Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2022/January 2023 i Cook's Country

WHEN MY HUSBAND, Alex, and I first met in the Basque Country in 2006, we drank a lot of coffee together. In bakeries and bars all around the Parte Vieja in Donostia-San Sebastián, a coastal city known as “the pearl of the Cantabrian Sea,” we threw back countless espressos on the way to and from our daily double shifts at Alex’s pintxos bar and restaurant, La Cuchara de San Telmo. But one coffee date stands out: when Alex invited me to La Viña, birthplace of the locally beloved cheesecake that was (little did we know at the time) poised to set off something of a global cheesecake revolution. We sat at a small table, under shelves lined with spring-form pans of parchment-haloed cakes, and barely spoke as we swooned over…

DINNER TONIGHT Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Slaw DINNER TONIGHT Pita Salad with Za’atar Tofu and Chickpeas DINNER TONIGHT Roasted Chicken Thighs with Skillet Spaghetti Squash Gratin DINNER TONIGHT Strip Steaks with Celery and Blue Cheese Salad DINNER TONIGHT Baked Scallops with Bibb Salad DINNER TONIGHT Pork Chops with Bourbon-Cherry Sauce and Sweet Potatoes DINNER TONIGHT Pork Meatball Soup with Wonton Noodles and Baby Bok Choy DINNER TONIGHT Spicy Polenta with White Beans and Kale…

MAKING YOUR OWN rich and earthy coffee liqueur, with hints of chocolate and vanilla, is a cinch. This simple infusion takes just one week to make and keeps for one year, so it’s perfect for gifting. For a clear, mahogany-hued liqueur that is smooth and nuanced, high-proof alcohol (a combination of neutral vodka and brandy) is needed to extract flavor compounds from whole coffee beans, cacao nibs, and half of a vanilla bean. While the process of infusion takes some time, it’s well worth the wait. After straining out the aromatics, all that’s left to do is combine the infused alcohol with just the right amount of simple syrup. The result: a delicious coffee liqueur that is as at home in a warm and comforting Spiked Hot Mocha as it…

MALINDA RUSSELL’S A Domestic Cookbook, published in 1866, is celebrated as the first cookbook by an African American author, but it has another distinction as the earliest known published collection of recipes from the southern Appalachians. As such, it stands as a document to the southern mountaineers’ love of gingerbread. Amelia Simmons’s cookbook, American Cookery (1796), the first published in the United States, has four recipes for gingerbread/cakes. Mary Randolph’s Virginia Housewife (1824), which Russell identifies as a primary source of her culinary education, has three, and What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking (1881) has one for cake and one for cookies. But Russell’s book, which records recipes that she made and served and sold at her Chuckey Mountain, Tennessee, boarding house and later at her bakery, contains…

GRILL-PAN PORK CHOPS WITH MANGO AND HERB SALAD Serves 4 to 6 Total Time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour marinating If ½-inch-thick chops are unavailable, use four 1-inch-thick chops and cut them in half horizontally. Combine the salad ingredients just before serving. A clean, well-seasoned grill pan will prevent sticking. For a spicier dish, use the full Thai chile. PORK CHOPS 1 tablespoon fish sauce1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus oil for grill pan1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger3 garlic cloves, minced2 teaspoons grated lime zest1½ teaspoons table salt1 teaspoon pepper8 (3- to 4-ounce) boneless pork chops, 1⁄2 inch thick SALAD 12 ounces (1½ cups) frozen mango, thawed and chopped½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped½ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped2 shallots, sliced thin4 teaspoons grated lime zest…

THUMBPRINT COOKIES Makes 36 cookies Total Time: 1 hour, plus 20 minutes cooling Any seedless jam can be used here, but raspberry is the most traditional. If you don’t have a rounded teaspoon, you can use a small melon baller. 2¼ cups (11¼ ounces) all-purpose flour¾ teaspoon table salt½ teaspoon baking soda¼ teaspoon baking powder12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened⅔ cup (4⅔ ounces) sugar, plus ⅓ cup for rolling3 ounces cream cheese, softened1 large egg1½ teaspoons vanilla extract1 cup seedless jam or MeyerLemon Curd (page 37), chilled 1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside. 2. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat…

DT Pork Chops with Bourbon-Cherry Sauce and Sweet Potatoes DT Baked Scallops with Bibb Salad DT Pork Meatball Soup with Wonton Noodles and Bok Choy 38 Thumbprint Cookies 20 Butter-Roasted Carrots with Hazelnut Crumble and Goat Cheese 12 Green Bean Salad with Creamy Lemon Sauce and Crispy Capers 29 Spiked Hot Mocha 25 Avocado Salad 40 Instant Pot Red Wine–Braised Beef Stew 37 Meyer Lemon Curd 41 Herb-Marinated Chicken with Bulgur for Two 15 Marinated Seafood Salad DT Roasted Chicken Thighs with Skillet Spaghetti Squash Gratin 33 Chickpea Fries 34 Prosciutto-Wrapped Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce DT Pita Salad with Za’atar Tofu and Chickpeas DT Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Slaw 10 Duck Leg Confit 35 Grill-Pan Pork Chops with Mango and Herb Salad 13 Roasted Beets with Lemon-Tahini Dressing DT Strip Steaks with…

America’s Test Kitchen has been teaching home cooks how to be successful in the kitchen since 1993. Our mission is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Millions watch our two shows on public television; read our two flagship magazines (Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated); and rely on our books, websites, videos, podcasts, and educational products for children. America’s Test Kitchen is located in a state-of-the-art Boston facility with 15,000 square feet of test kitchen and studio space. Learn more at AmericasTestKitchen.com. FIND THE ROOSTER! We’ve hidden a tiny version of the rooster above in a photo in the pages of this issue. Tell us where the rooster is hiding, and we’ll enter you in a random drawing. The first correct entry drawn will win a…

IT’S EARLY MORNING when I arrive at FOB Kitchen in Oakland, California, where chef/owner Janice Dulce is already hard at work searing ribs in a wide, high-sided rondeau stretched across two burners on the stove. The ribs, cut crosswise through the bones and separated into smaller sections, will form the base for sinigang, a savory/sour soup rich with ginger and tamarind. Sinigang is a cornerstone of Filipino cuisine and a popular dish at Janice’s bright, welcoming restaurant. Janice works quickly: talking, cooking, flipping the ribs, setting the browned ones aside to make room for another batch. Her mise en place is set up on a nearby butcher block, and when the ribs are sufficiently browned, she adds sliced onions and handfuls of julienned ginger to the pot where they just…

WHEN WE ARRIVE at Emily Meggett’s tidy yellow home on Edisto Island, South Carolina, Ms. Emily, as everyone calls her, is waiting at the side door, eager to start cooking with us. Guests are not welcome at her home, only friends and family, but Ms. Emily is quick to tell us that everyone who walks through her front gate instantly becomes friends and family. After a warm greeting, Ms. Emily and Cook’s Country Editor in Chief Toni Tipton-Martin approach the kitchen counter to begin making hoppin’ John based on a recipe from Ms. Emily’s cook-book, The New York Times best seller, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island (2022). The house is filled with the aromas of smoky bacon slowly simmering with cabbage on the stovetop…

AVOCADOS ARE having a moment, and for good reason—they are delicious and versatile. We wanted to build a salad that made this creamy fruit (yes, avocados are fruits; in fact, they are classified as berries) the central focus. For this recipe, start by making a bold dressing with plenty of citrus and a nip of heat from a minced jalapeño; an assertive dressing nicely complements and highlights avocado’s mild creaminess. Halve and pit the avocados and then slice them. Next, fan the slices so that there’s about ½ inch of the sides of each slice exposed (see “How to Shingle Avocados Like a Pro”). It seems a little finicky, but it creates more surface area to sprinkle with salt and drizzle with dressing. Top the whole thing off with some…

THIS HEARTY ONE-PAN meal showcases elements of classic Greek dishes: lemon-charged potatoes, a yogurt sauce, and a traditional red wine– and orange-scented pork sausage called loukaniko (kielbasa, linguiça, and andouille also work well). Greek-style potatoes are traditionally prepared using a combination of braising and roasting to achieve luscious, creamy interiors and delicately roasted exteriors. For this easy meal, Yukon Gold potatoes get a jump start in the oven on a covered baking sheet, where they braise in a mixture of chicken broth, lemon juice and zest, and garlic until they are fully cooked and seasoned throughout. For the second phase of cooking, split loukaniko is added to the empty spaces on the baking sheet among the potatoes, and the whole mixture goes back into the oven, uncovered, to roast until…

BEEF BURGUNDY, or boeuf bourguignon, is a dish of hearty chunks of beef and mushrooms simmered in a red‑wine gravy. It’s rich, earthy, and comforting. The dish originated in the Burgundy (Bourgogne) region of France, which is known for its prized beef and red wine. In Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961), Julia Child describes it as “one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man. ”It’s also very time-consuming; recipes can take up to 5 hours to prepare. But with an Instant Pot, you can easily cut that time in half. In turning to this time-saving appliance, we made a few changes that had us veering away from the “beef Burgundy” name, most notably swapping in chopped regular onions for the traditional pearl onions for ease. The…

HOW TO BUILD A CHEESE BOARD Hosting a gathering this holiday season? A cheese board is just what your party needs. Here are some tips for making a well-balanced cheese board from Boards: Stylish Spreads for Casual Gatherings (2022) by our colleague Elle Simone Scott. The book offers much more than cheese boards—it will open your mind to what a “food board” can be. The way you slice cheese impacts the flavor and texture. Cut wheels of soft cheese into single-serving wedges. For larger precut wedges of soft cheese, cut slices that angle out from the tip of the wedge (like slicing a piece of pie into slivers). For semisoft and hard wedges, make parallel slices through the rind. For large firm and semifirm cheeses, cut slices across the width…

MAKING DUCK CONFIT is simple. Yet, rarely does so simple a process alchemize so few ingredients into such culinary gold. Originating in Southwest France as a method for keeping meat from spoiling, “confit” simply translates as “preserved.” It’s just three steps. First, salt and season duck legs for hours or days. Second, poach them slowly in rendered duck fat. Third, submerge them to “ripen” in the cooled, solidified fat. Modern refrigeration might have banished confit to the history books had the results not been so exquisitely delicious. We no longer need to cure and trap duck under layers of fat where oxygen can’t get to it, but we want to because when you retrieve that tender duck leg from the ultra flavorful fat, crisp it up briefly in a pan,…

IF YOU DON’T already know what you’re eating this year on December 24 (or on any festive day), consider this marinated seafood salad. It just might convince you to start a new holiday tradition. Or perhaps it isn’t new to you at all. In Italian American homes and restaurants, Christmas Eve dinner often calls for a sumptuous, multicourse seafood extravaganza: the Feast of the Seven Fishes (see “A Celebratory Feast”). One popular dish on the holiday tables of those who celebrate is a mixed seafood salad like the one we’re offering here. This recipe, which can be made in advance, is fundamentally very simple, but readying the seafood takes some time. It’s a labor of love that is well worth the effort. Our version features four kinds of seafood perfectly…

THE HUMBLE CARROT can be elevated to a restaurant-worthy side dish that really shines—all it takes is a simple roasting technique plus a quick crunchy topping and a few choice add-ins. Roasting the carrots on a baking sheet on the lowest oven rack, closest to the heating element, ensures intense browning on the sides touching the sheet. And pouring melted unsalted butter onto the sheet before roasting helps caramelize the carrots while adding a nutty flavor and some richness (olive oil is often used but isn’t the best way to get the most flavor). The result is a mix of textures—tender middles and roasty edges—with deep sweetness and even a welcome touch of natural bitterness from caramelization. To dress up the butter-roasted carrots, this recipe leans into ingredients that provide…

MEYER LEMON CURD Serves 4 to 6 (Makes about 2 cups) Total Time: 20 minutes, plus 4 hours chilling If Meyer lemons are unavailable, you can get a similar flavor by combining the juices from lemons and a mandarin or navel orange. Substitute 3 tablespoons lemon zest and 1 tablespoon mandarin or navel orange zest and ⅓ cup juice from each. 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar2 large eggs plus 4 large yolks¼ cup grated Meyer lemon zest plus 2⁄3 cup juice (6 to 8 lemons)1⁄8 teaspoon table salt4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled 1. Whisk sugar, eggs and yolks, lemon zest, and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Heat lemon juice in small saucepan over medium heat until hot and just bubbling around edges, 1 to 2…

FOR A SCALED-DOWN meal that hits all the right notes of a roast chicken dinner, simply slash, marinate, and roast your favorite chicken parts and pair them with a simple side. HERB-MARINATED CHICKEN WITH BULGUR FOR TWO Total Time: 1¼ hours, plus 30 minutes marinating If you don’t have a 10-inch skillet, you can use a 12-inch skillet. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil3 garlic cloves, chopped2½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 1½ teaspoons juice2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus salt for cooking bulgur1½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary½ teaspoon ground coriander¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes¼ teaspoon pepper4 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed, or 2 (12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise½ cup medium-grind bulgur3 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley…

BASQUE CIDER SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE Serves 8 to 12 (Makes about 1 cup) Total Time: 55 minutes If you can’t find Basque cider (also known as sagardoa), substitute another dry hard cider. You can reheat the sauce either in a microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking often, until the sauce is warm and smooth. 1 (750-ml) bottle Basque hard cider1⅔ cups (11⅔ ounces) sugar¾ cup heavy cream¼ teaspoon table salt 1. Bring cider and sugar to boil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook without stirring until mixture is syrupy and full of large bubbles and registers about 250 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes. 2. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, swirling saucepan occasionally, until mixture is deep amber–colored and registers 320 to…

1. Publication Title: Cook’s Country; 2. Publication No. 1552-1990; 3. Filing date: 10/01/22; 4. Issue frequency: Dec/Jan; Feb/Mar; Apr/May; Jun/Jul; Aug/Sept; Oct/Nov; 5. No. of issues published annually: 6; 6. Annual Subscription Price is $39.95; 7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 21 Drydock Avenue, Suite 210E, Boston, MA 02210; 8. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of publisher: 21 Drydock Avenue, Suite 210E, Boston, MA 02210; 9. Full names and complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor, and managing editor. Publisher, David Nussbaum, 21 Drydock Avenue, Suite 210E, Boston, MA 02210, Editor, Toni Tipton-Martin, 21 Drydock Avenue, Suite 210E, Boston, MA 02210, Managing Editor, Todd Meier, 21 Drydock Avenue, Suite 210E, Boston, MA 02210; 10. Owner: America’s Test Kitchen LP; 21 Drydock Avenue, Suite 210E,…