Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2013 i Bon Appetit

CURE FOR THE COMMON COLD REMEDY Steel yourself against cold and flu season with boozy, steaming-hot drinks that double, however arguably, as preventive medicine. Find recipes for immuneboosting cocktails, such as this warmer from Chicago barkeep Benjamin Schiller, at bonappetit.com/RxCocktails. BRAN’S DRAM Steep 1 bag berry herbal tea in a mug with 6 oz. hot water, 2-3 minutes; Discard tea bag and stir 11/2 oz. white rum, 1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice, and1 tsp. honey. Garnish with a lemon twist. Makes 1 “If rum won’t give you that warming glow of wellness, the hot tea will.” —Benjamin Schiller, beverage director of The Berkshire Room NSTA SATISFACTION What’s the point of making a gorgeous standing rib roast if you don’t Instagram it? This holiday season, hashtag your centerpiece-worthy meats #roastboast. We’ll…

WHAT A HAM! The holiday ham-bone-in. baked, and glazed for a burnished sheen-is the real Christmas miracle. It Offers an impressively high return for almost embarrassingly minimal effort. Its mere scale (one ham feeds up to 20 for dinner) gives it the appearance of a culinary triumph. Yet, since the ham is smoked and cured and therefore already fully cooked, the porcess is practically foolproof. Turn the page for the fundamentals of buying, scoring, glazing, and devouring your own porky marval for days on end.-JULIA KRAMER AND ALISON ROMAN 4 STEPS TO HAM NIRVANA 1 BUY IT For a recipe that requires so little actual cooking, the quality of your pork is of utmost importance. We effusively recommend D’Artagnan’s fresh applewood-smoked bone-in heritage ham ($112 for 12–14 lb.; dartagnan.com). But…

This Calls for Champagne! From chilling to serving to showstopping sabering, BA’s Wine Insider uncorks everything you need to know about holiday bubbly Cuvée >It means “blend.” Most Champagnes are blends of grapes and also contain wines from multiple years. DECODE THE LABEL Brut Champagne is classified according to its sweetness. From driest to sweetest, the lineup is: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Sec, Demi-Sec, and Doux. Paul Laurent NV Cuvée de Fondateur Brut Champagne is clean, lively, and—for the price ($32)—a terrific value. RM/NM To figure out just how indie your Champagne is, read the fine print. “RM” stands for Récoltant-Manipulant, i.e., a grower who also vinifies his own grapes. “NM” stands for Négociant-Manipulant, i.e., a producer who buys some or all of his grapes. Most of the big Champagne…

For obsessives, by obsessives—these are the presents every D.I.Y. food nerd, home mixologist, aspiring barista, unapologetic sweet tooth, and countertop aesthete will be asking for this holiday season AIR-ROASTING STARTER KIT A Put a coffee wonk on the path to nextlevel addiction by getting her into home roasting. This kit has it all: an entry-level roaster, hand grinder, and four pounds of raw beans. $224; sweet marias.com There are no fresher beans than the ones you roast yourself. The Aspiring Barista She’s mastered the Chemex and French press. What’s next for your coffee addict? All this CALICO GLAZE MDG The earthy color palette evokes the desert landscapes of Las Cruces, New Mexico, where the 12-ounce cup was made. $76; risingskypottery.com ESPRESSO MACHINE BRDSH A dirty filter basket can ruin an…

Season’s eatings Pound Cake with Grand Marnier–Poached Apricots. P. 89 WINTER IS BAKING SEASON at Canal House. Of course, we make cookies and tarts, but we show our chops in our cakes—especially a fragile concoction of chocolate and hazelnuts with just enough flour to hold the thing together, and a dense, subtly sweet pound cake of elemental proportions (traditionally one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour) that can last up to a week… if it makes it that long. In our take on a lighter, more lovable fruitcake, we serve each with its own fruity and festive pairing. To get started, we take stock of the pantry in early December, replenishing what’s running low. The essentials: European-style butter, superfine cane sugar, and the very best flour (we like…

BUTCHER’S TIP A pork shoulder consists of the picnic and the Boston butt. The latter, used here, is from the top of the shoulder. It has a thicker fat cap and a tidier shape, which makes it better suited for long, slow roasts and easier to slice. MEET YOUR BUTCHERS Taylor Boetticher and Toponia Miller run the Fatted Calf Charcuterie in Napa and San Francisco. Their first book, In the Charcuterie (Ten Speed Press), is out now. BUTCHER’S TIP With pot roast, the right vessel is key. Use an enameled cast-iron braiser or Dutch oven, making sure it’s larger than your roast. If the fit is too snug, the meat will steam and you’ll miss out on a gorgeous, caramelized exterior. BUTCHER’S TIP Sausage stuffings are a good choice for…

TASTED, TESTED, AND APPROVED When it comes to food, we here at Bon Appétit don’t just want good ingredients, we want the absolute best. Our panel of expert tasters grabbed their forks and spoons to determine the 25 products you shouldn’t cook (or drink, or snack, or bake) without Trust isn’t given; it’s earned. That’s why, for the second year, we’re rewarding the products that have won our loyalty with the Bon Appétit Seal of Approval. Want to know what addictive chips senior food editor Dawn Perry hoards for her midnight snacks? How about the all-American salumi that Ashlea Halpern, our special projects editor, entertains with? We reveal the secret ingredient our famously opinionated restaurant and drinks editor, Andrew Knowlton, uses for Gin and Tonics, and the Japanese spice paste…

GIFTED I’M GOING TO BET that the Rapoport-Shubuck household is like most others: Duties are clearly divided between husband and wife. I do the dishes (though Simone often points out that I forget to scrub the backs of pots and plates). And I happily iron—I find it strangely calming. Simone is like the family’s creative director: She curates the look of our apartment, she coordinates our vacations, and, as I’m always reminded this time of year, she handles all of the gift giving. When I’m mumbling, “Wait, we’re supposed to bring a gift to this thing?” she’ll not only have bought a present, she’ll have already wrapped it, too. And that’s where her real talent lies. Simone is a working artist, and she never settles for a basic wrap job.…

Decorate Like Clark Griswold “I’m pulling out all the stops this year. It will be tastefully and tactfully done, but I still want people passing over in airplanes to see it.” No Bailing "Weather is a unifying factor in the Midwest. There might be a blizzard, we might be snowed in, but by gosh, we’re coming anyway." Cook for Yourself, Not the Relatives "Don’t we all think picky eaters are a pain in the rear end? The good thing about the holidays is that it’s a buffet-style thing, so you can pick what you want. It’s about filling your belly, not theirs." Start a Gag Tradition "My mom has this ugly Santa ornament, and one year I took it off the tree and clipped it to her pillow. We’ve been…

Ask our kids what they got for Hanukkah and Christmas last year (yes, we celebrate both) and there will be a long pause and, as our older daughter Phoebe might put it, a look of deep confuzzlement. And then: “I think I got…uh…a Nike shirt? Or was that my birthday? I can’t remember.” All that prep work and subterfuge, all the listcompiling and agonizing over equitable distribution of loot, and as soon as that last present is disrobed, the caravan moves on. Ask our kids what they ate for Christmas dinner last year, on the other hand, and they will tell you precisely, right down to the chopped pecans in the roasted carrots. This is not because they’re little food fetishists; it’s because their grandmother, known to them as Hubba…

A vibrant egg yolk enriches and thickens soba soup. Turn the page for the recipe. We like the look of little lady apples, but quarters of larger apples will work, too. Pan-Seared Sausage with Lady Apples and Watercress ACTIVE 25 MINUTES TOTAL 30 MINUTES 4 SERVINGS A simple white wine pan sauce brings this one-skillet dinner together. 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 lb. lady apples, halved through stem ends 1½ lb. sweet Italian sausages ¼ cup dry white wine 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar 1 bunch watercress, trimmed (about 6 cups) Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper Heat oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, cut side down, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 5–8 minutes. Prick sausages with a fork, add to…

New York at Christmastime: Even the Grinchiest locals fall under its spell. While some head uptown to skate the Rockefeller Center ice rink or ogle the glittering shops along fancy Fifth Avenue, the team at Bon Appétit heads downtown for less-trodden holiday excursions. These are the neighborhoods of the city we editors like to call our own, the enclaves of boutique stores and low-key restaurants and bars where we’ll be spending the snowy evenings. Join us. —Julia Kramer NOHO Christine Muhlke, executive editor This less-touristed area checks off several boxes on my Christmas list: At John Derian [5], I always find pretty ornaments, Astier de Villatte notebooks, and colorful napkins for friends. Photography lovers are given collectible tomes from Dashwood Books. My husband gets boots or a jacket from Billy…

ICED UP Chill your punch with large cubes or an ice ring. For our favorite oversize cube molds, see Prep School on page 145. For how to make the ice rings in this story, go to bonappetit.com/icering STILL FEELING PUNCHY? You’re in luck. We’ve got a video with much more on our favorite party libation. Watch it at bonappetit.com/punch FROM LEFT SEVEN BRIDGES ROAD Choose an unaged aquavit like Aalborg. ½ cup clover honey 1 750-ml bottle Pimm’s No. 1 2½ cups gin 2 cups curaçao, preferably Pierre Ferrand dry 2 cups fresh lemon juice 1½ cups aquavit 1 750-ml bottle dry sparkling white wine 1 lemon, thinly sliced, studded with cloves Dissolve honey in 1/3 cup hot water. Chill syrup until cold. Combine Pimm’s, gin, curaçao, lemon juice, aquavit,…

For about a million reasons, acting in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street was the role of a lifetime for Jonah Hill. Sure, he idolizes the Oscar-winning director (who doesn’t?). But he also liked playing a sleazy stockbroker alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the cautionary tale of ’90s securities fraud and corruption. The best perk of the six-month shoot, though, may have been the culinary tour of New York, including Rao’s in East Harlem (Scorsese got him the reservation; Hill ordered the meatballs), repeat visits to Sushi of Gari (“No uni”), and porterhouses at Peter Luger in Brooklyn. “I went there with my grandfather growing up,” he says. “I love places that seem like they’ve been around forever.” There was just one hiccup: Luger’s no-credit-card (other than its own) policy.…

READERS’ FAVORITE RESTAURANT RECIPES —TARYN KLINGER, Boulder, CO ROAST TROUT WITH LENTILS AND VERJUS 4 SERVINGS Yes, there is butter in the sauce, but the key ingredient is verjus. If you can’t find it, use half white wine and half unseasoned rice vinegar. LENTILS 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 small carrot, peeled, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped ½ small onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 cup black beluga lentils or French green lentils 2–3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 tsp. Sherry vinegar Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper VERJUS BEURRE BLANC 1 small shallot, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, peeled, crushed 1 whole star anise pod 1 bay leaf 6 black peppercorns 1 cup white verjus ½ cup dry white wine ½ cup (1 stick) chilled…

Top-Seeded Sprinkled over lamb chops, folded into muesli, or blended into a brilliant syrup—pomegranate seeds look as festive as they taste LAMB CHOPS WITH POMEGRANATE RELISH “The tart sweetness of the pomegranate cuts through the richness of the lamb.” —Claire Saffitz, recipe tester Prepare grill or grill pan for mediumhigh heat. Mix½ cup pomegranate seeds, ¼ cup chopped black olives, ¼ cup crumbled feta, ¼ cup olive oil, and 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley in a bowl; season with salt and pepper$ HkX 8 lamb rib chops with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and 2 tsp. crushed fennel seeds; season with salt and pepper and grill to desired doneness. Serve with relish. 4 servings POMEGRANATEORANGE SYRUP “Use this syrup in vinaigrettes, to glaze meats, and in place of grenadine in…

GONE FISHIN’ I’m neither Italian nor Catholic, but that doesn’t mean I can’t adopt one of Italy’s great culinary traditions: the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Typically served on Christmas Eve, the meal comprises seven (or more) seafood courses. Some say salt cod is a must; for others it’s eel. Here’s what’s on my menu: THE COURSES 1. Oysters with caviar and cucumber granita 2. Baccalà salad 3. Dungeness crab toast 4. Sweet and sour sardines 5. Seafood fritto misto 6. Clam risotto 7. Cioppino 8. Whole roast snapper with salsa verde From Norway, With Love Boot the poinsettia and make kransekake your new holiday centerpiece Kransekake, a.k.a. wreath cake, is to Scandinavia what candy canes are to America: an edible symbol of Christmas. Only these iced cakes—made with just…

SAVE THE HIGH HEELS for the cocktail parties and the hours at the stove for your big holiday dinner. A casual Christmas breakfast—eaten in pajamas amid a flurry of wrapping paper—is a refuge. Making it should be a low-key affair, too: Here, do-ahead French toast soaks overnight in a vanilla custard, so the day-of prep involves little more than baking. Then just crisp the bacon in the oven—the ultimate technique for serving all the relatives at your house—and add a bright citrus salad. The only thing left to do is cue the Bing Crosby. Baked French Toast with Pecan Crumble ACTIVE 30 MINUTES TOTAL 3 HOURS 45 MINUTES (INCLUDES SOAKING TIME) 8 SERVINGS Drying out the challah lets it absorb the custard without going to mush. You can also use…

SUGAR COOKIES AREA HOLIDAY WORKHORSE They’re crisp yet tender, keep their shape when baked, and, yes, taste great, too. But the number-one reason sugar cookie dough is such a seasonal smash is its versatility: You can slice and bake it, roll it thinly for cutouts, or load it into a cookie press for spritzes. For handling tips, see Prep School, page 148. ULTIMATE SUGAR COOKIES ¾ tsp. kosher salt ½ tsp. baking powder 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½" pieces 1 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 1 tsp. vanilla extract Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 325°. Whisk salt, baking powder, and 3 cups flour in a small bowl.…

WHEN GJELINA OPENED BLOCKS FROM the ocean in Venice, California, in 2008, it felt as though it had been there forever. The space was so appropriately beachy with its rambling indoor/outdoor floor plan and chef Travis Lett’s food was so SoCal perfect. It became the scruffy-chic neighborhood’s all-day canteen and social hub, the kind of place where dressed-down locals, Jay-Z types, and models all felt at home. But unlike so many scene-y L.A. restaurants, Gjelina has stayed packed because, well, Lett makes seriously delicious food. He and his team craft a menu that reads like a dissertation on the history of rustic-modern California cuisine, swerving through Peru, Morocco, Italy, and Japan with casually presented offerings that are layered with flavor: French fries are served with romesco and aioli, making you…

TECHNIQUES, TIPS, AND MORE FROM THE BON APPÉTIT TEST KITCHEN THE ICE? IT’S NICE FROM. 118 If you’re serious about your cocktails, it’s time to start thinking of ice as an ingredient. Yes, it’s “just water,” but the water you use, how you treat it, and what you freeze it in really do matter. The clarity of a piece of ice is a point of pride for boutique barkeeps, which is why distilled (or at least filtered) water is preferred. Boiling and cooling it before it’s frozen also helps remove impurities. Make sure your freezer’s clean, too: Ice can absorb “off” odors as it sits Then there are the trays themselves. Extra-large cubes look impressive, whether in a rocks glass or a punch bowl, where they won’t get dwarfed by…