The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (25 page)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For our pear salad recipe, we wanted a simple technique for caramelizing pears that wouldn’t overcook the fruit. We cooked the quartered pears on top of the stove, which prevented the interiors from softening too much, and tossed them with sugar before cooking to encourage better browning. Since we were already using balsamic vinegar in the vinaigrette (its fruity flavor accentuates the pear flavor), we tried adding a couple of extra tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the hot pan while roasting the pears. The result gave us our best pear salad recipe: the extra vinegar instantly reduced to form a glazy coating on the pears, perfectly matching the flavor of the salad.

SERVES 4 TO 6

The test kitchen prefers Bartlett pears for this recipe, but Bosc pears can also be used. With either variety, the pears should be ripe but firm; the flesh at the neck of the pear should give slightly when pressed gently with a finger. If using Bartletts, look for pears that are starting to turn from green to yellow. Romaine lettuce may be substituted for green leaf.

1.
Toss pears, 2 teaspoons sugar, ¹⁄
₄
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
₈
teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add pears cut side down in single layer and cook until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Using small spatula or fork, tip each pear onto second cut side; continue to cook until second side is light brown, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Turn off heat, leave skillet on burner, and add 2 tablespoons vinegar; gently stir until vinegar becomes glazy and coats pears, about 30 seconds. Transfer pears to large plate and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Cut each pear quarter crosswise into ¹⁄
₂
-inch pieces.

2.
Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons oil, remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, remaining ¹⁄
₂
teaspoon sugar, and shallot together in large bowl; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add lettuce, watercress, and cooled pears to bowl; toss and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide salad among individual plates; top each with portions of cheese and nuts. Serve immediately.

Substitute 1 large head radicchio, quartered, cored, and cut crosswise into ¹⁄
₂
-inch pieces (4 cups) for watercress, 4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola or Stilton cheese (1 cup) for Parmesan, and ³⁄
₄
cup toasted and chopped walnuts for pecans.

Substitute 1 head frisée torn into 1-inch pieces (4 cups) for watercress, 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese (1 cup) for Parmesan, and ³⁄
₄
cup toasted sliced almonds for pecans.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Recipes for that familiar picnic standby, canned green, yellow, and kidney beans tossed in a sweet, vinegary dressing, have changed little since the salad’s heyday in the 1950s. We wanted an updated, fresher-tasting three-bean salad recipe so we used a combination of canned kidney beans and fresh yellow and green beans. For the dressing, we relied on canola oil for mildness and red wine vinegar for tang. Heating the oil and vinegar with sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper intensified the vinaigrette flavor and sweetness. Refrigerating the salad overnight allows the flavors to meld.

SERVES 8 TO 10

Allowing the beans to marinate in the dressing improves their flavor so prepare the salad 1 day before you plan to serve it.

1.
Heat vinegar, sugar, oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.

2.
Bring 3 quarts water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and green and yellow beans; cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, fill medium bowl with ice water. When beans are done, drain and immediately plunge into ice water to stop cooking process; let sit until chilled, about 2 minutes. Drain well.

3.
Add green and yellow beans, kidney beans, onion, and parsley to vinegar mixture; toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight to let flavors meld. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. (Salad can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.)

Separate 2 oranges into segments, remove membrane from sides of each segment, then cut each segment into half lengthwise. Set aside. Substitute ¹⁄
₄
cup lime juice for ¹⁄
₄
cup red wine vinegar, and heat 1 teaspoon ground cumin with vinegar mixture. Substitute minced fresh cilantro for parsley and add halved orange segments to vinegar mixture along with beans.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

In the Middle East, tabbouleh is basically a parsley salad with bulgur rather than the bulgur salad with parsley that is frequently found in the U.S. Perfect tabbouleh should be tossed in a penetrating, minty lemon dressing with bits of ripe tomato. For the parsley, we found that either type—flat-leaf “Italian” or curly leaf—made an acceptable salad. As for processing the bulgur, the all-out winning method simply involved rinsing and then mixing it with fresh lemon juice. The mixture is then set aside to allow the juice to be absorbed. When treated in this way, bulgur acquires a fresh and intense flavor, but without the heaviness that the added olive oil produces. Finally, we liked a ratio of 5 parts parsley to 3 or 4 parts grain. When we tried increasing the parsley, the wholesome goodness of the wheat was lost.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Middle Eastern cooks frequently serve this salad with the crisp inner leaves of romaine lettuce, using them as spoons to scoop the salad from the serving dish.

1.
Mix bulgur with ¹⁄
₄
cup of the lemon juice in medium bowl; set aside until grains are tender and fluffy, 20 to 40 minutes, depending on age and type of bulgur.

2.
Mix remaining lemon juice, olive oil, salt to taste and cayenne, if desired. Mix bulgur, parsley, tomatoes, scallions, and mint; add dressing and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate to let flavors blend, 1 to 2 hours. Serve.