cooks illustrated

Ruth's Chris Potatoes au Gratin Copycat

butter

onion,

garlic clove,

salt

black pepper

chicken stock

heavy cream; add a little more if it doesn’t cover potatoes

parsley

Melt the butter, and sauté the onion over medium heat until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the stock, cream, and potatoes and bring to a good (not a boil) simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the potatoes are nearly tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste. Gently stir.

Transfer the mixture to a buttered 8 x 8&#8243; or equivalent sized baking dish (or about five to six individual casseroles). Top with the cheese and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 -15 minutes for the casserole (a little less for individual casseroles) or just until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Cool a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Note: Although our family loves this just as is, this is a very creamy dish with cream, potatoes and cheese, and just a little onion, one clove garlic and the bit of chicken stock for additional flavor. It&#8217;s fine to taste the sauce before you transfer to the casserole and be sure to adequately season with salt and pepper. If you are a person who prefers a dish that is more highly flavored, feel free to increase the onion and/or garlic to taste.

[Photograph: B Calkins on Shutterstock] If candied yams are unavailable, regular canned yams can be substituted. The best way to judge doneness is with an instant-read thermometer. The center 2 inches of the pie should look firm but jiggle slightly....

Cook's Illustrated's Pumpkin Pie Recipe

For the crust:

(6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

table salt

sugar

(3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter,

vegetable shortening,

vodka (see note)

water

For the filling:

heavy cream

milk

eggs

vanilla extract

pumpkin puree

yams

maple syrup

ginger

cinnamon

nutmeg

For the crust: Process 3/4 cup flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 400°F. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Using thumb and forefinger, flute edge of dough. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake on rimmed baking sheet 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake 5 to 10 additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove pie plate and baking sheet from oven.

For the filling: While pie shell is baking, whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla together in medium bowl. Combine pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly and mashing yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer. Rewhisk mixture and transfer to warm prebaked pie shell. Return pie plate with baking sheet to oven and bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300°F and continue baking until edges of pie are set (instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175 degrees), 20 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

Poor Man's Mock Prime Rib

vegetable oil

Red wine sauce

If roast stalls out during cooking or hasn&#8217;t reached the desired temperature in the 30 to 50 minutes, heat oven back up to 225 degrees F. for five minutes.

For a 4 1/2- to 6-pound roast, cut in half crosswise before cooking to create 2 smaller roasts.

Notes

Most of the time is hands off. Day of, plan on 2 3/4 hours at a minimum and up to 3 hours 30 minutes at a maximum

30 to 40 minute rest at room temperature (ideal time to prepare your rub)

First stage cooking for medium 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours

Timing

Degree of doneness

1 cup Red wine, preferably what you’ll drink with dinner.

1 teaspoon Soy sauce, such as Kikkoman

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with a little red wine or water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Red Wine Sauce

Most of my chicken parmesan experiences have been bad ones. You probably know where this is headed—the oversized portions of heavily breaded chicken topped with boring tomato sauces and layer upon layer of greasy cheese. But this recipe is well-proportioned, light on the grease, and clean in flavor. It's easily the best chicken parmesan I've ever had.

Dinner Tonight: Chicken Parmesan Recipe

garlic cloves,

olive oil

tomatoes

basil

oregano

dry bread crumbs

chicken

mozzarella cheese, grated

Parmesan cheese

spaghetti

Salt and black pepper

First, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Then start with the sauce. Pour 1/4 cup of the olive oil into a pot set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Dump in the tomatoes, along with the dried basil, dried oregano, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until it has thickened up nicely.

While the sauce is cooking, slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, so you end up with four roughly 4-ounce portions of chicken. Each one should be about 1/4-inch thick.

Crack the egg into a small pie pan or baking dish, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and beat until combined. In another small pie pan or baking dish, combine the bread crumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few cracks of pepper.

Dip one of the chicken cutlet into the beaten, and then into the bread crumbs. Toss to coat. Place it on a wire rack set over a large pan, and repeat process with other cutlets.

Preheat the broiler. Pour the rest of the olive oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil just starts to shimmer, add the cutlets. They should all fit in a single layer. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway through. Wash the rack while you cook the cutlets, and dry. Set the cooked cutlets on the cleaned wire rack.

Add the pasta along with 2 teaspoons of salt to the boiling water. Cook according to the directions on the box. Drain when done and set aside. 

Top each cutlet with a quarter of the mozzarella and parmesan. Place wire rack set over the pan under the broiler, about 4 to 5 inches from the top, and broil for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely browned and bubbly.

Divide the spaghetti into four portions and plate. Top each with a cutlet and a generous helping of the sauce. Serve.

This recipe is published here on SE with the permission of Cook's Illustrated and originally appeared in the magazine's January/February 2011 issue (subscription required). For home cooks with little pizza experience, it's one of the easiest and surefire pizza recipes we've tried.

Cook's Illustrated's Thin-Crust Pizza Recipe

For the dough:

bread

yeast

vegetable oil,

For the sauce:

(28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and liquid discarded

red wine vinegar

garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

For the cheese:

Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)

milk mozzarella, shredded (about 2 cups; see note)

For the dough: In food processor fitted with metal blade, process flour, sugar, and yeast until combined, about 2 seconds. With machine running, slowly add water through feed tube; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand 10 minutes.

Add oil and salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of workbowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove dough from bowl and knead briefly on lightly oiled countertop until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.

For the sauce: Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to medium bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to use.

To bake the pizza: One hour before baking pizza, adjust oven rack to second highest position (rack should be about 4 to 5 inches below broiler), set pizza stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Shape each half into smooth, tight ball. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart; cover loosely with plastic wrap coated with nonstick cooking spray; let stand for 1 hour.

Coat 1 ball of dough generously with flour and place on well-floured countertop. Using fingertips, gently flatten into 8-inch disk, leaving 1 inch of outer edge slightly thicker than center. Using hands, gently stretch disk into 12-inch round, working along edges and giving disk quarter turns as you stretch. Transfer dough to well-floured peel and stretch into 13-inch round. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce in thin layer over surface of dough, leaving 1/4-inch border around edge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan evenly over sauce, followed by 1 cup mozzarella.

Slide pizza carefully onto stone and bake until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pizza halfway through. Remove pizza and place on wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Repeat step 5 to shape, top, and bake second pizza.

A beautiful pork chop dinner with the best gravy! Serve over mashed potatoes.

Smothered Pork Chops in Onion Gravy

bacon, diced into 1/4 inch pieces

pork

yellow onions, halved pole to pole and thinly sliced

garlic

Salt

flour

chicken broth

onion

Fry bacon in cast iron skillet or heavy ovenproof pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat behind. There should be about 2 tablespoons bacon fat; if not, supplement with vegetable oil.

Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brown chops in a single layer until deep golden on first side, about 3 minutes. Flip chops and cook until browned on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Add onions to pan when chops are flipped. Transfer chops to large plate and set aside while onions finish cooking.

As onion cooks, add the tablespoon oil and two tablespoons water. Cook onions until softened and lightly browned and water is evaporated. Add in garlic and cook for a moment longer. Reduce heat and sprinkle flour over the top of the onions. Whisk in until smooth and cook, whisking frequently, until mixture is light brown, about the color of peanut butter, about two to three minutes. Whisk in chicken broth in slow, steady stream; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

Return chops to skillet in single layer, covering chops with onions. Cover, and simmer gently or place in oven (350 degrees) and cook until pork is tender, about 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops. Check by inserting a paring knife into the chops. There should be very little resistance,

If desired, transfer chops to warmed serving platter and tent with foil. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer sauce rapidly, stirring frequently, until thickened to desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

Cover chops with sauce, sprinkle with reserved bacon and serve immediately.

Cook's Illustrated Big, Beautiful Muffins

all-purpose flour

baking powder

baking soda

yogurt

Mix-ins, below, optional. See PDF linked above and add

Smaller Muffins:

For the fridge, store it in a covered container up to 24 hours. Portion into muffin tin and let sit for 30 minutes (if possible) before baking.

For the freezer, portion the batter into the muffin tin and place tin in freezer to flash-freeze. Once frozen, remove from tin and store in a freezer container. To bake, return to muffin tin and let sit 30 minutes while preheating the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Refrigerate or Freeze:

Adapted from a Cook's Illustrated/Pam Anderson recipe, this meatloaf is the pinnacle of Classic Meatloaf!

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Ruth's Chris Potatoes au Gratin Cop...

Cook's Illustrated's Pumpkin Pie Re...

Poor Man's Mock Prime Rib

Dinner Tonight: Chicken Parmesan Re...

Cook's Illustrated's Thin-Crust Piz...

Ruth's Chris Potatoes au Gratin Cop...

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