N U M B E R E IGHT Y-FOU R JA N U A R Y C FE B R U A R Y 211

STR AT E D
Herb-Crusted
Pork Loin
Bi
g
Flavor, Bi
g
Crunch
Perfect Pound Cake
Rating Dutch Ovens
I40 Pot Nearly Beats I250Favorite
Steak Frites
Juicy Steak, Super-Crisp Fries
N a-Stuff Manicotti
Fudge without Fear
For
g
et Your Candy Thermometer'
Thai Chicken Soup
Secret In
g
redient Yields Bi
g
Flavor
French Onion and Bacon Tart
Sichuan Green Beans
Potato Primer
White Chicken Chili
Soy Sauce Taste Test
How to Roast Caulifower
www. c o o ks i l l u s t r at ed. c o m
59 L5.569 LT^T1T
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January 6 February 2007
Z Notes from Readers
Readers ask questions and sugest solutions.
Quick Tips
Quick and easy ways to perform everyday tasks, f rom
cleaning cast -i ron cookare t o keeping pancakes hot.
The Best White Chicken Chili
This Southwestern-stle chili often cooks up bland and
water, with chew bits of rubber chicken that make
home cooks ask. "Where's the beef?" BY SANDRA WL
o Authentic Steak Frites
A good rendition of this bistro standard is hard to find in
American restaurants. Short of flying to Pris, how could
we reliably enjoy this French classic? BY KEITH DRESSER
|J Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
/mhhemrust seems like a good way to enliven a
boneless pork roast -but not if the crust has little flavor
and falls of. BY CHARLES KELSEY
IZStreamlining Manicotti
Manicotti may look homey. but blanching and stufing
pasta tubes is a tedious chore, and the ricotta filling can
be uninspi red and water. We wanted a simpler. better
recipe. BY REBECCA HAYS
I+ Thai-Style Chicken Soup
Authentic Thai chicken soup gains complex flavor in
minutes via a handful of exotic ingredients. Could super
market substitutes deliver comparble results?
BY MATIHEW CARD
l 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 ever time. BY KEITH DRESSER
Io Introducing French Onion 1
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
ZJ How to Roast Caulifower
High-heat roasting intensifies the favor of this under
stated vegetable. We wanted to maximize the golden
exterior while ensuring a creamy interior.
BY CHARLES KELSEY
ZI Bringing Sichuan Green
Beans Home
This tang. spicy dish ofers an exotic change of pace from
everday green beans. We set out to overhaul its foreign
ingredient list and si mplif a troublesome techni que.
BY ERIKA BRUCE
22 Simplfying Fudge
Classic fudge is f rustrating and completely unpredictable.
After months of tests. we've rei magi ned this recipe to
make it utterly reliable-and surprisingly simple.
BY DAVID PAZMINO
2 Seeking Pound Cake
Perfection
Don't be fooled by its short ingredient list -pound cake is
far from simple. More often than not . it bakes up heavy.
squat, and dense. BY DAWN YANAGIHARA
2 Searching for Superior
Soy Sauce
This Asian condiment should enhance flavor and contrib
ute complexit to your food-not just make it salt.
BY LISA McMANUS
Zo Inexpensive Dutch Ovens
Our favorite Dutch ovens cost more than $ 200. Ouch' Is
there a cheaper version that performs al most as well? Yes.
I t costs $40. BY LISA McMANUS
JJ Kitchen Notes
Test results, buying ti ps, and advice related to stories past
and present. directly from the test kitchen.
BY ERIKA BRUCE
JZ Equipment Corner
Reviews of new items, updates on past tests. and sources
for products used in this issue. BY ELIZABETH BOMZE
!Y11 `J`'
COOKING GREENS Not just a plate gamish, curly kale has an assertive, earthy flavor when
cooked. Darker Tuscan kale (or black kale) has wrinkled leaves. which are more tender and
delicately flavored. Collard greens are usually boiled or braised along with pork; their pungent
flavor pair well with rich meat and bean dishes. Pepper mustard greens come f rom the plant
that yields the seeds used to make mustard. Beet greens, most often found with their bulbous
roots still attached. are earthy and favorful 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. minerly flavor. Radicchio is not green at all but rather a tight head of burundy
leaves; it can be eaten rw but is also good grilled or sauteed. Mild, f resh-tasting escarole is good
rw in salads and cooked in soups. Dandelion greens have a mildly bitter. tang flavor; young.
tender leaves are fine for salads, but mature leaves are better brised. Spinach, which can have
flat or curly leaves, requires little or no cooking .
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Z

EDIT ORIAL
RABBITS RUN IN CIRCLES
J
ust 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 ques
tions about relations with the opposite sex. So,
afer 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
satisfed 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 pateral 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 frst 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 out
side Jean's roadside sauna. But,
as it turs out, Jack spent World
War II fying 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 dig
ging)-the difference between
12-, 16- and 20-gauge shot
guns, 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 develop
ing a mechanical problem that
comment after I discharged three wide shots in
a row still stings: "Need more ammo?"), the dif
ference 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 fnd the coat and sit on it
until you retur.)
In cooking, there are folks who are funda
mentally 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 suf
ficient 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, bound
less comic energy, and a borrowed dress. Now
there is a guy who could have had a successfl
cooking show!
I am proud to say that my Vermont neigh
bors 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 fying 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 airfeld. 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 reminis
cent of The Bi Red One, including fghting at
Anzio and Sicily.
Much like our son, Charlie, many folks have
enthusiasms that don't reach beneath the sur
face. But with no more than an extra spoonfl
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 particu
larly 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 c FEBRUARY 211
^'1c I1'` 11/111c
Pe er Picking
What is the difference between jarred pimentos
and jarred roasted red peppers?
Fresh pimentos are
thi n -ski n ned , hear t
shaped sweet peppers
with a slightly bitter,
aromatic flavor reminis
cent 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 NTO P E P PER:
P U NGE NT AN D SOFT
Jarred roasted red
ROASTE D RE D P E P P ER:
peppers can be made
S MOKY AN D TE N D ER
fom a variety of peppers,
Depending on whether
including pimentos and the peppers are boi l ed
bell peppers. As their
(top photo) or roasted
name suggests jarred
(bottom photo) , pi mentos can
d d
'
be labeled as either pi mentos
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 bit
terness and astringency. Their texture was sof
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 tast
ers 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 favor and
frmer texture of roasted red peppers, but pimen
tos 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 ofen see wild Alaskan salmon for sale at the
market. How is it different from farmed salmon?
MEAGHAN SHEA
QUEENS. NY.
Setting environmental and sustainability issues
aside, we compared wild salmon f ets witl1 frmed
-COMPIL E D B Y S A NDR A WU E
salmon f ets, noting variations in f1ttiness, flavor,
aroma, and color. We tasted fesh wild Alaskan
king salmon ($15.99 a pound), which is avail
able year-rmmd either fesh, frozen, or tlwed
(wild-caught salmon from Washington, Oregon,
or California is available only seasonally), along
side fesh frmed salmon ($11.99 a pmmd) from
Norway in a basic pan-fied 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 fsh
feed supplemented with various sources of astax
anthin to enhance tl1eir grayish color. The feed
is available in a variety of compositions, enabling
fsh 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" afertaste. When mashed,
seasoned, formed into cakes, and pan-fried, the
differences remained. Tasters overwhelmingly
preferred the wild salmon, which had a rich, fll
but delicate favor. 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
EAU CLAIRE, WIS.
..- Salt is a flavor enhancer that is just as impor
tant in sweet foods as it is in savory ones, so we
assumed tlat a cake or cookie made witlut 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 witlut.
C''!` ILLUSTRATED
Z
The flavor differences in the cake, which called
for I teaspoon salt, were astounding. The salt
free 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 difcult to nail down in me sugar cookies,
which were coated generously with sugar and
contained only 'Iteaspoon salt. Still, some tasters
could detect the favors 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 favor 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 bitter
ness was cut in half By suppressing bitterness, salt
allows more desirable flavors-including sweet
ness and spices-to come mrough. Ingredients
that can contribute bitter flavors in baking include
yeast, leavening agents, proteins in flour, bitter
sweet 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 lef with a singularly sweet and sugary
dessert wimlittle complexity. Also, be sure when
bakng to use unsalted butter so tl1at all the salt
comes from a single source and the fnished prod
uct 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 favor?
CLARK DUNSON
SAN MATEO, CALIF.
.. To determine whether removing me seeds
fom canned whole tomatoes is worth me efort,
we used seed-in and seedless samples iH 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 toma
toes 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,
fuitier 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 fom the seeds would
prolong the cooking time, we recommend remov
ing the seeds. To do so, break the tomatoes open
over a strainer set in a large bowl and use your
fngers to scoop out the seeds and surrounding
gelatinous material. Make sure to reserve the seed
less 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 afer 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?
JEREMY HURWITZ
ATLANTA. GA.
We went back into the test kitchen and baked
MuJtgrain Bread, fnding, like you did, that non
stick cooking spray wasn't completely efective 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 fd out how well it

works, we made three loaves of

Multigrain Bread, using water on

`.
one, Quick Shine on another, and
a homemade "glue" of beaten egg
and mon the last loaf. We coated
AEROSOL
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 afer the bread was
fshed baking, the loss of oats and seeds fom 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 afer
it is fly 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 occa
sional slice of pink turkey meat. First off, always
WHAT I S I T?
Thi s contrpti on l ooks l i ke a bottl e cap opener, but I can't fi gure out
what the hooks on top are for. Any i deas?
AMY S HENG
BEDFORD, MASS.
I n its cl osed posi ti on, this 41/2- i nch tool does function as a bottl e cap
opener, but when the fol ding cover i s pul l ed open, the sharp-toothed shaft
of a cork pul l er i s reveal ed (see i l l ustrtion at right). Thi s anti que (ci rca
1 925) gadget i s cal l ed the E-Z Cork Pul l er.
Cork pul l er are said to be hel pful for di sl odgi ng a cork that is ver tightly
seal ed i n a wine bottl e. Unl i ke a corkscrew, the barbed bl ade of a cork pul l er
i s inserted beteen the cork and the insi de of the bottle neck (not di rectly
into the center of the cork) . Next, the handl e i s turned countercl ockise
unti l the barbs gri p the cork. Lstly, one's i ndex and mi ddl e fingers grsp the
" hooks," or finger gri ps, to pul l stright up to remove the cork. Despi te its
ingeni ous design, we found that ynking the cork out of a wine bottle usi ng
the E-Z Cork Pul l er requi red a strong grip and brute force. We' re content
to sti ck with modem corkscrews for al l of our wine bottl e-openi ng needs.
Not So Easy: Using the antique
E-Z Cork Pul l er requi res 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 por
tion 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 oxy
gen 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 flly 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 ofen 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, MICH.
We were doubtf tlere would be signifcant
diferences between chopped-tl1en-toasted and
toasted-tl1en-chopped nuts, but we headed into
J A N U A Y c F E !U A RY 211
`
the kitchen a.yvay 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 fler, "nuttier"
favor when tasted plain. Tossed in a salad dressed
with vinaigrette and garnished with dried cranber
ries, 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. Ratler than buying
tle jarred variety, can I mince my own fesh gar
lic, cover it with oil, and refrigerate it?
DONNA SMIT H
MIDDLESBORO. KY.
As tempting as tl1is shortcut might seem, it
isn't safe. There is a risk of botulism develop
ing in garlic that is stored in oil for more than a
few days, even when it is refrigerated. BotuJism
grows in anaerobic ( mygen-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 harmfl 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 infnitely better tl1an the jarred smf.
SEND US YOUR QUESIONS We will provide a compli
mentar one-year subscription for each letter we print. Send your
inqui r. name. address, and daytime telephone number to Notes
from Readers, Cook 's Illustrated, P. O. Box 470589, Brookline.
MA 02447, or to [email protected].
Quick Tips
COMPILED B Y DAVID PAZMINO E
Transferring Fish Fi l l ets
A lare fish fi l l et or whol e fish can
make an impressive presentation,
but i t can be a chall enge to remove
the del i cate fi sh from a baking sheet
without i t fal l ing apart. For an easi er
trnsfer, Renee Saxman of Rochester,
Mi nn., reaches for a flexi bl e cutting
board.
I . Sl i de a thi n, fexi bl e plastic cutting
board under the fsh.
Z. Gently sl i de the fi sh onto a sering
platter, using a spatul a i f necessar.
Warp-Free Mufin Ti ns
Mary Ann Gi bson of Lompoc, Cal i f. ,
ofen bakes hal f- batches of mufi ns
and finds that the empt cups heat
up rapidly duri ng baking, causi ng
the tin to warp. Her sol uti on is to
place to ice cubes i n each empt
cup. Once in the oven, the ice
melts and the water prevents the
Cast- I ron Care
Cast-i ron pans often bui l d up crud that can be di ficul t to disl odge with a
sponge, and cl eaning cast i ron with a soapy scrubber pad wil l afect the sea
soni ng. Mary Flynn of Napl es, Fl a. , found that al umi num foi l makes an efec
tive (and safe) scrubbi ng device. After usi ng paper towel s to wipe excess
grease from a cool ed pan, she fol l ows the steps bel ow.
I . Scrub the pan with a wad of heavy-dut al umi num foi l , removi ng stuck
on food.
2. Rinse and dry the pan, then reseason it by using paper towel s to wi pe i t
with about I tabl espoon oi l .
Fool proof Lttice Top Transfer
Frgi l e stri ps of dough for lattice pies or tarts often break when they are trnsferred
from the countertop to the pi e. Trudy Mavi n of Berkeley Hei ghts, N.J., found a way
to make thi s del i cate task fool proof. After rol l i ng out pie dough on parchment paper,
she proceeds as fol l ows.
I . Z.
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I . Trnsfer the dough, sti l l on parchment paper, to a cutting board. Usi ng a sharp
knife, cut through the dough and parchment paper to form stri ps. (I f the dough i s
too soft to cut, pl ace i t i n the freezer unti l firm, about 5 mi nutes. )
Z. Using the parchment paper t o l ift the dough, trnsfer t he stri ps t o the top of the
pi e, gently pul l ing the paper away to create a decorti ve l atti ce pattern.
Send Us Your JQ We will provide a compl i mentar one-year subscri pti on for each ti p we print. Send your ti p, name, and address to
Quick Tips, Cook's I l l ustrated, P. O. Box 470589, Brookl i ne, MA 02447, or to qui [email protected].
COOK
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S ILLUSTRATED
4
Safer Potato Pi erci ng
Forks and knives someti mes get
stuck when pi erci ng raw potatoes
to al l ow steam to escape dur-
ing mi crowavi ng. Al i son Baez of
Pl metto Bay, Fl a. , di scovered a
better tool for the job. She pri cks
the skin of the potato with the
sharp ti p of a corncob hol der.
Extra Refrigerator
Storage Space
Fi ndi ng room for a l are casserol e di sh
i n a crmped refrigertor i s a fami l i ar
chal l enge for many cooks. Amy Ri ley
of Reynol dsbur, Ohi o, came up with
this space-saving sol uti on. Create
an extra "shelf" by stacking a baking
sheet on top of the casserol e d i sh,
then pl ace smal l er items on the baking
sheet.
No-Sl i p Peppermi l l
When hands get wet duri ng
cooki ng, usi ng a plastic or glass pep
perm ill becomes a sl i ppery, frustrat
ing task. John Dahl of San Ansel mo,
Cal i f. , came up with a si mpl e rem
edy. Secure a thi ck rubber band
(often found on bunches of
broccoli) at the top of
the peppermi l l . Gri p
the rubber
band whi l e
gri ndi ng. L
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Openi ng Tight Lds
Many jars are difi cul t to open
because of a tight vacuum seal
created during manufacturing.
Tired of struggling, Joanne Lewi s of
Brookfi el d, Wi s. , di scovered that a
church key coul d be used to faci l i
tate the process.
I. Fit the ti p of the church key
under the edge of the lid and gently
lif the key to break the seal .
Z. The l i d shoul d now be easy to
unscrew.
Drai ni ng Sauerkraut
To avoi d di ring a col ander for a smal l
job, Mar Cl ugstone of Binghamton,
NY, drins sauerkrut i n the pl astic
bag i n which i t i s packaged.
Z.
I. Poke severl hol es i n the bottom of
the sauerkraut bag with a skewer or
sharp knife. Uarred sauerkrut can be
trnsferred to a zi pper-l ock bag. )
Z. Gently squeeze the bag over a
lare bowl or si nk to dri n the l i qui d
through the hol es.
No-Sti ck Proposition
Wear of battl i ng with stuck-on pri ce tags and l abel s on di shware, glasses, and wine
bottles, Lynda Bemel of Lkevi l l e, Mass . . came up wi th a novel way to rel ease them.
Poi nt a hai r drer set on h igh at the pri ce tag or l abel unti l the gl ue softens, al l owi ng i t
to be peel ed of wi th ease.
I.
Overnight Bread Cool i ng
Pegg Wegman of Auburndal e. Mass . .
often bakes bread i n the evening and
fnds that her l oaves never cool suf
fi ci ently before bedti me. I nstead of
wrapping a sl i ghtly warm l oaf i n pl asti c
wrap (a method that yi el ds a sogg
crust) or l eavi ng i t out on a rck (an
approach that can attrct ki tchen
cri tters) , she takes the fol l owi ng
approach. Pl ace the l oaf on a cool ing
rck and tum a lare col ander upsi de
down over the loaf, al l owi ng i t to cool
safely whi l e preserving the cri sp crust.
Keepi ng Flapjacks Hot
A warm oven can be used to keep pan
cakes hot, but this method someti mes
resul ts i n a dri ed-out breakfast. Rebecca
Cohen of New York, N.Y., uses the fol
lowing tri ck for keeping pancakes hot and
moi st as they come out of the ski l l et.
I.
I mpromptu Cookie
Cool i ng Rack
Fi ndi ng hi msel f with a baking
sheet ful l of hot cooki es and a
shortage of cool ing rcks, Jerr
Ammons of San Franci sco, Cal i f. ,
transferred the cooki es to a
spl atter screen to cool .
I . Bring 2cups water to a simmer in a l arge saucepan. Pl ace a l are heatproof
pl ate on top of the saucepan.
Z.Athe pancakes are cooked, pl ace them on the WI plate until sering ti me.
J A N UAR Y c F EBR UAR Y 2ll

Doubl e- Dut Oni on Bag

I n need of a scrub pad for cl eaning
di rt pots and pans, Suni Mcleod
of Uttle Rock, Ark. , cl everly impro
vised with an onion bag.
I. Wrap an empt perforated
pl asti c onion bag around a sponge.
Z. Use the wrpped sponge and
hot soapy water to scrub cookare.
Hassl e- Free Garl i c Pste
Making garl i c paste with the bl ade of
a chefs knife takes prctice. Suzanne
Phil l i ps of Akron, Ohi o, si desteps knife
work wi th this eas method.
I. Roughl y chop garlic cl oves and
spri nkl e wi th a pi nch of salt.
2. Using the flat, ungl azed underi de
of a smal l rmeki n, press the garlic
against the cutting board, smearing i t
to make a smooth paste.
tl

RECI P E DI A G N O S I S :
FHLULL`
5LLUlLW`
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The Chosen Chi l es
Thi s smal l. smooth-ski nned, forest
green chi l e provides heat and a bitter,
green bell pepper-l i ke flavor.
_..
Thi s l ong. medi um-green, mi l dly spi cy
chi l e has an aci di c, l emony bi tterness.
Tis lare, heart-shaped, blackish-green
chi l e is mi l d to medi um-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 i n American restau rants.
Sh ort of fiyi ng to Pari s, h ow cou l d we rel i abl y enjoy th i s French cl assi c?
W
hen most people travel to Paris,
the frst thing they do is visit
Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower,
or the Louvre. Not me. When I
get of the plane, I head to a bistro and order steak
fites. I know steak fites might seem like a pedes
Uachoice-it's just steak with a side of fies-but
in Paris, the steak is always perfectly cooked and the
fies are Auf on tl1e inside and crisp on the out
side, 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 Aavorfl. 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 high
starch russet potatoes make the best fries. Most
recipes call for blanching the sliced potatoes in
moderately hot oil to cook them through and
then fishing 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 mon
umentally difcult. No matter what I tried, the
fies were too tough, too soggy, or too greasy.
When I cooked the potatoes in a single batch,
tle fries were very greasy. By cooking the pota
toes 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.
Squar|ngthe Spud
Te best way to uniformly cut fries is to star by tri mmi ng a
thin sl ice from each side of the potato. Once the potato is
"squared." you can sl i ce i t i nto '14- i nch pl anks and then cut
each plank i nto 1/4- i nch fries.
= B Y K EITH DR E S S E R E
For supercri sp fri es. we coat the potatoes wi th an
unl i kely i ngredi ent.
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 te escaping moisture. /the surface of tl1e
potato becomes hotter and hotter, the outer coat
ing of starch begins to seal, making it more difcult
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 tem
perature drop when tl1e potatoes are added to tle
bot oil is an insurance policy against greasiness.
To fnd 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 shorten
ing lef a heavy afertaste, while the fries cooked
in peanut oil were light and earthy-tasting.
Cri spy Tri cks
Following these steps resulted in better fries.
However, tle 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
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cooked. Compared witl1 potatoes tl1at were fied
witl1out presoaking, the soaked potatoes made
slightly crispier fries with more even coloration.
Other recipes call for "resting" the fries between
the frst and second frying. Aer 10 minutes of
resting, I noticed tint the starches on the exterior
of the blanched fries had formed a tlin flm that
indeed helped the fries become crisp once tley
were fied again. I was making progress, but I still
wasn't completely satisfed.
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
tlat they spray their potatoes with a thin potato
starch-based coating. Aer more research, I real
ized starch was also a key ingredient in many fast
food fries. Could an extra layer of starch be the
key to crispier fries?
alternately tossed uncooked potatoes with
cornstarch, potato starch, and arrowroot and
fried up each batch. I saw an immediate improve
ment. Our science advisor explained that the
starch was absorbing some of the surface mois
ture on the potatoes to form a gel-like coat
ing. 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 fies.
Steak My Clai m
In France, steak fites is usually prepared with a
cut called entrecote (literally, "between the ribs").
Although you won't fnd this steak in American
supermarkets, it's similar to our rib-eye steak
both are cut from the same area as prime rib.
The one big difference is that entrecote steaks are
quite thin, usually just to I 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 w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Click on the Cook's Er button f or 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 i n a ski l l et at the same ti me. i t i s necessar to buy two I - pound steaks and cut them
i n hal f accordi ng to thei r thi ckness. If your steaks are 1 '/ to 1 3 i nches thi ck. cut them i n hal f verti cal ly i nto smal l . thi ck
steaks. I f your steaks are thi cker than I % i nches. cut them i n hal f hori zontal ly i nto two thi nner steaks.
THI NSTEAK: Cut |n ha| fvert| ca| |y.
the meat without overcooking the middle.
I had fnally 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.
STEAK F RI TE 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 fy tl1e
potatoes, not toasted peanut oil. A 12-inch skillet
is essential for cooking four steaks at once. The
recipe can be prepared tlrough 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 tie 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) .
' pounds russet potatoes (about 4 1 arge) ,
scrubbed , si des squared off, and cut l engthwi se
i nto '! i nch by '! i nch fries (see photo on
page 8)
tabl espoons cornstarch
THI CKSTEAK: Cut |n ha| fhor| zonta| |y.
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 l et rest until fne white
coating forms, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch
oven ftted with clip-on-tl1e-pot candy thermom
eter, heat peanut oil over medium heat to 325
degrees.
4. Add half of potatoes, a handfl 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 tur 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 74 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 medium
rare, 3 to 7 minutes. Transfer steaks to large plate,
top with butter, and tent loosely with foil; let rest
while fnishing fries.
6. I ncrease 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
J quarts peanut oi l
tabl espoon vegetabl e oi l
RE C I P E S H O RT HAN D 1 S1lAK lkl 1l S
I
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
Spi der Ski mmers
I f you peek i nto a restaurnt kitchen. you' l l see
chefs worki ng over steami ng stockpots or vats of
bubbl i ng oi l usi ng shal l ow, woven wire baskets on
l ong handl es to retrieve bl anched vegetabl es. french
fri es, and thi n- ski nned wantons. Sufi ce i t to say that
most chefs woul dn' t part with thei r "spi ders. " as
they are cal l ed , whi ch efortlessly scoop out mul ti pl e
handful s of food with one swoop and leave al l the
hot cooki ng oi l , water, or broth behi nd.
But i s one speci es of spi der superi or to the oth
er? Whi l e cooki ng ski nny french fries and pl ump
cheese ravi ol i , we noted that severl model
trpped too much l i qui d and sharp wire edges
snagged del i cate ravi ol i wrap-
per. Wood handl es soaked

up oi l and water. di scol or
i ng the wood and absorb
i ng odors. One model .
the Typhoon Extr-
STU RDY S P I DE R
Lre Wire Ski mmer
( $ 1 5) , avoi ded al l
these flaws and i s
our cl ear favorite.
-El izabeth Bomze
The Typhoon Extra-lrge
Wire Ski mmer spors a solid
metal handl e that won' t soak
up oi l or odors and a uniform
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 RB B UTTE R
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 4 STEAKS
4 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, softened
'/ medi um shal l ot, mi nced (about tabl espoons)
garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through garl i c press
(about I teaspoon)
tabl espoon mi nced fresh parsl ey l eaves
tabl espoon mi nced fresh chives
'I teaspoon tabl e sal t
'I teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
Combine all ingredients in medium bowl.
boneless ri b-eye steaks
( I pound each ) , cut in hal f
Successful steak frites requi res some careful ti mi ng. The first four steps can be compl eted up to 2 hour before di nner. Once you start
cooki ng the steaks. you need to work qui ckly to get the steak and fries on the tabl e.
(see photos, above)
Kosher salt and ground bl ack
pepper
reci pe Herb Butter
(reci pe fol l ows)
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 . Ri nse cut potatoes. 2. Toss potatoes with cornstarch. J . Ai r- dr potatoes. 4. Bl anch potatoes, in two batches, in 325- degree
oi l ; let cool . 5 . Cook steaks. . Fi n i sh fri es, in two batches, in 37 5 - degree oi l .
J i N U I RY c F E B RU A RY 211
'
lcrlcCLlr lcr-|ruLcC lCrk KCoL
A fresh h erb cru st seems l i ke a good way to enl i ven a bonel ess
pork roast-but not i f th e cru st has l i ttl e fiavor and fal l s off.
B
oneless center-cut pork roast
is a poster child for the "other
white meat" campaign. Its uni
form 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, comple
mentary 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 afxed.
_ Y C | | ^ H | L S | L | S L Y 5
My initial testing of existing recipes
produced dismal results. Roasts emerged
with pale crusts and minimal herb flavor.
Recipes with a measly tablespoon or
For fi avor in every bi te. we spread an herb paste in the mi ddl e and
on top of the roast. A cheesy crumb crust i s the crowni ng touch.
of fresh herbs and a handfl 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
RECI P E DI A G N O S I S :
When Good Meat Goes Bad
Our i niti al testi ng reveal ed a host of probl ems wi th
most reci pes for herb-cnusted pori l oi n.
TOO LI TLE CRUST
PALE AN D B LAND
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
infsing the meat with herb flavor would unif 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.
lying the Groundwork
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 salt
sugar solution for an hour before cooking would
boost moisture and season the meat. I also knew
that browning the roast would be crucial for
maximum favor. Previous test results showed
that searing the roast in a skillet on the stovetop
before fnishing 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
CO O K
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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 favor,
but the herbs were missing in action. Even when
I threw fstfuls of herbs into the brine bucket, no
one could taste them.
Confsed, I wondered why the garlic flavor
would come through but not the herbs. I spoke
with our food scientist, who explained that gar
lic's favor 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 afer 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 fnally
praised a roast for good herb favor in every bite.
With multiple slits, however, this roast was far
from attractive. Could I do better?
Afer some experimentation, I found that cut
ting 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 'I 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 fom the
counter to the skillet for browning.
Crust Buil ding
Now that the roast itself was more flavorf, 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 attrac
tive golden brown crust. Following protocol, I
let the meat rest for ! Ominutes (which gave the
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Click on the Cook's Extra button for
the reci pe for our recommended side
dish, Ciassic Mashed Potatoes.
Reci pe available until June I. 2007.
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STE P - BY- STE P Pkl PAkl NC Hl k- C kUS1l D POkK kOAS1

I . Score the Fat: Usi ng sharp
boni ng knife, l ightly score fat cap
on roast to make '/- i nch cross
hatch pattern.
2. Make Fi rst I nci si on: J. Make the Pocket: Cut
al ong si de of pork, stoppi ng
' i nch short of other end.
Pul l open roast and use gentl e
strokes to cut deeper pocket.
4. Stuff the Roast: Spread
'/ cup herb paste evenly i nto
pocket, usi ng spatula and fnger
to make sure paste reaches cor
ner of pocket.
5 . Tie the Roast: Fol d roast
over to ori gi nal shape and tie at
even i nteral s al ong its l ength
with 3 pi eces of ki tchen twi ne.
Starti ng '/z i nch from end of
roast, i nsert knife i nto mi ddl e
of roast. wi th bl ade paral l el to
work surface.
juices time to redistribute and allowed the roast
to slowly fi nish cooking from its carryover heat)
and then sliced away. My knife blade revealed
perfectly cooked, juicy pork, but tl1e crust didn't
stay frmly attached. Upon closer inspection, I
noticed the herb paste was sliding off the ren
dered fat cap. Scoring a crosshatch pattern into
me fat cap before searing tle roast gave me paste
something to grip and helped unif tle 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, sof herb, such as parsley (basil worked
too) . Tasters liked quite a bit of woodsy thyme
and a touch of intense rosemary to bolster pars
ley's mild favor. Garlic was a welcome addition
to the herb paste, as was grated Parmesan cheese,
which made the paste tackier and easier to afx 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 fnally transformed dlis plain-Jane cut into
a tasty roast mat ofered herb favor in every bite.
H E R B - C R U ST E D P OR K ROAST
SERVES 4 TO 6
If only "enhanced" pork is available (tl1e label W
state mat me pork was injected witl a water-salt
solution; see photo, page 30) , do not brine tl1e
roast. Instead, simply season me snJf ed and tied
roast wim salt before browning. Note mat you
should not trim me pork of its layer of fat. We
it is possible to substtute ded rosemary for fesh,
do not substtute dried myme for fesh or me herb
crust W be dry and dusty tasting. The roasting
tin1e W vary widely depending on me dlickness of
me meat. The roast can be brined, stufed, and tied
a day al1ead, but don't prepare me bread crumb
topping until you are ready to cook.
bonel ess center-cut pork l oi n roast,
2 11 to J pounds (see note above)
Tabl e sal t
' / cup sugar
l arge sl i ce whi te sandwi ch bread, torn i nto pi eces
ounce Parmesan or pecori no cheese, grated
(about 11 cup)
medi um shal l ot, mi nced ( about J tabl espoons)
4 tabl espoons pl us 2 teaspoons ol i ve oi l
Ground bl ack pepper
'/

cup packed fresh parsl ey or basi l l eaves

2 tabl espoons mi nced fresh thyme l eaves
teaspoon mi nced fresh rosemary l eaves
or '/teaspoon dri ed
l arge garl i c cl ove, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 1 11 teaspoons)
. Following illustration 1 above, lightly score
fat cap on pork, making 1-inch crosshatch pattern.
Following illustrations 2 and 3, cut pocket in roast.
Dissolve 7 cup salt and sugar in 2 quarts water in
large container; submerge roast, cover with plastic
wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Rnse 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
wii bread crumb mixnrre. Transfer baking sheet
witl1 roast to oven and cook until thickest part of
roast registers 145 degrees on instant-read tl1er
mometer, 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 l-inch slices and serve immediately.
H E R B - C R U ST E D P OR K ROAST
WI TH M U STARD A N D CARAWAY
Follow recipe for Herb-Crusted Pork Roast, sub
stituting I tablespoon minced garlic for shallot in
bread crumb mixture, replacing rosemary wim 4
teaspoons whole-grain mustard and tablespoon
toasted caraway seeds, and reducing oil in step 3
to 2 tablespoons.
tablespoons Parmesan, shallot ,
1 tablespoon oil, teaspoon salt,
Bui l di ng a Better Crust
and teaspoon pepper. Using fork,
toss mixture until crumbs are evenly
coated wim oil.
3. Add parsley or basil, tl1yme,
rosemary, garlic, remaining 6 table
spoons Parmesan, 3 tablespoons oil,
8 teaspoon salt, and 8 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 ' cup herb paste inside roast
and tie. Season roast with pepper
(and salt, if using enhanced pork).
Apply the Pste: After brown-
i ng roast in ski l l et and removi ng
ki tchen twi ne, use rubber spatul a
to spread remai ni ng herb paste
even ly over top of roast.
J A N UA R Y c F E BR UA R Y 2 11
! !
Afix the Crumbs: Spri nkl e
Prmesan- l aced bread crumbs on
top of roast and then gently press
them in with hands. Fi ni sh cooki ng
roast i n oven.
Streamlining Manicotti
Manicotti may l ook h omey, bu t bl anch i ng and stuffi ng pasta tubes i s a tedi ou s chore, and
th e ri cotta fi l l i ng can be uni nspi red and watery. We wanted a si mp l er, better rec i pe.
I
havcalovc/hatcrclationshipvithmanicotti .
Wcllmadcvcrsionso|thisItalianAmcrican
classic-pastatubcsstu||cdvithrichricotta
nlling and blankctcd vith tomato saucc-
can bc cmi ncntly satis[i ng. So vhat`s not to
lovc` Iuttingit all togcthcr. For sucha straight
torvardcollcctionotingrcdicnts ancrall,mani
cotti is j ust a compil ation o|pasta, chccsc, and
tomato saucc ) , thc prcparation i s surprisingly
mssy.Bl anching,shocking,draining,andsnng
slippcrypasta tubcs rcquirc morc paticncc and
timc)thanI usuallyhavc. Inaddition,asurvcyo|
manicotti rccipcsprovcdthat most rccipc vritcrs
don`tgcttlc h lling right, too ottcn, thc ricotta
bascdmixturcnrnsoutblandandrunny.
Test Tubes
1csting startcd vith thc pasta componcnt.
Chccscstu||cd pastas havc bccn consumcd i n
Italysincc mcdicval timcs,andtraditional rccipcs
uscdcithcrhomcmadccrespele thin,cggy,crcpc
likcpancakcs) orrcctangularshcctso|homcmadc
pasta as vrappcrs |or thc hlling. Both arc tcr
rinc, though ncithcr ht into my strcamlincd
schcmatic. ) vcr timc, most ItalianAmcrican
rccipcs cvolvcd to usc rcady madc dricd pasta
shclls instcad o|homcmadcvrappcrs. For mani
cotti, pasta tubcs arc parboilcd, shockcd i n icc
watcr to stop thc cooking, draincd, and stut|cd
vithricotta h lling. It vas on thisapproach that I
tocuscdmyattcntion.
Somcrccipcsrcquircapastrybag|orh llingthc
long,hollovcylindcrsvithricotta,othcrscxplain
hov to snip thc corncr |rom a zippcr lock bag
to crcatc amockpastrybag. Manyrccipcstakc a
di||crcntapproachaltogcthcr,suggcstingasmall
soupspoon |or stumng thc tubcs . With a bovl
otbasic ricotta h lling at my sidc, I took a dccp
N O S H O RTC UT AT AL L
Many reci pes repl ace
the trdi ti onal pastr
bag with a zi pper-l ock
pl astic bag. But usi ng a
plastic bag to stuf par
boi l ed mani cotti shel l s
i s a mess. frustrting
job that i s el i mi nated
by our si mpl e reci pe.
B Y R E B E C C A ! l A Y S E
Forget tri ck stuffi ng methods. Our reci pe rel i es on no- boi l
l asagna noodl es and a si mpl e fi l l i ng techni que.
brcatl and gavc cachmcthod a try. Jhc pastry
bag vas mcssy but vorkablc. Hovcvcr, many
cooks don`tovnapastrybag,andI didn` tvant
tovri tc arccipc rcquiringaspccialtytool . \sing
a zippcrlockbagto torcc thc ricotta into a slick
parboilcdpastaubcvasmaddcning,mosto|thc
chccscoozcdouto|thc bag,vithancmbarrass
i ngly small amount actually making it i nto thc
tubc. Jhc soupspoon vas cqually |rustrati ng,
I cvcntually gavc up on it and uscd myhngcrs
instcad.oticingmyimpaticncc,acollcagucsug
gcstcd sl itting a bl anchcd noodlc l cngthvi sc,
packing it vith nlling, and putting thc stu||cd
tubc into a casscrolc scam sidc dovn. ot bad,
butthismcthodstillcallcd|or blanching,shock
i ng, anddrainingthcnoodlcs.
I tound a quick rccipc that sccmcd vorth
tryingonthcbackotonco|thcmanicottiboxcs.
I tcallcd |or stumng uncookcd pasta tubcs vith
ricotta,covcringthcmvith a vatcrysaucc, thcn
baki ng. Fi l l i ng rav pasta tubcs vith chccsc vas
marginall y casi cr than stumng l i mp parboi l cd
noodl cs, but i t vasn`t vithout misstcps. A |cv
| | | | 5 I L L l S I R ,\ I I I )
l Z
shattcrcd along thc vay. Still , I |ollovcd thc
rccipcthrough,vatcringdovnaj arottomato
sauccvith acupo|boilingvatcr and pouring
itovcr thc manicotti . Acr45 minutcsin thc
ovcn, this manicotti vas incdiblc, vith somc
o|thc pasta shclls rcmaining uncookcd and
thc pi nk, vatcrcd dovn saucc tasting, vcll,
l i kcvatcr.
carly at myvit` s cnd, I rcmcmbcrcd thc
crcspcllc and |rcsh pasta shccts, vhich didn`t
havcanyo|thc asscmbly problcms associatcd
vithmanicottitubcs. Sprcadingthch!lingonto
auatvrappcrhadtobccasicrthancrammingit
i ntoau oppytubc.I scanncdthchncprintona
packagco|storc boughtcrcpcs,hopingtousc
thcm instcad o|crcspcll c, but alas, thcyvcrc
|artoo sugary. Frcshpastashcctsarcn` tsoldat
manysupcrmarkcts. ItvasthcnthatI thought
o|no boillasagnanoodlcs. Whati| I soncncd
thc noodlcs i n vatcr, turning thcm into pli
ablcshccts otpasta` 1hismcthodvorkcd likc
a charm. Ancr a quick soak in boilingwatcr,
noboil lasagna noodlcs could bc sprcadvith
hllingandrollcdupina |cv casyminutcs.
The Bi g Cheese
Itvas a givcn that ricottavouldscrvcas thc
basc |or thc hlling, but vas vholc milk, part
ski m, orcvcn |at|rcc ricotta prc|crablc` Allvcrc
hnc, but partskimricottaprovidcd anidcal lcvcl
otrichncss,allovingthc othcrtlavorsto shinc.
In addition to ricotta,shrcddcdlovmoisturc
mozzarcllaandIarmcsan arc gcncrallyaddcdto
thchl l i ng. I vondcrcdi|othcrchccscsmighttarc
bcttcr. Ancr tcsting crcam chccsc, |rcsh mozza
rclla, tontina,Asiago,pccori no, and agcdprovo
lonc,I dccidcdto stickvithtradition, optingtor
mozzarcllaand Iarmcsan.
Without cggs, thc h ll i ng scparatcs, bccom
ing loosc and vatcry. Ancr cxpcrimcntingvith
various amounts otvholc cggs and yolks, I sct
tlcd on tvo vholc cggs . But cggs alonc didn`t
complctclyvardo||a runnyhl l i ng. Jhcpropcr
amountso|mozzarcllaandIarmcsanalsoprovcd
kcy, spccih cally, a gcncrous amount otmozza
rcllavasncccssary.
As tor scasoni ngs, a tcv spccks o| parslcy
pl ussaltand pcppcrarcthc norms. Iooki ngtor
improvcmcnt, I cxplorcd othcroptions, cvcntu
allyscttl i ngonacombinationo|trcshparslcyand
basil dricdhcrbsvcrctooharsh) .
.
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STE P - BY- S TE P I MANl tO11l , Z, J
In our streaml i ned reci pe, the ricotta fi l l i ng i s spread onto sofened no-boi l lasagna noodl es, el i mi nati ng the sl i ppery
task of stufing parboi l ed mani cotti shel l s.
I. Soak no-boi l lasagna noodl es i n 2. Usi ng soupspoon, spread about J. Rol l each noodl e by hand and
boi l i ng water for 5 mi nutes unti l pl i -
|
/ cup fi l l i ng onto three- quarters of pl ace i n baki ng di sh. seam si de
abl e, usi ng ti p of pari ng knife to sepa- each noodl e, l eavi ng top quarter of down .
rte noodl es and prevent sticki ng. noodl e exposed.
Fi ni shi ng Touches
A slowcookcd tomato saucc di dn` t nt i nto my
strcamlining goal, so I vasrclicvcdvhcntastcrs
prctcrrcd thc bright, trcshtlavorota I 5minutc
saucc madc with ol ivc oi|, garlic, and diccd
canncdtomatocs purccd i n a tood proccssor to
givc thc saucc body quickly. I punchcd up my
quickrccipc with trcsh basil lcavcs and a dash ot
rcdpcppcrtlakcs.
Finally,mostbakcdpastadishcsbcnchttroma
browncd,chccsytopping. 1hc bcstapproachvas
toaddalightsprinklingotIarmcsan,passingthc
casscrolc undcrthc broilcr bctorc scrvi ng. 1his,
atlast,wasmanicottithatwonmycomplctcattcc
tion. grcattastingandcasytoprcparc.
BAK E D MAN I C OTTI
SERVES 6 TO 8
Wc prctcrBarillano boillasagnanoodlcstorthcir
dc|icatc tcxturc rcscmbling trcsh pasta. otc
that Iasta Dcnno and Ronzoni brands contain
on|y IZ noboil noodlcs pcr packagc, thc rccipc
rcquircs Io noodlcs. 1hc manicotti can bc prc
parcd through stcp 5, covcrcd vith a shcct ot
parchmcntpapcr,vrappcd in aluminumtoil,and
rctrigcratcd tor up to 3 daysor trozcn tor up to
1 month. I ttrozcn, thaw thc manicotti i n thc
rctrigcrator tor 1 to Z days . ) 1o bakc, rcmovc
thc parchmcnt, rcplacc thc aluminum toi | , and
incrcasc baking timc to I to 1 14 hours.
10mul0 uutt
2 ( 28 -ounce) cans di ced tomatoes in j ui ce
2 tabl espoons extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l
J medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I tabl espoon)
1 1 teaspoon red pepper fl akes, opti onal
Tabl e sal t
2 tabl espoons chopped fresh basi l l eaves
Lbttt 1n_und1ulu
J cups part-ski m ri cotta cheese
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 ounces mozzarel l a, shredded (about 2 cups)
2 l arge eggs, l i ghtl y beaten

/ teaspoon tabl e sal t

11 teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
2 tabl espoons chopped fresh parsl ey l eaves
2 tabl espoons chopped fresh basi l l eaves
1 6 no- boi l l asagna noodl es (see note above)
1 . CRTML SA\CLAdj ustovcnracktomid
dlcposi ti onandhcatovcnto 375dcgrccs. Iul sc
1 cantomatocsvi ththcirj uicci ntoodproccssor
untilcoarsclychoppcd,3 or4pulscs. Jranstcrto
bowl . Rcpcatvithrcmainingcantomatocs.
Z. Hcatoil,garlic, andpcppcrtlakcs i tusi ng)
i nl argcsauccpanovcrmcdi umhcatuntiltragrant
butnot brovn, I to Z minutcs. Stirin tomatocs
and tcaspoon salt and simmcr until thickcncd
slightly, about I 5 minutcs. Stir i n basil, adj ust
scasoningwithsalt.
3. CR TML CMLLSL LL^G Combi nc
ri cotta, 1 cup Iarmcsan, mozzarclla, cggs, salt,
pcppcr,andhcrbsinmcdiumbovl ,sctasidc.
4. TC ASSLMLL Iour I inch boilingwatcr
into I 3 by i nch broilcrsatc baking dish, thcn
addnoodlcsoncatatimc. Ictnoodlcssoakuntil
pliablc,about5 minutcs,scparatingnoodlcsvith
tip otsharp knitc to prcvcnt sticki ng. Rcmovc
noodlcs trom vatcr and placc in singlc laycr on
clcan kitchcntovcls,discardvatcrin bakingdish
anddrybakingdish.
5 . Sprcad bottom otbaking dish cvcnly vith
I |/cups saucc. \sing soupspoon, sprcad 14 cup
chccscmixturccvcnlyontobottomthrccquartcrs
otcachnoodlc vith shortsidctaci ngyou) , lcav
ingtopquartcrotnood|ccxposcd. Ro| | intotubc
shapcandarrangci nbakingdishscamsidcdovn.
1opcvcnlyvith rcmainingsaucc,makingccrtain
thatpastaiscomplctclycovcrcd.
o. Covcr manicotti with aluminum toi l . Bakc
until bubbling, about 4O minutcs, thcn rcmovc
toi l . Rcmovc baking di sh, adj ust ovcn rack to
uppcrmostposition abouto inchcstromhcating
cl cmcnt) , and hcat broilcr. Spri nk| c mani cotti
cvcnly vith rcmai ni ng I cup Parmcsan. Broil
) i\ : lc ARY c F IO il RU ARY 2 0 0
`
r A s r 1 N G Ri cotta Cheese
Origi nal ly crfted from the whey by-product of
Romano cheesemaki ng. ricotta cheese has garered
fame on its own as a whi te, cushi ony fi l l i ng for baked
pasta di shes. /ricotta has gai ned global popular
it. however, preseration methods used by many
large-scal e manufacturer have tured these once
fuf. butter, sweet curds i nto chal k. sour spreads.
Seeking at least one nobl e speci men, we sampl ed
four national ly avai l abl e brnds of part-skim ricotta.
The three commerci al ly processed brands
Dragone, Sargento. and Sorrento-consi stently
garnered unfavorabl e adjectives such as "rnci d, "
"gri ny. " "sog, " and j ust pl ai n "yuck. " At the other
end of the spectnum enti rel y sat Cal abro' s "fresh, "
"creamy." and, as one taster put i t. "perfect" curds
the hands-down favorite. Baked i nto rol l s of pasta
and smothered with homemade tomato sauce and
fresh herbs, the diferences were sl ightly l ess appar
ent. though not al together unnoti ced.
Al l three commerci al brnds are packed with gums
and other stabi l i zers to guarantee shelf-stabi l i t for
weeks. Cal abro' s curds, on the other hand. are
fresh-drwn from nothi ng other than Vemnont
famn whol e mi l k. ski m mi l k. a starter. and a spri nkl e
of sal t. Grnted, the latter's shel f life spans only a
matter of days. but one spoonful shoul d be enough
to guarantee i ts qui ck di sappearnce from your
fri dge. I f you can' t fi nd Cal abro, read l abel s and l ook
for another fresh ricotta without gums or stabi l izer.
NOT F O R US
-El izabeth Bomze

F RE S H I S BE ST
When i t comes to ricotta, choose a freshly
made cheese without gums or stabi l izers. We
paricularly l i ke Calabro ricotta, whi ch is avai l abl e
nationwide at Whol e Foods Markets.
untilchccscisspottybrovn,4toominutcs.Cool
I 5 minutcs,thcnscrvc.
BAK E D MAN I COTTI WI TH SAU SAG E
Iollov rccipc tor Bakcd Manicotti through stcp
I . Cook 1 pound hot or svcct Italian sausagc,
casings rcmovcd, in Z tab|cspoons o|ivc oi| in
l argc sauccpan ovcr mcdiumhigh hcat, stirring
tobrcaksausagc into ': i nchpicccs,untilnolon
gcrpink,abouto minutcs. Continuc as dircctcd,
addinggarlicandpcppcrtlakcstosausagc.
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Click on the Cook's Extra button for
Baked Manicotti with Prosciutto and
Baked Mani cotti Puttanesca.
Recipes available until J une I. 2007
Thai-Style Chicken Soup at Home
Au th enti c Thai ch i cken sou p gai n s compl ex fi avor i n mi n u tes vi a a handfu l of exoti c
i ngred i ents . Cou l d su permarket su bsti tu tes del i ver comparabl e resu l ts?
W
hcncvcr I g o out |or Jhai
|ood, I start my mcal wi th a
bowl o| tom khaa gai, or thc
casicr topronouncctranslation.
1hai chickcn soup. It docsn`t look likc much-
a crcamy, palc broth laccd with chickcn sliccs,
mushrooms, and cil antro-but what i t lacks in
looks it makcs up |or i n avor. Svcct and sour
componcntsbalanccthcrichncsso|lcmongrass-
andlimcinmscd coconut milk, which, in turn,
tcmpcrsaslow buildingchilc burn. Itmakcsmy
own chickcn noodlc soup sccm as cnticing as
hospital|ood.
Soi|1haichickcnsoupissogood,whydon` tI
makcitathomc`Simplc. ingrcdicnts. Itscomplcx
h avor is l argcly dcrivcd |rom such cxotica as
galangal,kamrlimclcavcs,lcmongrass,andbird`s
cyc chilcs. I`d bc hard prcsscd to h nd most o|
thcscingrcdicntsatmymarkct. Jhatbcingsaid,I
wondcrcd i|a plausiblyauthcnticvcrsion o|Jhai
chickcnsoupcouldbcprcparcdvithmorcrcadily
availablc i . c. , supcrmarkct)substitutions.
Broth Matters
I |ound a handnil o|simplih cd or Amcrican
izcdJhai chickcn souprccipcs that,whilc largcly
in|ormativc rcgarding substitutions, mostlymisscd
thc mark. Each lackcd thc taut balancing o|hot,
sour,salty, andsvcctcomponcntsthatmakcsJhai
cooking so compclling. Appropriatcly cnough,
that balancc, in Jhai, is callcd yum. ) So, |or thc
timc bcing at lcast, I stuckwith thc authcnticrcci
pcs.I`daddrcsssubstiutionsonccIkncwhowbcst
toprcparcthcsoup. I spcntalongdayshoppingto
hndall thc rcquircd ingrcdicntsandscttowork.
VariationinJhaichickcnsouprccipcstcndsto
ccntcrontwo basic componcnts. brothandgar
A Littl e Dab' l l Do Ya !
Why run al l over town l ooki ng for authenti c Thai i ngredi
ents l i ke gal angal , bi rd' s eye chi l es, and kaffi r l i me leaves
when a jar of supermarket Thai red curr paste del ivers al l
those favors i n super-concentrated form?
= B Y M A T T | | E W C A R D <
pcr|cct. Muchlongcrandtlcbrotltastcd
bittcr,vcgctal ,andovcrcxtractcd.
Whilcthcsimplcsimmcrccrtainlysu|
hccd,Ivondcrcdi|sautcingthc aromat
icsbc|orcaddingdcliquid,asiscommon
|or Wcstcrnstylc soups, might i mprovc
mattcrs. I cookcd thc shallots, galangal ,
l cmon grass, and ci l antro wi th a l i ttlc
vcgctablc oil until sohcncd, dcn addcd
thcchickcn brotl: andcoconut milk and
procccdcd with thc rccipc. Jastcd sidc
bysidc against tl:c original mcdod, tlc
broth prcparcd vith sautccd aromatics
tastcd much clcarcr and ml l cr. A littlc
cxtra c||ort, pcrhaps, but thc msion
mcthodpaido|l
Pl enty of chi cken , mushrooms, and garni shes make thi s qu i ck
soup a meal .
Acrprcparinga|cwmorcbatchcswith
varyingratioso|chickcn brod and coco
nutmilk, I scttlcdoncqualpartso|cach.
Rich tasting vidout bcing cloying, and
dchnitclychickcn avorcd,dc blcndwas
pcr|cctlybalanccd. Ialsotricdatcchniquc
I hadcomc across i na couplc o|rccipcs.
Jhccoconutmilkvasaddcdintoparts.
hal|at dc bcginning and tl:c rcmaindcr
j ust bc|orc scrvi ng. What sccmcd mssy
madcabigdi||crcncc,asdc coconuth a
vorcamctmoughmostclcarly.
nishcs. Jraditional rccipcs typically prcparc thc
broth i nonc o|two mcthods . Jhc h rst i nvolvcs
poachinga wholc chickcn i nwatcrwith aromat
i cs | ustlikc myown chickcnnoodlcsoup) , ahcr
vhich dc broth is blcndcd vid coconut milk
and mrthcr scasoncd, thc chickcn-now shrcd
dcd-is stirrcd in with dc mushrooms. In thc
sccond approach, chi ckcn broth and coconut
milkarcsimmcrcdviddcaromatics,ahcrvhich
di n sliccdravchickcnandthc rcmainingingrc
dicnts and scasonings arc addcd. Both mcthods
havc tl:cir mcrits, but I much prc|crrcd dc lat
tcr,which took hal|thc c||ortand timcvithout
anyapparcntin|urytoh avor. Jhcrichncsso|dc
coconut milk and asscrtivc scasonings cvidcntly
addcdbigtlavor|ast.
Howl ongdiddcbrothandaromaticsnccdto
simmcr|or thc bcst rcsults` I cobblcd togctlcr a
vorkingrccipclromtl:c bcst I hadtricd-ablcnd
o|chickcnbroth,coconutmilk,lcmongrass,shal
lots, galangal, and cilantro. A scant 1 0 minutcs
ahcr thc broth had comc to a simmcr provcd
CO O K
'
s IL LUSTRATED
1 4
No Substituti ons, Pl ease
ov camc dc hard part. making substitutions.
Mosto|dcsimplihcdrccipcsItricdorrcvicwcd
rcplaccd tlc lcmon grass vid lcmon zcst, but I
|ound dc svap ob| cctionablc. Icmon zcst-in
conj unctionvith thc svcctcoconutmilk-madc
|or a broth vid anodd, candylikc tlavor. Dricd
lcmongrass also |ailcdto imprcss, lackinganyo|
thc dcptho|thc |rcshstu|l Iuckily, I discovcrcd
lcmon grass to bc morc rcadily availablc than I
hadassumcd.
Galangal isak+otty,pcppcryh avorcdrhizomc
distantlyrclatcdtogingcr,vhichmost|oodwritcrs
suggcst is thc pcr|cct substitutc. Whilc it wasn`t
pcr|cct to mc-gingcr lackcd tl:c dcpd o|havor
andpincyh nisho|galangal-itvouldmakcdo.
Kamrlimclcavcs,thc|rcshordricdlcavcs|rom
apotcntvarictyo|tropicall i mc, lcndtlcbroda
particularlyoral ,dccptlavor and alluringaroma.
Ii mc zcst is thc usual substitutc, but onc I |clt
lackcdthcintcnsityo|tl:cl cavcs. nccagai n, thc
substitutc|cl tlikcadistantsccond.
.

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Jhis vas a bad trcnd. Rcplacingthc authcntic
ingrcdicntsvasnotvorkingas vcll as I hopcd,
andthc soupvasnottastingncarlyas good as I
cxpcctcd. Icrhaps authcntic tlavor rcally vasn` t
possiblcvithoutthcpropcringrcdicnts.
1hcnI toundmymagicbullct. At onc tasti ng
postmortcm, a collcaguc suggcstcd rcd curry
pastc, an ingrcdicnt I hadn` tconsidcrcdtothat
point. WhilcitisncvcraddcdtotraditionalJhai
chickcnsoup, thc currypastc didincludc all thc
cxoticingrcdicntstorvhichIvastryingsohard
tonndacccptablcsubstitutions. Ivhiskcdasmall
spoonmlotthcpastcintothcsoupi ntrontotmc
andvasstruck by thc surprising transtormation
tromboringto-darcI say`-authcntic.
Currypastcisusuallyaddcdcarlyon in cook
ing to mcl l ov its potcnt avor, but I tound
this tlattcncd t hc avors t oo much. Adding a
dollop at thc vcry cnd ot cooki ng-vhi skcd
togcthcr vith pungcntnshsaucc and tartl i mc
| uicc-allovcdthcsharpncssotthcgalangal ,thc
tragranccotthckamrl i mcl cavcs, andthcbright
hcat otthc chi l cs to comc through l oud and
clcar. ut vcnt thc mcdiocrc gingcr and l i mc
zcstandinvcnttvo tcaspoons otcasy tonnd
rcdcurrypastc .
Chi cken and Mushrooms
With thc broth undcr my bclt, I could nnally
tacklc thc chickcn and mushrooms. I initially
thought that richtasting thigh mcat vould bc
thc bcstchoicc to stand up to thc mll tlavorcd
broth, but it vas too tatty, bonclcss, skinlcss
brcastmcatvasbcttcr.
/ torthc mushrooms,oystcrmushroomsarc
traditionalbuthardtonnd. Supcrmarkctoptions
TE C H N I Q U E
S l l Cl NC C Hl C Kl N kl AS1S
Our Thai - Stl e Chi cken Soup cal l s for thi n sl i ces of
bonel ess. ski nl ess chi cken breast that wi l l cook i n
just a mi nute or two. To make sl i ci ng easi er. pl ace
the chi cken i n the freezer for 30 mi nutes, then cut
the breasts i n hal f l engthwi se. Fi rmer, narrower
pi eces of chi cken wi l l be easi er to sl i ce on the bi as
i nto 1/a - i nch-thi ck sl i ces.
likccrcmini, shiitakc,andvhitcmushroomscach
hadthcirmcrits, butthclattcrprovcdto bc thc
closcstmatchtothcmildtlavorandchcvytcxturc
otoystcrmushrooms. Sliccdthinandsubmcrgcd
i nthcbroth,thcyguicklysoncncdandabsorbcd
thc soup`stlavorslikcaspongc.
Asprinklcotcilantrousuallysumccsasannish
i ng touch, but tastcrs vantcd morc . Jhc clcan,
bri ghthcatotthin sliccdscrranochil csandsharp
bitc otscallionsdidthctrick.
With tvcntyodd minutcs otcooking and a
minimumo|handsonct|ort,I had 1haichickcn
soupthattastcdcvcrybitas good asthatscrvcd
atmylocalJhaircstaurant. WillIcvcrmakcplain
oldchickcnnoodlcsoupagai n`
THAI - STYL E C H I C K E N S O U P
SERVES 6 TO 8 AS AN AP P ETIZER OR + AS A MAIN COURSE
I|you vant a soup with lcss tat, it is possiblc to
substitutclightcoconutmilk|oroncorbothcans
otrcgularcoconut milk. Frcshlcmongrasscanbc
omittcd, butthc soupvill lacksomc complcxity.
Don` t bc tcmptcd to usc | arrcd or dricd lcmon
grass-thcir tlavor is charactcrlcss. Ityou vant a
spicicr soup, add morc rcd curry pastc to tastc.
For a morc substantial mcal, scrvc thc soupovcr
Z to 3 cups otcookcd| asmincricc. Jhcsoupcan
bc prcparcd through stcp upto onc dayahcad
ottimc and rctrigcratcd, but it should bc com
pl ctcdimmcdiatclybctorcscrving,asthcchickcn
andmushroomscancasilyovcrcook.
I teaspoon vegetabl e oi l
J l emon grass stal ks, tough outer l eaves removed,
bottom 5 i nches halved l engthwi se and sl i ced
thi n crosswi se
J l arge shal l ots, chopped
8 sprigs fresh ci l antro, chopped coarse
J tabl espoons fish sauce
4 cups l ow-sodi um chi cken broth
2 ( 1 4- ounce) cans coconut mi l k, wel l shaken
tabl espoon sugar
11 pound white mushrooms, cl eaned, stems
tri mmed, cut i nto 'I- i nch sl i ces
pound bonel ess, ski nl ess chi cken breasts, halved
l engthwi se and sl i ced on bias i nto 1/a - i nch- thi ck
pi eces (see i l l ustrati on at left)
J tabl espoons j ui ce from 2 to J l i mes
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
0rnb
1 1 cup fresh ci l antro l eaves
2 serrano chi l es, sl i ced thi n
2 scal l i ons, sl i ced thi n on bi as
l i me, cut i nto wedges
I . Hcat oil in largc sauccpan ovcr mcdi um
hcat until | ust shi mmcri ng. Add l cmon grass,
shallots, cilantro, and tablcspoon nsh saucc,
cook, stirri ng trcqucntly, unti l | ust soncncd, Z
to5 minutcs vcgctablcsshouldnot brovn) . Stir
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 211

T A s T ' N G : Coconut Mi l k
Coconut mi l k i s not the thi n l i qui d found i nsi de
the coconut i tsel f; that i s cal l ed coconut water.
Coconut mi l k i s a product made by steepi ng equal
parts shredded coconut meat and ei ther warm
mi l k or water. The meat is pressed or mashed to
rel ease as much l i qui d as possi bl e, the mixture is
strai ned , and the resul t is coconut mi l k.
We tasted seven nati onal ly avai l abl e brands
(five regul ar and two l i ght) i n coconut puddi ng,
coconut ri ce, Thai - Stl e Chi cken Soup, and green
chi cken curry. Among the five regul ar brands, tast
ers gravitated to those with more sol i d cream at
the top of the can (most cans recommend shaki ng
before openi ng to redi stri bute the sol i ds) . These
brands al so had a much stronger coconut flavor.
In the soup and curry, tasters preferred Chaokoh
because of i ts excepti onal ly l ow sugar content (l ess
than I gram per 1/, cup) . By compari son, brands
wi th more than twi ce as much sugar ( Ka- Me,
Goya, Thai Ki tchen) tasted "sacchari ne. " I n the
sweet reci pes, tasters gave vel vet Ka- Me top
votes for i ts " frui t" and "compl ex" flavor. In these
reci pes, the extra sugar was an advantage.
The l ight coconut mi l ks we tasted were not
nearly as creamy-a seri ous flaw i n desserts but
l ess so i n soup. Of the two l i ght brands tasted, we
preferred the ri cher flavor of A Taste of Thai .
-Garth Cl i ngi ngsmi th and El izabeth Bomze
SWE ET AS
S UGAR
CREAM OF TH E LEAN
TH E CROP CHOI CE
Among the ful l -fat coconut mi l ks, Ka-Me (l eft)
i s best sui ted for sweet reci pes, whi l e Chaokoh
(center) i s our favorite for soup. A Taste of Thai
l ight coconut mi l k (right) was surprisi ngly good.
in chickcn brotl and I can coconut milk, bring
to simmcrovcr high hcat. Covcr, rcducc hcatto
lov, and simmcr until tlavors havc blcndcd, 1 0
minutcs . Iour broth through hnc mcsh straincr
anddiscardsolidsin straincr. Rinsc sauccpan and
rcturn broth mixturctopan.
Z . Rcturn pan to mcdi um hi gh hcat. Stir
rcmainingcancoconutmilkandsugarintobroth
mixturc and bri ng to si mmcr. Rcducc hcat to
mcdi um, add mushrooms, and cook until |ust
tcndcr, Z to 3 minutcs. Add chickcn and cook,
stirring constantly, until no longcr pink, to 3
minutcs. Rcmovcsouptromhcat.
3. Combinclimc| uicc,currypastc,andrcmain
ing Z tablcspoons nsh saucc i n small bowl, stir
intosoup. Iadlcsoupintobowlsandgarnishwith
ci lantro, chilcs, and scallions. Scrvc immcdiatcly
vithlimcvcdgcs.
Potato Primer
Th i n k al l potatoes are th e same? Th i n k agai n . Here are
th e basi c i nformati on an d cooki ng tech n i q u es you n eed
to kn ow for perect mash ed , roasted , boi l ed , and baked
potatOeS ever ti me. O 1 'z ' . . ` ` z
Unti l recently. most markets sol d potatoes under generi c names, such as " baki ng potato" or " boi l i ng potato, " whi ch
hel ped shoppers choose the ri ght potato for each reci pe. But now many markets sel l potatoes by varietal name, such
as Yukon Gol d and Red Creamer. So how do you use these potatoes/ We fi nd that potato vari eti es can be divi ded i nto
three major categori es based on texture. What causes di fferent potatoes to have di ferent textures? In a word. starch.
DRY, FLOURY POTATOES
What You Need to Know: Also known as " baki ng"
potatoes. thi s group contai ns more total starch (20
percent to 22 percent) and amyl ose than other catego
ri es, givi ng these vari eti es a dr, mealy texture.
How to Use Tem: The best choi ce when baki ng and
fryi ng. I n our opi ni on, they are al so the best potatoes
for mashi ng. because they can dri nk up butter and
cream. Good when you want to thi cken a stew or soup
but not if you want di sti nct chunks of potatoes.
Common Vari eties: RUSSET, RUSSET BURBANK,
I DAHO
" I N- BETEEN" POTATOES
What You Need to Know: These potatoes contai n J ess
total starch ( 1 8 percent to 20 percent) and amyl ose
than dry, fl our potatoes but more total starch and
amyl ose than fi rm. waxy potatoes. Al though they are
" i n- between" potatoes. thei r texture is more meal y
than fi rm, putti ng them cl oser to dry, fl oury potatoes.
How to Use Tem: They can be mashed or baked but
won ' t be as fl uff as dr, fl our potatoes; they can be
used i n sal ads and soups but won' t be qui te as fi rm as
waxy potatoes.
Common Varieti es: YUKON GOLD, YELLOW
FI NN, PURPLE PERUVIAN, KENNEBEC,
KATAHDI N
BUYI NG AND STORIN
NEW VERSUS OLD POTATOES
Potatoes can be categori zed as " new" or "early"
potatoes and "ol d " or "mai n crop" potatoes. Both
new and old potatoes can come from any vari et
of potato. New potatoes are thi n- ski n ned, l ess
mature potatoes harvested i n the l ate spri ng and
summer. They are l ess starchy than "ol d" potatoes.
because they haven ' t had ti me to convert thei r
sugar i nto starch. These potatoes shoul d be used
as fi rm. waxy potatoes. regardl ess of vari et. Ol d
potatoes are ful ly mature and are harested i n the
fal l . They are usual ly starchi er and have thi ck ski ns.
These potatoes are often hel d i n col d storage. or
cured, i n order for thei r ski ns to toughen, whi ch
hel ps protect thei r fl esh for better storage. Most
potatoes sold in supermarkets have been cured
and can be consi dered "ol d" potatoes.
Fl RM, WAXY POTATOES
What You Need to Know: Al so known as " boi l i ng"
potatoes, these contai n a rel ati vel y l ow amount of
total starch ( 1 6 percent to 1 8 percent) and ver l i ttl e
amyl ose, whi ch means they have a fi rm, smooth, waxy
texture. Freshl y dug potatoes, whi ch are often cal l ed
"new" potatoes, fal l i nto thi s group.
How to Use Tem: Perfect when you want the pota
toes to hol d thei r shape, as wi th potato sal ad; al so a
good choi ce when roasti ng or boi l i ng.
Common Vari eties: RED BLI SS, FRENCH
FI NGERLI NG, RED CREAMER, WHITE ROSE
WHY ARE MY
POTATOES GREEN?
The green patches found
on some potatoes are
caused by prol onged
exposure to l i ght or
i mproper storage. Thi s
di scol orati on i s produced
by chl orophyl l and i s
usual ly an i ndi cati on
of i ncreased l evel s of a
natural ly occurri ng toxi c
al kal oi d cal l ed :c'onne.
I ngesti ng sol ani ne can
l ead to i l l ness, so if you
di scover green patches
when peel i ng your pota
toes, si mply cut of the
afected areas.
BUYI NG
Look for fi rm speci mens that are free of green spots, sprouts,
crcks, and other bl emi shes. We general ly prefer to buy l oose
potatoes. so we can see what we are getti ng. Stay away from
potatoes in pl asti c bags, whi ch can act l i ke greenhouses and
cause potatoes to sprout, soften , and rot.
SORI NG
I f stored under unsui tabl e heat and l i ght ci rcumstances. potatoes
wi l l germi nate and grow. To avoi d thi s. keep potatoes i n a cool ,
dark, dry pl ace. Although s ome experts warn that refri gerati ng
potatoes can dramati cal ly i ncrease the sugar l evel , we've never
encountered this probl em in the test ki tchen . Store potatoes i n
a paper ( not pl asti c) bag and away from oni ons, whi ch give off
gases that wi l l hasten sprouti ng. Most vari eti es shoul d keep for
several months. The excepti on i s new potatoes-because of thei r
thi n ner ski ns. they wi l l keep no more than one month.
Total starch content in potatoes can range
from 1 6 percent to 22 percent. But j ust as
i mportant as the total amount of starch i s the
type of starch. There are to ki nds of starch
mol ecul es-amyl ose and amyl opecti n -and
they behave qui te di fferently. Amyl ose
mol ecul es, whi ch are shaped l i ke long chai ns,
easi l y separate when cooked i n the presence
of water. Thi s expl ai ns why russet potatoes.
whi ch have a h i gh amount of amyl ose. are the
best choi ce for mashi ng. I n contrast, amyl o
pecti n mol ecul es have a compact, branched
shape that hol ds together when cooked and
hel ps the potato remai n i ntact. Vari eti es wi th
more amyl opecti n , such as Red Bl i ss. are the
best choi ce for boi l i ng.
RE D B LI S S POTATO
Remai ns Fi rm When Cooked
RUS S ET POTATO
Tums Crumbly When Cooked
C | l K 5 | l L L 5 1 K ^ | L |
1 6
MASHED
Start with dr, fl oury potatoes and si mmer
them with thei r peel s on. Yes, thi s i s more
work than the usual peel - and- di ce method,
but keepi ng water out ensures fl uff
mashed potatoes wi th an earthy flavor. It is
also i mportant when mixi ng the potatoes
to add the mel ted butter before the half
and- hal f. When butter i s added before
the hal f- and- half, the fat coats the starch
mol ecul es. i nhi bi ti ng thei r i nteracti on with
the water in the hal f- and- hal f. The resul t is
a si l ki er, creami er mashed potato.
BAKED
Start wi th a dry, fl our potato and bake
it at a rel ati vel y low temperature, whi ch
al l ows some of the starch i n the fl esh
j ust i nsi de the ski n to break down i nto
sugar and gives the potato a ri ch flavor. To
ensure that the fl esh does not steam and
become dense, open a baked potato as
soon as i t comes out of the oven.
ROASED
Start with wax potatoes (they have more
moi sture than other vari eti es) and cover
the pan with foi l for the first hal f of the
roasting ti me so the potatoes steam i n thei r
own moi sture and become creamy. Remove
the foi l and conti nue roasti ng unti l the
exterior are cri sp.
BOI LED
Start with fi rm, wax potatoes and boi l
them with thei r ski n i ntact. Toss wi th
butter and serve, or. for sal ad . cut and toss
potatoes wi th vi negar. sal t, and pepper.
Thi s techni que al l ows the potatoes to
easi l y absorb the vi negar. creati ng a ful l er
flavored sal ad .
HAND MASHER: For chunk, home- stl e
mashed potatoes. the tool of choi ce i s a
hand masher. These mashers come in al l
shapes and stl es, but our choi ce i s the Profi
Plus Masher ( $ 1 5 . 99) . With i ts perforated
disk and comfortabl e gri p, the Profi mashes
potatoes wi th mi ni mum effort.
Peel i ng Hot Potatoes
I F YOU MUST PEEL
Over the years, we' ve tri ed
many d i fferent peel ers , and we
recommend the OXO 1 - Seri es
Swivel Peel er ( $ I 0) . Thi s sturdy,
maneuverabl e, and i ncredi bly
sharp peel er si mply outdoes
the competi ti on .
The most efi ci ent way to peel a j ust-boi l ed
potato i s to spear i t wi th a fork and then
use a pari ng kni fe to remove the peel .
Openi 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 fl esh up and out. Besi des
rel easi ng the steam qui ckly, thi s
method hel ps trap and hol d on to
bi ts of butter.
Fl i ppi ng Roast Potatoes
Press a metal spatul a agai nst the pan
as you sl i de i t under the potatoes
to protect the cri sp crust. Fl i p the
potatoes so that the other cut si des
come i n contact wi th the hot pan .
Is It Done Yet?
Poke the potato wi th a sharp pari ng
knife and then try to l i ft i t out of the
water. I f the potato cl i ngs to the kni fe
even for a second, back i nto the pot
i t goes.
FOOD MI LL: Part food processor
and part si eve, a food mi l l qui ckl y
produces s i l k mashed potatoes
whi l e separati ng out any stray peel s.
Of the food mi l l s tested i n the
ki tchen , our favori te i s the R. S.V. P.
Rotary Food Mi l l ( $ 1 9. 95 ) .
RI CER: Li ke a food mi l l , the ri cer purees the
potato whi l e removi ng any unwanted ski ns.
The drawback to a ri cer i s that i ts hopper i s
qui te smal l and i t requi res a fai r amount of
el bow grease. whi ch makes processi ng a l arge
batch of potatoes l abori ous. Our favori te is
the Cui si pro Potato Ri cer ( $ 29 . 9 5 ) .
) A O A s + | | ! s O A s + 2 11
1 7
BASI C POTATO RECI PES
MAS H E D POTATO E S 5 L KVL5 +
Pl ace 2 pounds scrubbed (and
unpeel ed) d r, four potatoes i n l arge
saucepan with col d water to cover by
about I i nch. Bri ng to boi l , then si mmer
over medi um- l ow heat unti l tender and
ful ly cooked (see i l l ustrati on bel ow) ,
20 to 30 mi nutes. Drai n and peel
potatoes. Mi l l , ri ce, or mash potatoes
(see "Three Tool s for Mashi ng" ) . Stir in
8 tabl espoons mel ted unsal ted butter.
fol l owed by I cup warm hal f- and- half.
Season with I 'z teaspoons tabl e salt
and ground bl ack pepper to taste.
BAK E D POTATO E S 5 L KVL5 +
Pl ace 4 medi um d r, fl our potatoes
di rectl y on mi ddl e rack in 3 50- degree
oven. Bake potatoes unti l skewer gl i des
easi ly through fl esh , about I hour and
I S mi nutes. Open i mmediatel y (see
i l l ustrti on at left) , and serve with butter
and sal t.
ROAST E D POTATO E S 5 L KVL5 +
Toss 2 pounds fi rm. wax potatoes. cut
i nto %- i nch wedges, wi th 3 tabl espoons
ol ive oi l , sal t, and pepper. Place pota
toes fl esh side down on ri mmed baking
sheet and cover ti ghtly wi th foi l . Cook
potatoes on mi ddl e rck i n 425- degree
oven for 20 mi nutes. Remove foi l and
conti nue to roast unti l si des of potatoes
touchi ng pan are gol den brown, about
I S mi nutes. Careful ly turn potatoes over
and conti nue to roast unti l gol den brown
on the second si de, 5 to I 0 mi nutes.
B O I L E D POTATO E S 5 L KVL5 +
Pl ace 2 pounds scrubbed fi rm, waxy
potatoes in l arge saucepan with col d
water to cover by about I i nch. Bri ng
to boi l , then si mmer over medi um- l ow
heat unti l tender. at l east I 0 mi nutes for
l - i nch potatoes and up to 1 8 mi nutes
for 2 112- i nch potatoes. Drai n and toss
wi th butter.
FOR SLD: Cool potatoes sl ightly, cut
wi th serrted knife i nto %- i nch chunks,
and pl ace on ri mmed baki ng sheet.
Dri zzl e wi th '+ cup red wi ne vi negar,
12 teaspoon sal t, and '+ teaspoon pep
per. Let stand for 20 mi nutes, then
transfer to bowl and dress as desi red.
Introducing French Onion Tart
French On i on Tart i s si mi l ar to q u i che bu t del i vers a more refi ned sl i ce of pi e , wi th more
on i on s than custard . Th e prob l em? Rol l i ng an d fi tti ng th e dough i n to a tart pan .
T
he French have a knack for maki ng
incredibly delicious di shes out of very
simple i ngredients . Case in point: onion
tart. French cooks el evate a common
vegetable to the status of foi e gras by gently sim
mering i t i n butter, enri chi ng i t with custard
( eggs and heavy cream) , and baking i t in a buttery
crust. As the more refned, 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- creati ng this memory at
home was a different story. My crust came out
impossibly tough and crackery-a disappointing
end to the l engthy chi l l i ng, rol l i ng, and rest
ing process of making pastry dough. And afer
delicately cooking the onions for over an hour,
like most French recipes specif, and then fi nally
making tl1e custard and baking the whole thing
together, I was more frustrated with this tart than
enchanted by i t.
But my tantal i zi ng recollections steered me
back i nto the kitchen to fi nd a way to simplif the
crust and truncate the overall preparation time.
Aer all , if l could make a successful quiche, with
all its varied fil lings, then I could certainly tackle
this basic onion tart.
Keepi ng 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 fnishing them on low ( tl1e test kitchen's
standard method for caramelizing onions) pro
duced more tender onions, but these were far
too sweet and one- dimensional for this applica
tion. It became apparent that the right cooking
technique-one that tenderized the onions with
out maki ng 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 sklet,
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.
Itried fi nishing the onions in tl1e heavy cream, but
this made tl1e onions slimy and over-reduced the
cream, resulting in a gluey fil ling.
Next, I put a lid on the skillet for the fi rst I O
= B Y E R I K A B R U C E <
I had more work to do. Many versions
of this recipe add bacon, and I could see
why: Both salty and smoky, i t added a
welcome savory edge to the flling. If I
rendered the bacon before sprinkling it
on top, it acted as a nice crisp foi l to tl1e
creamy fi ng. And cooking the onions
i n the rendered bacon fat instead of but
ter tempered tl1eir sweetness even more.
I also replaced the usual perfmey nut
meg with woodsy fresh thyme.
Taking a bite of ii s tart was now a
pleasant experi ence-sweet, sof onions
and creamy custard offset by salty bacon
and a buttery crust-but I had a hard
time getti ng through an enti re pi ece .
It was si mpl y too rich. I wasn' t using
al l that much bacon (j ust four sl i ces ) ,
so I looked to the custard ( a mixture of
eggs and heavy cream) . Reduci ng the
eggs from 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 servi ng.
Crust Evoluti on
Thi nk qu i che wi th more oni ons and bacon and l ess eg custard . I now was ready to tackle tle other big
challenge i n iis recipe: the crust. Getting
mi nutes to j ump- start the onions over moderate
heat without browning them, and then I fi nished
tl1em over low heat with the lid off This most
closely approximated the original low and slow
method, but it only shaved about I O minutes off
the cookng ti me. Becoming exasperated, I j ust
l eft the lid on the whol e ti me, sti l l turni ng down
the heat after I O minutes once the onions threat
ened to brown. Voila-onions that cooked i n half
the time! Leavi ng tl1e lid on allowed tl1em to cook
entirely i n their own j uices, so they became tender
more quickly and retained their pure onion flavor.
And they cooked more evenly, requiring mi ni mal
supervision-j ust 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 flling an odd, brownish-purple color.
Both white and yellow onions were solid choices.
Sweet Tar
The proper onion and the right cooki ng method
toned down the overall sweetness of my tart, but
C | | | 5 I | . l |' : I K ^ | | l
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an all - butter dough into a tart shell in
one piece is time-consuming and stressfl-and
ofen requires patching torn dough back togetl1er
and moving i t in and out of the refigerator to
keep i t from getting too sof. 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 every
thing from shortening to eggs and even cream
cheese. But they produced crusts that were all too
cooki e- 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, ei tl1er: The little pieces
of butter, which are normally smeared into the
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
To make a complete meal . cl ick on the
Cook ' s Extra button for our recipe
for Spi nach Sal ad with Mushrooms,
Croutons. and Warm Lmon Dressi ng.
Reci pe available until june I, 2007 .

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STE P- BY- STE P I NO kOl l l NC kl Q|l kl D
Whi l e there are many methods of coerci ng dough i nto a tart pan , we found thi s was the si mpl est and qui ckest method to ensure an even crust-and no rol l i ng pi n i s requi red.
I . Spri nkl e wal nut-si zed cl umps
of dough evenly i nto tart pan .
2. Worki ng outward from the
center, press dough i nto even
layer, seal i ng any crcks.
J . Worki ng around edge, press
dough fi nml y i nto corners of pan
wi th i ndex fi nger.
4. Go around edge once more,
pressi ng dough u p si des and i nto
futed ri dges.
J. Use your thumb to l evel of
top edge. Use thi s dough to
patch any hol es.
dough during rolling, mel ted i n the oven, l eaving
unsightly holes and cracks i n their place.
Si nce cutti ng 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, Ibeat room
temperature butter unti l soft and then added
flour, salt, sugar ( an i ngredient that boosted both
flavor and browni ng) , and i ce water. But this
dough was too sof to press into the shell, even
though i t baked i nto a promisingly uniform crust.
Switching back to cold butter, Icut it completely
into the flour mixture using a food processor.
Because me butter was fly mixed into the flour,
I could now add less ice water man traditional
recipes i n which the butter is still i n small chunks
and doesn' t hold the dough together as wel l .
Finally, my dough was frm enough t o press into
the pan, and once baked, i t was sturdy enough to
hold up to a heavy flling like my onion custard.
With j ust a few mi nor changes to a cl assi c
recipe, I bad produced a crust that was the i deal
enclosure for my oni on flling. Wi th none of the
usual fss, I coul d now bri ng a perfect slice of
France to my table at home.
F R E NC H O N I O N AN D BAC ON TART
SERVES 6 TO 8
Eitl1er yellow or white onions work well in this
recipe, but stay away fom 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 witl a green salad as
a main course. Lefovers should be wrapped in
plastic wrap and refigerated. Reheat on a baking
sheet in a 325-degree oven for 10 to 1 5 minutes.
Lrul
1 1/ cups ( 6 '1 ounces) unbl eached al l - purpose fl our
tabl espoon sugar
' teaspoon tabl e sal t
8 tabl espoons ( I stick) unsal ted butter, cut i nto
11- i nch cubes and wel l chi l l ed
2-3 tabl espoons i ce water
1n_
4 ounces bacon (about 4 sl i ces) , halved l engthwi se,
then cut crosswi se i nto '! i nch pi eces
Vegetabl e oi l , i f needed
1 11 pounds (about J medi um) yel l ow or whi te
oni ons, hal ved through root end, peel ed, and
cut crosswise i nto 1/ i nch sl i ces (about 6 cups)
(see photo bel ow)
V teaspoon tabl e sal t
spri g fresh thyme
2 l arge eggs
11 cup hal f-and- hal f
'I teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
1 . CRTMLCR\STSpray 9- inch tart pan wi th
nonstick cooki ng spray. Combi ne flour, sugar, and
salt i n food processor with four 1 - second pul ses.
Scatter butter pi eces over four mi xture; pul se
to cut butter into four until mixture resembl es
coarse sand, about ffeen 1 - second pul ses. Add
2 tabl espoons ice water and process until l arge
clumps form and no powdery bits remain, about
5 seconds, adding up to 1 tabl espoon more water
if dough wi l l not form clumps . Transfer dough to
greased tart pan. Fol l owing i l l ustrations above,
pat dough into prepared pan. Lay plastic wrap
over dough and smooth out any bumps or shal
low areas . Place tart shell on pl ate and transfer to
freezer for 30 mi nutes.
2. Adj ust oven rack to mi ddl e position and
heat oven to 375 degrees. Pl ace frozen tart shel l
on baking sheet; l i ghtly spray one side of l 8- i nch
square extra-wide heavy-duty al umi num foi l with
nonstick cooki ng spray. Press foi l greased side
down inside tart shel l , folding excess foi l over
edge of pan. Fill with pie weights and bake unti l
top edge j ust starts to col or and surface of dough
under foi l no l onger l ooks wet, about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and carefu l ly remove foi l and
weights by gatheri ng edges of foi l and pul l i ng
up and out. Return baking sheet wi th tart shel l
to oven and bake until gol den brown, 5 to 1 0
mi nutes . Set baking sheet with tart shel l on wire
rack. Do not tur off oven.
3 . CRTML ILLI^G Whi l e crust is baking,
cook bacon i n 1 2- i nch nonsti ck ski l l et over
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 2 11
'
medium heat until browned and crisp, 8 to 1 0 min
utes. Drain bacon through mesh strainer set over
small bowl ; transfer bacon to paper towel-lined
pl ate . Return 2 tablespoons bacon fat to ski l
l et, adding vegetable oi l to make up difference
if necessary.
4.Add onions, salt, and tl1yme to ski l l et. Cover
and cook until onions release liquid and start to
wilt, about 1 0 minutes. Reduce heat to low and
continue to cook, covered, until onions are very
sof, about 20 mi nutes, stirring once or twice ( if
afer 1 5 minutes onions look wet, remove lid and
continue to cook another 5 mi nutes) . Remove
pan from heat and l et onions cool 5 mi nutes.
5 . Whi sk eggs, hal f- and- hal f, and pepper
together i n l arge bowl . Remove thyme sprig from
onions; discard. Stir onions into egg mixture until
j ust i ncorporated. Spread oni on mixture over
baked crust ( still on baking sheet) and sprinkle
bacon evenly on top.
o. Return baking sheet with tart to oven and
bake until center oftart feels frm to touch, 20 to
25 mi nutes . Cool on wire rack at least 1 0 min
utes. When ready to serve, remove tart pan ring;
gently slide thi n- 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 U1 A OVl 1H l kl S1
Sl i ci ng the oni ons crosswise al l ows them t o soften
and break down more readi ly than sl i ci ng them
pol e to pol e.
MCv LC KCoL 'ouhlCvcr
Hi gh - h eat roasti ng i n tensi fi es th e fi avor of th i s u n derstated vegeta bl e. We wa n ted to
maxi mi ze th e gol den exteri or wh i l e ens u ri ng a creamy i n teri or.
I
don' t understand why most cooks boi l
caul i fower. When thi ngs go wrong ( and
they often do) , the caul i fower i s smel l y
( from overcooki ng) and mushy. Even when
you avoid overcooki ng, boi l ed caul i fower i s
bland. No wonder delicately flavored caulifower
ofen gets drowned under a heavy bl anket of
cheese sauce.
When I want to add favor to vegetabl es, I
ofen turn to my oven. Roasting is a great tech
nique for coaxing big favor from vegetabl es;
the dry heat caramel i zes the natural sugars i n
everything from potatoes t o onions. I had never
roasted caulifower, but it seemed worth a try.
I found three basic techniques i n my research:
roasting the caulifower suaight up, blanching i t
in water then roasting it, and steaming then roast
ing it. Each method separated a caulifower head
into forets before roasti ng on a baking sheet i n a
very hot oven ( around 475 degrees ) . Each simple
preparation coated the caulifower forets with oil,
salt, and pepper at some point i n the procedure.
When all three versions were sampled side by
side, the blanch- roasting technique was the loser
of the bunch. The fl orets were soggy and had
little color ( read: favor) . The straight-up roasted
caulifower was wel l liked for its caramelized exte
rior, however it cooked unevenly and had some
dried-out, gritty forets. Finally, the steam- roasted
caulifower emerged with creamy, evenly cooked
forets but so-so browning and favor.
My goal was to combine the last two methods
and produce nicely caramel ized caulifl ower with
Bi gger Than a Penci l
Cutting the caul ifower head from pol e to pol e i nto l are
wedges (about the l ength of a penci l ) exposes more surface
area to the hot sheet pan. And l eavi ng the core i ntact makes
it easy to fl i p the pi eces halfay through the caramel izati on
stage so that both si des gai n a gol den 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
roasti ng technique, I noticed that the cauliflower
was shedding its moisture in the frst mi nutes of
roasti ng. I was pretty sure that coveri ng the bak
ing sheet would trap this moisture and add just
enough steam to cook the caulifower properly.
After some ti nkeri ng, I di scovered that l 0
minutes was tl1e perfect amount of time to leave
the foi l on. The steam kept the forets moi st
enough to wi thstand the next 20 mi nutes of
roasti ng and prevented them from turi ng dry
and gritty.
Served wi th a dri zzl e of extra-vi rgi n ol i ve
oi l or a qui ckly prepared sauce, roasted caul i
fl ower i s a revelation-sweet, creamy, and packed
with flavor.
ROAST E D CAU LI F LOWE R
5 L KVL5 + C 6
This dish stands well on its own, drizzled with
exua-virgin ol ive oil, or witl1 any of the fol l owing
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 caulifower i n step l .
medi um head caul iflower (about 2 pounds)
114 cup extra-vi rgi n ol ive oi l , pl us extra for drizzl i ng
Kosher sal t and ground bl ack pepper
l . Adj ust oven rack to lowest posi ti on and
heat oven to 475 degrees. Tri m outer l eaves of
caulifl ower and cut stem fush witl1 bottom. Cut
head into 8 equal wedges so that core and forets
remain i ntact ( see photo) . Place wedges cut side
down on foi l - or parchment- lined ri mmed baki ng
sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oi l and sprinkle
with salt and pepper; gently rub to evenly dis
tri bute oil and seasonings. Gently fl ip caul ifl ower
and season other cut side with remaining Z table
spoons oil , sal t, and pepper.
Z . Cover baking sheet tightly with foi l and
cook for 1 0 minutes. Remove foil and continue
to roast until bottoms of caulifower pieces are
gol den, 8 to 12 mi nutes. Remove sheet from
oven, and, using spatula, carefully flip wedges .
Retur sheet t o oven and continue t o roast until
caul i fl ower is golden all over, 8 to 12 minutes
longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste, dri z
zle wi th oi l ( or sauce ) , and serve immediately.
C C C b : | L L L' : 1 H ^ | | |
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S OY- G I N G E R S AU C E WI T H S CAL L I O N
MAKL5 L NCUG H | CK I KL L| | L KCA51L O LAU L | | LCWLK
I f using this sauce, use vegetable oi l to roast the
cauliflower instead of olive oil .
2 teaspoons vegetabl e oi l
2 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about 2 teaspoons)
I tabl espoon mi nced fresh gi nger
2 tabl espoons soy sauce
2 tabl espoons mi ri n
I tabl espoon ri ce vi negar
114 cup water
teaspoon toasted sesame oi l
medi um scal l i on, white and l i ght green parts
sl i ced thi n
Heat vegetable oi l i n small skillet over medium
high heat until shimmeri ng. 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 o minutes. Drizzle sauce and sesame oil over
roasted caulifower and garnish with scallions.
C U RRY- YO G U RT S AU C E WI TH C I LANTRO
MAKL5 L NCUG H | CK | KL L| | L KCA5L O LAU L| | LCWLK
tabl espoon vegetabl e oi l
l arge shal l ot, mi nced ( about 4 tabl espoons)
2 teaspoons curry powder
114 teaspoon red pepper fl akes
'/ cup water
114 cup pl ai n yogurt
I teaspoon j ui ce from I l i me
2 tabl espoons mi nced fresh ci l antro l eaves
Tabl e salt and ground bl ack pepper
Heat oi l i n smal l ski l l et over medi um- high heat
until shimmeri ng. Add shallot and cook until
sofened, about 2 minutes. Stir i n 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.
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Click on the Cook's Extra button for our
reco pe for Shery VinegarHoney Sauce
wi th Al monds.
Recope avaolable unto l June I, 2007
.

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rlrlr iL\ar Green Beans Home
Th i s tang, spi cy d i s h offers an exoti c change of pace from everday green beans .
We set ou t to overhau l i ts forei gn i ngred i ent l i st and si mpl i fy a trou b l esome tech n i qu e.
W
henever I order Chi nese
food, the one dish I get
wi thout fai l i s Si chuan
green beans. The flavors of
this addictive concoction-wi th its wri n
kly, sweet beans, spri nkl ed with morsel s
of fl avorfl pork and coated i n a pungent
sauce-are hot, aromatic, and tangy all at
the same time.
Because this preparation l ends such fair to
the frequently bland green beans, I wanted
to create my own recipe. Traditionally, tl1e
beans are deep- fried i n a wok flled with
oil, yielding a wrinkled appearance, slightly
chewy texn1re, and more intense flavor. In
an effort to replicate tlese effects minus tl1e
grease and mess, I roasted tl1e beans i n a
small amount of oil in a 450- degree oven
until tl1eir skins shriveled and tured golden
brown. But instead of me quick fve-mi nute
fy, mese beans took more tl1an 20 minutes;
plus, I had to dirty an additional pan to cook
tl1e pork and make tl1e sauce.
H Y ' M ' ' l M ' | | 5
Seeking something more streamlined, I
tried our traditional stir- frying method, i n
a large skillet over hi gh heat. Thi s method
was indeed quicker and more efcient, but
Li ghtl y charred i n spots and coated wi th a pungent sauce and
sti r-fri ed pork. these green beans are somethi ng special .
the beans were more crisp than chewy and they
weren' t flavorful enough. For my next test, I
cooked the beans a few mi nutes l onger, until
the skins began to shrivel . The beans were now
slightly chewy ( j ust like I wanted) and i ntensely
flavorfl . By letting the beans stir-fy longer than
usual, they had become charred i n places, givi ng
them a deeper, caramelized flavor that more tl1an
compensated for the fact that they were not being
deep-fri ed.
Once tl1e beans were perfectly cooked, I trans
ferred 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 bsti
tuting pickled ginger, pickled j alapenos, and even
dill pickle in my stir-fied beans, but tl1eir individual
assertive favors showed tl1rough. Fresh mustard
was also too strong, but dry mustard added a nice,
subtle tang. I tried diferent vinegars-botl1 rice and
white wine vinegar were too sharp, overpoweting
the other sauce flavors of soy, fesh ginger, and gar
lic. 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 di dn' t
work, so I tried fresh chi l es and red pepper fl akes.
The pepper fl akes had 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 corstarch made the sauce cl i ng to each bean,
deliveri ng more punge1;t flavor wi th each bite.
Some chopped scallions and a dri zzl e o( sesame
oil were the perfect fnishing touches.
I n restaurants, it i s common to fnd chopped
or shredded bi ts of Chi nese barbecued pork
mi ngl i ng with the beans, but I found that si m
ple ground pork worked fne at home . And no
advance preparation ( such as minci ng or mari
nating i n soy sauce ) was necessary, as the pork
absorbed the strong flavors of the sauce while
addi ng a meaty ri chness to the dish.
With their crinkled, chewy texture and i ntri gu
i ng spicy tang, Si chuan green beans were no l on
ger lost i n translation. They were easi l y made at
home-and without the mess of deep- fyi ng.
) A | ' ^ H ` c 7 ' l I! H | ^ H ` 2
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STI R - F R I E D S I C H UAN G R E E N B EANS
5 L KVL 5 + A 5 A 5 | O L O | 5 H CK 2 A 5 A MA| N LCUK5 L
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
i ngredients prepped before you start. For infor
mation on Chinese long beans ( the uaditional
choice in this recipe ) , see page 30. Serve this dish
with steamed white rice.
2 tabl espoons soy sauce
tabl espoon dry sherry
teaspoon sugar
11 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper fl akes
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tabl espoons water
2 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
I pound green beans, ends tri mmed, cut i nto
2- i nch pi eces
1/4 pound ground pork
3 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed through
garl i c press (about I tabl espoon)
I tabl espoon mi nced fresh gi nger
3 scal l i ons, white and l i ght green parts sl i ced thi n
teaspoon toasted sesame oi l
. In small bowl , sti r together soy sauce ,
sherry, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, pepper
flakes, mustard, and water until sugar dissolves;
set asi de.
2. Heat oil i n 1 2-i nch nonstick skillet over high
heat until j ust smoki ng. Add beans and cook, stir
ri ng fequently, unti l crisp-tender and skins are
shriveled and blackened in spots, 5 to 8 minutes
( reduce heat to medi um- high if beans darken too
quickly) . Transfer beans to large plate .
3 . Reduce heat to medi um- high and add pork
to now-empty skil l et. Cook, breaki ng pork into
small pieces, until no pink remai ns, about 2 min
utes. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring con
stantly, until fragrant, 1 5 to 20 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 i mmedi ately.
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Cl assi c fudge i s frustrati ng an d comp l etel y u n pred i cta bl e. After mon th s of tests , we ' ve
rei magi n ed th i s reci pe to make i t u tterl y rel i a bl e-a n d su rpri si ngl y si mp l e .
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a s|ab otmarb|c to coo| thc mdgc, I cvcntua||y
ngurcdout ancr morc dan I 5 O batchcs ) hov
to makc rca||y good o| d tashi oncd tudgc scc
DiaryotaFrustratcdJcstCook, pagc23) , but
was i ttoo|proot Crossi ngmynngcrs, I scntmy
rccipcto ourprotcssiona| rccipctcstcr,a tormcr
pastrychctwho|ivcsi n1cxas . Shchadprob|cms
makingthchidgc i nhcrhotandhumi dkitchcn.
Anothcr co||caguc tricd thc rccipc at homc and
tai|cd bccausc hc rc|icd on a chcap candy thcr
momctcr. It turns out that a coo|, dry kitchcn
and prccisc di gi ta| thcrmomctcr arc must havcs
tormyo|d tashioncdrccipc.Ancrtourmonthsot
work, I conccdcdthati twas ti mctotryanothcr
path,oncthatwou|dn` tdcmandidca|condi ti ons
andwou|dyic|da morc torgivi ngrccipc.
Fol l owi ng the Easy Fudge Road
Cookbooks arc n||cd with casy hidgc rcci
pcs dat rcp|acc thc sugar syrup with convc
nicnccproducts-cidcrmarshma||ovcrcam aka
Marshma||ow F| ut[ or svcctcncd condcnscd
mi|k-thatcontai nsugarrcndcrcdmorcstab|cby
cooking. Ancrinitia|tcstiog, i tbccamcc|carthat
dcsc rcci pcs havc tcwcrpit|a||s than thcir tradi
tiona|brcthrcn, but thcyarcn` tvidoutt|avs.
Marshma||owF| utt, amixturcotcookcdsugar
andcggvhitcs,wasi ntroduccdi nthc I 2Os. By
thc I 5Os, ncvcrtai | and too| prool` htdgc
rccipcsvithF| uttwcrcwi dc|ypub|i shcdi ncook
books and womcn`s magazi ncs. But as I tcstcd
C | | | ' I L L U S T R A T E D
Z Z
various vcrsions o|thc basic rcci pc vhi ch ca||s
tor cooking F| uttwi th sugar, cvaporatcd mi | k,
and buttcr and u+cn pouri ng this mixturc ovcr
choppcd choco|atc) , I rca|izcd u+at prccisc tim
ingvasvita| toitssucccss. Somctimcsthisrccipc
wou| d yi c| d crcamy tudgc, but othcr timcs it
vasgrcasy. Evcnvhcnthisrccipcvorkcd,i t vas
morc | i kc achcvycandybarthanmdgc.
I had bcttcr| uckvithrccipcsbascdon swcct
cncd condcnscd mi| k-mi | k and sugar cookcJ
i n a vacuum unti| most o|thc vatcr in thc mi|k
cvaporatcs . orca|cookingi sncccssarytomakc
mdgcvithsvcctcncd condcnscdmi| k. |usthcat
thc svcctcncd condcnscd mi | k and choco| atc
untildcchoco|atc mclts, pourthcmixturci ntoa
pan, and chi | | unti | nrm. \ntortunatc|y, dc tcx
turcotthi shidgcvasmorc| i kc trosting,anddc
t|avorwasrcminisccntotatoosvcctmi|kchoco
|atc bar. But givcnthcsi mp| i cityo|thismcthod,
i tsccmcdwordtcstingmrthcr.
Mostmdgc rccipcsvid swcctcncdcondcnscd
mi|k ca|| tor scmiswcct choco|atc or a combina
tionotscmisvcctandmi|kchoco|atc. Bittcrsvcct
choco|atctookthc sugarycdgcottthcmdgc, but
mytastcrs dccmcd thcovcra||t|avortoosourand
adu|t . I had bcttcr |uck supp|cmcnting somc
otthc scmi svcct choco| atc vith unsvcctcncd
choco|atc. Jvoounccsotunsvcctcncdchoco|atc
| csscncd thc sugary i ntcnsi ty vhi | c | cavi ng thc
approachab|cavorotscmiswcctchoco|atcintact.
owthatdcchoco|atctlavorwasboostcdand
thc svcctncss vas tcmpcrcd, I nccdcd to md a
waytochangcdctcxturco|mymdgc, itvastoo
sonanddcnscandnccdcdtobchrmcrand|ightcr,
morc | i kc traditiona| mdgc. Jhc on|y moisturc
in thc rcci pc was in thc svcctcncd condcnscd
mi|k, and I hgurcd that cookingo||somc o|this
| i qui d vou|d makc dc hidgc dricr and hrmcr.
\n|ortunatc|y, simmcring svcctcncd condcnscd
mi|kprovcdhighly prob|cmati c, i tcasi|ysuckto
dc bottom otu+c pan and burncd-not cxacuy
whatIhadi nmindtora|oo|prootrccipc.Iwasata
|oss torhowtomakc mymdgc nrmcrand|ightcr.
1hat`s vhcn i nspi ration struck. ItI cou|dn`t
rcmovc moisturc, maybcI cou|dchangcthctcx
turc otmy mdgc by addi ng anothcri ngrcdicnt.
Go to w. cooksi l l ustrated. com
Click on the Cook's Etra button for our
recipe for Ol d- Fashi oned Chocolate
Fudge.
Recipe available until June I . 2007 .
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Three Key I ngredi ents to Qui ck, Rel i abl e Fudge
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Bakin S
m. w~
SWEETENE D CONDENSED MI LK
Takes the pl ace of traditional sugar
srup.
BAK I N G S ODA
I ncreases the pH of the fudge and
makes the texture firmer.
U N SWE ETE N E D CHOCOLATE
Adds i ntensi t and tames excessive
sweetness.
Chcmica||cavcncrs havc thc potcntia| tochangc
thctcxturc otcakcsand cooki cs, so maybc thcy
wou|dworkthcir magic on mdgc. I chosc bak
i ng soda, which rcacts with acidic i ngrcdi cnts
cvcrythi ngtrom buttcrmi |kand |cmon| ui cc
choco|atc) to producc carbon dioxidc and thus
|ightcnand| i nbakcdgoods.
Startingwith|+ tcaspoon,Imi xcdbaki ngsoda
with thc choco|atcs bctorc mc|ting this mixturc
withthc mi | k. Somcthingwasc|car|yhappcni ng.
Jhc tudgc was bccomi ng dri cr and | css waxy,
andit had amorc traditiona|tcxturc. Acr somc
rcscarch, I discovcrcd that thc baking soda was
not on|y rcacti ng with thc acids i n thc choco
|atc but a| so a|tcring thc pH otthc mdgc. Jhc
protcins i n thc mi | k and choco|atc arc scnsi tivc
to changcs i n pH, |osing thcir abi | i ty to rctain
moisturc asthcpHincrcascs . nc ha|ttcaspoon
otbaking soda madc myntdgc dricr and nrmcr
withouti mpartinganyottt|avors .
I had a| most hni shcd my marathon tudgc
odysscy. Jhc baki ngsodamadcmymdgcnrmcr,
butitwassti||toodcnsc. Lucki|y,I hadoncmorc
tricktotry-nuts. Surccnough,acupotchoppcd
wa|nutsmadcmymdgcsccm| i ghtcrandolfcrcd
a nicc countcrba|ancc to thc choco|atc. Mynna|
rccipcisuttcr|yrc|iab|candtakcs| ust I 5 mi nutcs
toprcparc. Itwas worth thc |ong, | ong wait in
thctcstkitchcn.
I S - M I N UTE C H OC OLATE WAL NUT F U D G E
MAKL5AbCU 2 1 /1 |CUNO5
Jhc qua|ity ot thc choco|atc uscd wi|| attcct
thc tlavor and tcxturc otthc mdgc. Wc prctcr
Chirardc| | i scmiswcct and unswcctcncd choco
|atci nthisrccipc. Don`tbctcmptcdtomakc this
mdgcwithoutthcwa|nuts,thcyarccrucia| tothc
tcxturc. Ilyouprclcr,youcanusctoastcdnutsi n
this rccipc. Makcsurctorcmovc thcnidgc lrom
thc doub|c boi|cr bctorc thc choco|atc i s hi ||y
mc|tcd. ltthcchoco|atcstaysinthcdoub|c boi|cr
too|ong,thcrci sthc possi bi | i ty otthc choco|atc
scparating and produci ng a grcasy ni dgc. Jhis
mdgc wi| | changc tcxturc and bccomc dricr
thc|ongcr i t is storcd. Storc thc nidgc, tight|y
wrappcd in p|astic, i n a coo| p|acc tor up to 2
wccks or in thc trcczcr tor 3 months. Iltrozcn,
a| | ow amp|c timc to |ct it rcach room tcmpcra
turc bclorc cutti ng.
1 6 ounces semi sweet chocol ate, chopped fi ne
2 ounces unsweetened c hocol ate, chopped fi n e
1 1 teaspoon baki ng soda
1/a teaspoon tabl e sal t
( 1 4- ounce) can sweetened condensed mi l k
tabl espoon vani l l a extract
cup coarsel y chopped wal nuts
. Cut I 2i nch | cngth cxtrawi dc hcavyduty
a|umi num loi | , to|d cdgcs backto torm 7!: i nch
wi dt h. Wi th to| dcd si dcs taci ng down, nt toi |
sccurc| y i nto bottom and up si dcs ot8 i nch
squarc baking pan, a||owing cxccss t oovcrhang
pansi dcs. Spraytoi | withnonstickcookingspray.
2 . Joss choco|atcs, baki ng soda, and sa| t i n
mcdi um hcatproot bow| unti | baki ng soda i s
cvcn|y distrihutcd. Sti ri n swcctcncd condcnscd
mi | kandvani | | a. Sctbow|ovcr4 quartsauccpan
contai ni ng2cupssi mmcringwatcr. Sti rwithrub
bcrspatu|aunti| choco|atc isa|most lu||ymc| tcd
andlcwsma| | pi cccsrcmai n, 2 4 mi nutcs.
3. Rcmovc bow| lomhcatandcontinucto stir
unti|choco| atcishi||ymc| tcdandmixtu|cissmooth,
about2 minutcs. Stirinwa|nuts. Jranslcr hidgcto
prcparcdpan andsprcadincvcn|aycr with spatu| a.
Rclii gcratcunti|sct,about2 hours. Rcmovctudgc
hompanusingtoi|andcutintosquarcs.
TCMDC\LLATCH Li ncI 3 by i nch
panwithtwoshcctsoltoi | p| accdpcrpcndi cu| ar
to cach othcr and doub|c amounts ol a|| i ngrc
dicnts. In stcp 2, usc |argc hcatprootbow| and
Dutchovcncontai ni ng4 cupssi mmcri ngwatcr.
I S - M I N UTE P E ANUT B UTT E R F U D G E
Fo||ow rccipc tor I 5Minutc Choco|atc Wa|nut
Fudgc,substituting I 8 ounccs pcanut buttcrchips
torchoco|atcsinstcp2 andomittingwa| nuts.
I S - M I N UTE ROCKY ROAD F U D G E
Fo||ow rccipc tor I 5Mi nutc Choco|atc Wa| nut
Fudgc, suhstituting I cup mi niaturc marshma|
| ows, I cupcoarsc|ychoppcdpcanuts, and ': cup
scmiswcctchoco|atcchipslorwa| nuts i nstcp3 .
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Di ar of a Frustrated Test Cook
The most basi c ol d-fashi oned fudge reci pe cooks
granul ated sugar, mi l k, chocol ate, com srup, but
ter, and sal t unti l the syrup reaches 234 to 242
degrees on a candy thermometer. The mixture is
cool ed, then sti rred. Sounds si mpl e but, as I found
out over many months, thi s process requi res ski l l
and pati ence. My Ol d- Fashi oned Chocolate Fudge
reci pe (see Cook' s Extr on page 22) i s more rel i
abl e than most, but i t has pl ent of qui rks. Here' s
what l l eamed al ong the way.
Add More Chocolate: Most ol der recipes don' t
have enough chocol ate flavor. Usi ng 2 ounces of
chocolate per cup of sugar (rather than the standard
I ounce) and repl aci ng the com srup with chocolate
srup (basical ly com srup with cocoa powder) fixed
the chocolate issue.
F UDG E ATH ON
David Pzmi no made 1 , 000 pounds of fudge
duri ng hi s four months of reci pe testing.
Precision Count: When I cooked the srup to
234 degrees, the fudge was soft and gooey; at 242
degrees, it was dr and crumbly. I di scovered that the
i deal temperature is 238 degrees, but even then the
texture varied dependi ng on the method I used to
cool and stir the mixture.
Te Quick Chi l l : Fudge shops pour the hot syrup
mixture onto cool marbl e tabl es. Without a marbl e
sl ab, I had to cool the syrup ri ght i n the pot, whi ch
took 90 mi nutes. Coul d I speed i t up? Di vi di ng the
chocolate, cooki ng half, and freezi ng the other half
to be added with frozen butter at the end of the
cooki ng process cut the cool i ng ti me by 45 mi nutes.
Shocki ng the hot pot in cool water shaved another
I 0 mi nutes from the cool i ng ti me.
Bi g Muscl es: Sti rri ng the fudge took more
strength than I i magi ned-and I ' m no 98- pound
weakl i ng. Eventual ly, I devel oped a l azy- man sti r:
a coupl e of passes around the peri meter of the pan,
l ifting the srup and l etti ng it fal l of the spoon so
that i t woul d cool more qui ckly, and then stoppi ng
for a mi nute so the sugar coul d form the smal l crs
tal s that make tradi ti onal fudge sl i ghtly grainy. After
about 8 mi nutes, the fudge began to lose its shi ne
and stiffen. Thi s was better than stirri ng constantly
for 20 mi nutes, but i t sti l l wasn' t easy. -D. P.
Seeking Pound Cake Perfection
Don ' t be fool ed by i ts sh ort i ngred i ent l i st-pou n d ca ke i s far from si mpl e .
More often than n ot, i t bakes u p h eavy, sq uat, a n d dense .
I
amabakcrbynauirc. I |ikctovcigh
i ogrcdicntsand mcasurc dimcnsioos
carctu| |y. l am comtortab|c vork
iog with mcringucs, sugar syrups,
anJ dc|icatc pasn:cs. Butasimp|cpound
cakc` vcrthcycars, l `vc bccnvcxcdand
humb| cJtryingtomakcagoodonc. I`vc
ocvcr tound a rccipc tor a pound cakc
thatboth |ookcd andtastcdgood. Jhosc
that|ookcdgood tcndcdtorcscmb|cyc|
|ow |aycrcakcs. Uut[, bouncy,andopcn
tc\turcd. JHosc that tastcd good vcrc
supcr|ativc|ybuttcryandnncporcd,vith
asucJc|ikctc\turc,butoncnbakcdupas
Natandnrmasbricks.
= B Y D A W N Y A N A C I I I A R A E
pcrtccttor thc cggs,too.
Most cakc rccipcs say to add thc cggs
Iound cakc rccipcs datc back to thc
ci ghtccnth ccnturyandorigina||yca||cd
lor apoundcach otUour,sugar, buttcr,
aod cggs . utthc historica| rccipcs I `vc
tricdwcrctoohcavyanddcn LL p|casc
modcn pa|atcs . At somc point during
pouod cakc` scvo|uti on, baking povdcr
bcgao to appcar in rccipcs, prcsumab|y
to guarantcc that thc cakc riscs in thc
ovco. 1hc dovnsidc to adding baki og
powdcr is that thc cakc | oscs i ts u|tra
p|ush charactcr and bcgi ns to takc on
Pound cake has a si mpl e i ngredi ent l i st, but the mi xi ng method requi res
preci se attenti on to detai l .
onc at a timc, mixing vc|| and scraping
thc bov| ancrcach addition. Frankly, thc
pound cakc ncvcrvorkcdvc|| using this
mcthod. Jhc dc|icatc battcrj ustcou|dn`t
absorba vho|c cgg at oncc yctrctainits
acration. Somcpoundcakcrccipcsrcquirc
a morc cxtrcmc mcthod-thc cggs arc
bcatcn togcthcr in a mcasuringcup thcn
s|ov|y dribb|cd into thc crcamcd buttcr
and sugar, a proccss that took up to 5
minutcsandtcstcdmypaticncc.Although
I vas skcptical about this mssy mcthod,
I vas surpriscd to nnd that thc rcsu|ting
battcr vas in tact morc stab|c and pro
duccdsubstantiahybcttcrpoundcakctl+at
rosc highcr and had a |ightcr tcxurc. I
rcpcatcd this cxpcrimcnt ovcr and ovcr
again and discovcrcd that a m|| 5 min
utcs was unncccssary. Jhc bcatcn cggs
cou|dbcaddcdvcrygradua||yinOtoO
scconds,as|ongasu+cmixtucvasbcatcn
a tcv additional minutcs oncc thc |astot
thc cggvasaddcd.
Aconsu| tationvi thour|oodscicntist
coarscryc||owcakcattributcs. I wasn` tintcrcstcd
iosuchapoundcakc .
Back io I 4, thc tcst kitchcn aJ| ustcd thc
proportioos in thc ori gina| pound otcach rcci c
tocrcatcadc|iciousvcrsionotc|assicno|cavcncr)
poundcakc.Butovcrthcycars,thisnvc ingrcdicot
rccipc has bccn my ncmcsis. Somctimcs thc cakc
riscs oi cc|y, but not a|vays. As onc otthc most
c\pcricnccd bakcrs in thc tcst kitchco, I`vc bccn
oonp|usscd by my unsucccssm| cncountcrs vith
thistcmpcramcota|rccipc. Idccidcdtoputancnd
a|| thc oooscosc aodrctoo| a c|assic rccipc to
makcitmorc rc|iab|c .
I t' s No Cakewal k
Most cakc rccipcs, inc|uding thosc tor pound
cakc, start by bcating buttcr and sugar togcthcr
io a proccss ca||cd crcaming. During crcaming,
thc sugar crysta|s arcpushcd through thc buttcr
aod causc thc tormation ottiny pockcts o|air.
Ahcr morc than a dozcn li|cd cakcs, I |carncd
that thc common|y ca||cdtor room tcmpcraturc
buttcr , i othc past, vc`vc tound that 7O dcgrccs
is thc iJca| buttcr tcmpcraturc tor most cakcs )
produccs tlat, dcnsc pound cakcs. Looking into
my mixing bov| , I cou|d scc that thc buttcrvas
gctting too varm its tcmpcraturc rosc to 75
dcgrccs by thc timc I vas hnishcd crcaming i t)
andtoos|acktoacratc.
rcvca|cdvhys|ov|yaddingthc cggspro
duccs a morcvo|uminous battcrand highcrrisc
i nthccakc.Whcn addcds| ov|y,t|+c cggprotcins
coatthc othcringrcdicntsvith a thin n|m, i tthc
cggs arc addcd rapid|y, thc cgg protcins torm a
thickn| m.Justasathinrubbcrba||ooniscasicrto
A chcmica| |cavcncradds linto most
cakc battcrs. But vithout any |cavcncr,
poundcakcdcmandsmaximumacration
trom thc buttcr-vhich mcans kccping
thc tcmpcrautrc otu+cbattcrbc|ov7O
dcgrccs. Sincc crcaming hcats up thc
buttcr, starting vith chi||y oO dcgrcc
buttcr grcat|y i ncrcascs thc odds ot
succcss. 1hisvasmyhrstbi gdiscovcry.
Just bccauscthc buttcrandsugararc
propcr|ycrcamcddocsn` tmcansucccss
isguarantccd. Ahcr a dozcn morctai|
urcs, I | cancdthattoowarmcggscan
dch atc thc battcr. Anditthccggsvcrc
tooco|doraddcdtooqui ckly,u+cyvcrc
dimcu|t to incorporatc and thc airvas
knockcdoutotthc buttcrbythc timc I
had smoothbattcr. Ahcrmorctria|and
crror, I conc|udcd that O dcgrccsvas
C | | b ' I L L U S I R A I E D
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TE C H N I Q U E I S [OW AS YOU C O
Pound cake batter i s so del i cate that i t wi l l deflate i f you add the
egs one at a ti me or add the fl our too qui ckly, as most reci pes
sugest.
EGGS: With mixer runni ng, FLOUR: Sift four over batter
pour i n beaten eg mixture i n in three addi ti ons, fol di ng in
slow, steady stream. each addi ti on wi th spatul a.
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Successful Creami ng
Cool butter and thorough mi xi ng are essenti al to our pound cake reci pe. We tri ed our reci pe i n four standi ng and handhel d
mixers (al l set to medi um- high speed) and found that the creami ng ti me vari ed from 5 to 8 mi nutes. Tese gui del i nes wi l l
hel p you determi ne when the butter i s at the correct temperature and when t he butter and sugar are properl y creamed.
ROOM TE M PE RATU RE B UTTE R
Room temperature butter (70 degrees)
yields compl etely to pressure.
OVE RCREAM E D BATTE R
Once sugar has been i ncorporated,
butter temperature wi l l rise to about
7 5 degrees. Batter wi l l be very soft and
l ook sl i ck, shi ny, and wet.
F LAT CAKE
Cake wi l l be flat and dense.

C HI LLY B UTTE R
Cool butter ( 6 0 degrees) yi el ds
slightly to pressure and wi l l crack
when pressed.
P E RF E CTLY C REAM E D BATTE R
Once sugar has been i ncorporated,
butter temperture wi l l rise to about
68 degrees. Batter wi l l be l ight, fluf,
and of-white i n col or.
D OME D CAKE
Cake wi l l dome ni cely.
inhatc thanathickonc,athinprotcinh | mottcrs
|cssrcsistancctoarisingcakcbattcri nthcovcn.
Fl our Power
It vas timc to add thc llour-cakc hour, to bc
prccisc, as a|| purposc is too protcin ri ch and
yic|dcd dry, toughcakcs i n my tcsts. Jhc mixcr
didapoorjoboti ncorporatingthc llour and, as
arcsu|t,thcbattcrbccamc ovcrvorkcd.Asmuch
asIvantcdtonndasimp|croption,I toundthat
siningthch ourovcrthc battcrand to|ding it in
byhandvas rcquircd. Sihing |ightcns and llutts
thc l|our, making it casicr to i ncorporatc, vhich
a|sorcduccsthcriskotovcrvorkingthc battcr.
Acrbaki ngmorc than 5O cakcs,I hadnna||y
arrivcJ at a too|prootrcci pc tor c|assic pound
cakc,andmyconh dcnccasabakcrvasrcstorcd.
C LAS S I C PO U N D CAKE
MAKL5 CN L 7 b 1 b | NLH LCA|
P dircctcd in thc rccipc, thc buttcr and cggs
shou|d bc thc nrst ingrcdicnts prcparcd so thcy
havc a chancc to stand at room tcmpcraturc and
|oscthcirch||vhi|cthcovcnhcats,thc|oatpanis
grcascd andllourcd, andthcothcringrcdicntsarc
mcasurcd. IcnovcrcakcW kccprcasonab|yvc
lor up to 3 days itvrappcd tight|yinp|asticvrap
andstorcdatroomtcmpcraturc.
1 6 tabl espoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, col d, pl us
extra for greasi ng pan
3 large eggs pl us 3 l arge egg yol ks
2 teaspoons vani l l a extract
I % cups (7 ounces) cake fl our, pl us extra for dusti ng
loaf pan
'/ teaspoon tabl e sal t
I 1/ cups ( 8 % ounces) sugar
I . Cutbuttcrinto I tab|cspoonpicccsandp|acc
i nbov|otstandingmixcr,|ctstandatroom tcm
pcraturc2Oto3Ominutcstosoncns|ightly buttcr
shou|drcachnomorcthanOdcgrccs) . \singdin
ncrtork,bcatcggs,cggyo|ks,andvani||ai n|iquid
mcasuring cup unti| combincd. Ict cgg mixturc
standatroomtcmpcraurcunti|rcadytousc.
2 . Adj ust ovcn rack to midd|c position and
hcatovcnto325dcgrccs. Gcncrous|ybuttcrby
5i nch|oatpan, dustpan| i bcra||yvi thl| ourand
knockoutcxccss .
3 . I n standing mixcr nttcd vith l|at bcatcr,
bcat buttcr and sa|t at mcdiumhigh spccd unti|
shiny,smooth,andcrcamy,2to3minutcs,scrap
i ng bottom and sidcs otbov| oncc vith rubbcr
spatu| a. Rcducc spccd to mcdium, vith mixcr
runni ng, gradua||y pour i n sugar thi s shou| d
takcaboutOscconds) . ncca||sugarisaddcd,
i ncrcasc spccd to mcdi um hi gh and bcat unti |
mixturcishut(anda|mostvhi tci nco| or, 5 to8
minutcs,scrapi ngbottomandsidcsotbov|oncc.
Wi th mi xcr runni ng at mcdium spccd, gradu
a||y add cgg mixturc in s|ov, stcady strcam, this
shou|dtakcOtoOscconds .Scrapcbottomand
si dcsotbov| ,bcatmixturcatmcdium highspccd
unti|| ightandl|ut(, 3to4 minutcs mixturcmay
|ooks| i ght|ybrokcn) . Rcmovc bov| trommixcr,
scrapcbottomandsidcs .
4. In 3 additions, sih llour ovcr buttcr/cgg
mixturc,ahcrcachaddition, to| dgcnt|yvit|+rub
bcrspatu|aunti | combi ncd. Scrapca| ongbottom
otbov|tocnsurct|+tbattcrishomogcnous .
5 . Jranstcr battcr to prcparcd | oatpan and
smooth surtacc wi th rubbcr spatu| a. Bakc unti |
go| dcn brovn andvoodcn skcvcri nscrtcd i nto
ccntcr otcakc comcs out c| can, about 7O to 8O
minutcs. Coo| cakc in pan on virc rack tor I 5
minutcs, i nvcrt cakc onto virc rack, thcn turn
J A N U A R Y c F E B R U A R Y 211
Z
E Q U I P M E N T T E S T I N G :
Loaf Pans
Seven years after appl audi ng the Baker' s Secret
Non-Sti ck Loaf Pn as the best avai l abl e choi ce, we
wanted to see i f anythi ng new coul d best thi s barai n
pan, whi ch i s avai l abl e for $6 i n supermarkets. Seven
pound cakes, seven l oaves of sandwi ch bread, and
hours of baki ng l ater, we had a motl ey crew of baked
goods and some new thoughts about l oaf pans.
Bigger pans-Anol on' s Suregri p Nonsti ck Loaf
Pan ( $ 1 6. 95 ) and Ki tchenAi d' s Professi onal
Nonsti ck Loaf Pan ($ 1 9. 9 5) -al l owed the sandwi ch
bread to bake up a bi t fl uffi er than di d smal l er pans
but yi el ded dense, square pound cakes. Narrower
pans-i ncl udi ng the Baker' s Secret, Prex' s Gl ass
Loaf Di sh ( $4. 99) , Al l - Cl ad Gol d Standard
Nonsti ck Loaf Pan ( $74. 95) , Doughmakers Loaf
Pan ( $ 1 4. 95) , and Wi l l i ams- Sonoma Gol dtouch
Nonsti ck Loaf Pn ( $ 1 9) -were the only choi ce for
pound cake and fi ne for sandwi ch bread .
Our other pri mar concern was browni ng. Ught
col ored al umi num fi ni shes on the Al l - Cl ad and
Doughmakers pans yi el ded pal e, anemi c-l ooki ng
baked goods. The dark nonsti ck surface on the
Baker' s Secret pan actual ly browned the bread and
pound cake a shade too much. Despi te its wi de
avai l abi l i t and l ow pri ce, i t' s no l onger our top
choi ce. Gl ass Prex browned ni cely, but the real star
of the show was the Wi l l i ams-Sonoma Gol dtouch.
The gol d-col ored nonsti ck surface yi el ded baked
goods with a perfectly even, honeyed- copper crust.
-El i zabeth Bomze
G OLD STAN DARD
The gold surface on the Wi l l i ams-Sonoma
Gol dtouch Nonsti ck Loaf Pn ($ 1 9) took
browni ng to the perfect poi nt.
cakc right sidc up. Coo| cakc on rack to room
tcmpcraturc, about2 hours. S|iccandscrvc.
AL M O N D PO U N D CAKE
Fo||ov rccipc tor C|assic Iound Cakc, rcducing
vani | | a cxtract to I tcaspoon and adding I '
tcaspoons a|mond cxtract a|ong vith vani||a to
cggs . Sprink|c2 tab|cspoonss|iccda|mondsovcr
surtaccotbattcrj ustbctorc baki ng.
P O U N D CAKE WI TH O RAN G E E S S E NC E
Fo||ov rccipc tor C|assic Iound Cakc, rcduc
ing vani| | a cxtract to I tcaspoon and adding I
tab|cspoon gratcd thcn minccd orangc zcst to
mixcrbov|j ustancraddingcggs.
Searching for
Th i s Asi an con di ren t 1 , '
to yc , u r
M
ost of us have rarel y gi ven so1
sauce a second thought, usmg
i t as a ki nd of l i qui d sal t . But
thi s 2 , 500- ycar- ol d i ngredi ent,
brewed frst i n Chi na and si nce the seventh cen
tury i n Japan, can ofer nearly as much variet) ,
compl exi ty, and fl avor as wi ne or ol ive oi l , and
it deserves serious consi derati on. I n most super
markets today, you wi l l fnd a shelf of i mported
soy sauces, as wel l as Ameri can- brewed versi ons
How do they di fter? Whi ch tastes best as a di p
pi ng sauce for del i cate sushi and savory dump
l i ngs? Cooked i n sti r-tii es and gl azes tor meat and
fi sh) And whi l e we' re at i t, what i s tamari)
We deci ded s ampl e nati onal ! \ ,1\ ai l abk
brands, choosi n g a l i neup of 12 t\ saucLs
i ncl udi ng both tamari and regul ar soy sauce, trom
Japan, Chi na, and the Uni ted States. Y tasted
them three ti mes: frst pl ai n, t hen with 11 .. l 1
ri ce, and fnal l y cooked in a teriyaki sauce " t' l
gi nger, garl i c, and mi ri n and brushed over brmkd
chi cken thi ghs. As we tasted them, we noti<cd .\
wide range of col ors and fl avors, tom reddi sl
brown, del i cate, and fl oral to dark brown, pun
gent, and asserti ve . Where were these di ftcren<. < '
comi ng fiom? And how wel l di d they pl ay C! l c
other fla1ors in a di sh?
Soy Si mpl e
At i ts most basi c, soy sauce i s a termentll | n |
ui d made tiom soybeans and wheat So1 ' Lc b
contri bute a strong, pungent taste, whi l e 11 l l
l ends s11eetness. Tamari i s a type of SO\' sHI CL
di ti onal l y made wi th al l sovbeans and no \\lc.1
though, cont1 si ngl y, manv tamaris do conta 1
a l i ttl e wheat. As a resul t, tamari hJ .1 !11 I '
pungent flavor than soy sauce . Si mi l arl 1, str n L
earthi er Chi nese 5I' sauce tends to be m.JL \V , l
a lower proporti on of 11 heat than the si\' Let '
l i ghter Japanese soy sauce .
Like many products wi th a l ong h1 ston, so1
sauce is now made both arti sanal l y usi ng tr d
ti ona! methods and i ndustri al ! \ usi ng moderr
technol ogy. Al l soy sauce begi ns wi th whok S\ l \
beans or dcbttcd soy mc,ll cooked and mr XL
wi th roasted grai n , us ual l y wheat ( but some
ti mes barl ey or ri ce ) . Thi s bean/grai n 111 1 xturL
is i nocul ated wi th a mol d cal l ed li ( tcchni cal l v,
Aspergilus ory::ae or A.Ci!us soyac) and l cti: lO
a lVdays to al l ow the mol d to grow and spread
Then sal t water and yeast arc added to lin1 L
mt.' c. | c
d H rtncc I '
! lcI|1 1 L .cU
\L ro t 1
t 1L I -l
+ | I
` L
l I l \ | :
1 rll I L !
l '\\ L
1
t | IL > 1
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l I 1L ! .!
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t I
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t \ 1 | \
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nd
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L1L L I
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uc
Dl C
=
lJ| 1 C J l r ' 1 uc. >ar + l c- 1c 5c JCrs were rated on thei r sal ti ness,
1 C C i l | p+ cve- _' . ( VEr c--r 'l g odi um val ues are per tabl espoon
N OU Wl 1 HL5 L HVA1| ON5 t Jt l
PIARL RI VER PRI DGE Superi or


E J

Soy Sa<ce
") fc c | ) ,ur C S
l 1 um
J|
870D l 1 \ ar ,
!
|
IV
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'CC I t O
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C ! ' | X u t.' ! 1 l l dl ll
OPCANI C N tur l ly
td TJmLn Soy Sa.ct
V x fc l c U
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CS
1r \'
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t n l ly
I L
lc
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KI KKOMAN Natural ly Brewed
Orani c Soy Sauce
J 99for |0ounces
Sodi um: | , 000mi l l i grams
' we a I Je pang' y waedoe
:Ic o'Er> agreed but enj oyed thi s
+oeebr1,1 d' < " n i c e fl avor once
'he s l ti ness dl oi pates rounded ad
tal < ed
KI KKOMAN Natural ly Brewed
ri Soy Sauce
29 for | 0 ounces
1 um: 980mi l l i grams
i cr Jnd nal ty. wi th canmel "
: we t otc ' thi Japoesebrdnd
de c o: S "<tr adi tee
w r ' 'J, ,. ed flavor l i ke coffee i
Ctemy -| 1t `. <' poi nt, for werd
v catF
SAN-] Naturally Brewed Tamari
um 'oy Sauce
! 1
>Vfor |0ounce
t U 1. >b|l
.udt V| r_| r | . 1coc ar
TU c 'W< t . 1 d ta>ty Wi th " ooud
1 |W<Vc' 0ayuthers VI CWed
C' v | b1 y, l i n> 1 t n. ,ty, "
f l ' 1 t ac 111y. t I I nd
I C|
lY Soy Sauce
'9 for | 0 orr tc
;m I | 60mi l l igrms
l C 0 }I JI lt Jou tr A Cmc 0
| C 1l tr rye T| ) cso,Jr J
r 1p d r 1 C| c Jl or w E
te 'JK ' P'JMy
r `` n. y > eyri e
J' t Lf . : i < '
,t -v oc II I CI C | s um
'S | y wur,e
'f \ , t >t c1II 1u .md tl.ll'or
,
"
` \ I > n 't , .11 \ uct tlut bi te Cl
l `1 \ t \\\I
**
l . d I l
,
'Or 1 1' L I SS C\pl .li ll \\ |1
J '| L xcI ' \L l,11 \ d \\C t;IStCd
l | I | 1 L L > But spLndl llg ,\ l\\ C\tl',\
S l:i I ti t ' .tl , -lO\\ t+\\cd S|\ 5JII LL l 5
'' > r | thL 1 ' l stml ' t csp<LI .l h tor usc .1s J di p
! ` ' . \ I Ll. l t \\ c\ t: , ti l L more robust cc Kum
L\ ' fII |H! Lh HLL for (( ) ( )ki ng.
Inexpensive Dutch Ovens
Ou r favori te Du tch oven s cost more tha n ... Ou ch ! I s th ere a c h eaper
vers i on that perorms a l most as wel l ? Yes . I t costs .
W
hcn vc tcstcd Dutch ovcns i n
I 8, thctoppcrtormcrs vcrc
pots madc b All C|ad and Ic
Crcusct. car|y a dccadc latcr,
thcon|yllavvcmighth ndinthcscvorkhorscsis
thcirhcpricc-roughly$25O. Jhcsctopotthc
lincpots novhavc plcnty otimitators. Couldany
otthcmchallcngc ourpriccytavoritcs`Frank|y,vc
vcrcskcptical . Butgivcn that somc otthcchcapcr
optionscost S2OO lcssthanourprcviousvinncrs,
SCC r| O|
Going LUCD
A good Dutch ovcn various|y cal|cd a stock
pot, round ovcn, Frcnch ovcn, or casscro|c) is a
kitchcncsscntia| . Hcavicr and thickcrthanstock
pots, a|loving thcm to rctain and conduct hcat
m UccQcr Ianaskil|ct,sothcy
L an\c argc cutsotmcatand cooking|iquid,
| OVCnS C IDC Dcs\ CHO\Cc r braiscs,pot
roasts,andstcvs,as thcycango onthc stovctop
Jt R US JHU thcn into tc OVcn tO hnish
cooking. Jhcir ta|l sidcs makc thcm uscm| tor
dccptrying, and many cooks prcss Dutch ovcns
intoscrvicc torj obslikc boilingpasta.
Dutch Oven Hi story
A good Dutch oven has been an essential piece of
cookre for hundreds of year. Origi nal ly, cooks put
these big. deep, covered pots right i nto the freplace
or campfre. With three short legs for stndi ng i n the
coals and a fat lid with an uptured l i p to hold more
hot coals on top, they l i terl ly were ovens, baking bis
cuits and breads, as wel l as stewing and rasting meats.
Early col onists brought Dutch ovens
m an portbl e,
verti l e pots became a common
sight i n America, especial ly among
pi oneer-even Lwi s and Cl ar
carried a Dutch oven on thei r
expedi ti on across the conti nent.
Tere are severl theories about
why they are cal l ed " Dutch" ovens,
the most credi bl e being that they were origi nal ly made
using a cast-iron process invented by the Dutch.
Dutch ovens have l ong si nce come i ndoor to joi n
the modem kitchen-though some manufacturer
(i ncl udi ng ldge) sti l l prduce the origi nal leged design
for campi ng. L|.
3 B Y L I S A M c M A N U S E
For our nrst tcst, vc prcparcd a bcctstcv that
starts on thc stovctop andthcnmovcstothc ovcn.
I ncachpan, vcbrovncdcubcsotbcctinbatchcs,
and as thc mcatscarcd,vcobscrvcdvhcthcrthc
pan hcatcdcvcnlyandconsistcntlyvithoutburn
ingtl+cdrippings.Ancrtlc |ong,s|ovcookingi n
tl+covcn, vctastcdtl+cstcvtosccitt|+cmcathad
bccomctorktcndcrandtlc brothhadrcduccdto
i ntcnsc havor. ta||t|+c tcstsvcdi d, thisvas tl+c
mostimportant, bccausc ittocuscdon thcuniquc
abi|itics ot Dutch ovcns. As cxpcctcd, thc Ic
CrcusctandAll Cladpotssailcduoughvitllly
ingco|ors. Surprising|y,sodidatcvotthcothcrs.
Wc noticcdatcvtrcnds. urtavoitcpots nom
A|| CladandIcCrcusctmcasurc+inchcsacross,
cnablingucmtobrovn3|pomdsotbcctintl1rcc
batchcs, somcthing narrovcr pots couldn't do.
JhcInn ova,v|rchmcasurcsj ust7% inchcsacross,
rcquircdnvc batchcs-a bigllav. Jhc Emcrilvarc
and Chctmatc pansvcrc slight|y biggcr 8 inchcs
and8'+ inchcs,rcspcctivc|y) andhandlcdthc bcct
i ntourbatchcs-a minorhav. Jhc stcvmadc in
tl+c Chcmatc pot vasgrcat,tl+c Emcrilvarc pot
brovncd tl:c bccttmcvcnly-an impcrtcction vc
a|sonoticcdintlctoo |ightpotnomJramon tina.
I nto Hot Oi l
Forthc ncxt tcst,vcput quarts otcanola oi|
i n cach pan, clippcd on a dccpny thcrmomctcr,
and cookcd a pomd othozcn ncnch hics to tcst
hcattrans|crandrctcntion. Hcrc again, ourcost|y
lvoritcsmct our high cxpcctations butvcrc vcl|
matchcdbyatcv contcndcrs.Jhcbcstpansrctain
hcatvcllcnoughtoprcvcntthctcmpcraturcottl+c
oil hom dropping too prccipitous|y vhcn tood is
addcd. Itthc tcmpcraturc drops too Ia, thc hics
W bc soggy and grcasy. Jhc Jramonhna pot
vonthistcst-tl:c tcmpcrauirc otthc oildroppcd
j ust 45 dcgrccs vhcn tl+c hics vcrc addcd and
thc rccovcrytimc torthc oi|, at 5 minutcs and 45
scconds, vas a|so t|+c bcst. In contrast, oil in tl+c
Calphalonpot thc lovcstratcd cntry intlrs tcst)
droppcd 76 dcgrccs and took morc than ! Omin
utcsto rccovcr. / arcsult,tlchicscookcdintlc
Calphalon pot vcrcn't crisp cnough. Jhc Iiuova
potsuhcrcdhomsimilarprob|cms.
^ uncxpcctcd issuc cmcrgcd duringthis tcst.
Frics cookcd i n thc Emcri lvarc cast iron pan
tastcdrusty,cvidcntly,thcprcscasoncdsur|acchad
|ai| cd. CastironisagrcatchoicctoraDutchovcn,
bccausc it holds onto hcat so vcl l . But cast iron
L | | b : I LLU S T R AT E D
Z C
vill also rcact vith many |oods. Somc manutac
urcrs Ic Crcusct, Chcmatc, Mario Bata|i, and
Innova)coattlcircastironvitl+alacro|brightly
co|orcd cnamcl . thcr manutacuircrs prcscason
tl:cir pots-basically spraying tl+cm vitl+ oil and
baking on tl:c scasorng. But, as vc di occd,
it's possiblc to vash avay thc prcscasoning. Wc
boilcdvatcri na|lpotsandnoticcdthattlcvatcr
tuncdyc||ovin botl+otthcprcscasoncdcastiron
pots, madc by Emcrilvarc and Lodgc. / arcsu|t,
ncitl:crpotcanbcuscdtoboilvatcrtorpasta,and
vc vorry that thc cast iron may rcact wtl: acidic
cooking|iquids,suchasvincortomatocs.Ycs,you
couldrcscasontl+cpotsyoursc|t,butthatsccms|ikc
ahassl c. ^cnamclcoatingontl+ccastironsurtacc
vil| last a litctimc and makcs a Dutch ovcn muc
morcvcrsatilc.
For our |ast tcst, vc stcamcd a trip|c batch ot
vhitc ricc in cach Dutch ovcn to scc hov thcy
simmcrcdonvcry lovhcat.A|l but onc potmadc
llu|riccvithintactgrains. JhcInnovapot,vhich
had troub|c vith hcat rctcntion in thc ncnchhy
tcst,ovcrcookcdtl:cricc.
I ronclad Results
Whcna|lthcsmokcandsizzlinghoilclcarcd,our
laoritc pots t|c oncs vc`vc uscd almost daily u
thc tcst kitchcn |or ncar|y I U ycars) camc out on
top. thcruanpncc,it'shardto quibblcwththc
pots madc byA|l C|ad andIc Crcusct.
A|thughvcvcrcn'tsurpriscdbyourvinncrs,
vc vcrc shockcd at thcir narrov margin otvic
tory. Hovcou|d a $4O Dutch ovcn hold its ovn
against panscostingsixtimcsasmuch`JhcJargct
ChctmatcCasscrolc|ookslikcas|ightlysma|lcrIc
Crcusct,dovntothc shapcotthc hai:dlcsand thc
knob On \LI, uQ WUtvm
ncrs in cvcrytcst. Bccausc tl+c Chctmatccasscro|c
is sma|lcr than our top choiccs, you W nccd to
brovn mcat tor stcv in tour batchcs rathcr than
urcc, JU HC bicstpotroastswil| bc a tightnt.
Y outcstcooksarcnotrcadytotradcinthcr
tavoritcDutchovcns,thcChcu1atcisarcalnndtor
budgctmindcdcooks.
Ityou'rcvillingtospcnd$ I OOonaDutchovcn,
and you havc tl:c biccps to handlc it, t|+c Mario
Bata|ipotis comparablcinsizc totl+cIc Crcusct
andAll Cladpotsandpcrtormsncarlyasvcl| . Ycs,
thc brovningvasn't pcrtcct, but tl+at sccms |ikc
a n+inor quibb|c most cooks vould ncvcr noticc.
Jvo goodchoiccs, and botl+rcasonab|ypriccd.
RATI NGS
GOOD: ***
FAI R: **
POOR: *
We tested seven i nexpensive
Dutch ovens (pri ced under
$ I 00) , al ong with previ ous
test kitchen wi nner made
by Al l - Cl ad and Le Creuset
(both pri ced i n excess of
$200) . Rti ngs of good, fai r,
and poor for three kitchen
tests (beef stew, french fri es,
and steamed white ri ce) were
given to each pot; the stew
test was given extr wei ght i n
determi ni ng overl l rnk. We
al so boi l ed water i n each pot.
Dutch ovens are l i sted i n order
of preference. See page 32 for
mai l -order sources for top
rted pots.
DIAMEER: Of i nteri or
cooki ng surface, as measured
i n the test kitchen.
WEI GHT: /measured in the
test kitchen ( i ncl udes l i d) .
SEW: Testers prepared beef
stew, browni ng 3 '/ pounds
of meat i n batches, browni ng
oni ons, and fi ni shi ng stew
in the oven. Testers noted
browni ng and tenderness
of meat as wel l as fl avor and
consi stency of sauce.
FRI ES: Testers deep-fri ed I
pound frozen french fries i n
2 quarts canol a oi l , noti ng
the ti me needed to heat oi l
to 3 50 degrees, the drop i n
temperature after fries were
added, the time needed for
oil to return to 3 50 degrees,
and appearance and taste of
the fri es.
RI CE: Testers prepared 3
cups of pl ai n whi te ri ce and
assessed the appearance and
taste of the cooked ri ce.
K/1l ' Ll1'l '`l:
( RECOMME NDE D
Al l -Clad Stai nless 8- Quart
Stockpot
| cr . $257. 95
fr | c . Stainless steel with
aluminum core
L Creuset 7 1/Quart
Round French Oven
| cr. $229. 95
fr | c . Enameled cast iron
with phenolic lid knob
BEST BUY
Chefmate Round Enamel ed
Cast I ron Casserole for Target
| cr. $39. 99
fr| c . Enameled cast iron
with phenolic lid knob
Mario Batali I tal i an Essenti al s
Pot by Copco
| cr. $99. 99
fr| c. Enameled cast i ron
with cast stainless lid krob
( RECOMME NDE D WI TH RE S E RVATI ONS
Ldge Pro-Logic
Pre-Seasoned Dutch Oven
| cr. $39. 99
fr| c. Preseasoned
cast iron
Cal phalon One I nfused
Anodized Dutch Oven
| cr. $99. 99
fr| c. Heavy-gauge alu
minum infused with polymer ;
stainless steel lid
Tramontina Sterl i ng I I 1 8/ I 0
Stai nless Steel Covered Dutch
Oven
| cr . $69. 95
fr| c. Stainless steel with
aluminum core bottom
Emeri lware from Al l -Clad
Cast I ron Dutch Oven
| cr. $ 34. 95
fr| c. Preseasoned
cast iron
l nnova Color Cast Porcel ai n
Enamel ed Cast I ron 5- Quart
Round Dutch Oven
| cr. $49. 99
fr| c. Enameled cast iron
PE' RFO RMANCE
cc| f+. 8 qt.
c| rfr. J+'
wr | c nf. 6 lbs.
frw.
| r .
| cr .
cc| f+. 7 '+ qt.
c | rfr J+'
wr | c f. 1 3 . 7 lbs.
frw.
| r .
| cr .
cc| f+. 5 qt.
c | rfr. 8 '+'
wr | c f. 1 1 . 6 lbs.
frw.
| r .
| cr .
cc| :+. 6 qt.
c| rfr. J+'
wr| c f. 1 5 . 2 1bs.
frw.
| r .
| cr .
PE RF ORMANC E
cc| f+. 7 qt.
c| rfr. 9 1z '
wr | c f. 1 7. 2 1bs.
frw.
| r .
| cr .
cc| f+. 8 'z qt.
c| rfr. 1 1 7/s "
wr | cf_ 6. 8 lbs.
frw.
| r .
| cr .
cc| f+. 7 qt.
c | rfr | 0?s '
wr | c f. 6. 4 lbs.
frw.
| r .
| cr .
cc| f+. 6 qt.
c | rrfr . 8'
wr| c f. 1 5 . 9 lbs.
frw.
| r .
| cr .
cc| f+. 5 qt.
c | rfr. 7?s '
wr | c f. 1 1 . 3 lbs.
frw.
| r .
| cr .
) A O A s Y c | | ! s O A s + 2 0 0 7
Z '
TESTE RS ' COMME NTS
While this pan runs a little hot, i t produced "golden and
goreous" fond. Starred in the french-fry test, with rapid
recovery of cooking temperature af ter fries were added.
The best choice for cooks who pref er 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-of 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 iuf f rice.
This roomy pan was slow to heat up but demonstrted
quick recovery af ter f ries were added to the oil . The "self
basting" spikes inside the lid work-we never had to shake
condensation of f this lid af ter opening it. Browning of beef
could have been more even. Testers bemoaned lif ting and
handling this "super-heavy" pan. Needs biger handles.
TESTE RS ' COMME NTS
Al though 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 recover was relatively
quick. Lre looping handles make it eas to manipulate this
heavyweight pot. Boiling water picked up a yellow tint and a
rust smell, indicating that our pot had lost its seasoning.
"So roomy 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 ver slowly climbed back up.
Pan i s big, light, and easy to handle, and i t 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 temperture 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 rther than three. Te stew's brth 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 dis
tinctly rust taste. indicating that pot had lost its seasoning.
We had to brown the meat for the stew in five batches
rther 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 temperture of the oil
dropped farther than we'd like when fries were added.
l l 1 ' l1^ ^'11c
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 lefover Pound Cake
(page 25) in the freezer, wrapped in
a double layer of plastic wrap and
foi l , than i n the refigerator, where
it would quickly stal e. The cake usu
aly defosted nicely on the coun
ter, but sometimes the top became
sof and sticky. Aer 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, frm crust.
It took us a while to fnd thi s
solution, because i t contradicts the
test kitchen' s method for defrost
ing most baked goods. For instance,
we' ve had better luck when we
unwrapped cupcakes before defrost
ing. Why the discrepancy? Pound
cakes have much l es s i nternal
moisture than cupcakes or other
baked goods that contain a l i qui d
ingredient such as milk, cream, or
yogurt. When unwrapped, l i qui d-
free pound cake has a propensity to
draw moisture from the air, causing
the crust to become wet; cupcakes,
on the other hand, l et off moisture,
which gets trapped when the wrap
ping is l ef on but evaporates when
the wrapping i s 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 por
tions as you go. If the stems are
thicker and woodier, hold the spri g
of thyme upright, by the top of the
stem; then run your thumb and
forefnger down the stem to release
the leaves and smaller offshoots .
The tender tips can be lef 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 . 8O|n
I magi ne your di sappoi ntment i f a French Oni on
and Bacon Tart ( page 1 9) crumbl ed as you
attempted to l i berte i t from its pan. Duri ng our
testing of seven tart pans, we had thi s unfortu
nate experi ence with oni on as wel l as frui t tarts,
so i t pays to choose your tart pan careful ly.
Tar pans can be divided i nto thnee basic cat
egories based on materi al s: ti nned steel (the cl as
sic choice) . nonstick, and everhing el se-rnging
TI N WI NS
For buttery tart pastry, stick with
tinned steel pans, l i ke this one
sol d by Kai ser Ti npl ate.
frm heav cermi c to floppy si l i cone. What cermi c, as in the Baker's Catalogue
Bake-and- Sere Stoneware ($ 1 4. 96) , added i n tabletop aesthetics, i t qui ckly lost in
prctical it-the l ack of a nmovable bottom fored us to chisel the del icate tart from
the pan with a sharp knife. Te equal ly flawed, Gum by-like Si l i coneZne I 0- l nch Tar
Pn ($ 1 8) nqui red us to bend the pan to pop out our now-crcked pastr.
Because trt pastr i s mostly butter, the nonstick surfaces on thne of the nmai ni ng
pans wen not only ndundant but also unfavorbly sl ick. Wthout some tckiness, the
dough sl umped unevenly down the fluted edges of the Cal phal on Classic Bakewan
Nonstick I 0-l nch Rund Tart Pn ($ 1 9. 99) , Kiser Nobl esse 9 11- l nch Qui che Pn with
Removbl e Base ($ 1 4. 95) , and Nordi c Wn 8-l nch Qui che Tart Pn ( $ 1 3. 99) .
Tarts baked i n the to ti nned steel pans-the Kiserlnplate 9- l nch Quiche Pn with
Rmovble Bottom ($9) and the Cooking.com Round Tar Pn, 9. 5- l nch ( $7. 95)
brwned evenly and nleased efortlessly. In this case, the classic design i s sti l l the best.
-Elizabeth Bomze
Use a shearing movement to separate
thyme leaves from the woody stems.
Enhanced? Not Real l y
More than half of the fesh 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 thin natural pork
has a better flavor and a quick 1 -hour
brine adds plenty of moisture. We rec
ommend buying natural pork.
Manufacturers don' t use the
terms "enhanced" or "natural "
on package l abel s, but if the pork
has been enhanced i t will have an
i ngredient li st, like the one below.
Natural pork contains j ust pork and
won' t have an ingredient list.
To determi ne if pork i s "enhanced, " l ook for
an i ngredi ent l i st on the label .
The Best Sal t for the job
For most recipes, the test kitchen has
fow1d that inexpensive table sat is
j ust as good as fancy salts. The fne
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 dssolves, 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 fom our fingers
in an Lmcontrolled manner, creating
w1even salt paths and patchy flavor-
C | | |

b | | l L b 1 K ^ 1 | |
\
in g. This came especially t o light dur
ing our testing for Steak Frites (page
) . We fmmd that larger-grained salts
( such as kosher sal t) are easier to con
trol and cling nicely to the meat's sur
face. When a recipe calls for seasoning
meat "to taste, " we suggest about
teaspoon of kosher salt per portion of
meat. Kosher salt is inexpensive and
readily available, so pick up a box for
seasonng meat, chicken, or fsh.
Chinese Green Beans
Long beans, also called yard-long or
snake beans, are the traditonal choice
in Chinese stir-fes and other reci
pes, including Sichuan Green Beans
( page 2 1 ) . These H_ pliable pods
can grow up to three feet long. They
certainly look exotc, but are these
specialty beans worth seeking out at
an Asian market?
To fnd out, we purchased beans
fro m s ever al
sources . We
found that
ol der, thi cker
beans can be woody, so
l ook for H_ very flexible
beans. Aer cutting them
down to size, we were
surprised that even
super-thin long
beans requi red
the same cook
ing ti me as thicker
green beans .
LONG B EANS
The long beans The Chi nese answer to st1
were chewi er
and l ess sweet
beans i s surprisi ngly nut
and chewy.
than green beans, with a nice nutty
flavor. If you fd long beans, give
them a try-even though our tast
ers were just as happy with plain old
green beans fom the supermarket.
The Perect 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 fnd 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 i s perfect
for lining l arge pans ( see 1 5- Minute
Ldu| |l| OwC|K| DDOw
Whi l e shoppi ng for Roasted Caul ifower (page 20) , we were l ured by the riveti ng
green, orange, and purpl e heads of caul ifower at the market. Were they merel y a
decortive marketing gi mmi ck, or might these vari eti es actual ly taste better than.
or cook any diferently from, regul ar caul iflower? In the end, our tasters fel t that
the broccofower and purpl e vari eties were wel l sui ted to roasti ng, al though nei
ther was any better than pl ai n ol d whi te caul iflower.
B ROCCO F LOWE R
Ti s broccol i -caul iflower hybrid
exhi bi ted an asserive broccol i flavor
and firm texture.
PU RPLE CAU LI F LOWE R
A faintly bitter edge and the abi l i t to
retai n its royal hue after roasting won
this variet some accolades.
Chocolate Walnut Fudge, page 23,
or Roasted Caulifower, page 2O) .
It's also the best choice when lin
ing pie or tart shells that need to be
prebaked ( see French Onion and
Bacon Tart, page 1 9) .
Extra-wide foil lets you l i ne baki ng pans and
tar shells with a single pi ece.
Te Proper Process
The rule of thumb in the test kitchen
is that chopping vegetables by hand
Wproduce 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
whie laboriously chopping through
cases of onions and chiles, so we
threw some into the food proces
sor bowl. Just as we expected, the
result was a soupy, irregular mess;
the pieces m the bottom of the bowl
disintegrated, while the ones on top
remained intact. Suspecting over-
ROMAN E S CO CAU LI F LOWER
This rare Ital ian breed boasts a vi brant
l i me-green color and spi ral i ng turrets,
but its del i cate flavor and texture
sufered when roasted.
ORANG E CAU LI F LOWE R
Laded with vitami n A but short
on moi sture, this hybrid was on
the dry si de.
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 chop
ping still reigns supreme.
OVE RP ROCE S S E D
If you overload a food processor, you' l l have
a soupy mess with large chunks.
J U ST RI G HT
Perectly processed chi l es and oni ons
(done i n to batches) are comparable to
vegetables cut with a knife.
RE C I P E U P DATE
Wel l - Done Hamburgers on the Stovetop
We weren' t surprised when readers wanted us to adapt our Wel l - Done
Hamburer on a Charcoal Gri l l Uuly/August 2006) for the stovetop. Our
firt i ntui ti on was to heat a couple teaspoons of oil i n a lare trdi ti onal ski l let over
high heat unti l smoki ng-we figured high heat woul d be essential to get a ni cely
browned crust. But we qui ckly found this approach was all wrong. The panade-a
paste made from bread and mi l k that keeps our wel l -done burer moist-burned
over high heat. Turni ng the heat down to medi um al l owed a deep-brown crust to
devel op and hel ped cook the burer through. And to ensure that the beautiful
sear stays i ntact, use a nonsti ck ski l l et. See Cook' s Extr, below, for the reci pe.
Arroz con Pol i o . . . with White Meat
Afer we publ i shed our ltino-Stle Chicken and Rice (September/October
2006) , a number of reader wrote i n aski ng the best way to swap the dark meat
chi cken thighs for whi te meat breasts. The thighs si mmer for close to an hour i n the
origi nal reci pe. a l ength of time guarnteed to severely dr out tender breast meat.
Si mmeri ng the breasts i n the pot with the l i qui d ingredi ents for j ust 20 mi nutes
turned out to be the answer. The breasts are then trnsferred to a plate that gets
wrpped tightly with foi l whi l e the rice is added to the pot and cooks for a half hour.
Bone- i n, ski n-on chi cken breasts (as opposed to bonel ess, ski nl ess cutlets) are
necessar to add sufi ci ent chi cken flavor. And cutting the breasts in half crosswise
exposes more meat surface area to the flavorful mari nade and bri si ng l i qui d-pl us
it al l ows for more even cooki ng. See Cook' s Extr, bel ow, for the reci pe.
Appl e Crumbl e
A good peach can be difi cul t t o fi nd, even duri ng the stone frui t' s peak season. I t' s
no wonder readers asked about maki ng our Pach Crumble Uuly/ August 2006)
usi ng always-avai l abl e appl es. We found that a three-pound mix of sweet and tart
appl es makes an excel l ent crumbl e; however, because appl es are much sturdier
than del i cate peaches, they must be tnated di ferently. Fr strer. apples tke
l onger to cook; therefore, we bake them for 20 mi nutes before addi ng the toppi ng.
(The peaches are not prebaked. ) Once the baked toppi ng is added, the crumbl e
goes i nto the oven for another 25 mi nutes. Stirring the partially cooked appl es
befone addi ng the toppi ng i s cruci al for an evenly cooked fi l l i ng. Because apples are
drier than peaches, we needed only 'z teaspoon corstrch to nai l the right sauce
consistency. Fi nal ly, we doubl ed the amount of sugar, because peaches are so much
sweeter. See Cook's Extr, bel ow, for the reci pe. -Compi l ed by Charles Kelsey
U N STI RRE D STI RRE D
Pri al l y cooking the appl es and giving them a sti r before addi ng
the crumbl e toppi ng ensures perfectly cooked frui t.
I F YOU HAVE A QUESTI ON about a reci pe, let us know. Send your i nqui r, name,
address, and dayi me tel ephone number to Recipe Update, Cook's I l l ustrted, P. O.
Box 470589, Brokl i ne, |02447, or write to reci peupdate@bcpnss. com.
Go to w . cooksi l l ustrated. com
Click on t he Cook's Extra button f or our recipes f or Stovetop
Wel l -Done Hamburers. Lti n-Stle Chi cken and Rice with
Breast Meat. and Apple Crumbl e.
Recipes available until June | , 2007.
; ^ l ^ K Y c l | b K l ^ K Y 211
3 1
l l l l ^l l1 ' 'l l K
0DYD U 8AL LY N 0 T H | 5 !
Butter Knife
ctorc thc i nvcnti on o|tablcspoon
markcdbuttcrvrappcrs,Amcricans
cithcr mcssily madc do by
smcaring soncncd but h
tcr mto mcasunng
spoons or vingcd
i t and hopcd tor
thc bcst . ut thc
rcccnt appcarancc i n
storcsot unmarkcdar
tisanalandEuropcan
stylc blockbuttcrs as
vc|l as thc pcrcnnial
problcm oti mprop
A CLEVE R K N I F E
KitchenArt' s cl ever Pro
Measuri ng Butter Knife makes
short work of gauging tea
spoons and tabl espoons on
unmarked sticks.
crlyvrappcdmarkcdsticks)canlcavcmanyvrap
pcrdcpcndcntchcts hclplcssi nthctaccotprccisc
cookicandcakcrccipcs. Ityoudon'tvanttorcly
on impcrtcct cycballing skills, KitchcnArt ottcrs
thchandyIroMcasuringuttcrKritc $7. 88)-
in ChromcorSatinIinish-arcvcrsiblcru|crl|kc
paddlckni tc that accuratc|y mcasurcs and ncatly
cuts both E|gi nsty|c stick) orWcstcrnpack
stylc cubc) buttcr, though it's too narrovtor
poundblock buttcr's vidcr p|anc. Ior this con
vcnicncc,vc'llhappi ly makc a bit otroom in our
gadgctdravcr.
Q U | P H NTU P0AT .
Digital Scale
Withthccombinationotancasilydcciphcrcddis
play,gcncrouscapacity toI I pounds) , androomy
p|attorm,thcattractivclymodcrn Sochnlc Iutura
$7. )hasbccnourtavoritcdigitalkitchcnscalc
sincc our 2OO3 tcsti ng. Rcccnt|y, thc Iutura has
bccn rcplaccd by Sochnlc's ncv modc| 5O55
$8. )-an cvcn slcckcr, l i ghtcrsca| c. Jhough
S L E E K AN D PRE CI S E
Upgraded i n stle and
precisi on, the Soehnl e 65055
scale i s our new wi nner.
tl+c ncvmodclloscs
j ust ovcr a pound
i n maximum capac
ity, i t ottcrs a morc
durab| c on , ott ,
and zcr o s ct t i o g
tarc button a| ong
si dc a gram/pound
c onvcr s t on but
ton-convcni cntl y
rc| ocatcd trom thc
scal c' s i nacccssi bl c
undcrsi dc-and, to
a bakcr' s dc| i ght,
ctcns thc mcasurcmcnt rcadi ng onc dcci
mal p|acc tarthcr, i nto thc hundrcdths, starting
at I gram or O. O5 ounccs) . It's our ncv sca|c
otchoicc.
B Y E L I Z A B E T I I B O N Z E
Q U | P H NT T 5T| N C .
Spl atter Screens
Bci tbacon, stcaks, ornshn|lcts,pan tryingcan
bc a mcssy busi ncss. Splattcr scrccos-sicvc |ikc
mcshorpcrtoratcdmctaldisksvithhandlcs-aim
to ovcr|ay a ski | | ct and combat grcasc splattcrs.
Butattcr tryingnvc pouods otbacon, protcctcd
byni ncsplattcrscrccos, i tbccamcclcartousthat
notall modc|scouldcanthci rkccp.
Somc scrccns tc justshyotthc skillct's cdgc.
DiamctcrsotI 2inchcsor|cssprovcdinsumcicnttor
skillctsvitl+ancqua||y|argctacc. Andmodclsvith
ovcrlaying-andpainh|llyhcatabsorbing-handlcs
vcrc highly prob|cmati c. Gimmicky dcsigns, such
as adjustab|c arms or dua| scrccns dcsigncdto nt
ski||ctsotvaryingsizcs,didnotvork.
Jradi ti ona| | ol | i pop s hapcd modcl s vcrc
bcttcr. Jhough no si nglc scrccn pcrtcctly com-
bi ncdsplattcrproonngvitl+crgonomi cstabi l i ty,
thc Amco I 3 i nch Sp| attcr Scrccn $ I 5 . 5 )
cdgcdoutthcvc| | anchorcdorpro modcland
vontori ts ncarlyi mpcrmcablcmcshtacc, vhich
corra|lcdthcgrcascaodkcptourhandsclcan.
b0UfC0S
The fol l owi ng are sources for recommended i tems. Pri ces
were current at press ti me and do not i ncl ude shi ppi ng.
Contact compani es di rectl y to confi rm pri ces and
avai l abi l i t; vi si t w . cooksi l l ustrated. com for u pdates.
Page 9: SPI DER SKI MMER
Typhoon Extra-Lrge Wire Ski mmer: SI 5 , product
#TY I 45 93 , Golda's Kitchen (866-46 5- 3 299,
w .goldaskitchen. com) .
Page 2 5 : LOAF PAN
Wi l l i ams-Sonoma Gol dtouch Nonsti ck Loaf Pan: S1 9,
item #60-708 1 5 24, Wi l l iams-Sonoma (877-8 1 2- 62 3 5 ,
w . williams-sonoma.com) .
Page 26: SOY SAUCE
Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce: S I . 99 for 5 . I ounces
(store locator at w . lkk.com) .
Ohsawa Nama Shoyu: $ 6. 49 for 1 0 ounces, i tem
#050 1 - 1 0 I 0, Gold Mine Natural Food (800-47 5 - 3 663 ,
w .goldminenaturalfood.com).
Page 28: DUTCH OVENS
Al l - Cl ad Stai nless 8-Quart Stockpot: $ 25 7. 95 , i tem
# 1 002 1 8, Cooki ng.com (800-663- 88 1 0,
w .cooking.com).
Le Creuset 7 1/Quart Round French Oven: $229. 9 5,
product # 1 02990, Cooking. com.
Chefmate Round Enamel ed Cast I ron Casserole for
Taret: $ 3 9. 99, Taret (w .target.com) .
Mari o Batal i 6-Quar I tal i an Essenti al s Enamel - on-Cast
I ron Pot: $99. 99, product #0-490 1 0, Amazon. com.
Page 30: TART PANS
Round Tart Pan, 9. 5 - l nch: $7. 95 , item # 1 03620,
Cooking. com.
C l | | | | | L b 1 K ^ 1 | |
Z
Kaiser Ti npl ate 9- l nch Qui che Pan wi th Removable
Bottom: $9, item #6 1 03 3 7, Amazon. com.
Page 3 2: BUTER KNI FE
KitchenArt Pro Measuri ng Butter Knife: $ 7. 88, item
#905 3 1 , KitchenAr (800- 23 9-8090,
w . kitchenar. com).
Page 32: DI GITAL SCALE
Soehnl e: $89. 99, product #6505 5 , Soehnl e (made by
Lifheit) , Te Consumer Unk (800-42 1 - 1 22 3 ,
w . theconsumerl i nk. com) .
Page 3 2: SPLTER SCREEN
Amco Spl atter Screen 1 3 " : SI 5. 9 5, i tem #06-0004,
ChefTools (866-7 1 6- 243 3 , w . chefools.com) .
(A||-..'-."JJ`'.".
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January b February 2007
Soup
Thai - Stl e Chi cken Soup I b
Mai n Di shes
Baked Mani cotti | J
with Sausage I J
French Oni on and Bacon Tart | >
Herb- Crusted Pork Roast I I
with Mustard and Caraway I I
Steak Fri tes >
Whi te Chi cken Chi l i 1
Si de Di shes
Baked Potatoes | 1
Boi l ed Potatoes | 1
Mashed Potatoes | 1
Roasted Caul ifower 2
Roasted Potatoes | 1
I S - Mi nute Rock Road Fudge 2J
Cl assi c Pound Cake 2b
Al mond 2b
wi th Orange Essence 2b
Avai l abl e on thCYCD
The fol l owi ng reci pes and menu are
avai l abl e free unti l J une I , 2007. Go to
ww. cooksi l l ustrated. com and cl i ck on
the Cook' s Extra button.
Appl e Crumbl e
Baked Mani cotti with Prosciutto
Baked Mani cotti Puttanesca
Cl assi c Mashed Potatoes
French Bi stro Menu
Sti r- Fri ed Si chuan Green Beans 2 |
Lti n-Stl e Chi cken and Ri ce wi th
Sauces and Fl avored buttC|
F OR ROAST E D CAU L I F L OWE R :
Breast Meat
Ol d-Fshi oned Chocolate Fudge
Oven Fries
Cun-Yogurt Sauce with Ci l antro 2
Soy- Gi nger Sauce wi th Scal l i on 2
F OR S TE AK F RI TE S :
Sherry Vi negar-- Honey Sauce wi th
Al monds (for Roasted Caul ifl ower)
Spi nach Sal ad with Mushrooms,
Croutons, and Warm Lemon
Dressi ng
Herb Butter >
Dessers
I S- Mi nute Chocol ate Wl nut Fudge 2J
I S- Mi nute Peanut Butter Fudge 2J
Stovetop Wel l - Done Hamburgers
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Pound Cake, 2 b
Steak Fri tes, V
Roasted Caul i flower, 2
Herb- Crusted Pork Roast, I I
Whi te Ch i cken Ch i l i , 7
Rocky Road F udge, 2J
Si chuan Green Beans , 2 |
French Oni on and Bacon Tart, | V

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P H OTOGRAPHY: CARL TRE MBLAY, STYLI NG : MARI E P I RAI NO

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