The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (370 page)

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

You can substitute 1¹⁄
₂
teaspoons vanilla extract for the vanilla bean; stir the extract into the sauce after straining it in step 4.

1.
Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using tip of paring knife, scrape out seeds. Combine vanilla bean and seeds, milk, and salt in medium saucepan and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

2.
Meanwhile, in separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until smooth.

3.
Whisk about 1 cup of simmering milk mixture into egg yolks to temper. Slowly whisk egg yolk mixture into simmering milk mixture. Continue to cook sauce, whisking constantly, until it thickens slightly and coats back of spoon (about 175 degrees), about 6 minutes.

4.
Immediately strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl; remove and discard vanilla bean. Cover and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes. Serve chilled.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Nothing more than eggs, sugar, butter, and, of course, lemon juice, lemon curd is cooked until slightly thickened, creating a rich, brightly flavored custard. Though the ingredient list is short, homemade lemon curd is often bypassed in favor of jarred curd. But this convenience product, besides being incredibly pricey, tends to have a gummy texture and saccharine-sweet flavor. We wanted a lemon curd that delivered on both fronts—tart yet subtly sweetened lemon flavor and a creamy, thick consistency. We started with ¹⁄
₂
cup of lemon juice for bold citrus flavor; to balance the acidity, we needed ³⁄
₄
cup of sugar. To thicken the curd, we added two eggs plus three yolks; properly tempering the eggs ensured they didn’t curdle when added to the pan. Finally, for richness, we stirred in a few pats of butter, before straining and chilling the curd so it would be perfectly smooth and thickened.

MAKES ABOUT
1¹⁄
₄
CUPS

This tangy curd makes an easy topping for scones, pound cake, shortbread, and many other simple desserts. It’s also nice spread on buttered toast.

1.
Heat lemon juice, sugar, and salt in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot but not boiling, about 1 minute.

2.
Whisk eggs and egg yolks together in large bowl, then slowly whisk in hot lemon mixture to temper. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and registers 170 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes.

3.
Off heat, stir in butter until melted and incorporated. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl and press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate curd until it is firm and spreadable, about 1¹⁄
₂
hours. (Curd can be refrigerated, with plastic wrap pressed directly on surface, for up to 3 days.)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

We wanted a strawberry topping that would make the perfect brightly flavored accent to cake, a stack of pancakes or scoop of ice cream. We began with more than a pound of fresh berries (thawed frozen berries looked ragged and unattractive and so were nixed). We tossed the strawberries with sugar and a pinch of salt so they would begin to release their juice. Simply simmering the berries didn’t create a topping with enough body, so we cooked half a cup of strawberry jam, which had been processed in the food processor until completely smooth, then combined the heated jam with the macerated berries and a dash of lemon juice. The heated jam was enough to coax the berries from their raw rigid state to a tender, yielding texture, and the lemon juice provided just the right burst of bright acidity. Now our strawberry topping had a clean strawberry flavor and a thick, yet fluid texture that draped nicely over any cake, pancake, or ice cream.

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

This topping is best the day it is made. Do not use frozen strawberries in this recipe.

1.
Toss strawberries, sugar, and salt together in bowl and let sit, stirring occasionally, until berries have released their juice and sugar has dissolved, about 30 minutes.

2.
Process jam in food processor until smooth, about 8 seconds. Simmer jam in small saucepan over medium heat until no longer foamy, about 3 minutes. Stir warm jam and lemon juice into strawberries. Let cool to room temperature before serving, about 1 hour. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Be sure to use fresh blueberries in this topping.

Substitute 15 ounces blueberries for strawberries and blueberry jam for strawberry jam. Gently mash blueberries before letting them sit in step 1.

One pound frozen peaches, thawed, can be substituted here; you may need to slice them thinner after thawing.

Substitute 2 pounds peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, and sliced very thin, for strawberries and peach jam for strawberry jam.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Too often, berry coulis is a thick, candy-sweet sauce that tastes more like melted jam than fresh fruit. Then there’s the opposite end of the spectrum—chunky, lumpy sauce loaded with seeds but zero flavor. We were after a silky smooth sauce that tasted like fresh berries, with a perfect not-too-thick, not-too-thin consistency and the ability to complement everything from pancakes to pound cakes. We found that simpler was better. Simmering the fruit briefly with sugar, salt, and a minimal amount of water helped to release the fruit’s natural pectin and bring forth its inherent sweetness. Straining the sauce to remove the seeds ensured we had a smooth sauce, and a spritz of lemon juice brightened its overall flavor.

MAKES ABOUT
1¹⁄
₂
CUPS

Because the type of berries used as well as their ripeness will affect the sweetness of the coulis, the amount of sugar is variable. Start with 5 tablespoons, then add more if you prefer a sweeter coulis. Additional sugar should be stirred in immediately after straining, while the coulis is still warm, so that the sugar will readily dissolve. Serve the coulis with cheesecake, pound cake, ice cream, rich chocolate tortes and cakes, dessert soufflés, pancakes, French toast, waffles, or crêpes.

1.
Bring berries, water, 5 tablespoons sugar, and salt to bare simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally; cook until sugar is dissolved and berries are heated through, about 1 minute.

2.
Process mixture in blender until smooth, about 20 seconds. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much puree as possible. Stir in lemon juice and additional sugar, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour. Stir to recombine before serving. (If too thick after chilling, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons water to adjust consistency. Coulis can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.)

Use 3 ounces each blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries, hulled and sliced thin.

Use all blackberries and add 1 tablespoon melon liqueur along with lemon juice.

Use all blueberries and add ¹⁄
₈
teaspoon ground cinnamon along with sugar.

Use all raspberries and substitute 1 tablespoon lime juice for lemon juice.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

The lightly sweetened flavor and creamy texture of whipped cream make the perfect partner to numerous desserts, especially pies. But perfect whipped cream can be hard to accomplish—the cream can go from properly whipped to overwhipped and stiff in a matter of seconds. For puffy, cloudlike mounds, we reached for our stand mixer and began whipping the cream and sugar on medium-low speed, then increased the speed and whipped just until the mixture was thick and billowy. For flavor, we added a dash of vanilla.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

For lightly sweetened whipped cream, reduce the sugar to 1¹⁄
₂
teaspoons. For the best results, chill the mixer bowl and whisk in the freezer for 20 minutes before whipping the cream.

Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. (Whipped cream can be refrigerated in fine-mesh strainer set over small bowl and covered with plastic wrap for up to 8 hours.)