Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (106 page)
W
HY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Mushroom risotto should be earthy-tasting, creamy, and rich—not bland and gummy with watery, flavorless mushrooms. For meaty, complex flavor, we used a combination of dried porcini and fresh mushrooms. To retain the textural bite of the fresh mushrooms, we cooked them separately with onions and garlic for flavor and added them to the finished risotto. A full cup of white wine contributed brightness and a decidedly un-Italian ingredient, soy sauce, helped to intensify the earthiness of the mushrooms and round out the flavors.
SERVES 6
White mushrooms, although less flavorful, make a fine substitution for the cremini mushrooms.
2 | bay leaves |
6 | sprigs fresh thyme |
4 | sprigs fresh parsley plus 2 tablespoons minced parsley |
1 | ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed |
3³⁄ | cups water |
3¹⁄ | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
2 | teaspoons soy sauce |
6 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
1¹⁄ | pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and cut into quarters if small or sixths if medium or large |
2 | onions, chopped fine |
Salt and pepper | |
3 | garlic cloves, minced |
2 | cups plus 2 tablespoons Arborio rice |
1 | cup dry white wine or dry vermouth |
2 | ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine (1 cup) |
1.
Tie bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and parsley sprigs together with kitchen twine. Bring bundled herbs, porcini mushrooms, 3¹⁄
2
cups water, broth, and soy sauce to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until dried mushrooms are softened and fully hydrated, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard herb bundle and strain broth through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl; return liquid to saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Finely mince porcini and set aside.
2.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cremini mushrooms, half of onions, and ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms are well browned, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then transfer mushrooms to bowl and keep warm in oven. Off heat, add remaining ¹⁄
4
cup water to now-empty skillet and scrape with wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits; pour liquid from skillet into saucepan with broth.
3.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining onions and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Add minced porcini and 3¹⁄
2
cups hot broth mixture and cook, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until liquid is absorbed, 9 to 11 minutes. Stir in additional ¹⁄
2
cup broth every 2 to 3 minutes until rice is cooked through but grains are still somewhat firm at center, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then stir in mushrooms and any accumulated juices, Parmesan, and minced parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
Omit thyme. In step 3, omit 3 tablespoons butter. Cook 2 ounces finely chopped pancetta and 1 tablespoon butter in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pancetta has rendered some fat, about 5 minutes. Add remaining onions and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Proceed as directed, adding 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage along with Parmesan and parsley.
W
HY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Ideally, spoonbread should be as light as air, with a tender, rich crumb, but this can be difficult to achieve. Most recipes call for whisking cornmeal into simmering liquid before stirring in eggs and butter and baking. But if the whisking isn’t done properly, the meal can separate from the liquid and turn into a bunch of lumps rather than a smooth mush. We found that the key to great spoonbread is nonstop whisking until the mixture has properly thickened and is lump-free. Both yellow and white cornmeal work well, but using the right grind is crucial: the cornmeal must be finely ground for the smoothest texture possible. Separating the eggs and beating the whites to stiff peaks before folding them in ensures a sky-high spoonbread.
SERVES 6 TO 8
If you can’t find finely ground cornmeal, you can approximate it by processing medium-grind cornmeal in a food processor or blender. Processing will take several minutes, but eventually you will have little clouds of powder-fine meal in the bottom of the bowl. An 8-inch soufflé dish works beautifully, but any heavy straight-sided pan will work, even a cast-iron skillet. Because the spoonbread soon falls from its spectacular height, serve it as quickly as possible; even in its deflated state, though, spoonbread still tastes delicious. Serve leftovers with maple or cane syrup.
3 | cups half-and-half |
1 | teaspoon salt |
1 | cup fine-ground cornmeal |
2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
3 | large eggs, room temperature, separated |
1.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 6-cup
soufflé dish.
2.
Bring half-and-half and salt to simmer in large saucepan. Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in cornmeal. Continue whisking until cornmeal thickens and develops satin sheen, 2 to 4 minutes. Off heat, stir in butter; set aside.
3.
Whisk egg yolks and 1 to 2 teaspoons water together in small bowl until lemon-colored and very frothy. Stir into cooled cornmeal mixture, a little at a time to keep egg yolks from cooking. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes
;
gently fold into cornmeal mixture.
4.
Pour mixture into prepared dish. Bake until golden brown and risen above rim, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately.
Stir in 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces) along with butter.
W
HY THIS RECIPE WORKS
If you don’t stir polenta almost constantly, it forms intractable lumps. Is there a way to get creamy, smooth polenta with rich corn flavor, but without the fussy process? From the outset, we knew that the right type of cornmeal was essential. Coarse-ground degerminated cornmeal gave us the soft but hearty texture and nutty flavor we were looking for. Taking a clue from dried bean recipes, which use baking soda to help break down the tough bean skins and accelerate cooking, we added a pinch to our polenta. The baking soda helped soften the cornmeal’s endosperm, which cut the cooking time in half and eliminated the need for stirring. Parmesan cheese and butter, stirred in at the last minute, ensured a satisfying, rich dish.
SERVES 4
Coarse-ground degerminated cornmeal such as yellow grits (with grains the size of couscous) works best in this recipe. Avoid instant and quick-cooking products, as well as whole grain, stone-ground, and regular cornmeal. Do not omit the baking soda—it reduces the cooking time and makes for a creamier polenta. If the polenta bubbles or sputters even slightly after the first 10 minutes, the heat is too high and you may need a flame tamer. For a main course, serve the polenta with a topping (recipes follow) or with a wedge of rich cheese (like gorgonzola) or a meat sauce.
7¹⁄ | cups water |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons salt |
Pinch baking soda | |
1¹⁄ | cups coarse-ground cornmeal |
4 | ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (2 cups), plus extra for serving |
2 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
Pepper |
1.
Bring water to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in salt and baking soda. Slowly pour cornmeal into water in steady stream, while stirring back and forth with wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting and cover.
2.
After 5 minutes, whisk polenta to smooth out any lumps that may have formed, about 15 seconds. (Make sure to scrape down sides and bottom of pan.) Cover and continue to cook, without stirring, until grains of polenta are tender but slightly al dente, about 25 minutes longer. (Polenta should be loose and barely hold its shape but will continue to thicken as it cools.)
3.
Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan and butter, and season with pepper to taste. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.
CORNMEAL VARIETIES
In the supermarket, cornmeal can be labeled anything from yellow grits to corn semolina. Forget the names. When shopping for the right product to make polenta, there are three things to consider: “instant” or “quick-cooking” versus the traditional style, degerminated or full-grain meal, and grind size. Instant and quick-cooking cornmeals are parcooked and comparatively bland—leave them on the shelf. Though we loved the full-corn flavor of whole grain cornmeal, it remains slightly gritty no matter how long you cook it. We prefer degerminated cornmeal, in which the hard hull and germ are removed from each kernel (check the back label or ingredient list to see if your cornmeal is degerminated; if it’s not explicitly labeled as such, you can assume it’s whole grain).
As for grind, we found coarser grains brought the most desirable and pillowy texture to our
CREAMY PARMESAN POLENTA
. However, grind coarseness can vary dramatically from brand to brand since there are no standards to ensure consistency: One manufacturer’s “coarse” may be another’s “fine.” To identify coarse polenta as really coarse, the grains should be about the size of couscous.