The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (123 page)
Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
SERVES 4
Sautéing causes the anise flavor of fennel to fade but concentrates the natural sugars in the vegetable. This side dish particularly complements seafood or poultry.
3 | tablespoons olive oil |
4 | garlic cloves, minced |
2 | fennel bulbs, fronds minced, stalks discarded, bulbs halved, cored, and cut crosswise into ¹⁄ |
2 | tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
1.
Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly colored, about 1 minute. Add fennel strips and toss to coat with oil. Cook, stirring often, until fennel has softened considerably but still offers some resistance when poked with paring knife, about 15 minutes.
2.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1 tablespoon minced fronds and parsley. Serve immediately.
FOR FANS
Slice trimmed bulb lengthwise through base into ¹⁄
2
-inch-thick pieces that resemble fans.
FOR STRIPS
1.
Cut trimmed bulb in half through base. Using small, sharp knife, remove pyramid-shaped core.
2.
Lay cored fennel half on work surface cut side down. With knife parallel to work surface, cut in half crosswise. Then cut lengthwise into ¹⁄
2
-inch-thick strips.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
The right cooking method transforms sharp, bitter endives into a side dish of uncommonly complex flavor—at once mellow, sweet, and rich, yet still faintly bitter. Our challenge was to develop the deep flavor, richness, and gentle sweetness necessary to balance the endives’ natural bite. We browned the endives in butter and sugar for maximum richness and sweetness, then braised them quickly in white wine and chicken broth for a deep yet brightly flavored vegetable side dish.
SERVES 4
To avoid discoloration, do not cut the endives far in advance of cooking. Delicate endives can fall apart easily if not handled gently. Move the halved endives in the pan by grasping the curved sides gingerly with tongs and supporting the cut sides with a spatula while lifting and turning.
3 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
¹⁄ | teaspoon sugar |
Salt and pepper | |
4 | heads Belgian endive (4 ounces each), halved lengthwise |
¹⁄ | cup dry white wine |
¹⁄ | cup low-sodium chicken broth |
¹⁄ | teaspoon minced fresh thyme |
1 | tablespoon minced fresh parsley |
1 | teaspoon lemon juice
|
1.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle sugar and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt evenly in skillet and set endives, cut sides down, in single layer. Cook, shaking skillet occasionally to prevent sticking, until golden brown, about 5 minutes (reduce heat if endives brown too quickly). Turn endives over and cook until curved sides are golden brown, about 3 minutes longer. Carefully turn endives cut sides down. Add wine, broth, and thyme and reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, checking occasionally, until leaves open up slightly and endives are tender throughout when poked with paring knife, 13 to 15 minutes (add 2 tablespoons water during cooking if pan appears dry). Transfer endives to warmed serving platter and set aside.
2.
Increase heat to medium-high and bring liquid in skillet to boil; reduce heat and simmer until reduced to syrupy consistency, 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, parsley, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste, spoon sauce over endives, and serve immediately.
Cook 3 slices bacon, cut into ¹⁄
4
-inch pieces, in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Substitute rendered fat for butter when browning endives in step 1, and substitute 2 tablespoons heavy cream for butter in step 2. Omit lemon juice. Sprinkle sauced endives with reserved bacon and serve.
Because the apples absorb some of the braising liquid, more cider is added to the pan before the sauce is reduced.
Add 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ¹⁄
4
-inch-thick wedges, to skillet with endives. Substitute ¹⁄
2
cup apple cider for chicken broth and wine. Remove apples from skillet along with endives at end of step 1, then add 2 tablespoons more cider to skillet and continue with recipe from step 2, omitting lemon juice.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Supermarket mushrooms shrink and shrivel when sautéed. We wanted to develop a quick sauté method that delivered enough white mushrooms to make a delicious, ample side dish. To get more flavor and less shriveling, we discovered that overloading the skillet and extending the cooking time allowed the mushrooms to give up just enough liquid to eventually fit in a single layer without shrinking to nothing. They browned nicely after we added a little oil or butter, and from there it was easy to enhance our sautéed mushroom recipe with additions like garlic, herbs, wine, soy sauce, and bread crumbs.
SERVES 4
Make sure to toss the cooked mushrooms with the Parmesan soon after you transfer them to the bowl so that the cheese melts properly.
2 | slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters |
3 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
1 | tablespoon vegetable oil |
1¹⁄ | pounds white mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (¹⁄ |
2 | tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
1.
Pulse bread in food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until dark brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer crumbs to bowl and set aside.
2.
Heat oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release liquid, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has completely evaporated, about 8 minutes longer. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook, stirring once every minute, until mushrooms are dark brown, about 8 minutes longer.
3.
Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to bowl. Toss hot mushrooms with Parmesan until cheese melts. Toss with bread crumbs and parsley and serve.
SERVES 4
We like to use a rasp-style grater for grating ginger quickly, though the small holes of a box grater also work well.
2 | tablespoons peanut oil |
1¹⁄ | pounds white mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large |
1 | tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted |
1 | tablespoon grated fresh ginger |
2 | tablespoons mirin |
2 | tablespoons soy sauce |
1 | teaspoon toasted sesame oil |
2 | scallions, sliced thin on bias |
1.
Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release liquid, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has completely evaporated, about 8 minutes longer. Add remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook, stirring once every minute, until mushrooms are dark brown, about 8 minutes longer.
2.
Add sesame seeds and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until ginger is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mirin and soy sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid has evaporated, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.