Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2025 i Cook's Country

ON A MILD Monday morning at one of our weekly editorial meetings last spring, Kelly Song proposed the idea for a dumpling party to our editors. Kelly is a test cook and writer here at Cook’s Country, and she wanted to share one of her favorite family customs with her friends and colleagues. She made all the arrangements, setting up stations in our test kitchen. Then, with Kelly as their guide, the team made a supple dumpling dough, used their hands to flatten it into disk shapes, rolled the dough into dumpling wrappers, and practiced tucking a filling of fresh vegetables, tofu, and fragrant herbs and spices into crescent-shaped packets. The gathering was a delight. When the deeply flavored dumplings emerged from the pot, everyone marveled at their phenomenal taste, as…

THERE ARE FEW better times to dream than during the New Year. Amid the crimson lanterns, vivid bushels of fruit, and countertops strewn with flour from making dumplings, there is a sense that every item of food, every filled glass, and every dinnertime conversation carries meaning. This cocktail, made with pomelos and baijiu, is no exception, created to reflect the communal spirit of hope for the new year. Baijiu—the name translates to “white liquor” in Mandarin—is the most-consumed spirit in the world, surpassing whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, and tequila combined. In China, it is often sipped with meals. Baijiu is typically distilled from sorghum using a fermentation starter called qu in Mandarin, which is derived from pulverized grains. The recipe for qu is unique to each distillery, leading to vastly…

CHOCOLATE POT DE crème is a rich, deeply flavorful chocolate custard with a luxurious texture, the kind of dessert you expect at a fancy French restaurant after a languid Gallic meal. But imagine, instead, a pair of pots de crème sitting side by side in your own kitchen, lovely little chocolate custards awaiting a final dollop of whipped cream. And imagine that you’ve made them yourself. It’s easier than you think. Pot de crème should have a denser texture than pudding and a more intense flavor too. It should be smooth and cohesive, sweet and sophisticated, each bite delivering complex chocolate flavor. To achieve these qualities in a recipe for two (hello, Valentine’s Day), start with finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, scattered into a bowl with a splash of floral vanilla…

A Most Fragrant Star Star anise is the dark-brown, star-shaped fruit of a small evergreen tree native to China. The versatile pods lend a distinctly warm anise flavor and aroma to both savory and sweet dishes, including stir-fries, soups, meat marinades, liquors, and baked goods; ground star anise is a prominent flavor in five-spice powder. We typically extract the pods’ flavor by simmering or steeping whole pods in cooking liquid or blooming them in oil; we then discard them before serving (the pods themselves are too woody to chew). We use this heady spice in our recipe for Da Lu Mian (Gravy Noodles) on page 17. Chinese Black Vinegar With a complex range of earthy flavors, Chinese black vinegar offers notes of warm spice along with a subtle sweetness and…

Pulled Buffalo Chicken Melts Coleslaw mix can be used in place of the red cabbage. Choose a high-quality blue cheese dressing for this recipe; we like Marie’s Chunky Blue Cheese. Serve with jarred sliced jalapeños for extra spice. 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage2 celery ribs, sliced thin2 scallions, sliced thin½ cup bottled blue cheese salad dressing½ teaspoon table salt, divided8 tablespoons unsalted butter3 garlic cloves, minced½ cup Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce1 (2½-pound) rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (3 cups)4 brioche hamburger buns, toasted4 slices cheddar cheese (4 ounces) 1. Combine cabbage, celery, scallions, dressing, and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl. 2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until light golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk…

HARISSA, A SPICY and aromatic paste hailing from North Africa, is made from sweet peppers, lively chiles, garlic, and warm spices. Here we paint a mixture of harissa and honey (for sweetness, body, and shine) over pan-seared salmon fillets; the paste’s heat and bright sharpness are great foils for the rich, fatty fish. A complete meal in one pan was the goal here, and we decided to work through the vegetable components first. Chickpeas and harissa are old friends, and for an additional vegetable, we chose cauliflower, whose nutty, craggy florets are well-suited to take on browning. To begin, we dressed drained canned chickpeas with shallot, lemon juice, and olive oil and set them aside to marinate. Next, we seasoned cauliflower florets with coriander and cooked them in two stages, starting…

WE LOVE SWEET, earthy beets—especially when they’re well caramelized to add dimension and complexity. But mustering the energy to rescue a bunch of raw beets languishing in the fridge drawer isn’t always easy—and it’s all the harder when you’re short on time. They’re messy to peel and slice and slow to cook. That said, when prepared thoughtfully (and when you have the time), they are more than worth the effort. Enter peeled, precooked, vacuum-packed beets. Increasingly available in the refrigerated section of many markets’ produce departments, they promise a shortcut. You can get them on the table quickly and with relatively little mess, but they do need a little help to become truly delicious. For this recipe we simply slice the beets into ½-inch-thick coins, pat them dry to promote…

CHILI CRISP DUMPLING SAUCE Serves 6 to 8 (Makes 1½ cups) Total Time: 10 minutes Serve as a dipping sauce for both versions of Northern Chinese–Style Dumplings (pages 8–9). ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar½ cup light soy sauce⅓ cup water2 tablespoons Chinese chili crisp2 tablespoons sugar2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds6 garlic cloves, minced Combine all ingredients in bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) COMING NEXT ISSUE Cook’s Country’s April/May 2025 issue celebrates the practical satisfaction of cooking in cast-iron skillets. You’ll find cast iron recipes for Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Rhubarb, Queso Fundito, Berry Buttermilk Cake, and Skillet-Roasted Potatoes with Bacon. Then we travel to Chicago to bring you Italian Beef Sandwiches and Lemon-Espresso Pie (from Justice of the Pies bakery). Also on the docket: Brookies, Air-Fryer Chicken Thighs, Buttery Rib…

IN CHINESE CULTURE, cabbage isn’t just a vegetable—it’s an icon. Quite literally: Cabbage figurines adorn mantles and shrines and are passed on through generations as gifts. In Shandong and Hebei provinces, cabbage statues soar up to 65 feet tall, their leaves unfurling like clouds over the cityscapes. Many Buddhist statues and paintings throughout China portray Buddha holding cabbage in his palm. The veneration is no coincidence. In Mandarin, cabbage is named bai cai, which translates to “white vegetable.” The words are a homonym for “hundred wealth” in Mandarin; thus, cabbages became a symbol of prosperity, especially during Chinese New Year, when homonyms are particularly auspicious. Due to its association with Buddha, cabbage also symbolizes peace, health, and honesty. And of course, due to its low cost, long shelf life, and adaptable…

UBIQUITOUS THROUGHOUT the state, Wisconsin’s famous “supper clubs” have been part of the fabric of life for a century or more. Many were begun in converted dance halls in the early 20th century, offering a casual, relaxed atmosphere where patrons would unwind from the stresses of the workweek, often with some form of live entertainment. Today, there are over 250 supper clubs scattered throughout Wisconsin, each offering its own unique experience. Supper clubs hit their stride in the 1950s and ’60s. Many were family-owned establishments located in the woods and off the beaten path, which added to their allure. Bob Prosser, owner of Ishnala Supper Club in Lake Delton, Wisconsin, says a supper club “only serves supper. A cheese spread and crackers are on the table when guests are seated,…

PURIM, THE LATE-WINTER Jewish holiday commemorating Queen Esther’s role in saving the Persian Jews from extermination, is one of the most joyful events on the Jewish calendar. Purim carnivals are revelrous affairs, replete with costumes, noisemakers, skits, and raucous merrymaking. And hamantaschen, the iconic filled cookies enjoyed on Purim, fit right in with the fun. Hamantaschen are named after the villain of the Purim story, Haman. Depending on whom you ask, the triangular shape symbolizes his hat, his ears, or his pockets stuffed with bribes. But the cookie’s history predates its affiliation with the holiday, originating from medieval poppy-filled German pastries called mohntaschen (in German, “mohn” means “poppy seed” and “tash” means “pocket”). German Jews, noting the linguistic similarity between the pastry’s name and Haman’s, adopted the cookies for Purim,…

SPICY BEER MUSTARD Makes about 2 cups Total Time: 10 minutes, plus 32 hours resting You can use any style of beer in this recipe (including nonalcoholic beer); the flavor of the finished mustard will reflect the nuances of the brew you choose. We like to use pale ale for its floral, hoppy, slightly malty flavors. 1 cup beer½ cup yellow mustard seeds¼ cup brown mustard seeds¼ cup malt vinegar¼ cup packed dark brown sugar1½ teaspoons table salt 1. Whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. 2. Process beer mixture in blender until almost smooth, about 1 minute; transfer mixture to clean jar and cover jar. Let mixture sit at room…