( $4 . 99 ) , Al l -C lad Go ld Standard

Nonstick Loaf Pan ( $74 . 9 5 ) , Doughmakers Loaf

Pan ( $ 1 4 . 9 5 ) , and Wi l l iams-Sonoma Goldtouch

Nonstick Loaf Pan ( $ 1 9) -were the on ly choice for

pound cake and fine for sandwich bread .

Our other primary concern was browning. Ught­

colored a l um inum fin ishes on the Al l -Clad and

Doughmakers pans yie lded pale , anemic- looking

baked goods. The dark nonstick surface on the

Baker's Secret pan actua l ly browned the bread and

pound cake a shade too much . Despite its wide

avai labi l ity and low price, it's no longer our top

choice. Glass Pyrex browned n icely, but the real star

of the show was the Wil l iams-Sonoma Goldtouch.

The gold-colored nonstick surface yielded baked

goods with a perfectly even , honeyed-copper crust.

-El izabeth Bomze

G 0 LD STA N DARD The gold surface on the Wil l iams-Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Loaf Pan ($ 1 9) took

browning to the perfect point.

cake right side up. Cool cake on rack to room temperature, about 2 hours . Slice and serve .

A L M O N D P O U N D C A K E

Follow recipe for Classic Pound Cake, reducing vanilla extract to l teaspoon and adding l 'h teaspoons almond extract along with vanilla to eggs . Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sliced almonds over surface of batter just before baking.

P O U N D C A K E W I T H O RA N G E E S S E N C E

Follow recipe for Classic Pound Cake, reduc­ing vanilla exu·act to 1 teaspoon and adding l tablespoon grated then minced orange zest to mixer bowl just after adding eggs .

Searching for Th i s Asia n co n d i rr e n t 1 , I

to yc , u r

M ost of us h ave rarely given so1 sauce a second thought, usmg it as a k i n d of l iquid sal t . But th is 2 , 5 0 0 -ycar-old i n gredient ,

brewed first i n China and s ince the seventh cen tury i n Japan, can ofter nearly as much variet) , complexity, and flavor as wine or ol ive o i l , and it deserves serious consideration . I n most super· markets today, you wi l l find a shelf of i mported soy sauces, as well as American - brewed versions How do they difter? Which tastes best as a dip ping sauce for del icate sushi and savory dump l ings? Cooked in stir-ti·ies and glazes tor meat and

fish ) And whi le we're at it, what is tamari) We dec ided to s a m p l e n a ti o n a l ! \· ,1\ a i l abk

bran d s , c h oosi n g a l i n e u p of 12 soy saucLs inc luding both tamari and regular soy sauce, trom Japan, China, and the United States . vVe tasted them three t imes : fi rst p l a i n , t h e n with 11 .. n 1

rice, and final ly cooked in a teriyaki sauce " t ' l

ginger, garlic, and m i rin and brushed over brmkd

chicken thighs. As we tasted the m , we noti<..cd .1

wide range of colors and flavors, ti·om reddisl· brown , del icate , and floral to dark brown , pun gent, and assertive . Where were these d iftcren<..< ' coming fi·om ? And how wel l did they p l ay ort I , other fla1·ors in a d i s h ?

Soy S imple At its most basic, soy sauce is a termentll 1 " 1 uid made ti·om soybeans and wheat So1 1 l, ,

contri bute a strong, pungent taste , while 11 ll

lends s11·eetness. Tamari is a type of SO\' s•HICL •

ditionally made with al l sovbeans and no IVhl .1 though, conti.1singly, manv tamaris do conta 1 a l i ttle wheat. As a resu lt , tamari h;�s .1 Ill\ ·'­pu ngent flavor than soy sauce . S imi larl1, str Hr� c

earthier Chinese SO\' sauce tends to be m.JL � '' , I a lower proportion of 11 heat than the si\'Let · · ·

l ighter Japanese soy sau ce . Like many products wi th a long h 1ston , so1

sauce is now made both artisanal ly using tr d tiona! methods a n d i n d ustri a l ! \· u s i n g m o d e r r technology. Al l s o y sauce begins w i t h w h o k S\l\ beans or dcbttcd soy mc,l l cooked and mr u L

with roasted grai n , u s u a l l y wheat ( bu t some t imes barley or rice ) . This bean/grain 111 1 xturL is inoculated with a mold called lu!ji ( tcchnical lv, Aspergillus ory:::,ae or A.lpCJ:_qi!lus soyac) and lcti: tor a tew days to a l low the mold to grow and spread Then salt water and yeast arc added to t(mn u

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Inexpensive Dutch Ovens O u r favo ri te D u tch ove n s cost m o re tha n $200 . O u c h ! I s th e re a c h ea p e r

ve rs ion that perfo rm s a l m ost a s we l l ? Yes . I t costs $40 .

W hen we tested Dutch ovens in 1 998, the top performers were pots made by All -Clad and Le Creuset. Nearly a decade later,

the only flaw we might find in these workhorses is their hefty price-roughly $250 . These top-of-the­line pots now have plenty of imitators. Could any of them challenge our pricey favorites? Frankly, we were skeptical . But given that some of the cheaper options cost $200 less than our previous winners, it seemed worth a shot.

Going Dutch A good Dutch oven (variously called a stock­pot, round oven, French oven , or casserole ) is a kitchen essential . Heavier and thicker than stock­pots, allowing them to retain and conduct heat W1Q!l� dkcti'ld:-,, all.d deeper than a skillet, so they can nandle large cuts of meat and cooking liquid, Dutch ovens are the best choice for braises, pot roasts, and stews, as they can go on the stovetop to sear foods and then into the oven to finish cooking. Their tall sides make them useful for deep-frying, and many cooks press Dutch ovens into service for jobs like boiling pasta .

Dutch Oven H istory A good Dutch oven has been an essential piece of

cookware for hundreds of years. Original ly, cooks put

these big. deep, covered pots right into the fireplace

or campfire. With three short legs for standing in the

coals and a flat lid with an upturned l ip to hold more

hot coals on top , they l iteral ly were ovens, baking bis­

cuits and breads, as wel l as stewing and roasting meats.

Early colonists brought Dutch ovens

from Europe. and these portable,

versatile pots became a common

sight in America, especia l ly among pioneers-even Lewis and Clarl<.

carried a Dutch oven on their

expedition across the continent.

There are several theories about

why they are called "Dutch" ovens,

the most credible being that they were original ly made

using a cast-iron process invented by the Dutch.

Dutch ovens have long s ince come indoors to join

the modem kitchen-though some manufacturers

(including lodge) sti l l produce the original legged design for camping. -LM.

3 B Y L I S A M c M A N U S E

For our first test, we prepared a beef stew that starts on the stovetop and then moves to the oven. In each pan, we browned cubes of beef in batches, and as the meat seared, we observed whether the pan heated evenly and consistently witl1out burn­ing tl1e drippings . After tl1e long, slow cooking in tl1e oven, we tasted tl1e stew to see if tl1e meat had become fork-tender and tl1e broth had reduced to intense flavor. Of all tl1e tests we did, tlus was tl1e most important, because it focused on the unique abilities of Dutch ovens . As expected, the Le Creuset and All -Clad pots sailed tlu·ough witl1 fly­ing colors . Surprisingly, so did a few of the others .

We noticed a few trends. Our favmite pots from All-Clad and Le Creuset measure 9:Y4 inches across, enabling tl1em to brown 3lh pmmds ofbeefin tlrree batches, something narrower pots couldn't do. The Inn ova, wluch measures just 7% inches across, required five batches-a big flaw. The Emerilware and Chefmate pans were slightly bigger (8 inches and 8 1/4 inches, respectively) and handled the beef in four batches-a minor flaw. The stew made in tl1e Chefinate pot was great; tl1e Emerilware pot browned tl1e beef Lmevenly-an imperfection we also noticed in tl1e too-light pot from Tram on tina.

I nto Hot Oi l For tl1e next test, we put two quarts of canola oil in each pan, clipped on a deep-fi·y thermometer, and cooked a pmmd of frozen french fiies to test heat transfer and retention. Here again, our costly favorites met our high expectations but were well matched by a few contenders. The best pans retain heat well enough to prevent the temperature of tl1e oil from dropping too precipitously when food is added. If the temperature drops too far, the fiies will be soggy and greasy. The Tramontina pot won tlus test-tl1e temperanrre of the oil dropped just 45 degrees when tl1e fiies were added and the recovery time for the oil, at 5 minutes and 45 seconds, was also tl1e best. In contrast, oil in tl1e Calphalon pot ( tl1e lowest-rated entry in tlus test) dropped 76 degrees and took more tl1a11 10 min­utes to recover. As a result, tl1e fiies cooked in tl1e Calphalon pot weren't crisp enough. The l1mova pot suffered fi·om similar problems.

An unexpected issue emerged during this test. Fries cooked in the Emeri lware cast iron pan tasted rusty; evidently, the preseasoned surface had failed. Cast iron is a great choice for a Dutch oven, because it holds onto heat so well . But cast iron

C O O K ' S I LL U S T R AT E D

2 8

will also react witl1 ma11y foods. Some manufac­mrers ( Le Creuset, Chefi11ate, Mario Batali, and Inn ova) coat tl1eir cast iron witl1 a layer of brightly colored enamel . Otl1er manufacnrrers preseason tl1eir pots-basically spraying tl1em witl1 oil and baking on tl1e seasmung. But, as we discovered, it's possible to wash away the preseasoning. We boiled water in all pots and noticed that tl1e water ntrned yellow in botl1 of the preseasoned cast iron pots, made by Emerilware and Lodge . As a result, neitl1er pot can be used to boil water for pasta, a11d we worry that the cast iron may react witl1 acidic cooking liquids, such as wine or tomatoes. Yes, you could reseason tl1e pots yourself, but that seems like a hassle . An enamel coating on tl1e cast iron surface will last a lifetime and makes a Dutch oven much more versatile .

For our last test, we steaJTied a triple batch of white rice in each Dutch oven to see how they simmered on very low heat. All but one pot made fluff)' rice with intact grains. The Innova pot, which had trouble with heat retention in the french-fry test, overcooked tl1e rice.

I ronclad Results When all the smoke and sizzling fry oil cleared, our £worite pots ( tl1e ones we've used almost daily in tl1e test kitchen for nearly l O years) caJTie out on top . Other tl1a11 price, it's hard to quibble vvith the pots made by All-Clad and Le Creuset.

Altl10ugh we weren't sLrrprised by our winners, we were shocked at their narrow margin of vic­tory. How could a $40 Dutch oven hold its own against pa11s costing six times as much? The Target Chefmate Casserole looks like a slightly smaller Le Creuset, down to the shape of the baJJdles a11d the knob on the top . In fact, it kept up with the win­ners in every test . Because tl1e Chefmate casserole is smaller tha11 our top choices, you will need to brown meat for stew in four batches rather than tlrree, md me biggest pot roasts will be a tight fit. While om test cooks are not ready to trade in their favorite Dutch ovens, tl1e Chefinate is a real find for budget-minded cooks .

If you're willing to spend $ 1 00 on a Dutch oven, a11d you have tl1e biceps to ha11dle it, tl1e Mario Batali pot is comparable in size to tl1e Le Creuset and All-Clad pots and performs nearly as well . Yes, the browning wasn't perfect, but tl1at seems like a n1inor quibble most cooks would never notice . Two good choices, and botl1 reasonably priced.

RATI N G S

GOOD: * * *

FAIR: * *

POOR: *

We tested seven inexpensive

Dutch ovens (priced under

$ I 00) , a long with previous

test kitchen winners made

by Al l -C lad and Le Creuset

(both priced i n excess of

$200) . Ratings of good , fai r,

and poor for three kitchen

tests (beef stew, french fries,

and steamed white rice) were

given to each pot; the stew

test was given extra weight i n

determin ing overal l rank . We

also boiled water i n each pot.

Dutch ovens are l i sted i n order

of preference. See page 32 for

mail -order sources for top­

rated pots.

DIAM ETER: Of i nterior

cooking surface, as measured

in the test kitchen .

WEIG HT: As measured in the

test kitchen ( inc ludes l i d ) .

STEW: Testers prepared beef

stew, browning 3 112 pounds

of meat in batches, brown ing

onions, and fin ish ing stew

in the oven . Testers noted

brown ing and tenderness

of meat as wel l as flavor and

consistency of sauce .

FRI ES: Testers deep-fried I

pound frozen french fries i n

2 quarts canola o i l , noting

the time needed to heat oil

to 3 50 degrees, the drop in

temperature after fries were

added , the time needed for

oil to return to 3 50 degrees,

and appearance and taste of

the fries .

RICE: Testers prepared 3

cups of p la in white rice and

assessed the appearance and

taste of the cooked rice .

RATING DUTCH OVENS

( R E C O M M E N D E D

All -Clad Stain less 8-Quart

Stockpot PRI C E : $2 57. 9 5

MATERIALS : Stainless steel with

aluminum core

Le Creuset 7 1/•·Quart

Round French Oven

PR ICE : $229 .95

MATERIALS : Enameled cast iron

with phenolic lid knob

B E ST B U Y Chefmate Round Enameled

Cast I ron Casserole for Target PR ICE : $ 3 9 . 9 9

MATERIALS : Enameled cast iron

with phenolic lid knob

Mario Batali Ital ian Essentials

Pot by Copco PR ICE : $99 .99

MATER IALS : Enameled cast i ron

with cast stainless lid k rob

( R E C O M M E N D E D W I T H R E S E RVAT I O N S

Lodge Pro-Logic

Pre-Seasoned Dutch Oven

PR ICE : $ 3 9 . 9 9

MATERIAL : Preseasoned

cast iron

Calphalon One I nfused

Anodized Dutch Oven PR ICE : $99 .99

MATERIALS : Heavy-gauge alu ·

minum infused with polymer ;

stainless steel lid

Tramontina Sterl ing I I 1 8/ I 0

Stain less Steel Covered Dutch Oven �ifC=-•--PRI C E : $69 .95

MATERIALS : Stainless steel with

aluminum core bottom

Emerilware from Al l-Clad

Cast I ron Dutch Oven PR ICE : $ 34 .95 MATER IAL : Preseasoned cast iron

l nnova Color Cast Porcelain Enameled Cast I ron 5 -Quart Round Dutch Oven PR ICE : $49 . 9 9 MATERIAL : Enameled cast iron

P E' R F O R M A N C E

CAPAC ITY: 8 qt.

D IAMETER : 9 3/4" WE IG HT: 6 lbs.

STEW: * * * F R I E S : *** R I C E : ***

CAPACITY: 7 114 qt.

D IA!1ETER : 9 3/4" WE IG HT: 1 3 . 7 lbs.

STEW: *** FR I E S : *** R I C E : * * *

CAPACITY: 5 qt.

D IA M ETER : 8 1/4" WE IG HT: 1 1 . 6 lbs.

STEW: * * * F R I E S : *** R I C E : ***

CAPACITY: 6 qt. D IAMETER : 9 3/4 "

WE IG HT: 1 5 . 2 1bs. STEW: * * * F R I E S : *** R I C E : ***

P E R F O R M A N C E

CAPACITY: 7 qt. D IAMETER : 9 112 "

WE IG HT: 1 7. 2 1bs. STEW: *** FR I E S : *** R I C E : * * *

CAPACITY: 8 1/2 qt.

D IAMETER : 1 1 7/s "

WE IGHTl 6 . 8 lbs.

STEW: * * * F R I E S : ** R I C E : * * *

CAPACITY: 7 qt. D IAM ETER I QS/a " WE IG HT: 6 .4 lbs.

STEW: ** FR I E S : *** R I C E : ***

CAPACITY: 6 qt.

D IAM ETER : 8 " WE IG HT: 1 5 . 9 lbs.

STEW: ** FR I E S : ** R I C E : * * *

CAPACITY: 5 qt. D IA M ETER : 7Sfa "

WE IG HT: 1 1 . 3 lbs. STEW: * * FR I E S : ** R I C E : * *

J A N U A R Y b F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 7

2 9

T E ST E R S ' C O M M E N TS

While this pan runs a little hot, it produced "golden and gorgeous" fond . Starred in the french -fry test, with rapid recovery of cooking temperature after fries were added . The best choice fo r cooks who prefer a lighter pot.

The "gold standard" of Dutch ovens put "gorgeous. golden

c rust" on meat and created great fond . Rice cooked up

perfectly, though cleanup required long soaking. A kitchen

workhorse that's heavy but not excessively so .

Similar to Le Creuset. only smaller and a lot cheaper. Less

cooking surface meant that stew meat was browned in four

batches rather than three -a reasonable trade -off to save

$ 1 90. Ud has tight fit, and stew barely reduced in oven ,

although meat was tender and sauce f iavorful . Steady, even

heating yielded f iuffy rice .

This roo my pan was slow to heat up but demonstrated

quick recovery afte r f ries were added to the oil . The "self ·

basting" spikes inside the lid work-we never had to shake condensation off this lid after o pening it . Browning of beef

could have been more even . Testers bemoaned lif ting and

handling this "su per-heavy" pan . Needs bigger handles.

T E ST E R S ' C O M M E N TS

Although it was hard at first to see the fond developing in

this black pot. the meat had "excellent, deep browning."

Fries browned well , and the heat recovery was relatively

quick . Large looping handles make it easy to manipulate this heavyweight pot. Boiling water picked up a yellow tint and a rusty smell, indicating that our pot had lost its seasoning.

"So roo my I could almost brown the meat in two batches

rather than three . " Low sides made it easy to see inside ,

and it was lightweight and easy to manipulate . In the fries

test. the temperature of oil dropped the farthest when

potatoes were added , then fiuctuated more than the other

pans as the temperature very slowly climbed back up .

Pan is big, light, and easy to handle , and it did a nice job

browning meat. However, the stew liquid did not reduce

at all in the oven and tasted soupy and unfinished ; the meat

was not fully tender. Oil tempe rature dropped the least

when f ries were added and recovered the fastest.

Deep , narrow pan was slow to heat up but developed a nice

fond for stew once it did. Meat had to be browned in four batches rather than three . The stew's b roth reduced well in the oven , becoming rich and thick , but the meat wasn 't fork­

tender. Boiled water appeared yellow, and f ries had a dis­tinctly rusty taste . indicating that pot had lost its seasoning.

We had to brown the meat for the stew in five batches rather than three . The pan runs slightly hot, and rice was overcooked with "blown -out" grains. For fries, this pot was second slowest to heat oil , and the temperature of the oil

dropped farthe r than we'd like when fries were added .

K I T C H E N NO TES 3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E

Storing Pound Cake We had much better luck storing both whole and leftover Pound Cake (page 2 5 ) in the freezer, wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and foil, than in the refrigerator, where it would quickly stale . The cake usu­ally defrosted nicely on the coun­ter, but sometimes the top became soft and sticky. After some head scratching, we realized the problem only happened when we unwrapped the frozen cake before defrosting it. Keeping the cake wrapped as it thawed (which takes about four hours ) ensured a nice, firm crust.

It took us a while to find this solution, because it contradicts the test kitchen's method for defrost­ing most baked goods. For instance, we've had better luck when we unwrapped cupcakes before defrost­ing. Why the discrepancy? Pound cakes have m u c h l e s s i n t e r n a l moisture t h a n cupcakes or other baked goods that contain a l iquid ingredient such as milk, cream, or yogurt. When unwrapped, l iquid-

free pound cake has a propensity to draw moisture from the air, causing the crust to become wet; cupcakes, on the other hand, let off moisture, which gets trapped when the wrap­ping is left on but evaporates when the wrapping is removed.

Who Has the Thyme? Picking minuscule leaves of fresh thyme can really pluck at your nerves, especially if a recipe calls for a good deal of it. In the test kitchen, we rely on some tricks to make this job go faster. If the thyme has very thin, pliable stems, just chop the stems and leaves together, discarding the tough bottom por­tions as you go. If the stems are thicker and woodier, hold the sprig of thyme upright, by the top of the stem; then run your thumb and forefinger down the stem to release the leaves and smaller offshoots . The tender tips can be left intact and chopped along with the leaves once the woodier stems have been sheared clean and discarded.

E o u 1 P M E N r r E s r 1 N G : Tart Pans Imagine your disappointment if a French Onion

and Bacon Tart (page 1 9) crumbled as you

attempted to l iberate it from its pan . During our

testing of seven tart pans , we had this unfortu ­

nate experience with onion as wel l as fru it tarts,

so it pays to choose your tart pan carefu l ly.

Tart pans can be divided into thnee basic cat­

egories based on materials: tinned steel (the clas­

sic choice) . nonstick, and everything else-ranging

T I N W I N S For buttery tart pastry, stick with

tinned steel pans, l ike this one sold by Kaiser Tinplate.

from heavy ceramic to floppy sil icone. What ceramic, as in the Baker's Catalogue

Bake-and-Serve Stoneware ($ 1 4. 96) , added in tabletop aesthetics, it quickly lost in

practical ity-the lack of a nemovable bottom forced us to ch isel the del icate tart from the pan with a sharp knife. The equal ly flawed, Gum by-like Si l iconeZone I 0- lnch Tart

Pan ($ 1 8) nequired us to bend the pan to pop out our now-cracked pastry.

Because tart pastry is mostly butter, the nonstick surfaces on thnee of the nemain ing

pans wene not only nedundant but also unfavorably sl ick. Without some tackiness, the

dough slumped unevenly down the fluted edges of the Calphalon Classic Bakewane

Nonstick I 0- lnch Round Tart Pan ($ 1 9 . 99) , Kaiser Noblesse 9 112- l nch Quiche Pan with

Removable Base ($ 1 4. 95 ) , and Nordic Wane 8- l nch Quiche Tart Pan ($ 1 3 .99) .

Tarts baked in the two tinned steel pans-the Kaiserlinplate 9 - lnch Quiche Pan with

Removable Bottom ($9) and the Cooking.com Round Tart Pan, 9 . 5 - lnch ($7.95 ) ­

browned evenly and neleased effortlessly. In th is case, the classic design is sti l l the best.

-Elizabeth Bomze

Use a shearing movement to separate thyme leaves from the woody stems.

Enhanced? N ot Really More than half of the fresh pork sold in supermarkets is now "enhanced. " Enhanced pork i s injected with a salt solution to make lean cuts, such as center-cut roasts and chops, seem moister. But we think natural pork has a better flavor and a quick 1 -hour brine adds plenty of moisture. We rec­ommend buying natural pork.

Manufacturers don ' t use the terms "enhanced" o r " n atural " on package labels, but if the pork has been enhanced it will have an ingredient list, like the one below. Natural pork contains j ust pork and won 't have an ingredient list.

To determine if pork is "enhanced , " look for

an ingred ient l ist on the labe l .

The Best Salt for the job For most recipes, the test kitchen has fow1d that inexpensive table salt is just as good as fancy salts . The fine granules are more easily dispersed in batters and doughs, so it's our top choice for baking. We also rely on table salt for soups, stews, sauces, and more . Once salt dissolves, it all tastes pretty much the same, so why waste money on pricey sea salt to season a pot of pasta cooking water? But when it comes to seasoning meat, we don't think table salt is up to the job. The tiny grains slip from our fingers in an Lmcontrolled manner, creating w1even salt paths and patchy flavor-

C O O K ' S I L L U S T R A T E D

3 0

in g . This came especially t o light dur­ing our testing for Steak Frites (page 9) . We fmmd that larger-grained salts ( such as kosher salt) are easier to con­trol and cling nicely to the meat's sur­face. When a recipe calls for seasoning meat "to taste," we suggest about lt1; teaspoon of kosher salt per portion of meat. Kosher salt is inexpensive and readily available, so pick up a box for seasoning meat, chicken, or fish.

Chinese Green Beans Long beans, also called yard-long or snake beans, are the traditional choice in Chinese stir-fries and other reci­pes, including Sichuan Green Beans (page 2 1 ) . These thin, pliable pods can grow up to three feet long. They certainly look exotic, but are these specialty beans worth seeking out at an Asian market?

To find out, we purchased beans fr o m s e v e r a l source s . We fou n d t h a t older, thicker beans can be woody, so look for thin , very flexible beans. After cutting them down to size, we were surprised that even super-thin long beans required the same cook­ing time as thicker g r e e n b e a n s . LO N G B EANS The long beans The Chinese answer to st1

were c h e w i e r and l e s s swee t

beans is surprisingly nut and chewy.

than green beans, with a nice nutty flavor. If you find long beans, give them a try-even though our tast­ers were just as happy with plain old green beans from the supermarket.

The Perfect Foil Regular 1 2 - inch-wide foi l i s fine for many kitchen tasks, but there are times when it's too narrow and we find ourselves trying to crimp together two sheets to create a single piece . On these occasions, it's much easier to reach for a roll of 1 8 -inch foi l . This extra-wide foi l is perfect for lining large pans ( see 1 5 - Minute

Cau l iflower Rain bow

While shopping for Roasted Caul iflower (page 20) , we were lured by the riveti ng

green , orange , and purple heads of cau l iflower at the market. Were they merely a

decorative marketing gimmick, or might these varieties actual ly taste better than .

or cook any differently from, regular cau l iflower? In the end , our tasters felt that

the broccoflower and purple varieties were wel l suited to roasting, although nei­

ther was any better than plain old white cau l iflower.

B RO C C O F LOW E R This broccoli-caul iflower hybrid

exhibited an assertive broccol i flavor and firm texture.

PU RPLE CAU L I F LOW E R A faintly bitter edge and the abil ity to retain its royal hue after roasting won

this variety some accolades.

Chocolate Walnut Fudge, page 23 , or Roasted Cauliflower, page 20 ) . It's also the best choice when lin­ing pie or tart shells that need to be prebaked (see French Onion and Bacon Tart, page 1 9 ) .

Extra-wide foil lets you l ine baking pans and tart shells with a single piece.

The Proper Process The rule of thumb in the test kitchen is that chopping vegetables by hand will produce the cleanest-looking and best-tasting result. Although a food processor is certainly quicker, it tends to bruise vegetables. But during the development of our White Chicken Chili (page 7), we ran out of patience while laboriously chopping through cases of onions and chiles, so we threw some into the food proces­sor bowl. Just as we expected, the result was a soupy, irregular mess; the pieces in the bottom of the bowl disintegrated, while the ones on top remained intact. Suspecting over-

R O M A N E S C O CAU L I F LO W E R This rare Italian breed boasts a vibrant l ime-green color and spiraling turrets,

but its delicate flavor and texture suffered when roasted.

O RA N G E CAU L I F LOW E R Loaded with vitamin A but short on moisture, this hybrid was on

the dry side.

crowding might be the culprit, we tried splitting the vegetables into two batches and giving them a quick, rough chop by hand beforehand. The result, especially when cooked into a soup or stew, was on par with hand chopping-and a whole lot faster. But for more delicate applications, such as salsa and sauces, hand chop­ping still reigns supreme .

OV E RP RO C E S S E D If you overload a food processor, you ' l l have

a soupy mess with large chunks.

J U ST R I G HT Perfectly processed chi les and onions

(done in two batches) are comparable to vegetables cut with a knife .

R E C I P E U P DAT E Wel l - Done Hambu rgers on the Stovetop We weren 't surprised when readers wanted us to adapt our Well-Done

Hamburgers on a Charcoal Gril l Uuly/August 2006) for the stovetop. Our

first intuition was to heat a couple teaspoons of oil in a large traditional ski l let over

h igh heat unti l smoking-we figured h igh heat would be essential to get a nicely

browned crust. But we qu ickly found this approach was all wrong. The panade-a

paste made from bread and mi lk that keeps our wel l-done burgers moist-burned

over h igh heat. Turn ing the heat down to medium al lowed a deep-brown crust to

develop and helped cook the burgers through . And to ensure that the beautiful

sear stays intact, use a nonstick ski l let. See Cook's Extra, below, for the recipe.

Arroz con Pol io . . . with White M eat After we publ ished our lAtino-Style Chicken and Rice (September/October

2006) , a number of readers wrote in asking the best way to swap the dark meat

chicken th ighs for white meat breasts. The thighs simmer for close to an hour in the

original recipe. a length of time guaranteed to severely dry out tender breast meat.

Simmering the breasts in the pot with the l iqu id ingred ients for just 20 minutes

turned out to be the answer. The breasts are then transferred to a plate that gets

wrapped tightly with foi l whi le the rice is added to the pot and cooks for a half hour.

Bone- in , skin-on chicken breasts (as opposed to boneless, skin less cutlets) are

necessary to add sufficient chicken flavor. And cutting the breasts in half crosswise

exposes more meat surface area to the flavorful marinade and braisi ng l iquid-plus

it al lows for more even cooking. See Cook's Extra, below, for the recipe.

Ap ple C rumble A good peach can be d ifficult to find , even during the stone fruit's peak season . It's

no wonder readers asked about making our Peach Crumble Uu ly/ August 2006)

using always-available apples. We found that a three-pound mix of sweet and tart

apples makes an excel lent crumble; however, because apples are much sturdier

than del icate peaches, they must be tneated differently. For starters. apples take

longer to cook; therefore, we bake them for 20 minutes before adding the topping.

(The peaches are not prebaked.) Once the baked topping is added , the crumble

goes into the oven for another 25 minutes. Stirring the partially cooked apples

befone add ing the topping is crucial for an evenly cooked fi l l ing. Because apples are

drier than peaches, we needed only 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch to nail the right sauce

consistency. Final ly, we doubled the amount of sugar, because peaches are so much

sweeter. See Cook's Extra, below, for the recipe. -Compi led by Charles Kelsey

U N ST I R R E D STI R R E D

Partially cooking the apples and giving them a stir before adding the crumble topping ensures perfectly cooked fruit.

IF YOU HAV E A Q U EST I O N about a recipe, let us know. Send your inquiry, name,

address, and daytime telephone number to Recipe Update, Cook's I l l ustrated , P.O.

Box 470589, Brookl ine, MA 02447, or write to recipeupdate@bcpness.com.

G o to www.cooksi l lustrated . com • Click on t he Cook's Extra button for our recipes for Stovetop

Wel l -Done Hamburgers. Latin-Style Chicken and Rice with Breast Meat. and Apple Crumble.

• Recipes available until June I , 2007.

J A N U A R Y 6- F E B R U A R Y 200 7

3 1

E Q U I P M E N T C O R N E R D O YO U R E A L LY N E E D T H I S ? Butter Knife Before the invention of tablespoon­marked butter wrappers, Americans either messily made do by smearing softened but-h ter mto measunng � spoons or winged it and hoped for the best . But the recent appearance in stores of unmarked ar­tisanal and European­style block butters ( as well as the perennial problem of i mprop­

A C LEVE R K N I F E KitchenArt 's clever Pro

Measuring Butter Kn ife makes short work of gauging tea­spoons and tablespoons on

unmarked sticks.

erly wrapped marked sticks) can leave many wrap­per-dependent chefs helpless in the face of precise cookie and cake recipes. If you don't want to rely on imperfect eyeballing skills, KitchenArt offers the handy Pro Measuring Butter Knife ($7 .88 )­in Chrome or Satin Finish-a reversible ruler-like paddle knife that accurately measures and neatly cuts both Elgin-style ( "stick") or Western-pack­style ( "cube") butter, though it's too narrow for pound-block butter's wider plane . For this con­venience, we'll happily make a bit of room in our gadget drawer.

E Q U I P M E N T U P DAT E : Digital Scale With the combination of an easily deciphered dis­play, generous capacity ( to 1 1 pounds) , and roomy platform, the attractively modern Soehnle Futura ($79.99 ) has been our favorite digital kitchen scale since our 2003 testing. Recently, the Futura has been replaced by Soehnle's new model 65055 ( $89.99 )-an even sleeker, l ighter scale . Though

S L E E K AN D P R E C I S E Upgraded i n style and

precision, the Soehnle 65055 scale i s our new winner.

tl1e new model loses just over a pound in maximum capac­ity, i t offers a more durable on - , off- , and ze ro - s e t t i n g tare button along­side a gram/pound c o n v e r s t o n b u t ­ton-conven iently relocated from the scale ' s inaccessible underside-and, to a baker's de l ight,

extends the measurement reading one deci ­mal place farther, into the hundredths, starting at 1 gram (or 0 .05 ounces ) . It's our new scale of choice .

3 B Y E L I Z A B E T I I B O N\ Z E E-

I E Q U I P M E N T T E ST I N G : � Splatter Screens

Be it bacon, steaks, or fish fillets, pan-frying can be a messy business. Splatter screens-sieve- like mesh or perforated metal disks with handles-aim to overlay a skillet and combat grease splatters . But after frying five pounds of bacon, protected by nine splatter screens, it became clear to us that not all models could earn their keep.

Some screens feU just shy of the skiiJet's edge . Diameters of 1 2 inches or less proved insufficient for skillets witl1 an equally large face. And models witl1 overlaying-and painfi.tlly heat-absorbing-handles were highly problematic . Gimmicky designs, such as adjustable arms or dual screens designed to fit skillets of varying sizes, did not work.

Tradit ional lo l l ipop - shaped models were better. Though no single screen perfectly com­bined splatter-proofing witl1 ergonomic stability, the Amco 1 3 - inch Splatter Screen ( $ 1 5 .9 5 ) edged out the wel l -anchored Norpro model and won for i ts nearly impermeable mesh face, which corralled the grease and kept our hands clean .

Sou rces The fol lowing are sou rces for recommended items. Prices

were current at press time and do not inc lude sh ipp ing.

Contact compan ies d i rectly to confi rm pr ices and

ava i lab i l ity; v is it www.cooks i l l ustrated . com for u pdates.

Page 9: SPIDER SKI M M E R • Typhoon Extra-Large Wire Skimmer: S I 5 , product

#TY I 45 9 3 , Golda's Kitchen (866-46 5 - 3 299, www.goldaskitchen.com) .

Page 2 5 : LOAF PAN • Wil l iams-Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Loaf Pan : S 1 9 ,

item #60-708 1 5 24, Williams-Sonoma (877-8 1 2-62 3 5 , www. williams-sonoma.com) .

Page 26 : SOY SAU C E • Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce: S I . 99 for 5 . I ounces

(store locator at www. lkk.com) .

• Ohsawa Nama Shoyu : $ 6 .49 for 1 0 ounces, item

#050 1 - 1 0 I 0 , Gold Mine Natural Food (800-47 5 - 3663 , www.goldminenaturalfood.com ) .

Page 28 : D UTCH OVENS • All -Clad Stain less 8-Quart Stockpot: $ 2 5 7. 9 5 , item

# 1 002 1 8 , Cooking.com (800-663-88 10, www.cooking.com ) .

• Le Creuset 7 1/•·Quart Round French Oven: $229.9 5 ,

product # 1 02990, Cooking. com.

• Chefmate Round Enameled Cast Iron Casserole for

Target: $ 3 9 .99 , Target (www.target.com) .

• Mario Batal i 6-Quart Ital ian Essentials Enamel-on-Cast­

I ron Pot: $99 . 99 , product #0-490 1 0, Amazon.com.

Page 30: TART PAN S • Round Tart Pan, 9 . 5 - lnch : $7. 9 5 , item # 1 03620 ,

Cooking. com.

C O O K ' s I L L U S T R A T E D

3 2

• Kaiser Tinplate 9 - l nch Quiche Pan with Removable

Bottom: $ 9 , item # 6 1 0 3 3 7, Amazon.com.

Page 3 2 : BUTTER K N I F E • KitchenArt Pro Measuring Butter Kn ife : $ 7.88 , item

#905 3 1 , KitchenArt (800-2 39-8090, www. kitchenart.com ) .

Page 32 : D I G ITAL SCALE • Soehnle : $89 .99 , product #6505 5 , Soehnle (made by

Leifheit) , The Consumer Unk (800-42 1 - 1 22 3 , www. theconsumerlink. com) .

Page 3 2 : SPLATTER SCREEN • Amco Splatter Screen 1 3 " : S I 5.9 5, item #06-0004,

ChefTools (866-7 1 6-243 3 , www.cheftools.com) .

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R E C I P E S January b February 2007

Sou p Thai - Style C h icken Soup I 5

Main Dishes

Baked Manicotti 1 3 with Sausage I 3

French Onion and Bacon Tart 1 9 Herb-Crusted Pork Roast I I

with M ustard and Caraway I I Steak Frites 9 Wh ite Ch icken C h i l i 7

Side D i shes

Baked Potatoes 1 7 Boi led Potatoes 1 7 Mashed Potatoes 1 7 Roasted Cau l iflower 20 Roasted Potatoes 1 7

I S - M i n ute Rocky Road Fudge 2 3 C l assic Pou n d Cake 2 5

Al mond 2 5 with O range Essence 2 5

Avai lab le o n the Web The fol lowing recipes and menu are avai lable free unti l J une I , 2007. Go to www.cooksi l l ustrated .com and c l ick on

the Cook's Extra button .

Apple Crumble

Baked Manicotti with Prosciutto

Baked Man icotti Puttanesca

C lassic Mashed Potatoes

French Bistro M e n u Stir- Fried S ichuan G reen Beans 2 1 Lati n-Style C h i c ken and Rice with

Sauces and Flavored Butter F O R R O A ST E D C A U L I F L O W E R :

Breast M eat

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

Oven Fries Cuny-Yogurt Sauce with Ci lantro 20 Soy-G i nger Sauce with Sca l l ion 20

F O R S T E A K F R I T E S :

Sherry Vi negar-- H o n ey Sauce with

Al monds (for Roasted Cau l iflower)

Sp i nach Salad with M ushrooms,

C routons, and Warm Lemon

Dressi ng

Herb Butter 9

Desserts

I S -Minute Chocolate Walnut Fudge 2 3 I S - M inute Peanut Butter Fudge 2 3

Stovetop Wel l - Do n e Hamburgers

www. c o o ks i l l u st rate d . c o m

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Pound Cake, 2 5

Steak Fr ites , 9

Roasted Caul i flower, 2 0

Herb-Cru sted Pork Roast , I I

White Ch icken Ch i l i , 7

Rocky Road F u dge, 2 3

S i c h u an Green Beans , 2 1

French Onion and Bacon Tart, 1 9 . '

P H OTO G R A P H Y : C A R L T R E M B LAY, STY LI N G : M A R I E P I RAI N O

C O O K I N G

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G R E E N S