Indholdsfortegnelse for Holiday/Winter 2022 i Cuisine at home

CUISINE TONIGHTWeeknight Menus THERE’S SOMETHING HERE FOR EVERYONE: five friendly, familiar hot dishes, all prepared and cooked in cast-iron skillets. The ingredients, spices, and produce, all easily found at the supermarket, create the bold flavors that are the hallmarks of these recipes. And, each casserole has unexpected ingredients. For example, the Enchilada Pie uses sweet, smoky ranch-style pinto beans, playing up the Southwestern flavors. Grillflavored plant-based protein crumbles lend tandoori-like flavor in the Moroccan casserole. Chicken and waffles are a restaurant menu favorite, but the twist here are waffle-cut fries. The tuna noodle casserole leans on spinach-artichoke dip for something special, but Boursin Shallot and Chive cheese takes it to a whole new level. A New Orleans-inspired mash-up concludes this quintet. The specialty cold cut, muffaletta, is reimagined with a…

PIEROGI, AN OLD-WORLD SPECIALTY, ARE HALF-MOON-SHAPED NOODLE DUMPLINGS. When it comes to filling pierogi, the options are endless. These boiled dumplings are stuffed with savory or sweet combinations. Some classic fillings include onion, potato, farmer’s cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, spiced meats, and even berries and fruit. Typically pierogi are boiled, then sautéed, and served with breadcrumbs and sour cream. Our Potato and Dill Pierogi recipe is a nod towards the classic. Tender dough encases creamy potato, onion, garlic, and dill, and a quick sauté crisps them slightly — you’ll be glad this recipe makes a couple dozen. And keep in mind, pierogi freeze well — an easy weeknight meal is at the ready right in your freezer for those nights when you just don’t feel like cooking from scratch. (We all…

IN GREEK, one translation of phyllo is “ply”, as in two-ply, plywood, and implies (sic) “layers” of something. In this case, it implies exceedingly thin layers of a very simple dough comprised of flour, water, and a touch of oil. Phyllo sheets (or leaves) only need a shimmer of butter, ghee, or olive oil between the leaves for baking into delicately crisp pastry crusts for a plethora of recipes. Working with phyllo sheets is intimidating at first, but the return on the investment is a thousandfold. For all the tedious stress of quickly buttering and layering stacks of phyllo, the results are spectacular; case in point, the mille-feuille, left. The immensely satisfying Sausage & Egg Bake, addictive Tyropita hand pies, and habit-forming mincemeat tartlets individually and collectively demonstrate the same.…

Opera cake is a relatively new (1950s), yet classic, French pastry known for its thin layers of many components — three layers of almond sponge cake soaked in espresso syrup, espresso buttercream, ganache, and a dark chocolate icing or glaze. We’re keeping with the traditional square shape and trimmed, unfrosted sides. Traditionally it’s decorated with the name “Opera” written on top, accompanied by some gold leaf. We’re simplifying things with a no-fuss gold luster dust embellishment. But, let’s break down each component. The sponge cakes are light and tender, getting their ethereal texture (and leavening) from beaten egg whites. Brushing each layer with a flavored simple syrup helps keep the cakes moist and adds some sweetness and flavor. The creamy Swiss Coffee Buttercream isn’t your usual powdered sugar frosting. And…

THE BUZZ | LAST SUPPER Have you ever stopped to think, “If I could share a meal with anyone (past or present), who would that be and what would we eat?” This was a challenging question for all of us (and most likely you, too!). Our responses range from famous people to family members, but what about you? Share your story with us on Facebook or Instagram by using #lastsupper, and please don’t forget to tag us @cuisineathome. THINK ON THIS: good food with good company I’m in the José Andrés school of “let’s build longer tables, not higher walls,” so this is a hard question for me. I want to fill my table with people from all walks of life — ancestors who’ve passed and I long to know…

HEALTHY EATING 4-1-1 Nutrition and calorie information is typically based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day-diet. But you may actually need more or less calories than that based on several factors, including age, gender, and level of physical activity. As far as types of food to consume, the American Heart Association’s and the USDA’s most recent guidelines state that you should eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy sources of protein (such as nuts and fish); use liquid plant oils (like olive oil rather than coconut oil); choose minimally processed foods; minimize foods and drinks with added sugars; choose and make foods with little or no salt; and minimize alcohol intake. In general, you should focus on nutrient-dense foods and beverages to meet the food group needs and…

YOU KNOW WOK HEY (OR WOK SPIRIT) IS THERE IN THE EXPLODING GINGER AND GARLIC FLAVORS, CRUNCHY VEGETABLES, AND TENDER, JUICY MEAT. SO HOW DO YOU GET WOK HEY? IT’S ALL ABOUT THOROUGH PREPARATION AND FAST STIR-FRYING TECHNIQUES — NOT ABOUT UNUSUAL INGREDIENTS. IN FACT, OUTSIDE OF A SAUCE OR TWO, YOU MIGHT HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED RIGHT IN YOUR FRIDGE OR PANTRY. The Boy Scouts have the right idea here. The motto of a good stir-fry is “be prepared.” French chefs call this mise en place [MEEZ ahn plahs], or “everything in its place.” But Chinese cooks were practicing it long before French chefs started preaching it. You’ve got to be organized to pull off a good stir-fry. There’s no time to stop once the wok is fired up.…

EASY-BAKE PIE When baking pumpkin pie, it’s always a challenge to transfer the pie to the oven without spilling some of the filling. My simple solution is to not completely fill the pie before moving it. I’ve found it’s much easier to transfer the pie when I reserve one cup of the filling. Once the pie is safely in the oven, I add the reserved filling. No more messy spillage. CECELIA H. ALTIERI EAST HADDAM, CT WINNING TIMESAVERS STIR CRAZY I like to use wide or narrow craft sticks when melting chocolate in the microwave. It’s safe to leave in the bowl for stirring and scraping the sides. The best part is the easy cleanup — just toss them in the trash when you’re finished. MYRA SPURGIN DALLAS, TX CLIP…

Everyone has stories about making Christmas cookies. Good or bad, they all tend to end with laughter somehow. Making cookie dough is easy, but cutting the dough can be problematic. Bent cookie cutters, rusty cookie cutters, blunt cookie cutters — all can create issues turning cookie decorating time into a fall-apart hot mess, literally. In this brief overview we look at some major players in the cookie cutter game. All are top-rated and under $20. There are different shapes and size choices — small, medium, and large cutters; some packs have 18 cutters, others have three, so value and variety come into play, too. Cuisine tested for sturdiness, stickiness, comfort, and cleanliness. We discovered that all of them cut soft dough equally well. It’s lifting the cut-out cookies off the…

Baking bread had a resurgence during the pandemic, from elaborate to quicker and easier loaves. And Jeff and Zoë, authors of The Best of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, make it especially easy for readers to enjoy incredible loaves of bread in only five minutes a day. Do you know what that means? Fresh baked bread is within your reach any night of the week! The Vermont Cheddar Bread is tender, cheesy, and practically a meal all on its own. Or turn it into bread sticks, with the same great flavor in addictive crispy sticks. And when pumpkin meets bread, you have one marvelous masterpiece. The Pain au Potiron is moist (surprising for whole-wheat breads) with tender bites of pumpkin and hints of pepper — perfect for winter…

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon? Or, how many ounces are in 1/3 cup? The list goes on and on. But don’t worry, we answer all that and more in this article. This guide may become your new kitchen helper with all the cooking and baking this season brings. dry measurements STRAIGHTEN up To measure dry ingredients accurately, use a straight edge (like the back of a knife) to level off the ingredient in the cup. Butter BASICS What ’s in a spoon? liquid measurements WE’LL LEVEL WITH YOU Liquid ingredients need to be measured on a flat surface in a liquid measuring cup. Get at eye level to see the markings on the cup and add liquid until the bottom of the meniscus, the curved surface of the…

PHYLLO HAS quite a reputation for being fussy and tricky to work with. But it’s only frustrating if you don’t follow the rules of handling. Here are some essentials to know, along with a few tips to ensure success. WHAT IT IS AND ISN’T Phyllo, which is also sometimes spelled “fillo,” is a dough made with flour, water, and a very small amount of oil. It’s stretched into sheets as thin as tissue paper. When stacked and baked, they become flaky, crisp layers that can hold both sweet and savory fillings. Don’t confuse phyllo with puff pastry, which is made of equal parts flour and butter. While both are flaky, phyllo is crispier and far lower in fat. THAWING: Phyllo is sold frozen and must be completely thawed before using…

MASHED CAULIFLOWER WITH BROWN BUTTER Makes 4 servings (3 cups) Total time: 30 minutes 1½ lb. cauliflower florets, chopped4 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed6 Tbsp. unsalted butter½ cup shredded Asiago cheese Salt and black pepper to taste Place cauliflower and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl with about ½ inch water. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap; microwave on high until cauliflower softens, 8–10 minutes. Drain cauliflower and garlic. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over low heat until it becomes foamy and brown bits form on bottom of pan, swirling pan often. Off heat, swirl pan again and reserve 1 Tbsp. brown butter for drizzling. Transfer cauliflower and garlic to a food processor; purée. Add remaining brown butter; pulse until combined. Stir in Asiago; season with salt and pepper.…

Why do some cookie recipes call for chilling the dough? Is that really necessary? L.D. Bell, Indianapolis, IN There are a few reasons why cookie recipes may direct you to chill the dough. First, chilled dough is firmer and easier to work with. If you’re making sugar or gingerbread cookies, for example, this helps keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and smooshing under cookie cutters. Besides being difficult to manipulate, unchilled cookie dough may spread excessively when baked. This is mainly true for recipes that call for butter as opposed to shortening. Last but not least, the treats won’t have the best consistency or deepest flavor if the dry ingredients aren’t given time to absorb the liquid. TELL ME MORE: Kumquats A member of the citrus family,…