Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
M A R C H t APR I L 211
1 1 1 ` 1 . 1
|JssiC rOvIiCs
Not Cakey, Not Fudg, Just Right
)UiC, OrI |IOs
Start with a Cold Pn?
oiIJCI lJsJIJ
Presoak Noodles and Quick-Bake
|IiCICI JIG KiCC
Indian Spices, Complex Flavors
1JsIiI iIICrsvCCI
|IOCOJICs
Ghirrdelli Wins, Herhey's Scores
JI-oCJrCG oIrii
KJIiI JIiI JIs
!9Pn Beats !95 Model
Perect Baklava
Piza Proven<ai-Style
How to Buy Pork
Orange Salads
Etra-Crisp Wafles
www. c ooks i l l u s t r at ed . c o m
19 L.5.16.9 L7^717
?
Zb
'`i1`
March 6 April 2004
2 Notes from Readers
Readers ask questions and sugest sol utions.
Quick Tips
Quick and easy ways to perform everday task, from
making favored cofee to cleaning cheese graters.
b Resurrecting Raised Waffles
Yeasted wafes seem ol d-fashioned, and they require
an ounce of pl anning, but they are crisper. tastier. and
more convenient to prepare than regul ar wafes.
BY KERI F I S HE R WI TH GARTH CLI NGINGS MI TH
o Chicken and Rice,
Indian-Style
Chicken birani is a complicated (and often greasy)
classic Indian dish. Chicken and rice is a plain and simpl e
American one- pot meal . Coul d I find a happy medium?
BY MATTHEW CARD
|Juicy Weeknight Pork Chops
Dr and tough pork chops are the realit. My dream was
juicy, tender pork chops on the tabl e in 20minutes.
BY BRI DG ET LANCASTER
|2 How to Pan-Sear Shrimp
We wanted shrimp that were wel l caramelized but sti l l
moist. briny, and tender. BY KE I TH DRESSER
| Proven<al Pizza
Pissladiere theclassic olive, anchov, and onion pizza
from Provence, is easy enough to prepare, but each
ingredient must be handl ed just so.
BY ULI A COLLIN DAVI S ON
|b A Guide to Buying
Fresh Pork
Here's everthing you need to know about cooking
today's l ean pork. incl uding identifing the best cuts and
choosing the proper cooking method. BY RE BE CCA HAYS
|o Better, Easier Spinach Lasagna
We dump the mozzarel l a. add cottage cheese, and soak
no-boil noodl es in hot tap water. Is this any way to treat a
northern Italian classic? BY RE BECCA HAYS
2 Better Orange Salads
Sl ice the oranges into smal l pieces, and use lime juice to
make a bol d-favored dressing. BY E RI N MC MU RRER
2! Perfecting Baklava
Prt pastr, part confection, baklava is often subject to
the foibles of both: too sog and too sweet. We made
more than three dozen batches to uncover its secrets.
BY DAWN YANAGIHARA
2 The Best Classic Brownies
Whatever happened to the chewy, not over-the-top,
yet chocolatey brownie? BY E RIKA BRUCE
2bJust What Is Dark Chocolate,
Anyway?
A tasting of nine "dark" chocolates revealed an industr
with little regulation and two widely avail abl e (and
inexpensive) brands that beat out the pricier
competition. BY E RI KA BRUCE AND ADAM RI ED
2o What Makes a Better
Baking Pan?
You can spend $9 or $95 on a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
Does more money buy you better resul ts?
BY ADAM RI ED WI TH GARTH CLINGINGS MI TH
J Kitchen Notes
Test resul ts, buying tips. and advice related to stories past
and present, directly from the test kitchen.
BY BRI DG ET LAN CASTE R
J2 Resources
Products from this issue and where to get them, incl uding
basmati rice, wafe irons. and pizza wheel s.
A'''
5ALKSAND SHOO1 Al though many shoots and stalks are now avail abl e year- round, they
are traditionally harbingers of spring. Asparagus is avail abl e in shades of green, white, or purpl e.
Fiddl ehead fems are young, unfurl ed fem shoots, aptl y named for their resembl ance to the
head of a viol in. They have a chewy texture and a flavor somewhere between asparagus and
green beans. Thriving in cool er climates, fiel d-grown rhubarb has rosy red and bright green
hues, whereas the hothouse tpes come in paler shades. The roots and l eaves are poisonous
and shoul d not be eaten. The artichoke, the unopened bud of a thistl e stalk. is best eaten when
it has a deep green col or and tightly cl osed l eaves. Al so a member of the thistle family. cardoon
l ooks like oversize cel er but has the flavor of a mild artichoke. It is best braised, boil ed, or
fried. Cel er can range in col or from white to green. Fennel can be eaten raw or cooked, in
which case its mil d licorice flavor becomes even mil der. Lemon grass stal ks are used l ike herb
sprigs to infuse many Asian dishes with a mil d l emon favor.
CCv|k|,s)t.:z+oetis+ocoo, CkCCv|k:ia|:|:iaai,oioseo,oe
COOK'S
l l. |. l - T l1_\ T l |1
w.cooksillustrated.com
l!t`! C! ^`!!!^S 1!S1 |!1C!!!!
Founder and Editor Christopher Kimball
Executive Editor jack Bishop
Senior Editors Adam Ried
Dawn Yanagihar
Director of Editorial Operations Barbar Bourssa
Editorial Manager, Book Elizabeth Carduf
P Director Amy Klee
Test Kitchen Director Erin McMurrer
Senior Editors, Books Julia Collin Davison
Lori Galvin-Frost
Senior Writer Bridget Lncaster
Associate Editors Matthew Card
Rebecca Hays
Science Editor John Olson
Web Editor Keri Fisher
Copy Editor India Koopman
Test Cooks Erika Bruce
Keith Dresser
Sean Lwler
Diane Unger-Mahaney
Asistant Test Cooks Garth Clingingsmith
Charles Kelsey
Nina West
Asistant to the Publisher Melissa Baldino
Kitchen Asistants Lura Courtemanche
Nadia Domeq
Ena Gudiel
Contributing Editor Elizabeth Germain
Consulting Editor Shirley Corriher
Jasper White
Robert L. Wolke
Proofreader Louise Gachet
Vice President Marketing David Mack
Sales Director Leslie Ry
Retail Sales Director Jason Geller
Corporate Sponsorship Specialist Lur Phillipps
Sales Representative Shekinah Cohn
Marleting Asistant Connie Forbes
Circulation Manager Lrisa Greiner
Products Director Steven Browall
Direct Mail Director Adam Perr
Customer Serice Manager Jacqueline Valerio
Customer Serice Representative Julie Gardner
E-Commerce Marleting Manager Hugh Buchan
Vice President Opertions James McCorack
and Technolog
Production Manager Jessc UndheimerQuir
Asistant Production Manager Mary Connelly
Production Asistants Ron Bilodeau
Jennifer McCreary
Systems Administrator Richard Cassidy
WebMaster Aron Shuman
Production Web lntem Miles Benson
Chief Financial Oficer Sharn Chabot
Controller Mandy Shito
Ofice Manager Elizabeth Wray
Receptionist Henrietta Murry
Publicit Deborah Broide
For list rental inforation, contact: Clientlgic, 1200
Harbor Blvd., 9th Floor, Weehawken, NJ 07087:
201-865-5800: ! 201-867-2450.
Editorial Ofice: 17 Station St., Brookline, MA 02445:
617-232-1000: fax 617-232-1572. Subscription inquiries,
call 800-526-8442.
S\naS\Cr.Send all new order, subscription inquiries. and
change of address notices to: Cook's Illustrted, P.O. Box
7446, Red Oak. lA 51591-0446.
|lLlI1tO5
11'J1.1
THANKSGIVING DAYS
J
he day before Thanksgivi ng, my
8-year-old son, Charlie, and I set out
up the mountain with my Winchester
32 special ( Charlie had his lever
action BB gun) and hiked up to the ledges,
rocky outcroppings that give a hunter a com
manding view of the woods below. The old log
ging trails stood out as if they had been marked
by a road crew, and the shape of the ridges,
knolls, and valleys rose up through the bare
trees. Mter sitting a bit, we headed up over the
backside of the mountain into a hollow, where
we came upon paths littered with sign, plenty
of tree scrapings, and my favorite old elm, with
its smooth, sculpted trunk that splits into thirds
and spirals up and away from the forest foor.
P hour later, we ended up on a narrow ridge
with the wind surging through the pines and
a view down the other side through a stand of
half-dead chestnuts, gnarled, moss- covered, and
standing round- shouldered like overdressed old
men in holiday vests . In the distance we could
see the remains of Fred West' s farm, the house
having been destroyed by fre last summer,
three chimneys blackened and standing bare, as
if in a child' s drawing.
The sun was sinking into long dirty fngers
of clouds, and the two of us peered down into
a wooded bowl , a hazy abyss of trees and rocks
a sea of browns and grays, indistinct and smoky
in twilight. Above, we looked up to the surface,
patches of pale blue sky visibl e, where the sun
was still strong, its warmth no longer reaching
the depths . Winter was on its way, but Charli e' s
boyish enthusiasm for the hunt overwhelmed
thoughts of a dark season.
The week before I had attended a
family funeral in Baltimore . The relatives
had gathered as if at a standing room-only
Thanksgiving; a quiet chattiness descended on
the room, which was overheated and decorated
in a woody 1950s style, with a large bowl of
wrapped peppermint candies by the door.
children, the two groups bound
uncomfortably by ritual . A
postfuneral l unch at a nearby
country club offered snow crab
soup, sof-shell crab club sand
wiches, and stiff, well-seasoned
bloody marys .
This half of my family is an
odd bunch and fond of nick
names . The four sisters ( my
grandmother among them) were
named Mick, Dick, Kd, and
Shick; one of their daughters
was called Snoozie ( as a baby,
she slept most of the day) and
another Squee ( now referred to,
with more deference, as Dee).
Kid' s frst husband, John Condit,
frmly believed that he could
build a moon rocket. In Florida
Christopher Kimball
Back on the farm, around
the Thanksgiving table, adults
and children had gathered once
again. The last piece of choco
late trife had been scooped off
the plate, and, with the apple,
back in the 1 920s, he actually constructed one,
charged admission, and then skipped town on
the day of the launch. Kid ( named after the
Yellow Kid comic strip) was herself a character.
She kept a monkey as a pet, raised pit bulls, and
more or less terrorized the rest of the family.
(With her last breath, she called the nurse over
to the bed, pinched her hard on the thigh,
and then expired. ) Shick, who was commonly
referred to as Aunt Charlotte, was an artist,
making sculptures of boiled chicken bones and
colored glass . On a visit to her house as a child,
I opened a large bureau only to fnd a treasure
trove of these medieval artifacts, each delicately
wrapped in tissue.
In the reception room at the cemetery, the
youngest among us were prim, quiet, and stiff;
the older family members, being used to the
feeting nature of life, were rather enj oying
themselves, sof laughter bubbling up through
hushed reminiscences . There was a procession to
the graveside and then a short service performed
by a stout, hirsute nun, a bit unsteady on her
feet, from a nearby church. The wind whipped
the holy water and earth i nto the faces of those
seated in the front row, stinging their eyes with
a reminder of life' s indignities . The cemetery
was raw and cold, the sky gray; perfect weather
for hunting, I thought. Photographs were
taken of old men standing behind overdressed
pecan, and pumpki n pies hal f- gone, silence
descended and the table was as quiet as the
woods . Five-year-old Emily was folded up in
her Mom' s lap. Our teenage girls were tem
porarily sated from the pl easures of dessert.
Parents and guests were happy to just sit back
and watch the fre.
Now that I am decidedly closer to death than
birth, I am ofen surrounded by the young and
the old, celebrating beginnings and endings .
Winter comes, the dead are buried, the young
grow up, and we meet again in familiar places.
These days, I seem to focus on the food and
the fre rather than on meanings. Horace, the
Roman philosopher- poet, was given a farm
upon retirement, and he was quoted as saying,
"Now I have nothing lef to pray for. " I am
quite content to live on the edge of darkness,
with my son by my side in the twilight or seated
awkwardly at fnerals, hugged by a cold, wet
wind. Those lucky to have lived long enough
fnally see only what is before them. In the
woods, we look for signs of prey, not deliver
ance. At a fneral, we see friends remembered,
not forgotten.
In this life, on this day, I see a table well
stocked with children and pie. I start to think
that Horace and I have a lot i n common. On
a farm, on the far side of need, we have fally
found nothing l ef to pray for.
FOR INQUI RIES, ORDER, OR MORE INFORMATION:
w.6ook$llu$trtc0.6om COOK'5 ILLU5WO Magazi ne
Atw .cookillustted.com you can order book and subscriptions. sign up for our free e-newsleter,
or check the status of your subscription. Subscribe to the Web site and you'll have access to I I year
of Cee|'rrecipes, cookare tests, ingredient testings, and more.
COOKOOK5
We sell more tan 40 cookbooks by the editor of Ceek't10umortd.To order, visit our bookstore
atw.cooksillustrted.com or call 800-6 1 1-0759 or 5 15-246-69 1 1 from outide the U.S.
Ceek'r I/umartdmagazine {ISSN 1068-282 1 ), number 67, is published bimonthly by Boston
Common Press Umited Prnerhip, 17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445. Copyright 2004
Boston Common Press Umited Prtnerhip. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, Mass., and addi
tional mailing ofices, USP #0 12487. POSR: Send address changes to Ceek'r!/umortd,
P.O. Box 7446, Red Oak, lA 5 159 1-0446. Fr subscription and gift subscription order, subscrip
tion inquiries, or change-of-address notices, ca 11800-526-8442 in the U.S. or 5 15-247-757 1 from
outside the U.S., or write us at Cook's Illustrted, P.O. Box 746, Red Oak, 5 159 1-0446.
MARC H [ A P RI L 2 0 0 4
`1: 1` 11.i11:
Measuring Greens
Recipes ofen call for 8 or 1 0 cups ( or a volume
measurement) of salad greens, but greens are usu
ally sold by weight or by the head. How do I make
the conversion fom weight or heads to cups?
BILL CONKLIN
PORT TOWNSEND. WASH.
Hoping that we could fnd a simple formula
for converting from weight to volume, we pur
chased baby spinach, mesclun, and a couple of
heads of red leaf lettuce. Back in the test kitchen,
we happily found that in each case 1 ounce of
greens (we tore the lettuce leaves into bite-size
pieces so they could be measured) equaled about
1 cup lightly packed. While there' s no waste when
buying baby spinach or mesclun, fgure on losing
about 20 percent per head of lettuce afer coring
and cleaning. If you want 10 cups of cleaned, torn
lettuce leaves, buy a head that weighs 12 ounces .
We generally fnd that about 2 ounces ( or 2 cups)
of greens makes for a single serving.
All-Purpose Ramekins
I never seem to have enough of the right-size
ramekins for whatever individual - type dessert
I'm making. I don't want to H my cabinets with
a dozen of every size. As it is, I' m overrun! Does
anyone know what the most commonly used size
is? Is it better to go bigger and fll less when nec
essary? Please help before I buy again!
JOANNE FORMISANO
MORGANVILLE. N.J.
@ If you want to purchase one set of ramekins
and one set onJy, we have the following advice.
As for size, go ( slightly) large rather than small;
a size between 6 and 8 ounces ( but no bigger)
should accommodate recipes calling for 4-ounce
ramekins, but 4-ounce rarekins W not accom
modate larger recipes. For material, select smrdy,
high- fred porcelain over Pyrex glass custard
cups, which are neither broilersafe nor tl1e most
attractive container for an elegantly executed
creme bnllee . For shape, the most practical
choice is round. Altlough we like shallow oval
ramekins for our November/December 2001
creme bnlee recipe because they provide a high
ratio of sugary burnt crust to custard, a round
vessel with straight sides is necessary if you want
to use ramekins for individual soufes; souffles
W rise successfl y only if they have the straight
sides of a vessel to climb. Also with regard to
shape, avoid overly deep ramekins witl1 a narrow
circumference. Ramekins ranging from 6 to 8
C O MPI L ED B Y I N D I A K O OP M A N <
ounces should measure 3 to 4 inches across. You
can determine the volume of any ramekins you
have at home by measuring the amount of water
tl1ey will hold when filled to tl1e rin1 .
Leave the Stirring to Us
What do you know about a gadget called tle
StirChef It supposedly saves you time by stirring
tl1e pot for you-a replacement for the personal
chef, perhaps?
MARGARET MOREY
HANDS - FRE E STI RRI NG
Can the StirChef take the pl ace of a real cook wi th
two hands? Can it make decent risotto?
For $30, the StirChef buys you tl1e feedom
to handle otl1er tasks while it stirs food on tle
stovetop. Of the more than a dozen types offood
tl1e StirChef is supposed to be able to stir, we
tried three: risotto, which requires a long period
of constant stirring; chili, which needs intermit
tent stirring; and chocolate pudding, which calls
for a brief but steady stretch of stirring.
The StirChef comes with a cylindrical motor
run on four P batteries ( guaranteed to hold up
for three to four hours of constant stirring), three
different- sized stirring paddles ( to fit saucepans 6
to 81/2 inches wide, or about 1112 to 4l2 quarts),
and a stainless steel shaf that connects any of the
paddles to the motor. The motor also has three
arms to stabilize it; tley stretch as needed to ft
the size of tl1e pan. Once we fi gured out how to
put all of tl1ese pieces togetl1er ( and which end
was up-no easy task), we started cooking.
The most annoying clung about the StirChef
is that once you set it up in tle pot, you can't
remove it untiJ you fi nish cooking ( try and you'll
burn your hands). That also means tl1at if you
want to add ingredients to the pot during cook
ing, you have to maneuver arotmd the StirChef
Thus for the risotto, we had to add butter,
onion, and, most inconveniently, a cup of rice
through the rather small spaces between the arms
C OOK's I L L U S TRA T E D
Z
grabbing the sides of the pot. This requirement
became even more inconvenient when we had to
ease in a couple of cans of beans and tomatoes
and a pound of ground beef when making chili .
(We made onJy half a recipe because that was all
that would ft in a 4-quart saucepan. This points
up another limitation imposed by the StirChef)
Finally, the StirChef also makes it impossible to
cover the pot because the motor sticks up above
the rim ( no matter the size of the pot used). This
was a problem when making our chili recipe,
which calls for one hour of cooking covered and
one hour uncovered.
Yes, the StirChef did deliver creamy risotto
( with no scorching), evenJy cooked chili (with
very, very minor scorching), and serviceable
chocolate pudding ( no curdling, but the texture
was not completely smooth). No, we still don't
recommend it. The idea of a tool that W do the
stirring for you sounds like such a convenience,
but, in practice, it's not. In fact, given all of its
limitations, it's more of an inconvenience, and
who wants to spend $30 on tl1at?
Reusing Oil for Fring
I have tried reusing cooking oil for deep-fying
and have found that the second time I use the oil
there are tiny little particles in it that coat the food
and darken it; this seems to affect appearance and
taste to a degree. Is it not possible to reuse oil, or
can it be reused, and, if so, how does one fJter
out the tiniest of these particles? I hate to throw
away all of that oil, which seems perfectly good
other than the suspended particles .
CHARMAINE MCCRYSTAL
REDWOOD CITY. CALIF.
?The test kitchen doesn' t like the idea of wast
ing seemingly good, if slightly used, oil, either,
and generally fiJters out food partices with a fi ne
mesh strainer. For very fne particles, the strainer
can be lined with two or three layers of cheese
cloth. A strainer lined with a paper coffee fiJter
works, too. Once tl1e oil has been fJtered, the
test kitchen stores it in the refigerator and gen
erally fnds that the oil is good for three or four
uses (with ftration afer each use). Of course,
the kitchen goes through stored oil more quickly
than most home cooks and so ends up keeping it
for onJy tlrree or four months. One more point:
While you can reuse oil tlat has been used to fry
potatoes or doughnuts or any other bakery prod
uct, do not reuse oil used to fy protein, such as
fish or ducken, because of the off favors these
foods impart to the oil .
Understanding Wild Rice
H YiU aDOu! iCC iH 1i!CHCH ^O!C8
[OVCHDCt/1CCCHDCt 22}yOu8ay!Ha! Ca-
iH_ WiU tiCC a tiCC i8H`! COttCC! DCCau8C WiU tiCC
i8 aH aqua!iC _ta88. YC tiCC !HC UOHC8!iCa!CU
KiHU!Ha!HOtC!HaHHaI!HCWOtUCaI8i8a8OaH
aqua!iC _ta88. O!H atC iH !HC _ta88 IaHiy a8 atC
aHO8I a OI !HC _taH8 !Ha! HaVC DCCH UOHC8!i-
CaICU aHU atC CaICH atOuHU !HC WOtUWHCaI
COtHDatCytyC aHU Oa!8.
KAREN BOSWORTH
JUNEAU. ALASKA
q HC HO!iOH !Ha! WiU tCC aHU UOHC8!iC tiCC
atC a!O_C!HCt UiIICtCH! CtCa!utC8 i8 a COH-
HOH OHC 8O WC CaH !HaHK yOu aHU aH CXQCt!
OH !HC 8uDCC! ayHiC Ot!Ct IOt 8CI!iH_ u8
a 8Itai_H!. PCCOtUiH_ !O Ot!Ct aH a88OCi
aIC aI aH a_tCuIuta tC8CatCH CCH!Ct a! !HC
lHiVCt8i!y OI iHHC8OIa WHCtC a _tCa! UCa
OI tC8CatCH Ha8 DCCH UOHC OH !HC OI1Cia 8!a!C
_taiHWiU tiCCDO!H WHi!C tiCC aHU WiU tiCC
atCaqua!iC [CaCH _tOW8 iHWa!Ct DC i! iH a aKC
Ot a Cu!iVa!CU QaUUy} aHU DO!H atC _ta88C8 [a8
atC WHCa! COtH DatCy tyC Oa!8 aHU a O!HCt
CCtCa _taiH8}. HC WiU tiCC OI !HC LtCaI aKC8
C_iOH 8 CaCU Zizania palustris [HO! Zizania
aquatica, a8 i8 OHCH QtC8uHCU} aHU WHi!C tiCC
i8 CaCU Oryza sativa. bCCCHI tC8CatCH 8HOW8
IHa! IHC8C !WO _taiH8 HaVC a O! HOtC iH COH-
mOH Wi!H CaCH O!HCt !HaH HO8! QCOQC8CiCH-
!i8!8 aHU COOK8 iHCuUCUCVCt !HOu_H!.
A New Zest Trap
H !HC 1i!CHCH ^O!C8 8CC!iOH OI yOut ay/}uHC
2 i88uC yOu HaU aH uQUa!C OH iCtOQaHC
ta8Q-8!yC _ta!Ct8. 1U yOu KHOW !Ha! yOu CaH
a8OQutCHa8C a ZC8ICt HOUCt: HaVC OHC aHU
iIUOC8aH CXCCCH!OD Ca!CHiH_ a OIIHC ZC8!.
DEWAYNE BAXTER
JACKSON, MICH.
C!tiCU!HC ZC8!Ct HOUCt [8CC QHO!O DCOW}
WHiCH 8iUC8 Ca8iy aHU H!8 8Hu_y uHUCt !HC
12-iHCH HaHUC-ItCC HOUC OI !HC NiCtOQaHC
ta8Q-8!yC _ta!Ct. ! UOC8 iH IaC! UO a _OOU OD
OI CaQ!utiH_ CVCty 8iH_C 8HtCU OI Ci!tu8 ZC8I Ot
_ta!CU HatU CHCC8C aHU !HCH HCaIy !taH8ICttiH_
i! !O a DOW aHU i! CO8!8 OHy b+.Vb. bO i! WOtK8
aHU WC iKC !.
YC`VC a8O IOuHU HOWCVCt !HaI a
mC!a DCHCH 8CtaQCt WOtK8 WC !O
8COOQ ZC8t Ot _taICU CHCC8C OII
!HC COuH!Ct aHU iH!O !HC
DOW aHU !HCDCHCH
8CtaQCt uHKC
IHCZC8!Ct
The zester hol der keeps
grted cheese and ci trus zest
of the counter.
V11 D :
Tis looks like a kitchen tool to us. Do you know what it's used for?
D.J. AND STEVE STAR
ANAHOLE. HAWAII
.We found a couple of these tools for sale for about $5 on
the Web, where they were called tomato or onion grippers or
holders. Made from cast aluminum, this tool is intended to
help you cut slices of tomato or onion or even lemon or any
other round or oval fruit or vegetable of a similar size. You
place the object beteen the to "grippers" at one end and squeeze at the
other end, as you would a pair of pliers, to hold the object in place. You then
slice down into the object with a knife, using the tines of the grippers as guides to
make even slices. Placing an onion on its side and slicing will give you onion rings. and
doing the same with a tomato will give you rounds for sandwiches.
We didn't find this tool to be helpful. The tines in the gripper are spaced such that you get
slices about '/inch thick, something most cooks can easily achieve with a good knife. In addition, the tomato
or onion supposedly secured in the gripper sometimes slipped, which made for uneven slices. If you'd like to
get perfectly even and impressively thin slices of onion and tomato, as well as lots of other vegetables and fruits,
we recommend a mandoline-a hand-operated slicing machine. While stainless steel mandolines usually cost
upward of $100, plastic models, ofen called V-slicers, can be had for much, much less. Te V-slicers we liked in
the test published in the March/ April 2003 issue of the magazine were the Progressive Mandoline Multi Slicer
($8. 99) and the Target Mandoline Slicer ($9.99). They cost only twice as much as the tomato/onion gripper,
and they're at least 20 times as useful.
HOUCt 8CtVC8 O!1Ct QutQO8C8. HC OHC aUVaH-
!a_C OI !HC ZC8ICt HOUCt i8 !Ha! HCi!HCt ZC8I HOt
CHCC8C CVCt !OuCHC8IHC COuH!Ct iH !1C1t8! QaCC.
\OH8iUCtiH_ !Hi8 COHVCHiCHCC aHU I1C HOUCt`8
HOUC8! QtiCC WC COH8iUCt i! !O DC a HCC-!O-
HaVCDu! HO! a Hu8I-HaVC !OO.
No Scrubbing No Soakng-Not Exactl
y
!tiCU!HaIHCWCCaHCt1aWHOWCt1i88OVCt
OH a COuQC OI Ha8!y QaH8 aHU HaU _OOU tC8u!8.
WOuU OVC IO KHOW WHaI yOu I1IHKOIi!.
CONNIE WU
BOSTON, MASS.
q tOC!Ct LaHDC HaKC8 !HC CaiH !Ha! iI8
QtOUuC!1aWH OWCt1i88OVCt UOC8 8uCHa _OOU
OD OI Cu!IiH_ !HtOu_H a 8Ot!8 OI _tCa8C aHU
!Ou_H DaKCU-OH _tiHC !Ha! yOu` HCVCt HaVC !O
8OaK Ot 8CtuD a Uit!y QO! Ot QaH a_aiH. }u8! 8Qti!Z
OH 8OHC 1aWH OWCt 1i88OVCt WaiI 1b IO
niHuIC8 UCQCHUiH_ OH !HC IOu_HHC88 OI
!HC ODWiQCWi!Ha8QOH_CaHU tiH8C.
YC I!iCU !1i8 !CCHHiquC W!!1 8!aiHC88
8!CC QOI8 iH W1iCH WC`U 8COtCHCU aH
aHU fond [UtiQQiH_8 ItOH DutHI HCaI},
VatiOu8 COOKWatC [HCIa COOKiC 8HCC!8 a ytCX
DaKiH_ QaH Ity QaH8 a DtOiCt QaH} 8!aiHCU ItOH
QtCViOu8 u8C, aHU a 8IOVCIOQ iH !HC HOHC OI a
5LML L5TLLh LL|LM5 We will prvide a com
plimentar one-year subscription for each letter we print. Send
your inquir, name, address, and daytime telephone number
to Notes from Reader, Cook's Illustrted, P.O. Box 470589,
Brookline, N02447, or to notesfromreaders@bcpress.com.
MARC i l b A P RI L 2 0 0 4
9
COCa_uCWHO HaUH`! CCaHCU i! IOtHOH!H8.
YC IOHHU !HaI IHC HO 8OaKiH_ HO 8CtuDDH_
QtiHCiQC aQQiCUH!HCCa8C8OI!HCDutH!IOHUaHU
!HC Ca8iCt-!O-CCaH 8utIaCC _tCa8C OH !HC 8!OVC!OQ.
H HO8! O!HCt Ca8C8 WC IOuHU 1aWH OWCt
1i88OVCt !O DC CIICC!iVC OHy iI WC8CtuDDCUaHU
iHaCOuQCOICa8C8 [aHOUCOOKiC8HCC!!HCDtOCt
QaH !HCWOt8IOI!HC8!aiH8OH!HC 8!OVC!OQ}HOtC
!HaHOHCaQQiCaDOH Wa8tCqutCU.[PHO!CH8Hah
!yQC OH!HC DaCK aDC UOC88ay !Ha! IOt!HC !Ou_H-
C8I OD8 8OHC 8CtuDDiH_ aHU a COuQC OI aQQiCa-
IOH8 Hay DC HCCC88aty.} HC QtOUuCI Wa8 HO!
8uCCC88HiH tCHOViH_ !HC 8COtCHCUaH1.
H Out!C8I81aWH OWCt1i88OVCt CXCCCU aI
Cu!!iH_ !HtOu_H _tCa8C aHU a8 Iat a8 WCKHOWi!
i8 uHiquC iH i!8 aDi!y !O tCHOVC OU DtOWH 8!aiH8
ItOH ytCX. |ut CCaH8Ct8 OI CHOiCC IOt !Ou_H
OD8 \aHCO aHU atCCQCt`8 tiCHU atCH`! !Ctti-
DyCIICC!iVC_tCa8C Cu!!Ct8aHUiHOut!C8!8UiUHO!
tCHOVC 8IaiHiH_ HOH ytCX. [P8O iKC !HC1aWH
CCaHCt !HCy WCtC HO! HuCH HCQ Wi!H 8COtCHCU
aH.} PHU !HCy tCqutC HuCH HOtC 8CtuDDH_ IO
CCaHuQaHOUDtOiCtQaH. b!i!DC8CQtOUuC!8UO
tCHOVC IOHU aHU DtOWH 8!aiH8 ItOH HO8! COOK-
WatC WiIH a HOUiCuH OI 8CtuDDH_ IHCy UOH`I
tCquitC a 1b-HiHu!C 8OaK aHU !HCy atC CHCaQCt
!HaH 1aWH OWCt 1i88OVCt. P 12.-OuHCC 8Qtay
DO!!C CO8I8 b2.V, WC WCHI !HtOu_H HOtC !HaH
HaI OI !1C DOI!C IOt !1C aDOVC IC8I8.
YOuU WC aUU 1aWH OWCt 188OVCt IO
Out DaIICty OI CCaHiH_ aU8: 1C8. uI WC WOuU
tC8CtVC iI IOt u8C OH QtODCH8 8uCH a8 8
ytCX DtOCt QaH8 aHU 8IOVC!OQ8 WHCtC !HCtC
i8H`I a CHCaQCt a!CtHa!iVC !1a!`8 Cquay CIICC!iVC.
Quick Tips
3 C O MPI LE D B Y R E B E C C A H AY S A N D N I N A W E ST E
Crushing Peppercorns
Whi l e many cooks use the bottom
of a smal l heav ski l l et to crush
peppercorns, Katheri ne Toy of San
Frncisco, Cal if. , favors a Prex
measuri ng cup. The cup is heav
enough to crush the peppercorns,
and i ts clear gl ass bottom al l ows her
to gauge her progress as she works.
Ofset Spatula Substitute
Unwilling to pay prmium kitchenwre
stor prices for a lare ofset icing spat
ula, Justin Brce of Aat, Calif.. went
shopping for afordable options at a
hardwr store. He bought a lare of
set palette knife with a fexible blade,
which is norally used for mixing small
amount of paint or Spacke. The knife
wor almost as well as an icing spatula,
and it cost only one quarer to one
half as much. Plette knives can also be
purhased at art supply stors.
Reading Kitchen Scales
Bulk container, lare roasts, and the like can obscure the display on a digital scale.
Uef Erikson of Minneapolis, Minn., found an ingenious way around the prblem.
I.
I.Steady a lighteight cake stnd on the scale, and set the tre at zero.
Z.Te cake stand. which is wide enough to accommodate lare pans and big cuts of
meat, elevates items so that the display is visible.
Heating Milk for Cofee
Jessica Joy Gadeken of Evanston, I l l . , l i kes her cofee with mi l k, but she al so
l i kes i t pi pi ng hot. I nstead of pouri ng col d mi l k i nto her cup for a tepi d dri nk,
she does the fol l owi ng.
I . Measure the desi red amount of mi l k into the empt carafe of an el ectric
cofee maker before brewi ng.
Z.
Z.Athe hot cofee dri ps i n, the warmi ng pl ate of the cofee maker heats the
mi l k, resul ti ng i n a pot of steami ng hot cofee with mi l k.
bcn0 USY0Ur1g We will provide a complimentary one-year subscription for each tip we print. Send your tip, name, address, and
telephone number to Quick Tips. Cook's Illustrated, P.O.Box 470589, Brookline. MA 02447, or visit www.cooksillustrated.com.
C O OK
'
s I L L U S TRATE D
D
m
Z
Z
Z
C
I
J
<
O
g
1
o
i
d
U
x
>
1
<
C
-
C
2
Proven<a l Pizza
Pi ssal ad i ere, the cl assi c ol i ve , anch ovy, and on i on pi zza from Provence , i s easy
enough to prepare , bu t each i ngred i ent must be han dl ed j u st so.
Z
C
.
U
x
L
<
Z
.
M
Z
<
O
>
1
<
x
O
C
~
C
I
:
C
z
LO I N
Bl ade Roast
Alternate Names (Bone-I n Cuts) :
Pork 7- Ri b Roast, Pork 5- Ri b Roast,
Pork Loi n Rib End, Ri b-End Roast
FLAVOR ***
COST $$
BEST WA TO COOK Braise
The part of the l oi n cl osest to the
shoul der, the bone- i n bl ade roast
can be difi cul t to care because
of its many separate muscl es and
fatt pockets. We prefer the
bonel ess versi on of thi s roast.
Center Ri b Roast
Alterate Names: Rck of Pork,
Pork Loi n Ri b Hal f, Center-Cut Roast
F LAVOR ***
COST $$$
BEST WA TOCOOK Roast
Often referred to as the pork
equival ent of pri me ri b, this mi l d,
fairly l ean roast consi sts of a si ngl e
muscl e wi th a protective fat cap. I t may
be cut with anyhere from 5 to 8 ri bs.
Center loi n Roast
Alternate Names: Center Cut,
Loi n Roast Center Cut, Pork Roast
FLAVOR ***
COST $$$
BEST WA T O C OOK Roast
This popul ar roast is j ui cy, tender, and
evenly shaped, wi th somewhat l ess fat
than the center ri b roast. pi ctured,
thi s roast i s someti mes sol d with the
tenderl oi n attached.
Si rl oi n Roast
Alternate Name: None
FLAVOR No star
COST $ $ $
BEST WA T OCOOK Not recommended
Thi s si nuous cut wi th a good amount
of connective ti ssue i s di fi cul t to cook
evenly and to care.
Tenderl oi n
Alternate Name: None
FLAVOR **
COST $ $ $
BEST WAS T OC OOK Roast, Saute,
Gri l l , Stir- Fr
Lean , del i cate, bonel ess tenderl oi n has
l i ttl e marbl i ng, cooks very qui ckly, and
can dry out faster than fatti er cuts.
Baby Back Ribs
Alternate Names: Loi n Back Ri bs, Ri bl ets
FLAVOR ****
COST $ $ $ $
Barbecue
These ri bs, cut wi th I I to 1 3 bones,
come from the upper end of the ri b
cage cl osest to the backbone. They are
l ean, tender, and smal l er than other
ri bs. Choose meati er racks, preferbly
those wei ghi ng more than I % pounds.
Countr-Stle Ribs
Alternate Name: Country Ri bs
FLAVOR ****
COST $ $ $
BEST WAS To c ooK Barbecue, Brise
These meat, tender ri bs are cut from
the upper si de of the ri b cage from the
fatt bl ade end of the l oi n. Butchers
usual ly cut them i nto i ndivi dual ri bs and
package several together.
Bl ade Chops
Alternate Name: Pork Chop End Cuts
FLAVOR ***
COST $ $ $
BEST WA T O COOK Not recommended
Cut from the shoul der end of the l oi n,
these chops can be di fi cul t to fi nd at
the market. They are fatt and tough ,
despi te good flavor and j ui ci ness.
Ri b Chops
Alternate Names: Ri b Cut Chops,
Pork Chops End Cut
FLAVOR ****
COST $$$
BEST WAS TO COOK Pn-Sear and
Roast, Gri l l ,
Our favorite chops are cut from the ri b
secti on of the l oi n. They have a rel a
ti vel y hi gh fat content, renderi ng them
flavorful and unl i kely to dry out duri ng
cooki ng. Ri b chops can be di sti n
gui shed by the secti on of ri b bone
runni ng al ong one si de.
Center- Cut Chops
Alternate Names: Top Loi n Chops,
Loi n Chops
FLAVOR ***
COST $ $ $ $
BEST WAS T OC OOK Pn-Sear and
Roast, Gri l l , Brai se,
Saute
I denti fy these chops by the bone that
divi des the l oi n meat from the ten
derl oi n muscl e, as i n a T- bone steak.
The l ean tenderl oi n secti on cooks
more qui ckl y than the l oi n secti on ,
maki ng these chops a chal l enge to
l ^ K L | L ^ l K l L 2 0 0 4
l 7
cook. They are someti mes avai l abl e
bonel ess and may then be referred to
as Ameri ca' s cut.
Si rl oi n Chops
Alterate Name: Si rl oi n Steaks
FLAVOR No stars
COST $ $ $
BEST WA T OCOOK Not recommended
These chops, cut from the si rl oi n, or
hi p, end of the pi g, are tough, dry, and
tastel ess. The chops contai n tenderl oi n
and l oi n meat, pl us a sl i ce of hi p bone.
S I D E
Spareri bs
Alterate Name: St. Loui s-Stl e Ribs
FLAVOR ***
COST $ $ $ $
BEST WAS To cooK Barbecue, Braise
These fatt, succul ent ri bs are cut from
the underbel ly, or l ower rib cage. A ful l
rack contai ns 1 3 ri bs and wei ghs about
3 pounds. St. Loui s-stl e ri bs are pre
pared by removi ng the bri sket (shown
on the left side of this i l l ustrti on) so
that the rack i s more rectangul ar.
L E G
Fresh Ham
Alternate Name: Fresh Leg
FLAVOR ****
COST $$
BEST WA TOCOOK Roast
Fresh ham i s not cured. We prefer
the shank end (shown here) Ovcr\nc
rounded si rl oi n (butt) end because it i s
easi er to care.
Better, Easier Spinach Lasagna
We du mp the mozzare l l a , add cottage cheese , and soak n o- boi l nood l es
i n hot tap water. I s thi s any way to treat a n orthern I tal i an cl assi c?
1
O
.
2
Bechamel I 0 I
Bechamel i s a si mpl e whi te sauce made with fl our and butter (the roux) and mi l k. Bechamel i s the base for a
number of creamy di shes. i ncl udi ng grati ns, macaroni and cheese. and creamed spi nach. For a proper bechamel .
the four must be adequately cooked to el i mi nate i ts rw taste and the mi l k sl owly whi sked i n to prevent l umps.
I . Mel t butter unti l foami ng. then
whi sk i n four to make a white raux.
Cook raux for 1 11 to 2 mi nutes to
el i mi nate any rw. four flavor. but
do not brown.
Z.Whi ski ng constantly. sl owly add
mi l k to roux. (ere' s no need to
scal d mi l k. as most reci pes di rect;
see Ki tchen Notes, page 30. for
more i nformati on. )
J. Bri ng sauce to l ow boi l , whi ski ng
often , and l et si mmer about 1 0
mi nutes. Fi ni shed sauce shoul d be
gl ossy. wi th consi stency of heavy
cream.
the broiler to brown the cheese.
And now I had 1 0 minutes ( lasagna needs
to rest before being served) to wonder whether
this spinach lasagna was as good as a classi c,
full-flavored meat lasagna. P a dozen test cooks
eagerly lined up for this fnal tasting, I think I knew
the answer.
S PI NACH LASAG NA
S E RVES 6 TO 8
Be sure to use Italian fontina rather than bland
and rubbery Danish or American fontina; if it is
not available, substitute whole milk mozzarella.
To make the cheese easier to shred, freeze it
for 30 minutes to frm it up. If fresh nutmeg is
unavailable, use only '/ teaspoon ground nut
meg. Because the lasagna is broiled at the end of
cooking to brown the surface, make sure to use a
baking dish that is broilersafe.
Spinach
l tabl espoon salt
2 bags ( I 0 ounces each) curly spi nach , stemmed
and ri nsed
Bechamel
5 tabl espoons unsal ted butter, pl us I tabl espoon
for baki ng di sh
5 large shal l ots, mi nced (about I cup)
4 medi um garl i c cl oves, mi nced or pressed
through garl i c press (generous I tabl espoon)
'/ cup al l - purpose fl our
3 1 1 cups whol e mi l k
2 bay l eaves
/ teaspoon freshl y grated nutmeg
11 teaspoon salt
'/ teaspoon ground bl ack pepper
ounce fi nely grated Prmesan cheese
(about 11 cup)
Cheeses and Pasta
8 ounces whol e mi l k cottage cheese
l arge egg
'/ teaspoon salt
1 2 no- boi l l asagna noodl es from I box
2 ounces fi nely grated Prmesan cheese
(about I cup)
8 ounces I tal i an fonti na, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 . FOR THE SPINACH: Fill large bowl with
ice water. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large
Dutch oven or stockpot over high heat; add salt
and spinach, stirring until spinach is just wilted,
about 5 seconds . Using skimmer or fne-mesh
strainer, transfer spinach to ice water and let stand
until completely cool, about 1 minute, then drain
spinach and transfer to clean kitchen towel. Wrap
towel tightly around spinach to form ball and
wring until dry ( see illustration, below) . Chop
spinach medium and set aside.
2 . FOR THE BECHAMEL: Melt 5 tablespoons
butter until foaming in medium saucepan over
medium heat; add shallots and garlic and cook,
stirring frequently, until translucent, about 4
minutes. Add four and cook, stirring constantly,
for about 1 12 minutes; do not brown. Gradually
whisk i n milk. Bring mixture to boi l over
medium- high heat, whisk in bay leaves, nutmeg,
salt, and pepper; reduce heat to low and sim
mer 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Whisk
in Parmesan and discard bay leaves. Transfer
sauce to bowl , press plastic wrap directly against
surface, and set aside.
3 . FOR THE CHEESES, PASTA, AND
ASSEMBLY: Blend cottage cheese, egg, and salt
in food processor or blender until very smooth,
about 3 0 seconds . Transfer to bowl and s et
aside. Adj ust oven rack t o middle position and
heat oven to 425 degrees. Place noodles in 1 3
by 9- inch broilersafe baking dish and cover with
M A R C H [ A P R I L 2 0 0 4
1 9
k | Y T | P .
Soak the No- Boi l Noodl es
A five- mi nute soak i n hot tap water dramati cal ly
reduces the baki ng ti me for the no- boi l noodl es,
al l owi ng the spi nach to remai n fresh l ooki ng and
tasti ng. We tested fi ve brands of no- boi l noodl es
i n our spi nach l asagna reci pe and found them al l to
be adequate. We di d, however, noti ce differences
i n vari ous brands. Our favori te, Bari l l a, consi sts of
ver thi n noodl es that resembl e fresh pasta; i t i s
avai l abl e i n supermarkets nati onwi de.
hot tap water; l et soak 5 minutes, agitating noo
dles occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove
noodles from water and place in single layer
on kitchen towel . Wipe baking dish dry and
coat with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Use
rubber spatula to distribute \ cup bechamel in
bottom of baking dish; position 3 noodles on
top of sauce. Stir spinach into remaining becha
mel in bowl , mixing well to break up clumps of
spinach (you should have about 4 cups spinach/
bechamel mixture) . Spread 1 cup spinach mix
ture evenly over noodles, sprinkle evenly with
Parmesan, and top with 3 more noodles . Spread
1 cup spinach mixture evenly over noodles,
sprinkle evenly with 1 cup fontina, and top
with 3 more noodles . Spread 1 cup spinach
mixture evenly over noodles, followed by cot
tage cheese mixture . Finish with 3 noodles,
remaining cup spinach mixture, and remaining
cup fontina. Lightly spray large sheet foil with
nonstick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake
until bubbling, about 20 minutes, then remove
foil . Remove lasagna and adj ust oven rack to
uppermost position ( about 6 inches from heat
ing element) and heat broiler. Broil lasagna until
cheese is spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Cool 1 0
minutes, then cut into pieces and serve.
Squeezi ng the Spi nach
I f excess water i s not
removed from the bl anched
spi nach, the l asagna wi l l be
water. After bl anchi ng,
shocki ng, and drai ni ng the
spi nach, wrap i t i n a cl ean
ki tchen towel and wri ng
the towel to expel as much
water as possi bl e. When
you ' re done, the spi nach wi l l
form a dr bal l .
Better Orange Salads
Sl i ce the oranges i nto smal l pi eces , and use l i me j u i ce to make a bol d - fl avored d ressi ng.
W
ith their sweet juice, oranges can
turn a simple salad into some
thing special. Unfortunately, they
ofen sink to the bottom of the
bowl. And when you t to remx the salad, the
greens bruise and the oranges fall apart. In addi
tion, their abundant juice dilutes the dressing.
I started my testing by trying to determine
the best way to cut the oranges so that they
would retain their shape. The winning method
turned out to be cutting the oranges pole to
pole, removing the center pith, cutting each half
in thirds ( pole to pole) , and then fnishing with
1-inch slices cut crosswise.
For the dressing, my frst thought was to
make a quick vinaigrette, using the juice from
the oranges along wth the standard ingredients
of mustard, oil, salt, and pepper, but the result
was too sweet. More acidity was needed, and the
addition oflime juice, rather than lemon j uice, did
the trick. But when I tasted the dressing on the
salad, I found it had became diluted. What to do?
Make a bold vinaigrette using only lime juice-no
orange juice, as the oranges would release some
juice into the dressing no matter what. I did fnd,
though, that letting the cut oranges sit in a fne
mesh strainer while I prepared the other ingredi
ents relieved them of excess juice.
For the salad ingredients, I found that small
amounts of greens ( or no greens at all ) worked
best, keeping the oranges in the forefont. As for
the oranges falling to the bottom of the bowl
while the salad is tossed, my advice is, don't try to
fght gravity. Toss the salad as little as possible and
then plate individual portions, evenly distributing
the oranges and other weightier ingredients that
remain at the bottom of the bowl .
ORANGE , AVOCADO, AND WATERCRESS
SALAD WI TH G I NG ER- LI ME VI NAI G RETE
S E RVES 4
1 11 cups prepared oranges (see i l l ustrati ons) from
3 medi um oranges
teaspoon grated fresh gi nger
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
tabl espoon j ui ce from I l i me
Pi nch cayenne
tabl espoon fi nel y chopped fresh mi nt l eaves
Salt
3 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
1/4 smal l red oni on, sl i ced very thi n (about 1/4 Cup)
medi um avocado, ri pe but fi rm
3 B Y E R I N M C M U R R E R E
smal l bunch watercress, stemmed and cut
i nto 2-i nch pi eces (about 2 11 cups)
. Place orange pieces in nonreactive mesh
strainer set over bowl; let stand to drain excess
j uice. Meanwhile, whisk ginger, mustard, lime
juice, cayenne, mint, and teaspoon salt in large
bowl until combined. Whisking constantly, gradu
ally add oi. Toss onion in dressing and set aside.
2. Halve and pit avocado; cut each halflength
wise to form quarters . Using paring knife, slice
fesh of each quarter ( do not cut through skin)
lengthwise into ffhs. Using soup spoon, care
flly scoop flesh out of skin and fan slices from
each quarter onto individual plates; season avo
cado lightly with salt.
3. Add oranges to bowl wth onions; toss to
coat. Add watercress and toss gently. Divide
watercress among individual plates, mounding
it in center; place portion of orange pieces and
onions on top of watercress. Drizzle any dressing
in bowl over avocado; serve immediately.
ORANGE - J
i
CAMA SALAD WI TH SWE ET
AND S PI CY PEPPERS
S E RVES 4
1 11 cups prepared oranges (see i l l ustrati ons) from
J medi um oranges
3 tabl espoons j ui ce from 2 to 3 l i mes
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
11 teaspoon ground cumi n, toasted in smal l dry
ski l l et unti l fragrant, about 30 seconds
Sal t
4 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
medi um jicama (about I pound) , peel ed and cut
i nto 2- i nch- l ong matchsti cks (about 4 cups)
medi um red bel l pepper, seeded and cut i nto
1/s- i nch-wi de stri ps (about 1 11 cups)
2 medi um jal apenos, quartered l engthwi se, seeded,
then cut crosswi se i nto 1/s- i nch-thi ck sl i ces
STE P- BY- STE P
I . Cut thi n sl i ce from top
and bottom, stand on end,
and sl i ce away ri nd and
whi te pi th.
Z. Cut in hal f from end to
end, remove stri ng pi th,
cut each hal f i nto three
wedges, and cut crosswise
i nto 1/4- i nch pi eces.
C O O K
'
S I L L U S T R A T E D
2 0
11 cup fresh ci l antro l eaves, chopped coarse
3 medi um scal l i ons, green parts sl i ced thi n on bi as
. Place orange pieces in nonreactive mesh
strainer set over bowl; let stand to Oexcess juice.
Meanwhile, whisk lme juice, mustard, cumin, and
V4 teaspoon salt in large bowl until combined.
Whisking constantly, gradualy add oil.
2. Toss jicama and red bell pepper with tea
spoon salt in medium bowl until combined. Add
jicama mixture, oranges, jaapenos, cilantro, and
scallions to bowl with dressing and toss well to
combine. Divide among individual plates, drizzle
with any dressing in bowl, and serve immediately.
ORANGE AN D RADI S H SALAD WI TH ARUG ULA
S E RVES 4
1 11 cups prepared oranges (see i l l ustrati ons) from
3 medi um oranges
5 teaspoons j ui ce from I to 2 l i mes
1/4 teaspoon Dij on mustard
11 teaspoon ground cori ander, toasted in smal l dry
ski l l et unti l fragrant, about 30 seconds
1/s teaspoon sal t
Ground bl ack pepper
3 tabl espoons vegetabl e oi l
5 radi shes, quateed l engthwise and cut crosswise
i nto 1/s - i nch-thi ck sl i ces (about 1 1/ cups)
4 ounces baby arugul a (about 4 cups)
. Place orange pieces in nonreactive mesh
strainer set over bowl; let stand to drain excess
juice. Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, mustard, cori
ander, salt, and pepper to taste in large bowl untl
combined. Whisking constantly, gradually add oil.
2. Add oranges, radishes, and arugula to bowl
and toss gently to combine . Divide arugula
among individual plates, place a portion of
oranges and radishes over arugula, and drizzle
with any dressing in bowl; serve immediately.
U
Z
>
C
C
Z
1
C
Perfecting JlIJVJ
Part pastry, part confecti on , bakl ava i s often su bj ect to the foi bl es of both : too soggy and
too sweet. We made more than th ree dozen batches to u ncover i ts secrets .
D
aklava is a cross-cultural sweetmeat
phenomenon. It is commonly
regarded as a Greek pastry but
accepted as Turkish in origin, and
its ancient progenitors are said to be Assyrian.
Yet the question remains unanswered as to
why, in this country, in this modern age,
baklava, so lavish with butter, sugar, and
nuts, is so ofen a lamentable experience.
Sad, soggy, punishingly sweet, and utterly
lifeless specimens ae ubiquitous. Extremely
rare are crisp, fak, buttery lozenges, light
yet rich, flled with fagrant nuts and spices,
and sweetened just assertively enough to pair
perfectly with a Turkish cofee.
B Y D A W N Y A N A G I H A R A
Balava comes in numerous forms, fom
cigar-shaped rolls to turbanlike nests. The
Aerican noton of baklava is a multlayered
diamond-shaped pastry and so that was the
shape I decided to pursue. I opted to develop
a Greek-style baklava, also sweetened in part
by honey and flavored with spices such as
cinnamon and cloves. A Turkish or Middle
Eastern baklava-scented with cardamom
and rose or orange-fower water and less
familiar to the American palate-I decided to
leave to a variaton.
Baklava is a l abor of l ove, but if you fol l ow some precauti ons you
can rest assured that thi s dessert wi l l turn out cri sp, flak. and
l ightl y sweetened.
Over the course of three days, I plodded
trough six representative recipes to a disappoint
ing end. Though the ground rules for all of the
recipes were the same-buttered phyllo sheets are
layered into a baking dish wth nuts, the assem
blage baked and then soaked in sugar syrup-the
outcomes were vastly diferent. Whereas one was
awash in a thin, watery syrup, another was dry,
its viscous, chewy syrup offering no relief Yet
anoter was overspiced, one lacked cohesiveness,
and the worst had a moist, pasty nut fg that
made the baklava heavy and soggy. The sixth was
remarkable in that there was nothing egregiously
wrong with it, but its flling was meager and
lacked favor, its stature was slight, and it was
highly oversweetened. I had work to do.
Phyl l o Fcts
Prepared phyllo (homemade phyllo was out of the
queston) is sold boxed in the supermarket feezer
section and, when halved crosswise, the phyllo
sheets conveniently yield perfectly sized pieces for
a straigt-sided 1 3 by 9-inch baking pan. I quickly
learned that packages caked with ice are almost
sure to contain phyllo that is cracked and brittle,
so avoid such boxes. It is no surprise that phyllo
needs to be flly defosted before use. Storing it
overnight in the refigerator requires forethought
but is a good method, as is a four- to fve-hour thaw
on the countertop. Do not be fooled, as I was, by
phyllo that has been sittng at room temperature
for only an hour; still in its plastic sleeve ( but out of
the box), the roll felt pliant and thawed, but its core
was stll fozen. P attempt to use only partally
defosted phyllo resulted in fustraton. Unfolding
caused multple large cracks and tears, rendering
the sheets unusable.
Phyllo has a reputation for being diffcult
to work with in its uncooked state . Indeed,
the paper-thin sheets are quick to dry out and
become brittle . Despite recipes' advice to use
one or another protective covering, I found that
during baklava assembly the phyllo was best kept
under a sheet of plastic wrap, then covered with a
damp kitchen towel as added insurance.
Using a pound of very fnely chopped nuts
( about 4 cups) , a fll 1 -pound box of phyllo
( some recipes called for only lf or 3/4 pound) ,
l ^ K L | b ^ l K l L 2 0 0 4
2 1
and a 1 3 by 9- inch baking pan, I started
building the baklava. Pieces of baklava wth
only one thick, central layer of nuts tended
to split in two ( they lacked cohesion) . With
the nuts divided into two layers separated
by several sheets of phyllo, the pieces held
together better, but the baklava composed
of three relatively U nut layers (I reduced
the nuts by 4 ounces) between four sections
of phyllo had the superior structure. My fnal
recipe called for eight to 1 0 phyllo sheets in
the bottom; three nut layers, each separated
by six sheets; and another eight to 10 phyllo
sheets to cover. This required nearly the
entire pound of phyllo.
Nuts, Spi ces, and Butter
I immediately dismissed pecans as too sweet
and too American. Hazelnuts need to be
husked and were not well liked by tasters.
Most everyone also objected to an all-walnut
fg ( too harsh and bitter) or an all-almond
fg (rather nondescript) . Eight ounces of
almonds and 4 ounces of walnuts ( chopped
very fnely in a food processor-indeed,
nearly ground) was a good blend. Pistachios
are also a common bakava fg, and when I
tried them they were a smash, but they are better
suited to a baklava with Turkish or Middle Eastern
favors. Toasting the nuts was urmecessary, if not a
misstep, because the nuts cook thoroughly in the
time it takes to bake the baklava. I tried various
spice combinations, and the winner consisted of
1 14 teaspoons warm, familiar ground cinnamon
and l/4 teaspoon deep, rich ground cloves.
Must the butter be clarifed, as many recipes
suggested? (To learn more about clarifed butter,
see "Clag the Situation," page 22. ) The sur
face of the baklava made wth whole butter was
splotchy brown, while that made with clarifed
butter colored uniformly. It also had a cleaner,
sweeter favor. And because the water had been
extracted from the clarifed butter, the phyllo lay
ers were slightly fakier and crisper.
I tried, as one recipe suggested, to butter every
other sheet of phyllo, but this resulted in a dry
baklava that was chall and gritt. Clearly, every
sheet needed a coating of butter. Some recipes
advocated dousing the assembled baklava with a
generous amount (a half cup or more) of melted
butter, a step that I found absurdly excessive. Yet
C | ( N C ( : Cl arifi ng the Si tuati on
foam
Buter has a lot of fat, but it al so contai ns-i n smal l amounts-protei ns. carbohy-
drtes. and mi nerl s (the mi l k sol i ds) . as wel l as water. all of whi ch are di stri buted
throughout the fat i n an emul si on. Usual ly these resi dual i ngredi ents are wel come
favor bonuses. but i n certain rre appl i cati ons, such as baklava. these extrs become
more nuisance than nuance and shoul d be removed i n a process cal l ed cl arifi ng. butterfat
To clarif butter. butter i s heated to break the emul si on. whi ch causes its dif
ferent components to separte accordi ng to densit and chemical predispositi on.
Wite foam col l ects at the top; thi s consi sts of ai r that has been encapsul ated by
mi l k sol ids. Di rectly below the foam l i es the butterfat; by law. the fat must make up
mi l k sol i ds
80 percent of the total content of the butter. Undereath the fat l i es a thi n layer
that i ncl udes protei ns and phosphol i pi ds. Fi nal ly, at the bottom l i es the aqueous
layer; this i s predomi nantly water al ong wi th some di ssolved material .
The si mplest method of cl arifi ng butter i s to cut i t i nto l - i nch chunks, then mel t i t i n a smal l saucepan over
medi um- low heat, which tkes about I 0 mi nutes. Once taken of the heat, the butter is al l owed to settle for I 0
mi nutes and i s then ski mmed with a soup spoon (see i l l ustrti ons bel ow) to cl arif i t.
Butter can al so be cl arified usi ng a mi crowave oven. Start by cutti ng the butter i nto l -i nch chunks. then pl ace i t
i n a mi crowave-safe bowl covered wi th pl astic i n the mi crowave at 50 percent power for about five mi nutes. Let
the butter settle for I 0 mi nutes. then ski m of and di scard the foam on the surface. Let the butter cool to room
temperature. then cover i t wi th pl asti c wrp and refrigerte unti l the fat sol i difi es. whi ch takes at l east four hour.
The sol i dified butter can then be popped out of the bowl (where the water and sol i ds wi l l remai n) and i ts damp
bottom dri ed wi th paper towel s. -DY wi th John Ol son, Sci ence Edi tor
tlAk| lY| NC U11l k
I . Lt mel ted butter settle for I 0
mi nutes. With soup spoon, careful ly
ski m of foam from surace.
Z. Spoon butterfat i nto smal l cup,
ti ppi ng saucepan gently and only
when i t becomes necessar.
J. Make sure to leave water and
mi l k sol i ds behi nd i n saucepan so
they can be di scarded.
it turned out that this step was indeed essential to
help prevent (though not eliminate) the curling
of the uppermost phyllo sheets during baking. I,
however, opted for a more modest 4 tablespoons
of butter.
Aer assembly but before bakg, the baklava
must be cut into the familiar diamond-shaped
pieces. Merely scoring the layers, as some recipes
suggest, was a waste of time; the baklava needs to
be flly cut. A serrated knife or a bread knife, used
wth a gentle sawing motion, made the easiest and
Except for a few tablespoons of sugar mixed
into the nut flg, the sugar in baklava is intro
duced afer baking in the form of a syrup. The
syrup is absorbed by the bottom layers of pastry
and nuts, which become moist and cohesive.
Honey is an essential ingredient in a Greek-style
baklava, but tasters found its favor to be cloying
and overpowering when used in large quantities.
One-third of a cup of a mild-favored honey such
as orange blossom was the ideal amount; l l/4 cups
of granulated sugar supplemented the sweemess.
cleanest cuts, but even wth a
good knife, this step does take
a bit of patience ( and persever
Why Cl ari fi ed Butter Matters
ance) .
A low 300-degree oven and
a slow 75- to 90-minute baking
time proved best. The top and
bottom phyllo layers colored
evenly, and the nuts became
golden and fragrant. Even
with shorter baking times, MAD E WI TH WHOLE BUTTE R MADE WI TH C LARI F I E D BUTE R
Evenly browned. hgher temperatures tended to
overdarken both the bottom
pastry layer and the nuts.
Overbrowned i n spots.
The mi l k sol i ds i n whole butter will bum during baki ng, causing dark spots and
uneven browning. Clarified butter has no mi l k sol i ds, so the phyl l o col ors uniformly.
C O O K
'
s l L L L 5 J K ^ J L L
2 2
The amount of water in the syrup determines
its viscosity, a key factor in the moismess and
crispness of the pastry. If the syrup is too thin
and watery, the pastry becomes wet and sogg. If
the syrup is too thick, the baklava resists absor
tion and the bottom layers are stick and heavy.
Three-quarters of a cup of water was the right
amount, combined with l tablespoon of lemon
juice to spruce up favors.
Taking H advantage of the fact that the syrup
must be heated to dissolve the sugar, I tried ins
ing it with a few spices, a step common to most
recipes. A few strips of lemon zest, a cinnamon
stick, several cloves, and a pinch of salt were all
welcome additions. They added a H sof favor
and a rich, heady fagrance.
Finally, I needed to determine how to intro
duce the syrup to the baklava. Some recipes assert
that for best absorption, room-temperature syrup
must be poured over hot baklava as it emerges
fom the oven. Others take the opposing stance
that the baklava must be room temperature and
the syrup hot. I baked four baklava to test all of
the permutations: cool-hot, hot-cool, hot-hot,
and cool-cool . Hot baklava joined by cool syrup
clearly gave the individual pieces superior cohe
sion, moistress, and texture. When pourng the
syrup over the baklava, I poured the majorit into
the cuts so as not to sofen the top layers of crisped
pastry. When down to only a couple tablespoons,
I lightly drizzled the syrup over the entire surface,
which gave the bakava a glistening sheen and a
tackiness to which a nut garnish could adhere.
As if the process of making perfect baklava
weren' t arduous enough, it really should not
be consumed the same day, not even as a reward
for having expended the effort. If lef to stand
overnight, the favors meld and mellow and the
texture becomes more unifed. But take consola
tion in the thought that it holds for upward of a
week ( so long as humidity doesn't ruin its crisp
ness) and that its lavishness allows for it to be
consumed only one piece at a time.
BAKLAVA
MAKES J2 TO 40 P I E CES
A straight-sided traditional ( not nonstick) metal
baking pan works best for making baklava; the
straight sides ensure that the pieces will have
nicely shaped edges, and the surface of a tradi
tional pan will not be marred by the knife during
cutting, as would a nonstick surface. If you don't
have this type of pan, a glass baking dish W
work. Make sure that the phyllo is flly thawed
before use; leave it in the refigerator overnight
or on the countertop for four to fve hours. When
assembling, use the nicest, most intact phyllo
sheets for the bottom and top layers; use sheets
with tears or ones that are smaller than the size of
the pan in the middle layers, where their imper
fections will go unnoticed. If, afer assembly, you
U
U
x
L
.
U
have remaining clarifed butter, store it in an air
tight container in the refrigerator; it can be used
for sauteing.
Sugar Syrup
1 114 cups sugar
cup water
11 cup honey
tabl espoon j ui ce from I l emon pl us 3 stri ps zest
removed in large stri ps with vegetabl e peel er
ci nnamon sti ck
5 whol e cl oves
11s teaspoon salt
Nut Filling
8 ounces bl anched sl ivered al monds
4 ounces wal nuts
1 114 teaspoons ground ci nnamon
114 teaspoon ground cl oves
2 tabl espoons sugar
11s teaspoon salt
Pastry and Butter
1 11 cups (3 sti cks) unsalted butter, cl arified
(see box on page 22for i nstructi ons) ,
mel ted and cool ed sl ightly (about I cup)
pound frozen phyl l o, thawed (see note)
. FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP: Combine syrup
ingredients in small saucepan and bring to fl
boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally
to ensure that sugar dissolves. Transfer to 2- cup
measuring cup and set aside to cool while making
and baking baklava; when syrup is cool, discard
spices and lemon zest. ( Cooled syrup can be
refrigerated in airtight container up to 4 days. )
2. FOR THE NUT FILLING: Pulse almonds in
food processor until very finely chopped, about
twenty 1 - second pulses; transfer to medium
bowl. Pulse walnuts in food processor until very
fnely chopped, about ffeen 1 -second pulses;
transfer to bowl with almonds and toss to com
bine. Measure out 1 tablespoon nuts and set
aside for garnish. Add cinnamon, cloves, sugar,
and salt; toss well to combine.
3. TO ASSEMLE AND BA: Brush 1 3 by
9- inch traditonal ( not nonstick) baking pan with
butter. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle posi
tion and heat oven to 300 degrees . Unwrap and
unfold phyllo on large cutting board; careflly
smooth with hands to fatten. Following illustra
tion 1 , right, and using baking pan as guide, cut
sheets crosswise with chef's knife, yielding two
roughly evenly sized stacks of phyllo ( one may be
narrower than other) . Cover with plastic wrap,
then damp kitchen towel to prevent drying.
4. Following illustration 3, place one phyllo
sheet ( from wider stack) in bottom of baking pan
and brush until completely coated with butter.
Repeat with 7 more phyllo sheets ( from wider
stack) , brushing each with butter.
5. Following illustration 4, evenly distribute
about 1 cup nuts over phyllo. Cover nuts with
phyllo sheet ( fom narrower stack) and dab wit
butter (phyllo W slip if butter is brushed on) .
Repeat with 5 more phyllo sheets ( from narrower
stack) , staggering sheets slightly if necessary to
cover nuts, and brushing each witl1 butter. Repeat
layering witl1 additional 1 cup nuts, 6 sheets
phyllo, and remaining 1 cup nuts. Finish witl1
8 to 1 0 sheets phyllo ( fom wider stack) , using
nicest and most intact sheets for uppermost layers
and brushing each except final sheet with butter.
Following illustration 6, use palms of hands to
compress layers, working from center outward
to press out any apockets. Spoon 4 tablespoons
butter on top layer and brush to cover a surfaces.
Following ilustration 7, use bread knife or other
serrated knife with pointed tip in gentle sawing
motion to cut baklava into diamonds, rotating pan
as necessary to complete cuts. ( Cut on bias into
eighths on both diagonals. )
6. Bake until golden and crisped, about 1 lz
hours, rotating baking pan halfay through bak
ing. Immediately afer removing baklava from
oven, pour cooled syrup over cut lines untl about
2 tablespoons remain ( syrup will sizzle when it
hits hot pan) ; drizzle remaining syrup over sur
face. Garnish center of each piece with pinch of
reserved ground nuts. Cool to room temperature
on wire rack, about 3 hours, then cover with
foil and let stand at least 8 hours before serving.
( Once cooled, baklava can be served, but favor
and texture improve if lef to stand at least 8
hours . Baklava can be wrapped tightly in foil and
kept at room temperature up to 1 0 days. )
P I STACHI O BAKLAVA WI TH CARDAMOM
AND ROS E WATER
Follow the recipe for Baklava, making the follow
ing changes:
1 . In sugar syrup, increase sugar to 1 cups;
omit honey, lemon zest, and cinnamon; substitute
1 0 black peppercorns for cloves; and stir i 1 table
spoon rose water afer discarding peppercorns.
2 . In nut flling, substitute 1 2 ounces raw
shelled pistachios for almonds and walnuts and
1 teaspoon ground cardamom for cinnamon and
cloves.
ST E P - BY- STE P AS S l M ll NC AKlAVA
I . Cu t phyl l o to fi t pan .
4. Spread nut fi l l i ng.
7. Cut i nto di amonds, then bake.
Z. Cover phyl l o to keep moi st. J. Butter bottom layers.
5. Butter more layers. . Compress layers.
8. Pour syrup over cut l i nes. 7. Gam i sh each pi ece wi th nuts.
M A R C i l [ A PR I L 2 0 0 4
Z `
The Best Classic Brownies
Whatever happened to the chewy, not over- th e- top , yet ch ocol atey browni e?
J
hese days, if you go to a bakery
and order a brownie, chances are
you'll end up with a heavy chunk
of pure confection. While there's
no denying that such brownies are sumptu
ous, they are also most ofen overwhelm
ing. More candy than cake, such brownies
are fne as infequent treats, but many of us
can look back to a time when the brownie
was a much simpler M a more chocolate
bar than chocolate trufe, more bake sale
than upscale cafe.
My initial recipe testing was not a success.
Either pale and dry or cloyingly sweet, all of
the brownies I baked lacked substantial
chocolate flavor. I wanted an old-fashioned
brownie, but I also wanted serous choco
late flavor. I wanted browes I enjoyed in
my youth-Mom's brownies-but altered
to cater to my adult tastes.
Before I embarked on a long course of
testing, however, there was one thing about
3 B Y E R I K A B R U C E E
Pumpi ng Up Chocol ate Fl avor
m of these recipes that I knew I wanted to
change: their size. The recipes called for
baking the brownies in skimpy 8-inch
square pans. I wanted big brownies, and a
lot of them, so a 1 3 by 9-inch baking pan
When sti rred i nto brown i e batter, nuts steam in the oven and become
soggy. Spri nkl i ng the nuts over the batter hel ps to keep them crunchy.
My browes now had the right texture
neither fdgy nor cakey, with a tender
chew-but the favor was a bit insipid.
Although I ddn't want the decadent tex
ture of fdgy brownies, I did appreciate
their assertive chocolte these
recipes call for a mof diferent chocolates,
and they sometimes even add cocoa powder.
In search of a sinlar chocolate intensity, I
added a little high-quality bittersweet choc
olate to the unsweetened chocolate in my
working recipe. These brownies were too
sweet, too greasy, and too heavy. Wen I cut
back on the sugar, the brownies were less
sweet, but they remained heavy and soggy.
In addition, tasters felt that the favor was
more reminiscent of milk chocolate ( that
is, very mild) than bittersweet chocolate.
Wen I used considerably more bittersweet
chocolate, the favor was more intense but
the texture now decidedy confection-like.
Ounce for ounce, unsweetened chocolate
has more chocolate favor than bittersweet
or semisweet chocolate ( which are one
third to one-half sugar ) . To get enough
favor fom the these chocolates, you have
was the size of choice. I then constructed a
master recipe that contained 4 ounces of unsweet
ened chocolate, 2 sticks of butter, 2 cups of sugar,
4 eggs, and 1l4 cups of all-purpose four.
Fl our, Leavener, Sugar
My working recipe yielded brownies that were
dense and a bit greasy. Cutting back on the but
ter seemed like an obvious way to make them less
greasy. Going fom 2 sticks to sticks did the
trick, but it also produced an unintended side
efect-an unpleasantly gritty texture. I suspected
that the source of the problem might be in the
starch in the recipe, not j ust fom the all-purpose
four I' d been using but from the chocolate,
which also contains starch. Not wanting to ater
the amount of chocolate (my brownies needed
more chocolate flavor, not less) , I decreased the
four. The brownies were still too gritty. Next I
tried substituting the whole amount of all-purose
COOK'S EXTRA gives you free addi ti onal reci pes and
i nformati on onl i ne. For two addi ti onal browni e vari a
ti ons, vi si t www. cooksi l l ustrated. com and key i n code
2044 . Thi s i nformati on wi l l be avai l abl e unti l Apri l | 5 ,
after whi ch it wi l l be avai l abl e to si te subscri bers only.
four with cake flour. This solved the problem,
producing nicely tender brownies. ( Cake four is
milled fom sofer wheat than all-purpose four
and contributes less protein, or gluten, to a recipe.
The result is a finer-textured product, which, i n the
case of these brownies, was preferred. ) Here was
my frst big revelation: Cake four makes tender
brownies wth a delicate chew.
Though tender, the brownies were still too
compact. I tl1ought an extra egg might provide
more structure, but it made tl1e brownies too
cakey. Maybe baking powder would lighten the
crumb. Well, too much baking powder produced
a dry and cakey brownie, but a modest 3/4 tea
spoon was just right. The texture of the brown
ies was now nearly perfect, right in the middle
between cakey and fdgy.
Sugar was the next ingredent subject to scru
tiny. Both light and dark brown sugars created a
moister, slightly wetter brownie, and tasters found
the favor of these sugars to be a distraction fom
the chocolate. Granulated sugar was the best
choice. Tasters felt that my working recipe could
use a bit more t1an the original 2 cups, so I added
another cup and everyone was happy.
L | | |
5 | L L I 5 ! K ^ ! L L
2 4
to use a lot, and that made the browies
fdgy and rich--exactly what I did not wnt for
my recipe.
In small amounts, cocoa did nothing to pump
up the chocolate favor. Using l4 cup cocoa in
place of an equal amount of four helped some
( at least according to a few tasters) , but now the
texture was dense and past. I realized that for
the cocoa to do its work, I would have to remove
so much four that the brownies would lose their
structure and chew. I crossed cocoa of my list.
I now tried the simplest idea yet-increasing
the amount of unsweetened chocolate in my
working recipe. Using 6 ounces ( rather than +
ounces) of unsweetened chocolate gave me the
desired favor-not too sweet, with profound
chocolate notes. Athough I had performed a lot
of unnecessary tests, I now realized why Mom's
recipe usually called for unsweetened chocolate. I
j ust needed to use more to make my recipe taste
better than Mom' s.
Mixi ng Method and Bake- Of
Many recipes call for creanlg the butter ( beat
ing it until light-textured) , but my tests showed
that this produced a' light, dry texture. Much to
x
+
U
.
.
U
x
>
1
O
O
1
O
K | C | | | T | T | N C . Devel opi ng a Browni e to Pl ease Everone
Seemi ngly mi nor changes i n browni e reci pes c a n yi el d quite different resul ts.
TOO CAKEY TOO F UDGY J U ST RI G HT
This reci pe cal l ed for creami ng the
butter and sugar and for lots of baking
powder, yi el di ng brownies with a fluf.
cakey texture.
Thi s reci pe cal l ed for a l ot of chocol ate
and no baking powder and produced
a confecti on- l i ke browni e that was
extremely rich and dense.
Wi th a moderate amount of chocolate
and a l i ttle baking powder, our browni e
has good flavor and a moi st texture
that i s nei ther cakey nor fudgy.
my delight, the easiest method worked best: Melt
the chocolate and butter, add the sugar, eggs, and
vanilla, and then fold in the four.
As simple as they are to mix up, these brown
ies need to be baked just right to guarantee the
perfect texture . An even temperature of 325
degrees baked them through without drying
the edges-a problem when the oven tempera
ture was higher. Close attention near the end
of the baking time proved benefcial as well .
Underbaking by just a couple of minutes resulted
in a gummy ( undercooked) center, and overbak
ing quickly dried them out. Because home ovens
are notoriously fckle and poorly calibrated, the
bakng times in this recipe should be used only as
a general guide.
Wen I mixed nuts into the batter before bak
ing the brownies, they steamed and became sof.
Sprinkling the nuts on top j ust before baking
kept the nuts dry and crunchy; toasting them frst
made them even crunchier while also enhancing
their favor.
Looking back over my test results, I realized
that I had not reinvented the wheel but simply
made small adjustments to a classic recipe. That
being said, these minor changes greatly improved
the brownies' taste and texture. I tl1ink Mom
would be proud to bring them to the next bake
sale or potluck supper.
CLSS I C BROWNI E S
MAKES TWE NTY- F OUR 2 - I NCH- SQUARE BROWN I E S
Be sure t o test for doneness before removing
the brownies from the oven. If under baked ( ie
toothpick has batter clinging to it) , the texture
of the brownies will be dense and gummy; if
overbaked ( ie tooipick comes out completely
clean) , the brownies will be dry and cakey.
cup ( 4 ounces) pecans or wal nuts, chopped
medi um (opti onal )
1 11 cups ( 5 ounces) cake fl our
1 1 teaspoon salt
31 teaspoon baki ng powder
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate,
chopped fi ne
1 2 tabl espoons ( I 11 sticks) unsal ted butter, cut
i nto si x l - i nch pi eces
2 11 cups ( 1 5 3/ ounces) sugar
4 l arge eggs
tabl espoon vani l l a extract
. Adjust oven rack to middJe position; heat
oven to 325 degrees. Cut 1 8-inch length foil
and fold lengiwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into
lengtl1 of 1 3 by 9-inch baking dish, pushing it
into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess
to overhang pan edges . Cut 14-inch lengi foil
and, if using extra-wide foil, fold lengthwise to
1 2-inch widtl1; ft into width of baking pan in
same manner, perpendicular to frst sheet. Spray
foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. If using nuts, spread nuts evenly on rimmed
baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 5 to
8 minutes. Set aside to cool .
3 . Whisk to combine four, salt, and baking
powder in medium bowl; set aside.
4. Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof
bowl set over saucepan ofalmost-simmeringwater,
stirring occasionally, until smootl1 . (Alternatively,
in microwave, heat butter and chocolate in large
microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds,
then stir and heat for 30 seconds more . Sti r
agai n, and, if necessary, repeat i n 1 5 - second
increments; do not let chocolate burn. ) When
chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove
bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar.
Add eggs one at time, whisking afer each addi
tion until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla.
Add four mixture in three additions, folding witl1
rubber spatula until batter is completely smootl
and homogeneous.
5 . Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spat
ula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth
surface. Sprinkle toasted nuts ( if using) evenly
over batter and bake until toothpick or wooden
skewer inserted into center of brownies comes
out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35
minutes. Cool on wire rack t o room temperature,
about 2 hours, tlen remove brownies from pan
by lifing foil overhang. Cut brownies into 2- inch
squares and serve. ( Store lefovers in airtight con
tainer at room temperature up to 3 days. )
M A R C i l { A PR I L 2 0 0 4
2 5
TA T | N C . Boxed Browni e Mixes
Admi t i t. In a moment of desperati on. you' ve
reached for a boxed baki ng mix. Maybe you forot
about tomorrow' s school bake sal e or in a moment
of haste vol unteered to make somethi ng for an
ofice part. Why not use one of the countl ess pack
aged comesti bl es avai l abl e on supermarket shelves?
You know why not-most boxed browni es are
not very good. But we wondered if some brnds
were better than the others-and if perhaps one
might even ri val homemade. (OK. that was a bi t
opti mi sti c. ) We purchased si x brands, prepared
each accordi ng to the i nstructi ons on the package,
and rted them based on thei r texture, moi stness.
and chocolate favor.
We came away with only one boxed brownie
mix to hal fleartedly recommend: Ghi rardel l i
Doubl e Chocol ate Browni e Mix. No one loved
these browni es. but they had a decent amount of
chocolate flavor and were the l east offensive of the
bunch. Tasters compl ai ned-l oudly-about artifi ci al
favors and excessive sweetness i n the Pi l l sbur.
Bett Crocker. and Duncan Hi nes mixes. The two
remai ni ng brnds were a bi t di ferent. I n pl ace of
the tpi cal water, vegetabl e oi l . and egg addi ti ons
that most mixes requi re. No- Pudge cal l s for nonfat
yogurt and vani l l a extrct, whereas Oetker uses
mel ted butter and egs. Tasters felt that both lacked
chocolate favor and had undesi rbl e textures.
In the end. we can' t be too enthusiastic about any
of these choi ces, especi al l y given that homemade
browni es are so eas to prepare. But if you must
make a mi x. at least you now know that
they' re not all the same. -Ni na West
Premi um Browni e Mix, $ 2. 79
Brownies were tice as thi ck as other
brands and had the " best chocol ate flavor."
On the sweet si de, also "somewhat mushy. "
PI UBURY Ri ch &Moist Fudge Browni e
Mix, $ 1 . 79
" Bitter," with "mi l d, fake chocol ate
flavor."
BE CROCKER Tradi ti onal Chew
Fudge Browni e Mix, $ 1 . 89
"Artifi ci al ; " " l i ke chewing on a
chocol ate chamoi s. "
DUNCN HI NES Fami ly-Stl e Chew
Fudge Browni es, $ 1 . 89
"Tastes commerci al , " "dry," and "chal k. "
OEKER Si mpl e Orani cs Organi c
Browni e Mix, $ 3 . 1 9
Leaden, " "tough, " and "no flavor."
NO PUDGE Ori gi nal Fudge Browni e
Mix, $ 3 . 69
" Uke chewi ng gum, " with "no chocol ate
flavor."
Just What I s Dark Chocolate, Anyway?
A tasti ng of n i n e "dar k" ch ocol ates reveal ed an i ndustry wi th l i ttl e regu l ati on and two
wi del y avai l abl e (an d i n expensi ve) brands that beat out the pri ci er competi ti on .
CLBUT Dark " Bittersweet"
Chocolate, 8 3 5 , $42. 95 for I I pounds
44% sugar
Sold for about $6 per pou nd at the super
market in l arge, pl asti c-wrapped chunks
l abel ed si mpl y " Cal l ebaut Bi ttersweet
Chocol ate, " B J 5 i s, i n fact, one of seven
dark chocol ates avai l abl e from that com
pany. The meri ts of thi s Bel gi an chocol ate
were a creamy texture, gentl e bi tterness,
and i nteresti ng nutt and tropi cal "coco
nut" notes. Other tasters pi cked up dai ry
favors, cal l i ng i t "sweet and mi l k. "
HERSHEY' S Special Dark Mi l dly Sweet
Chocolate, $ 1 . 5 9 for 7 ounces
49% sugar
The sweetest sampl e and appreci ated for i t.
Numerous tasters remarked on i ts " mi l k"
qual i ti es, and some even pi cked up a sweet
ness akin to bananas. A sl i ght waxy texture
was noted when sampl ed raw, but both the
sauce and the cake were consi dered "very
creamy and smooth . " Th i s chocol ate was
comforti ng and fami l i ar to tasters.
DI STI NCT AN D BI TTER DARK CHOCOLATE S
UNDT Excel l ence Dark Chocolate,
70% Cocoa, $2. 75 for 3 . 5 ounces
. 28%sugar
Rated fairly smooth , compl ex, and creamy
across the board. Undt was better received
raw than i n sauce. In the cake, many tasters
found i t l acki ng in sweetness, compl ai ni ng
that i t was "ver bi tter, l i ke cofee" and that it
"tastes strongly of unsweetened chocol ate. "
The opposi ng camp procl ai med " l ots of per
sonal i ty" and noted the flavor of "roasted
nuts, " "tobacco, " and " burnt caramel . "
EL REY Gran Saman Dark Chocolate
Carenero Superior 70%, $2. 9 5 for
2. 8 ounces 3 5 % sugar
Consi dered aggressi vel y bi tter, thi s Ven
ezuel an chocol ate was al so rated as on e
of t h e most compl ex. Tasters frequentl y
repeated the adjectives "roasted, " " nutt. "
and "smoky" and rarel y used the word
"sweet. " The texture when tasted raw was
characterized as " fi rm" and "crunchy. " wi th
h i nts of "chal ki ness. " Not a chocol ate for
the fai nt of heart.
FAVORl TE DARK CHOCOLATE
GHI RRDEW Bittersweet Chocolate
Premi um Baking Bar, $2. 29 for 4 ounces
44% sugar
Wi th i ts hi gh percentage of sugar, thi s Cal i forni a chocol ate was consi dered the most bal
anced-nei ther too bi tter nor too sweet. I ts smooth , creamy textu re won poi nts i n the raw
and sauce tests, whi l e sol i d aci di t and frui ty flavor notes shone through i n the cake despi te
i ts sweetness. Tasters noted both " fl avor bu rsts" and a fl avor range wi th comments such as
"starts sweet and fi n i shes bi tter, " whi ch expl ai ns why thi s chocol ate stood out.
1Hakcrs
BAKER' S Bittersweet Baking Chocolate
Squares, $2. 29 for 6 ounces
3 6% sugar
True to i ts name, tasters preferred Baker' s
(made by Kraft) when cooked. Wi thout
much bi tterness, " nutty." " roasty," and
"coffee" flavor notes came through i n the
sauce and cake, but raw Baker' s scored
poorly because the texture was "gri tt" and
"chal k. " Not for ni bbl i ng.
VALRHONA Guanaja 70% Cacao Dark
Bitter Chocol ate, $ 3 . 50 for 2. 6 ounces
3 5% sugar
Earni ng consi stentl y average scores i n each
test, thi s "very bi tter and fru i t" French
chocol ate had uni que flavor characteri sti cs.
Tasters found "cherry," "wi ne. " " rai si ns i n
port, " and even a mi l d vegetal fl avor aki n
to ol ive oi l . The texture was descri bed as
dry and fi rm.
, , ,,-- -
M
PERU GI NA Bittersweet Chocolate,
$ 1 . 99 for 3 . 5 ounces
36% sugar
Made by Nestl e, the fl avor profi l e of thi s
chocol ate was comparbl e wi th Herhey' s.
Givi ng i t high rti ngs i n the cake test, tasters
consi dered Perugi na " bal anced , " "subtl e, "
and " not overhel mi ng. " The "si l k, creamy"
texture was wel l received in al l tests, but the
flavor was too mi l d for some when eaten
pl ai n or i n sauce, and a few tasters pi cked up
"artifi ci al " and "plasti c" flavor notes.
K
6 R
-
|
[ |
s
SCHARFFEN BERGER Bittersweet Pure
Dark Chocolate, 70% Cacao, $8. 95 for
9. 7 ounces 3 3% sugar
Thi s compl ex Cal i forni an scored very hi gh
when eaten raw, with tasters noti ci ng fl a
vors from "aci di c" to "cherry" and "earthy,"
but not sweet. I t fared poorly, however, in
the sauce and cake, in whi ch i t was consi d
ered " too bi tter" and "astri ngent. " Asi de
from a few who noted that the texture was
"chal k" in the cake, most tasters prai sed
the smooth texture of thi s chocolate.
Technical advisors from the Belgian choco
late company Barry Callebaut put it this way.
"Sugar," they said, "interferes with the percep
tion of chocolate favor nuances in the product. "
The experts argue that high-cocoa chocolates
have a more robust and nuanced favor, and our
tasters' comments supported tlis assertion.
In descriptions of the cake and the sauce made
with these chocolates, the words "bitter," "sour,"
and "sharp" appeared again and again, but a few
tasters picked up on distinct favors tley didn't
notice in the sweeter chocolates. In tl1e Lindt,
people noticed coffee, tobacco, smoke, and tan
run; in the El Rey it was a roasted quality, smoke,
cherry, and fuit; the Valrhona evoked toast, rasp
berry, sour apple, and vegetable; and in Scharffen
Berger it was cherry, wine, raisins, fowers, and
fruit . These lower-sugar chocolates have favor
profles that are more complex than those of our
winners, but they are not necessarily more likable.
Wat, then, to buy? Unless you have a rarefed
palate (at least when it comes to chocolate), you
don't have to shell out a lot of money or search
gourmet shops to fnd a winning brand. Our
top tllree choices included the inexpensive and
ubiquitous Hershey's Special Dark as well as the
reasonably priced Ghirardelli Bittersweet.
M A R C i l b A P R I L 2 0 0 4
2 7
What Makes a Better Baking Pan?
You can spend $ 9 or $ 9 5 on a baki ng pan. Does more money buy you better resu l ts?
= BY A D A M R I E D W I T H G A R T H C L I N G I N G S M I T H E
PRI CE: $ | 8. 99
DI SHWAS HE R- SAFE: Yes
PERFORMANCE:
PRI CE : $25. 99
DI SHWASHE R- SAFE: No
PERFORMANCE :
PRI CE: $ | 9. 99
DI S HWAS HE R- SAFE: No
PERFORMANCE:
PRI CE : $24. 99
DI SHWASHER- SAFE : No
PE RFORMANCE :