Girl in the Kitchen: Asparagus Linguine with Almond Butter Crisp

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Kate

This would be a fairly straightforward pasta dish — asparagus, baby arugula and olive oil — before you add the almond butter crisp.  And please, take a moment to fully absorb that that concept: Almond.  Butter.  Crisp.  It’s nuts and butter and bread crumbs and parmesan.  As Stephanie says, it’s a savory version of a crunchy topping you might typically find on a fruit dessert and bless her heart for re-imagining it so we can eat it more often.  And make no mistake: it is the Crisp that makes this dish extraordinary.  After you make it you may want to store it in your neighbor’s fridge until the pasta is ready lest you nibble away at all of it before dinner.

This would be a good option for a week night meal but for the roasted garlic, which will set you back 30-40 minutes.  If you can manage to remember to do that ahead of time this becomes more realistic for a Tuesday night.

And here’s some wisdom about about breadcrumbs.  Please don’t tell me you’re buying cans of these things at the store.  That would make me cry.  What I do is collect all of the heels of loaves of bread, the extra hot dog and hamburger buns, etc., process them into crumbs in the food processor, and keep them in a ziploc bag in the freezer.  It makes me feel frugal and virtuous and I need all of that I can get.

The recipe is right here, thanks to HuffPo.

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Girl in the Kitchen: Pork and Apple Ragu with Parparadelle

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Kate

Sorry, I just can't take a good picture lately

One thing I’m learning very quickly about our friend Miss Stephanie Izard is that she is not about the 30-minute meal.  Like most professional chefs, she loves the kitchen and gets paid to be in it all day and kind of assumes we all feel the same way.  For me, only the former is true.  But hey, the title of the book is not Girl Gets out of the Kitchen in 30 Minutes and Gets a Ton of Other Stuff Done so she is not misleading anyone.

I was absolutely thrilled, however, to find this little gem which is one of those great dishes that look and sound and taste like they took a long time but are deceptively quick.  The sauce — ground pork, bacon, apples, garlic, onion, wine, broth, and tomatoes — only requires 15 minutes of simmer time.  The prep is dicing an onion and mincing some garlic.  A few capers are thrown in in the end and I almost left them out.  I always remember what Nora Ephron said in Heartburn about being paid by the American Caper Council (or whatever) to develop recipes with capers in them.  From this experience she discovered that anything with capers tastes even better without them.  But I did add them and while I would never call the great Nora Ephron wrong exactly, I will say that perhaps she hasn’t tasted capers in this particular dish because they were perfect and added just the right little pop of briny-saltiness.  I have a new respect for capers as a result.

You can find the recipe right here, on Stephanie’s site.  In the book she recommends garnishing this dish with lots of freshly-grated Parmesan and, honestly, why wouldn’t you?

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The Next Book: Girl in the Kitchen

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Kate

Is Stephanie Izard’s Chicago restaurant Girl and the Goat the hardest reservation in town these days? I don’t know but I do know I have had three separate conversations in recent weeks about strategies for getting in, and that is telling, no? (And don’t think I’m going to tell you the strategies because I think at least one of them works and, although I love you all deeply, you’re so not getting my table).

Although there is a fair amount of goat on the menu at Girl and the Animal of the Same Name, there is none, yes none, in the cookbook. Which is probably why they didn’t call it The Girl and the Goat Cookbook (imagine the dozens of books returned by disappointed customers).

Instead, what the first woman to win Top Chef offers is (in her own words) “a collection of recipes built on a few classic techniques” influenced, of course, by her unique point of view about food. But here’s what really interests me: she says in her forward “I promise you that even though a couple of recipes might be aimed more at a special dinner party than a Tuesday night supper, all are simple enough to do at home and are made with ingredients readily available from your local grocery store.” Color me skeptical but — game on Goat Girl!

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Make this Now: Butternut Squash Galette with Gruyere

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Kate

Be warned: this is a project. It probably took me three hours start to finish but it was so worth it.

If you’ve ever wanted to eat pie for dinner but just could not come up with a way to justify it, I think I can help you.  Make it out of vegetables.  You’re welcome.

Of course, it’s not that simple.  The dough needs to be adjusted so that it’s easier to work with and can withstand the vegetables’ tendency to leak all over everything.   This is accomplished by substituting some of the white flour with just the right amount of whole wheat flour.  How did the good people at Cook’s find “just the right amount”?  If you really want a dissertation on the relative hydrating properties of flour read the article.  I’m ok knowing that they probably made 45 of these things and I can skip the organic chemistry lesson.

I was lucky enough to find already peeled and cut-up butternut squash thus saving me from one of the least favorite kitchen tasks.  I also recommend making the dough ahead to make this at least seem like less than an entire afternoon’s worth of work.

The Butternut Squash Galette with Gruyere, along with Mushroom and Leek Galette and Potato and Shallot Galette with Goat Cheese, are in the January/February 2012 issue of Cook’s Illustrated.

Butternut Squash Galette with Gruyere

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, January/February 2012
Serves 6
Dough
1-3/4 cups (6-1/4 oz.) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2-3/4 oz.) whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ pieces and chilled
7 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Filling
6 oz. baby spinach
1-1/4 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onions, sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
3 oz. gruyere cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons creme fraiche
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
salt and pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
kosher salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
For the Dough:
1. Pulse flours, sugar and salt in the food processor until combined, 2-3 pulses.  Add butter and pulse until it is in pea-sized pieces, about 10 pulses.  Transfer to a medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle water and vinegar over mixture.  With rubber spatula, fold mixture until a loose mass forms with some dry flour remaining.  Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a thick square and wrap tightly.  Refrigerate at least 45 minutes.
3. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll into an 11×8″ rectangle.  Using a bench scraper, fold in threes like a business letter.  Turn and roll again into an 11 x 8″ rectangle and fold into thirds again.  Repeat by turning and folding one more time and then fold in half to create a 4″ square.  Press top of dough to seal, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to two days.
For the Filling:
4. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place pizza stone on rack and heat to 400 degrees.
5. Place spinach and 1/4 cup water in a large microwave-safe bowl.  Cover with a large dinner plate and microwave on high 3-4 minutes, or until spinach is reduced by half.  Using potholders, carefully removed from microwave and keep covered for 1 minute.  Carefully remove plate and transfer spinach to colander.  Gently press spinach against sides of colander to release liquid.  Transfer to cutting board, chop roughly and return to colander to press again.  Add squash to now empty bowl and microwave until tender, about 8 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12″ skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion and oregano, cover, and cook until onions are tender and beginning to brown, 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat, add onion mixture to squash along with spinach, cheese, creme fraiche and vinegar and stir gently to combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assemble and Bake:
7. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand for 15-20 minutes.  Roll out on generously floured work surface (or directly onto a sheet of parchment) to a 14″ circle.  Transfer to a (parchment-lined) rimmed baking sheet.  With a plastic straw or paring knife, cut five small holes into dough — one in the center and four evenly-spaced midway from center to edge of dough.  Brush top of dough with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
8. Spread filling evenly over dough leaving a 2″ border around the edge.  Drizzle remaining teaspoon olive oil over filling.  Carefully grasp one edge of dough and fold up outer 2″ over filling.  Repeat around circumference of tart, overlapping dough every 2-3″.  Gently pinch pleated dough to secure. Brush dough with egg and sprinkle evenly with kosher salt.
9. Lower oven temperature to 375 and bake until crust is deep golden brown and filling is beginning to brown, 35-45 minutes.  Cool tart on baking sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Carefully slide tart off parchment onto cutting board.  Sprinkle with parsley, cut into wedges and serve.

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The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook: Nut-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Thyme

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Kate

As I’ve mentioned before, chicken breasts need a lot of help. I would almost always rather have a leg, a thigh or even a wing over a breast any day because, of course, they’re fattier and that equals better. But if you insist on white meat I think you need to do two things: cook it absolutely perfectly, and graft as much flavor onto it as humanly possible.

This recipe is a great example of what Cook’s Illustrated excels at: taking a very familiar idea and finding a few easy adjustments that elevate it above average and make it something worth cooking.  In this instance the innovations are in the coating — mixing the nuts up with a little panko and pasting it all on with browned butter.

But back to cooking it perfectly. The breasts need to get to 160 and for this you will really benefit from owning a good thermometer. This is my favorite and I admit it’s not a small investment. But it’s changed the way I cook and I wouldn’t recommend it if I didn’t think you wouldn’t fall in love with it. If you can’t justify a little culinary retail indulgence right now, do your best with whatever thermometer you have or just make a small cut in the thickest part of the breast and make sure it’s not pink.

This was some very delicious chicken and fairly reasonable for a weeknight (I say fairly because anything breaded seems to require three dredging dishes and all of a sudden you’ve got a countertop full of plates and flour and egg).

Nut-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Thyme is on page 315.

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The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook: Yeasted Blueberry Waffles

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Kate

If you’ve never made yeasted waffles before you really need to get on it.  It’s not a dish for the spontaneous as it requires an overnight rest in the fridge but, other than that, there’s nothing standing in your way to experiencing breakfast (or in the case, dinner) ecstasy.

The main difference between regular waffles and yeasted ones is – are you ready to write this down? — yeast.  The yeast, and I suspect the overnight rest, give them a tang and crispiness that make them mildly addictive.  Cook’s says they “refined and complex” and I couldn’t agree more.  Personally, I aspire to be refined and complex so I’m going to work more of these into my diet.

Because I’d made Cook’s regular yeasted waffles before, I decided to try the blueberry variation this time.  Wild berries are best because they are smaller and will release less liquid, thus not disturbing your liquid-to-dry ratio too much. I was lucky to find frozen wild blueberries at my new favorite place on earth, Mariano’s Fresh Market.

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The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook: “The Only Tomato Sauce You’ll Ever Need”

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Kate

This was a perfectly delicious tomato sauce but if I had to pick one to call “the only tomato sauce” I’ll ever need it will not be this one.  That honor goes to Marcella Hazan’s brilliant sauce which is simply a 28-oz. can of whole, peeled tomatoes, an onion cut in half, and 5 tablespoons of butter simmered to 45 minutes.  You’re probably sick to death of hearing me talk about this sauce but it is true culinary genius and I can’t recommend it enough.

This one requires a little more effort including removing the seeds from the canned tomatoes which is one of those recipe instructions that make me say “you’ve got to be kidding.”  I’ve never seeded tomatoes and I live a full and happy life.  I recommend you do the same.

This recipe, called Marinara Sauce in the book, is on page 168.

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The Next Book: The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Kate

It’s no secret that I’m a complete fool for Cook’s Illustrated.  I learned how to cook from this magazine and it is my single favorite source for reliable recipes.  Yes, their meticulous approach often results in recipes that ask you to do things that are unorthodox, inscrutable, and sometimes seem ridiculous.  Right now I am looking at a recipe from the book for Ultimate Banana Bread and if you think they’re going to let you just mush some bananas and fold them into a batter, you have no idea who you’re dealing with.  Listen to this: “Looking for a way to add banana flavor without moisture, we placed our bananas in a glass bowl and microwaved them for a few minutes, then transferred the fruit to a sieve to drain.  We simmered the exuded banana liquid in a saucepan until it was reduced, then incorporated it into the batter.”  Yes, we’re in exuded-banana-liquid territory.

And yet it is almost always worth it.

The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook represents 20 years of Cook’s Illustrated magazine.  In the press release I received (yes, I am big-time enough to get a cookbook press release.  Can my IPO be far behind?  I am, after all, far more profitable than Groupon) I learned about the process that went into selecting the 2,000 recipes that ended up in the book.  Chris Kimball says “Our editors removed older versions of recipes that we had updated in later issues.  They did not print recipes that our board of editors did not think lived up to our standards.  They omitted recipes that did not make sense within this particular collection.  At the same time, we wanted home cooks to find almost any recipe of note that one would expect in a large American cookbook.”  Still, I like to think of it as the Greatest Hits of the last 20 years.

I will be reviewing some recipes that are new to me but unlike my usual process I can tell you right now that this book is worth buying.  Why?  Because I was able to identify 51 recipes that I already know are amazing.  And I’m not talking about just really good dishes, I mean life altering ones.  How many cookbooks do you currently own that you can say have even 20 good recipes in them?

I was sent a free promotional copy of this book and I tell you this to impress you with my influence in the cookbook publishing world more than anything but trust me, this will not cause me to abandon my semi-professional objectivity.  I cannot be bought for $25.96.  Maybe $35 but certainly not less than 30 bucks.

While I get cooking on new recipes, you can try some of the 51 I have loved for years:

Shrimp Tempura, page 6 (it’s in the appetizer section but we eat this as a main course)
Tomato Mozzarella Tart, page 21
Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing, page 28 (also great as a dip)
Herbed Baked Goat Cheese Salad, page 41
Chicken Canzanese, page 106
French Pork and White Bean Casserole, page 109
Chicken Tikka Masala, 130
Stir Fried Thai-Style Beef with Chiles and Shallots, page 146
Pad Thai, page 156
Pasta with Tomato, Bacon and Onion, page 176
Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms and Thyme, page 186
Baked Ziti, page 217
No Fuss Risotto with Parmesan and Herbs, page 227
Ultimate Green Bean Casserole, page 251
Aligot, page 282 (this is why God invented potatoes)
Potato Roesti, 291 (or maybe this is)
Spanakopita, 303 (my vegetarian daughter’s favorite thing I make)
Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Cutlets, 311
Latin-Style Chicken and Rice, 345
Enchiladas Verde, 351
Steak Frites, 379
Ground Beef Tacos, 395 (one of my all-time favorite Cook’s recipes)
Swedish Meatballs, 397
Spicy Mexican Shredded Pork Tostadas (Tinga)
Pan-Seared Sesame-Crusted Tuna Steaks, 452
Garlicky Shrimp with Buttered Bread Crumbs, 456
Grilled Chicken Fajitas, 465
Grill-Roasted Beer Can Chicken, 478
Grilled Argentinian Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, 494
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak, 499
Grilled Shrimp Skewers, 526
Spanish Tortilla with Roasted Red Peppers and Peas, 541
Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyere, 350
Yeasted Waffles, 555
Oven-Fried Bacon, 557 (perfectly cooked bacon every time)
Blueberry Scones, 562
Quick Cheese Bread, 583
Sticky Buns with Pecans, 590
Grilled Tomato and Cheese Pizza, 611
Focaccia with Kalamata Olives and Thyme, 621
Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans and Dried Cherries, 630
Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies, 631
Strawberry Cream Cake, 671
Lemon Bundt Cake, 690
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake, 697 (my all-time favorite dessert)
Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake, 703
Chocolate Cream Pie, 725
Baked Raspberry Tart, 733
Blueberry Buckle, 753
Sherbet, 791
Hot Cocoa, 806

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Review: Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Kate

Crispy Chicken Cutlets with a Heap of Spring Salad

There is an article in the October 31 edition of The New Yorker about Homer Sean Brock, the latest molecular gastronomy darling, and his two New Orleans restaurants.  Like most of the brilliant, insightful, well-written articles in The New Yorker, I did not finish it (food articles always lose me when they bring in Ferran Adria.  I’m sure El Bulli is the be-all and end-all of culinary endeavor but do we have to drag the man into every food discussion?)  Nevertheless, I was struck by this statement:

“Southern food has had no lack of would-be saviors, but it has proved mulishly resistant to change…The worst knocks against Southern food — that it was heavy, fatty, bland, and simple-minded, long on fried meat and short on vegetables — were what people loved best about it.”  (Keep in mind that the author of the article, Burkhard Bilger, is himself a Southerner.  In case the name doesn’t give him away.)

And that is why I like Miss Sara’s book.  She has updated this beloved cuisine enough to remove or minimize the elements that were bringing it down and threatening to give it a bad name: the over-reliance on fat and under-use of seasoning, the default to sweet in every dish, and the wilful neglect of most vegetables.  And yet, she has maintained the heart and soul of Southern classics, old and new.

Summer Squash Casserole

Her approach is straightforward, her recipes simple, and her instructions clear.  Her affection and respect for her subject is obvious and unwavering.  Of the recipes I tried, the downright inedibles were few (one to be precise: the incendiary Memphis-Style Barbecued Spare Ribs).  Some, unmemorable: Friday Night Steak Sandwiches, Mixed Bean Salad with Herb Vinaigrette, Creamy Potato Salad, Spicy Pepper Jelly-Marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin, and the Farm-Stand Peach Ice Cream (grainy and a disappointing waste of in-season peaches).

To-be-made again (and some already have): Deviled Ham Salad, Spring Pea Toasts with Lemon Olive Oil and Fresh Pea Shoots, Pimento Cheese, Salt and Pepper Skillet Cornbread, Summer Corn Cakes with Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa, Kate’s Sweet Potato Refrigerator Rolls, Crispy Chicken Cutlets with a Heap of Spring Salad, Fried Green Tomato BLT, Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Butt, Anytime Hoppin’ John, Summer Succotash, Fried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing, Summer Squash Casserole, and Sour Cherry Preserves.

Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Butt

It’s telling (to me anyway) that there are still many recipes in this book that I want to try.  I didn’t even start on the grits section; the Caramelized Red Onion Tarts and Caramelized Fig Crostini with Country Ham and Goat Cheese are soooo appealing.  I had the ingredients to make the Cream Biscuits with Sugared Strawberries a couple of times but was never able to follow through for a variety of reasons that would bore you to tears.  Squash Puppies?  That sounds great.  As does Skillet-Fried Catfish with Herb Tartar Sauce, Baked Butter Beans, Lemon Rub Pie, Bourbon Apricot and Sweet Potato Hand Pies, and Molasses-Bourbon Pecan Pie.  And the Autumnal Chicken Pot Pie was just waiting for the right season (now) to dive into.

If you are as unfamiliar as I was with Southern cooking, this book is a solid introduction.  If you are a multi-generation Southern family with a bursting file of tried-and-true recipes but think some of them could stand some updating, you will also enjoy this book.

Hound

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Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen: Spring Pea Toasts with Lemon Olive Oil and Fresh Pea Shoots

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Kate

I’m not going to lie to you: I made this way back in the spring when I was able to get fresh spring peas at the farmers’ market (or as Miss Sarah says they’re called in the south, English peas).  But I might try them with regular frozen peas sometime because this is too good a dish to only have during fresh pea season.

In addition to the peas, garlic, lemon, chives, mint, olive oil, and parmesan cheese are pureed and then spread on crostini and topped with pea shoots, or baby watercress, or arugula and lemon olive oil (just olive oil with lemon juice and zest).  Obviously, it’s kind of a pea pesto.  It’s fresh and herb-y and deliciously spring-y. 

You can find the recipe here, courtesy of NPR.org.

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