The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (9 page)
Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
SERVES 4 TO 6
Do not substitute store-bought guacamole or salsa; using homemade guacamole and salsa is key to making this recipe above average.
8 | ounces tortilla chips |
1 | pound cheddar cheese, shredded (4 cups) |
2 | large jalapeño chiles, stemmed and sliced thin crosswise |
2 | scallions, sliced thin |
1¹⁄ | cups |
1 | recipe |
¹⁄ | cup sour cream |
Lime wedges |
1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread half of chips in even layer in 13 by 9-inch baking dish or similar ovensafe platter; sprinkle evenly with 2 cups cheese and half of jalapeño slices. Repeat with remaining chips, cheese, and jalapeños.
2.
Bake until cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove nachos from oven, cool 2 minutes, then sprinkle with scallions. Drop scoops of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream around edges of nachos. Serve immediately, passing lime wedges separately.
We far prefer making our own refried beans (
CLICK HERE
) to using store-bought, but if you are short on time you can substitute your favorite store-bought variety.
Drop ³⁄
4
cup refried beans in small spoonfuls on each chip layer before sprinkling with cheese.
This variation makes for a heartier option.
2 | teaspoons corn or vegetable oil |
1 | small onion, chopped fine |
1 | large garlic clove, minced |
1 | tablespoon chili powder |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground cumin |
¹⁄ | teaspoon ground coriander |
¹⁄ | teaspoon cayenne pepper |
¹⁄ | teaspoon dried oregano |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
8 | ounces 90 percent lean ground beef |
1.
Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, cayenne, oregano, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
2.
Follow recipe for
CHEESY NACHOS WITH GUACAMOLE AND SALSA
, sprinkling half of beef mixture on each chip layer before sprinkling with cheese.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Quesadillas have evolved into a version of bad Mexican pizza, becoming stale and soggy supermarket tortillas topped with almost everything under the sun. We wanted to make quesadillas that were authentic in spirit (if not quite in substance) yet also quick enough to make a satisfying snack. We kept the tortillas crisp by lightly toasting them in a dry skillet. We then filled them with cheese, lightly coated them with oil, and returned them to the skillet until they were well browned and the cheese was fully melted. Not yet satisfied that our recipe was speedy enough, we made the process even more convenient by switching to small 8-inch tortillas and folding them in half around the filling. This allowed us to cook two at one time in the same skillet, and the fold also kept our cheesy filling from oozing out.
MAKES 2 FOLDED 8-INCH QUESADILLAS
Cooling the quesadillas before cutting and serving is important; straight from the skillet, the cheese is molten and will ooze out. This recipe is easy to double or triple to serve a crowd. Finished quesadillas can be held on a baking sheet in a 200-degree oven for up to 20 minutes.
2 | (8-inch) flour tortillas |
2²⁄ | ounces Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, shredded (²⁄ |
1 | tablespoon minced jarred jalapeños (optional) |
Vegetable oil for brushing tortillas | |
Kosher salt |
1.
Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Place 1 tortilla in skillet and toast until soft and puffed slightly at edges, about 2 minutes. Flip tortilla and toast until puffed and slightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Slip tortilla onto cutting board. Repeat to toast second tortilla while assembling first quesadilla.
2.
Sprinkle ¹⁄
3
cup cheese and half of jalapeños, if using, over half of tortilla, leaving ¹⁄
2
-inch border around edge. Fold tortilla in half over filling and press to flatten. Brush top generously with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside. Repeat to form second quesadilla.
3.
Place quesadillas in skillet, oiled sides down. Cook over medium heat until crisp and well browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Brush tops with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Flip quesadillas and cook until second sides are crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer quesadillas to cutting board. Cool about 3 minutes, halve each quesadilla, and serve.
For more bacon flavor, substitute the rendered bacon fat for the oil and omit the salt.
Cook 2 slices bacon, cut into ¹⁄
2
-inch pieces, in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and wipe out skillet with paper towels. Use cheddar cheese and sprinkle half of bacon and 1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions over cheese in each quesadilla.
Cook ¹⁄
3
cup thawed frozen corn in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until kernels begin to brown and pop, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to bowl.
Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add ¹⁄
3
cup minced red onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and ¹⁄
2
teaspoon chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute; stir in ¹⁄
3
cup canned black beans and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Return corn to skillet and gently press mixture with spatula to lightly crush beans. Transfer mixture to bowl, stir in 2 teaspoons lime juice, and season with salt. Substitute pepper Jack cheese for Monterey Jack and divide corn-and-bean filling between quesadillas.
Use a light hand when seasoning with kosher salt, as the cheese is rather salty.
Substitute ²⁄
3
cup crumbled queso fresco for the Monterey Jack and add 1 tablespoon chopped roasted red pepper, patted dry, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro to the filling in each quesadilla.
Use a light hand when seasoning with salt, as the cheese is rather salty.
Omit the Monterey Jack and jarred jalapeños. In step 2, spread 2 teaspoons yellow mustard over half of each toasted tortilla, then top with 2 slices deli ham, ¹⁄
3
cup shredded Gruyère cheese, and 1 tablespoon each finely chopped onion and pickles. Fold tortillas in half over filling and proceed with recipe as directed.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
The ingredients in modern bruschetta—toasted bread, tomatoes, and basil—may seem like an appealing combination but in reality, the tomatoes usually lack flavor, excess liquid results in soggy bread, and precariously stacked toppings often end up on your shirt. We wanted to establish a solid recipe for classic bruschetta and then go on to develop several more bruschetta recipes featuring smart flavor combinations that didn’t require a bib; we were after a mix of recipes that gave us both lighter and heartier topping options. Along with fresh ingredients like mushrooms, we found that pantry ingredients, such as marinated peppers paired with sharp feta cheese or dried figs teamed up with goat cheese and salty prosciutto, fit the bill when summer tomatoes weren’t an option. Creating a “glue” by pulsing ingredients in the food processor helped us anchor lighter toppings to the bread for several recipes.
SERVES 8 TO 10
Toast the bread as close as possible to the time at which you plan to assemble the bruschetta.
1 | loaf country bread with thick crust (about 10 by 5 inches), ends discarded, sliced crosswise into ³⁄ |
¹⁄ | garlic clove, peeled |
Extra-virgin olive oil | |
Salt |
Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place bread on aluminum foil–lined baking sheet. Broil until bread is deep golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and repeat on second side. Lightly rub 1 side of each bread slice with garlic and brush with oil. Season with salt to taste.
KEEPING A SHARP EDGE
With three dozen test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists working side by side in the test kitchen, we take knife care very seriously. Simply put, a dull knife is a dangerous knife. Here’s why: The duller the blade, the more work it takes to do the job—and the easier it is for the blade to slip and miss the mark (slippery ingredients like onions are the worst offenders), quickly sending the knife toward your hand. With a sharp knife, the blade does the work—and the razorlike edge is far less likely to slip.
To determine if your knife is sharp, put it to a simple test. Hold a folded, but not creased, sheet of newspaper by one end. Lay the blade against the top edge at an angle and slice outward. If the knife fails to slice cleanly, try running the blade over a sharpening steel. A sharpening steel is a tune-up device, not a knife sharpener. Just a few minutes of cutting can knock the edge of a knife out of alignment and running the blade over the sharpening steel can reset the edge. That said, if your knife still fails to slice cleanly after using a steel, it means the edge is worn down and needs proper sharpening.
To sharpen your knife, you have three choices. You can send it out to a professional for sharpening, you can use a whetstone (tricky for anyone but a professional), or—the most convenient option—you can use an electric or manual sharpener.
SERVES 8 TO 10
This is the classic bruschetta, although you can substitute other herbs. Decrease the quantity of stronger herbs, such as thyme or oregano. Toast the bread as close as possible to the time at which you plan to assemble the bruschetta.
1 | |
3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
1¹⁄ | pounds tomatoes, cored and cut into ¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup shredded fresh basil |
Salt and pepper |
Brush toasts with oil. Combine tomatoes and basil in medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide tomato mixture evenly among toasts. Serve immediately.