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Table of Contents
Tips and Techniques4
Simple Sauce Stir-Fry6
Stir-fry without the hassle -- most of the preparation is done right in your blender.
Hot Hoisin Stir-Fry8
Sour Orange Stir Fry10
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Peeling and Deveining Shrimp
Pork and Tomato Stir-Fry11
Chicken & Dumplings12
Simple ingredients and basic techniques produce flavors that put this dish at the top of the list of American Classics.
Chicken and Tortilla Dumplings16
Carlos Guía -- Brunch at Commander's Palace18
Good brunch recipes are hard to come by. Here are two simple classics from the experts who wrote the book on brunch.
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Poaching Eggs
Biscuits
I'm going to tell you right now——make these biscuits. I tried all the techniques and tricks and came up with "the secrets." Use the right flour, keep the dough moist, and don't overwork it.
Ingredients
Combine:
2 cups self-rising flour
1 1⁄2 cups cake flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1⁄2 t. baking powder
1⁄4 t. baking soda
Cut in:
1⁄3 cup vegetable shortening
Stir in:
2 cups buttermilk
Sift over Work Surface and Dough:
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
Cut Biscuits with a 2 1/2
Brush with:
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
Directions
Heat oven to 475°. Spray two 8" round pans with cooking spray.
Combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and soda.
Cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender mixture until shortening is no larger than the size of a big pea.
Stir in the buttermilk completely with a wooden spoon. Let stand 2–3 minutes. The dough will be very wet.
Sift 1/4 cup all-purpose flour onto the work surface. “Turn out” the dough onto the floured work surface. Sift remaining flour over dough. Flour hands. Turn and fold dough over several times in flour and gently pat to 3/4" thick.
Cut biscuits: Using a floured 2 1/2" cutter, cut dough into rounds — don’t twist! With a spatula, place cut biscuits into pans (6 per pan). Gently reroll scraps. Don’t overwork the dough or add additional flour.
Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter. Bake 15 minutes, or until tops are golden. Serve right away. I guarantee, these biscuits will make you go “white-eyed!”
Per serving: 171 calories; 33 calories from fat; 6g total fat; 411mg sodium
Carlos Guía -- Eggs Chaisson19
Carlos Guía -- Bananas Foster21
The Perfect Cup of Coffee22
The hunt for the perfect cup ends here. We did the jittering -- you do the reading!
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Coffee Makers
Automatic Drip Method
Cooking.com
www.cooking.com
1.800.663.8810
Bunn Home Brewer Coffee Maker, 10-Cup
Black, Item #178688
White, Item #178695
Cold Brew Method
Fante’s Kitchen Wares Shop
www.fantes.com
1.800.443.2683
Toddy Coffeemaker
Item #12725
French Press Method
Bodum
www.bodumusa.com
1.800.232.6386
Bodum Chambord
12-Cup, 48 oz.
Item #1932-16US4
Manual Drip Method
Empire Coffee and Tea Company
Melitta with 10-Cup Carafe
Natural Brown Melitta Cone Filters #6 (box of 40)
8-Layer Lasagna24
True Lasagna Bolognese takes hours to make. But fewer ingredients and less preparation time don't diminish this version's flavor.
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Lasagna
None
Ingredients
For the Bolognese Sauce—
Saute in 1/4 Cup Olive Oil:
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1⁄2 cup fennel, diced
Add:
2 T. garlic, minced
Stir in and Saute:
1⁄4 lb. ground chuck
1⁄2 lb. ground pork
3 T. Italian seasoning
1 T. salt
1 t. black pepper
Add and Reduce:
1 1⁄2 cups whole milk
Add and Reduce:
1 cup dry red wine
Stir in and Simmer:
4 lbs. tomatoes, quartered
2 T. tomato paste
2 T. salt
1⁄4 t. black pepper
3 bay leaves
For the Ricotta Filling—
In a Food Processor, Blend until Smooth:
2 15 oz. containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
Add and Blend Well:
2 eggs
2 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1⁄2 t. black pepper
For the Lasagna with Bolognese Sauce—
Prepare, then Assemble:
24 oven-ready lasagna sheets (about two 8 oz. pkgs)
1 recipe Ricotta Filling
1 recipe Bolognese Sauce
2 bunches Swiss chard, stemmed, blanched and dried
2 1⁄2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 1⁄2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
Saute the yellow onion, carrots, celery, and fennel in olive oil for the Bolognese Sauce.
Add garlic and saute. Stir in and saute, ground chuck, pork, italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
Add whole milk and simmer gently for 25-30 min. to reduce.
Add dry red wine and simmer about 20 min. to reduce.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, black pepper, and bay leaves and let simmer gently over medium-low heat for 4 1/4-5 1/2 hours. Stir often to keep the sauce from sticking or burning. Remove bay leaves, cool, and chill. Bring sauce to room temperature before assembling lasagna. Preheat oven to 400°. Blanch pasta sheets (5–6 sheets at a time) in saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 min. They should be just pliable, not cooked through. Blanch cleaned Swiss chard leaves in boiling, salted water until wilted, about 3 seconds. Transfer to paper towel-lined baking sheets.
In a food processor, blend ricotta for filling, until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides.
Add remaining ingredients and blend another minute.
To prepare lasagna, set aside 3 cups Bolognese for serving, then spread 1/2 cup on bottom of pan, then layers of pasta and ricotta filling. Top with a layer of chard. Spread 3/4 cup Bolognese on the chard-it won't totally cover. Sprinkle with cheese; repeat layering, beginning with pasta. Spread remaining ricotta over the last layer of pasta and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 40–45 min. Rest 15 min.; cut, using the tip of a sharp, thin knife. Serve with some of the reserved sauce and more Parmesan cheese.
Per serving: 572 calories; 39 calories from fat; 25g total fat; 47g carb.; 2584mg sodium
Basic Cuisine28
Blanching vegetables, pulping ginger, rehydrating mushrooms, and supreming citrus -- here are details on the techniques.
The Top 25 Foods That Influenced the Way We Eat30
America's culinary icons -- the foods that shaped our nation's eating habits. Making history at the table, one bite at a time.
Mushrooms36
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Mushrooms
Marché Aux Delices
www.auxdelices.com
1.888.547.5471
Mushrooms and More
www.mushroomsandmore.net
1.914.682.7288
info@mushroomsandmore.net
Mushrooms38
From sandwiches to main courses, four flavorful recipes made with mushrooms.
1-2-3 Weeknight40
Recipes good enough for weekend company but made for weeknight schedules -- lamb chops and jambalaya-stuffed peppers.
Q&A44
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Linguini alla Puttanesca
There's no elegant way to say this——Puttanesca comes from the Italian word for harlot. And believe me, you'll be enticed by the aroma and flavor of this pasta sauce.
Ingredients
Cook:
1 lb. dry linguini
Saute in 2 T. Olive Oil:
1 T. garlic, minced
1 t. anchovy paste
1⁄4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
Add and Simmer:
3 cups (two 14.5-oz. cans) canned diced tomatoes with juice
2 T. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1 T. brown sugar
2 t. balsamic vinegar
Add:
1⁄4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and slivered
3 T. chopped fresh oregano (or 1 1/2 t. dried)
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 T. brined capers, drained
Salt to taste
Optional—
Top Each Serving with:
3 –4 T. oil-packed albacore tuna, drained, in large chunks
Directions
Cook linguini; bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Saute; heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, anchovy paste, and red pepper flakes. Stir, cooking for 30 seconds—it will smell strong because of the anchovies.
Add the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, brown sugar, and vinegar; stir to combine. Simmer sauce until slightly reduced, 10–15 minutes. While sauce simmers, prepare olives and herbs; pour capers into a small dish—it’s easier to measure them that way.Meanwhile, add linguini to the boiling water; stir often to force the strands to the bottom of the pot and prevent them from sticking. Cook pasta until al dente (refer to package for times). Before draining, remove 1/4 cup cooking liquid to thin the sauce if needed.
Add the olives, herbs, capers, and salt, plus some pasta water to the sauce if it seems thick. Transfer the sauce to a large, shallow bowl and top with the drained pasta. Toss until pasta is evenly coated with sauce.
Top pasta with chunks of canned tuna. Serve Puttanesca warm or at room temperature.
Per serving: 401 calories; 18 calories from fat; 8g total fat; 69g carb.; 672mg sodium
Q&A Sources
Cake and Pastry Flour
King Arthur Flour
www.KingArthurFlour.com
1.800.827.6836
Queen Guinevere Cake Flour
3 lbs., Item #3330Round Table Pastry Flour — Unbleached
3 lbs., Item #3331
Butter Bell
The Original Butter Bell Crock
www.ButterBell.com
1.800.575.1900
CHEFS Catalog
www.chefscatalog.com
1.800.884.CHEF
Red Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes
Penzey’s
www.penzeys.com
1.800.741.7787
The Spice House
www.thespicehouse.com
1.847.328.3711
Capers
Zingerman’s
www.zingermans.com
1.888.636.8162
Salt-packed capers
140g, Item #P-CAP
ChefShop.com
www.chefshop.com
1.877.337.2491
Offers 7 varieties of capers, including those from Salina
Heavenly Angel Food Cake46
One bite of this cake and you'll come to understand the meaning behind the name. It truly is other-worldly.
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Beating Egg Whites
Rocky Road Cake48
Take a decadent path with this angel food cake filled with chocolate-rum pudding and almonds. There will be no regrets!
Black Forest Parfaits52
Got leftover angel food cake? This great-looking, light-tasting (but rich!) parfait is the perfect way to end a meal.