Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2024 i Cook's Country

IF I WERE going to make a declaration about gumbo, the way that the cooks do in Matthew Fairman’s story about the silky stew on page 14, I would say that gumbo is a delicious mystery waiting to be solved and every cook is a detective. Here are some of the variations, ideas, and fun facts to consider. An article entitled “A Short History of Gumbo,” published by the Southern Foodways Alliance, states that gumbo is considered a “melting pot” dish that crosses class and regional barriers. The first documented references to gumbo in the United States appeared around the turn of the 19th century. In 1803, gumbo was served at a reception in New Orleans, and in 1804 gumbo was enjoyed at a Cajun gathering on the Acadian coast.…

A round baked good containing a symbolic trinket, eaten in celebration of the holiday of Epiphany, is found across the Catholic diaspora in different forms. Epiphany marks the three kings' visit to baby Jesus, and it’s generally agreed that New Orleans inherited the king cake from France and Spain. In francophone cultures, you might enjoy a galette des rois, a very French confection of puff pastry and almond frangipane, while in Spain the rosca de reyes consists of a round of brioche topped with dried fruit. In New Orleans, this has morphed into the circle of sweet bread, often flavored with cinnamon and topped with sugar colored purple, green, and gold. Tradition dictates that the colors represent justice, faith, and power (though that may be another New Orleans legend in…

ISAAC TOUPS OF Toups’ Meatery in New Orleans says he found this unique version of rillons—bite-size bits of pork belly braised in a red-wine caramel—in an old Cajun cookbook (rillons are a cousin of rillettes—meat cooked and preserved in its own fat). He calls them pork candy or “alcoholic pork belly caramel.” I call them the ultimate party snack, decadent and irresistible. This recipe is inspired by the rillons I had for “dessert” at the end of an unforgettable meal at the Meatery and by the recipe Toups published in his book Chasing the Gator: Isaac Toups and the New Cajun Cooking (2018). Relying on the test kitchen’s care for engineering the most failproof recipes for the home cook, I’ve adapted his recipe based on techniques I learned from making…

AROMATIC AND COMPLEX in flavor, the Sazerac is one of America’s oldest cocktails and a signature drink of New Orleans. The fact that it remains hugely popular around the Crescent City—a place known for storied bars and famous drinks and that boasts a booming, growing cocktail scene—is a testament to its excellence. The drink gets its name from a cognac called Sazerac de Forge et Fils, which was used in early iterations of the cocktail; that cognac has since been replaced by whiskey—either rye or bourbon. This classic is easy to make ahead in large batches, ready to pour for a group at a moment’s notice. The measured added water means that you don’t need to add ice cubes and shake before serving and ensures the perfect amount of dilution…

THE IDEA OF cowboy butter can be traced back to cattlemen in the Old West mixing thick, sticky sorghum molasses with leftover ham or bacon grease into a spreadable paste to smear on hardtack. In contemporary America, cowboy butter is a compound butter whose ingredients vary from cook to cook. There are many recipes for it in food publications and blogs, and they’re all wildly different. We did some digging and discovered a modern take from the now-closed Mr. Donahue’s restaurant in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood. There, husband and wife partners Matt Danzer and Ann Redding created flavor-packed American food inspired by Matt’s grandparents, Frank and Rose, for their small operation. Some menu items were served with the option of sauces; the most coveted was cowboy butter. It was inspired by…

SHAVING BRUSSELS SPROUTS may sound fussy, but it is ideal for a weeknight meal: The shaving, which is easy to do in a food processor, transforms this dense vegetable into small pieces that cook quickly. And because the shavings are irregularly shaped, they brown unevenly, creating a multitude of interesting flavors and textures that you don’t get when cooking whole or halved sprouts Through our testing, we found that cooking the shaved sprouts in a skillet on the stovetop was preferable to roasting them in the oven, where it was difficult to control the cooking. Since we wanted to cook 2 pounds of brussels sprouts (to feed four to six people), we sautéed them in two batches so that the skillet wasn’t overcrowded. This technique achieves good browning, and because…

America’s Test Kitchen has been teaching home cooks how to be successful in the kitchen since 1993. Our mission is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Millions watch our two shows on public television; read our two flagship magazines (Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated); and rely on our books, website, videos, and podcasts. America’s Test Kitchen is located in a state-of-the-art Boston facility with 15,000 square feet of test kitchen and studio space. Learn more at AmericasTestKitchen.com. FAREWELL TO THE ROOSTER! As Cook’s Country continues to grow and evolve, we are moving on from using the rooster icon. Accordingly, the “Find the Rooster” contest has ended—there is no rooster hidden in this issue. The October/November 2023 drawing winner, Kelly Phong of Oneida, Washington, found the…

WHEN I MOVED to New Orleans a few years ago, I had a lot to learn about Mardi Gras (literally translated, “Fat Tuesday”). I primarily pictured the most salacious bits I had seen on TV from afar. You know the scene that’s so often associated with Carnival: beads and delirious college students. Although tourists can certainly find those on Bourbon Street during the Carnival season, the truth is, they can find them there any night of the week, the whole year round. On the other hand, the truly unique, essential delights of Mardi Gras are to be found celebrating and feasting with family and friends in the Crescent City’s other neighborhoods. Sure, there are parades with lots of people throwing beads and myriad other collectible objects, but the targets for…

IN LOUISIANA, EVERYONE has a gumbo story. I’ve gathered a few favorite declarations about gumbo in my quest to write my own: “Gumbo is a food group” (Pableaux Johnson). “Gumbo is like a religion” (Melissa M. Martin). “Gumbo is a celebration” (Wayne Baquet, Sr.). These proclamations hint at an elusiveness that is essential to gumbo, one that I have found to be, at turns, bewildering and tantalizing. How could a humble pot of food hold something so sublime that it converts all Louisianians—no matter how wildly different their environments and backgrounds—into gumbo evangelists, zealots even? Maybe taking a look at three specific gumbo stories can give us a clue. GIFTS FROM GUMBO CLAUS Pableaux Johnson is also known as Gumbo Claus because of his decade-long practice of handing out quarts…

Quick Beef Stew with Mushrooms and Dijon Sirloin steak tips are often sold as flap meat. Serve with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, rice, or crusty bread and sprinkle with chopped fresh chives. 1½ pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes1½ teaspoons table salt, divided4 tablespoons unsalted butter8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered1 onion, chopped¼ cup tomato paste1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary3 tablespoons all-purpose flour2 cups beef broth1 cup water½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and chopped fine2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1. Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Melt butter in Dutch oven over high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to plate. 2. Add cremini mushrooms, onion, tomato paste, rosemary, and remaining…

WOULD IT SURPRISE you to learn that the secret to deeply flavorful roast chicken is beer? It surprised us. Let us back up for a moment. Over the years, we’ve learned that it’s best to treat a chicken with salt before roasting, whether it be through a brine (submerging the bird in a salt solution) or a “dry brine,” which entails rubbing the chicken with salt (and other seasonings). The salt seasons the meat and also chemically helps it retain moisture during the cooking process. Through our testing, we found that brining a chicken in beer instead of water has some distinct advantages that have scientific backing. While you don’t necessarily think of beer as acidic, it is, and that acidity helps tenderize the meat during an overnight brine. And…

WARM MARINATED OLIVES Serves 6 to 8 Total Time: 25 minutes To crush the coriander seeds, place them in a zipper-lock bag and press or gently pound with a skillet, rolling pin, or meat mallet. For spicier olives, use the full ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. 1 orange½ cup extra-virgin olive oil2 cups pitted brine-cured green olives2 cups pitted brine-cured black olives1 tablespoon herbes de Provence2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed¼–½teaspoon red pepper flakes6 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon red wine vinegarCrusty bread 1. Using vegetable peeler, remove four 2-inch strips of zest from orange. Slice each strip thin lengthwise. Heat oil and zest in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until zest is fragrant and begins to curl, about 3 minutes. Add olives, herbes de Provence, coriander seeds, and pepper flakes…

NEW ORLEANS IS a city of people with passionate opinions, especially concerning food. The easiest way to start an argument among New Orleanians is to pronounce as fact your opinion on, say, the best way to boil crawfish or how dark to take your roux for a certain dish—you’ll barely need to pause before your sparring partner interjects to inform you that you are wrong and how the way their grandma prepared it is actually correct. King cake, the reigning dessert of Mardi Gras, is no exception. This celebratory circle of dough has achieved near mythic status in Louisiana, and where to get the best one is the subject of intense debate. I’m here to pronounce my own strong opinion—the very best king cake is the one you make yourself.…

The scribe Calvin Trillin is a champion of many foodstuffs, but he may be most passionate about boudin. Here’s an excerpt on the topic from his book Feeding a Yen (2003). “When people in Breaux Bridge or Opelousas or Jeanerette talk about boudin (pronounced ‘boo-DAN’), they mean a soft mixture of rice and pork and liver and seasoning that is squeezed hot into the mouth from a sausage casing, usually in the parking lot of a grocery store and preferably while leaning against a pickup. (Boudin means ‘blood sausage’ to the French, most of whom would probably line up for immigration visas if they ever tasted the Cajun version.) I figure that about eighty percent of the boudin purchased in Louisiana is consumed before the purchaser has left the parking…

STANDING IN FRONT of Dairyland Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard & Hamburgers in Milwaukee, chef and co-owner Kurt Fogle tells me with a calm, matter-of-fact confidence, “Milwaukee is the center of the universe for quality cheeseburgers.” His Midwest politeness then kicks in and he quickly adds, “No off ense to anyone else.” He’s talking about cheeseburgers, but he could easily be talking about cheese curds, a signature side dish at the restaurant he co-owns with fellow chef Joe McCormick. “Kurt and I are cosmically aligned kindred spirits,” McCormick says. The pair, both born and raised in Wisconsin, came up cooking in fine-dining restaurants in cities from Chicago to New York. After growing tired of working for other people, they returned to Wisconsin and to the popular foods of their home state: burgers,…

QUINOA (“KEEN-WAH”) has a delicious nutty flavor, cooks quickly, is relatively inexpensive, and is a nutritional powerhouse. Often, this ancient Andean food is considered fodder for the super-health conscious. It is high in protein and contains all the essential amino acids. But I think quinoa deserves to be celebrated for its appeal on the plate. This “grain” is not a grain at all but rather the seeds of a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It comes in three colors—red, white, and black (see “The Colors of Quinoa”)—and while all work in this recipe, we prefer the nuttier profile of red quinoa, which retains its shape when dressed and provides a host of complex textures and flavors. As for cooking the quinoa, lots of people follow the directions on the…

Crème brûlée was brought to the United States by James Hemings, who was enslaved by Thomas Jefferson and worked as his personal assistant as well as his head chef. Hemings trained as a cook in Paris and was likely the first American to do so. He brought myriad French cooking techniques and dishes back to America, among them ice cream, macaroni, and french fries. The dish became a nationwide phenomenon after it became a “must-have” dessert at New York’s Le Cirque restaurant in the 1980s.…

AMERICAN LAGER The classic “king of beers” provided mild but balanced flavor to the chicken in this recipe. ENGLISH BROWN ALE Newcastle, a robustly flavored ale, permeated the chicken with notes of cooked honey and black tea. IPA Hoppy IPAs imparted floral and tropical notes that were accented by the coriander and lemon we added. IRISH STOUT Guinness’s iron-like minerality and balanced bitterness complemented the deeply roasted chicken skin.…

FEW THINGS BRING more comfort to the table than a bowl of warm, deeply seasoned stewy beans. This dish ups the satisfaction quotient by adding chorizo and sweet potatoes to black beans for a simple, warming one-pot dinner. We wanted to celebrate the full-flavored appeal of fresh Mexican chorizo, a pork sausage seasoned with vinegar, chiles, and a variety of spices, in this recipe. Since the sausage is a staple in Mexican cuisine, we drew inspiration from that country’s pantry for a harmonious combination of flavors. To make the dish, start by searing the chorizo links in a pot to add flavorful browning and render some of the fat. Then, remove the sausages and cook a mixture of poblano peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, and chipotle chile in the remaining fat…