Cooking

for Two 2013

THE YEAR’S BEST RECIPES CUT DOWN TO SIZE



BY THE EDITORS OF
AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN


PHOTOGRAPHY BY
CARL TREMBLAY, KELLER + KELLER, AND DANIEL J. VAN ACKERE
Copyright © 2013 by the Editors at America’s Test Kitchen All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except
in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN

17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445

AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN COOKING FOR TWO 2013:

The Year’s Best Recipes Cut Down to Size

1st Edition
Hardcover: $35 US
ISBN-13: 978-1-936493-43-2 ISBN-10: 1-936493-43-8
ISSN: 2162-6863
Kindle 978-1-936493-87-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Distributed by America’s Test Kitchen

17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Jack Bishop
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PICTURED ON COVER: Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables
PICTURED OPPOSITE TITLE PAGE: Vegetable Pot Pie
Contents
Navigating this E-Book

Master Recipe Listing

The Smart Shopper’s Guide

CHAPTER 1: The Main Course

CHAPTER 2: One-Dish Suppers

CHAPTER 3: Pasta For Dinner

CHAPTER 4: Vegetarian Suppers

CHAPTER 5: Dinner Off the Grill

CHAPTER 6: Light and Fresh

CHAPTER 7: Express Lane

CHAPTER 8: Slow-Cooker Favorites

CHAPTER 9: Side Dishes

CHAPTER 10: Baked Goods and Desserts

Conversions and Equivalencies

Index
Navigating this E-Book

This eBook includes a Table of Contents that allows you to jump to any chapter.
And each chapter has its own table of contents with links to every recipe in the
chapter.
We have also created a Recipe Index that lists all the recipes in the book,
divided by chapter, in one place. You can access the Recipe Index from the Table
of Contents. (It also appears before the index.) Each title in the Recipe Index is a
link that will take you directly to that recipe.
This cookbook is filled with sidebars. Throughout the book there are links to
this material where appropriate.
Most eBook reading devices also offer a search function that allows you to
type in exactly what you are looking for. Please read the documentation for your
particular eBook reader for more information on its search function and any
other navigational features it may offer.
THE SMART SHOPPER’S GUIDE
MAKING THE MOST OF THE RECIPES IN THIS BOOK
Let’s face it—We All Waste Food. And when you’re cooking for two, this is an even bigger problem.
Sure, there are some stores where you can buy loose leafy greens or a handful of Brussels sprouts, but
usually you’re stuck with prepackaged produce sold in large quantities. The same is true for canned
goods and many other items used in everyday recipes. So what’s the solution to this problem? Careful
planning and shopping. To that end, we’ve prepared this guide to key ingredients, both perishable and
canned, that are used throughout the book. So if you’re making one recipe with half of a red bell
pepper or half a can of chickpeas, you can see which other recipes in the book call for them so you
don’t have to toss the extras.

BEANS, Black
Chunky Black Bean Dip = ¾ cup
Turkey Taco Salad = ¾ cup

BEANS, Pinto
Five-Alarm Chili = ¾ cup
Mexican-Style Pinto Bean Salad = ¾ cup

CHICKPEAS
Crispy Spiced Chickpeas = ¾ cup
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale = ¾ cup Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew = ¾
cup

BELL PEPPER, Green

Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits = ½

BELL PEPPER, Red

Beef Lo Mein with Broccoli and Bell Pepper = ½
Chinese Chicken Salad = ½ small
White Bean Salad = ½

BUTTERMILK AMOUNT PAGE

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake = ¼ cup Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie = ⅓ cup Vegetable
Pot Pie = ⅓ cup

CAULIFLOWER
Cauliflower Gratin = 10 ounces florets Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes = 6
ounces florets

COCONUT MILK, Light

Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas = ¾ cup

COCONUT MILK, Regular

Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew = ¾ cup Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes = ¾ cup

COCONUT MILK, Light or Regular

Easy Coconut Kulfi = ¾ cup
Filipino Chicken Adobo = ¾ cup

EGGPLANT
Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame = 1 pound Vegetable Lasagna = 8 ounces

FENNEL
Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts = ½ bulb Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel and
Parsnips = ½ bulb Vegetable Pot Pie = ½ small bulb

FETA CHEESE
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta = 1½ ounces Greek Meatballs with Herbs and Feta
= 1 ounce Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad = 2 ounces Lentil Salad
with Olives, Mint, and Feta = 2 tablespoons Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta = 2
tablespoons Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale = 2 tablespoons Skillet Chicken and
Orzo withSpinach and Feta = 2 ounces

HALF-AND-HALF

Crème Caramel = ¾ cup

Spaghetti al Limone = 2 tablespoons

HEAVY CREAM
Banana Cream Pie = ¼ cup
Cauliflower Gratin = ¼ cup
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes = ⅓ cup
Chicken and Biscuits = ⅓ cup
Creamy Chocolate Pudding = ¼ cup
Easy Creamed Spinach = 2 tablespoons
Maple-Pecan Scones = ½ cup
Quicker Turtle Brownies = 1½ tablespoons Skillet Chicken Fajitas = ¼ cup
Skillet Tortellini with Mushroom Cream Sauce = ¼ cup Spaghetti al Vino Bianco = 3 tablespoons
Walnut Cream Sauce for Fresh Pasta without a Machine = ¼ cup Whole-Wheat Rotini with Brussels
Sprouts, Bacon, and Peas = ⅓ cup

HEAVY CREAM or HALF-AND-HALF

Easy Coconut Kulfi = ¾ cup
Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash = 1½ teaspoons

MANGO
Mango Lassi = ½
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Sweet and Spicy Mango Relish = ½

NAPA CABBAGE
Barbecued Pulled Chicken with Warm Cabbage Slaw = ½ small head Chinese Chicken Salad = ½
small head
Crispy Sesame Pork Cutlets with Wilted Napa Cabbage Salad = ½ small head Hot and Sour Napa
Cabbage = ½ small head

PIGEON PEAS

Crispy Spiced Pigeon Peas = ¾ cup

Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas = ¾ cup

PINEAPPLE
Aloha Kebabs = 1 cup
Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor) = 1 cup

PUFF PASTRY
Easy Apple Galette = ½ sheet
Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts = ½ sheet

RICOTTA, Whole-Milk
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce = 2 ounces Ricotta and Egg
Casseroles with Spinach and Tomato = 4 ounces

SOY CRUMBLES
Hearty Vegetarian Queso Dip = 6 ounces Spicy Asian Soy and Rice Lettuce Wraps = 6 ounces

SQUASH, Butternut
Sautéed Butternut Squash = ½
Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash = ½

TOMATOES, Canned Diced

Braised Cod Peperonata = ½ cup

Chicken and Chorizo Paella = ¾ cup plus juice Easy Tomato Chutney = ¾ cup
Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Olives = ½ cup Seafood Risotto = ½ cup
STOCKING THE COOKING-FOR-TWO
KITCHEN

In General, When You’re Cooking For Two, you really don’t need special
equipment—the usual battery of pots, pans, knives, and tools will work just
fine. (Although if your kitchen isn’t stocked with smaller skillets—8-and
10-inch—or a small saucepan, you’ll need them for certain recipes in this
book.) But for some scaled-down entrées and desserts, we found we needed
small baking dishes, pie plates, and more. Even a small slow cooker came in
handy for our scaled-down slow-cooked recipes (but note that a large slow
cooker works fine for the recipes in this book). Fortunately, this equipment
is inexpensive and widely available both online and at many retail stores.
Plus, when it comes to things like ramekins and small pie plates, you’ll
never need more than two (and sometimes just one will suffice). Here’s a list
of the cookware we found most useful for the recipes in this book.
SMALL BAKING DISHES
A small baking dish, such as this 8½ by 5½-inch ceramic dish (with straight sides no higher than 2
inches to expose the surface of the food), came in handy when we wanted to scale down our
Cauliflower Gratin and Tomato Gratin. We also use it to roast the garlic for our Campanelle with
Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta. For our Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake and Peach Melba Crisp,
we reached for an even smaller 3-cup baking dish (measuring approximately 7¼ by 5¼ inches). Note
that dishes of a comparable size or of a different material can be used in place of these dishes.
GRATIN DISHES
To make two servings of our Tortellini Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, we needed a pair of 2-cup
gratin dishes (measuring approximately 9 by 6 inches), although dishes of comparable size work, too.
RAMEKINS
Ramekins, in various sizes, are handy for making scaled-down desserts and savory dishes. We found
that 4-ounce ramekins gave us two indulgent Crème Caramels, while a pair of 6-ounce ramekins were
perfect for our petite but rich Individual Chocolate Fudge Cakes. Two 12-ounce ramekins were ideal
for our mini Vegetable Pot Pie.
SMALL SLOW COOKER
For our slow-cooker suppers for two, such as Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup and Slow-Cooker
Smothered Steak, we found a 3-to 3½-quart oval slow cooker easier to maneuver and clean and less
space-hogging than the standard 6-quart slow cookers (but the recipes in this book will work equally
well with either size).
LOAF PANS
We use both traditional loaf pans (either 8-or 9-inch) and mini loaf pans (which measure
approximately 5½ by 3 inches) in the for-two kitchen. We reach for the larger loaf pan for small
casseroles, such as our Vegetable Lasagna. The mini loaf pans are ideal for scaled-down baked goods,
such as our Cream Cheese Pound Cake.
SMALL CAKE PAN
With a 6-inch round cake pan, you can make a perfectly sized coffee cake for two people (see our
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake).
SMALL PIE PLATE
For both sweet and savory pies, we rely on 6-inch pie plates. Our Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pies
call for a pair of these dishes for two servings, but our Banana Cream Pie requires just one for a
perfectly scaled-down dessert.
CHAPTER 1: THE MAIN COURSE

Weeknight Roast Chicken

Chicken Marbella

Filipino Chicken Adobo

Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Olives

Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Porcini and Shallots

French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork

French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork with Port and Figs

Red Wine-Braised Pork Chops

Smoky Indoor Ribs

Prime Rib for Two

Minute Steaks with Garlic-Parsley Butter

All-American Mini Meatloaves

Southwestern Mini Meatloaves

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

Greek Meatballs with Herbs and Feta

Braised Brisket with Mushrooms

Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Artichokes and Tomato-Sherry Vinaigrette

Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Scallions and Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Jalapeños and Spicy Vinaigrette

Baked Fish with Crisp Bread Crumbs

Maryland Crab Cakes

Weeknight Roast Chicken

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To get a beautifully browned, perfectly

roasted chicken on the table for two any night of the week, we skipped the
brining and the V-rack. Instead we roasted a small chicken, thigh side down, on a
preheated skillet. This gave the longer-cooking dark meat a head start so both
thighs and breasts cooked through in sync. Starting with a hot oven to crisp the
skin, then turning it off to cook the breast meat gently through, gave us flawless
results every time. While the chicken rested, we simply moved the skillet to the
stovetop to turn the flavorful pan juices into a tasty sauce.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from years of experience in the test kitchen,
it’s that the best way to guarantee a juicy, well-seasoned roast chicken is to brine
or salt the bird before it hits the oven. The salt in both methods buffers the meat
against overcooking by restructuring its proteins, enabling it to retain more of its
natural juices. While we stand by these methods, they require an investment in
time (at least 30 minutes for brining and as much as 24 hours for salting) and
usually work best with large 5-pound chickens (out of the question for two). We
loved the idea of creating a foolproof method for roast chicken that not only
worked for smaller chickens but also was fast and easy enough for a Wednesday
night dinner.
We figured that the best approach would be to modify our standard method for
roasting chicken, which calls for submerging the bird in a salt-sugar brine (the
sugar encourages good browning) for an hour, brushing it with melted butter,
and roasting it in a 375-degree oven on a V-rack, flipping the chicken
periodically to get the skin crisp and browned on all sides. We would call for a 3-
pound chicken (just enough for two), skip the brine, and then put every other
step under the microscope—from the roasting pan, to the V-rack, to the oven
temperature, to whether or not to flip.
We started our testing by eliminating the V-rack. This piece of equipment
elevates the bird so the oven’s heat can circulate evenly around it and the skin
can get crisp and browned. We definitely wanted crisp skin, but we also knew
that we could use the hot surface of the roasting pan to our advantage. If we
preheated the pan and added the chicken breast side up, the thighs would get a
jump start on cooking, much as they would if we seared them first in a skillet.
And skipping the V-rack would mean we’d also get to skip flipping the bird
(placing the breast directly on the pan’s hot surface would only dry out the lean
meat). The pan-seared bird was surprisingly good; the thigh meat had a head
start in the pan, giving us perfectly cooked dark meat before the light meat dried
out, and we even shaved a few minutes off the cooking time. The V-rack and
flipping were out; preheating the roasting pan was in.
Now what about oven temperature? Since the 375-degree oven wasn’t doing
the breast meat any favors, we reasoned our next move should be lowering the
heat to cook that delicate meat more gently. We readied a few more birds and
experimented with dropping the temperature down as far as 300 degrees, but the
results were disappointing. Though the white meat became marginally juicier,
the skin had gone from patchy brown to pale. Cranking the heat above 375
degrees improved the skin but, not surprisingly, reversed the slight gains we’d
made with the juicier breast meat.
Perhaps we needed a two-temperature method: a high, hot oven to crisp the
skin and a lower, cool oven to gently cook the white meat. It can be tricky to get
a home oven to hit a targeted low temperature; what if we started the chicken at
a relatively hot temperature (in a preheated pan) to brown the skin, then turned
off the oven midway through cooking? We set the dial to 400 degrees, brushed
the chicken with melted butter, seasoned it aggressively with salt and pepper,
and lowered it into the hot pan breast side up so that the thighs would start
cooking immediately. Then, after about 40 minutes, we shut off the heat and let
the bird idle in the oven until both the breast and thigh meat hit their target
temperatures, another 40 minutes or so later.
This latest bird was a huge success: Beneath the nicely tanned skin was white
meat so tender and moist that even the dark meat loyalists among us were
reaching for seconds. We were thrilled with the progress we’d made with the
meat, but we wondered if we could brown the skin on the breast even more (and
shorten our lengthy cooking time) by increasing the oven’s heat. We tested
temperatures up to 500 degrees; at 475 degrees and above, the oven filled with
smoke, but we found a sweet spot at 450. This bird was ready to eat in under an
hour, with beautifully dark amber skin and tender, juicy meat.
Still, all was not perfect. The higher heat forced more of the chicken’s juices
to evaporate, leaving us with less for a pan sauce. We reasoned that if we
replaced the roasting pan with a 12-inch skillet, the juices would pool in the
smaller space and evaporate less quickly. And as an added bonus, we’d be able
to move the skillet straight from the oven to the stovetop to whip up a simple pan
sauce. Next, we swapped the melted butter for olive oil, which, thanks to its
higher smoke point, gave us equally good results with even less chance of
burning. We also broke with our original recipe by trussing the legs. In the past,
we have avoided this technique because tying the legs together can slow down
the cooking of the inner thigh, but now that we were relying on carryover
cooking, trussing could help keep the heat in.
The only item left on the checklist? Making good use of the pan drippings. We
spooned out and discarded all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, making sure to leave
the flavorful browned bits in the pan, and worked up a simple sauce with
mustard, tarragon, and lemon juice.
As we pulled our crisp, golden brown chicken out of the oven, we looked at
the clock—we had started cooking only an hour beforehand. Thanks to our
faster, foolproof, dead-simple technique, roast chicken for two was back on the
weeknight menu.
Weeknight Roast Chicken
SERVES 2

Cooking the chicken in a preheated skillet will ensure that the breast and thigh
meat finish cooking at the same time. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

CHICKEN

1 tablespoon kosher salt

½

teaspoon pepper
(3-to 3½-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded
1

1 tablespoon olive oil

PAN SAUCE
shallot, minced
1
cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Pepper
1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Adjust oven rack to middle position, place 12-inch
ovensafe skillet on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine salt and pepper
in bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Rub entire surface with oil. Sprinkle
evenly all over with salt mixture and rub in mixture with hands to coat evenly.
Tie legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wingtips behind back.
2. Transfer chicken, breast side up, to preheated skillet in oven. Roast chicken
until breast registers 120 degrees and thighs register 135 degrees, 25 to 35
minutes. Turn off oven and leave chicken in oven until breast registers 160
degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer chicken to
carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
3. FOR THE PAN SAUCE: While chicken rests, remove all but 1 tablespoon
fat from skillet (handle will be very hot) using large spoon, leaving any fond and
jus in skillet. Place skillet over medium-high heat, add shallot, and cook until
softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and mustard, scraping up browned bits.
Simmer until reduced to ¾ cup, about 3 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter,
tarragon, and lemon juice. Season with pepper to taste; cover and keep warm.
Carve chicken and serve with pan sauce.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

HOW TO GET GREAT ROAST CHICKEN IN ONE HOUR

Our unique high-heat/no-heat method ensures crisp skin and super-moist breast meat.
1. Place empty 12-inch skillet in oven and preheat to ensure chicken with nicely browned, well-rendered
skin.
2. Place chicken breast side up in preheated skillet to sear thighs, giving them head start on cooking with
delicate breast meat. Cook chicken at 450 degrees until breast registers 120 degrees and thighs register 135
degrees.
3. Once chicken is cooked halfway, turn off oven and let chicken cook in gentle heat until breast registers
160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to carving board to
rest for 20 minutes.
CHICKEN MARBELLA
Chicken Marbella

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: This Moroccan-inspired cookbook classic

from the 1980s had potential—but needed an update. The chicken was braised in
a sauce flavored with bold ingredients (prunes, olives, and capers), but the sauce
never melded with the chicken. To make the dish more cohesive, we made a
quick, flavorful paste that coated the chicken and brought the rich flavors into
every bite. Instead of whole chickens or chicken parts, we used just two bone-in
chicken breasts; the bones helped to insulate the meat and keep it moist. A pat of
butter, a little red wine vinegar, and a sprinkling of parsley finished the sauce,
bringing this flavor-packed dish up-to-date.
In 1977, a gourmet shop called the Silver Palate opened on Manhattan’s Upper
West Side and introduced New Yorkers to their first bite of chicken Marbella.
The original recipe, which was published in the shop’s eponymous cookbook,
was inspired by the bold flavors and slow cooking of northern Africa: Chicken
breasts and legs were marinated overnight in a potent prune, olive, and caper
sauce; transferred to shallow baking dishes; moistened with white wine; topped
with a cup of brown sugar; and baked (with frequent basting) in a 350-degree
oven for about an hour.
When we made this modern classic in the test kitchen, it was easy to see why
its unique balance of flavors has made it such an enduring hit. But there were
also a number of problems. While the chicken was juicy, its flavor was very
subtle. The skin remained pale and flabby, and the sauce, though well seasoned,
was too sweet. On top of these issues, the recipe made enough to serve a large
party. But we knew that this essentially simple dish of richly flavored baked
chicken breasts was a perfect candidate for scaling down for just two. Along
with the scaling, we would need to update and simplify the recipe to make
Marbella a weeknight staple.
To make the dish work for two, we decided to start with two bone-in chicken
breasts and make a sauce of (mostly) pantry staples: olive oil, red wine vinegar,
olives, prunes, garlic, capers, oregano, bay leaves, and plenty of salt and pepper.
We also decided to skip the overnight marinade. We’ve found that regardless of
how long a marinade remains in contact with meat, its flavor never penetrates
more than a few millimeters into the flesh. What’s more, an excess of acidic
marinade ingredients can actually overtenderize meat, making its surface mushy.
And the lengthy soak waterlogs poultry skin, inhibiting rendering and browning.
Instead of marinating, we tried salting the chicken before cooking. This
method worked well for getting juicy, well-seasoned breast meat, but it took at
least 6 hours to have an impact (with better results after 24 hours). Reluctantly,
we scratched salting off of our list and turned our attention to the cooking
method, hoping to find an alternative path to moist, flavorful meat.
Perhaps we could sear the chicken before baking to jump-start browning, then
build a sauce from the fond. We seasoned our chicken breasts with salt and
pepper and placed them, skin side down, in a smoking-hot 10-inch skillet. Once
the skin turned golden, we flipped the parts over, transferred them to a small,
shallow baking dish, and began building the sauce in the empty skillet. We
browned our sauce components in olive oil, deglazed the skillet with white wine,
poured the sauce around the chicken, and transferred everything to a 400-degree
oven, leaving the skin on top of the chicken exposed. In the hope of allowing the
skin to continue browning, we scrapped the brown sugar coating and didn’t
baste, since moist skin doesn’t brown well.
The good news was that the sauce was more flavorful, albeit still a little thin.
But despite our efforts, the chicken skin hadn’t rendered or colored much more
than it had after the initial browning. We realized the problem: The straight sides
of the baking dish were trapping moisture. Could we take further advantage of
our skillet’s shallow walls and cook the chicken through right in the pan? We
gave it a shot, returning the seared chicken to the skillet after building the sauce
and then placing the skillet in the oven to finish cooking in the oven’s even heat.
Sure enough, the skillet’s low, flared sides allowed more steam to escape,
resulting in well-browned skin and a more concentrated sauce. Finally we were
getting somewhere.
But there was still more work to do. Tasters complained that none of the
sauce’s flavor had transferred to the chicken. Perhaps a more concentrated sauce
was the answer. We ramped up the amount of olives, capers, prunes, and garlic,
and to boost meatiness and complexity, we added minced anchovies and a pinch
of pepper flakes. These changes helped the sauce, but its flavors still hadn’t
merged with the chicken. While mulling over how we could get the flavor to
“stick” to the chicken, we hit on the solution: We’d make a paste that would
literally adhere to the skin.
We prepped another batch, pureeing half of the prunes and olives with garlic,
capers, anchovy, oregano, pepper flakes, and olive oil. After searing the chicken,
we spread an even layer of paste on each piece before transferring the skillet to
the oven. Things looked promising during the first half of cooking, but by the
time the meat was cooked through, the paste was charred and the skin was, once
again, flabby. The only upside was that the chicken tasted juicier than it had in
previous batches. Could we keep this benefit without suffering the shortcomings
of the paste? For the next test, we waited until the chicken was about half-
cooked and the skin crisp before adding the paste. After another 10 minutes in
the oven, the paste had caramelized and the flavors had bloomed, making this
the best-tasting chicken yet.
Wondering if we could use the paste to deepen the flavor of the sauce as well,
we caramelized some of the paste in the skillet after browning the chicken. Just
as we had hoped, the sauce was deeply flavorful and had a velvety texture thanks
to the pureed prunes. A last-minute pat of butter, a splash of red wine vinegar,
and a sprinkle of fresh parsley pulled everything into balance. With these
changes, we agreed that we’d made a good dish even better—and a unique
weeknight meal perfect for two.
Chicken Marbella
SERVES 2

Be sure not to overseason the chicken; this dish can easily become too salty. See
the sidebar that follows the recipe.

PASTE
¼ cup pitted green olives, rinsed
¼

cup pitted prunes

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2
garlic cloves, peeled

2
tablespoon capers, rinsed

1
anchovy fillet, rinsed

1
¼

teaspoon dried oregano

¼

teaspoon pepper
⅛

teaspoon kosher salt

 Pinch red pepper flakes

CHICKEN
(12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed
2

Kosher salt and pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼

cup white wine

¼ cup pitted green olives, rinsed and halved
teaspoons capers, rinsed

1 bay leaf
¼ cup pitted prunes, chopped coarse

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

¾

teaspoon red wine vinegar

1
tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1. FOR THE PASTE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400
degrees. Pulse all ingredients in food processor until mostly smooth, about 30
pulses, scraping down bowl every few pulses. Transfer to bowl. (Paste can be
refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) 2. FOR THE CHICKEN: Pat chicken dry with
paper towels. Sprinkle chicken breasts with ¾ teaspoon salt and season with
pepper.
3. Heat oil in 10-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 5 to
8 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate. Drain off all but 1 teaspoon fat from
skillet and return to medium-low heat.
4. Add ⅓ cup paste to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and
fond forms on bottom of pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, wine, olives, capers,
and bay leaf, scraping up any browned bits. Return chicken to pan, skin side up
(skin should be above surface of liquid), transfer to oven, and roast, uncovered,
for 15 minutes.
5. Remove skillet from oven and use back of spoon to spread remaining paste
evenly over chicken breasts; sprinkle prunes around chicken. Continue to roast
until paste begins to brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, 7 to 12 minutes
longer.
6. Transfer chicken to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
Remove bay leaf from sauce and whisk in butter, vinegar, and 1½ teaspoons
parsley; season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce around chicken, sprinkle
with remaining 1½ teaspoons parsley, and serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

OUR FAVORITE TRADITIONAL SKILLET

We use our skillets all the time, for everything from searing steaks to braising chicken to cooking pasta.
While nonstick skillets can be purchased at a reasonable price, traditional skillets cost anywhere from $30
to $150 or more. Preliminary tests of traditional skillets confirmed our suspicion that cheap was not the way
to go, but how much do you really need to spend? We tested eight pans from well-known manufacturers.
All of the pans we tested had flared sides, and most had uncoated stainless steel cooking surfaces, which we
prize for promoting fond (the browned, sticky bits that cling to the bottom of the pan when food is sautéed
and help flavor sauces).
We concluded that medium-weight pans (not too heavy and not too light) are ideal–they brown food
beautifully and are easy to handle. These pans have enough heft for heat retention and structural integrity,
but not so much that they are difficult to manipulate. For its combination of excellent performance,
optimum weight and balance, and overall ease of use, the All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan, which comes
in 8-inch ($90), 10-inch ($105), and 12-inch ($140) sizes, was the hands-down winner.
Filipino Chicken Adobo

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Filipino adobo is a quick-cooking braise

with bold, tangy flavors and tender meat. To perfect our recipe, we needed a way
to tone down the tartness of the traditional soy sauce and vinegar braise. Creamy
coconut milk worked perfectly to balance the flavors and add richness to the
sauce. For chicken that was moist and well seasoned but not mealy, we
marinated it in soy sauce—just 30 minutes in the salty liquid gave us tender,
flavorful meat. Braising the thighs didn’t expose them to enough heat to render
their fat, making the final dish greasy, so we added the chicken to a cold skillet,
then slowly turned up the heat until the fat had rendered and the skin was crisp.
Adobo may be considered the national dish of the Philippines, but thanks to the
country’s melting-pot ancestry, the formulas for making it are remarkably varied.
The core concept is meat marinated and braised in vinegar and soy sauce, with
lots of garlic, bay leaves, and black pepper. Everything from that point on, from
vinegar and protein choice to the inclusion of coconut milk, is open to
interpretation. Recipes do agree on a few counts, though: This dish is easy to
prepare, and the finished product—tender meat napped in a reduction of the
tangy braising liquid—boasts bold, well-developed flavors. The vibrant flavors
and simple procedure made adobo perfect for a cooking-for-two makeover.
We armed ourselves with Filipino cookbooks and tried a bunch of recipes
based on chicken, our protein of choice. These dishes were predictably varied,
but unfortunately all were problematic, with unbalanced, aggressively tart and
salty sauces that were too runny to cling to the meat. Most troubling of all was
the meat itself, which more often than not sported a tough, mealy outer layer.
Using the best elements of our research recipes, we built a working formula
using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. With more fat and collagen than breasts
and more meat on the bone than drumsticks, thighs are rich, flavorful, and
particularly well suited to braising, and two thighs per person made a perfect
dinner portion. We picked cider vinegar for its round, fruity flavor; marinated for
a reasonable 30 minutes (some recipes called for marinades as long as 24 hours);
braised the chicken in the marinade for about 40 minutes; removed the meat to
rest; and reduced the braising liquid until it had thickened slightly into a sauce.
We weren’t surprised when tasters panned the adobo as too tart; we’d worry
about evening out the flavors later. It was the tough, mealy texture of the meat
that was more troubling. While we know that soaking meat in moderately acidic
marinades makes the meat’s surface mushy, strongly acidic mixtures like this
one cause surface proteins to bind together and squeeze out moisture, drying out
and toughening the meat’s exterior.
Instead of risking bland chicken by skipping the marinade altogether, we
decided to strip it down to just the salty soy sauce, knowing that salt is one of the
few marinade ingredients that actually makes its way to the interior of the meat.
Sure enough, when we repeated the marinade test using only soy sauce, the
flavor and tenderness of the meat improved radically. And as a boon to our plan
for making this a weeknight dinner, thighs marinated for only 30 minutes were
just as good as those that we’d left in the soy bath for much longer.
But the tartness of the sauce was still way off base, and it lacked enough body
to cling to the meat. We tried diluting the braising liquid with water to tame the
tartness, but this test was a bust; rather than balancing out the acidity, the water
merely dulled the overall flavor of the dish. Instead, we turned to a common
adobo ingredient we had yet to test: coconut milk. We’d shied away from the
super-rich milk in our earlier tests, fearing that it would muddy the flavor of the
braise, but perhaps its richness could work in our favor by taming the harsh
acidity in our sauce.
We returned to the test kitchen and whisked some coconut milk into the
braising liquid of our next batch. Tasters praised the balanced flavors and
declared this the best adobo yet, save for one objection: The double dose of fat
from the chicken skin and the coconut milk had rendered the sauce a little
greasy. In addition, the chicken skin was too soft to grip the sauce.
Fortunately, the explanation behind both problems was obvious: Our one-step
cooking method wasn’t exposing the chicken to any high, dry heat, so there was
no opportunity for the skin’s gummy fat layer to render or for the skin to crisp.
Easy fix, right? Just throw the thighs skin side down into a ripping-hot skillet for
a few minutes before moving them into the braising liquid. Wrong. Sure, the skin
looked crisp and nicely browned, but slicing below the surface revealed that the
thick fat pad was still there. The chicken needed more time to render its fat.
For our next test, we started the chicken in a cold pan and slowly brought it up
to medium-high heat. As the pan gradually grew hotter, the fat under the skin
melted away before the exterior began to brown. In about 10 minutes the skin on
our thighs was not only sheer but also gorgeously browned. Even better, we were
able to remove several tablespoons of rendered fat from the pan. Greasiness
problem solved. Finally, we employed one last trick to keep as much of the
skin’s crackly texture as possible. When we returned the chicken thighs to the
skillet with the braising liquid, we started them skin side down to absorb flavor
and then flipped them halfway through so that they finished skin side up to crisp.
Once the chicken cooked through, we briefly reduced the cooking liquid until
it thickened. We poured the tangy, coconut milk–enriched sauce over the tender
pieces of chicken, sprinkled on a handful of sliced scallion for color and
freshness, and dug in, admiring how nicely these bold flavors had melded
together—and how we’d finally created a version of adobo that we could
proudly call our own.
Filipino Chicken Adobo
SERVES 2

Light coconut milk can be substituted for regular coconut milk. Click here for
more information on trimming chicken thighs. Serve this dish over rice. For a
recipe to use up the leftover coconut milk. See the sidebars that follow the
recipe.

(5-to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

2 tablespoons soy sauce

¾

cup coconut milk

½

cup water
⅓

cup cider vinegar

garlic cloves, peeled
4

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon pepper
scallion, sliced thin

1
1. Toss chicken with soy sauce in large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
or up to 1 hour.
2. Remove chicken from soy sauce, allowing excess to drip back into bowl.
Transfer chicken, skin side down, to 10-inch nonstick skillet; set aside soy sauce.
3. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until chicken skin is browned, 7
to 10 minutes. While chicken is browning, whisk coconut milk, water, vinegar,
garlic, bay leaves, and pepper into soy sauce.
4. Transfer chicken to plate and discard fat in skillet. Return chicken to skillet
skin side down, add coconut milk mixture, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to
medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Flip chicken skin side up
and continue to cook, uncovered, until chicken registers 175 degrees, 15 to 20
minutes longer. Transfer chicken to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
5. Remove bay leaves. Return sauce to simmer and cook until slightly thickened
and reduced to ¾ cup, about 2 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with
scallion, and serve.
USE IT UP: COCONUT MILK

Easy Coconut Kulfi

SERVES 2
Kulfi is a cardamom-spiced frozen dessert similar to ice cream—but you don’t need an ice cream maker to
make it. The kulfi made with cream will be richer and less icy, and the kulfi made with half-and-half will be
similar to a granita. The vodka is crucial to maintaining a scoopable texture; do not omit it.
¾ cup coconut milk or light coconut milk
¾ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
⅓

cup corn syrup

1 tablespoon vodka
¼

teaspoon lime zest

¼

teaspoon ground cardamom

⅛

teaspoon salt
1. Whisk all ingredients together in medium bowl. Transfer to large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and
freeze until mixture begins to freeze around edges, 1½ to 2 hours.
2. Vigorously stir mixture until smooth and slightly frothy. Transfer to 2-cup container with tight-fitting lid
and freeze until firm, 4 to 5 hours. To serve, scoop into individual bowls.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

BALANCING ACT
The two core components of Filipino adobo–vinegar and soy sauce–add up to a predictably sharp, salty
braising liquid. To even out the acidity and salt, we took a cue from a regional variation and added coconut
milk. The thick, rich milk mellows those harsher flavors while still allowing for plenty of tanginess. It also
adds welcome body to the sauce.

SALTY AND SOUR

Soy sauce and vinegar are staples in Filipino adobo.
 THICK AND CREAMY
We add coconut milk for body and richness.
 THE BEST READY RICE
It doesn’t get easier than precooked ready rice–just two minutes in the microwave and it’s done. But we
wanted to know if ready rice could deliver tasty results, so we tasted five national brands of white rice.
Tasters preferred the long-grain samples, which were less sticky. Our two favorites were also both
parboiled. This process steams rice kernels in their husks, which makes the grains firm and smooth. Our
winner was the only brand to add salt and had the most fat, giving it a “buttery” taste. Minute Ready to
Serve White Rice is fluffy and fast. Will we quit making rice the usual way? No, but it was a surprisingly
close second choice in a taste-off; we’ll definitely keep some in the pantry for busy weeknights.
Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and
Olives

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To transform the classic French braise

Chicken Provençal into a quick dinner for two, we started by ditching the whole
chicken in favor of easy, quick-cooking chicken thighs. Browning the thighs for
just 4 minutes gave us enough fond to build a richly flavored sauce without the
chicken ending up dry and overdone after braising. For an intensely flavored
tomato sauce with bright Provençal notes, we turned to canned diced tomatoes,
white wine, lots of garlic, anchovy, briny niçoise olives, and aromatic herbes de
Provence. The clean flavors of fresh parsley and lemon zest provided balance.
Braised chicken with tomatoes and olives is a Provençal staple, representing the
best of French peasant cooking. The chicken is meltingly tender, moist, and
flavorful, napped in an aromatic, garlicky tomato sauce that is mopped up with a
good loaf of crusty bread. Unfortunately, the dish usually requires a whole
chicken and a whole afternoon of cooking. We knew this richly flavored dish
was worth updating—could we streamline chicken Provençal to make it quick
and easy enough for a weeknight dinner for two?
The chicken was our starting point. Most recipes we found consisted of
browning a cut-up whole chicken; setting the chicken aside; sautéing some
aromatic vegetables; deglazing the pot with white wine or dry vermouth; adding
stock, tomatoes, olives, and herbs; and then simmering the chicken in the liquid
until cooked through. Cutting a whole chicken into parts was out of the question
for our two-person braise; we wanted an easy-prep, quick-cooking cut to
facilitate our goal of a quick weeknight dinner. For this reason, we chose to work
with boneless chicken thighs—they’re quicker-cooking than bone-in thighs. And
to cut the cooking time even further, we cut the thighs in half. We also wouldn’t
need to worry about taking the time to properly render the chicken skin, since
the boneless cut comes with its skin removed—another step in the right
direction.
We first addressed the browning step. While we know that browning before
braising is a traditional technique, we wondered if we needed to brown the
chicken at all since we were already doing away with the skin. We compared a
batch of chicken well browned before braising to a batch simply seasoned before
braising. We also threw in a batch of chicken browned lightly (for only 4 to 5
minutes) out of curiosity. We cooked each batch in a simple tomato-based
braising liquid in a covered 10-inch skillet (just the right size for four thighs) for
about 15 minutes or until they were cooked through.
As it turned out, the thin, small thighs didn’t need a thorough browning; in
fact, the well-browned thighs emerged from the braise a little dried out. The raw
thighs lacked complexity, and the time saved by skipping the browning just
wasn’t worth the lost flavor. Our lightly browned thighs had great flavor, added a
little fond to our skillet, and were still perfectly succulent by the end of the
braise.
With our chicken perfectly cooked, we moved on to the sauce. Many recipes
call for sautéing some onions after the chicken is browned and taken out of the
pot. Tasters approved of the onion but commented that a modest amount of the
onion’s pungent flavor was enough to balance the sweetness of the tomatoes.
Garlic is usually added next; we sautéed it briefly to bring out its flavor. To
deglaze the pan, we relied on dry white wine. Both crushed and pureed canned
tomatoes produced a thick, sweet, overbearing sauce reminiscent of bad Italian
restaurant food. Canned diced tomatoes, though more promising, presented the
opposite problem: Even when drained, they contain a fair amount of liquid, and
the resulting sauce was too thin. Adding chicken broth rounded out the flavors,
but the sauce was still thin. We added a few tablespoons of tomato paste to the
diced tomatoes, and the texture improved dramatically. Stirring in a couple of
teaspoons of flour with the tomato paste thickened it even more—now the sauce
coated the chicken without overwhelming it. Reducing the braising liquid for
just 2 minutes after removing the chicken from the pot perfected the sauce’s
consistency and intensified the flavors.
Whole niçoise olives appeared in nearly every recipe, and we liked their
distinctive flavor. Though they’re less authentic in this dish, kalamata olives are
often easier to find, and we found that they made a good substitute. As for
seasonings, herbes de Provence (a combination of dried lavender, marjoram,
basil, fennel seeds, rosemary, sage, summer savory, and thyme) was a shoo-in. A
sprinkling of fresh parsley added brightness to the dried herb mix. Inspired by a
traditional recipe we found, we tried adding a teaspoon of minced anchovies
before deglazing the pot. Although tasters could not identify the ingredient,
everyone agreed that the sauce tasted richer and fuller. The final item on our list
was lemon zest, a common and, as it turned out, welcome addition.
Our braised chicken dish now had all of the flavors of Provence but was ready
to eat in record time. Inspired by our quick and easy method, we devised an
earthy variation with porcini and shallots, giving our chicken dish an entirely
different, but just as delicious, profile.
Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Olives
SERVES 2

Be sure to crumble any large pieces of rosemary in the herbes de Provence

before adding it to the pot. Serve with mashed potatoes or polenta. For a recipe
to use up the leftover canned diced tomatoes. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

(3-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and halved

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

small onion, chopped fine
1

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

teaspoons all-purpose flour

2
anchovy fillet, rinsed and minced

1
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼

cup dry white wine

½ cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
¼ cup pitted niçoise or kalamata olives, halved
½

teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in
10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown
chicken lightly on one side, about 4 minutes; transfer to plate.
2. Add onion and herbes de Provence to fat left in skillet and cook over medium
heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, flour,
and anchovy and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in broth
and wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps.
3. Add browned chicken with any accumulated juices and tomatoes, cover, and
simmer gently until chicken is very tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to
platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
4. Add olives and lemon zest to sauce, return to simmer, and cook until slightly
thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over
chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
VARIATION

Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Porcini and Shallots

Omit diced tomatoes, olives, and lemon zest. Add ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced, to
skillet along with onion in step 2. Add 4 shallots, peeled and quartered, to skillet with browned chicken in
step 3.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

TRIMMING CHICKEN THIGHS

Trimming and removing excess fat from chicken thighs before adding them to the braising liquid reduces
the amount of fat that can be rendered and helps to prevent the dish from becoming greasy.

Holding 1 hand on top of chicken thigh, trim off any excess fat with sharp knife.
FRENCH-STYLE POT-ROASTED PORK
French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Enchaud Périgourdin is a French specialty

that transforms lean pork loin into supremely tender and flavorful meat. We
wanted to achieve the same result with pork tenderloin, which yields just the
right amount for two. Butterflying the tenderloin gave us extra surface area for
seasoning the pork with salt, a little sugar, and caramelized garlic. Roasting our
pork at a low temperature ensured that the meat cooked gently and came out of
the pot juicy and tender. And we used the rich jus from the pork along with some
wine and apple to make a quick sauce that perfectly complemented our French-
style pork.
French cuisine is well known for its many dishes featuring a lackluster cut of
meat turned sumptuous and flavorful by surprisingly simple methods, but the
one that impresses us most is enchaud Périgourdin. A specialty in the Périgord
region of southwest France, it consists of a pork loin—one of the least promising
cuts for slow cooking—thrown into a covered casserole with garlic to bake for
several hours. You’d expect that a roast with so little fat or collagen to protect it
would emerge from the pot dried out and tasteless. Instead, the finished meat is
astonishingly moist and flavorful, with plenty of rich-tasting, viscous jus to
drizzle on top. We’d recently developed a test kitchen recipe for this delicious
roast pork loin, and we wanted to see if we could scale it back to work with the
more size-appropriate pork tenderloin.
When developing our original recipe for pot-roasted pork using a loin, we
encountered a problem common to cooking with American pork. The French
method for pot-roasted pork relies on the fact that French pigs are bred to
contain plenty of fat. American pigs, on the other hand, contain far less
marbling, especially in the loin. To counter the leanness of the meat, we
employed a couple of tricks: First, we butterflied the roast so that we could
season it all the way to the center without taking the time to brine the meat.
Second, we seared the roast on only the top and sides so that the bottom of the
roast would not overcook while sitting on the hot surface of the pot. Finally, after
testing a wide range of oven temperatures for cooking the roast, we landed on a
low 225-degree oven. In this very low oven, the outer layers of the loin absorbed
less heat (and consequently squeezed out less moisture) during the time it took
the center to climb to 140 degrees. And not only was it far juicier than any of our
previous attempts, but a small pool of concentrated jus had accumulated at the
bottom of the pot.
We knew we’d want to make use of these tricks in our scaled-down version. If
they worked on a larger, more finicky roast, they’d surely work on tenderloin.
Butterflying the relatively skinny tenderloin was as simple as making one cut
lengthwise through the roast and then using a meat pounder to ensure that the
butterflied tenderloin was an even thickness. We gave the pork a liberal shake of
salt and spread it with ¼ teaspoon of sugar and some sliced garlic caramelized in
butter (we also tested both bacon fat and rendered salt-pork fat, but tasters
preferred the subtle sweetness of butter). Next, we rolled up the seasoned
tenderloin, tied it with a bit of kitchen twine, and sprinkled it with some herbes
de Provence. We browned our tenderloin on just three sides, then cooked it in a
covered saucepan (mimicking the original recipe’s Dutch oven) in a 225-degree
oven.
Now we just needed to build our sauce. Knowing that the sauce would be
enriched with jus from the pork as it roasted gave us a head start. After we
transferred the browned roast to a plate, we sautéed some apple and shallot in the
saucepan. Then we deglazed the saucepan with white wine and added thyme and
a bay leaf before returning the pork to the pot and moving it to the oven. After
roasting, we let the pork rest while we finished the sauce with some chicken
broth, a pat of butter for richness, and a handful of fresh parsley. This simple
sauce was an easy inclusion in our scaled-down recipe. Once our pot-roasted
tenderloin was ready for carving, we were pleased to find that this smaller roast
was just as good as (and, thanks to the tenderloin, even a little more tender than)
the original.
French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork
SERVES 2

We strongly prefer the flavor of natural pork in this recipe, but if enhanced pork
(injected with a salt solution) is used, reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon
per side) in step 2. You will need a large ovensafe, heavy-bottomed saucepan for
this recipe. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2
garlic cloves, sliced thin

4
(12-ounce) pork tenderloin, trimmed

Kosher salt and pepper
¼

teaspoon sugar
¾

teaspoon herbes de Provence

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

½ Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
shallot, minced

1
¼
 cup water
¼

cup dry white wine

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 bay leaf
⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Melt
2 pieces butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add half of garlic and
cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl
and refrigerate.
2. Butterfly tenderloin by slicing lengthwise through side; do not cut through
meat completely. Open tenderloin like book and place between 2 pieces of
plastic wrap. Gently pound to even thickness. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt over both
sides of tenderloin (½ teaspoon per side) and rub into pork until slightly tacky.
Sprinkle sugar over inside of pork, then spread pork with cooled toasted garlic
mixture. With shorter side facing you, roll pork away from you into tight
cylinder and tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Sprinkle tied pork evenly
with herbes de Provence and season with pepper.
3. Heat oil in large ovensafe saucepan over medium heat until just smoking. Add
pork, seam side up, and brown on top and sides (do not brown seam side, or
bottom, of roast), about 5 minutes. Transfer pork to large plate.
4. Melt 1 piece butter in now-empty saucepan. Add apple, shallot, and ⅛
teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until apple and shallot are softened and
lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add water, scraping up any browned bits, and
continue to cook until saucepan is dry and dark brown fond has formed on
bottom, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in remaining sliced garlic and cook until
fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, thyme, and bay leaf and cook for 30
seconds, scraping up any browned bits. Return pork, seam side down, to
saucepan; place large sheet of aluminum foil over saucepan and cover tightly
with lid. Transfer saucepan to oven and cook until pork registers 140 degrees, 25
to 30 minutes.
5. Transfer pork to carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10
minutes. While pork rests, remove thyme sprig and bay leaf from jus and
discard. Add chicken broth and bring to brief simmer over medium-high heat.
Off heat, whisk remaining 1 piece butter and parsley into sauce and season with
salt and pepper to taste; cover to keep warm. Snip twine and slice pork into ½-
inch-thick slices, adding any accumulated juices to sauce. Serve pork, passing
sauce separately.
VARIATION

French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork with Port and Figs

Substitute ⅓ cup chopped dried figs for apple and ¼ cup port for white wine. Add 1 teaspoon balsamic
vinegar to sauce with butter in step 5.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PREPARING THE PORK

1. Butterfly pork tenderloin by slicing lengthwise through side; do not cut completely through meat. Open
tenderloin like book and place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.
2. Using meat pounder, gently pound tenderloin into flat, even rectangle. Sprinkle pork with salt and sugar
and spread garlic butter over surface of roast to enrich flavor of roast.
3. With short end facing you, roll tenderloin away from you into short, tight log.
4. Tie rolled tenderloin at 1-inch intervals so that the roast maintains its shape and cooks evenly.
Red Wine–Braised Pork Chops

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For juicy braised pork chops, we started
with blade chops, which, like other braising cuts, have a good amount of fat and
connective tissue. To prevent the chops from buckling when seared, we trimmed
the excess fat, then, instead of ditching the trimmings, we seared them to build a
flavorful fond. We deglazed the pot with red wine, then added chicken broth,
onion, and the pork trimmings to the braise along with the chops. When the
chops were perfectly tender, we reduced the braising liquid into a rich, glossy
sauce, adding a little red wine vinegar and fresh parsley for brightness at the end.
When we think of pork chops, we think of a simple, no-frills cut that’s easy to
buy in small quantities and that we can just toss into a hot skillet and have on the
table in minutes. But lately we’ve been hearing talk of braised pork chops. The
more we considered this option, the better it seemed. Not only did the slow,
gentle approach of braising promise flavorful, tender chops, but we’d end up
with a rich, glossy sauce. Braising seemed like a perfect way to dress up the
simple, small-household-friendly pork chop.
Before fiddling with the cooking method, we had an important decision to
make at the supermarket: exactly which type of pork chops to buy. Most of the
recipes we found in our research called for center-cut loin chops, but we
wondered if this was the best choice. There are actually four types of pork chops,
each with varying levels of fat and connective tissue: blade, rib, center-cut, and
sirloin. To test the cuts side by side, we brined a pair of each cut, patted them
dry, and browned them in a large saucepan (the perfect size for two chops). Then
we browned some aromatics—garlic, thyme, and a bay leaf—and deglazed the
pot with red wine to temper the meaty richness of the chops. Finally, we poured
in chicken broth, covered the pot, and pushed it into a 275-degree oven to
simmer for about 90 minutes.
Unfortunately, all but one of the cuts cooked up stringy and bland, officially
disqualifying the center-cut, rib, and sirloin contenders from the running. But the
blade chops were promising; they contain a good bit of marbling and connective
tissue, both of which were breaking down during cooking, lending the meat
flavor and juiciness. The drawback was that the chops buckled considerably
during searing and, as a result, didn’t take on much browning or supply much
fond to the bottom of the pot. Without that foundation of flavor, the sauce was
lackluster and the wine’s contribution one-dimensional and a bit harsh. For the
sake of both aesthetics and flavor, we had to figure out a way to keep the chops
from curling.
We realized the problem was the connective tissue on the side of the chop; it
was contracting like a rubber band as soon as the chop came in contact with the
hot pan surface. What would happen if we trimmed away the offending portion
of fat and connective tissue before searing? After making a few quick cuts, we
placed a new batch of chops in the hot saucepan, where they stayed flat and took
on an even layer of color. This was great news, we thought, until we took a peek
at the bottom of the pot. Where we expected to find a thick, crusty layer of fond
we found a few faint patches of browning. Where had all the fond gone? We
glanced over to the cutting board and realized the real ingredient for fond was
that pile of fatty scraps we were about to pitch into the trash.
That gave us an idea: Rather than toss the fatty trimmings, we chopped them
into 1-inch pieces and seared them to generate fond. In less than 10 minutes, we
had the most substantial layer of browning yet, thanks to the increased surface
area of the smaller pieces. In fact, the fond was so impressive that we wondered
if we needed to bother searing the chops themselves. One side-by-side test gave
us our answer: The braise made with unseared chops was every bit as meaty as
the seared batch. To take full advantage of the flavor of the fat trimmings, we left
them in the pot during braising, where their rich fat would add to the meaty
flavor and unctuousness of the sauce.
The fat trimmings offered one final benefit by helping to raise the pork chops
out of the braising liquid. After searing the trimmings, sautéing the aromatics,
deglazing the pan, and adding the broth, we nestled the chops on top of the
chunks, where they rested well above the liquid line. When we pulled this batch
out of the oven roughly 90 minutes later, the sauce was richer and more flavorful
and the chops were noticeably juicier than when they’d cooked more thoroughly
submerged in the liquid. Elevated out of the liquid, the chops were cooking at a
lower temperature than the submerged chops, allowing them to produce more
gelatin and retain more moisture than before. And just to ensure that they held
on to every bit of their flavorful juices, we let the chops rest for 30 minutes
before slicing into them, giving the juices ample time to redistribute throughout
the meat.
Thanks to the trimmings and the aromatics, the braising liquid now had good
meaty flavor, but a few tasters remarked that it could use body, further depth,
and some brightness. Fixing the first problem was easy; we simply strained and
defatted the liquid and reduced it for about five minutes. A pat of butter whisked
in off the heat added silkiness and viscosity. As for the latter critiques, we added
brightness by stirring in a one-two punch of sugar and red wine vinegar. Then
we tossed in a knob of crushed fresh ginger and a pinch of allspice, both of
which lent this final batch a rich, spicy aroma and depth of flavor.
Just before serving, we added a final splash of vinegar and a handful of
minced parsley, spooned the sauce over the tender, juicy chops, and knew we
had finally done right by this classic technique.
Red Wine-Braised Pork Chops
SERVES 2

Look for chops with a small eye and a large amount of marbling, as these are the
best suited to braising. The pork trimmings can be removed when straining the
sauce in step 4 and served alongside the chops. (They taste great.) If the pork is
enhanced (injected with a salt solution), do not brine in step 1, and season with
salt after trimming the chops in step 2. You will need a large ovensafe, heavy-
bottomed saucepan for this recipe. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

Salt and pepper

(10-to 12-ounce) bone-in pork blade chops, 1 inch thick
2

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

onion, halved and sliced thin

1
sprigs fresh thyme plus ⅛ teaspoon minced

3
garlic clove, peeled

1 bay leaf
(¼-inch) piece ginger, peeled and crushed

1
 Pinch ground allspice
¼

cup red wine

tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon red wine vinegar
1

1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

1. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 1½ quarts cold water in large container.
Submerge pork chops in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees.
Remove chops from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off meat cap and
any fat and cartilage opposite rib bones. Cut trimmings into 1-inch pieces. Heat
oil in large ovensafe saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add
trimmings and brown on all sides, 6 to 9 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, thyme sprigs, garlic, bay leaf, ginger,
and allspice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden brown, 5 to 10
minutes. Stir in wine, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and sugar and cook, scraping up any
browned bits, until mostly evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Add chicken broth, spread
onion and pork trimmings into even layer, and bring to simmer. Arrange pork
chops in single layer on top of pork trimmings.
4. Cover saucepan, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is tender, 1¼ to 1½
hours. Remove from oven and let chops rest in saucepan, covered, for 30
minutes. Transfer chops to serving platter and tent with aluminum foil. Strain
braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer; discard solids. Transfer braising
liquid to fat separator and let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Wipe out now-empty saucepan with wad of paper towels. Return defatted
braising liquid to saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to ½
cup, 3 to 7 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter, minced thyme, and remaining ¼
teaspoon vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chops,
sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

TRIM YOUR CHOPS

The band of fatty connective tissue and shoulder meat along the outer edge of blade chops contributes body
and flavor to the braise–but it also causes the chops to buckle. To cut out the structural issues without
sacrificing flavor, we trim away the band, chop it up, and save the pieces for searing.

Trim off swath of fatty meat and any cartilage running along edge of chop. Cut scraps into 1-inch pieces.
SMOKY INDOOR RIBS
Smoky Indoor Ribs

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Smoked ribs take as much as a day in a

smoker to become fall-off-the-bone tender. This low-and-slow method is
effective, but it isn’t very convenient when cooking for two, so we sought to
move our ribs indoors. We braised the ribs in the oven until the meat was tender,
then brushed them with a simple barbecue sauce and roasted them until they had
a crusty exterior like the “bark” of real barbecue. But the ribs were light on
smoky flavor. Adding liquid smoke and espresso powder to both our braising
liquid and barbecue sauce and swapping regular paprika for smoked paprika in
the sauce solved the problem. Now our indoor ribs boasted intense smokiness
and depth and tasted as if they’d been in the smoker all day long.
Pork ribs are a barbecue favorite for a reason—they’re a sweet, rich, and meaty
finger food that is fun to eat and easily adaptable to taste. Recipes abound for
ribs cooked every which way, from the grill to the oven to the slow cooker. But
for the ultimate in barbecue ribs, we prefer the superior taste and texture of a
long, slow smoke. The only problem with smoking ribs is that the time, effort,
and equipment needed to do a proper job make them seem like a waste when
cooking just enough for two. We didn’t want to cut ribs from our cooking-for-
two repertoire, so we decided to develop a recipe for cooking an authentic
smoky rack indoors.
We gathered a representative sampling of recipes for indoor “smoked” ribs
and got cooking. The recipes used three approaches to try to introduce smoke
flavor: placing wood chips on the oven floor, rubbing the raw ribs with smoked
paprika, and broiling a liquid smoke–enhanced barbecue sauce onto cooked ribs.
Fail, fail, and fail. The chips never smoked, the rubs didn’t add much, and the
smoky sauce didn’t get inside the meat. If we wanted deeply smoky, tender ribs
with a sticky, saucy crust, we’d have to start from scratch.
First we tackled our rib choice. Pork ribs come in three distinct cuts: whole
spareribs, baby backs, and St. Louis ribs. Spareribs are cut close to the belly of
the pig; whole spareribs contain both the brisket bone and the surrounding meat.
These huge cuts can weigh upward of 5 pounds—far too unwieldy for a two-
person dinner. Baby back ribs are cut from the section of the rib cage closest to
the backbone and tend to come in smaller cuts. However, baby backs are also
fairly lean and have less meat per bone, so they aren’t ideal for long, slow
cooking. St. Louis ribs hit a happy medium. These ribs are cut from the same
section as the whole spareribs, but they are sold with the brisket bone and
surrounding meat already trimmed. They offer all of the flavor of whole
spareribs, but without the extra trouble and bulk. We were easily able to find
svelte 2½-to 3-pound racks of ribs—a substantial but not unreasonable size for
two.
Knowing that rib meat takes quite a while to turn from tough to fall-off-the-
bone tender, we decided to use a two-step cooking method for our two-person
rack. We’d first braise the ribs in a simple sauce in the oven until the meat was
tender, then brush the cooked ribs with a simple barbecue sauce and return them
to the oven uncovered, continuing to baste the ribs with sauce as they cooked, to
get a crusty exterior that approximated real barbecue “bark.”
Our cooking method worked perfectly for getting tender, meaty ribs, but we
still needed to figure out how to get smoke flavor into the meat. Traditional
barbecue relies on long exposure to wood smoke. In our initial testing, the wood
chips we placed on the floor of the oven never got hot enough to start smoking.
Perhaps we needed to crank up the heat? We increased the oven temperature as
high as it would go and tested the chips on everything from preheated baking
sheets to pizza stones, but none of the tests produced smoke. Even worse, the
high oven temperature destroyed our ribs, turning them to stringy pork charcoal
in less time than it took to cook up a barbecue sauce. Time to give up on the
chips.
We’d already discovered that brushing a smoky sauce onto cooked ribs added
only superficial smokiness. But what if we braised the ribs in a smoky liquid?
We tested every smoky ingredient we could think of: chipotle powder, smoked
paprika, liquid smoke, instant espresso powder, and Lapsang souchong tea.
Except for a faint whiff in the liquid smoke batch, tasters detected no smoke,
even after a full 1½ hours of simmering in the braising liquid. So we stuck with
what (barely) worked and upped the liquid smoke from 1 teaspoon to 1
tablespoon. Now we were on to something. The ribs suddenly began to take on
the flavor of the grill.
To up the smoke flavor even further, we mixed in some espresso powder; it
hadn’t done much on its own, but working in tandem with the liquid smoke, it
helped deepen the smoky flavor. Next, we added both liquid smoke and espresso
powder to our barbecue sauce to up the ante even further. Replacing the paprika
in the sauce with smoked paprika contributed even more smoky depth.
These small-scale ribs now had such authentic smoky flavor that they could
have fooled anyone into thinking they came straight off the grill.
Smoky Indoor Ribs
SERVES 2

Use liquid smoke that contains no salt or additional flavorings. Wright’s All
Natural Liquid Smoke is our favorite brand. Slicing the rack of ribs in half
ensures that it fits perfectly in the baking dish. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

RIBS

1 cup water

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

1½

teaspoons salt
(2½-to 3-pound) rack pork spareribs, preferably St. Louis cut, trimmed, membrane
removed, and rack cut in half
1

BARBECUE SAUCE

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

small onion, chopped fine
1

Salt and pepper
1½

teaspoons smoked paprika

¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
⅓

cup cider vinegar

⅓

cup dark corn syrup

⅓

cup ketchup
¼

cup molasses

1 tablespoon brown mustard

1½

teaspoons hot sauce

1½

teaspoons instant espresso powder

¼

teaspoon liquid smoke

1. FOR THE RIBS: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300
degrees. Bring water, espresso powder, liquid smoke, and salt to boil in small
saucepan. Pour mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place rib halves, meat
side down, in liquid. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1½
hours.
2. FOR THE BARBECUE SAUCE: Meanwhile, heat oil in medium saucepan
over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook
until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30
seconds. Add chicken broth, vinegar, corn syrup, ketchup, molasses, mustard,
hot sauce, and espresso powder and simmer, stirring occasionally, until
thickened and reduced to 1 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in liquid smoke and
season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool for 20 minutes. (Sauce can be
refrigerated for up to 1 week.) 3. Reserve ¼ cup sauce for serving. Line rimmed
baking sheet with foil and set wire rack inside. Remove ribs from baking dish
and transfer, meat side up, to prepared wire rack; discard braising liquid. Brush
both sides of ribs with sauce. Bake until tender and fork inserted into meat meets
no resistance, about 1½ hours, brushing meat with sauce after 30 and 60 minutes
of cooking. Tent ribs loosely with foil and let rest for 30 minutes. Slice meat
between bones and serve with reserved sauce.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

BRINGING THE SMOKER INSIDE

We halve the rib rack to fit it in a baking dish, then braise the ribs in a mixture of water, espresso powder,
and liquid smoke. After 1½ hours, the ribs are ready to be slowly roasted with barbecue sauce for a
caramelized “bark.”
 ALL ABOUT LIQUID SMOKE
We were among the many people who had always assumed that there must be some kind of synthetic
chemical chicanery going on in the making of “liquid smoke” flavoring, but that’s not the case. Liquid
smoke is made by channeling smoke from smoldering chips through a condenser, which quickly cools the
vapors, causing them to liquefy (just like the drops that form when you breathe on a piece of cold glass).
The water-soluble flavor compounds in the smoke are trapped within this liquid, while the nonsoluble,
carcinogenic tars and resins are removed by a series of filters, resulting in a clean, smoke-flavored liquid.
When buying liquid smoke, be sure to avoid brands with additives such as salt, vinegar, and molasses. Our
top-rated brand, Wright’s Liquid Smoke, contains nothing but smoke and water.
PRIME RIB FOR TWO
Prime Rib for Two

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: When it comes to roast beef, prime rib is
supreme. But even the smallest prime rib roast is too big for two, so we used
bone-in rib steak. It’s from the same juicy, tender rib section of the cow but is the
perfect size for two. To get both the crusty, browned exterior and juicy, rosy
interior of perfect prime rib, we seared the meat in a skillet, then moved it to a
wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet to cook through in a low oven. While the
meat roasted, we used the skillet to make a quick jus with shallot, thyme, beef
broth, and red wine. Finally, to approximate the big, rosy slices of prime rib, we
sliced our rib steak on the bias.
Juicy, ultratender prime rib is the ultimate roast beef. Unfortunately, its steep
price tag means that it’s usually saved for large, festive dinners. But we think a
dinner for two can be as special an occasion as any, so we set out to convert this
lavish cut of beef into a luxurious but easy dinner for two.
We knew that even the smallest prime rib roast (this term refers to any roast
that contains only the highly prized rib section of the cow) would be far too big
for just two people. But we also knew that this cut could be divided into bone-in
rib steaks (usually called rib-eye steaks) that are about 1½ inches thick and
weigh around 1½ pounds each—perfect for two. You can sometimes find these
thick-cut steaks in the meat case, but if not, you can request them at the
supermarket meat counter.
But what’s the best way to cook a cut of meat that looks like a steak but
demands to be treated like a roast? Clearly, we needed to combine the two
cooking techniques. After a few false starts, we got it right: We first seared the
meat on the stovetop, then moved it to a low oven to gently cook through. The
hybrid technique gave us just what we wanted: a roast with a crusty brown
exterior and an interior that was juicy and rosy red from one edge to the other.
While the roast rested, we made the accompanying jus. We started with a little
of the fat from the meat, then sautéed some shallot and added fragrant thyme.
We wanted to include tomato paste for its rich, meaty tomato flavor, but we
didn’t want to have to open a whole can for a single teaspoon of paste. We
scoured the pantry for a substitute that would give us similar tomato flavor—and
hit upon ketchup. Sautéing the shallot and ketchup gave us plenty of flavorful
fond; we just deglazed the pan with beef broth and red wine and our sauce was
done.
Everything was ready, but when we plated it up, something was wrong. The
cut is essentially a steak, so when you remove the bone, cut it in half, and serve
it, each person gets just that—half a steak. The plate lacked that big, rosy slice of
meat that distinguishes prime rib from other “lesser” cuts. The solution? Creative
carving. We experimented with butterflying the steak, but this was tricky and the
results weren’t stellar. Next we tried cutting the meat in half on the bias; that
didn’t look right either. We finally succeeded by slicing the roast on the bias into
four pieces. This technique gave us beautiful pieces of meat that showed off
more of the rosy interior and presented like honest-to-goodness prime rib. We’d
finally done it: We’d produced a delicious “prime rib” dinner fit for two.
Prime Rib for Two
SERVES 2

Be sure to brown the edges of the steak to render the fat. You can do this easily
by using tongs to hold the steak on its side in the hot pan.

(1½-pound) bone-in rib-eye steak, 1½ inches thick

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 teaspoon ketchup
¼

teaspoon dried thyme

½

cup beef broth

¼

cup red wine

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Pat steak
dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown
steak all over, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer steak to wire rack set in rimmed baking
sheet. Roast until meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 25 to 30
minutes. Transfer steak to cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let
rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat from now-empty skillet. Add
shallot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in
ketchup and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and
wine and simmer, scraping up any browned bits, until reduced to ⅓ cup, about
10 minutes. Carve bone from steak and cut steak on bias into four ½-inch-thick
slices. Serve with jus.
Minute Steaks with Garlic-Parsley Butter

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Cubed steaks can be a delicious, easy, and
inexpensive dinner, but they can also be tough, chewy, and bland if you don’t
cook them right. To eliminate any lingering toughness, we pounded the steaks to
an even ¼-inch thickness. For an exceptionally crisp, browned crust, we dredged
the steaks in flour and seared them in a hot skillet with plenty of oil. A simple
herb butter flavored with garlic, parsley, and Worcestershire mixed with the
steaks’ juices to make a rich and flavorful sauce that belied their inexpensive
price tag.
Want a quick, inexpensive steak dinner for two? Then minute steak is for you.
Minute steaks, aka cube(d) steaks, are tough cuts from the rump or shoulder that
usually require long, slow cooking to become palatable. To tenderize the steaks,
butchers run them through the spiked rollers of cubing machines twice (at 90-
degree angles) to produce ½-inch-thick steaks. Because of their thinness and
reduced mass, they do cook quickly. But the recipes for minute steak that we
tried gave us pale, rubbery, liver-y-tasting steaks that only Rin Tin Tin could
love. Our goal was to produce well-browned, relatively tender minute steaks
with great beefy flavor.
Working on flavor first, we started by marinating the steaks in a mixture the
test kitchen has often used to boost beefy flavor: soy sauce, oil, and tomato
paste. We’ve found that a marinade rich in sodium is necessary to season the
meat—traditional marinades, which often rely on an acidic ingredient, typically
flavor just the exterior of the meat. Our soy sauce marinade gave the steaks great
flavor, but the moisture was a problem: Minute steaks cook so quickly (in about
5 minutes total) that in order to brown they needed to be absolutely dry when
they hit the skillet. Even when we patted them dry after marinating, the textured
surface of the steaks held on to the marinade for dear life, inhibiting browning
and the flavor that comes with it. We decided to ditch the marinade and focus on
browning for now.
Knowing that dry steaks, a hot pan, and plenty of oil were key, we carefully
patted both sides of the steaks dry and seasoned them liberally while we heated a
generous 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet. To absorb even more
moisture, we tried dredging a steak in flour, another in cornstarch, and a third in
a combination of the two. The best crust formed on the steak that was dredged in
plain flour. A few minutes in the skillet finally created the nicely browned,
flavorful crust we were after, with meat that was cooked to a perfect medium-
well (minute steak has a squishy texture if it’s still pink).
We now had well-browned steaks, but they were bland. We knew we couldn’t
use a marinade without losing our crust, but these steaks needed a flavor boost.
One taster suggested adding flavor by way of a steakhouse favorite: compound
butter. This seemed like a step in the right direction. All we needed to do was
mix softened butter with potent aromatics (parsley, garlic, and Worcestershire
sauce were a great combo) and add the mixture to the steaks while they took
their requisite 5-minute rest. The meat juices mixed with the melting butter to
make a sauce that tasters greedily spooned up. No doubt about it: These steaks
tasted good.
But they were still a tad tough. Perhaps meat tenderizer, another old-school
butchery favorite, would help. We gave it a shot, hoping the steaks’ textured
surface would facilitate its tenderizing power. It did—to a fault. Our steaks had
turned into a mushy mess.
Maybe we just needed to augment the cubing and vent our frustration with a
meat pounder. We pounded the ½-inch steaks down to an even ¼-inch thickness,
dredged and seared them, topped them with the herb butter, and then tasted the
steaks side by side against unpounded steaks. Thanks to the pounding, which had
broken up some of their tough muscle fibers, the thinner steaks were decidedly
more tender than our earlier batches. Coated with garlic-parsley butter, these
inexpensive steaks were tender and tasty enough to make tasters forget their
tough beginnings. They may take a bit longer than a minute to cook, but they’re
a super-fast and easy option for a weeknight steak dinner for two.
Minute Steaks with Garlic-Parsley Butter
SERVES 2

We like to serve these steaks with mashed potatoes. See the sidebar that follows
the recipe.

tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

small garlic clove, minced

1
½

teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
(6-ounce) beef cubed steaks

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Combine butter, parsley, garlic, Worcestershire, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper in
bowl; set aside. Place flour in shallow dish. Place steaks between 2 pieces of
plastic wrap and pound to even ¼-inch thickness. Pat steaks dry with paper
towels and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
Coat steaks with flour, shaking to remove excess, and transfer to skillet. Cook
until well browned on first side, about 3 minutes. Flip steaks and cook until
browned on second side, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer steaks to platter, top
with seasoned butter, and serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING A BAD STEAK GOOD

1. Pound steaks to even ¼-inch thickness to tenderize and ensure even cooking.
2. For substantial crust, dredge steaks in flour. Cook in generous amount of oil for good browning.

3. Top steaks with assertively flavored compound butter to give them quick shot of flavor.
ALL-AMERICAN MINI MEATLOAVES
All-American Mini Meatloaves

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a scaled-down but full-flavored take on

this comfort-food classic, we started with tender meatloaf mix. Panko bread
crumbs, milk, and an egg yolk helped to bind the mixture and added richness and
moisture. Sautéed onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and herbs mixed
in with the meat gave us a flavorful loaf, and a classic sweet and tangy ketchup
glaze pulled the flavors together. To keep things simple, we pressed the mixture
into two free-form loaves by hand, browned them in a skillet, and cooked them
through in the oven. Our mini loaves cooked through in no time and came out of
the oven with nicely browned crusts.
A great meatloaf is about as close as you can get to the definition of down-home
comfort food. But not all meatloaves are created equal, and the problems only
multiply when the recipes are scaled down to serve two. Forget dry, crumbly
meatloaves with gloppy, cloyingly sweet glazes and offbeat additions, such as
canned pineapple, cranberry sauce, raisins, prepared taco mix, and even goat
cheese. We wanted to make a classic meatloaf like the ones our mothers used to
serve—without having leftovers for days.
For the recipe’s ingredients, we were set on sticking with the tried and true. To
determine which ground meat or mix of meats makes the best loaf, we followed
a very basic meatloaf recipe and made loaves using ground beef chuck, pork,
veal, bacon, and ham in numerous proportions and combinations. It turned out
that premixed meatloaf mix (beef, pork, and veal, usually in equal proportions)
worked best; meat markets haven’t been selling it all these years for nothing. Not
only did buying the mix keep things simple, but the loaves made with it were
well balanced, tender, and nicely textured. If you can’t get your hands on
meatloaf mix, a combination of equal amounts of 90 percent lean ground beef
and ground pork also worked well.
When it came to the filling, we again went through the gamut of options,
including bread crumbs, oatmeal, and an array of cereals. In the end, we
preferred panko bread crumbs for their mild flavor; they melted into the
background of our loaves, whereas the oatmeal and cereals added odd flavors.
For the binding, just 3 tablespoons of milk and a single egg yolk were enough to
help bind together the meat and add richness, moisture, and tenderness. We also
tried adding tomato sauce to the mixture, but it just made the loaves taste like
meatballs with sauce. While we liked the tangy-sweet flavor ketchup added to
the meat, we ultimately decided to save it for our glaze. After trying out
numerous other classic additions, we settled on sautéed onion, garlic,
Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, thyme, and fresh parsley as the best
combination.
Once we had cooked the onion, garlic, and thyme in our skillet, we combined
all the ingredients in a bowl and set out to shape the loaf. Instead of making a
single meatloaf, we thought individual loaves would be a nice twist for our
classic components. In addition, smaller loaves would cook faster, allowing us to
get dinner on the table in less time. To avoid the need for an odd size of loaf pan,
we simply pressed the mixture into two free-form loaves with our hands. The
binders worked well to keep the loaves from falling apart while cooking.
 We first tried cooking our mini meatloaves on a baking sheet, but the meatloaf
drippings burned on the large sheet. Our mini meatloaves would need a mini
cooking vessel. An 8-inch baking dish fit the loaves comfortably, but the excess
moisture retained by the high sides turned our loaves soggy. Instead, we found
our answer in a low-sided but cozy 10-inch nonstick skillet. Using a skillet also
made it easy to sear the loaves before moving them to the oven, significantly
shortening the cooking time (to just 20 to 30 minutes total) while also
developing the nicely browned crust that is the hallmark of any respectable
meatloaf.
To get the familiar sweet and tangy glazed top crust, we made a ketchup–
brown sugar mixture and added a few teaspoons of cider vinegar for tang and to
keep the glaze from becoming overly sweet. After searing, we brushed the glaze
on our loaves and slipped them into the oven to roast at 350 degrees. These
meatloaves had great flavor and were made in short order; tasters were surprised
by how much they tasted like the down-home classic.
With a flawless traditional version nailed down, we felt compelled to come up
with a variation that offered a little kick. We settled on meatloaves with
Southwestern flavors, adding smoky chipotle chiles in adobo sauce and canned
green chiles and swapping fresh cilantro for the parsley. Whether you’re looking
for classic meatloaf or something with a little more spice, these mini meatloaves
are sure to satisfy.
All-American Mini Meatloaves
SERVES 2

Meatloaf mix is a combination of equal parts ground beef, pork, and veal and is
available in most grocery stores. If you can’t find meatloaf mix, substitute 8
ounces each of ground pork and 90 percent lean ground beef. See the sidebar
that follows the recipe.

GLAZE
¼

cup ketchup

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

MEATLOAVES

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

⅓

cup finely chopped onion

small garlic clove, minced
1
¼
 teaspoon dried thyme
½

cup panko bread crumbs

¼

cup minced fresh parsley

3 tablespoons whole milk

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

¼

teaspoon salt
¼

teaspoon pepper

1 pound meatloaf mix

1. FOR THE GLAZE: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
2. FOR THE MEATLOAVES: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat
oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 10-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet
over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5
minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Transfer mixture to large bowl. Wipe out skillet with wad of paper towels.
3. Stir panko, parsley, milk, Worcestershire, egg yolk, mustard, salt, and pepper
into cooked onion mixture. Using hands, gently mix in meatloaf mix until
thoroughly combined. Divide mixture into 2 equal portions and press each
portion into small oval loaf.
4. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat
until just smoking. Carefully brown meatloaves well on first side, 2 to 3 minutes.
Carefully flip meatloaves, neaten edges with spatula, and cook until lightly
browned on second side, about 2 minutes.
5. Brush meatloaves with glaze and transfer skillet to oven. Bake until
meatloaves register 160 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer meatloaves to
serving platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
VARIATION

Southwestern Mini Meatloaves

Substitute ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro for parsley. Add 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained, to
skillet along with garlic and thyme in step 2. Add 2 teaspoons minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce to
meatloaf mixture in step 3.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING MINI MEATLOAVES

1. Divide meatloaf mixture into 2 portions. Cup each portion with your hands to form 2 oval loaves.
2. While browning second side of loaves in skillet, use spatula to tidy up edges so they maintain their oval
shape.
OKLAHOMA FRIED ONION BURGERS
Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: This Oklahoma specialty features a thin

patty of ground beef with a crispy crust of caramelized onion, cooked on a
griddle until well-done. Topped with a buttery grilled bun, yellow mustard, and
dill pickles, this burger is well worth a road trip. To re-create it for two, we used
a mandoline to make quick work of slicing the onion very thin. To rid the onion
of excess moisture, we salted it like cabbage for coleslaw, then squeezed it dry.
We cooked the burgers’ onion sides over medium heat until the onion was
golden brown, then flipped the patties and turned up the heat until the burgers
cooked through.
If you should happen to drive to El Reno, a small Oklahoma town about 25 miles
west of Oklahoma City, you’ll find an unusual burger that’s the object of much
local adoration. The fried onion burger (or FOB, to locals) was born in the 1920s
out of Depression-era necessity at the Hamburger Inn out on Route 66. By
adding thinly sliced onions to beef patties, cooks could use less meat without
reducing the portion size. But the onions don’t just sit on top of this burger: They
are pressed into the meat patty to become an integral part of it. And because the
onions are pressed into the outside of the patty rather than mixed into the meat,
they get nicely caramelized by the direct contact with the hot griddle, infusing
the meat with their flavor.
Every May, thousands attend the Fried Onion Burger Day festival to view the
assembly of an 800-pound FOB. Our quest was for something more modest:
fried onion burgers with all the oomph of the oversize original, scaled down to
serve two. We wanted to be able to make two well-browned fried onion burgers
in a skillet with the proper integration of beef and onion.
We knew that slicing the onion very thin was key, so we used a mandoline set
to about ⅛ inch. On a restaurant’s heavy-duty griddle, the slices get hit instantly
with intense, even heat that dries them out and browns them in minutes. Not so
on a home stove. Our thin slices oozed moisture and refused to adhere to the
burgers—they practically repelled the meat. So we borrowed a trick that we’ve
used to remove moisture from cabbage for coleslaw: salting. We sprinkled the
onions with half a teaspoon of salt and let them sit for 30 minutes. The slices
gave off lots of moisture, and squeezing them in a clean dish towel dried them
further.
In El Reno, a patty is slapped onto the hot griddle, a heap of sliced onions is
set on top, and the mashing process begins. But our attempts to replicate this in a
skillet, even with just two burgers, proved futile: It was far too awkward to
maneuver a spatula on top of the burgers around the sides of the skillet. To get
around the smashing issue, we decided to assemble our burgers before they hit
the pan. We divided our onion slices into two piles on a large plate. Next we
topped the onion with ground beef, mashed the beef into the onion right on the
plate, then formed the beef into 4-inch patties with the onion slices firmly
embedded in one side.
Despite what you’d think from a town that cooks up an 800-pound celebration
burger, fried onion burgers in El Reno are quite thin. We tried replicating their
super-slim patties, but with just 2 ounces of beef per burger, tasters thought the
burgers were too small for the effort they took. Instead, we went up to 3 ounces
of beef per burger—just a little bit thicker than in Oklahoma. These burgers were
still thin but were big enough to feel like a substantial meal. But when we tried
cooking them in our super-hot skillet, the onions burned before the burgers could
finish cooking.
We had better luck starting the burgers onion side down over medium heat so
the onions could gently brown, then flipping the burgers and cranking the heat to
get a good sear on the other side. As they do in El Reno, we cooked the burgers
until well-done. A nonstick skillet prevented the onions from sticking, and using
butter (plus a little oil so the butter wouldn’t burn) for searing added extra
succulence.
Served on a buttered, griddled bun with mustard, pickles, and American
cheese (on the bottom, to keep the onion crust crisp), these moist burgers were
delicious—and very hard to stop eating.
Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers
SERVES 2

A mandoline makes quick work of slicing the onion thinly. It’s crucial to squeeze
the salted onion slices until they’re as dry as possible, or they won’t adhere to
the patties. Make sure to season the burgers lightly with salt. These burgers are
traditionally served with yellow mustard and slices of dill pickle. See the sidebar
that follows the recipe.

onion, halved and sliced ⅛ inch thick (2 cups)

Salt and pepper
ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
6
tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces and softened

1
½

teaspoon vegetable oil

2 slices American cheese

hamburger buns, toasted
2
1. Combine onion and ½ teaspoon salt in bowl and toss to combine. Transfer to
colander and let sit for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Using tongs, transfer
onion to clean dish towel, gather edges, and squeeze onion dry. Sprinkle with ¼
teaspoon pepper.
2. Divide onion mixture into 2 separate mounds on baking sheet. Form beef into
2 lightly packed balls and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place beef balls on
top of onion mounds and flatten beef firmly so onion adheres and patties
measure 4 inches in diameter.
3. Melt 1 piece butter and oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Using spatula, transfer patties to skillet, onion side down, and cook until onion is
deep golden brown and beginning to crisp around edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip
burgers, increase heat to high, and cook until well browned on second side,
about 2 minutes. Spread remaining butter on toasted bun tops and place 1 slice
cheese on each bottom bun. Place burgers on buns and serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

KEYS TO FRIED ONION BURGERS

A few tricks helped the onion adhere to the burgers and caramelize rather than burn.

1. After salting and squeezing onion dry, divide into 2 piles, place beef rounds on top, and press.
2. Brown onion side down over gentler medium heat. Then flip burgers and turn up heat to sear beef side.
Greek Meatballs

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To make delicious, savory meatballs the

star of the show, we livened up their flavor with a Greek twist. Using yogurt in
the binder added a nice tang, then we mixed in shallot, garlic, and mint and
sprinkled rich, salty feta over the top. To help bind the meat and ensure the
meatballs would stay moist, we added an egg yolk and a panade (a paste of dairy
and bread). Since all of the meatballs easily fit in a skillet, pan frying was the
simplest cooking method. In less than 10 minutes our easy meatballs were
cooked through with a crunchy browned crust.
Why do meatballs need to be served with spaghetti and tomato sauce? Short
answer: They don’t. Well-prepared meatballs are a blank canvas for flavor. And
since they’re made from common pantry ingredients and ground beef (easy to
buy in small amounts), they’re a great option when cooking for two. For our
two-person meatball recipe, we decided to explore Greek flavors, envisioning
ground beef enlivened by bright fresh mint and briny feta cheese: a fresh-
flavored simple main course to partner with orzo or rice. But first we’d need to
suss out the proper method for our meatballs.
The problem with most meatballs is that they can turn out too dense and
heavy. Often cooks think of meatballs as seasoned hamburgers formed into a
smaller round shape. However, unlike most hamburgers, which are best cooked
rare or medium-rare, meatballs are cooked through until well-done. At this point,
the ground beef and seasoning will form dry, tough hockey pucks. If the
meatballs are just compact, overcooked little hamburgers, the dish will be
leaden. Meatballs require additional ingredients to keep them moist and lighten
their texture.
We started out with a simple recipe for pan-fried meatballs using ground beef
(we knew we wanted to use just one type of meat for our meatballs in order to
keep things simple) and tested the various binders—egg, dried bread crumbs,
fresh bread crumbs, ground crackers, and bread soaked in milk (panade)—that
are common in meatball recipes. Off the bat, we knew we liked the presence of
egg. Meatballs made without the egg were heavier and drier. But the meatball
mixture was sticky and hard to handle. Since the fats and emulsifiers in the yolk
were all that we needed, we tried using the yolk only. Problem solved. These
meatballs were much less sticky and easier to handle.
As far as the bread element was concerned, we found that crumbs and
crackers soaked up any available moisture and compounded the problems caused
by cooking meatballs to the well-done stage. In comparison, the meatballs made
with the soaked bread panade were moister, creamier, richer, and even more
pâtélike in consistency. Two tablespoons of milk was plenty to soften one slice
of sandwich bread; we simply had to make sure that the bread and milk mixture
was smooth before incorporating it into the meatballs in order to avoid errant
chunks of bread in the final product.
Our meatballs were now moist and luscious, but we wondered if we were
missing out on an opportunity by using plain milk. Could we infuse a bit of
Greek flavor right into our panade? We’ve seen meatloaf recipes in which plain
yogurt is used as a binding ingredient in lieu of milk. Perhaps this could add a
pleasant tang to our dish. Not only was the yogurt batch more flavorful than the
batches made with milk, but due to the thickened consistency of the yogurt,
these meatballs were even richer and creamier than those made with plain milk.
Out of curiosity, we also tested the panade made with Greek-style yogurt, but we
found that this yogurt was too thick to mix properly with the bread.
With the dairy and bread portion of the binder settled, we could focus on
building up Greek flavor. Some shallot and a clove of garlic were givens, adding
pleasant savory notes. For a bit of brightness, we added some minced fresh mint
(we liked dill as well). For a last bit of richness, we knew we wanted to add
cheese and reached for feta. We tried incorporating the feta into the meatballs
themselves, but the cheese took on a rubbery quality that seemed to undo all of
the hard work we had done to keep our meatballs moist and creamy. We didn’t
want to toss the feta out completely, so we decided to sprinkle a generous ¼ cup
over the meatballs upon serving.
With our ingredients in order, we then tested three cooking techniques:
roasting, broiling, and traditional pan frying. We had high hopes for the oven
method, as it seemed cleanest and the most hands-off. After 25 minutes at 450
degrees, the meatballs emerged from the oven nicely browned. But one bite
revealed the problem with this method—the meatballs were dry and crumbly.
Broiling proved messier than pan frying as the excess fat splattered in the heat of
the oven, covering the oven with grease. Pan searing would be our method of
choice.
We made the meatballs relatively small (1½ inches) so that they would cook
through in the same amount of time it took to get a thorough browning on their
exterior. A relatively quick sear in 3 tablespoons of oil proved perfect. The
meatballs needed just a final sprinkling of mint and feta and they were ready to
serve. With a silky smooth texture and bright, vibrant flavor, our Greek-style
meatballs were now anything but boring and heavy.
Greek Meatballs with Herbs and Feta
SERVES 2

Do not use Greek-style yogurt here—it is too thick. Serve with orzo or rice and a
fresh green salad. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 egg yolk
shallot, minced

1
small garlic clove, minced

1
tablespoons minced fresh mint and/or dill

2
½

teaspoon salt
¼

teaspoon pepper
ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
12
3 tablespoons olive oil
ounce feta cheese, crumbled (¼ cup)

1
1. Mash bread with yogurt in large bowl until smooth. Stir egg yolk, shallot,
garlic, 1 tablespoon mint, salt, and pepper into yogurt mixture. Using hands,
gently mix in beef until thoroughly combined. Form mixture into twelve 1½-
inch meatballs.
2. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
Add meatballs and cook gently, shaking pan and turning meatballs with tongs,
until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Transfer
meatballs to paper towel–lined plate to drain briefly, then transfer to serving
platter. Sprinkle with feta and remaining 1 tablespoon mint and serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

KEEPING HERBS FRESH LONGER

We use a lot of fresh herbs in the test kitchen, so we know firsthand that their shelf life is short–a particular
problem when you’re cooking for two and using small quantities. To get the most life out of your herbs,
gently rinse and dry them (a salad spinner works perfectly), and then loosely roll them in a few sheets of
paper towels. Put the roll of herbs in a zipper-lock bag and place it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.
Stored in this manner, your herbs will be fresh, washed, and ready to use for a week or longer. (Note that
this method does not work with basil, which should be washed only when you’re ready to use it.)
Braised Brisket with Mushrooms

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Hearty braised brisket is perfect winter-

weather fare, but most recipes make enough for an army. For tender, juicy
brisket for just two, we started with 1½ pounds of flat-cut brisket. Piercing holes
in the fat cap allowed the melting fat to baste the meat as it cooked. We seasoned
the meat and browned it on just one side to avoid overcooking). Then we used
the fond from the meat to build a flavorful braising liquid in the pot with onion,
garlic, thyme, chicken broth, and red wine. To round out the dish and
complement the brisket, we sautéed white mushrooms and added a little minced
dried porcini for deep, earthy flavor. A splash of balsamic vinegar cut the
richness of the beef and mushrooms for a perfectly balanced dish.
For many of us in the test kitchen, braised brisket is one of the best traditional
cold-weather comfort foods. This homey dish is warm and hearty enough to
satisfy even the biggest appetites on a snowy winter day. But when faced with
the prospect of eating leftover brisket for days on end, those of us with small
households balk at this massive cut of beef. When cooking for just two, a whole
brisket simply does not make sense. Could we find a way to get a tender, juicy
braised brisket in a petite package? We figured it was high time to find out.
First we needed to decide what size brisket would work best for our two-
person recipe. Normally, we allow 6 to 8 ounces of boneless meat per person
(working out to 12 ounces to 1 pound total for two), but we had a hunch that
brisket would be a little different. Because brisket cooks for a few hours, it loses
quite a bit of its weight by the time it’s ready to eat. Knowing this, we asked the
butcher to cut a fairly generous 1½-pound piece of flat-cut brisket (our preferred
choice for braising), and we got to testing.
We started out with a trick we’ve discovered when working with larger
briskets—piercing holes in the brisket’s fat cap so that the rendering fat will drip
down and moisten the meat. We proceeded with our standard braising method.
We seasoned and browned the meat on all sides, set it aside, and started to build
our braising liquid. We added chopped onion (with a little brown sugar for added
caramelization), garlic, thyme, and a little flour for thickening. Then we whisked
in ½ cup each of chicken broth and red wine and let the sauce simmer a bit to
thicken. We cooked the meat and sauce in a tightly covered baking dish in a 300-
degree oven until the brisket was tender (about 4 hours).
Once we pulled the brisket out of the oven, we knew that our decision to cook
a slightly larger roast was right on. The meat had shrunk considerably, and we
were left with two generous but not overwhelming servings. Unfortunately, the
serving size was about the only success we had with this test. Not only was the
bottom of the brisket hard and crusty, but the sauce had evaporated to an
overreduced, salty paste. Our smaller brisket wasn’t giving off nearly enough
juice to keep the sauce saucy.
For our next test, we held off on browning the bottom of the brisket in hopes
of keeping the meat tender and went up on both wine and chicken broth to a full
cup of each. This time the brisket was tender and the consistency of the sauce
was spot-on, but the flavor was still salty and harsh. The excess chicken broth
and tannic wine were not helping the cause. We knew we wanted to keep some
of both for flavor and depth but decided we needed to cut them with water. After
tinkering with proportions, we landed on equal parts (⅓ cup) wine and broth as
well as 2 cups of water. Now our sauce was in balance, but the dish itself still
needed some improvement.
Tasters wanted a complementary earthy vegetable to accompany the brisket,
and we knew we’d need to choose something that would hold up to long
cooking. Mushrooms seemed like the perfect solution. Eight ounces of quartered
white mushrooms bulked up the dish, but they didn’t add remarkable mushroom
flavor. Adding more fresh mushrooms made the dish unwieldy, so we turned to
dried porcini for deeper flavor. We rinsed them to rehydrate them enough to
mince, then stirred them into the sauce along with the garlic and thyme. That did
it: We had deep, full, balanced mushroom flavor. A little balsamic vinegar was
the perfect foil to the rich beef and mushrooms.
Last, but far from least, we addressed the serving issue. Brisket is always dry
if you eat it right away. In our standard recipe, we cool the brisket in the pan
juices for several hours to allow it to reabsorb them until the brisket is juicy and
tender. But we weren’t willing to wait that long for our two-person brisket.
Happily, by flipping the roast over halfway through its resting period, we were
able to cut this time down to only 30 minutes. To reheat the meat, we quickly
warmed the sauce in the microwave, then we simply added the sliced meat to the
warm sauce, and our brisket was ready for serving. Now we had a tender brisket
packed with mushroom flavor that made for a comforting cold-weather meal
perfect for two.
Braised Brisket with Mushrooms
SERVES 2

This might seem like a lot of meat for two servings, but it will cook down
substantially in the oven. Flat-cut brisket is easier to find and more uniform in
texture than point-cut. Try to find a brisket with an even fat cap. Small briskets
can be cut to order at the butcher counter. Serve with mashed potatoes or
buttered egg noodles.

(1½-pound) brisket roast, fat trimmed to ¼ inch

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

onion, chopped fine
1
ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

1 teaspoon brown sugar

tablespoon all-purpose flour

1
⅛ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced
garlic clove, minced

1
teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ⅛ teaspoon dried
1
⅓

cup dry red wine

2 cups water
⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf
½

teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat brisket
dry with paper towels, then prick fat side of roast all over with fork. Season with
salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place
brisket fat side down in pan and cook until well browned on one side, 3 to 5
minutes. Transfer, fat side up, to 8-inch square baking dish.
3. Add onion, white mushrooms, and sugar to fat left in skillet, cover, and cook
over medium-high heat until mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5
minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until dry and brown fond has formed on
bottom of pan, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Stir in flour, porcini, garlic, and thyme
and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits and
smoothing out any lumps.
4. Gradually whisk in water, chicken broth, and bay leaf and bring to brief boil
over high heat. Pour sauce over roast and cover dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake brisket until tender and fork inserted into meat meets no resistance, about 4
hours. Carefully skim any fat off surface of braising liquid and remove bay leaf.
Let brisket rest in dish, uncovered, for 30 minutes, flipping it halfway through.
5. Transfer roast to carving board. Stir vinegar into sauce, cover, and microwave
until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Slice roast in half crosswise, then slice each half against
grain into ¼-inch-thick slices. Return sliced beef to dish with mushrooms and
sauce to warm through. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
POACHED FISH FILLETS WITH CRISPY ARTICHOKES AND
TOMATO-SHERRY VINAIGRETTE
Poached Fish Fillets With Tomato-Sherry Vinaigrette

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: This restaurant-style dish promises super-

moist, delicately cooked fish fillets poached in flavorful olive oil. To make this
technique work for two, we used a small skillet and flipped the fish halfway
through cooking to minimize the amount of olive oil needed. The oil also pulled
triple duty: We used it to crisp artichokes and garlic for a garnish, poached the
fish in it, and then blended the oil into a creamy vinaigrette for serving. To get
the oil temperature just right, we first fried the garnish, then added more room-
temperature oil to quickly cool the oil. After adding the fish, we moved the
skillet to the even heat of the oven to keep the temperature steady. A final
garnish of cherry tomatoes and parsley brightened up this elegant dish.
If your experience with poached fish is limited to the lean, bland preparation you
might be served at a wedding or a weight-loss spa, a technique popular at high-
end restaurants will permanently change your perception. At its most basic,
poaching entails submerging fish in liquid and gently cooking it at below-
simmer temperatures to render the delicate flesh silky and supple. But instead of
using the usual water or broth, this restaurant technique uses olive oil as the
poaching liquid.
We had to admit: On paper, cooking delicate fish fillets in a pot of fat sounds
like a recipe for a greasy disaster, but when we tasted the results, we were
stunned—the fish was lighter, moister, and more fragrant than any traditionally
poached fish we’d ever tasted, explaining why this technique has become so
popular in top restaurants. Another plus: The flavor-infused poaching oil can be
whirled into a rich, glossy emulsion and drizzled over the fish as a sauce. The
dish, we realized, would make an elegant two-person dinner.
Our first decision was to go with skinless fillets since the oil would never get
hot enough to crisp the skin. We settled on cod for its firm, meaty flesh and clean
flavor. As for the amount of oil, we reasoned that the smaller the surface area of
the cooking vessel, the deeper the liquid would pool, so we reached past our
trusty 12-and 10-inch nonstick skillets for their petite 8-inch sibling.
Unfortunately, this setup demanded over 1½ cups of oil to cover the two 6-ounce
fillets, which seemed like a waste of olive oil for a dinner for two. Clearly, we
needed to find a more creative solution.
That’s when we started to wonder if completely immersing the fillets in oil
was necessary. The alternative—pouring enough oil into the pan to come
roughly halfway up the sides of the fish (about ½ cup)—would mean flipping the
fish partway through poaching to ensure that it cooked through. But that seemed
a small price to pay for significantly cutting our oil dependence. We gave it a
shot, basting the exposed half of each fillet with a few spoonfuls of oil to prevent
evaporation, popping a lid on the pan, and placing the skillet over low heat.
This method gave us fillets that were supremely moist and tender.
Unfortunately, the method was fussy. With relatively little oil in the pan, the
temperature spiked quickly and required that we constantly fiddle with the
burner knob to keep the oil in the right range (140 to 150 degrees) to slowly
bring the fish to an internal temperature of 130 degrees. What we needed was a
steadier, less direct heat source, and for that we turned to the oven.
We figured that we could simply bring the oil to 140 degrees on the stovetop,
slip in the fish, and then transfer the skillet into a low oven. But it wasn’t quite
that easy; the oil temperature immediately plummeted when we added the cold
fillets, and the temperature was slow to recover in the oven. But we had another
idea: We’d heat the oil on the stovetop to well above our target temperature so
that when we added the fillets, it would end up closer to the right temperature.
Then we could rely on the oven’s even heat to keep it in the poaching sweet spot.
After a slew of tests, we hit upon a winning combination: Heat the oil to 180
degrees, nestle in the seasoned fillets, and set the pan in a 250-degree oven. The
oil temperature recovered within 15 minutes, by which point the lower half of
the fish was cooked. We removed the fish from the oven, flipped the fillets,
replaced the lid, and popped the skillet back into the oven. This batch emerged
incredibly moist and velvety, and, thanks to the oven method, the process was
now largely hands-off. What we had was good—but we wanted to make it even
better.
Restaurants often garnish their oil-poached fillets with lightly fried vegetables
and fresh herbs, and we reasoned that we could do the same by crisping a
topping in the oil before cooking the fish. Artichoke hearts have always been a
favorite of ours, so we defrosted a couple of ounces, patted them dry, and halved
them lengthwise before tossing them with cornstarch (for extra crispness) and
dropping them into the shimmering oil with some minced garlic.
Tasters loved the crisp garnish, but after cranking up the heat to fry them, we
had to wait more than 10 minutes for the oil to cool to our target of 180 degrees.
The solution proved easy: Rather than dump in all the oil at once, we fried the
garnishes in ¼ cup of oil, strained it, and added the remaining ¼ cup of room-
temperature oil to the pan to speed the cooling. This tweak made all the
difference; about 3 minutes after frying, the oil was cool enough for poaching.
Frying up a garnish had also left us with an added bonus: flavor-infused oil to
use in our sauce. We poured some into the blender and whirled it with whole
cherry tomatoes (for bright sweetness), sherry vinegar, and salt and pepper. After
a quick spin on high speed and a pass through a fine-mesh strainer, we had a
silky-smooth, flavorful vinaigrette.
Dressed up with the sauce, the crispy artichoke garnish, a few slices of fresh
cherry tomato, and a fistful of minced parsley, our elegant meal was complete—
not to mention plenty simple to pull off at home.
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Artichokes and Tomato-Sherry
Vinaigrette
SERVES 2

Fillets of meaty white fish like cod, halibut, sea bass, or snapper work best in
this recipe. Just make sure the fillets are at least 1 inch thick. A neutral oil such
as canola can be substituted for the pure olive oil. Serve with couscous or
steamed white rice. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

FISH
(6-ounce) skinless white fish fillets, 1 inch thick
2

Kosher salt
ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, patted dry, and sliced in half lengthwise
2

2 teaspoons cornstarch
½

cup olive oil

garlic cloves, minced
2

VINAIGRETTE
3 ounces cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and pepper

ounce cherry tomatoes, cut into ⅛-inch-thick rounds

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

1. FOR THE FISH: Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions
and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat fish dry with paper towels and season each
fillet with ¼ teaspoon salt. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toss artichokes with cornstarch in bowl to coat. Heat ¼ cup oil in
8-inch nonstick ovensafe skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Shake
excess cornstarch from artichokes and add to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally,
until crisp and golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook until
garlic is golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Strain oil through fine-mesh strainer into
bowl. Transfer artichokes and garlic to paper towel–lined ovenproof plate and
season with salt. Do not wash strainer.
3. Return strained oil to skillet and add remaining ¼ cup oil. Let oil cool until it
registers about 180 degrees, about 3 minutes. Place fish fillets, skinned side up,
in skillet (oil should come roughly halfway up sides of fillets). Spoon some oil
over each fillet, cover skillet, transfer to middle oven rack, and cook for 15
minutes.
4. Remove skillet from oven. Using 2 spatulas, carefully flip fillets. Cover
skillet, return to middle rack, and place plate with artichokes and garlic on
lower-middle rack. Continue to cook fish until it registers 130 to 135 degrees, 9
to 14 minutes longer. Gently transfer fish to serving platter, reserving ⅓ cup
cooking oil, and tent fish loosely with aluminum foil. Turn off oven, leaving
plate of artichokes in oven.
5. FOR THE VINAIGRETTE: Process cherry tomatoes, vinegar, ¼ teaspoon
salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper with reserved ⅓ cup fish cooking oil in blender until
smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add any accumulated fish juices from platter, season
with salt to taste, and blend for 10 seconds. Strain sauce through fine-mesh
strainer, discarding solids.
6. To serve, pour vinaigrette around fish. Garnish each fillet with warmed
crisped artichokes and garlic, tomato rounds, and parsley. Serve immediately.
 VARIATIONS
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Scallions and Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette
For fish, substitute 6 scallion whites, sliced ¼ inch thick, for artichoke hearts; omit garlic; and reduce
amount of cornstarch to 1 teaspoon. For vinaigrette, omit tomatoes, sherry vinegar, and parsley. Process 4
scallion greens, 4 teaspoons lime juice, 1½ tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoon white miso paste, 1½ teaspoons
minced fresh ginger, and ¼ teaspoon sugar with reserved ⅓ cup fish cooking oil in blender as directed in
step 5. Garnish fish with 2 thinly sliced scallion greens and 1 halved and thinly sliced radish.
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Jalapeños and Spicy Vinaigrette
For fish, substitute 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ⅛-inch-thick rings, for artichoke hearts;
reduce amount of cornstarch to 1 teaspoon. For vinaigrette, omit tomatoes, sherry vinegar, and parsley.
Process 3 stemmed, halved, and seeded jalapeños, 4 sprigs fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and ½
teaspoon salt with reserved ⅓ cup fish cooking oil in blender as directed in step 5. Garnish fish with 1
tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

WHY POACH IN OIL?

Poaching in oil allows fish to retain more of its juices than poaching in wine or broth, leading to remarkably
moist, velvety results. This is because cooking in oil is inherently more gentle than cooking in water. And
while you might expect that fish poached in fat would be greasy, it actually absorbs very little oil. Why? In
order for oil to penetrate the fish, moisture must exit first. But because oil and water repel each other, it’s
very difficult for moisture inside the fish to readily enter the oil. Hence, more of the juices stay in the fish.
In fact, in our tests, oil-poached fish lost just 14 percent of its weight during cooking, while water-poached
fillets lost 24 percent.
BAKED FISH WITH CRISP BREAD CRUMBS
Baked Fish With Crisp Bread Crumbs

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Baked fish sounds like a great option for
two: healthy and easy to prepare, with a crunchy, buttery crumb topping to
complement the moist fish. To ensure that this easy weeknight meal lived up to
its potential, we gently baked the fish in a low oven so there would be no chance
of it overcooking. Elevating it on a wire rack allowed the air to circulate around
it for even cooking and a crisp crust. To avoid bland bread crumbs, we sautéed
them in butter with garlic, shallot, and thyme until golden brown. To keep the
crumbs from falling off the fish, we used mayonnaise (flavored with lemon zest
and pepper) to adhere them securely.
Baked fish has many virtues: It’s healthy, quick-cooking, and easy to prepare for
two. Add a crunchy, flavorful crumb topping and there’s a lot to like. In the real
world, though, baked fish is often dry and overcooked yet sitting in a pool of
liquid. We’ve also eaten more than our share of soggy, boring crumb toppings—
assuming they haven’t fallen off the fillet. Surely moist, flavorful fish with a
crisp crown of crumbs is a reasonable goal.
We know that as fish cooks, its proteins denature and its natural juices are
squeezed out, which explains why overcooked fish is dry yet sits in a puddle of
its own juices. Most recipes use relatively hot ovens (375 to 450 degrees) to
evaporate excess juices, but when the window for perfect doneness is small, as it
is for fish fillets, isn’t this asking for trouble? Our strategy was to slow down the
cooking so we could easily get the fish out of the oven before it overcooked. As
extra insurance, we’d use fillets at least 1 inch thick, which are less likely to
overcook. Finally, we wanted a recipe that would work with a variety of white
fish, so we could cook this dish no matter which fish was fresh at the market.
With these goals in mind, we jumped in.
We put our naked fish fillets in a baking dish, set it in a 300-degree oven, and
waited, thermometer at the ready. We checked the temperature of the fillets at 5-
minute intervals until they reached the optimum temperature (135 degrees). The
fish wasn’t bad, but it was slightly tough and soggy on the underside. A fellow
test cook suggested elevating the fish on a wire rack, which would allow gentle
heat to circulate all around the fillets and keep the fish from sitting in its juices.
So we switched from a baking dish to a rack (greased so the fish wouldn’t stick)
set in a rimmed baking sheet. After about 35 minutes, the fish was perfectly
cooked.
We moved on to the crumbs. We often waffle back and forth between using
freshly prepared bread crumbs and store-bought Japanese panko crumbs for
encrusting poultry and fish. Depending on the cooking method, one of these
usually works better than the other. For this dish, we had a hunch that the crunch
of the panko would be a boon to our fish, but we decided to test both options to
be sure. As expected, the fresh bread crumbs, even when pretoasted, turned
soggy in the oven. The super-crunchy panko, on the other hand, remained crisp
all the way from the oven to the serving plate. Panko it would be.
To get the crumbs to stick, we tested a variety of options. First, we tried our
standard breading procedure: We coated the fish in flour, then an egg wash, and
then finally the panko. While this method works fine for foods like fried pork
chops, it was a disaster for our baked fish. The entire coating turned to mush and
slid off the fish before it could even begin to cook. We’d need to get more
creative.
We racked our brains for alternative panko “glue,” testing everything from
egg white to a cornstarch slurry. None were successful, and we were thinking of
changing course entirely when a taster suggested mayonnaise. Sure, the
sandwich spread may seem out of place on baked fish, but it worked like a
dream, enriching the lean fish while keeping the panko firmly in place. A little
pepper and lemon zest mixed in with the mayonnaise rounded out the flavors.
But now that our mayonnaise mixture was taking center stage, tasters thought
the panko, while still crunchy, was pale and bland. The oven temperature was
simply too low to brown the crumbs in the 35 minutes it took to cook the fish.
Obviously, we’d have to brown the panko before baking the fish. For the next
test, we sautéed the panko in melted butter (fortified with garlic, thyme, salt, and
shallot) until it was deep golden. We let it cool and then “glued” it onto the fillets
with the seasoned mayonnaise. Now the crumbs not only stayed put but also
tasted delicious. Flavorful, satisfying, and simple—this baked fish just earned a
place in our weekly repertoire.
Baked Fish with Crisp Bread Crumbs
SERVES 2

Haddock or halibut fillets are good alternatives to cod. See the sidebar that
follows the recipe.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

small shallot, minced

Salt and pepper
small garlic clove, minced
1
¾ teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
½

cup panko bread crumbs

1½

tablespoons minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
¼

teaspoon grated lemon zest

(6-ounce) skinless cod fillets, 1 to 1½ inches thick
2
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Set wire
rack inside rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray. Melt butter
in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook
until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant,
about 30 seconds. Add panko and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring
constantly, until evenly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in
parsley. Transfer panko mixture to shallow dish and let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Whisk mayonnaise, lemon zest, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Pat
fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Coat tops of fillets
evenly with mayonnaise mixture. Working with 1 fillet at a time, dredge coated
side in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere, and place fish crumb side up on
prepared wire rack. Bake until centers are just opaque and fish registers 135
degrees, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

AVOIDING THE PITFALLS OF BAKED FISH

Baked fish is often plagued by problems, coming out of the oven overcooked yet soggy on the bottom, with
its crumb coating falling off in chunks and little flavor to speak of. By cooking the fish on a wire rack rather
than a hot baking sheet, we prevent it from overcooking and keep it from stewing in its own juices. To
“glue” the crumbs onto the fish, we use mayonnaise enriched with lemon zest and pepper. And for bold
flavor, we season the crumbs with butter, garlic, shallot, and thyme and brush the fish with the enriched
mayonnaise mixture.
Maryland Crab Cakes

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: When it comes to crab cakes, Maryland is

king. We wanted Maryland-style crab cakes for two. We kept the ingredients
simple—just a little hot sauce, scallion, and Old Bay seasoning gave us plenty of
flavor without overwhelming the crab. We liked the flavor of saltines for our
binder, but our crab cakes fell apart in the pan. Patting the crabmeat dry with
paper towels and broiling, rather than pan-frying, the cakes were easy fixes.
Pasteurized crabmeat from the supermarket was easier and more readily
available than fresh crab, but we thought that it was lacking a little succulence.
Adding a tablespoon of butter to the cakes gave them plenty of richness, and
greasing the baking sheet with butter helped the bottoms of the cakes crisp to a
perfect golden brown.
Citizens of Maryland hold this truth to be self-evident: The best crab cakes are
all about the crab. That’s why Marylanders typically serve their famous crab
cakes with nothing but a squeeze of lemon. Not to be crabby, but that’s easy for
them: Fresh and fabulous crabmeat at a reasonable price is as common in
Maryland as ants at a picnic. Where does that leave the rest of us? Refusing to be
discouraged, we took as our model one of Maryland’s best-loved versions: the
jumbo-size, award-winning crab cakes from J. W. Faidley Seafood, made with
meat handpicked from blue crabs, bound with minimal mayonnaise and crushed
saltines, and seasoned with Dijon mustard. This simple style seemed especially
suitable for two, as we didn’t want any extra ingredients weighing down our
cakes or taking up space in our fridge. The bar was high, but our goal was to
make something really meaty, succulent, and sweet.
Nine recipes and a day of picking, chopping, binding, shaping, and frying
later, we pecked at pasty crab cakes full of cracker crumbs and greasy cakes
containing an entire stick of butter. We despaired over crab cakes overpowered
by Old Bay seasoning, mustard, and raw onion or tasting of nothing but
lackluster crab and mayonnaise. Crab cakes that dialed back on binder to bring
the crab flavor to the fore had problems of their own. They were so soggy they
were hard to form, and even the ones we could get to hold together at first fell
apart in the skillet.
Clearly we had to start from scratch. We put together a working recipe using 8
ounces of lump crabmeat, a whole egg, ¼ cup of saltines, 2 tablespoons of
mayonnaise, and a dollop of Dijon mustard. As we were picking over the
crabmeat to make a batch, we happened to notice how much liquid was pooling
in the mixing bowl. Not a single recipe had suggested we begin by pressing the
crabmeat dry. Obviously, we’d need less binder if the crab was drier from the
start. Step 1 of our recipe would be drying the crabmeat with paper towels.
Next we gradually cut back on the cracker crumbs until we landed at 2
tablespoons. But while we liked the flavor of these lightly bound cakes, they just
weren’t sturdy enough to withstand pan frying in oil. We tried substituting both
fresh and toasted bread crumbs in place of the saltines, but neither of these
absorbed more moisture or tasted better than the saltines, so we stuck with the
crackers. Next, we lost the egg white—and gained a slightly firmer crab cake.
Unfortunately, the cakes still weren’t holding together in the pan.
We tried exploring other more creative binders like pureed crabmeat and
reduced cream, but they all added undesirable flavors or textures. Quickly
running out of ideas, we looked back at some of our initial recipe research and
realized that Marylanders often broil crab cakes. Perhaps this would be an easy
solution. We mounded two cakes on a greased baking sheet and broiled them just
long enough for them to warm and brown (about 15 minutes). Since we no
longer had to flip the cakes, they held together just fine. We had even better
results when we chilled the cakes for at least an hour to firm them up before
broiling.
Satisfied with our cooking method, we turned our attention to the flavor. Most
supermarket crabmeat has been pressure-steamed, canned in brine, and
pasteurized. This process prolongs shelf life but diminishes flavor. To
compensate for the crabmeat’s shortcomings, we gently mixed in hot sauce,
minced scallions, and just a pinch of Old Bay. Since we weren’t planning on
serving tartar sauce, we wondered if a richer crab cake was in order. Butter and
shellfish are a time-tested pairing. Although we didn’t want to replicate the
earlier recipe we’d rejected that used a veritable bucket of melted butter, we
wondered if a more modest amount would add richness. We found that replacing
just 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise in the recipe with the same amount of melted
butter added tremendous flavor. We also greased the baking sheet with butter
instead of the nonstick spray we’d been using.
One nagging concern remained: The undersides of the crab cakes, which were
exposed to less heat under the broiler, were soggy. For our final test, we dunked
one side of each crab cake in extra saltine crumbs before refrigerating. Later, as
the crab cakes broiled, the bottoms lightly fried in the butter, crisping, browning,
and providing the perfect base for our crab cakes for two.
Maryland Crab Cakes
SERVES 2

Jumbo lump crabmeat is available at the fish counter of most grocery stores. If
you can’t find it, you can use pasteurized lump crabmeat. See the sidebar that
follows the recipe.

7 saltine crackers
ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for shells

8
scallions, minced

2
tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon softened

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 egg yolk
1½

teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon hot sauce

½

teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

 Lemon wedges, for serving
1. Process crackers in food processor until finely ground, about 25 seconds. Dry
crabmeat well with paper towels. Using rubber spatula, gently combine
crabmeat, 2 tablespoons cracker crumbs, scallions, melted butter, mayonnaise,
egg yolk, mustard, hot sauce, and Old Bay in large bowl.
2. Divide mixture into 2 equal portions and shape into tight, mounded cakes.
Press 1 side of each cake in remaining crumbs. Transfer cakes crumb side down
to large plate and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
3. Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Grease 8 by
4-inch rectangle in center of rimmed baking sheet with softened butter. Transfer
crab cakes to greased portion of prepared baking sheet, crumb side down. Broil
until crab cakes are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

HOLDING IT ALL TOGETHER

Here’s how we got our Maryland Crab Cakes to hold together without too much binder.

1. To cut down on amount of saltines needed to bind cakes, thoroughly dry crabmeat with paper towels
before mixing.
2. Place shaped crab cakes on plate and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 8 hours) before broiling to
firm up.

3. Transfer chilled cakes to butter-lined baking sheet and broil until golden brown–no tricky flipping
required.
CHAPTER 2: ONE-DISH SUPPERS

Skillet Chicken Fajitas

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel and Parsnips

Chicken and Rice

Chicken and Rice with Five-Spice and Scallions
Chicken and Rice with Smoked Paprika and Cilantro

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Skillet Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Feta

Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits

U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup

Crispy Sesame Pork Cutlets with Wilted Napa Cabbage Salad

Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce

Strip Steaks with Potato-Artichoke Ragout

Catalan-Style Beef Stew with Mushrooms

Five-Alarm Chili

Moroccan Fish and Couscous Packets

Chili-Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy

Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash

SKILLET CHICKEN FAJITAS
Skillet Chicken Fajitas

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Fajitas are a convenient meal to make for
two, but often the fillings fall flat. We wanted full-of-flavor chicken fajitas with
classic peppers and onions. We used a combination brine and marinade to flavor
and season easy chicken breasts, seared them until lightly charred on just one
side, and finished them in the oven to keep the meat juicy. We charred fruity
poblano peppers under the broiler, then sautéed onions with heavy cream to re-
create Mexican rajas con crema. Simple garnishes of cilantro and lime juice let
the flavorful meat and vegetables take center stage.
Fajitas originated as a grilled cowboy steak dinner in the 1930s, but these days
the one-dish Tex-Mex specialty is made with everything from steak to shrimp to
chicken. Fajitas are often viewed as an easy meal—throw your meat, vegetables,
and a little seasoning into a skillet; fry everything up; and serve it all in a warm
tortilla. This method is easy enough for two and makes a fine dinner, but it’s
nothing to get excited about. The meat is often lackluster, and it’s usually buried
under flavor-dulling gobs of sour cream and shredded cheese. We wanted to
reinvigorate fajitas, using convenient boneless, skinless chicken breasts and
cooking them indoors for year-round appeal. Our lighter, contemporary twist
would abandon the stodgy Tex-Mex garnishes and put the spotlight where it
belongs: on the chicken, peppers, and onions.
We decided on boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they require little
prep work, slice easily into tortilla-friendly strips after cooking, and, best of all,
are easily portioned for two. The only downside is that chicken breasts are also
lean and somewhat bland. To make up for these shortcomings, our first
inclination was to flavor the chicken with a “brinerade”—a concentrated liquid
with the salt content of a brine plus the acid and seasonings of a marinade. The
salt seasons the meat and helps keep it moist during cooking, while the herbs,
spices, and acid lend the surface of the meat robust flavor.
We gave it a try, mixing up a punchy concoction of salt, lime juice, garlic,
cumin, and cayenne pepper—some of the classic flavors of Mexican cuisine. We
also added oil to help the fat-soluble flavor compounds in the garlic and cumin
penetrate the meat. We pounded the breasts to a ½-inch thickness so they would
cook evenly and fit tidily into tortillas, then transferred them to the brinerade.
After 30 minutes, we removed the chicken, wiped off the excess brinerade, and
seared the breasts in a hot skillet. The chicken was well seasoned and had good
flavor from the brinerade. Unfortunately, by the time the meat was adequately
charred, it was also dry as a bone.
We wanted chicken that was well browned, even charred in spots, as though it
had come off the grill. We needed a way to get the chicken to brown faster.
Would sugar do the trick? In a word, yes. Just ½ teaspoon of sugar added to our
brinerade helped the chicken to char rapidly without contributing a noticeable
sweetness. To further imitate the smoky heat of the grill, we stirred heady
smoked paprika into the brinerade. Cooking the chicken in a nonstick skillet kept
the char on the chicken instead of on the pan.
We now had some seriously flavorful chicken, but in spite of the brinerade it
was difficult to keep it moist in the blazing-hot skillet. What if we compromised
by searing just one side of the chicken over high heat and finishing the other side
over low heat?
Sure enough, the chicken that we’d charred on only one side was indeed
juicier. We had to wonder, though: If the low heat of a stove was good, would
the indirect heat of the oven be even better? To find out, we seared a batch on
one side over high heat, then flipped the breasts and transferred the skillet to a
200-degree oven for 10 minutes. After letting it rest, we sliced up the chicken,
then tossed it back into the skillet to soak up the flavorful pan juices. Tasters
agreed that this was the moistest chicken yet. Next up: veggies.
The ubiquitous peppers and onions of fajitas have a firm footing in Mexican
cuisine, where they are known as rajas, or strips. While most rajas we eat
stateside seem like an afterthought, they frequently take center stage in Mexico.
In fact, rajas con crema—strips of roasted pepper and onion cooked down with
tangy Mexican cultured cream—are often served alone in a tortilla. Providing a
rich counterpoint to the lean chicken, rajas con crema seemed an ideal way to
breathe new life into our fajitas.
We threw a final batch of chicken into its brinerade and then followed a
promising-looking rajas recipe. The recipe called for poblano chiles, which have
a fruitier, more complex flavor than the bell peppers usually found in Tex-Mex
versions. We first broiled the chiles to blister the skins. After the broiled chiles
had steamed in a covered bowl for about 10 minutes, most of the skins slipped
right off (though we did leave some charred bits behind for flavor). We sliced the
chiles and sautéed them along with onion strips. Mexican crema is hard to find,
but we thought tangy sour cream would make a good substitute. But when we
stirred the sour cream into the skillet, things started to fall apart—literally. First,
the sour cream curdled as it made contact with the hot pan. Then, as we
stubbornly persevered, the roasted poblanos overcooked into green mush.
Our first move was to swap heavy cream for the sour cream. Sour cream’s
high level of acidity and relatively low fat content make it a prime candidate for
curdling, whereas fattier heavy cream is remarkably stable. To make up for the
cream’s lack of tang, we added a splash of lime juice toward the end of cooking.
And to preserve the perfectly roasted poblanos, we added them at the last minute
to rewarm with the onions and cream. Final touches of garlic and oregano tied
everything together. These revamped rajas were tender-crisp yet luscious and
flavorful. The best part? Since we already had the oven on to finish the chicken,
we could cook the rajas in our nonstick skillet, transfer them to a serving bowl,
and keep them warm in the oven while we reused the skillet to cook the chicken.
We proudly laid out the modern fajita feast with charred flour tortillas and just
crumbled queso fresco, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges for garnishing. These
skillet fajitas offer all of the easy-to-love flavor of their grilled forebears—no
shredded cheddar or salsa required.
Skillet Chicken Fajitas
SERVES 2

We like to serve these fajitas with crumbled queso fresco or feta in addition to
the cilantro and lime. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

3½

tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

garlic cloves (3 smashed, 1 minced)
4

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½

teaspoon sugar
½

teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper
¼

teaspoon cayenne pepper

(6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to even ½-inch
thickness
2
ounces poblano chiles, stemmed, halved, and seeded
8
small onion, halved and sliced through root end into ¼-inch-thick pieces

1
¼

teaspoon dried oregano

¼

cup heavy cream

(6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed

6

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Lime wedges
1. Whisk 1½ tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, smashed garlic, paprika,
sugar, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne together in bowl.
Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at
least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to highest position and heat broiler. Arrange
poblanos, skin side up, on aluminum foil–lined baking sheet and press to flatten.
Broil until skin is charred and puffed, about 5 minutes, rotating baking sheet
halfway through cooking. Transfer poblanos to bowl, cover, and let steam for 10
minutes. Rub skin from poblanos and discard majority (preserve some skin for
flavor); slice into ¼-inch-thick strips. Adjust oven racks to middle and lowest
positions and reduce heat to 200 degrees.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over high heat until
just smoking. Add onion and cook until charred and just softened, about 3
minutes. Add minced garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 15
seconds. Add cream and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced and cream
lightly coats onion, about 1 minute. Add poblano strips, remaining 1 tablespoon
lime juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and toss to coat. Transfer
vegetables to bowl, cover, and place on middle oven rack. Wipe out skillet with
paper towels.
4. Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off excess marinade. Heat
remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until just
smoking. Add chicken and cook without moving until bottom side is well
charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip chicken; transfer skillet to lower oven rack. Bake
until chicken registers 160 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting
board and let rest for 5 minutes; do not wash out skillet.
5. Slice chicken crosswise into ¼-inch-thick strips. Return chicken strips to
skillet and toss to coat with pan juices. To serve, spoon slices of chicken into
center of warmed tortilla and top with spoonful of vegetable mixture and
cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST FLOUR TORTILLAS

Tortillas are big business in the United States, second only to white sandwich bread in bread sales. We
gathered four national brands of the 6-inch size to taste plain and with Skillet Chicken Fajitas. The thinner
the tortilla, the more we liked it. The top-ranking brand was “delicate enough to let the flavor of the filling
shine through.” Also important: flaky texture. Our favorite tortilla earned accolades for featuring three
distinct layers. And as is often the case, fat and salt were key: Our winner contains almost three times as
much fat as our loser and nearly double the salt. The winning Old El Paso 6-Inch Flour Tortillas also
boast mild, wheaty flavor. The brand’s 8-inch “burrito-style” tortillas use the same recipe, so whatever our
tortilla needs may be, Old El Paso has us covered.
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts With Root Vegetables

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For the ultimate easy roast chicken and
vegetable dinner, we used bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for roasted chicken
flavor in less time. We tossed red potatoes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts with
garlic and thyme and brushed the chicken with melted thyme butter. We spread
the vegetables on a sheet pan and topped them with the chicken breasts so that
they basted in the chicken’s drippings as it roasted. A hot 475-degree oven gave
us crisp, well-browned chicken skin by the time the breast meat was cooked to
perfection.
Roast chicken and vegetables holds the promise of a satisfying, uncomplicated
supper for two that’s so easy you hardly need a recipe. But if you casually scatter
a few potatoes, onions, and carrots around a couple of chicken pieces, the
vegetables are usually still hard and crunchy by the time the chicken is done. We
wanted chicken and vegetables that could go into the oven at the same time and
still be perfectly cooked—without a lot of fuss.
Most of the recipes we found used whole birds and included steps like
flipping the chicken and pouring off the fat partway through cooking. We wanted
this dish to be quick and simple, so we decided to roast bone-in, skin-on chicken
breasts. The bone and skin would give us the rich flavor of a whole roasted
chicken and help keep the lean breast meat moist during roasting. To accompany
our chicken, we’d need sturdy vegetables that could absorb the flavorful juices
without falling apart when roasted. We settled on skin-on red potatoes, carrots,
and Brussels sprouts. We also added halved shallots and whole garlic cloves,
both of which would soften and mellow in the oven, as well as fresh thyme for
herbaceous bite.
We cut the vegetables into rustic chunks; tossed them with salt, pepper,
rosemary, thyme, and oil; laid them out on a sheet pan; and placed the chicken
pieces on top, skin side up, so the fat could render and baste both the meat and
the vegetables. Since we pictured this as a weeknight dinner, we knew we’d
want it to be fast, so we set the pan in a hot 475-degree oven. When the chicken
was finished cooking, we pulled the pan out of the oven and let the chicken rest
before taking a taste.
The results of this first test were mixed. First the vegetables: They were plenty
flavorful thanks to the drippings from the chicken, but they were charred around
the edges and still hard in the center. The Brussels sprouts, especially, were
problematic: They were simultaneously undercooked and dried out. We knew
from previous test kitchen recipes that Brussels sprouts benefit from a
combination of steaming and roasting. Could we arrange the vegetables in such a
way as to give the sprouts a little extra steam? For our next test, we prepared the
vegetables as before but arranged them with the sprouts in the center and the
potatoes and carrots spread out around them. The strategy worked for the
Brussels, but now we had a similar problem with the vegetables around the
edges of the pan.
Since we weren’t cooking enough vegetables to fill up the entire sheet pan,
too much extra heat was getting to the thinly spread spuds and carrots. So
instead of spreading the vegetables out across the pan, we crowded them
together, leaving about a 2-inch border between the vegetables and the sides of
the pan. This time, everything emerged from the oven tender, with no dried
edges in sight. The only remaining problem? Our well-clustered vegetables were
now lacking in color. A sprinkling of sugar helped, but it gave us only occasional
light brown spots. We got the best results when we returned the vegetables to the
oven for a few minutes while the chicken rested. Now the vegetables were
perfectly cooked, tender, and browned.
As for the chicken, it was cooking through so quickly in the hot oven that the
skin didn’t have enough time to get crisp and well browned. To get the skin to
brown faster, we raised the oven rack to get the pan into the hottest part of the
oven (because heat rises). Brushing the raw chicken pieces with melted butter
helped the skin crisp more thoroughly and added more savory flavor. As we
were testing another batch of chicken, we spied the chopped thyme on the
cutting board waiting to get tossed with the vegetables, and we got the idea to
mix some of it into the butter for extra flavor. Just 35 minutes later, the chicken
skin was golden brown and fragrant with herbs, and the meat was cooked to
perfection.
After several weeks of testing, we’d created a deliciously satisfying one-pan
meal. In fact, we liked it so well, we developed an easy variation with fennel and
parsnips to add even more variety to our chicken repertoire. Now we could get
protein, starch, and vegetable on the dinner table in one easy recipe—with few
dishes to clean later.
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables
SERVES 2

Use Brussels sprouts no bigger than golf balls, as larger ones are often tough and
woody. Be sure to use a light-colored baking sheet; nonstick or other dark pans
will cause the vegetables to burn. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large

6
ounces red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

6
carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths, thick ends halved lengthwise

2
shallots, peeled and halved

4
garlic cloves, peeled

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

½

teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper
 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1
(12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed

2
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Toss
Brussels sprouts, potatoes, carrots, shallots, garlic, oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, sugar,
¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in medium bowl. Combine
melted butter, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper in
small bowl; set aside.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place
vegetables in single layer on rimmed baking sheet, arranging Brussels sprouts in
center and leaving 2-inch border between vegetables and sides of baking sheet.
Place chicken, skin side up, on top of Brussels sprouts.
3. Brush chicken with herb butter and roast until chicken registers 160 degrees,
about 35 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to
serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
If necessary, return vegetables to oven until well browned and tender, 5 to 10
minutes. Toss vegetables with pan juices and transfer to platter with chicken.
Serve.
VARIATION

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel and Parsnips

Substitute ½ fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and sliced into ½-inch wedges, for Brussels
sprouts, and 4 ounces parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, thick ends halved lengthwise, for carrots.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST RIMMED BAKING SHEET

Here in the test kitchen, we use rimmed baking sheets quite often. We’re not talking about your
grandmother’s jelly roll pan, though, a flimsy 15 by 10-inch flat pan with 1-inch-high edges. When our
recipes ask for a “rimmed baking sheet,” we’re referring to what chefs call a half sheet pan. Our favorite,
the Wear-Ever Half Size Heavy Duty Sheet Pan by Vollrath, $21.79, is a roomy 17¾ by 127/8 inches
and can comfortably accommodate a cooling rack. Because it’s made of heavy-duty (13-gauge) aluminum
alloy, it can handle high heat with scant chance of warping. We use it to bake cookies, roast potatoes, and
for one-pan meals like our Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables. With a cooling rack set
inside, it’s twice as handy–keeping fried foods warm but not soggy, elevating broiled meats so they won’t
steam, and keeping our kitchen clean when we’re glazing cookies.
CHICKEN AND RICE
Chicken and Rice

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For the ultimate easy weeknight dinner, we
wanted to get classic chicken and rice perfectly cooked in one pot. We chose
bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for rich flavor and seared them to get nicely
browned skin. For aromatics, we sautéed onion, garlic, and a little fresh thyme.
To get perfectly al dente rice without overcooking the chicken, we microwaved
the rice to parcook it, then added it to the pot with the chicken to cook through
gently in the even heat of the oven. A sprinkling of parsley finished the dish with
bright freshness.
When it comes to simple, satisfying meals, few dishes surpass chicken and rice.
Almost every culture has a version, from Indian biryani to Latin American arroz
con pollo. As long as the chicken is moist and the rice is well cooked, it’s usually
a winner. But achieving that is harder than it sounds, and many versions yield
dry poultry, mushy rice, and scant flavor. We wanted a foolproof recipe for two
that would get chicken and rice on the table with minimum fuss and maximum
flavor.
Our ingredient list would be straightforward, so we’d have to choose wisely.
We opted for dark meat to get rich flavor throughout the dish; four bone-in, skin-
on thighs fed two nicely. Long-grain white rice is the traditional choice—not to
mention a pantry staple for most folks—so it would stay. After a few tests of our
basic working recipe, we settled on some classic flavorings: onion, garlic,
thyme, and white wine. Now for the cooking.
To start, we seared the chicken in a skillet and set it aside. We then sautéed
onion and garlic in the rendered fat and added rice, a splash of wine, and chicken
broth—a more flavorful cooking liquid than water. We returned the browned
chicken to the skillet, covered it, and let everything simmer. Though clear-cut
and easy, this method didn’t work all that well. By the time the rice was tender,
the chicken was dry and overcooked. As we saw it, we could either speed up the
rice or slow down the chicken. We decided we’d parcook the rice.
First, we tried boiling it in a lot of water for a few minutes, as though we were
making pasta. We then drained the rice, added it to the skillet, and proceeded
with the recipe. Unfortunately, if we boiled the rice a moment too long, it turned
mushy and waterlogged, and if we failed to boil it long enough, we had crunchy
rice. In both cases, it was difficult to gauge exactly how much liquid we needed
to finish cooking the parboiled rice. In the past, we’ve sometimes used the
microwave to cook rice faster. We microwaved the rice with some of the broth
and added this parcooked rice, plus the remaining broth, to the skillet with the
chicken. Once the chicken was cooked through, the rice was mostly fluffy and
tender.
But some of the rice was crunchy and dry. To further even out the cooking, we
moved the skillet to the oven to finish cooking the rice in the oven’s more even
heat. Nonetheless, the dish was still ruined by the occasional crunch of rice. We
realized that the skillet lid was letting some steam escape, drying out the top
layer of rice. The skillet’s wide surface area also meant that more rice was
exposed to these drying conditions. Why not switch to a saucepan? We gave it a
try, browning the chicken and sautéing the onion in a saucepan, then adding the
broth, parcooked rice, and chicken and moving the saucepan to the oven to
finish. We also let the rice sit, covered, to steam gently while the chicken rested.
The problem disappeared—and when we called over the tasters, so did dinner.
While we loved the simplicity of this homey dish, we wanted to spice things
up with a couple of variations. First, we added Chinese five-spice powder for
multilayered flavor and sliced scallions for bite and freshness. For our second
variation, we used complex smoked paprika and herbaceous cilantro for a warm,
bright version.
Chicken and Rice
SERVES 2

Lundberg Organic Long-Grain White Rice is the test kitchen’s winning brand.
See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

½ cup long-grain white rice

Salt and pepper
(5-to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
4

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

small onion, chopped fine

1
garlic cloves, minced

2
¾

teaspoon minced fresh thyme

¼

cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine ¾ cup broth, rice, and ¼ teaspoon salt in medium bowl and
microwave, covered, until liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and
pepper. Heat oil in medium ovensafe saucepan over medium-high heat until just
smoking. Cook chicken until browned all over, about 10 minutes; transfer to
plate.
3.Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from saucepan, add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt,
and cook over medium-low heat until softened and lightly browned, about 5
minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add
remaining ½ cup broth and wine, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in
parcooked rice, breaking up any large clumps, and bring to simmer. Place
chicken skin side up on rice, cover, and bake until rice is cooked through and
chicken registers 175 degrees, about 25 minutes.
4. Remove saucepan from oven, transfer chicken to platter, and tent loosely with
aluminum foil. Fluff rice with fork, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir parsley
into rice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve rice with chicken.
VARIATIONS

Chicken and Rice with Five-Spice and Scallions

Substitute ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder for thyme and 2 thinly sliced scallions for parsley.
Chicken and Rice with Smoked Paprika and Cilantro
Substitute ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika for thyme and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro for parsley.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST LONG-GRAIN RICE

White rice is neutral in flavor, providing the ideal backdrop for other foods. Nonetheless, higher-quality
white rice–like good white pasta, or a real French baguette–offers pleasingly chewy “al dente” texture and a
slightly buttery natural flavor of its own. In search of the most flavorful and best-textured long-grain white
rice, we tasted six brands, plain (steamed in our favorite rice cooker) and in pilaf.
Some brands of rice had rich flavor, tasting nutty and buttery or fragrant and floral, but others tasted
bland and boring or had off-flavors. The buttery notes are caused by a naturally occurring flavor compound,
2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, and higher levels lend an almost popcornlike taste. While most of this subtle variation
comes from the varietal of rice that was planted, processing also affects flavor. All rice starts out brown; to
become white, it is milled, a process that removes the husk, bran, and germ, which contain flavor
compounds as well as nutrients. The longer the rice is milled, the whiter it becomes–and the more flavor is
removed. (Many brands of rice are then enriched to replace lost nutrients.)
Our favorite rice is Lundberg Organic Long-Grain White Rice, which has subtle “buttery and toasty”
notes reminding us of “nuts” or “barley.” Tasters enjoyed this brand’s “smooth and distinct” grains, which
offer “a little chew without being chewy.”
Chicken and Chorizo Paella

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Paella is a fragrant Spanish rice dish

usually loaded with meat, seafood, and vegetables. While delicious, it’s rarely
worth the hassle, especially when cooking for two. We wanted to translate this
classic into a streamlined weeknight version with all the flavor of the original. A
combination of chorizo sausage and chicken breasts was hearty enough that we
could forgo the seafood altogether. A rich sofrito of onion, garlic, and tomato
gave our dish a deep flavor, and bright peas and briny olives added color and
dimension. Just a pinch of pricey saffron was enough to give our paella authentic
Spanish flavor.
Spain’s saffron-infused paella is a festive, flavorful rice dish made with an array
of meats and vegetables. It is traditionally a complicated production with a
commanding list of ingredients from artichokes, broad beans, bell peppers, and
peas to chorizo, pork, chicken, and numerous types of seafood, all prepared in a
special flat-bottomed, two-handled paella pan. We loved the flavors of classic
paella, but we wanted to streamline it to make it a weeknight option for two. We
set out to create a less daunting recipe that could be made in a reasonable
amount of time, with a manageable number of ingredients, and without a special
paella pan.
We found that there are five key steps in most paella recipes: browning the
sturdier proteins, sautéing the aromatics, toasting the rice, adding liquid to cook
the rice, then adding the more delicate ingredients last and heating everything
through. For the proteins, we quickly ruled out lobster and other shellfish (too
much bother), diced pork (we preferred sausage), and fish (it flakes too easily
and gets lost in the rice). We settled on chorizo for heat and spice and chicken
for convenience.
We began by browning the chicken and chorizo to give the meat a head start
and develop some fond to lend flavor to the dish. Tasters preferred Spanish
chorizo for having more bite than Mexican-style chorizo. Slicing the sausage
into half-moons increased the surface area for browning and made rendering the
fat easier. We browned the sausage for about 2 minutes, then set it aside and
turned our attention to the chicken.
While many recipes call for bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, to avoid extra
prep and save time we opted for one boneless, skinless chicken breast, which,
along with the chorizo, would be just the right amount for two. We sliced the
breast and browned it in the rendered sausage fat, then set it aside with the
chorizo.
Now it was time to add some flavoring and aromatics. Paella traditionally
includes a sofrito—a trio of onions, garlic, and tomatoes—as the building block
for flavor. We began by sautéing one finely diced onion until softened along with
a couple of teaspoons of minced garlic and ⅛ teaspoon of crumbled saffron. For
the tomato component, we used half a can of drained diced tomatoes, leaving the
pieces whole for added texture. We cooked this mixture until thick and slightly
darkened.
We moved on to the rice. Light and fluffy long-grain rice seemed out of place,
and most varieties of medium-grain rice had a one-dimensional, blown-out
texture in this dish, though medium-grain Italian Arborio was acceptable. The
traditional paella rice, Bomba rice from the Calasparra region of Spain, is prized
for its ability to absorb liquid while retaining separate, distinct grains, but tasters
disliked its chewy texture. Short-grained Valencia was preferred for its creamy
but still distinct grains. To feed two, ½ cup of rice was just right. Once the rice
was sautéed just long enough to become lightly toasted and coated with the
flavorful sofrito, it was time to add the liquid.
Most recipes use a liquid-to-rice ratio of 2 to 1, but we found we needed to
use up to 1½ cups of liquid to cook our ½ cup of rice through. The rich sofrito
was so flavorful that tasters preferred the rice cooked in water rather than
chicken broth or wine, as the water didn’t compete with the other elements in the
dish. We tried to prepare our rice in the classic manner, cooking it uncovered on
the stovetop, but the rice wasn’t consistently cooked. Some grains would
inevitably overcook while others would remain stubbornly crunchy. We decided
to try the microwave method from our Chicken and Rice recipe, jump-starting
the rice in the microwave with a cup of water, then adding it to the pan with the
rest of the water plus the juice from the diced tomatoes to cook through to the
perfect consistency.
Now our rice was deeply flavored and perfectly cooked, but the paella lacked
a little green. Frozen peas were an easy addition. Adding them to the pan too
soon resulted in shriveled, gray, cafeteria-style pebbles, but stirring them into the
rice toward the end of cooking enabled them to warm through and still retain
their bright green hue. We also added a quarter cup of quartered green olives to
contribute a briny saltiness reminiscent of traditional seafood paella.
At this point we could easily have called it a day, but one thing was still
missing: soccarat, the crusty brown layer of rice that develops on the bottom of
a perfectly cooked batch of paella. To give our paella a crisp bottom layer, once
we had stirred in the meat, olives, and peas, we removed the lid and put the
skillet back on the stove. After about five minutes, the dish had a layer of crisp,
nicely caramelized grains. Paella perfection.
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
SERVES 2

We like to use short-grain Valencia rice for this dish, but you can substitute
Arborio rice if you cannot find Valencia. Do not substitute long-grain rice. For a
recipe to use up the leftover diced tomatoes. See the sidebars that follow the
recipe.

1½

cups water
½

cup Valencia or Arborio rice

Salt and pepper

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

ounces chorizo sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick

4
(8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick

1
small onion, chopped fine

1
¾ cup diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
garlic cloves, minced

2
⅛ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
¼ cup pitted green olives, quartered
¼
cup frozen peas
1. Combine 1 cup water, rice, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in bowl. Cover and
microwave until rice is softened and most of liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat until just smoking. Add chorizo and cook until lightly browned, about 2
minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to plate. Pat chicken dry with
paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to fat left in skillet
and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plate with chorizo.
3. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and onion to now-empty skillet and cook over
medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and cook
until beginning to soften and darken, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and saffron
and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining ½ cup water and
reserved tomato juice, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in parcooked rice,
breaking up any large clumps, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low,
cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 8 to 12 minutes.
4. Stir in browned chorizo and chicken and any accumulated juices, olives, and
peas and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, uncovered, until bottom layer of
rice is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through
cooking to ensure even browning. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SAFFRON
Sometimes known as “red gold,” saffron is the world’s most expensive spice. Luckily, a little saffron goes a
long way, and we have found that brand isn’t important, as long as the recipe has other bold flavors, as this
paella does.
 THE BEST SHORT-GRAIN RICE
When it comes down to it, a good paella is all about the rice. Unfortunately, the rice you probably have in
your pantry–the long-grain variety–just won’t cut it. Long-grain rice is great for recipes in which light and
fluffy grains are desirable (pilafs, for instance, or our Chicken and Rice), but not for paella. We like short-
grain rice, which retains distinct individual grains while keeping the creamy-chewy texture that is so
important in this dish. We tested three kinds of rice in our paella. Here’s what we found.
Bomba rice, grown in the Calasparra region of Spain, is the traditional choice for paella. Its short, round
grains are prized for their ability to absorb up to three times their volume in liquid while retaining a
separate, distinct texture. Tasters liked the “nutty” flavor of this rice but didn’t like its chewy texture.
Spanish Valencia rice has grains that are short and round like Bomba, though they are a bit larger.
Tasters liked this rice best, praising its balance of textures: separate and chewy, but with a bit of creaminess.
Use this rice if you can find it.
Italian Arborio rice (which is actually medium-grain rice) has larger, longer, and more opaque grains
than Bomba and Valencia. Creamier, more tender, and a bit stickier than either of the two Spanish grains, it
is an acceptable choice for paella.
USE IT UP: DICED TOMATOES

Easy Tomato Chutney

SERVES 2
Serve with crackers and a soft cheese, such as cream cheese or goat cheese.

cup canned diced tomatoes

¾

cup water
shallot, minced

1
½

teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon golden raisins

⅛

teaspoon salt

Pinch cayenne
Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to
medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 1 cup, about 45 minutes.
Using potato masher, mash any large pieces of tomato. Let cool to room temperature before serving.
Skillet Chicken and Orzo

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To make this simple skillet chicken supper
memorable, we wanted the side to be the star of the show. We chose orzo, a
small pasta that’s quick and easy to cook. To give it deep, complex flavor, we
toasted it until golden brown, then simmered it in just the right amount of
chicken broth until perfectly tender. To give the dish Mediterranean flair and
vibrant flavor, we added garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and stirred in
baby spinach, briny feta, and a squeeze of bright lemon juice at the end.
Nothing gets dinner on the table faster than boneless chicken breasts and a
speedy stovetop cooking method. But while there are endless possibilities for
simple stovetop chicken, there are also a lot of possible pitfalls, from blandness
to dryness to being just plain forgettable. To revive this method for a great meal
for two, we wanted to come up with a delicious (but still simple) side dish that
would make our chicken dinner truly memorable. We’d need to do a little
thinking and a lot of testing.
One easy solution was to use a quick-cooking starch to round out the meal.
Orzo, a small pasta that is often treated as a grain, seemed like a great fit. Lots of
ingredients pair nicely with its compact, even shape, but we especially like
matching it with bright, bold Mediterranean flavors. We only needed to figure
out how to cook it using a one-dish method. We decided the basic concept of our
side dish would be similar to a bulked-up rice pilaf—we’d toast the orzo, brown
the chicken, sauté the aromatics, add back the orzo and chicken, and simmer it
all in a flavorful liquid until everything was cooked through. We’d start by fine-
tuning the cooking of the orzo and chicken and then consider additional
vegetables to round out our dish.
After toasting orzo to shades varying from pale yellow to golden brown, we
found that the darker the orzo, the richer the flavor (short of burning it, of
course). Well-browned orzo possessed a full, nutty flavor that tasters favored
over that of more lightly toasted orzo. The key was timing—we opted for
medium-high heat, which produced golden brown orzo in about five minutes,
though it did require diligent stirring and a watchful eye to prevent scorching.
White rice requires around 1½ times its volume in liquid to cook, but we
didn’t know if this ratio would work for orzo. We figured we’d aim high with the
volume of liquid and then reduce it if needed. First, we tried cooking ¾ cup of
orzo (an ideal amount for two) with various amounts of water in a medium
saucepan. Two cups of liquid gave us soup, and with just ¾ cup of water the orzo
was chalky and undercooked. The perfect amount proved to be 1¼ cups; the
orzo plumped to a tender yet firm consistency somewhere between that of pasta
and rice. To bump up the flavor, we swapped the water for chicken broth.
With our orzo toasted and the liquid-to-pasta ratio settled, we focused on our
cooking method. We had been cooking the orzo as we might a traditional risotto,
by adding the liquid a little at a time until it was absorbed, but this technique was
time-consuming and made it hard to incorporate additional vegetables. We tried
simply covering the orzo and simmering it gently; this method was simple and
worked well every time. A mere 10 to 15 minutes later, our orzo was finished.
But when we went to add back the chicken, our saucepan was nearly
overflowing. We swapped the saucepan for a 10-inch nonstick skillet to
accommodate the bulk of the meat. Once we had toasted the orzo, we lightly
browned the breasts, then we set them aside and began building flavor in the
skillet. Taking a cue from our initial Mediterranean inspiration, we toasted
garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes in olive oil before adding the toasted orzo
and chicken broth. For a quick-cooking vegetable and added color, we settled on
baby spinach. We knew the delicate leaves would cook in no time, so we waited
until the orzo was tender and the chicken cooked through before stirring in the
greens.
Finally, a generous sprinkle of feta cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
rounded out the dish with richness and bright flavor. Now we had a vibrant one-
dish chicken dinner ready to eat in only 30 minutes.
Skillet Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Feta
SERVES 2

Be careful not to overcook the chicken in step 4 or it will taste dry. See the
sidebar that follows the recipe.

cup orzo
(6-to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
2

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

garlic cloves, minced
2
teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ¼ teaspoon dried

Pinch red pepper flakes
1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra as needed
ounces (4 cups) baby spinach

4
ounces feta cheese, crumbled (½ cup)

2
1½
teaspoons lemon juice
1. Toast orzo in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until golden
brown, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to bowl.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1
teaspoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
Brown chicken lightly on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to plate.
3. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes to now-
empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and toasted
orzo.
4. Nestle browned chicken into orzo with any accumulated juices, cover, and
simmer gently until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer
chicken to platter, brushing any orzo that sticks to chicken back into skillet; tent
chicken loosely with aluminum foil.
5. Continue to cook orzo until al dente and creamy, 2 to 5 minutes longer,
stirring in additional broth 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to loosen
consistency. Stir in spinach, 1 handful at a time, until wilted, about 2 minutes.
Stir in feta and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with
chicken.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

TOASTING ORZO

Toast orzo in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until deeply golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, to develop
deep nutty flavor in this dish.
CAJUN-STYLE EGGS IN PURGATORY WITH CHEESY GRITS
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a hearty but simple egg dish, we loved
the idea of eggs in purgatory, where eggs are poached directly in a tomato sauce.
We started with a simple sauce made with just canned tomatoes, green pepper,
sautéed onion, garlic, and a little tomato paste. Chile-laced, spiced Ro-tel
tomatoes gave the sauce punch and dimension without extra effort. A little bacon
lent the sauce smoky meatiness. We cracked the eggs into the sauce then covered
the skillet so the tops of the eggs would gently steam. A side of simple quick
grits with plenty of cheddar rounded out our Cajun-inspired meal.
Given its devilish name, you’d think that eggs in purgatory would be a
challenging dish to make, full of sneaky details or tricky techniques. At the very
least, the eggs would need to be carefully coddled or basted with steamy liquid,
right? Fortunately, no; at its simplest, eggs in purgatory is a dish of eggs poached
directly in tomato sauce. In Italy, the dish is often started with leftover Sunday
gravy and served for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. But tomato sauce is a
blank canvas for experimentation, so we figured this mischievous-sounding dish
was ripe for a cooking-for-two makeover.
First up, the sauce itself. The tomato sauce can run the gamut from a smooth,
souplike broth to a thick, meaty ragu. We weren’t sure which version we’d like
best, so we whipped up a few, simmering a sauce made with pureed tomatoes,
another slightly thicker version made with diced tomatoes, as well as a thick,
hearty meat sauce. Tasters found the thin, pureed sauce to be a little boring and
the meat sauce far too rich and labor-intensive for our purposes. But they
approved of the lightly chunky, simple sauce made with diced tomatoes. One
14.5-ounce can of tomatoes was the perfect amount for our two-person sauce. To
bolster this sauce, we added a sautéed onion, a minced clove of garlic, and a
tablespoon of tomato paste.
Next up, our egg-poaching technique. Knowing that we would need enough
space to cook four eggs in our sauce, we chose a 10-inch nonstick skillet for our
cooking vessel. For ease, we wanted to stick with tradition and cook the eggs
directly in the sauce. But we weren’t sure if the eggs should be submerged or
cooked on top of the mixture, or if the whole dish should be simmered covered
or uncovered. After cracking a couple of dozen eggs into tomato sauce every
which way, we landed on the following technique: We built our tomato sauce,
simmering it until it reached our desired thickness, and then used a spoon to
create four 2-inch divots in the sauce. We cracked each egg into its own nest,
covered the saucepan, and let the whole mixture simmer gently until the eggs
were just cooked through. The sauce helped to insulate the bottoms of the eggs,
keeping the whites supple and the yolks runny. By covering the skillet, we
created steam that would gently cook the tops of the eggs so no bit of white
would go uncooked.
Now we had a solid technique, but our dish was lacking a bit of oomph. One
taster suggested adding flavor by swapping a can of Ro-tel tomatoes for our
plain diced tomatoes. These moderately spicy tomatoes contain chopped chiles
as well as additional spices, offering a no-fuss flavor boost. This was a big
improvement, but there was one problem: Ro-tel tomatoes come in smaller cans
than regular diced. To make up the difference, we added half a chopped green
bell pepper to the sauce for extra color and volume.
Our sauce was good, but we thought we could do even more to improve it. We
turned to one of our favorite ingredients for adding flavor: bacon. A couple of
slices chopped and crisped in the skillet provided all of the cooking fat needed to
sauté the onion and pepper and added a considerable rich, smoky backbone to
the sauce.
With bacon, green pepper, onion, and spice, our sauce was beginning to take
on a Cajun feel. We figured we might as well embrace this direction by adding
Southern flair to our side dish. While eggs in purgatory is typically served with
just a slice of hearty bread or focaccia, we thought that grits might be a more
fitting accompaniment for our version. We didn’t want to break out a new
saucepan to simmer the grits, but we guessed we could use the microwave to our
advantage. About a 4:1 ratio of water to quick grits microwaved for 6 to 8
minutes gave us a thick, creamy side dish with minimal effort. To add even more
richness and flavor, we stirred in half a cup of grated cheddar.
Finally, our eggs in purgatory were perfected. This simple meal came together
in a snap, and whether we were making it for an easy weeknight dinner or a
hearty Sunday brunch, it was heaven.
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits
SERVES 2

Do not substitute regular grits for the quick grits here. See the sidebar that
follows the recipe.

2 cups water
½

cup quick grits

Salt and pepper
ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (½ cup)

2
slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

2
small onion, chopped fine

1
½ green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 tablespoon tomato paste

garlic clove, minced

1
(10-ounce) can Ro-tel tomatoes

1
4 large eggs
1. Combine 1¾ cups water, grits, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in medium bowl, cover,
and microwave until grits are tender and water is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir
in cheddar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until
crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Add onion and bell
pepper to fat left in skillet and cook over medium-high heat until softened, about
5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30
seconds. Stir in tomatoes and remaining ¼ cup water and simmer until sauce is
thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Make 4 shallow indentations (about 2 inches wide) in surface of sauce. Crack
1 egg into each indentation and season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat
to medium-low, and cook until eggs are just set, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet
from heat, sprinkle with bacon, and serve with grits.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST BACON

Premium bacon can cost double, even triple, the price of ordinary bacon. Is it worth it? To find out, we
bought six artisanal mail-order bacons and two high-end grocery store bacons, all smoked with applewood
or cured with apple cider, and gathered our tasters.
Great bacon is all about a balance of sweet, smoky, salty, and meaty–and striking that flavor balance
turned out to be very important to our tasters. Tasters downgraded most of the premium mail-order brands
for being too much of any one thing–too smoky, too fatty, or too sweet. Only two of the six achieved
enough of a balance to elicit genuine raves. The winner was Vande Rose Farms bacon, which tasters
extolled for its deep, balanced flavor. In addition, these strips were meaty, substantial, and among the
largest, thickest-cut slices of the lineup (33 grams, compared to other slices that were as slight as 4 grams).
In the biggest surprise of the tasting, our two supermarket brands were among the highest-rated bacons,
besting several premium mail-order bacons. Applegate Farms Uncured Sunday Bacon and
Farmland/Carando Apple Cider Cured Bacon, Applewood Smoked were a step up from the usual mass-
produced bacon, straddling the gap between artisanal and more mainstream supermarket styles. Applegate
Farms bacon was particularly good; tasters praised it for both its meaty flavor and its mild smokiness.
As delicious as the best premium bacon can be, there’s no getting around its cost. One 12-ounce package
of Vande Rose Farms bacon set us back $13.95 (plus shipping) for not even a full pound of bacon.
Unfortunately for most of us, such a high price tag is a pretty steep barrier to bringing this bacon home.
Luckily, Applegate Farms costs about $11 per pound, and Farmland costs just about half that.
U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Navy Bean Soup is an American classic

that combines hearty beans and rich ham in a thick, creamy broth. We wanted to
both bulk up the soup and scale it down for two. Smoky bacon and ham steak
gave the soup meaty flavor and substantial bites of ham; we sautéed the bacon
until crisp, then caramelized the diced ham in the bacon fat. Canned beans kept
the recipe simple; after just 15 minutes of simmering in our rich broth, they were
tender and full of flavor. To thicken the broth, we simply mashed some of the
beans right in the pot.
A classic American bean soup, U.S. Senate navy bean soup has supposedly been
on the menu in the Senate restaurant since 1901. Legend has it that Senator Fred
Dubois of Idaho, who served from 1901 to 1907, demanded that navy bean soup
be on the restaurant menu in perpetuity. The mandate has been attributed to other
epicurean senators as well, but it’s certain that it has been on the menu for a very
long time.
The authentic Senate version contains nothing more than dried beans and ham
hocks simmered in water until the beans are tender and the ham has transformed
the water into a smoky broth. A stray carrot or onion provides a bit more flavor,
but that’s about it. While we appreciate the government-sanctioned thrift behind
this recipe, we were in the mood for not only a heartier, meatier navy bean soup,
but also a soup scaled down and sped up for an easy weeknight meal for two.
We knew that we wanted smoky flavor and bites of meat in our soup, but we
weren’t up for simmering a ham hock all day. So we started by swapping the
ham hock for a double dose of pork: smoky bacon and hearty ham steak. We
minced the bacon and diced the ham and added them to the pot. While the bacon
gave the soup well-rounded smoky flavor and the steak provided nice chunks of
meat, after simmering in the soup for an hour, the ham was lacking in flavor and
the soup was overly salty.
To improve the flavor of the ham, we tried first sautéing it before simmering it
in the soup to give it a deeper, caramelized flavor. The flavor was even better
when we sautéed the pieces in the rendered bacon fat. But while the flavor
problem was fixed, the soup was still too salty. Patting the ham steak dry before
dicing it helped but was not enough. We were using low-sodium chicken broth
for the liquid, so we tried switching to water. Unfortunately, the resulting soup
tasted flat. We tested the liquids in various combinations and ultimately landed
on using slightly more water than broth (1 cup and ¾ cup, respectively). This
combination provided good flavor while keeping the saltiness in check.
Now we could focus on the beans. Since we were after an easy weeknight
soup, we knew that dried beans were out of the question. But could canned beans
hold their own amid the bacon and ham? We were surprised to find that just a
15-minute simmer was enough to tenderize and fully flavor a can of rinsed navy
beans. The short cooking time kept the beans from getting too soft and blown
out.
For the vegetables, we sautéed onion, celery, and garlic with the ham, which
gave them the same deep, caramelized flavor. Fresh thyme added a welcome
herbal note, and ground black pepper added a touch of bite. Tasters also liked
chunks of carrots, which we cut into hearty ½-inch pieces to preserve their
texture. At this point the soup needed something to brighten and balance the
robust flavors. A dash of red wine vinegar along with a good shake of hot sauce
provided the acidity and heat the soup needed.
Our soup was almost there, but it was a bit thin. To thicken it, we opted for the
simplest method—mashing some of the beans right in the soup pot using the
back of a spoon—which gave our Senate soup a rustic look and texture. Now the
broth was thick and creamy—a perfect base for the tender beans, ham, and
carrots.
U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup
SERVES 2

This soup can easily turn overly salty because of the ham; be sure to use low-
sodium broth and taste the soup carefully before seasoning with any salt. You
can get small ham steaks sliced to order at the deli counter. See the sidebar that
follows the recipe.

slice bacon, chopped fine

1
ounces ham steak, patted dry and cut into ½-inch pieces

4
small onion, chopped fine

1
carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1
small celery rib, chopped fine

1
garlic cloves, minced

2
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ⅛ teaspoon dried

Salt and pepper

1 cup water
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
(15-ounce) can navy beans, rinsed
1

1 bay leaf
¼

teaspoon red wine vinegar

Hot sauce
1. Cook bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.
Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. Add ham to
rendered fat and brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in onion, carrot, and
celery and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic, thyme, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30
seconds. Stir in water, broth, beans, bay leaf, and vinegar and bring to simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and continue to simmer until carrot
is tender and beans are fully flavored, about 15 minutes.
3. Off heat, discard bay leaf. Use back of spoon to press about one-quarter of
beans against side of pot to thicken soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste
and serve with hot sauce.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SLICING HAM STEAK

In order to get even browning on the ham steak, it is important to slice the steak into even pieces.

First slice steak into ½-inch-wide strips. Then line up strips and slice crosswise into ½-inch squares.
Sesame Pork With Napa Cabbage Salad

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Crispy pork cutlets are an easy meal for
two, but they often turn out bland and soggy. For perfect crispy pork cutlets for
two, we pounded cutlets to ½-inch thickness so they would cook evenly. Using
Japanese panko bread crumbs was easier than making fresh bread crumbs, and
they tasted just as good. Sesame seeds added nutty flavor and even more crunch
to the coating. Using a generous ⅓ cup of oil to fry the cutlets ensured that the
coating came out crisp and golden brown. To round out the meal, we tossed
together an easy gingery cabbage slaw.
Crisp fried pork cutlets can make a great centerpiece to a weeknight meal for
two—they cook through in minutes, and, if done right, the pork is tender and the
breading crisp, golden, and substantial. Most of the time, however, the breading
is at best bland and boring, or worse, soggy and falling apart. We wanted a
foolproof version of fried pork cutlets with no soggy coating in sight, a vibrant
side dish to round out the meal—and we wanted to make it all in one skillet.
We started testing with the basics: the pork. The two most suitable cuts of
pork we found in the supermarket were boneless loin cutlets and tenderloin.
These were also the two cuts used most often in the recipes we researched. We
tested both, and tasters favored the cutlets for their mild flavor and ease of
preparation (the tenderloin would need extra slicing and pounding).
Next, we needed to pound the cutlets to the ideal thickness. When the cutlets
were too thick, the breading was too dark by the time the interior cooked
through; when too thin, the meat was done long before the breading had taken on
enough color. We ended up preferring cutlets pounded to a thickness of ½ inch.
They were thick enough to offer some chew and a cushion against overcooking
as the crust developed to a deep, even, golden brown. To make sure the pork was
flavorful, we seasoned the cutlets liberally with salt and pepper.
Pork settled, we moved on to the breading. We tested a wide range of
ingredients, including cornmeal and flour, dried bread crumbs, fresh bread
crumbs, crushed crackers, and Japanese panko. Tasters were split between
freshly ground bread crumbs and crisp Japanese panko. Both offered light, crisp,
and flavorful coatings, but since the panko came ready to use, we decided to
keep it simple and skip grinding fresh crumbs. We used our standard method for
breading, first dredging the pork in flour, then dipping it in a beaten egg to help
the crumbs adhere to the meat. We tried skipping the dip in flour to simplify the
process, but the egg would not adhere to the meat on its own, leaving us with a
meager, spotty coating of bread crumbs. With the flour, our coating was thick
and firmly glued to the pork.
So far we had a sturdy coating, but its flavor left much to be desired. To
complement the panko crumbs, one taster suggested adding sesame seeds to the
coating. A 2:1 ratio of panko to sesame seeds proved to be just what the pork
needed, adding nutty depth and a satisfying crunch. And since we would be
frying our cutlets to golden brown, we didn’t need to toast the seeds ahead of
time.
Next, we tackled the cooking procedure. With just four cutlets in the pan, it
was tempting to skimp on the frying oil, but when we tried cooking a batch of
cutlets in just 4 tablespoons of oil, the spotty browning confirmed our hunch that
using enough oil was critical. To develop a nicely golden, crunchy crust, it took
enough oil to reach roughly halfway up the cutlets’ sides, about ⅓ cup in a 12-
inch skillet.
Heat, or lack thereof, is another potential problem when pan-frying. When we
failed to heat the oil enough before adding the cutlets to the skillet, several
problems arose. First, the breading absorbed too much oil, so the cutlets ended
up greasy. Second, the breading took too long to brown properly, so that by the
time the coating was browned, the meat was tough and overcooked. We found
that the pan must be preheated over medium-high heat until the oil starts to
shimmer and that 2½ minutes per side browned the breading to a gorgeous
golden hue without overcooking the meat within. Now we had beautifully
browned pork cutlets that were crisp on the outside and tender and juicy on the
inside.
Now that we had perfectly fried cutlets, we needed a vibrant side dish to
accompany them. Enter an easy-to-make bright, gingery slaw. We shredded
some napa cabbage along with a carrot for color and sweetness. Simply tossed
with a sesame oil, ginger, and garlic dressing, the slaw was good, but its raw
crunch competed with the crisp pork. Before frying the pork, we bloomed the
garlic and ginger in sesame oil, then tossed in the vegetables to soften slightly.
With a splash of rice vinegar to brighten its flavor, our slaw was now worthy of
our perfect crisp pork cutlets.
Crispy Sesame Pork Cutlets with Wilted Napa Cabbage Salad
SERVES 2

Don’t let the pork cutlets drain on the paper towels for longer than 30 seconds,
or the heat will steam the crust and make it soggy. See the sidebar that follows
the recipe.

cup panko bread crumbs

⅓

cup sesame seeds

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

1 large egg
(3-to 4-ounce) boneless pork cutlets, trimmed and pounded to ½-inch thickness

Salt and pepper
1½ tablespoons plus ⅓ cup vegetable oil
1½

teaspoons toasted sesame oil

garlic clove, minced
1
½

teaspoon grated fresh ginger

½ small head napa cabbage, cored and shredded (4 cups)
carrot, peeled and grated
1
tablespoon rice vinegar, plus extra to taste

1
1. Combine panko and sesame seeds in shallow dish. Spread flour in second
shallow dish. Beat egg in third shallow dish. Line rimmed sheet pan with wire
rack and large plate with paper towels.
2. Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working with
1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlets in flour, dip in egg, then coat with sesame bread
crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer to prepared rack.
3. Heat 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil and sesame oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet
over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until
fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cabbage and carrot and cook until just wilted,
about 1 minute. Off heat, add rice vinegar and toss to combine. Transfer to
serving bowl and season with salt, pepper, and additional vinegar to taste. Wipe
out skillet with paper towels.
4. Heat remaining ⅓ cup vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high
heat until shimmering. Carefully place cutlets in skillet and cook until golden
brown and crisp on first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip cutlets and cook until second
side is golden brown and crisp and pork registers 145 degrees, 2 to 3 minutes
longer. Transfer to prepared plate and let pork drain for 30 seconds on each side.
Serve with cabbage salad.
USE IT UP: NAPA CABBAGE

Hot and Sour Napa Cabbage

SERVES 2
Don’t leave the cabbage leaves in the skillet longer than 30 seconds or they will exude too much liquid and
create a watery sauce.

2 teaspoons soy sauce

teaspoon Asian chili-garlic sauce

1
½

teaspoon sugar
½

teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ small head napa cabbage, stems and leaves separated, stems trimmed and cut diagonally
into 2-inch pieces, and leaves shredded

Salt
1. Whisk together soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, sugar, and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth.
2. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add cabbage stems and cook,
stirring frequently until browned and slightly softened, about 1 minute. Whisk sauce mixture to recombine
and add to skillet. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until sauce coats cabbage stems and is fragrant,
about 1 minute. Off heat, add cabbage leaves and stir until leaves are warmed through and wilted, about 30
seconds. Transfer cabbage to platter, season with salt to taste, and serve.
SICHUAN STIR-FRIED PORK IN GARLIC SAUCE
Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Stir-fried pork in garlic sauce is a staple at

Chinese restaurants—but it rarely deserves to be. To fix this dish, we took a cue
from the Sichuan classic yu xiang pork, which boasts tender pork, a well-
balanced, flavorful brown sauce, and plenty of garlic. We kept the meat moist
and tender by soaking it in a baking soda solution to raise its pH, then velveting
it in a cornstarch slurry. For a sauce that tasted bold but balanced, we added
sugar for sweetness and some fish sauce for meatiness. Just two cloves of
minced garlic gave the dish its distinct garlicky flavor.
Most people probably think of stir-fried pork in garlic sauce as a vaguely
Chinese dish of mealy pork strips swimming in a generic “brown sauce” that our
parents ordered as kid-friendly (read: not spicy) fare to follow up the egg rolls.
That’s what we thought of, too—until our introduction to yu xiang pork. With
thin-cut strips of pork, a soy-based sauce, and plenty of garlic, this Sichuan
staple looks similar to the Cantonese version, but its punched-up flavors are
anything but related. It’s a mix of salty, sweet, hot, and—thanks to a healthy
splash of Chinese black vinegar—sour flavors that, when prepared well, balance
out into a bold-tasting, silky sauce that coats the super-tender meat and
accompanying crisp vegetables. And since it’s still essentially a stir-fry, we knew
that it would make a perfect dinner for two.
But our attempts to re-create this dish were all disappointments. None
achieved the requisite balance of yu xiang; one tasted cloyingly sweet, while
another overdid it on the vinegar and left tasters puckering. Some were thin and
watery, others slick and greasy. The pork itself was dry, chewy, and stringy, and
the sauce wasn’t sufficiently camouflaging those flaws. But the biggest problem
was that the dish was full of hard-to-find ingredients and complex, wasteful
steps (such as par-frying the pork in tons of oil) that were totally out of place
when cooking for two.
We decided we’d tackle the meat first. We spread the test recipes out on the
table and discovered a common problem: Almost all of them called for pork loin,
a lean, notoriously unforgiving cut that tends to cook up dry and fibrous.
Switching to fattier pork shoulder or country-style pork ribs was an obvious
move. Both cuts tasted markedly richer and juicier, but shoulder meat came with
its own set of challenges. Not only was it hard to find in quantities small enough
for a two-person stir-fry (we needed only half a pound), but it also required quite
a bit of knife work to trim the excess fat and pare it down to strips. Country-style
ribs, cut from the shoulder end of the loin, were a lot easier to prepare, so we
went with them.
Now that we were using a fattier cut, we wondered if the par-frying step was
still necessary. It seemed that the only purpose of that step was to ensure that the
lean loin emerged moist and silky. But when we tried to eliminate the step, even
the fattier ribs cooked up chewy. If we wanted supremely tender, juicy pork
without the mess of all that oil, we’d have to look for another way to keep the
meat moist.
Fortunately, there’s a far simpler technique from Chinese cookery that tackles
the problem of meat drying out in a stir-fry: velveting. This approach involves
coating the meat in a cornstarch slurry to provide an insulating barrier that
shields the meat from the pan’s high heat. We gave it a whirl, mixing 1 teaspoon
of cornstarch with an equal amount of rice wine and tossing it with the pork
before proceeding with the recipe. Though a definite improvement, the meat still
wasn’t as tender and juicy as we wanted. For the results that we were after, we
needed a technique that offered more than just a starch overcoat; it would have
to actually tenderize the meat, too.
As it happens, tenderness, especially in pork, is highly dependent on the pH of
the meat; the higher the pH, the more tender it will be. If we could find a way to
artificially boost the pH of the meat, it might soften up a bit. And we had just the
right ingredient in our pantry: alkaline baking soda.
Our plan was to soak the pork in a solution of baking soda and water for an
hour or so and then proceed with velveting. The results were promising; even the
leaner strips of meat were considerably more tender—too tender, in fact, and
also soapy tasting. We’d overcompensated a bit, so for the next batch we cut the
baking soda in half and soaked the meat for just 15 minutes. We also rinsed the
pork afterward to remove any residual soda. This time the pork was perfectly
juicy and supple. Even better, we needed only a couple of tablespoons of oil to
cook the meat.
Meanwhile, the other half of the equation—the sauce—still needed adjusting
to achieve just the right balance of salty, sour, sweet, and spicy flavors. Starting
with a base of rice wine, 2 teaspoons of tangy Chinese black vinegar, and half a
tablespoon of sesame oil, we diluted the mixture with enough chicken broth (⅓
cup) to amply coat the meat and vegetables and stirred in 1 teaspoon of
cornstarch for thickening. Then we sautéed some minced garlic and scallion
whites and a few teaspoons of broad-bean chili paste in a nonstick skillet, poured
in the sauce mixture, and simmered it until it turned glossy. Not bad, tasters said,
but they wanted more—particularly more sweetness and more savory depth.
The first problem was easily fixed with a bit of sugar. It was boosting the
savoriness of the dish that was more challenging. After we had tinkered with the
proportions of existing ingredients, our dish still lacked a certain full-bodied
depth that comes from the use of homemade chicken stock. We started rooting
through the pantry for something that could bulk up the dish’s savory flavors.
We came away with one successful (albeit untraditional) addition: fish sauce,
which is naturally packed with flavor-enhancing glutamates. Just 1½ teaspoons
rounded out the savory flavor we were looking for.
 Now our pork was tender and moist and our sauce rich and balanced. We just
needed a few last additions. Instead of traditional but hard-to-find wood ear
mushrooms, we used shiitakes. We also settled on readily available celery for a
contrasting crunch. Though Chinese black vinegar and Asian broad-bean chili
paste are popping up in more and more supermarkets, we found that equal parts
balsamic and rice vinegars provided a fine alternative to the former, and either
Asian chili-garlic paste or Sriracha sauce made a good sub for the latter. At last,
we had a version of yu xiang pork full of Sichuan flavor, but easily made for
two.
Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce
SERVES 2

If Chinese black vinegar is unavailable, substitute 1 teaspoon of balsamic

vinegar and 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar. If Asian broad-bean chili paste is
unavailable, substitute 1 teaspoon of Asian chili-garlic paste or Sriracha sauce.
Serve with steamed white rice.

SAUCE
⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar

1½

teaspoons sugar
1½

teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1½ teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1½

teaspoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

PORK
¼

cup cold water

½
teaspoon baking soda
ounces boneless country-style pork ribs, trimmed and cut into 2 by ¼-inch strips
8
teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 teaspoon cornstarch

STIR-FRY
2

tablespoons vegetable oil

ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin
3
celery rib, cut on bias into ¼-inch-thick slices

1
tablespoon Asian broad-bean chili paste

1
scallion, white part minced, green part sliced thin

1
garlic cloves, minced

2
1. FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
2. FOR THE PORK: Combine water and baking soda in bowl. Add pork, toss
to combine, and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Rinse pork in cold
water. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. Whisk rice wine and cornstarch
together in bowl. Add pork and toss to coat.
3. FOR THE STIR-FRY: Heat 1½ teaspoons oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet
over high heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently,
until tender, about 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook until celery is
crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl.
4. Add remaining 1½ tablespoons oil to now-empty skillet and place over
medium-low heat. Add chili paste, scallion whites, and garlic and cook, stirring
frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add pork to skillet and cook, stirring
frequently, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk sauce mixture to
recombine and add to skillet. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring constantly,
until sauce is thickened and pork is cooked through, 30 to 60 seconds. Return
vegetables to skillet and toss to combine. Transfer to serving platter, sprinkle
with scallion greens, and serve.
Strip Steaks With Potato-Artichoke Ragout

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To breathe new life into a basic steak-and-
potatoes supper, we skipped the usual roasted or sautéed potato side in favor of a
fresh tomato, artichoke, and potato ragout. For the main event, we chose beefy
strip steak, patted dry and seasoned, and quickly seared in a hot skillet. While
the steaks rested, we tossed sliced potatoes (parcooked in the microwave to save
time) with fresh tomato and thawed frozen artichokes; a dash of rosemary added
flavor. To bring the meal together, we made a quick tomato vinaigrette to drizzle
over the steak and vegetable ragout.
Steak and potatoes is a classic combination for a reason: When the steak is
seared properly, its contrasting crisp crust and tender interior are the perfect foils
to a fluffy potato, no matter if the spud is mashed, fried, or baked. Still, no
matter how perfectly prepared, the duo can grow dull. We wanted to rethink
steak and potatoes into something new, portioned just right for two.
Luckily, we’ve already nailed down our favorite technique for cooking perfect
steaks for two. We like to start with a 12-ounce strip steak and cut it into two 6-
ounce individual steaks. Strip steaks offer great beefy flavor, plenty of exterior
fat for moistness, and a thick cut that makes it easy to get a great seared crust
with a rosy medium-rare interior. To cook the steaks, we pat them dry and season
them generously with salt and pepper while heating vegetable oil in a 10-inch
nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke. (The smoke
lets us know that the pan is hot enough to deliver a solid sear.) A 10-inch skillet
is just big enough for the steaks to fit without crowding, yet small enough that
there isn’t too much empty space in which oil can scorch. We cook the steaks
until well browned on the first side, about 5 minutes, flip them, and then
continue to cook them over medium heat until they hit 125 degrees in the
centers.
We set the cooked steaks aside and got to work on our potatoes while the meat
rested. We knew we didn’t want to simply sauté potatoes, but we also didn’t
want to devote too much cooking time to the dish. One taster suggested adding
tomatoes and artichoke hearts to our potatoes to make a simple vegetable ragout.
This idea held promise, so we started testing.
To get the most flavor out of the potatoes, we chose Yukon Golds with the
skins on. These potatoes not only added mild sweetness, but they also held
together and were less likely to stick to the pan when they were sautéed. We
knew that even thinly sliced potatoes would take longer to cook than the 10-
minute resting time for the steak, so we tried giving them a jump start in the
microwave. Once they were just tender, we added them to the skillet along with
5 ounces of thawed frozen artichoke hearts and a fresh chopped tomato. This
mixture browned nicely and tasted OK, but it felt haphazard and was no match
for our juicy, beefy steak.
To boost flavor, we added a bit of dried rosemary. To make the ragout more
cohesive, we also added small amounts of both white wine and chicken broth.
The added liquid also allowed us to cook the vegetables a bit longer, softening
their edges. These were noted improvements, but when served alongside the
steak, the two elements felt disjointed.
Perhaps we could bring the steak and vegetables together with a tasty sauce.
Since we already had plenty of rich, earthy flavor from the steak and potatoes,
we thought that a bright vinaigrette would work better than a buttery pan sauce.
We were already including tomato in our ragout; what about a fresh tomato
vinaigrette? We saved some of the chopped tomato from our ragout prep and
added it to the food processor with a little oil, vinegar, and garlic. We processed
the mixture until it was smooth; seasoned it with salt, pepper, and a little sugar to
taste; then poured it over both the steak and the ragout.
The flavor of the vinaigrette was spot-on, adding freshness as well as a pop of
color to the plate. Unfortunately, the food processor turned the tomato foamy and
thin. So we swapped out the processor for our knife, simply chopping the tomato
into fine pieces before mixing it with the oil, vinegar, and garlic.
A sprinkle of chopped parsley was all the plate needed. Now our steak and
potatoes for two was anything but dull.
Strip Steaks with Potato-Artichoke Ragout
SERVES 2

Be sure to thoroughly dry the artichokes before sautéing or else they will not
brown properly. We prefer these steaks cooked medium-rare, but if you prefer
them more or less done, see our guidelines. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped fine

1
3½

tablespoons olive oil

1½

teaspoons red wine vinegar

garlic cloves, minced
2

Salt and pepper

Sugar
ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise ½ inch thick

8
(12-ounce) boneless strip steak, 1½-1¾ inches thick, trimmed and cut in half crosswise

1
ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and patted dry

5
⅛

teaspoon dried rosemary

¼

cup white wine

¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Measure out ¼ cup chopped tomato and set aside. Combine remaining tomato,
1 ½ tablespoons oil, vinegar, and ½ teaspoon garlic in small bowl. Season with
salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.
2. Combine potatoes and 1 tablespoon oil in bowl and season with salt and
pepper. Cover and microwave until potatoes are just softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned on first side, 3 to 5
minutes. Flip steaks, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook until steaks
register 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 5 to 7 minutes longer. Transfer steaks to
cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Return skillet with remaining fat to medium heat until shimmering. Add
potatoes and artichokes and cook until vegetables are starting to brown, about 2
minutes. Add remaining garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 30
seconds. Add reserved chopped tomato, wine, and broth and cook until potatoes
are tender and liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and season
with salt and pepper to taste. Slice steaks thin, transfer to platter, and drizzle with
tomato vinaigrette. Serve with potato-artichoke ragout.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST INEXPENSIVE NONSTICK SKILLET

You can easily spend as much on a quality nonstick skillet as you would on a traditional skillet–our
longtime favorite, the All-Clad Stainless 12-inch Nonstick Fry Pan, costs $129.99. But no matter how much
you spend, with regular use the nonstick coating inevitably scratches, chips off, or becomes ineffective. So
why spend big bucks on a pan that will last only a year or two? To find the best nonstick pan under $50 on
the market, we tested seven contenders against our favorite All-Clad pan and the Best Buy from our
previous testing, the Calphalon Simply Calphalon Nonstick Omelette Pan, $55. We tested the nonstick
effectiveness of each pan by frying eggs and stir-frying beef and vegetables. To see which pans cooked food
evenly and had good size and heft but were comfortable to maneuver, we made crêpes in each. We also ran
them through a number of durability tests. We’d like to say our new favorite pan, the T-Fal Professional
Total NonStick Fry Pan, aced every test, but a loose handle that resulted from the durability testing was a
sign that it’s not high-end cookware. Still, at $34 for the 12.5-inch pan ($29.95 for the 10.25-inch pan and
$25 for the 8-inch pan), it’s a bargain, and it was the only pan in the lineup to give us the best of both
worlds: an exceptionally slick, durable nonstick coating and top performance in cooking. As for the All-
Clad, it is a solidly built pan, but its coating became slightly worn by the end of our tests (the T-Fal
remained perfectly slick). Because the All-Clad boasts a lifetime warranty, we still recommend it, but we’ll
be buying the T-Fal from now on for our own kitchens.
CATALAN-STYLE BEEF STEW WITH MUSHROOMS
Catalan-Style Beef Stew With Mushrooms

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For complexly flavored Spanish-style beef

stew, we started with a sofrito, a slow-cooked mixture of onions, spices, and
herbs. A little salt and sugar helped the onions to caramelize, then we added a
grated plum tomato and cooked it until the mixture was thick and jamlike.
Boneless beef short ribs were easy to buy in small amounts and became
ultratender after a slow simmer. A broth of water and white wine allowed the
rich flavors of the meat and the sofrito to shine. A traditional picada, a mixture
of toasted bread, almonds, garlic, and parsley, brightened the stew’s flavor and
thickened the broth.
Few cuisines can rival the complexity of Spanish food with its influences from
ancient Greece and Rome, North Africa, and even the Americas. This
multilayering of flavors and textures from different cuisines is particularly
apparent in the meat stews from the country’s easternmost region of Catalonia.
Almost all begin with a slow-cooked jam of onions and tomatoes known as
sofrito and end with the stirring in of picada, a pestolike paste that includes fried
bread, herbs, and ground nuts and gives the stew body and even more dimension.
Could we capture all of the rich and intricate flavors of Catalonia in a one-dish
beef stew for two? This dish had too much potential not to try.
While most American beef stews are made with chuck roast, Spanish cooks
employ a variety of cuts, including flank or skirt steak, blade steak, and short
ribs. We tested all of these, comparing each one to chuck. The long, fibrous
muscles of flank and skirt steak led to stringy results, and blade steak was
flavorful but tended to dry out due to its lower fat content. In the end, we settled
on boneless beef short ribs. Short ribs can be bought by the pound in small
amounts, so they were a great choice for a two-person stew, and they boasted
outstanding beef flavor and became supremely tender and moist after a long,
slow simmer. We seared chunks of short ribs in batches in a medium saucepan
and then transferred them to a plate so we could prepare the foundation of our
stew: the sofrito.
This flavor base is the cornerstone of not only Catalan cooking but also much
of Spanish cuisine, lending remarkable depth to countless recipes. A traditional
sofrito consists of finely chopped onions browned slowly over low heat and
brightened with tomatoes and sometimes herbs, spices, and aromatics. We’ve
discovered that a small amount of salt and sugar added to the onion helps to
draw out its moisture, both hastening and deepening the level of caramelization.
We sprinkled some of each onto one minced onion as it cooked over very low
heat in olive oil. Once the onion was soft and dark brown, 25 to 30 minutes later,
we added the tomatoes.
We experimented with canned and fresh tomatoes, preferring a single fresh
plum tomato for its brightness and convenient size. Instead of peeling the tomato
(too fussy), we decided to try a simpler method we’d seen in a Spanish
cookbook: scraping the pulpy flesh of the tomato over the large holes of a box
grater and discarding the leathery skin. This worked beautifully. Along with the
tomato, we stirred a bay leaf and half a teaspoon of heady smoked paprika into
the onion. After 10 more minutes of cooking, the sweet and savory flavors of the
sofrito had melded, and its texture was sticky and jamlike.
We nestled several batches of seared short rib chunks atop the slow-cooked
sofrito and poured in cooking liquids, experimenting with various combinations
of chicken broth, beef broth, water, and wine. Surprisingly, the broths actually
detracted from the flavor of the beef and sofrito. Tasters preferred the clean
flavor of a stew made with a mixture of water and white wine, which allowed the
beef, onion, and tomato flavors to come through. To capture the warm spice
typical of Catalan stew, we also stirred a pinch of cinnamon along with a sprig of
fresh thyme into the pot.
The stew was coming along nicely, but after searing the short ribs and cooking
the sofrito, we were an hour into the recipe, and we hadn’t even started
simmering the beef. We tried cutting back on the time we spent cooking the
sofrito, testing sofritos cooked for 15 and 30 minutes alongside a 45-minute
flavor base, but the long-cooked sample had a significantly richer, more
developed taste that we weren’t willing to sacrifice. We wondered whether
spending 15 minutes searing the meat was absolutely necessary.
In tests of past test kitchen beef stew recipes, we found that we could do away
with searing the meat by cooking the stew uncovered in a low oven. Arranged so
that most of the meat sat above the cooking liquid, the meat was exposed to the
heat of the oven, browning nearly as well as if it were seared. After running a
seared versus unseared test, cooking each stew in a moderate 300-degree oven,
we found they tasted remarkably similar.
Having achieved tender, intensely flavored beef, it was time for the critical
final component: the picada. Some experts wager that this bracing mixture of
fried bread, nuts (most often almonds or hazelnuts), garlic, olive oil, and herbs
(typically parsley) has been used in Catalan cooking since the 13th and 14th
centuries. In stews, the ground nuts and bread bulk up the braising liquid, and
the garlic and parsley add flavor and freshness.
Not wanting to bring out an extra skillet for toasting, we decided to see if we
could utilize the microwave. We combined 2 tablespoons of blanched almonds
with small pieces of bread and a few teaspoons of olive oil and gave it all a
quick zap. The bread toasted more quickly than the other elements, so we held
off on adding it until the last 60 seconds or so. Then we processed the mixture
with a clove of raw garlic in a food processor. Stirred into the finished stew
along with minced fresh parsley, the picada gave the dish a jolt of bright,
pungent flavor.
Thus far, the stew contained no vegetables, and although we didn’t plan on
loading it up with carrots, peas, and potatoes like a typical American stew, some
additional element seemed appropriate. We chose easy-to-find white
mushrooms. Added directly to the stew with the beef, the mushrooms soaked up
the flavorful broth and added a much-needed textural element. Finally, we
finished the stew with a dash of sherry vinegar. Here was a beef stew rich and
fragrant with the flavors of Catalonia—perfect for an exotic meal for two.
Catalan-Style Beef Stew with Mushrooms
SERVES 2

Serve the stew with potatoes or rice.

STEW

1 tablespoon olive oil

onion, chopped fine
1
¼

teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper
plum tomato, halved lengthwise, pulp grated on large holes of box grater, and skin
discarded
1
½

teaspoon smoked paprika

1 bay leaf
ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
8
¾

cup water
 ½

cup dry white wine

1 sprig fresh thyme

Pinch ground cinnamon
1½ pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes

PICADA

2 tablespoons whole blanched almonds

2 teaspoons olive oil

½ slice hearty white sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
garlic clove, peeled

1
1½

tablespoons minced fresh parsley

teaspoon sherry vinegar

1. FOR THE STEW: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300
degrees. Heat oil in medium ovensafe saucepan over medium-low heat until
shimmering. Add onion, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until
onion is deeply caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes. Add tomato, smoked paprika, and
bay leaf; cook, stirring often, until darkened and thick, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms, water, wine, thyme, and cinnamon to pot, scraping up any
browned bits. Season beef with salt and pepper and add to stew mixture.
Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Transfer saucepan to oven and cook,
uncovered, for 1 hour. Stir stew to redistribute meat, return to oven, and continue
to cook, uncovered, until meat is tender, 1½ to 2 hours.
3. FOR THE PICADA: While stew is in oven, combine almonds and oil in
bowl and microwave until nuts are light golden, 45 to 60 seconds. Stir in bread
and continue to microwave until bread is golden, 60 to 90 seconds. Transfer to
food processor. Add garlic and process until mixture is finely ground, about 20
seconds, scraping bowl as needed. Transfer mixture to bowl, stir in parsley, and
set aside.
4. Remove bay leaf from stew. Stir in picada and vinegar and season with salt
and pepper to taste. Serve.
Five-Alarm Chili

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a seriously hot five-alarm chili, we

combined fresh jalapeños, canned chipotle chiles, dried ancho chiles, cayenne,
and chili pepper for complex, multilayered flavor. Ground beef and creamy pinto
beans bulked up the chili, and fresh tomatoes added brightness. To round out the
chili and give it some body, we turned to a few unusual additions: A splash of
light-bodied beer gave our chili malty depth and a little bitterness, and crushed
corn tortilla chips thickened it and added a subtle background of corn flavor.
Ground beef and bean chili is a great choice when looking for a hearty
wintertime dinner for two. It usually comes together quickly with just beef and a
few pantry staples. The only problem? Chili gets boring quickly. To enliven our
chili repertoire, we decided to turn to hot and spicy “five-alarm”-style chili for a
twist on the old standby.
Not knowing how spicy we’d want our chili, or from which sources to bring
the heat, we tested several different recipes. But despite their claims to the “five-
alarm” name, these chilis were all harsh disappointments or, as one taster put it,
“one-note firebombs.” On the plus side, one thing was clear: Simply loading up
on chili powder and cayenne was a dead end. For multilayered heat, we’d need
to combine different types of chiles.
First, the basic chili mechanics: Brown and drain ground beef, cook chopped
onion until softened, then add garlic and spices. Return the browned beef to the
pot along with tomatoes, water, and beans. We preferred creamy pintos over
starchier kidneys and stuck with canned beans for ease.
Next we looked at chile options, limiting ourselves to what we could find at
an average supermarket. Cayenne gave an initial blast of heat. Chili powder—
typically made from ground chiles plus cumin and oregano—was a strong
supporting player, but we knew we needed more heat and more complex flavor.
We tested jalapeños two ways: chopped jalapeños and canned chipotle chiles in
adobo sauce. Chipotles in adobo are ripe jalapeños that have been dried, smoked,
and canned in vinegar-tomato sauce. We liked both the freshness of the chopped
jalapeños and the smokiness of the canned chipotles, so both went into the
recipe. We were almost there, but we wanted a little more depth and a touch of
sweetness.
Sweet, fruity dried ancho chiles (known as poblanos when fresh) seemed like
they might be the answer. Since they are tough and papery, these chiles require
rehydrating, which was a snap to do in the microwave. To break them down and
incorporate them into the chili, we also needed to puree them in a blender. Since
we already had the blender out, we tossed in the canned chipotle chiles as well to
save some time.
We now had our five alarms and, more importantly, deep, complex heat and
flavor. Chiles selected, we moved on to the tomatoes. Most quick chilis call for
canned tomatoes (either diced or whole), to save prep work, but since we were
cooking only enough for two, we wondered if we could substitute fresh tomatoes
without adding too much work. We cored a few plum tomatoes and added them
to the blender with the chiles. They pureed like a dream and integrated perfectly
into our chili, adding a burst of fresh brightness and acidity.
With the tomatoes settled, we thought we might be finished. But when we
made the next batch, we were forced to admit that although the chili had
multiple levels of flavor and heat, it tasted a little flat. How could that be? We
studied the recipe, looking for places to cram in more flavor. We tried
substituting chicken broth for some of the water, but it seemed out of place in
our beefy chili. Then we thought of an unusual ingredient that we sometimes see
in chili recipes: beer. Just a third of a cup of a light-bodied lager introduced
malty, mellow depth and a hint of bitterness.
All our chili needed now was a little more body. Serious chiliheads’ recipes
often rely on masa (ground dried corn) to add a subtle background of corn flavor.
Few of us keep masa on hand, but we loved the concept of a flavorful, corny
thickener. One taster suggested substituting more convenient corn tortilla chips
for the masa. We tried adding them to the blender with the tomatoes, chiles, and
water, and they blended into a smooth paste that contributed body along with a
slight taste of corn.
As the chili simmered, the flavors melded, the broth thickened, and complex
flavor met raw heat. After 30 minutes, we cautiously dipped in our spoons. Our
eyes teared, our faces flushed, and we had to mop our brows. Yes, this chili was
five-alarm hot, but the other flavors came through loud and clear as well.
Five-Alarm Chili
SERVES 2

Dried ancho chiles can be found in the international aisle of most supermarkets.
Light-bodied American lagers, such as Budweiser, work best in this recipe.
Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and tortilla
chips. For a recipe to use up the leftover pinto beans. See the sidebar that follows
the recipe.

½ ounce dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed and flesh torn into 1-inch pieces
1⅓

cups water
plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise
4

3 tablespoons crushed corn tortilla chips

tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

ounces 85 percent lean ground beef

Salt and pepper
onion, chopped fine
1
½ jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeds reserved, and minced
 garlic cloves, minced
2
1½

teaspoons ground cumin

1½

teaspoons chili powder

½

teaspoon sugar
⅛

teaspoon cayenne pepper

⅓

cup beer
¾ cup canned pinto beans, rinsed
1. Combine anchos and ⅓ cup water in bowl and microwave until softened,
about 2 minutes. Drain and discard liquid. Process anchos, remaining 1 cup
water, tomatoes, tortilla chips, and chipotle chile in blender until smooth, about 1
minute; set aside.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until just
smoking. Add beef, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking
up pieces with spoon, until all liquid has evaporated and beef begins to sizzle, 5
to 7 minutes. Drain in colander; set aside.
3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in now-empty saucepan over medium-high
heat until shimmering. Add onion, jalapeño, and seeds and cook until onion is
lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, chili powder, sugar, and
cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in beer and bring to
simmer. Stir in reserved ancho-tomato mixture, reserved cooked beef, and pinto
beans and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring
occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste and
serve.
USE IT UP: PINTO BEANS

Mexican-Style Pinto Bean Salad SERVES 2

Serve with tortilla chips.

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1½

teaspoons lime juice

¼

teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper

Pinch sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

¾ cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and patted dry

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

small shallot, minced

1
small clove garlic, minced

1
Combine vinegar, lime juice, cumin, ¼ teaspoon salt, and sugar in medium bowl. Slowly whisk oil into
vinegar mixture until emulsified. Stir in beans, cilantro, shallot, and garlic and toss well to coat. Cover and
refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
MOROCCAN FISH AND COUSCOUS PACKETS
Moroccan Fish and Couscous Packets

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Cooking fish en papillote is a technique

where fish and a side are artfully folded into a parchment paper packet to cook
together in the oven. The technique has a lot going for it, but we would have to
do away with the fussy folded paper. We replaced the parchment with easy
aluminum foil. White fish fillets worked best; oilier fishes like salmon or tuna
ended up greasy and overwhelmingly pungent. For a simple side, we liked
quick-cooking couscous, and we dressed it up with a zesty chermoula sauce, a
flavorful Moroccan condiment of cilantro, ginger, garlic, lemon, and spices.
We love cooking fish en papillote (in a packet) since it’s an easy, mess-free way
to obtain perfectly moist, flaky, and flavorful fish. There are countless
combinations of fish, vegetables, and grains you can cook en papillote, and, best
of all, since each serving is self-contained, the method is easily adaptable for
two.
Most classic recipes we found for fish en papillote called for cutting
parchment paper into attractive shapes such as teardrops, hearts, or even
butterflies, then creasing the seams into painstakingly precise little folds to
secure the food inside. Sure, it makes for an impressive presentation, but we
wanted to translate the technique into an easy weeknight meal for two, so we
would choose a simpler route. We immediately swapped the fussy parchment
paper for aluminum foil; simply folding the foil over the fish, then crimping the
edges created an airtight seal that would lock in steam.
Next, we needed to decide what to cook for the main event. After trying a
variety of fish, we found that fillets of flaky, mild white fish, such as halibut and
cod, worked better than more assertively flavored fish such as salmon or tuna. In
the moist, contained atmosphere of the foil pouches, the flavors of the oilier fish
were concentrated and overpowered whatever else we added to the packets. In
addition, their extra oils made the packets’ contents greasy and overly pungent.
White fish, on the other hand, stayed moist and flaky and came out lightly
flavored and fragrant.
Determining when the fish was done proved more challenging: The old rule of
thumb for fish—10 minutes of cooking time per inch of thickness—failed in this
case, as the resulting fish was barely opaque. After experimenting with a range
of oven temperatures and cooking times, we found that ¾-to 1-inch-thick fillets
cooked best at 400 degrees for 14 to 18 minutes. While this was an unusually
long cooking time at such high heat, the fish was well insulated within the sealed
packets and emerged flaky and moist. To avoid unwrapping the packets when we
wanted to test the fish for doneness, we simply stuck our instant-read
thermometer directly through the foil into the fish; once the fillets hit 140
degrees, they were ready.
With our fish perfected, we moved on to an accompanying side. Rice or other
grains would take too long to cook through, so they were out of contention.
Instead we thought of quick-cooking couscous. This tiny pasta needs only a five-
to 10-minute soak in boiling water to turn from dry to tender. Perhaps this was
the solution?
 We tried adding the dry couscous to the packets with water, but once the fish
was cooked through, we still had a puddle of water and a pile of dry couscous in
our packets. For our next test, we soaked the couscous ahead of time and then
added the rehydrated pasta to the packets. This time, both the fish and the
couscous emerged from the oven tender and moist. Now all our dish needed was
a little sprucing up.
Couscous has its roots in North African cuisine, so we thought we would add
a zesty chermoula sauce to the packets to complement it. Chermoula is a
Moroccan condiment combining cilantro, smoky paprika, garlic, lemon, cumin,
hot pepper flakes, and olive oil. Although not traditional, a little ginger added a
welcome hint of warm spice. A tablespoon spread on top of the fish before
wrapping it in the packets added not only flavor but also extra protection against
drying out. We made a generous amount of sauce so that we could also serve it
alongside the fish once it was cooked.
While the presentation was simple, the flavors of our dish were anything but.
Fragrant Moroccan flavors mixed with the mild fish for a light but satisfying
meal that was on the table in just 30 minutes.
Moroccan Fish and Couscous Packets
SERVES 2

Be sure to choose fillets of the same thickness so they will cook through at the
same time. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

cup minced fresh cilantro

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

garlic cloves, minced

2
teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

⅛

teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

 Brown sugar
¾

cup couscous

1 cup boiling water

(6-to 8-ounce) skinless white fish fillets, ¾ to 1 inch thick
2

Lemon wedges
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 3
tablespoons cilantro, oil, ginger, paprika, garlic, 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest,
lemon juice, cumin, and pepper flakes in small bowl. Season with salt, pepper,
and sugar to taste.
2. Place couscous in medium bowl. Pour boiling water over couscous.
Immediately cover with plastic wrap and let sit until liquid is absorbed and
couscous is tender, about 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork, stir in remaining
½ teaspoon lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pat fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Lay two 14-
inch lengths of aluminum foil on counter. Divide couscous in half evenly, mound
in center of each foil piece, then place fish fillets on top. Spread 1 tablespoon
sauce over top of each piece of fish. Fold foil over fish and couscous, crimping
edges to seal.
4. Arrange packets in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fish
registers 140 degrees and flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife, 14
to 18 minutes. Sprinkle fish with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with
remaining sauce and lemon wedges.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING EASY MOROCCAN FISH PACKETS

1. Place mound of prepared couscous in center of each piece of foil, then place fish on top and spread
prepared sauce over fish.
2. Crimp edges of foil to seal packet. Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 14 to 18
minutes, until fish is just cooked through. Open packets, sprinkle fish with remaining cilantro, and serve
with remaining sauce.
 ALL ABOUT COUSCOUS
Although couscous looks like a grain, it is technically a pasta. This starch is made from durum semolina, a
high-protein wheat flour that is also used to make Italian pasta. Traditional Moroccan couscous is made by
rubbing coarse-ground durum semolina and water between the hands to form small, coarse granules. The
couscous is then dried and cooked in a steamer called a couscoussière set over a simmering stew. The
couscous plumps in the steam produced by the stew. The boxed couscous found in most supermarkets is a
precooked version of traditional couscous. About the size of bread crumbs, the precooked couscous needs
only a few minutes of steeping in hot liquid to be fully cooked.
Chili-Glazed Salmon With Bok Choy

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To bring glazed salmon home for two, we
wanted a foolproof way to get perfectly cooked fish with a crisp, well-browned
crust. Cooking the fillets in a nonstick skillet kept the browned crust on the fish,
not stuck to the pan. Relying on an instant-read thermometer to test for doneness
rather than visual cues took out the guesswork. We started our Asian-inspired
glaze with sweet chili sauce; a little savory fish sauce and fresh ginger were all
we needed to turn it into a boldly flavored glaze. Baby bok choy sautéed until
lightly browned paired perfectly with the rich salmon.
Glazed, pan-seared salmon is a common restaurant specialty—its crisp, browned
crust and rich, unctuous flavor are pretty irresistible. But making this favorite at
home can be a challenge. All too often, recipes for pan-seared salmon make
fillets with little crust and a lot of overcooked, dry flesh. We wanted to find an
easy, foolproof method for searing and glazing salmon for two with flavors
inspired by Southeast Asia.
To prevent the fish from sticking and to promote browning, salmon is
typically sautéed in a traditional skillet with a generous amount of oil. Most of
the time, however, the oil ends up splattering all over the stovetop and does little
to keep the fish from fusing to the skillet. Here in the test kitchen, we prefer to
cook most fish fillets in a nonstick skillet, which helps keep them intact and
allows us to cut back a bit on the oil. We knew that salmon also contains a
moderate amount of fat itself, which would render in the skillet, allowing us to
cut back even further on oil. After testing smaller and smaller amounts of oil, we
found we needed only a single tablespoon to get the fish crisp and brown on both
sides.
The crusts were perfect, but we still had to prevent the flesh from drying out.
Most recipes for fish rely on visual cues, but we wanted our recipe to be
foolproof, so we would use an instant-read thermometer to determine exact
doneness. After several tests, we found that the fillets had the best texture when
we removed them from the pan as their internal temperatures reached 125
degrees.
Next, we shifted our attention to the glaze. Tasters wanted bold flavors, so we
began building the glaze with vibrant sweet chili sauce. The chili sauce added
not only sweet and sour flavors but also viscosity and texture to the resulting
glaze. To the chili sauce we added a full tablespoon of fish sauce for salty
savoriness. A bit of ginger added some spicy warmth, and a quarter teaspoon of
cornstarch thickened the glaze just enough to cling lightly to the fillets.
Our plan was to sear the salmon, then coat the fish with the glaze off the heat.
The only problem with this plan was that the salmon, especially when we were
working with farmed salmon, gave off far too much fat to make an edible glaze.
When we added the glaze to the pan, the excess fat made the whole dish greasy
and unappealing. Luckily, it was a quick fix. Before adding the glaze, we
carefully held the salmon in place with a spatula and poured off the excess fat.
Problem solved.
With our salmon seared and glazed, we turned to our side dish. We knew we
wanted a quick-cooking vegetable that would pair well with our Asian-style
glaze. Baby bok choy seemed like a perfect choice. The leafy cruciferous
vegetable comes in single-serving-size 4-ounce heads, well suited for our two-
person meal. We tried simply adding the bok choy to the skillet and sautéing it in
the leftover glaze after cooking the salmon, but this method was a flop.
While there was still plenty of glaze left in the skillet to coat the greens, the
bok choy tasted watery and bland and never achieved any browning. Instead of
adding it at the end, we thought a two-step cooking process might work better.
We decided to sear the bok choy in a bit of vegetable oil before starting the
salmon. We then set the browned bok choy aside while we cooked the salmon
and returned it to the skillet at the very end for a quick toss in the glaze. The
resulting side boasted an unbeatable combination of sweet vegetal flavors and
crisp texture—the perfect match for our tender, golden-crusted salmon.
Chili-Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy
SERVES 2

Be sure to use sweet chili sauce here; hot chili sauce (such as chili-garlic sauce)
will make the glaze far too spicy and thin. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

2 tablespoons Asian sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1½

teaspoons grated fresh ginger

¼

teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

heads baby bok choy (4 ounces each), halved lengthwise
2
(6-to 8-ounce) skinless salmon fillets, 1½ Inches thick

Salt and pepper

Lime wedges
1. Whisk chili sauce, fish sauce, ginger, and cornstarch together in small bowl;
set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until
shimmering. Cook bok choy, cut side down, until lightly browned, 1 to 2
minutes. Turn bok choy over and continue to cook until lightly browned on
second side, about 1 minute. Transfer to platter.
2. Pat salmon dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add
remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty skillet and heat over medium-high heat
until just smoking. Cook salmon until browned on first side, about 4 minutes.
Flip salmon and continue to cook until center is still translucent when checked
with tip of paring knife and registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), about 4
minutes longer. Holding fish in place with spatula, carefully pour off any
rendered fat in skillet. Off heat, add chili sauce mixture to skillet with salmon
and flip fish once or twice to coat. Transfer fish to platter.
3. Add bok choy to skillet with glaze and toss until coated. Serve with salmon
and lime wedges.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

CLEANING BOK CHOY

Submerge halved baby bok choy in cold water and then swish heads to remove any dirt and grit.
 ALL ABOUT SWEET CHILI SAUCE
Unlike the spicy Asian chili sauces, which add heat, sweet chili sauce lies at the other end of the flavor
spectrum. This sweet, thick sauce is made primarily from palm sugar, pickled chiles, vinegar, and garlic. It
makes a good dipping sauce for egg rolls and dumplings, it is often served in Thailand with barbecued
chicken, and we also use it as a glaze.
Seared Scallops With Butternut Squash

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an elegant seared scallop supper for
two, we set out to re-create the blazing heat of a professional stovetop. To keep
the scallops’ liquid from preventing browning, we carefully patted them dry and
cooked them in a roomy 12-inch skillet. Waiting until the oil was just smoking
ensured that the pan was hot enough to give the scallops golden-brown crusts
and juicy medium-rare centers. To complement the scallops we made a quick
and easy butternut squash puree in the same skillet, then we finished the dish
with a rich browned butter sauce to drizzle over the plate.
For a restaurant chef, pan-seared scallops are as easy as it gets: Slick a super-hot
pan with oil, sear the shellfish on one side, flip them once, and serve. The whole
process takes no more than a couple of minutes and produces golden-crusted
beauties with tender, medium-rare interiors. But try the same technique at home
and you’re likely to run into trouble. The problem is that most home stovetops
don’t get nearly as hot as professional ranges, so it’s difficult to properly brown
the scallops without overcooking them. But since scallops are so easy to buy and
cook in small quantities, they are tailor-made for two. We were determined to
achieve superior pan-seared scallops—we just had to find a solution to the
browning conundrum. We also wanted to create a rich, luscious side dish to pair
with the scallops, but we didn’t want to dirty an extra pan.
Our first stop was the supermarket fish counter. Scallops are available in a
wide range of sizes, from the hard-to-find large sea variety, which contains eight
to 10 scallops per pound, to the petite bay variety, which can contain as many as
100 scallops per pound. Since small scallops are more prone to overcooking than
large, we opted for the biggest commonly available size: 10 to 20 scallops per
pound. Twelve ounces of scallops seemed like the right amount for two; at this
size, each serving would be about four scallops per person.
We started by seasoning the scallops simply with salt and pepper. We heated 1
tablespoon of vegetable oil in a 10-inch stainless steel skillet, in which the
scallops would fit comfortably, then added the scallops in a single layer and
waited for them to brown. After three minutes, they were steaming away in a ¼-
inch-deep pool of liquid. At the five-minute mark, the moisture in the skillet
evaporated and the flesh finally began to turn golden. But at this point it was too
late: The scallops were already overcooked and tough, and we hadn’t even
flipped them yet.
To reduce the amount of liquid they exuded, we tried thoroughly drying the
scallops before cooking. We also switched to a roomier 12-inch skillet to allow
the liquid to spread out and cook off faster. But it became clear that to get serious
browning on our scallops, we’d need to get the pan as hot as possible. Without a
high-output professional range, it was important to pay careful attention to
technique. We started by waiting to add the scallops to the skillet until the oil
was beginning to smoke, a clear indication of high heat. Switching to a nonstick
skillet ensured that as the scallops cooked, the browned bits formed a crust on
the meat instead of sticking to the skillet. These scallops rivaled those made on a
powerful restaurant range, with golden-brown crusts and juicy and tender
interiors.
Now it was on to our side dish. We decided on creamy pureed butternut
squash, which would pair perfectly with our favorite topping for scallops:
browned butter. Keeping in mind our one-dish mission, we steamed a pound of
peeled and cubed squash in our skillet before cooking the scallops. Half a cup of
water and 10 minutes on the stovetop was all it took to render the squash tender.
We drained the cooked squash, then transferred it to a food processor with a bit
of butter, cream, and cayenne and processed it into a beautifully smooth, creamy
puree.
Finally we made the browned butter sauce. After searing the scallops, we
melted a couple of tablespoons of butter in the hot skillet; it took only about 30
seconds for the butter to turn nutty brown. We added a minced shallot and a
teaspoon of minced sage for an herbal note. All this rich sauce needed was a
squeeze of bright lemon for balance.
Drizzled over the top of the scallops and squash, the browned butter sauce
made our simple seafood dinner into a meal elegant enough to rival any
restaurant special.
Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash
SERVES 2

We recommend buying “dry” scallops, which don’t have chemical additives and
taste better than “wet.” Dry scallops will look ivory or pinkish; wet scallops are
bright white. Cream or whole milk can be substituted for the half-and-half if
necessary. See the sidebars that follow the recipe.

pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (2½ cups)

1
½

cup water
tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 equal pieces
2
1½ teaspoons half-and-half

Salt and pepper

Pinch cayenne pepper
ounces large sea scallops, tendons removed

12

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

small shallot, minced

teaspoon minced fresh sage

1
1½

teaspoons lemon juice

1. Add squash and water to 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over
medium heat until squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain squash and transfer
to food processor. Add 1 piece butter, half-and-half, ¼ teaspoon salt, and
cayenne and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and
pepper to taste, transfer to serving bowl, and cover to keep warm.
2. Pat scallops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in
now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Lay scallops in
skillet and cook, without moving, until well browned, 1½ to 2 minutes. Flip
scallops and continue to cook until sides are firm and centers are opaque, 30 to
90 seconds longer. Transfer to platter and cover.
3. Add remaining pieces butter to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat
until melted and just starting to brown, about 30 seconds. Add shallot and sage
and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and season
with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over scallops and serve with pureed
squash.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PREPARING SCALLOPS

The small, crescent-shaped tendon that is sometimes attached to the scallop will be inedibly tough when
cooked. Use your fingers to peel it away from the side of each scallop before cooking.
USE IT UP: BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Sautéed Butternut Squash

SERVES 2
Be sure to add the shallot toward the end of cooking so that it does not burn.

1 tablespoon olive oil

pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces (1¾ cups)

Salt and pepper
shallot, sliced thin
1

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add squash and ⅛ teaspoon salt
and cook, without stirring, until beginning to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring
occasionally, until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add shallot and butter and continue to cook until
squash and shallot are tender, 1 to 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to
taste. Serve.
CHAPTER 3: PASTA FOR DINNER

Skillet Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti al Vino Bianco

Penne with Pancetta, White Beans, and Rosemary

Summer Pasta with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata

Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta

Whole-Wheat Rotini with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Peas

Cheese Ravioli with Pestos

Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto

Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce

Fresh Pasta without a Machine

Olive Oil Sauce with Anchovy and Parsley
Walnut Cream Sauce

Potato Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage

Vegetable Lasagna

Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp

Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple

Drunken Noodles with Chicken

Beef Lo Mein with Broccoli and Bell Pepper

Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame
Skillet Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an effortless but flavorful pasta dinner
featuring fresh tomatoes, we simmered the tomatoes briefly so they’d break
down and release their juice, then added the pasta right to the pan to cook
through. Not only did the released pasta starch help to thicken the sauce, making
it nicely clingy, but the pasta picked up deep flavor from cooking in the sauce.
Picked at the peak of ripeness, canned tomatoes offer better tomato flavor than
their fresh counterparts do—most of the year, that is. When you can get your
hands on fully ripe, juicy in-season tomatoes, it’s time to go with the real deal. In
the test kitchen, we’ve developed a foolproof recipe for fresh tomato sauce to
serve a crowd or store for winter, but now we wanted a super-fresh, low-fuss
tomato sauce that was just enough for two, so we set out to whittle down our
recipe.
Ripe height-of-season tomatoes boast not only an ultrajuicy texture, but also
subtly contrasting sweet and tart flavors. The best fresh tomato sauces capture
this complexity. But many fresh tomato sauces we’ve had are watery or mealy
and have little tomato flavor. To eke out maximum flavor, our standard recipe
calls for simmering a few pounds of chopped tomatoes with sautéed onion and
garlic for a short amount of time, until the sauce is nicely thickened and the
excess liquid has been cooked off. For our simple sauce, we decided to follow
suit. After sautéing our aromatics, we cored and chopped 1 pound of tomatoes,
then simmered them briefly, just until they started to break down and exude their
juice.
Since we needed to give the tomatoes time to cook down and thicken to the
proper consistency, we wondered if we could combine this step with cooking the
pasta to make an easy one-pot supper. Once the tomatoes had a head start on the
stovetop, we added 2 cups of water to the pan, plus our pasta, and let it simmer
away. Unfortunately, the resulting pasta dish was far from richly flavored and
saucy—all the liquid had evaporated, leaving us with dry pasta in an overly
thickened sauce. The next time around, we covered the pan after adding the
water and pasta to keep it from drying out. This worked perfectly: The starch
from the pasta helped thicken the sauce, making it nicely clingy, and the pasta
absorbed the rich flavor of the tomatoes as it simmered in the pan.
Since adding water to cook the pasta diluted the flavor of the sauce slightly,
we had to figure out how to bump it up. The test kitchen often turns to tomato
paste to amp up the savory complexity of dishes, and here it worked like a
charm. Just 1½ teaspoons added much-needed depth and savory notes. Looking
for something else to enhance the sauce’s brightness, we hit on white wine;
although not traditional for tomato sauce, it rounded out the flavor of our sauce
nicely.
In less than 30 minutes, we had a bright, bold tomato sauce that clung to every
piece of pasta perfectly. A few tablespoons of chopped basil stirred in at the end
of cooking sent the freshness quotient soaring, and some grated Parmesan cheese
added a savory, salty touch. With a recipe this easy and delicious, we knew we’d
be making this dish all summer long.
Skillet Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
SERVES 2

Other pasta shapes can be substituted for the campanelle; however, their cup
measurements may vary.

tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1
small onion, chopped fine

1
garlic cloves, minced

2
1½

teaspoons tomato paste

pound tomatoes, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces
1

Salt and pepper
¼

cup dry white wine

cups water, plus extra as needed
2
ounces (2 cups) campanelle

6
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add
onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste
and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼
teaspoon pepper and cook until tomato pieces lose their shape, 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in wine and simmer for 2 minutes.
2. Stir in water and pasta. Cover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook at
vigorous simmer, stirring often, until pasta is nearly tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Uncover and continue to simmer, tossing pasta gently, until pasta is tender and
sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes; if sauce becomes too thick, add extra water
as needed. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve
with Parmesan.
Spaghetti Al Vino Bianco

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Spaghetti al vino rosso—a legendary dish

in which the pasta cooks in an entire bottle of red wine—was the inspiration for
this dish, but it needed some modifications to make it a satisfying weeknight
dinner for two. Switching from red to white wine gave the dish bright acidity
(and kept it from turning purple), and simmering a portion of the wine to a
syrupy glaze ensured optimal flavor. Pancetta, arugula, and pine nuts ensured
that this simple dish was hearty and filling.
A plate of pasta and a glass of wine are a natural pairing. But we’d long heard
references to a dish called spaghetti al vino rosso that exploits their affinity: The
pasta itself is cooked in wine instead of water and then topped off with olive oil,
a bit of butter, and a sprinkling of cheese. This sounded like an easy, yet
flavorful and exciting, addition to our pasta-for-two roster.
But once we started our research, we learned that recipes are hard to track
down, and the ones we found were all over the map. One called for boiling the
spaghetti in a 50-50 mix of water and red wine that was then (wastefully) poured
down the drain. In another, a whole bottle of wine was reduced to a glaze
(eliminating all of its pleasant booziness) and used to coat spaghetti cooked
separately in water. A third approach resembled risotto making and seemed the
most promising: parcooking the pasta in water and then transferring it to a skillet
where about 2 cups of wine were added in increments so that the pasta could
absorb the wine as it finished cooking.
But even when prepared using the last approach, the dish wasn’t perfect.
While tasters liked the pasta’s lively wine kick, they also found that the dish
tasted tannic. The deal breaker, though, was its unappetizing purple-gray color.
Our research indicated that this dish is almost always made with red wine.
Nevertheless, we couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if we swapped
the red wine for white, which would at least get rid of the unappealing mauve
color. We tried it and found that the switch also solved the tannin problem, since
such flavors come from the grape skins, which are removed early in the process
of making white wine. But now we had a new issue: The spaghetti wasn’t as
robustly flavored when made with white wine.
We thought back to the method of reducing a full bottle of wine in a skillet.
After scaling down the amounts proportionately, we experimented with reducing
¾ cup of white wine to a glaze while the spaghetti parcooked in water. Then we
introduced the partially cooked spaghetti to the glaze and added another ¾ cup
of wine gradually, stirring as the spaghetti finished cooking. The glaze provided
a subtle complexity that the dish had previously lacked, but we agreed that this
spaghetti was going to need more than just olive oil, butter, and grated Pecorino
Romano to be anything other than an Italian primo, or first course.
Garlic and red pepper flakes were natural additions, and they were easily
incorporated into the glaze. Crisp, salty pancetta sprinkled over the pasta before
serving was also a shoo-in. Casting about for a green that wouldn’t require
parcooking, we landed on arugula. Its peppery notes complemented the other
flavors perfectly. Pine nuts added textural dimension.
Our spaghetti was almost complete, but it seemed a tad dry. We had been
stirring in some butter along with reserved pasta water at the end, but the
resulting sauce was too insubstantial. A little bit of cream was just the thing to
bulk it up. Admittedly, we’d taken liberties by using white wine, but we were
willing to bet that no one who tasted our dish would complain.
Spaghetti al Vino Bianco
SERVES 2

For this dish, you should use a good-quality dry white wine but avoid a heavily
oaked white such as Chardonnay. If the wine reduction is too sharp in step 2,
season to taste with up to 1½ teaspoons of sugar, adding it in ½-teaspoon
increments. Click here for a tip on how to measure out long strands of pasta
without using a scale. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

1½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

ounces pancetta, cut into ¼-inch pieces

2
garlic clove, minced

Pinch red pepper flakes
1½

cups dry white wine

Salt and pepper

Sugar

6 ounces spaghetti
ounces (3 cups) baby arugula
3
3 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for serving
tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and chopped coarse

2
1. Heat oil and pancetta in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat; cook until
pancetta is browned and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer
pancetta to paper towel–lined plate. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon
rendered fat from skillet.
2. Return skillet to medium-low heat and add garlic and pepper flakes. Cook,
stirring frequently, until garlic begins to turn golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully
add ¾ cup wine and increase heat to medium-high. Cook until wine is reduced to
⅓ cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Add ⅛ teaspoon salt. Taste and season with up to 1½
teaspoons sugar if needed.
3. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and
cook, stirring often, until pasta is flexible but not fully cooked, about 4 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
4. Transfer pasta to skillet with reduced white wine. Place skillet over medium
heat; add ¼ cup unreduced wine and cook, tossing constantly, until wine is fully
absorbed. Continue to add remaining ½ cup wine, ¼ cup at a time, tossing
constantly, until pasta is al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. (If wine is absorbed before
spaghetti is fully cooked, add reserved pasta water to skillet ¼ cup at a time and
continue to cook.)
5. Remove skillet from heat. Place arugula on top of spaghetti; pour ¼ cup
reserved pasta water over arugula, cover, and let stand for 1 minute. Add cream
and 2 tablespoons Pecorino; toss until sauce lightly coats pasta and arugula is
evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving
platter and sprinkle with pancetta, remaining 2 tablespoons Pecorino, and pine
nuts. Serve immediately, passing extra Pecorino separately.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

Toasting Nuts and Seeds

Toasting nuts and seeds maximizes their flavor and takes only a few minutes. To toast a small amount (1
cup or less) of nuts or seeds, put them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the skillet occasionally to
prevent scorching and toast until they are lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 8 minutes. Watch the nuts
closely because they can go from golden to burnt very quickly. To toast a large quantity of nuts, spread the
nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 350-degree oven. To promote even toasting,
shake the sheet every few minutes, and toast until the nuts are lightly browned and fragrant, 5 to 10
minutes.
Penne With Pancetta and White Beans

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an easy, Tuscan-inspired supper, we

combined pasta with crispy pancetta, creamy cannellini beans, and woodsy
rosemary. Canned beans made this dish weeknight-friendly, and simmering them
with chicken broth and white wine gave them slow-cooked depth in minutes.
A hearty pasta dish featuring creamy, tender beans and cured pork is a staple in
Tuscany. In the home of the slow-food movement, cooking white beans from
scratch makes perfect sense, but for a quick-cooking meal for two, it seemed like
a nonstarter. After all, dried beans must be soaked overnight before being
simmered for hours. But while we wanted an easy weeknight meal, we didn’t
want to sacrifice the clean flavor and delicate texture of the slow-cooked
version. Was there a way to have both?
To speed up our supper, our first move was to opt for canned beans instead of
dried. But we’d have to find a way to give our can of mild-flavored beans a more
slow-cooked taste, and to do so we would need to incorporate some additional
flavors.
Cured pork and beans have a natural affinity for each other, and we wanted
the pork to support, but not overwhelm, the flavor of the beans. While bacon is
the go-to version of cured pork in the United States, its smokiness can easily
overpower the milder flavors in a dish, so we decided to use pancetta instead.
Pancetta is cured with salt and spices, not smoked like bacon, so it has a more
subtle, complex flavor. To infuse the whole dish with its richness, we browned
the pancetta in the skillet first, then set it aside and saved it for a crunchy garnish
while we sautéed the aromatics in the fat left behind.
As far as the aromatics were concerned, we focused on a few well-chosen
additions that would really bring our dish to the next level. Onion gave us a
savory base of flavor for the beans. Garlic was a must, and though we didn’t
want it to dominate our dish, we didn’t want to be shy with it either. In the end,
three cloves did the trick. A small amount of rosemary added woodsy, herbal
notes, and some red pepper flakes lent a much-needed punch of heat.
Chicken broth and white wine gave us the makings of a simple yet flavorful
pan sauce, but this brothy base gave us an idea: What if we simmered the beans
in this enhanced broth long enough to infuse them with flavor, instead of simply
adding them to the sauce before serving? For our next test, we sautéed our
aromatics, then added the broth, wine, and beans to the pan and let it all cook
long enough for the sauce to thicken.
We were amazed at the difference in the beans. Still intact, they had softened
slightly and were deeply flavored. The chicken broth added a savory richness,
and the wine contributed a bracing acidity that kept the beans from tasting flat.
Penne was the perfect pasta to add to our bean “broth”—its short length
complemented the size and shape of the beans, and its ridges held on tightly to
the thickened sauce.
To finish the dish, we stirred in a good amount of grated Parmesan cheese,
which added richness and a nutty, savory flavor, and the crisped pancetta, which
delivered a satisfying crunch. Sure, we took a few shortcuts to keep our cooking
time to a minimum, but our pasta dish tasted so good, you’d never know it.
Penne with Pancetta, White Beans, and Rosemary
SERVES 2

Though we prefer pancetta here, you can substitute prosciutto or bacon. Other
pasta shapes can be substituted for the penne; however, their cup measurements
may vary. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

1½

teaspoons olive oil

ounces thinly sliced pancetta, cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
2
small onion, chopped fine

1
garlic cloves, minced

3
½

teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

Pinch red pepper flakes
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
½

cup dry white wine

(15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed
1
ounces (2 cups) penne

6
 Salt and pepper
ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup), plus extra for serving
1

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Cook oil and pancetta in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until pancetta is
well browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta
to paper towel–lined plate.
2. Add onion to fat left in skillet and cook over medium heat until softened and
golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, rosemary, and pepper flakes and
cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, wine, and beans, bring to
simmer, and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1
tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking
water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add sauce, crisped pancetta,
Parmesan, and parsley and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste
and add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve with extra
Parmesan.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST PENNE

Curious if there was any difference among the various brands of penne you find at the supermarket–from
fancy imported brands to inexpensive domestic brands–we pitted eight brands against each other in a taste-
off. Though the fancier brands from Italy boasted traditional techniques and ingredients (such as slow
kneading, mixing cold mountain spring water with hard durum semolina, and extruding the dough through
traditional bronze cast dies for a coarse texture), we found they didn’t necessarily translate into better-
tasting pasta. In fact, the three most expensive imports landed at the bottom of our rankings. Though none
were so bad that they were deemed unacceptable, there were significant differences among the brands we
tasted. In the end, tasters rated Mueller’s Penne Rigate the highest for “hearty,” “wheaty” flavor.
SUMMER PASTA WITH CORN, CHERRY TOMATOES, AND RICOTTA
SALATA
Summer Pasta With Corn and Tomatoes

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To enjoy the best of summer, we paired al

dente pasta with crisp-tender corn and ripe, plump cherry tomatoes. The key to
this dish’s success was cooking everything briefly to keep it fresh tasting. Sweet
corn and juicy cherry tomatoes needed a brief sauté to bring out their flavors and
soften them slightly. Tossing the pasta with extra-virgin olive oil and chopped
basil and mint kept everything light and bright, and toasted pine nuts and shaved
salty ricotta salata added savory richness.
Nowadays, most vegetables are available year-round, thanks to international
shipping and greenhouse agriculture. Yet there’s nothing quite like fresh, ripe
veggies at the height of the summer season, especially tomatoes and corn. We
wanted to create a pasta dish that showcased their sweet, bright flavors and was
prepared with minimal fuss.
While we wanted to keep the dish fresh-tasting, we knew the corn required at
least a little heat to enhance its natural sweetness and soften it slightly. Grilled
corn is always a favorite at the test kitchen, but firing up the grill to sear a single
ear of corn seemed downright silly. Instead, we cut the kernels from the cob and
sautéed them briefly in some extra-virgin olive oil. The sugars in the corn
caramelized to golden-brown perfection.
For substantial bites of tomato, we selected cherry tomatoes and halved them.
The skin-to-flesh ratio of cherry tomatoes ensured that they would maintain their
shape during a quick sear and not turn to mush. Adding them toward the end of
cooking helped keep them intact; a few minutes was enough to soften them
slightly and heat them through.
To keep this dish out of pasta salad territory, we bypassed the usual
vinaigrettes and dressings and simply tossed the pasta with extra-virgin olive oil.
While most pasta dishes call for just a sprinkling of herbs, we wanted to amp up
the fresh herbal flavor in our summer pasta. Rather than reserve the herbs for a
garnish, we used a generous amount of both chopped basil and chopped mint; a
full 3 tablespoons of each contributed major flavor. Given the fresh herbs’
prominent role in the dish, we found it important to treat them with extra care.
Both basil and mint have a tendency to discolor once chopped, so we waited
until just before serving to chop them and stir them in. A pinch of red pepper
flakes and some garlic punched up the background notes.
Our simple pasta dish was coming together nicely, but it called out for some
textural contrast. A few spoonfuls of nuts did the trick. Tasters preferred toasted
pine nuts for their mild flavor and subtle crunch.
Finally, we looked to incorporate a creamy, cheesy element and considered
our alternatives. Fresh mozzarella, a natural partner for fresh tomatoes, melted
into the pasta, while tangy goat cheese overpowered the more understated
flavors of the tomatoes and corn. In the end, we settled on salty ricotta salata, a
firm, tangy Italian sheep’s-milk cheese, to round out the dish. The saltiness of
the cheese provided the perfect contrast to the sweetness of the tomatoes and
caramelized corn. For a nice presentation, we shaved the cheese with a vegetable
peeler and served the shavings atop the finished pasta.
With its bright, fresh notes and focus on ripe, in-season vegetables, this pasta
dish delivered summer on a plate—make that two plates.
Summer Pasta with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata
SERVES 2

Both basil and mint have a tendency to discolor once chopped, so don’t chop
them too far ahead of time, and wait until just before serving to stir them into the
pasta. We like the flavor of ricotta salata in this dish, but Pecorino Romano
cheese can be substituted. Do not substitute frozen corn for the fresh corn here.
Other pasta shapes can be substituted for the farfalle; however, their cup
measurements may vary. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2
shallot, minced

1
ear corn, kernels cut from cob

Salt and pepper
garlic cloves, minced
2

Pinch red pepper flakes
ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
6
ounces (2½ cups) farfalle

6
tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

ounce ricotta salata, shaved

1
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add 1
teaspoon oil, corn, and ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook until corn is tender and spotty
brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant,
about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and cook until they just begin to soften, about
3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1
tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking
water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add sauce, pine nuts, and remaining
2 teaspoons oil and toss gently to combine. Before serving, add reserved cooking
water as needed to adjust consistency. Stir in basil and mint and season with salt
and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with ricotta salata and serve immediately.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

HOW TO COOK PASTA

If you ask 10 cooks how they cook pasta, you’re likely to get 10 different answers. In an effort to
standardize pasta cookery, we’ve come up with these guidelines that will guarantee perfect pasta every time.
USE 4 QUARTS OF WATER IN A LARGE POT: This may sound like a lot of water for just two
servings, but it will ensure that the pasta cooks evenly and doesn’t clump.
SKIP THE OIL AND USE PLENTY OF SALT: Many people dump oil into boiling pasta water, thinking
it will keep the pasta from sticking together, but this is a myth. Adding oil does not prevent sticking;
frequent stirring does. Skip the oil but make sure to add salt–roughly 1 tablespoon for 4 quarts of water–or
the pasta will taste bland.
TASTE PASTA OFTEN FOR DONENESS: Reading the instructions on the box is a good place to start,
but for al dente pasta, you may need to shave a few minutes off the recommended time. When you are a
minute or two shy of the recommended cooking time, begin tasting for doneness.
SAVE SOME COOKING WATER: Wait! Before you drain that pasta, measure about ½ cup of the
cooking water from the pasta pot with a liquid measuring cup. Then drain the pasta and immediately toss it
with the sauce. (Don’t let the pasta sit in the colander too long; it will get very dry very quickly.) When you
toss your sauce with the pasta, add some (or all) of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin the sauce as
needed.
 MEASURING PASTA SHAPES
The best method for measuring pasta is to weigh it using a scale. However, if you do not own a scale, we
have provided the equivalent cup measurements for various shapes. Use dry measuring cups for the most
accurate measurements, and pack them full.
Pasta Type: Farfalle
4 ounces: 1 ⅔ cup
6 ounces: 2 ½ cup
Pasta Type: Rigatoni, Rotini
4 ounces: 1 ½ cup
6 ounces: 2 ⅓ cup
Pasta Type: Penne, Ziti
4 ounces: 1 ¼ cup
6 ounces: 2 cups
Pasta Type: Campanelle
4 ounces: 1 ¼ cup
6 ounces: 2 cups
Pasta Type: Orecchiette
4 ounces: 1 cup
6 ounces: 1 ¾ cups
When 6 ounces of uncooked spaghetti, thin spaghetti, spaghettini, fettuccine, linguine, or vermicelli are
bunched together into a tight circle, the diameter measures about 1⅛ inches.
Campanelle With Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Roasted garlic adds sweet, intense flavor to
this simple pasta dinner. To speed up the time required to deliver richly flavored,
perfectly tender garlic, we turned out a few new tricks. First we separated the
cloves and removed the skins, then we combined the peeled garlic cloves with
oil and seasonings and roasted the mixture in a super-hot oven. Mashed with a
fork, the soft, caramelized garlic made a savory sauce for the pasta. Adding
shrimp right to the garlic and oil mixture to cook through instilled the briny
shellfish with big flavor quickly.
Pasta with garlic and olive oil makes the ultimate easy weeknight supper—
especially when cooking for two. Just bring a pot of water to a boil for your
noodles, whip up a simple garlic and oil sauce, marry the two, and you’re done.
But sometimes we want a garlicky olive oil sauce with more oomph, and while
the combination of garlic and olive oil is indeed simple, the standard preparation
of standing over a skillet while slowly sautéing the garlic can be downright
fussy. We wanted an easier way, and we wanted to add a little more heft to the
dish in the form of quick-cooking shrimp.
We started with the sauce. There’s a fine line between perfectly softened,
mellowed garlic and garlic that’s burnt and bitter—just a few extra seconds can
push it over the edge. Roasting, on the other hand, doesn’t run the same risk (or
require as much attention), because the gentle, ambient heat of the oven allows
the cloves to soften slowly and become nicely caramelized. But getting to this
point can take up to an hour, which seemed silly when prepping a two-person
supper; we needed a way to speed up the process.
Standard test kitchen protocol calls for roasting the garlic head whole with the
top quarter sliced off; the head is drizzled with olive oil, wrapped in aluminum
foil, and roasted on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven. To cut the hour-long
roasting time in half, we made a few changes to our established roasting
procedure. Our first move was to separate the cloves, which we hoped would
allow them to cook through more quickly than when bunched together in a
compact head. Then, since we weren’t trying to ward off vampires with this dish,
we whittled the number of cloves down to six, a number much more appropriate
for two servings. We also cranked up the oven to 475 degrees. Finally, we
swapped the baking sheet for a small baking dish, which would keep the cloves,
plus a generous pour of olive oil, in close quarters and ideally prevent burning.
After half an hour, we checked the oven only to encounter tough, dark brown
garlic cloves that were worlds away from the tender, richly caramelized garlic
we’d hoped for. Thinking back to the traditional roasting method, we realized
that the separated cloves of garlic still needed some protection from the direct
heat of the oven. For the next test, we covered the baking dish with aluminum
foil and lowered the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
In just 20 minutes, the garlic had become nicely caramelized and taken on a
rich, sweet flavor. But although the flavor and texture of the garlic were spot-on,
dealing with the scorching-hot, papery skins was a hassle; removing them prior
to roasting solved the problem. Now we could mash the tender cloves right in
the baking dish into a simple garlic and oil paste that would ensure that the rich
garlicky flavor was evenly distributed throughout the dish. With a bit of salt and
pepper, we had a flavorful start to our sauce.
As for the shrimp, we added them to the garlic and oil paste and returned the
baking dish (which easily accommodated 8 ounces of shrimp) to the oven,
uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Then we tossed the shrimp, garlic paste, pasta
water, and campanelle together. A bit of salty crumbled feta complemented the
sweet shrimp and garlic, and chopped basil added freshness.
After just a few forkfuls of this effortless, flavorful pasta dish, we had to
pause to congratulate ourselves. We had successfully cut the time it takes to roast
garlic in half—but we’d kept all the sweet roasted-garlic flavor intact.
Weeknight cooking was never so easy.
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta
SERVES 2

If your shrimp are larger or smaller, alter the cooking time in step 1 accordingly.
Other pasta shapes can be substituted for the campanelle; however, their cup
measurements may vary. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2½

tablespoons olive oil

garlic cloves, peeled
6

Salt and pepper
ounces medium-large shrimp (31 to 40 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
8
ounces (2 cups) campanelle

6
1½ ounces feta cheese, crumbled (⅓ cup)
⅓

cup chopped fresh basil

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine oil, garlic, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in small baking
dish; cover with aluminum foil. Bake, stirring occasionally, until garlic is
caramelized and soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then mash garlic and
oil into paste with fork. Stir in shrimp and continue to bake, uncovered, until
shrimp are cooked through, about 10 minutes longer.
2. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1
tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking
water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add shrimp mixture, feta, and basil
and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add reserved
cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PREPEELED VERSUS FRESH GARLIC

Many supermarkets carry jars or deli containers of peeled garlic cloves, but how do they compare to fresh
garlic bought by the head? We tasted both kinds in various recipes, both raw and cooked; in all cases the
results were mixed. However, we did notice a difference in shelf life: A head of garlic stored in a cool, dry
place will last for at least a few weeks, while peeled garlic in a jar (which must be kept refrigerated) lasts
for only about two weeks before turning yellowish and developing an overly pungent aroma, even if kept
unopened in its original packaging. But if you go through a lot of garlic, prepeeled cloves make a fine
alternative. Just make sure they look firm and white and have a matte finish when you purchase them.
WHOLE-WHEAT ROTINI WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS, BACON, AND
PEAS
Whole-Wheat Rotini with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon,
and Peas

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The hearty flavor of whole-wheat pasta

often requires a more robust sauce than tomato sauce. Enter earthy Brussels
sprouts in this incredibly satisfying dish. Sautéing our sliced Brussels sprouts in
rendered bacon fat ensured that our dish was intensely flavored, and simmering
the sprouts in a combination of chicken broth and cream gave our sauce savory
depth.
Whole-wheat pasta has become increasingly popular in recent years. But
although it brings something different to the table on pasta night, whole-wheat
pasta can be a challenge to dress. It has a robust, hearty flavor profile that
doesn’t take well to just any sauce—especially acidic, tomato-based sauces. Still,
we wanted to find a way to bring this whole-grain product to the dinner table for
two, and we thought we could find just the right combination of ingredients to
make its flavor profile shine.
With its earthy, nutty flavors in mind, we set about finding appropriate
matches for our whole-grain pasta. We tried an assortment of hearty vegetables,
cooked into a simple sauce and tossed with our pasta. Though a few different
options had their fans, one was the unanimous favorite. The firm texture and
nutty flavor of Brussels sprouts won over our tasters; unlike other greens that
wilt during cooking, Brussels sprouts soften but maintain their integrity and
flavor. While we love the texture of Brussels sprouts when halved and roasted,
we thought that thin slices of sprouts would meld into the dish better; using the
food processor made short work of this task. To add more depth and flavor to our
sauce, we decided to add a few slices of bacon. Once it was chopped and
cooked, we set the bacon aside to be added to the dish later. Then we sautéed our
thinly sliced sprouts in the rendered fat left behind in the skillet. The bacon fat
infused our sprouts with wonderfully smoky flavor, and a sliced shallot added an
earthy flavor base.
Though the Brussels sprouts browned and became deeply flavored, they
cooked unevenly due to the different thicknesses of the leaves and cores. To
make sure the sprouts were evenly cooked, we added some chicken broth to the
skillet and simmered the hearty vegetable until tender. In addition to cooking the
sprouts, the broth was our first step toward making the sauce. But broth alone
wouldn’t be enough to form a substantial sauce that would cling to the pasta. We
decided to add the same amount of heavy cream, which was just enough to
enrich and thicken the sauce. A small amount of grated Parmesan cheese
imparted a tangy note and added more richness.
At this point, we knew we were close; the sprouts were perfectly cooked and
the sauce was clinging nicely to the pasta. But although the sliced sprouts
melded into the pasta as we hoped, the dish begged for another vegetable for
sweetness and brightness. A smattering of frozen peas fit the bill, adding color,
texture, and a pleasant sweetness that played off the vegetal sprouts and smoky
bacon nicely. Finally, toasted walnuts provided additional richness and an
appealing crunch.
Miles away from ordinary, this satisfying melange of tender pasta and
vegetables, coated in a rich, savory sauce, was so easy and flavorful, we knew
we’d be making it again and again.
Whole-Wheat Rotini with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Peas
SERVES 2

Small, firm Brussels sprouts (about 1 inch in diameter) work best here. Slicing
the sprouts in a food processor cuts down on prep time and ensures that the
sprouts integrate well with the pasta. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

slices bacon, chopped

2
ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced thin

5
shallot, sliced thin

Salt and pepper
⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth
⅓

cup heavy cream

¼ cup frozen peas, thawed
ounces (2⅓ cups) whole-wheat rotini

6
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
tablespoons walnuts, toasted and chopped

2
1. Cook bacon in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5
minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel–lined plate.
2. Add Brussels sprouts, shallot, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper to fat
left in skillet and cook over medium-high heat until sprouts begin to soften,
about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and cream, cover, and simmer until sprouts are
tender, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in peas, cover, and let sit until heated
through, about 1 minute.
3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1
tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking
water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Stir in crisped bacon, Brussels sprouts
mixture, Parmesan, and walnuts and toss to combine. Season with salt and
pepper to taste and add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency.
Serve with extra Parmesan.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SLICING BRUSSELS SPROUTS

While you could slice the Brussels sprouts for this recipe by hand, using a food processor fitted with the
slicing disk makes quick work of the task and ensures even slices.
First, trim stem ends from Brussels sprouts. Then, working in batches, fill feed tube with sprouts and press
them through with feed tube plunger.
Cheese Ravioli with Pestos

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Ravioli make for a convenient weeknight

dinner, but because they trap so much water during cooking, they can wash out
and dilute any sauce that is served with them. To solve this problem, we created
a few thick, concentrated pestos that when mixed with the cooked ravioli
loosened to the proper consistency. Pairing an assertive central ingredient with
complementary herbs, toasted nuts or seeds, and citrus gave us four pestos with
very different, and very delicious, flavor profiles.
Packaged cheese ravioli seem like a no-brainer for a weeknight dinner for two:
Just top the ravioli with a quick-simmered red sauce (or even reach for a jarred
one) and dinner is served. But this approach ignores an unfortunate reality of
premade ravioli: Inevitably, excess water trapped inside the ravioli during
boiling leaks out when you cut into them, waterlogging the dish. Tomato sauce
often doesn’t have enough body or concentrated flavor to stand up to the extra
liquid—and honestly, we were tired of this pairing. Simple sauces based on
browned butter, olive oil, or cream aren’t a great choice either: Lacking the
sharpness required to provide a contrast with the typical ricotta filling, they
make for a heavy, cloying dish.
A thick, concentrated mixture, such as pesto, which could dilute to the proper
consistency and flavor once tossed with hot ravioli, did make sense. In addition
to boasting a robust flavor and substantial texture, it would just about match the
convenience of store-bought ravioli since it takes mere minutes to whip up in the
food processor.
We’re big fans of the traditional basil and pine-nut pesto, but we wanted to
branch out and liven up the weeknight dinner hour. Taking inspiration from a red
pepper sauce we sampled recently, we tried replacing the basil in a traditional
pesto recipe with jarred roasted red peppers. It was a good start, but the slightly
bitter edge of the pine nuts clashed with the peppers’ sharpness. Replacing the
pine nuts with sweeter pistachios improved matters, but the resulting dish lacked
complexity. The solution: adding some basil back into the mix. Then there was
the garlic. We had been using a single clove, which seemed appropriate for our
two-serving pesto, but tasters still thought it was too harsh and overwhelmed the
other flavors. So we borrowed a test kitchen trick, blanching the garlic in the
boiling pasta water to mellow its bite. Problem solved.
With our template in place, we moved on to variations, pairing an assertive
central ingredient (in addition to roasted red peppers, we liked browned butter,
green olives, and kale) with Parmesan cheese, blanched garlic, and
complementary herbs and toasted nuts or seeds. Because the water content
varied with each batch, we tailored the fat level in each to obtain the right
consistency.
There was one last consideration: how best to cook store-bought ravioli.
Because the texture and moisture level of the pastas differed widely from brand
to brand, and because the package instructions universally overestimated
cooking time, we came up with our own indicator: Once the corners of the
ravioli were slightly tender—but not mushy—we took the pasta off the heat.
We now had a repertoire of fresh, easy, intensely flavorful ravioli dinners that
were perfect for any night—or every night—of the week.
Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto
SERVES 2

Fresh or frozen ravioli may be used. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

garlic clove, unpeeled

1
¾ cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed and patted dry
½

cup fresh basil leaves

⅓

cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup shelled pistachios, toasted
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

9 ounces cheese ravioli

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add garlic to water and cook for 1
minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic to bowl and rinse under cold water to
stop cooking. Peel and mince garlic.
2. Pulse garlic, red peppers, basil, Parmesan, and pistachios in food processor
until finely ground, 20 to 30 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. With
processor running, slowly add oil until incorporated. Transfer to bowl and season
with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add ravioli and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring often,
until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain ravioli and return to pot.
4. Add ½ cup pesto to ravioli and gently toss to combine, adding cooking water
1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, to adjust consistency. Serve, passing
remaining pesto separately.
 VARIATIONS
Cheese Ravioli with Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto
Heat 3 tablespoons butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat, swirling constantly, until golden brown
and butter has nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and add ¼ cup chopped fresh sage to
butter. Set aside to cool, about 10 minutes. Proceed with recipe, substituting butter mixture for roasted red
peppers, fresh parsley for basil, and toasted walnuts for pistachios and omitting olive oil.
Cheese Ravioli with Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Pesto
Substitute ¼ cup pitted green olives for roasted red peppers, ¾ cup fresh parsley for basil, and toasted
slivered almonds for pistachios. Add ¼ teaspoon grated orange zest and 1 tablespoon orange juice to food
processor in step 2 and increase amount of olive oil to ¼ cup.
Cheese Ravioli with Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto
Substitute 1 cup chopped kale leaves for roasted red peppers and toasted sunflower seeds for pistachios.
Add ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes to food processor in step 2 and increase amount of olive oil to ¼ cup.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST RAVIOLI

Looking for the best supermarket ravioli, we sampled five brands–four frozen and one refrigerated–cooked
and tossed with neutral-tasting plain olive oil. The best ravioli had the most filling per pasta square or round
(at least a gram of filling for every 2 grams of pasta), and its filling tasted really cheesy, with the favored
brands including Parmesan or Romano cheese along with the usual ricotta. The better samples also used a
light hand when it came to spices, herbs, and additional fillers (like cracker meal) but were more generous
with the salt (though brands with too much salt were downgraded). Overall, our favorite was a frozen brand,
Rosetto Cheese Ravioli, which boasted a “creamy, plush, rich” blend of ricotta, Romano, and Parmesan
that provided “a burst of creamy cheese” in every bite. As for fresh ravioli, which are essential for recipes
where the pasta cooks in the sauce, tasters praised Buitoni Four Cheese Ravioli for its “nutty cheese
flavor” that came from a blend of mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, and ricotta, and for “great” pasta texture
that offered “good bite.”
Skillet Ravioli With Meat Sauce

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an effortless take on the classic duo of
cheese ravioli and meat sauce, we cooked fresh ravioli in a quick sauce made
from processed canned tomatoes and sweet Italian sausage. Dried porcini
mushrooms ramped up the savory depth of our speedy sauce in short order.
A staple on every italian restaurant menu, cheese-stuffed ravioli covered in
meaty tomato sauce is the ultimate in comfort food. But a deeply flavored sauce,
with bold tomato presence and tender bites of meat, can require a good chunk of
time on the stovetop. We wanted to bring this hearty, satisfying dish home for
the for-two table, but we didn’t want it to take all day. Could we find a speedy,
yet still flavorful, alternative to the long-simmered meat sauce?
Looking for the right cut of meat, we quickly bypassed larger cuts that might
require a longer cooking time and yield a bit too much for two diners. Meatloaf
mix, a convenient combination of ground beef, pork, and veal, is commonly used
to give meatloaf and meatballs rich, deep flavor and a tender texture. Indeed, we
found it became incredibly tender and offered big flavor with just a short
simmering time. To further bump up the flavor of our sauce, we called upon one
of the test kitchen’s secret weapons, dried porcini mushrooms; we use this
glutamate-rich ingredient to enhance the savory depth of many dishes, including
soups, stews, and braises. Just a small amount (⅛ ounce) made our meat sauce
taste even meatier.
The only problem so far was the inconvenient amount of meatloaf mix we
were using. Meatloaf mix is usually sold in larger quantities than the 8 ounces
we needed, and trying to make our own meatloaf mix with such slight amounts
of ground beef, pork, and veal was more trouble than it was worth. That’s when
a colleague suggested using fresh Italian sausage instead. Available in links in
the meat case or in bulk at the supermarket meat counter, this was the perfect
solution for our scaled-down sauce. What’s more, since sausage is preseasoned,
it contributed some herbal and aromatic notes to the dish.
Moving on to the tomatoes, we usually prefer the canned crushed variety in
quick-cooking sauces, as they contribute deep flavor in short order and thicken
to the perfect consistency. Unfortunately, crushed tomatoes come in bigger cans
than we needed for our small batch. Instead, we opted for a 14.5-ounce can of
diced tomatoes, which we processed to a smooth puree, then started building our
sauce. To avoid overcooking the sausage, we sautéed our aromatics first. An
onion and two cloves of garlic were just enough to give the sauce character. Next
we added our dried porcini, which softened in the skillet with the aromatics.
Then we stirred in the sausage so it could brown before we added the tomatoes.
Now we just needed to let the sausage cook through in the sauce and instill it
with big flavor as it thickened.
As we reached for a pot to cook the pasta, we wondered if there was enough
moisture in the skillet to cook the ravioli, too—this would save us time both
upfront (we wouldn’t have to wait for the water to boil) and later on (it would
cut back on dirty dishes). Plus, it would give the ravioli more time in the sauce,
allowing it to take on all the rich, savory flavors. To cook the pasta with our
sauce, we would have to add at least some water to the pan. To figure out how
much we needed, we added 9 ounces of fresh ravioli (just enough for two diners)
and varying amounts of water to our meat sauce. We then vigorously simmered
the ravioli until tender. One and a half cups of water proved just the right
amount, producing nicely cooked ravioli and a perfectly thickened sauce.
To enhance the fresh flavor of the sauce, we stirred in some chopped basil just
before serving and topped our plates with a sprinkle of Parmesan. True, the dish
didn’t have quite the depth of flavor of a cooked-all-day sauce, but none of our
tasters seemed to mind—or at least they were too busy eating to say so.
Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce
SERVES 2

Because the ravioli cooks right in the sauce, fresh ravioli should be used; do not
substitute frozen ravioli. If necessary, add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to
adjust the consistency of the sauce before serving. See the sidebar that follows
the recipe.

(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

small onion, chopped fine

1
garlic cloves, minced

2
⅛ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced
ounces sweet Italian sausage, casing removed

Salt and pepper
1½

cups water

9 ounces fresh cheese ravioli

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Grated Parmesan cheese
1. Process tomatoes in food processor until smooth, about 10 seconds; set aside.
Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion; cook
until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and porcini;
cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in sausage, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in processed tomatoes and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and simmer until sauce is
slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in water and ravioli. Increase heat to medium-high and cook at vigorous
simmer, stirring often, until ravioli is tender and sauce is thickened, 6 to 9
minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve
with Parmesan.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PREGRATING YOUR OWN PARMESAN

While some shortcuts are acceptable in the cooking-for-two kitchen (think prepackaged broccoli florets and
store-bought pie dough), the tasteless powdered Parmesan that comes in a green can is not one of them. In
tests, we’ve also found that the higher-grade pregrated cheese in the refrigerator section of the supermarket
is uneven in quality. But what about pregrating your own Parmesan to always have it at the ready? Do you
sacrifice any flavor for convenience? To find out, we divided a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano in two,
reducing one half to a powder in a food processor and leaving the other whole. We stored both in the
refrigerator for two weeks, then compared them side by side on their own, mixed into polenta, and added to
breading for chicken. After two weeks of storage, tasters were hard-pressed to detect a difference between
the cheeses, even in the side-by-side tasting. But after a full month of storage, tasters found a noticeable
drop-off in flavor in the pregrated cheese. So to save time and make dinner prep easier, we think pregrating
is fine, as long as you don’t store the cheese longer than two to three weeks. To make quick work of
grinding Parmesan, process 1-inch chunks in a food processor (no more than 1 pound at a time) until ground
into coarse particles, about 20 seconds. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.
FRESH PASTA WITH WALNUT CREAM SAUCE
Fresh Pasta Without a Machine

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Most fresh pasta recipes yield way too
much for two and require special equipment—not ours. For a scaled-down pasta
dough that could be easily rolled out by hand but would still cook up into
delicate, springy noodles, we added extra egg yolks and a little olive oil. In
addition, we incorporated an extended resting period to allow the gluten network
to relax and developed a simple, effective rolling technique. To dress up our
homemade noodles, we created two simple yet flavorful sauces.
The idea of homemade pasta is certainly appealing; what’s not to love about
eggy-rich ribbons of fresh pasta that boast a springy yet delicate chew? But most
fresh pasta recipes require either brute strength and years of practice or a pasta
machine to roll the dough to a uniformly thin texture. Purchasing a pasta roller
might seem worthwhile if you’re making a good amount of pasta or plan to use it
frequently, but it makes a little less sense if you’re just making pasta for two. We
wanted a recipe for pasta that didn’t require any extra equipment (or a gym
membership); the dough had to be supple enough to be rolled by hand and still
cook up to incredibly tender, silky strands with a slight, springy chew. And it had
to yield just enough for two.
We started by searching our Italian cookbooks for advice. In addition to
centuries of experience rolling out pasta, Italian cooks have another advantage—
the best kind of flour for the job: doppio zero, or 00. The name denotes the fine,
talcumlike grind that gives pasta and baked goods made with this low-protein
flour an almost creamy texture. We mail-ordered some doppio zero (the brand
we used had around 9 percent protein) and mixed up a batch of dough following
a typical approach: We put the usual ratio of 2 cups of flour to three whole eggs
in a food processor and processed until the dough formed a cohesive ball. We
then turned the dough out onto the counter, kneaded it for several minutes, and
set it aside to relax for about 20 minutes. Sure enough, the 00 produced a
malleable dough that was far easier to work with than dough made from all-
purpose flour.
But mail-ordering an ingredient for our recipe seemed like a hassle. To
achieve a similarly soft dough with supermarket staples, our first inclination was
to dilute the protein content of all-purpose flour (which boasts 10 to 12 percent
protein) by cutting it with cake flour (which has 6 to 8 percent protein). Indeed,
our testing of various ratios led us to a dough that was much softer, less elastic,
and easier to roll out; unfortunately, the cooked strands released a lot of starch
into the cooking water and emerged with a pitted, pebbly surface. Clearly, we
needed a different strategy for producing more malleable dough, so we turned
our attention to the amount of liquid in the recipe.
Traditional pasta dough is about 30 percent water, all of which comes from the
eggs. We figured that simply upping the hydration level would help us toward
our goal, so we experimented with adding plain water to a batch of dough and an
extra egg white (the white accounts for 80 percent of an egg’s moisture) to
another. Just as we’d hoped, these more hydrated doughs were softer—at least
initially—but they required the heavy use of bench flour during rolling, and with
too much gluten development the dough would snap back to its original shape
once stretched out and cook up tough and chewy. We wondered if olive oil, a
common addition to many fresh pasta recipes, might loosen the dough without
the pitfalls of water.
We mixed up a few more batches of dough, adding increasing amounts of
olive oil. As the oil amount increased, the dough became more supple and easier
to roll out. But because fat coats the proteins, inhibiting gluten formation, too
much oil once again weakened the dough’s structure, leading to excess starch
loss in the water and a compromised texture. We found the upper limit at 2
tablespoons of oil.
Up to this point we had tried adding water, protein (from egg whites), and fat
to the dough, but we hadn’t experimented with the one ingredient that contains
all three: yolks. In many pasta doughs yolks are substituted for some of the
whole eggs because in addition to being 50 percent liquid, yolks are loaded with
fat and emulsifiers, both of which limit gluten development. Since our first pasta
tests yielded too much for two people, we scaled our flour amount down to 1 cup
and began hydrating that amount. To 1 cup of flour, one whole egg (we ditched
an egg from the traditional formula), and 1 tablespoon of olive oil we kept
adding yolks until we had a truly soft, easy-to-work dough that also boiled up
nice and tender. The magic number was three extra yolks. This dough took on a
beautiful yellow hue, yielded to gentle pressure with a rolling pin, and cooked up
into delicate ribbons with a springy bite.
Now we turned our attention to finding the best way to rest, roll, and cut the
pasta. After being mixed, pasta dough is often rested for 20 to 30 minutes to
allow the flour to fully hydrate and the newly formed gluten to cross-link into a
network and then relax. Given that 30 minutes makes for a friendlier dough,
would longer be even better? We let our dough sit at room temperature for an
extended period of time, cutting and rolling out pieces every 30 minutes. As we
suspected, after an hour the dough was significantly more malleable—and it
continued to soften over the next three hours.
At last, we were ready to roll. But though this dough was worlds away from
the dense blocks we’d struggled with in the past, it still required a bit of
technique. We first cut the dough into three manageable pieces. Working with
one at a time, we dusted each piece lightly with flour and flattened it into a 3-
inch square. From there we switched to a rolling pin and doubled it to a 6-inch
square. After another light dusting of flour, we began working the dough. We
started with the pin in the middle of the dough and first rolled away, returned to
the middle, and then rolled toward the body. When the dough reached 6 by 12
inches, we gave it another dusting of flour and then repeated the rolling process
until the dough measured roughly 6 by 20 inches. To cut the dough into strands,
we allowed the sheets to dry on dish towels until firm around the edges (a step
that enabled us to avoid dusting with more flour) before folding them up at 2-
inch intervals and slicing crosswise to the desired thickness.
With our homemade pasta ready to go, we simply needed a couple of simple
sauces that would add flavor without stealing the limelight. For an intense,
ultrasavory option, we sautéed a minced anchovy with a garlic clove, then added
lemon juice and parsley for brightness and freshness. For a more elegant take on
pasta night, we paired walnuts with cream and white wine; minced chives
contributed an herbal, grassy note. Without having to purchase any special
equipment, we’d still found a way to put wonderfully springy, delicate
homemade noodles on the dinner table for two—we’d call that a win-win.
Fresh Pasta without a Machine
MAKES 9 OUNCES; SERVES 2

If using a high-protein all-purpose flour such as King Arthur brand, increase the
number of egg yolks to four. The longer the dough rests in step 2, the easier it
will be to roll out. When rolling out the dough, avoid adding too much flour,
which may result in excessive snapback. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

1
large egg plus 3 large yolks

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon salt
recipe sauce (recipes follow)

1
1. Process flour, egg and yolks, and oil in food processor until mixture forms
cohesive dough that feels soft and is barely tacky to touch, about 30 seconds. (If
dough sticks to fingers, add up to 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, until
barely tacky. If dough doesn’t become cohesive, add up to 1½ teaspoons water,
½ teaspoon at a time, until it just comes together; process 30 seconds longer.) 2.
Turn dough ball out onto dry surface and knead until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
Shape dough into 3-inch-long cylinder. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside at
room temperature to rest for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
3. Cut cylinder crosswise into 3 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough
(rewrap remaining dough), dust both sides with flour, place cut side down on
clean counter, and press into 3-inch square. Using heavy rolling pin, roll into 6-
inch square. Dust both sides of dough lightly with flour. Starting at center of
square, roll dough away from you in 1 motion. Return rolling pin to center of
dough and roll toward you in 1 motion. Repeat steps of rolling until dough sticks
to counter and measures roughly 12 inches long. Lightly dust both sides of
dough with flour and continue rolling dough until it measures roughly 20 inches
long and 6 inches wide, frequently lifting dough to release it from counter. (You
should be able to easily see outline of your fingers through dough.) If dough
firmly sticks to counter and wrinkles when rolled out, dust dough lightly with
flour.
4. Transfer pasta sheet to dish towel and let sit, uncovered, until firm around
edges, about 15 minutes; meanwhile, roll out remaining dough. Starting with 1
short end, gently fold pasta sheet at 2-inch intervals until sheet has been folded
into flat, rectangular roll. With sharp chef’s knife, slice crosswise into 3⅙-inch-
thick noodles. Use fingers to unfurl pasta and transfer to baking sheet. Repeat
folding and cutting remaining sheets of dough. Cook noodles within 1 hour.
5. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add salt and pasta and cook until
tender but still al dente, about 3 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water.
Drain pasta and toss with sauce; serve immediately.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Follow recipe through step 4, transfer baking sheet of
pasta to freezer, and freeze until pasta is firm. Transfer to zipper-lock bag and
store for up to 2 weeks. Cook frozen pasta straight from freezer as directed in
step 5.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
Rolling and Cutting Pasta Dough by Hand

1. Shape dough into 3-inch cylinder; wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 1 hour. Divide into 3 equal
pieces. Reserve 1 piece; rewrap remaining 2 pieces.
2. Working with reserved piece of dough, dust both sides with flour, then press cut side down into 3-inch
square. With rolling pin, roll into 6-inch square, then dust both sides again with flour.
3. Roll dough to 12 by 6 inches, rolling from center 1 way at a time, then dust with flour. Roll to 20 by 6
inches, lifting frequently to release from counter. Transfer dough to dish towel and air-dry.
4. Starting with short end, gently fold dried sheet at 2-inch intervals to create flat, rectangular roll.
5. With sharp knife, cut into 3⅙-inch-thick noodles.
6. Use fingers to unfurl pasta and transfer to baking sheet.
Olive Oil Sauce with Anchovy and Parsley
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 9 OUNCES PASTA

Mincing the anchovy ensures that its flavor gets evenly distributed. Use a high-
quality extra-virgin olive oil in this recipe; our preferred brand is Columela.

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3
garlic clove, minced

1
anchovy fillet, rinsed, patted dry, and minced

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add
garlic, anchovy, pinch salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about
30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.
2. To serve, return pan to medium heat. Add pasta, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking
water, lemon juice, and parsley and toss to combine. Add remaining cooking
water as needed to adjust consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste and
serve immediately.
Walnut Cream Sauce
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 9 OUNCES PASTA
¾ cup walnuts
⅓ cup dry white wine
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1. Toast walnuts in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant, 2
to 4 minutes. Process ½ cup walnuts in food processor until finely ground, about
10 seconds. Transfer to small bowl. Pulse remaining ¼ cup walnuts in food
processor until coarsely chopped, 3 to 5 pulses. Bring wine to simmer in now-
empty skillet over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about
3 minutes. Whisk in cream, walnuts, Parmesan, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon
pepper. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.
2. To serve, return pan to medium heat. Add pasta, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking
water, and chives and toss to combine. Add remaining cooking water as needed
to adjust consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve
immediately.
POTATO GNOCCHI WITH BROWNED BUTTER AND SAGE
Potato Gnocchi With Browned Butter and Sage

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For impossibly light gnocchi with

unmistakable potato flavor, we started with russet potatoes. Baking them (a
quick stint in the microwave helped to shorten the oven time) produced intensely
flavored spuds—an excellent start to our gnocchi base. We used a ricer to give us
a smooth, supple mash and an exact amount of flour based on the ratio of potato
to flour so that our gnocchi dough yielded just enough for two and was mixed as
little as possible. An egg tenderized our gnocchi further, delivering delicate,
pillowlike dumplings.
When done right, potato gnocchi boast a pillowy texture and an earthy flavor
that needs nothing more than a gloss of browned butter sauce. Creating them
always looks easy: Mash cooked potatoes, bind them with flour and knead into
dough, shape into dumplings, and boil. And yet most of the time, these
dumplings turn out dense, gluey, or rubbery—and sometimes all of the above.
The fact is that even in a seemingly simple recipe such as this, there’s plenty
of room for error. First, the moisture in the potato will affect how much flour the
dough absorbs—and, in turn, will impact the density of the gnocchi. Second,
mashing the potatoes (a necessary step) bursts their starch cells; the more they
burst, the more gluey the gnocchi will become. Third, developing some gluten is
what gives gnocchi their pleasantly faint chew, but mixing in too much flour or
overkneading the dough will result in leaden sinkers. And since even the most
perfectly textured gnocchi can lack distinct potato flavor, the challenge looms
even larger.
So, our goal for this Italian favorite was twofold: Find a way to make this
simple recipe foolproof so that light, delicate, and potato-y gnocchi were not a
happy accident, and figure out how to deliver just enough for two so we weren’t
producing enough gnocchi to feed a small village.
After testing other varieties, we settled on russet potatoes, since their low-
moisture flesh absorbs less flour than other spuds. The problem is that they’re
also somewhat bland tasting, but we figured that we’d find a way to amp up the
potato flavor in the precooking step. We found that baking deepened the
potatoes’ flavor, while boiling them washed it out. Even better, the oven’s dry
heat evaporated some of the spuds’ moisture, yielding fluffier results. To hasten
the process, we microwaved the potatoes for 10 minutes before moving them
into a 450-degree oven, where they needed just 20 minutes to finish cooking.
(Microwaving them the whole time led to unevenly cooked, bland potatoes.) We
then used an oven mitt and paring knife to quickly peel the hot-from-the-oven
potatoes.
Next, it was time to mash our spuds, and for the gentlest method possible, we
chose a ricer. We’ve found that this tool ruptures fewer starch cells than hand
mashing, since it compresses the potatoes only once. After passing the potatoes
through the ricer, we spread the strands on a baking sheet, where they continued
to release steam.
Once the potatoes had cooled slightly, we could incorporate the flour. Most
recipes offered a range of flour amounts in the ingredient list, the idea being to
form the dough with the lesser amount of flour and boil a few test dumplings to
see if it’s enough to keep the gnocchi intact. The problem is that more flour is
inevitably required, which means extra kneading—and more gluten development
—as you work it in. To limit the dough manipulation, we resolved that we
needed to weigh out an exact amount of cooked potato and then determine the
precise amount of flour necessary. Not only would we avoid guesswork during
mixing, but the dough would turn out the same way every time.
To determine the minimum amount of flour required to bind 16 ounces of
potato (more than that made too much gnocchi for two people), we made several
batches of dough, using a fork to gently stir different amounts into each and
kneading them for just a minute. The magic number was 5 ounces; any less, and
the gnocchi feathered apart in the water. But although these gnocchi were
relatively light and airy, they still weren’t the delicate puffs we had envisioned.
Reasoning that we could do no more than we already had with the potatoes
and flour, we turned to baking soda and baking powder, chemical leaveners that
give baked goods their rise. Unfortunately, while both caused the gnocchi to puff
up, they also encouraged absorption and caused the gnocchi to turn mushy. With
so little gluten, the dough couldn’t hold the gases created by leavening, and it
blew apart, allowing water to seep in.
Almost out of ideas, we tried incorporating an egg, a relatively common
addition that we’d avoided because we thought its proteins would coagulate
during cooking and bind the dough together too firmly. With nothing to lose, we
whipped up another batch of dough, this time stirring in a beaten egg before
adding the flour. Predictably, the dough was a little wetter than usual, making us
skeptical about the gnocchi holding together when they hit the boiling water.
Amazingly, these gnocchi not only held their shape but also emerged from the
water puffed and tender. We pressed our luck even further and made another
batch, dropping the flour to a mere 4 ounces. Finally, the gnocchi had the
impossibly light texture and rich potato flavor we’d been aiming for.
For shaping our gnocchi, we kept the method traditional: We cut the dough
into eight pieces, rolled each into a ½-inch-thick rope, and then cut ¾-inch
lengths. From there, we simply pressed each dumpling against the back of a fork
to create an indentation and then rolled it down the tines to create ridges. This
classic technique serves two purposes: The ridges trap sauce, and the indentation
helps the gnocchi cook more evenly.
These potato-y puffs were good enough to eat straight from the pot, drizzled
with a little extra-virgin olive oil, but we also wanted to whip up a simple sauce.
The traditional nutty browned butter with shallot and fresh sage fit the bill
perfectly—and took just 3 minutes to make.
Potato Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage
SERVES 2

For the most accurate measurements, weigh the potatoes and flour. After
processing, you may have slightly more than the 3 cups (16 ounces) of potatoes
required for this recipe. Discard any extra or set it aside for another use. This
recipe makes two hearty portions. For lighter portions, freeze up to one-third of
the gnocchi according to the directions below. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

GNOCCHI

2 pounds russet potatoes

large egg, lightly beaten

1
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter

1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon salt

SAUCE
tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

4
small shallot, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

1½

teaspoons lemon juice

¼
teaspoon salt
1. FOR THE GNOCCHI: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to
450 degrees. Poke each potato 8 times with paring knife over entire surface.
Microwave potatoes until slightly softened at ends, about 10 minutes, flipping
potatoes halfway through cooking. Transfer potatoes directly to oven rack and
bake until skewer glides easily through flesh and potatoes yield to gentle
pressure, 18 to 20 minutes.
2. Holding each potato with potholder or dish towel, peel with paring knife.
Process potatoes through ricer or food mill onto rimmed baking sheet. Gently
spread potatoes into even layer and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Transfer 3 cups (16 ounces) warm potatoes to bowl. Using fork, gently stir in
egg until just combined. Sprinkle flour and 1 teaspoon salt over potato mixture.
Using fork, gently combine until no pockets of dry flour remain. Press mixture
into rough ball, transfer to lightly floured counter, and gently knead until smooth
but slightly sticky, about 1 minute, lightly dusting counter with flour as needed
to prevent sticking.
4. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and dust liberally with
flour. Cut dough into 8 pieces. Lightly dust counter with flour. Gently roll 1
piece of dough into ½-inch-thick rope, dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Cut
rope into ¾-inch lengths. Holding fork with tines facing down in 1 hand, press
each dough piece cut side down against tines with thumb of other hand to create
indentation. Roll dough down tines to form ridges on sides. If dough sticks, dust
thumb or fork with flour. Transfer formed gnocchi to sheets and repeat with
remaining dough.
5. FOR THE SAUCE: Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat,
swirling occasionally, until butter is browned and releases nutty aroma, about 1½
minutes. Off heat, add shallot and sage, stirring until shallot is fragrant, about 1
minute. Stir in lemon juice and salt; cover to keep warm.
6. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add remaining 1 tablespoon salt.
Using parchment paper as sling, gently lower gnocchi from 1 sheet into water
and cook until firm and just cooked through, about 90 seconds (gnocchi should
float to surface after about 1 minute). Using slotted spoon, transfer cooked
gnocchi to skillet with sauce. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. Gently toss
gnocchi with sauce and serve.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Follow recipe through step 4, then let gnocchi air-dry at
room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Transfer baking sheet to
freezer and freeze until pasta is solid, about 45 minutes. Transfer to zipper-lock
bag and store for up to 1 month. Cook frozen pasta straight from freezer as
directed in step 6.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING THE RIGHT IMPRESSION

To create ridges in gnocchi, hold fork with tines facing down. Press each dough piece, cut side down,
against tines with thumb to make indentation. Roll dumpling down tines to create ridges on sides.
VEGETABLE LASAGNA
VEGETABLE LASAGNA

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a petite lasagna better suited for a
couple, we scaled down from the standard large baking dish to a loaf pan. Then
we precooked our vegetables—eggplant, zucchini, and spinach—to concentrate
their flavors and prevent a watery dish. Pairing two simple, no-cook sauces—a
rich, creamy white sauce consisting of herbed Boursin cheese and whole milk,
and a tangy tomato sauce—with no-boil noodles ensured that our lasagna for two
was as easy as it was flavorful.
Lasagna is perfect when you’re cooking for a group—most recipes make enough
to feed the masses. But when you’re cooking for two, spending all that time
boiling noodles, making a sauce (or sauces), and carefully assembling the whole
shebang doesn’t make sense. We wanted a scaled-down take on this classic
casserole that fed just two, not 10, and was easy to put together. Rather than the
standard meat lasagna, we had a hearty, satisfying vegetable lasagna in mind,
chock-full of fresh, tender eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash. But though a
veggie-laden lasagna might look tempting enough, with a topcoat of bubbly
cheese and thick tomato gravy, cutting out a square of it often reveals trouble at
the core. Usually placed between the pasta sheets raw, the zucchini and squash
tend to turn out steamy and limp, flooding the dish with their juices—or, in some
instances, undercooked and crunchy. Then there’s the eggplant, which is
typically not only soggy, but also greasy from prefrying. Add to that the usual
patches of dry, grainy ricotta and it was clear we had our work cut out for us. But
we had a good idea of where to start: To make a full-flavored (but not full-size)
lasagna with vegetables that could stand up to—not wash out—the cheese and
sauce, we knew we’d have to rid the produce of some of its moisture and boost
its flavor before adding it to the dish.
First, we focused our efforts on the most unruly element: the eggplant.
Besides being full of water, eggplant is extremely porous and readily soaks up
any available liquid (including oil). Previous test kitchen experience taught us
that the best way to rid the eggplant of water and collapse its air pockets was to
salt the eggplant and then heat it in the microwave. Salt pulls water out of it
through osmosis at the same time the microwave causes it to steam.
Microwaving also collapses the eggplant’s air pockets, leaving the fruit
shrunken, wrinkled, and less prone to absorbing oil or liquid. When we sautéed
the pretreated eggplant to give it more flavor and color, it picked up hardly any
oil at all.
Since we were trying to keep our ingredient list streamlined for this lasagna
built for two, we opted to use just one type of squash (either zucchini or summer
squash work just fine). We considered salting the squash to remove its excess
water, but we were fairly certain that a turn in the skillet would drive off enough
moisture and deepen its flavor. We combined cubed squash with the microwaved
eggplant and sautéed the mixture with garlic and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
About seven minutes later, the vegetables had developed a lightly browned
exterior and picked up some garlicky flavor, but we wondered if we could do
better. We minced a couple more cloves of garlic and let the bits soak for a few
minutes in a teaspoon of olive oil along with some minced fresh thyme. Added
to the skillet as the vegetables finished cooking, this super-garlicky, herbal-
infused mixture gave the eggplant and squash so much flavor that they were
good enough to eat straight from the pan.
Now it was time to see how the vegetables would fare in the lasagna. We
made a placeholder tomato sauce by briefly simmering canned tomato sauce
with garlic, olive oil, basil, and a dash of pepper flakes. We then layered three
no-boil noodles (our favorite alternative to fresh pasta) with the sauce, the
sautéed eggplant and squash, and generous helpings of ricotta and mozzarella in
an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan, which gave us just the right amount for two. Then
we baked the casserole in a 375-degree oven until golden and bubbly.
The good news was that starting with precooked vegetables allowed us to cut
the baking time to about 35 minutes. But improvements were still needed here
and there. Instead of acting as a creamy binder, the ricotta had cooked up into
grainy slicks, and some tasters wanted the dairy element to be even richer. What
we really wanted, it seemed, was something more akin to a creamy béchamel to
contrast with the earthiness of the vegetables. Plus, we needed only a small
amount, since a little richness goes a long way, and we were making lasagna to
serve only two. As we considered our cheese options, we hit on Boursin cheese,
which is flavored with herbs and garlic. With a quick stint in the microwave, it
was perfectly rich and creamy—and exactly what we were looking for. On a
whim, we tried melting a few ounces with just enough milk to make it saucy. We
found that 3 tablespoons of whole milk was the right amount to give 2½ ounces
of Boursin the perfect sauciness. But would it work in the lasagna?
In a word: Yes. The creamy cheese produced a “sauce” that was considerably
richer than the ricotta without a hint of graininess, and the herb flavors already at
work in the cheese meant a shorter shopping list.
The cream sauce settled, we turned our attention to the underwhelming tomato
sauce. We couldn’t help but wonder if a similar no-cook approach might liven up
its dull flavor—and save a few extra minutes at the stove. We prepared another
batch, this time simply stirring together the ingredients and adding the sauce to
the casserole without simmering it first. The results were better than ever. Even
after baking and cooling, the sauce still tasted bright, livening up the filling with
just enough acidity.
A few final touches punched up the flavor of our lasagna even more. A
handful of minced kalamata olives added meaty texture and a briny, salty jolt of
flavor. For freshness, we added a few handfuls of baby spinach, which took no
time to sauté in a touch of olive oil until wilted and drain before layering into the
filling. The final touch was a generous amount of chopped fresh basil, sprinkled
on the casserole right before serving.
At last, our veggie lasagna had it all, with its rich flavors, creamy cheese, and
substantial texture—along with a summery brightness that set it apart from the
meat kind.
Vegetable Lasagna
SERVES 2

The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan measures 8½ by 4½ inches; if you use a 9
by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness five minutes earlier than advised
in the recipe. We prefer the lasagna made with our favorite whole-milk, block-
style mozzarella from Sorrento, but Kraft part-skim preshredded mozzarella is
also fine. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

(8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1
⅓

cup chopped fresh basil

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3
garlic cloves, minced

4
⅛

teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper
2½ ounces Boursin cheese, softened (5 tablespoons)

3 tablespoons whole milk

ounces eggplant, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (2 cups)

8
ounces zucchini or yellow summer squash, cut into ½-inch pieces (1½ cups)
12
¾

teaspoon minced fresh thyme

ounces (4 cups) baby spinach
4
no-boil lasagna noodles

2 tablespoons minced pitted kalamata olives

ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)

4
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk
tomato sauce, ¼ cup basil, 1 tablespoon oil, 2 teaspoons garlic, and pepper flakes
together in bowl; season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Combine
Boursin and milk in bowl and microwave, covered, until cheese is melted, about
1 minute; set aside.
2. Toss eggplant with ¼ teaspoon salt in large bowl. Line surface of large plate
with double layer of coffee filters and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray.
Spread eggplant in even layer over filters. Wipe out and reserve now-empty
bowl. Microwave eggplant, uncovered, until dry to touch and slightly shriveled,
about 8 minutes, tossing once halfway through to ensure that eggplant cooks
evenly. Let cool slightly. Return eggplant to bowl and toss with zucchini.
3. Combine 1 teaspoon oil, remaining 2 teaspoons garlic, and thyme in small
bowl. Heat 4 teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat
until shimmering. Add eggplant mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until
vegetables are lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of
skillet; add garlic mixture to clearing and cook, mashing with spatula, until
fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir to combine garlic mixture with vegetables and
transfer to medium bowl.
4. Return now-empty skillet to medium-high heat, add remaining 1 teaspoon oil,
and heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until
wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer spinach to paper towel–lined plate and let drain
for 2 minutes. Stir into eggplant mixture.
5. Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray. Layer ¼ cup tomato
sauce, 1 noodle, half of vegetable mixture (1½ cups), followed by 1 tablespoon
olives, ¼ cup cream sauce, and ¼ cup mozzarella into prepared loaf pan. Repeat
layering process.
6. Add remaining 1 noodle and top with remaining ½ cup tomato sauce. Sprinkle
evenly with remaining ½ cup mozzarella.
7. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil
spray. Bake until bubbling, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes on wire
rack. Sprinkle with remaining basil and serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SHRINKING EGGPLANT DOWN TO SIZE

Eggplant is full of water that will wash out the flavors of lasagna as it bakes in the oven. It’s also riddled
with air pockets that act as a magnet for oil. Salting the cubed eggplant, then microwaving it, solves both
problems: Microwaving not only speeds up salt’s ability to pull moisture out of the eggplant but also
collapses the eggplant’s air pockets. (We set the eggplant on a double layer of coffee filters to absorb the
excess moisture as it is released.) The result: low-moisture, meaty-tasting eggplant that doesn’t soak up too
much oil when sautéed.

RAW
SALTED AND MICROWAVED
Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta With Shrimp

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: A rich seafood paella made with noodles
instead of rice, fideuà can take several hours to prepare. We wanted to streamline
and scale down the recipe to serve two but keep the deep flavor intact. In place
of the usual slow-cooked fish stock, we made a quick shrimp stock using shrimp
shells, chicken broth, water, and a bay leaf. We also made a speedy sofrito, the
aromatic base common in Spanish cooking, with a finely minced onion and
finely chopped single tomato, which softened and browned quickly. To boost the
flavor of our shrimp, we marinated them briefly in olive oil, garlic, salt, and
pepper.
The biggest star of traditional spanish cooking is arguably paella, but there’s
another closely related dish equally deserving of raves: fideuà. This richly
flavored dish swaps the rice for thin noodles that are typically toasted until nut-
brown before being cooked in a garlicky, tomatoey stock loaded with seafood
and sometimes chorizo sausage. While paella is moist but not soupy, fideuà is
often a little brothy. The two dishes are plenty different, but there is one big
thing that paella and fideuà have in common: a lengthy and involved cooking
process. Most recipes we’ve seen call for the same series of steps: Fish and
shellfish scraps are simmered to create stock, the fideos noodles are toasted, a
flavorful base (the sofrito) is put together by slowly reducing fresh tomatoes
with aromatics and seasonings, the sofrito and stock are combined and the
noodles and seafood are added to the rich-tasting liquid to cook through, and
finally the whole thing goes into the oven to create a crunchy layer of pasta on
top. We knew from experience that the results were often well worth the effort.
As with paella, tinkering with fideuà is part of the art. We decided that our
tweaks would be aimed at streamlining a recipe for a weeknight meal for two but
leaving it every bit as deeply flavorful as the more time-consuming versions.
Our first decision was to keep things simple in the seafood department and go
with shrimp alone. Our next step was to make a stock without even dirtying a
pot. We knew that shrimp shells can build a surprisingly flavorful broth without
much help, so we combined the shells from 8 ounces of shrimp in a bowl with
some water and a bay leaf and microwaved it all until the shells turned pink and
the water was hot. The resulting broth wasn’t bad for something that took such
little effort, but its taste improved when we replaced a portion of the water with
chicken broth and added a small measure of white wine for brightness.
Fideos come in varying thicknesses and shapes, including short, straight
strands and coiled nests of thin, vermicelli-like noodles, but we wanted our
recipe to be an easy weeknight dinner that didn’t require seeking out specialty
ingredients. We found that snapping spaghettini (more widely available than
fideos) into pieces gave us a fine approximation of the first type of fideos. Not
all fideuà recipes call for toasting the pasta, but skipping that step led to a dish
that tasted weak and washed out. Toasting the pasta in the oven provided
controlled heat but required repeatedly moving a baking sheet in and out in order
to stir the noodles—and added another item to the dirty-dish pile. We opted to
use the stovetop instead. Toasting the pasta in a skillet—the same skillet in
which the dish would be cooked and served—also required stirring, but this was
much easier to monitor. Since we were working in the tight space of a 10-inch
skillet, we found that 1-inch pieces of spaghettini were easy to toss and
guaranteed even toasting.
Next we examined the sofrito. This flavor base shows up in a variety of forms
in Spanish dishes but always features some combination of aromatics—onion,
garlic, celery, and bell pepper are common—slow-cooked in oil to soften and
concentrate their flavors. In fideuà, onion and garlic are typical, along with
tomato. In the interest of efficiency, we ruled out preparing the sofrito separately,
in another skillet. We also finely chopped our onion so that it would cook
quickly and added ⅛ teaspoon of salt to help draw out moisture so that the onion
softened and browned even faster in the oil.
A single tomato gave us just enough of an acidic base for our dinner for two,
and chopping the tomato finely meant it took a short amount of time to cook
down and develop deep flavor. Added to the skillet with the softened onion, the
tomato reduced to a thick paste in minutes. Then we introduced minced garlic
and cooked the mixture for a minute to bloom the flavors.
Our next task: getting the right proportion of liquid to pasta. For 6 ounces of
pasta, 2½ cups of liquid was the perfect amount. It allowed the pasta to soak up
enough liquid to become tender while leaving just a little behind in the skillet.
Now it was time to fine-tune the flavors. A mixture of sweet and Spanish
smoked paprikas won praise for its balance of smokiness and earthy sweetness,
and while we liked the distinctly Spanish flavor of saffron, it wasn’t worth the
exorbitant cost, so we left it out. A small amount of anchovy paste, a go-to flavor
booster in the test kitchen because of its high level of glutamates, added to the
sofrito with the garlic and paprika offered depth, and its flavor blended
seamlessly with the shrimp.
As for the shrimp, we found that simmering them in the stock with the pasta
made them rubbery. Adding them during the last five minutes of cooking and
covering the pan improved their texture. For more flavor, we soaked them briefly
in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
In some recipes fideuà is finished in the oven, which turns the surface of the
pasta crisp and brown—a nice contrast with the tender noodles and seafood
underneath. The broiler seemed ideal for achieving such a crust, but when its
intense heat toughened the shrimp, we decided to make a small change: After
scattering the raw shrimp over the surface of the pasta, we gently stirred them
into the noodles to partially submerge them and protect them from the heat.
Finally, we accompanied our fideuà with two traditional condiments: lemon
wedges and a spoonful of aïoli, a garlic mayonnaise that adds richness.
What had our tweaks accomplished? A recipe for Spanish-style fideuà that
delivered terrific flavor in far less time and with far less effort, and it was
perfectly scaled down for two.
Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp
SERVES 2

In step 5, if your skillet is not broiler-safe, once the pasta is tender transfer the
mixture to a broiler-safe 8-inch baking dish lightly coated with olive oil; scatter
the shrimp over the pasta and stir them in to partially submerge. Broil and serve
as directed. Serve this dish with lemon wedges and Aïoli (recipe follows),
stirring it into individual portions at the table. Click here for a tip on how to
measure out long strands of pasta without using a scale. See the sidebar that
follows the recipe.

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2
garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper
ounces extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined, shells reserved
8
1¾

cups water
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf
ounces spaghettini or thin spaghetti, broken into 1-inch lengths

6
small onion, chopped fine
1
tomato, cored and chopped fine

1
½

teaspoon paprika
½

teaspoon smoked paprika

¼

teaspoon anchovy paste

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Lemon wedges
recipe Aïoli (optional; recipe follows)

1
1. Combine 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon garlic, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper
in medium bowl. Add shrimp, toss to coat, and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Place reserved shrimp shells, water, broth, and bay leaf in medium bowl.
Cover and microwave until liquid is hot and shells have turned pink, about 6
minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
3. Toss spaghettini and 2 teaspoons oil in broiler-safe 10-inch skillet until
spaghettini is evenly coated. Toast spaghettini over medium-high heat, stirring
frequently, until browned and nutty in aroma (spaghettini should be color of
peanut butter), 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer spaghettini to bowl. Wipe out skillet with
paper towels.
4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat
until shimmering. Add onion and ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently,
until onion is softened and beginning to brown around edges, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick, dry, and
slightly darkened in color, 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add
remaining garlic, paprika, smoked paprika, and anchovy paste. Cook until
fragrant, about 1½ minutes. Add spaghettini and stir to combine. Adjust oven
rack 5 to 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.
5. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into skillet, discarding solids. Add
wine, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and stir well. Increase heat to
medium-high and bring to simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until
liquid is slightly thickened and spaghettini is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Scatter
shrimp over spaghettini and stir shrimp into spaghettini to partially submerge.
Transfer skillet to oven and broil until shrimp are opaque and surface of
spaghettini is dry with crisped, browned spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from
oven and let stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve
immediately with lemon wedges and, if using, Aïoli.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

BREAKING PASTA FOR FIDEUÁ

1. Loosely fold 3 ounces spaghettini in dish towel, keeping pasta flat, not bunched.
2. Break into 1-inch lengths by positioning bundle so 1 inch rests on counter and remainder hangs off edge.
Press pasta against counter, pressing down on towel to break strands into pieces, sliding bundle back over
edge after each break.
Aïoli
MAKES ½ CUP

We prefer ground white pepper here because it’s not as visible in the finished
aïoli as black pepper, but either can be used.

small garlic clove, finely grated

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

⅛

teaspoon salt

Pinch sugar

Ground white pepper
⅓

cup olive oil

In large bowl, combine garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, salt, sugar, and pepper to
taste until combined. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle oil into egg
mixture until thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
COCONUT RICE NOODLES WITH SHRIMP AND PINEAPPLE
Coconut Rice Noodles With Shrimp and Pineapple

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an exotic yet effortless Thai-style

noodle dish, we turned to store-bought curry paste and ramped up its flavor with
a fresh chile. Sweet, briny shrimp kept our dish quick-cooking, and pineapple
reinforced the tropical notes of the coconut milk used in the sauce. Cooking
everything in one pan kept dirty dishes to a minimum and made our recipe easy
and streamlined.
In a perfect world, thai noodle dishes flavored with curry would be sweet, bright,
and pungent—something to wake the senses and the palate. But while we have
had memorable takeout versions, we’ve more often than not been disappointed
by lackluster noodles. Even more frustrating are the numerous “authentic”
recipes we’ve labored over, only to be let down by the results. The problems we
encounter most are gummy noodles, overcooked seafood or meat, and
unbalanced sauces. Our goal was to learn from others’ mistakes and produce a
consistently superlative coconut curry rice noodle dish that could be prepared for
just two people using one pan; we wanted the ease of takeout without the mess
or the leftovers.
First, we’d need to find the right noodle. Flat rice noodles, or rice sticks, the
type of noodles used in Southeast Asian cuisine, come in a variety of
thicknesses. For this dish, we bypassed the ½-inch-thick noodles and went
straight for the vermicelli-style noodles; they have a delicate texture perfect for
the light, bright-tasting supper we envisioned. We found three different methods
for preparing them: soaking them in room-temperature water, soaking them in
hot tap water, and boiling them. We quickly rejected both boiling and soaking in
room-temperature water; boiling yielded gummy, sticky noodles, and room-
temperature water was insufficient to soften the noodles. We finally tried soaking
the noodles in very hot tap water. After about 20 minutes, the noodles softened
and turned limp and pliant but were not fully tender. Drained, they were loose
and separate and cooked through easily with stir-frying. The result? Noodles that
were at once pleasantly tender and chewy.
Although the cooking time for Thai noodle dishes is short, the ingredient lists
generally aren’t. The curry paste, which forms the basis of the sauce, can be
quite involved and take a lot of time to prepare. Looking for a more accessible
option for our for-two version, we reached for store-bought curry paste instead.
The two most common types of Thai curries are green curry and red curry; in
this application, we preferred the bright, grassy notes of the green variety. To
amp up the flavor of the store-bought paste, we supplemented it with a fresh
Thai chile. Coconut milk was a given in our curry; a full can offered ample
volume. To round out the flavor of the sauce, we added a few teaspoons of fish
sauce, which provided a salty pungency, and a small amount of dark brown
sugar to balance the salty and spicy notes.
Moving on to the other ingredients, tasters preferred shrimp over chicken and
beef; the shrimp contributed a sweet, briny flavor and kept with the light, fresh
tone of the dish. To keep our shopping list on the shorter side, we narrowed the
long list of possible vegetables to just snow peas, which offered some crunch
and color.
While we’d successfully streamlined our shopping list, we now looked to keep
the cooking method as effortless as possible. For our easy one-pan dinner, we
started by building our coconut-curry sauce. We cooked the curry paste in a
tablespoon of oil with the chile to bloom and deepen its flavor, then added the
other sauce ingredients. Next, we stirred in the shrimp and snow peas so they
would cook right in the sauce and take on some flavor before adding the
noodles; in less than five minutes, the shrimp were perfectly cooked and tender.
So far, so good, but tasters complained that something was missing. In an effort
to add more substance and also enhance the tropical feel of our dish, we decided
to add some pineapple. One cup, cut into ½-inch pieces and added to the pan
with the shrimp, ramped up the sweet, tangy notes of the dish and made it
heartier.
The flavor was spot-on, but tasters were now complaining that the sauce was
too thick and weighed down the delicate rice noodles. We tried simmering it for
a shorter period of time, but to no avail. Wondering if the problem might be the
type of coconut milk we were using, we switched from the full-fat variety to the
light kind. Bingo! This swap gave us the same amount of sauce and rich coconut
flavor, without overwhelming the dish or making the sauce too heavy. A spritz of
lime juice and cilantro provided the perfect finishing touches to our better-than-
takeout Thai noodle dish.
Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple
SERVES 2

To make this dish spicier, add the reserved chile seeds to the oil in step 2. Do not
substitute other types of noodles for the rice vermicelli here. Light coconut milk
adds the perfect flavor and texture to the dish without making it too rich; do not
substitute regular coconut milk. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

4 ounces rice vermicelli

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon green curry paste

Thai, serrano, or jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeds reserved, and minced

4 teaspoons fish sauce

1½

teaspoons packed dark brown sugar

(14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1
ounces medium-large shrimp (31 to 40 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed

6
cup pineapple, cut into ½-inch pieces

1
 ounces snow peas, strings removed, halved crosswise on bias

3
1½

teaspoons lime juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1. Cover noodles with very hot tap water in large bowl and stir to separate. Let
noodles soak until softened, pliable, and limp but not fully tender, about 20
minutes; drain.
2. Cook oil, curry paste, and chile in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until paste
begins to sizzle and no longer smells raw, about 2 minutes. Stir in fish sauce and
sugar and cook for 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk and simmer until thickened,
about 8 minutes.
3. Gently stir in shrimp, pineapple, and snow peas and cook until shrimp are just
opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in drained noodles and cook, tossing gently, until
shrimp are cooked through and noodles are well coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat,
stir in lime juice. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

TRIMMING SNOW PEAS

Use paring knife and thumb to snip off tip of pea and pull along flat side of pod to remove string at same
time.
Drunken Noodles With Chicken

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For our version of this spicy, potent Thai
noodle dish, we selected the widest noodles we could find and soaked them in
hot water until they were pliable but not fully limp. Then we tossed the noodles
over the heat with a combination of soy sauce, lime juice, dark brown sugar, and
chili-garlic sauce (for heat and spicy flavor) to ensure that they would absorb the
sauce’s flavors and finish cooking. Baby bok choy provided textural interest, and
thin slices of chicken, quickly stir-fried, made our noodle dish hearty and filling.
While we love pad thai, we prefer to bypass it in favor of another popular dish
that offers bolder flavor: pad kee mao, also known as drunken noodles. Though
you might suspect there’s booze in this dish, the name reputedly refers to the fact
that the spicy, potent sauce is a good cure for a serious hangover. In addition to
the heat-packing fresh Thai chiles, drunken noodles are also defined by a good
dose of holy basil, a sharper variety of basil that’s popular in Thailand. All in all,
the sauce delivers a mix of spicy, sweet, and salty flavors that’s incredibly
addictive. We wanted to develop our own recipe for this stir-fry using
supermarket staples so that we could satisfy our craving any time it struck,
without having to plan ahead or hunt down obscure ingredients.
We started with the foundation of the dish: the noodles. Like pad thai, drunken
noodles are made with flat rice noodles, which are a mixture of rice flour and
water; unlike pad thai, this recipe calls for very wide—almost ½-inch-wide—
noodles. Although fresh rice noodles would be more traditional, seeking out an
Asian market was not on our to-do list, so we opted for the easier-to-find dried
noodles. Research we had done for our Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and
Pineapple gave us insight into the best way to prepare the rice noodles. Forgoing
boiling or soaking in room-temperature water, we soaked the noodles in hot
water and removed them when they were pliable but not fully limp, knowing
they’d continue to cook in the hot pan. The noodles cooked through easily with
stir-frying, and they were pleasantly tender and resilient.
Next up: the sauce. Besides fresh Thai chiles and holy basil, most recipes
include two types of soy sauce (black soy sauce and regular soy sauce), oyster
sauce, garlic, and sugar. We began testing with the hope of shortening the
shopping list and finding substitutes for the harder-to-find items. Right off the
bat, we found that Thai basil—or cilantro in a pinch—stood in well for the holy
basil; it provided a stronger, more assertive flavor than regular basil. Black soy
sauce was also hard to find, but regular soy sauce wasn’t a perfect substitute for
the thicker, sweeter black variety; we would need to find another ingredient that
would add the rich, molasses-like flavors we were missing. In the test kitchen,
we often trade granulated sugar for light brown sugar in both baked goods and
savory dishes to up the richness quotient. Here, this swap worked wonders, and
switching to dark brown sugar proved even better, both adding rich caramel
flavors and contributing some complexity. And the oyster sauce didn’t add much
to the final dish; we found we could skip it without sacrificing flavor.
At this point, the dish was still lacking in potent heat. Two fresh Thai chiles
provided a good amount of heat, but we wanted more complexity. That’s when a
colleague suggested using the Asian chili-garlic sauce we keep as a staple in the
pantry instead. Two tablespoons amped up the heat and spicy flavor of the sauce
—and now we could cut the garlic (and a little prep time) from our recipe thanks
to this two-for-one ingredient. The final tweak was adding a good amount of
lime juice, which lent some sharpness and bright, sweet-tart notes that brought
the sauce into balance. Tossing the softened noodles with the sauce over the heat
for about five minutes allowed the noodles to release some starch and gave the
sauce a chance to thicken nicely.
Finally, we looked to take this noodle dish from a carb lover’s dream to a
well-rounded, satisfying supper. In many recipes chicken, pork, or beef is added
to the noodles, so we gave all three a try. In the end, we opted for skinless
chicken breasts, which we sliced thin and stir-fried before adding the noodles
and sauce to the pan. The mild-flavored meat added substance but didn’t
compete with the flavors of the dish. Napa cabbage often shows up in drunken
noodles; we found that two heads of baby bok choy made the perfect stand-in
and gave us just enough for two servings. Combined with a thinly sliced
scallion, the bok choy contributed some crunch and color, and it needed just a
few minutes in the pan to brown and soften slightly.
At last, we’d made this spicy, brightly flavored Thai noodle dish easy enough
that we could make it any night of the week—no special shopping trip necessary.
Drunken Noodles with Chicken
SERVES 2

Do not substitute other types of noodles for the rice noodles here. This dish is
spicy; for sensitive palates, use 1 tablespoon of chili-garlic sauce. Freezing the
chicken for 15 minutes makes it easier to slice. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

ounces (⅜-inch-wide) rice noodles

6
ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced thin

6
1½ teaspoons plus ¼ cup soy sauce
⅓

cup packed dark brown sugar

2½ tablespoons lime juice (2 limes), plus lime wedges for serving
1- tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce
2

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

heads baby bok choy (4 ounces each), stems and leaves divided, sliced ½ inch thick

1 cup water
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh Thai basil or cilantro
scallion, sliced thin on bias

1
1. Cover noodles with very hot tap water in large bowl and stir to separate. Let
noodles soak until softened, pliable, and limp but not fully tender, 35 to 40
minutes; drain.
2. Meanwhile, toss chicken with 1½ teaspoons soy sauce in bowl, cover, and
refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. In separate bowl, whisk
remaining ¼ cup soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, and chili-garlic sauce together; set
aside.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just
smoking. Add chicken in single layer and cook without stirring for 1 minute. Stir
and continue to cook until nearly cooked through, about 2 minutes longer;
transfer to bowl.
4. Add 1 teaspoon oil to now-empty skillet and heat over high heat until just
smoking. Add bok choy stems and cook, stirring often, until spotty brown, about
2 minutes; stir in leaves and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl
with chicken.
5. Wipe now-empty skillet clean with paper towels, add remaining 4 teaspoons
oil, and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add drained rice noodles, soy
sauce mixture, and water and cook, tossing gently, until noodles are tender and
well coated, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in chicken-vegetable mixture and basil.
Sprinkle with scallion and serve with lime wedges.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SLICING CHICKEN THINLY

1. To slice chicken breasts thinly, cut them across grain into ¼-inch-wide strips that are 1½ to 2 inches long.
Cut center pieces in half so that they are approximately same length as end pieces and cook at same rate.
2. For tenderloins, cut them on diagonal to produce pieces of meat that are roughly same size.
 ALL ABOUT RICE NOODLES
This delicate pasta, made from rice flour and water, is used in a variety of dishes in Southeast Asia and
southern China. These noodles should be steeped in hot water to soften them; they overcook quickly, so
boiling tends to make them mushy. Flat rice noodles (left) come in several widths; a medium-width noodle
is traditionally used in pad thai, but we like a larger noodle for our Drunken Noodles with Chicken. Round
rice noodles, also called vermicelli (right), come in a variety of sizes, but we prefer the thinner kind. These
delicate noodles make the perfect match for the light, bright sauce in our Coconut Rice Noodles with
Shrimp and Pineapple.
Beef Lo Mein

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a full-flavored, not bland, beef lo mein,
we started with the sauce, looking for bold, complex flavor from a few key
ingredients: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and toasted sesame oil. Marinating thinly
sliced flank steak in this mixture before stir-frying ensured that it was well
seasoned. To guarantee crisp-tender broccoli, we steamed it first, then cooked it
uncovered so it could brown. A generous amount of scallions added a sweet,
grassy pungency.
Beef lo mein is a simple dish—basically a beef stir-fry with boiled noodles. So
why is this dish so often poorly executed? The lo mein served in many Chinese
restaurants is frequently oily and uninteresting; the noodles are often a tasteless
mass, and the sauce, a bland, muddy gravy. We wanted something different—
flavorful strands of noodles mingled with thin slices of perfectly cooked beef
coated in a light, tangy sauce.
Lo mein literally translates to “tossed noodles,” referring to the way the
strands, made from wheat and egg and resembling thick spaghetti, are tossed in
sauce. Most lo mein recipes call for fresh Chinese noodles, which are more
tender and chewier and absorb flavors more readily than fresh Italian pasta.
Some fresh Chinese noodles contain eggs and some do not. We tried both styles
and much preferred the noodles with eggs for their richer flavor. We cooked the
noodles in 4 quarts of water, our usual method for cooking pasta, until just
tender. Since we’d be using a soy-based sauce, we omitted the salt in the cooking
water but reserved some of the starchy liquid to adjust the consistency of the
finished dish. Now we needed to figure out the beef, vegetables, and sauce.
After trying a few cuts of beef, we opted for flank steak, which offered a
meaty chew and nice beefy flavor, and 8 ounces proved just enough for a meal
for two. Before cooking, we sliced it thinly across the grain; to make it easier to
slice, we froze the steak for 15 minutes. Once cut into thin pieces, the steak
needed only a quick two-minute sear, then we could set it aside while we stir-
fried the vegetables. For vegetables, broccoli and red bell pepper give the lo
mein freshness and crunch. To guarantee crisp-tender broccoli, we steamed it
first, then cooked it uncovered so it could brown. Our red bell pepper strips
simply needed to be sautéed for a couple of minutes until they were the perfect
texture.
Next, we moved on to the sauce. Our goal was to generate the greatest flavor
with the fewest ingredients. We also wanted to keep the sauce lighter than the
usual gloppy Chinese takeout sauces. We started with a simple but robust blend
of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil. We found, and tasters agreed,
that the hoisin sauce gave the lo mein an appealing salty richness and lush
texture, plus it contributed an interesting complexity. Some recipes call for the
addition of oyster sauce, but we found that hoisin contributed much the same
texture, making a second rich sauce unnecessary. Adding a little chicken broth to
the sauce kept it from being too thick. To amp up the flavor of the beef, we
reserved a portion of the sauce and used it to marinate the beef for an hour
before stir-frying.
A generous amount of scallions added a sweet, grassy pungency, ginger and
garlic contributed some punch, and sweet and spicy Asian chili-garlic sauce
completed the dish. Almost as easy as takeout, but with a much bigger payoff,
our beef lo mein for two really delivered.
Beef Lo Mein with Broccoli and Bell Pepper
SERVES 2

Freezing the flank steak for 15 minutes makes it easier to slice. See the sidebar
that follows the recipe.

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

ounces flank steak, trimmed and sliced thin across grain on bias

8
⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth
½

teaspoon cornstarch
garlic clove, minced
1

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

ounces broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces

6
2½
tablespoons water
½ red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, sliced into ½-inch-wide strips, and halved crosswise
bunch scallions, white parts sliced thin, greens parts cut into 1-inch pieces

1
ounces fresh Chinese noodles or 4 ounces dried linguine

6
1½ teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce
1. Whisk hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil together in medium bowl.
Measure 1½ tablespoons of mixture into separate bowl and stir in beef; cover
and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Whisk broth and
cornstarch into remaining mixture; set aside. In separate small bowl, combine
garlic, ginger, and ½ teaspoon vegetable oil.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until
just smoking. Add beef in single layer and cook without stirring for 1 minute.
Stir beef and continue to cook until browned, about 1 minute; transfer to large
bowl.
3. Wipe now-empty skillet clean with paper towels, add ½ teaspoon vegetable
oil, and heat over high heat until just smoking. Add broccoli and cook for 30
seconds. Add water, cover, and steam until broccoli is bright green and begins to
soften, about 2 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until water has
evaporated and broccoli begins to brown, about 2 minutes; transfer to bowl with
beef.
4. Add remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and bell pepper to now-empty skillet
and cook over high heat until crisp-tender and spotty brown, about 2 minutes.
Add scallions and continue to cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Clear center of
skillet, add garlic-ginger mixture, and mash into pan until fragrant, about 30
seconds; stir into vegetables. Stir in cooked beef and broccoli with any
accumulated juices. Stir in broth mixture and simmer until sauce has thickened,
about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
5. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add noodles and cook,
stirring often, until tender. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain noodles and
return them to pot. Add beef mixture and chili-garlic sauce and toss to combine.
Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST SOY SAUCE

At its most basic, soy sauce is a fermented liquid made from soybeans and wheat. Soybeans contribute a
strong, pungent taste, and wheat lends sweetness. Soy sauce should add flavor and complexity to your
recipes, not just make them salty. We use it not only in numerous Asian noodle recipes, but also to enhance
meaty flavor in pasta sauces, soups, stews, and braises. To find the best brand, we sampled 12 soy sauces
three different ways: plain, drizzled over warm rice, and cooked in a simple teriyaki glaze over chicken
thighs. Our favorite was Lee Kum Kee Tabletop Soy Sauce, which has a robust flavor that tasters
described as “salty, sweet, roasted, and pleasant” and holds up well throughout cooking.
 ALL ABOUT FRESH CHINESE NOODLES
Fresh Chinese noodles are a bit more starchy and chewy than dried noodles. Though they are made from
wheat flour, their flavor is less wheaty than that of Italian pasta, making them an excellent match for potent,
highly seasoned sauces, as in our Beef Lo Mein with Broccoli and Bell Pepper. If you can’t find them, you
can substitute dried linguine.
Soba Noodles With Eggplant and Sesame

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The creamy texture and mild flavor of
cooked eggplant made the perfect foil to rich, nutty soba noodles in this recipe.
Roasting proved an easy, hands-off way to cook the eggplant; tossing it with soy
sauce beforehand helped to season the vegetable and draw out its moisture. For a
richly flavored sauce, we started with soy sauce and added oyster sauce, Asian
chili-garlic sauce, sake, and toasted sesame oil for a nice balance of sweet and
spicy flavors.
Japanese soba noodles, which are made with buckwheat flour, are typically
served hot in a simple broth along with vegetables or meat, or cold with a simple
dipping sauce. Because of their unique rich flavor and chewy texture, they need
little adornment, so we thought these noodles could easily become a quick,
substantial meal for two. We decided that the creamy texture and mild flavor of
cooked eggplant would make the perfect foil to the rich, nutty noodles for a
simple yet unexpected pasta dish.
From the outset, we wanted the eggplant to share the stage with the noodles,
so we started with a full pound. We left the eggplant in large chunks—about 1-
inch pieces—so they wouldn’t cook down too much and disappear into the dish.
But we had to figure out the best way to cook them. Roasting seemed promising
—it would provide an effortless, hands-off way to ensure tender, evenly cooked
bites of eggplant. Since eggplant is notoriously full of sauce-diluting moisture,
we took a cue from our Vegetable Lasagna and salted the eggplant to draw out
its moisture before cooking. Although this method worked, we wondered if we
could substitute soy sauce for the salt, essentially boosting the eggplant’s flavor
while also drawing out its moisture. Indeed, tossing the eggplant with soy sauce
worked well and eliminated the need to separately salt the vegetable. To keep the
eggplant from becoming dried out in the oven and to guarantee that it browned
nicely, we added a small amount of vegetable oil to the soy sauce before tossing
the eggplant in it. Then we roasted the eggplant on a sheet pan for about 30
minutes until it was tender; oiling the pan beforehand ensured that the vegetable
didn’t stick.
While we usually call for 6 ounces of dried pasta when cooking for two, we
decided to dial back the amount in this dish. The hearty texture of soba noodles
makes them much more filling than the standard dried pasta made with durum
wheat. Four ounces of soba proved ample; coupled with our chunks of eggplant,
this seemed just right and provided two sizable servings.
Moving on to the sauce, we started with a base of soy sauce for savory
richness. Oyster sauce thickened the sauce with its umami-rich maltiness. A bit
of sugar and Asian chili-garlic sauce provided a nice balance of sweet and spicy
flavors, and a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil grounded the sauce with its
warm, earthy richness. For even more complexity, we added a splash of sake.
Once the noodles were cooked, we tossed them in the sauce, along with our
tender roasted eggplant; a splash of pasta cooking water helped to loosen the
sauce to just the right consistency. A quarter cup of cilantro added a fresh, grassy
element to the earthy pasta, and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds provided
texture and crunch and echoed the nutty flavor of the sesame oil.
Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame
SERVES 2

Vermouth can be substituted for the sake if necessary. Do not substitute other
types of noodles for the soba noodles here. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1½ teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce

2 teaspoons sake or dry vermouth

4 ounces soba noodles

¼

cup fresh cilantro leaves

 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line
rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush with 1½ teaspoons vegetable
oil. Toss eggplant with remaining 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil and 1½
teaspoons soy sauce, then spread on prepared baking sheet. Roast until well
browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway through roasting.
2. In small saucepan, whisk remaining 1½ tablespoons soy sauce, sugar, oyster
sauce, sesame oil, chili-garlic sauce, and sake together. Cook over medium heat
until sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute; cover and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add noodles and cook,
stirring often, until tender. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain noodles and
return them to pot. Add roasted eggplant, sauce, and cilantro and toss to
combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Sprinkle
individual portions with sesame seeds and serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

ALL ABOUT SOBA NOODLES

Soba noodles possess a rich, nutty flavor and delicate texture. They get their unusual flavor from buckwheat
flour, which contains no gluten, so a binder, usually wheat, is added to give the noodles structure and hold
them together during cooking. The Japanese agricultural department requires that all noodles labeled as
soba contain a minimum of 30 percent buckwheat flour, and the higher the percentage of buckwheat flour,
the higher the price. Soba noodles are traditionally served chilled with a dipping sauce, but we also like
them warm and accompanied by a simple sauce, as in our Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and
Sesame.
CHAPTER 4: VEGETARIAN SUPPERS

Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup

Vegetable Pot Pie

Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie

Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts

Ricotta and Egg Casseroles with Spinach and Tomato

Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale

Risotto Primavera

Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes

Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas

Spicy Asian Soy and Rice Lettuce Wraps

FARMHOUSE VEGETABLE AND BARLEY SOUP
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Most recipes for hearty winter vegetable
soups are neither quick nor easy. For a satisfying soup for two that wouldn’t take
the better part of a day to make, we started with canned vegetable broth. To
boost its flavor, we added soy sauce and just one dried porcini mushroom. These
ingredients gave the soup plenty of savory, meaty flavor. To make the soup
seriously satisfying, we added barley to the hearty combination of carrot,
parsnip, potato, leek, and cabbage. A pat of butter, some thyme, and lemon juice
added richness and brightened the flavors.
Wintertime is soup time, and it’s also the time of year when our crisper drawers
are overflowing with cold-weather vegetables. These hearty vegetables seem
perfect for a satisfying vegetable soup, but our attempts often turn out lackluster.
The problem is time: The best soups—vegetable or otherwise—start with a rich,
full-bodied broth that serves as the soup’s main component and its flavor
foundation, and we usually need the weekend to make a really good one. Rather
than sideline a rustic vegetable soup as a lazy Sunday-afternoon project, we
wanted to pack all the rich, earthy flavor and depth of a long-simmered stock
into a recipe that took only about an hour’s work.
We knew we wouldn’t be able to make homemade broth in less than an hour,
so we would have to start with store-bought broth and find ways to punch up its
flavor. Some recipes rely on adding a little meat to the vegetable broth to beef up
the flavor, but we were determined to keep this hearty soup strictly vegetarian.
Curious to see how far we could get by simply doctoring commercial broth and
tossing in vegetables, we threw together a test batch in which we sweated leek,
carrot, and parsnip in a pat of butter, bundled up some aromatics—crushed
garlic, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and a bay leaf—in cheesecloth, and poured in
about 3 cups of vegetable broth. We simmered this base for about 15 minutes,
then stirred in small chunks of potato and chopped green cabbage and let
everything cook until the vegetables were just tender. Tasters had no complaints
about the vegetables themselves: Their flavors worked well together, and the
crinkly cabbage leaves offered a pleasing crisp-tender crunch. Nor could we
gripe about the time or labor involved, both of which were minimal. But there
was no denying that the soup felt thin, lacking both flavor and body.
The good news was that we’d been here before. A few years back the test
kitchen developed a recipe for quick beef and vegetable soup, and we learned
that the most effective way to get big flavor in a hurry is to bolster the broth with
ingredients rich in flavor-enhancing umami, the fifth taste that describes savory,
“meaty” flavor. Soy sauce and mushrooms were at the top of our list of umami-
rich ingredients, so we started our testing there. We “seasoned” the pot with a
dash of soy sauce and a single dried porcini for intense, earthy depth. The
difference was significant; the soup suddenly took on a savory depth and
complexity that had previously been missing.
The soup was now so good that we found that we could substitute water for
some of the store-bought broth, which eliminated the slightly commercial flavor
we got from using all broth. A little acidic white wine added along with the first
batch of vegetables further improved things, as did the last-minute additions of
frozen peas, a splash of fresh lemon juice, and a tablespoon of minced parsley.
Flavorwise, we were in great shape, but we still had to confront the soup’s
lack of body. The vegetables themselves were substantial, and roughly chopping
them amped up their heartiness, but even the starchy potatoes weren’t doing
much to thicken the broth. We tried adding dairy, but the fat just dulled the flavor
of the broth that we had worked so hard to build. Then a fellow test cook
mentioned an interesting idea he had picked up on a trip to Ireland: adding
oatmeal to the soup. We found this frugal trick for bulking up the broth charming
in theory, but it didn’t play out as we had hoped. Tasters complained that even
though the dish took on a nice nuttiness, the chewy oats made it feel like a
vegetable-heavy gruel.
Despite this failure, we liked the idea of bulking up the soup with a grain.
After testing several different types, we settled on barley. We added a few
tablespoons of the pearl variety to the pot just as we poured in the liquids. By the
time we were ready to add the potato, turnip, and cabbage, the beads were
partially plumped, and they were perfectly al dente about 15 minutes later, when
the soup was ready to be served.
This change gave the soup exactly the heft and substance it needed. But a few
of our tasters still wanted to get another dimension of flavor and richness into the
pot. We had a holdout idea that we had come across in one of the Irish
cookbooks we researched: finishing the soup with herbs and butter. It would be
an unusual addition for sure. Still, we held out hope that stirring in a dollop of
butter and some fresh thyme right before serving would contribute not only a
burst of fresh flavor but also the plush body that only dairy can give without the
cloying, flavor-dampening effect of milk or cream. When we caught sight of our
tasters going back for seconds, we knew that we’d hit it right. At last, a rustic,
full-bodied vegetable soup thrown together in under an hour that didn’t need a
speck of meat to taste hearty and satisfying.
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup
SERVES 2

We prefer an acidic, unoaked white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc for this
recipe. Garnish the soup with crumbled cheddar cheese or herbed croutons, if
desired. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

parsley stems plus 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

2
sprigs fresh thyme plus ½ teaspoon chopped

2
dried porcini mushroom, rinsed

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced ½ inch thick, and
washed thoroughly
1
small carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1
small parsnip, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

2 tablespoons dry white wine

¾
teaspoon soy sauce

Salt and pepper

2 cups water
1½

cups vegetable broth

3 tablespoons pearl barley

small garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1
small Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1
½

cup chopped green cabbage

¼

cup frozen peas

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Bundle parsley stems, thyme sprigs, mushroom, and bay leaf in cheesecloth
and tie with kitchen twine to secure. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium
saucepan over medium heat. Add leek, carrot, parsnip, wine, soy sauce, and ½
teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and leeks
are softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add herb and mushroom bundle, water, broth, barley, and garlic to saucepan;
increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer,
partially covered, for 15 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and cabbage to saucepan and return to simmer. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until barley, potatoes, and cabbage are tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove saucepan from heat and remove bundle. Stir in minced parsley and
chopped thyme, remaining 1 tablespoon butter, peas, and lemon juice. Season
with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

BUILDING SAVORY FLAVOR ON THE DOUBLE

To ramp up savory flavor in our Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup, we added two umami boosters: soy
sauce and a porcini mushroom. Soy sauce contains high levels of naturally occurring flavor-enhancing
compounds called glutamates, while mushrooms are rich in flavor-amplifying compounds known as
nucleotides. When used together, the two compounds can boost savory flavor exponentially.

GLUTAMATES + NUCLEOTIDES = BIG SAVORY FLAVOR

VEGETABLE POT PIE
Vegetable Pot Pie

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a vegetable pot pie that would be both
hearty and delicious, we chose a filling of rich sweet potatoes, grassy fennel, and
earthy mushrooms. Sweating the vegetables before adding them to the filling
ensured that they were tender when the pie came out of the oven. A little cheddar
in the filling lent a nice tang and creaminess. We split the filling between two
ramekins for perfectly portioned individual pot pies. And we switched out
traditional pie crust for easy, tasty cheddar-scallion biscuits and baked them right
on top of the filling.
A really good vegetable pot pie is easier said than done. The biggest challenge:
how to develop a full-flavored, satisfying filling without chunks of beef or
chicken. We wanted to develop a vegetable pot pie that was more than just a
vessel for bland starch. Our first task was to choose the best combination of
vegetables. Thinking that potatoes would be an essential addition to our rustic
pie, we started there. Red Bliss potatoes gave the pie bulk, but they didn’t add
much flavor. For a starch that would be both filling and flavorful, we tried sweet
potato. Tasters loved the creaminess and sweetness that it lent, so it was a keeper.
Looking for another vegetable to complement the sweet potato, we tried a
battery of different kinds: parsnips (too sweet), turnips (too boring), and broccoli
(the texture was all wrong). Then some fennel that had just been delivered to the
test kitchen caught our attention; its bright anise flavor profile fit right in next to
the sweet potato.
To add warmth, complexity, and flavor to our vegetarian dish, we looked to
meaty mushrooms. We tested shiitake, portobello, and cremini, and tasters
unanimously liked both the flavor and texture of the cremini, touting their tender
chew and subtle sweetness.
With our main vegetables settled, we got to work figuring out the best cooking
method for each. We tried simply mixing the raw vegetables into the sauce
before the pie was topped and baked, but they failed to fully cook by the time the
topping browned. Parboiling each vegetable separately until tender worked well,
but it seemed too fussy for what should be a simple, homey dish. A third option
proved the best: We tossed the sweet potatoes, fennel, and mushrooms in butter
in the pot and put the lid on so that the vegetables would “sweat” in their own
moisture. After just 10 minutes, the vegetables were tender but still al dente at
the core. We added the sauce, topped the pot pie, and moved it to the oven, and
by the time the topping was nicely browned, the vegetables were cooked to
perfection.
But as good as the vegetables were, the filling was still lacking. To bump up
flavor, we sautéed a minced shallot in a little butter before adding the other
vegetables. A bit of garlic and some fresh herbs were givens—parsley added
color, but little flavor, and rosemary was simply too much, overwhelming the
other flavors. Woodsy thyme won the most votes.
It was time to tackle the sauce. We wanted to use vegetable broth as our base
to keep this pie vegetarian friendly, but broth alone proved too weak to stand up
to our flavorful, hearty vegetables. We used a bit of cream to add richness, but
the cream’s high fat content muted the filling’s flavor. We decided to try
something a bit less conventional: cheddar cheese. It gave the sauce a slight tang
and creamy cheese flavor that everyone loved. A splash of cider vinegar
brightened the sauce, rounding out the flavors.
Finally, we considered the topping. We started by narrowing down what type
of crust we wanted. We tried everything, from pie dough and puff pastry to
biscuits. We found that pot pies prepared with a pie crust topping yielded a
soupy, mushy mess. The topping was preventing steam from escaping, causing
the filling to boil. When we pulled the pies from the oven and dug in, the filling
was still boiling away. Puff pastry didn’t feel like a homey enough partner to the
filling. The option we liked best proved to be a traditional buttermilk biscuit;
when we mounded the biscuit dough in the center of the filling, it allowed the
steam to escape on the sides, solving our boiling problem, and the tender, buttery
biscuits proved to be a perfect complement to our chunky vegetable filling.
We started with a basic drop biscuit dough, then bumped up the flavor with a
little cheddar and sliced scallion greens. To keep the biscuit method simple, we
melted butter and stirred it into cold buttermilk, then added it to a simple mixture
of flour, leaveners, salt, cheese, and scallions. The hot butter hitting the cold
buttermilk created lumps of butter that turned to steam in the oven, helping to
create a nice rise and a tender crumb. This method mimicked the positive effects
of making biscuits the old-fashioned way—cutting cold butter into the dough—
but it was much easier and less messy. We hit on another shortcut when we saw
the scrap pile of leftover whites from the scallions and realized that we could
reduce waste and simplify our recipe by mincing them and using them in place
of the shallot in the filling. Now the only hard part about these pot pies was
having to wait for them to cool before devouring them.
Vegetable Pot Pie
SERVES 2

You will need two 12-ounce ramekins for this recipe. If you don’t have
buttermilk on hand, you can substitute ⅓ cup of milk and 1½ teaspoons of lemon
juice; stir together and let the mixture sit until it thickens, about five minutes.
See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

½ cup plus 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (½ cup)

2
scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin

2
½

teaspoon baking powder

¼

teaspoon baking soda

Salt and pepper
⅓ cup buttermilk, chilled
tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2
(8-ounce) sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1
½ small fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces (½
cup)
ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

4
 garlic clove, minced

1
¼ teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ⅛ teaspoon dried
1⅓

cups vegetable broth

⅓

cup frozen peas

½

teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk ½
cup flour, 2 tablespoons cheddar, scallion greens, baking powder, baking soda, ⅛
teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in medium bowl. Combine chilled
buttermilk and 1 tablespoon butter in small bowl and stir until butter forms small
clumps. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture with rubber spatula until just
incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add scallion whites and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until
softened and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in sweet potato, fennel,
and mushrooms. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until sweet potato is
softened around edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add
remaining 1½ tablespoons flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
Slowly stir in broth. Bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits, and cook
until sauce thickens, 1 to 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining 6 tablespoons
cheddar, peas, and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide
filling evenly between two 12-ounce ramekins.
4. Divide dough in half and place mound of dough in center of filling in each
ramekin. Transfer ramekins to aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and
bake until biscuits are golden brown and filling is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.
Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PREPARING FENNEL

1. Cut off tops and feathery fronds, then trim thin slice from base and remove any tough or blemished outer
layers.
2. Cut bulb in half through base. Use small sharp knife to remove pyramid-shaped core. Cut bulb into ½-
inch pieces.
Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Packed with summery zucchini, fresh corn,
and poblano chile and bound in a cheesy Southwestern tomato sauce, this one-
dish skillet supper was as filling as it was easy to make. The poblano chile plus
pepper Jack cheese and chili powder perfected the Southwest flavor profile. We
packed the vegetables into an 8-inch skillet and steamed them, rather than
sautéing, to keep the generous filling from spilling over. To top it off, a simple
buttermilk cornbread spread on top and baked until golden brown provided a
delicious foil to the saucy, spicy vegetables.
The tex-mex classic tamale pie usually contains a juicy, spicy mixture of meat
and vegetables with a crisp, browned cornmeal crust. But bad tamale pies
abound, dry and bland with too much or too little filling. We wanted to develop a
really good tamale pie that had just the right proportion of filling to topping—
and to up the ante, we were going to make it vegetarian.
We found that recipes for vegetarian tamale pies were few and far between, so
we would have to start from scratch. We began our testing by making a
traditional tamale pie and simply omitting the meat to see where it would get us.
Cutting the meat left us with a filling of fresh corn, pepper Jack cheese, and
diced tomatoes. It sounded great, but tasters demanded more substance. We
would have to bulk up the filling with more vegetables.
To find vegetables that would feel at home in our simple skillet tamale pie, we
had a few criteria: They had to be quick-cooking, and they had to pair well with
our summery Southwest flavor profile. When we think about abundant summer
vegetables, the first thing that comes to mind is zucchini. It fit in perfectly, and
tasters were impressed with how much the zucchini bulked up the pie. Next, we
tried adding a red pepper, but it made the pie a little too sweet, so we swapped
the sweet pepper for a poblano, a fruity, only slightly spicy chile pepper. Tasters
loved the mix of zucchini, corn, poblano, and diced tomatoes. To further boost
the flavor of the filling, we added a sautéed shallot and a teaspoon of chili
powder. Our filling was coming along.
But our hearty mix of vegetables was creating a new problem: An 8-inch
skillet gave us just the right size pie for two, but the skillet was now bursting
with fresh vegetables that were too cumbersome to sauté. We tried switching to a
10-inch skillet, but that made the filling too thin, more like a casserole than a pie.
Then we thought of a method we often use in our low-fat recipes: To save on fat,
we cover the vegetables and let them steam instead of sautéing them with lots of
oil. With this method, we’d only need to stir the vegetables gently every so
often, solving the problem of our packed skillet. We tried it out in our 8-inch
skillet, first sautéing the poblano and shallot in a little oil until just softened, then
adding the other vegetables, covering the skillet, and letting the vegetables steam
until just tender. This method worked perfectly. Our pie was even easier, and
thanks to our new method, it was spillover free.
Our last task was the topping. A traditional tamale pie boasts a cornmeal
topping, but should it taste like an actual tamale (made from masa)? Or should it
be more like cornbread? We tried both. Tasters rejected the tamale-style topping;
it was a bit bland, and the masa was hard to find. The slightly sweet cornbread
topping was the clear winner; made with equal amounts of cornmeal and flour, it
had a nice texture and was just the right amount of topping to balance the spicy
vegetable filling. We simply poured the cornbread batter over the filling in the
skillet and spread it in an even layer to the edges. A moderately high oven
temperature of 450 degrees for just 15 minutes gave us a light, golden crust. This
fresh tamale pie packed with summery vegetables came together in a snap, and
no one missed the meat.
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
SERVES 2

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute ⅓ cup of milk and 1½
teaspoons of lemon juice; stir together and let the mixture sit until it thickens,
about 5 minutes. To make individual portions, divide the filling evenly between
two 6-inch pie plates in step 4. Spread half of the cornbread topping evenly over
the filling in each pie plate and bake on a rimmed baking sheet. Serve with sour
cream, if desired. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

FILLING

1 tablespoon olive oil

poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1
shallot, chopped

Salt and pepper

ear corn, kernels cut from cob
1
(8-ounce) zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into ½-inch pieces

1
(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved

1
1 teaspoon chili powder
ounces pepper Jack cheese, shredded (½ cup)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

TOPPING
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
⅓

cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon sugar
¼

teaspoon baking powder

⅛

teaspoon baking soda

¼

teaspoon salt
⅓

cup buttermilk

1 large egg
 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1
1. FOR THE FILLING: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to
450 degrees. Heat oil in 8-inch ovensafe skillet over medium heat until
shimmering. Add poblano, shallot, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring
frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn, zucchini, and tomatoes.
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in
chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Off heat, stir in reserved tomato juice, pepper Jack, and cilantro. Season with
salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
3. FOR THE TOPPING: Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking
soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk and egg together in
small bowl. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until uniform, then stir in
melted butter until just combined.
4. Dollop cornbread topping evenly over filling, then spread into even layer,
covering filling completely. Bake until cornbread is golden and cooked through
completely in center, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE PERFECT PEPPER

The fruity, subtly spicy flavor of a poblano chile gives this dish bright, fresh flavor without overwhelming it
with heat. Poblano chiles are dark green in color and about 4 to 5 inches long. Common in the Southwest
and in Central America, they can be found in Latin markets and in many supermarkets. When dried, they
are known as ancho chiles.
FENNEL, OLIVE, AND GOAT CHEESE TARTS
Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an elegant savory tart easy enough for a
weeknight dinner for two, we pulled store-bought puff pastry from the freezer to
form the base. For the filling, fresh, anise-flavored fennel paired with cured
olives was light but flavorful. Herbed goat cheese provided a tangy contrast with
the rich, flaky pastry and helped bind everything together. To keep the pastry
crispy and browned and the filling firmly in place, we first parbaked the puff
pastry, then cut a border around the edges and pressed down the centers to make
a neat bed for the cheese and vegetables.
Puff pastry tarts make for an elegant meal that is surprisingly easy to put
together, thanks to readily available frozen puff pastry that bakes up crisp and
golden brown with plenty of delicate, flaky layers. We wanted to combine
elegance and ease into a simple and delicious savory vegetable tart, using just a
few well-chosen ingredients to deliver lots of flavor without a lot of work.
We started with our vegetable filling. We knew we wanted a light, fresh
vegetable tart to complement the rich, buttery crust. We landed on fast-cooking,
delicately flavored fennel as the perfect vegetable to showcase. Tasters loved its
subtle anise flavor. To ensure that the fennel would cook through by the time the
tart was baked, we first softened the fennel by cooking it, covered, in a sauté pan
with a little bit of wine. To enhance the flavor, we added a minced garlic clove
along with some fresh lemon juice. A handful of briny olives was a quick and
easy addition that provided contrast and sharp, salty flavor.
Next, we wanted to complement the fennel with a cheesy, creamy base that
would help hold everything together. We tried spreading some goat cheese on
each tart and were pleased to find that it provided a nice tangy contrast to the
crisp, buttery puff pastry. However, tasters still thought that the goat cheese
could use a little boost. The lemon juice had done so much to brighten the fennel
flavor that we wondered what would happen if we mixed a little lemon zest into
the goat cheese to add a fragrant, citrusy note. We also added some chopped
basil for freshness, and a little olive oil made the goat cheese creamier and easier
to spread on the delicate pastries without crumbling. Tasters loved the improved
flavor of the goat cheese paired with the fresh fennel and olives.
With our filling perfected, we moved on to the crust. Since we were using
store-bought pastry, we figured the crust of our tarts would be the easiest part.
Half of a sheet of thawed puff pastry cut into two squares made tarts just the
right size for two. But when we tried to bake the raw pastry dough with our
fillings spread on top, the pastry was too weighed down to rise, and the tarts
came out soggy and flat. We decided we would have to parbake the pastry
squares until they were puffed and browned before adding the filling. But when
we spread the filling on top of the parbaked pastries, we were left with a mess.
The weight of even our light filling was still squashing the delicate pastry layers,
and bits of filling were falling off the sides and burning in the oven. We solved
this problem by cutting a ½-inch border around the perimeter of the shells, then
gently pressing the centers down with our fingertips to create a bed for the
filling. The filling stayed put, and we were left with a lovely golden-brown crust
around the edge that baked up tall and flaky. After we spooned the filling in, the
tart needed to bake for only about 5 minutes until the filling was hot and
bubbling. The empty plates confirmed one thing: We had developed a fast, easy
tart worthy of a special occasion.
Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts
SERVES 2

To thaw frozen puff pastry, let it sit either in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on
the counter for 30 to 60 minutes. For a recipe to use up the leftover puff pastry.
See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

½ (9½ by 9-inch) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut in half widthwise to make two
4½-inch squares
ounces goat cheese, softened

4
¼

cup chopped fresh basil

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice

Salt and pepper
½ fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb cored and sliced thin
garlic clove, minced

1
¼

cup dry white wine

¼ cup pitted oil-cured black olives, chopped
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Lay pastry
squares on parchment paper–lined baking sheet, poke all over with fork, and
bake until puffed and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway
through baking. Using tip of paring knife, cut ½-inch-wide border into top of
each pastry shell, then press centers down with fingertips.
2. Meanwhile, mix goat cheese with 2 tablespoons basil, 2 teaspoons oil, lemon
zest, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Heat remaining 2½ teaspoons oil in
8-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add fennel and cook, stirring
occasionally, until softened and brown in places, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and
cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add wine, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
Uncover and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated and fennel is very soft,
3 to 5 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and olives.
3. Working with 1 tart at a time, spread goat cheese mixture evenly in center of
shells, leaving raised edges clean, then spoon fennel mixture evenly over cheese
layer. Transfer filled tarts to oven and bake until cheese is heated through and
crust is deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2
tablespoons basil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING PUFF PASTRY TART SHELLS

Creating a bed for the filling within the tart shell ensures that none of the filling will escape when baked.
1. Lay pastry squares on parchment-lined baking sheet and poke them all over with fork. Bake pastry until
puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Using tip of paring knife, cut ½-inch border into top of each pastry shell and press centers down with
your fingertips to create beds for filling.
Individual Ricotta and Egg Casseroles

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Cooking these easy egg casseroles in

individual ramekins not only added charm but also cut way down on oven time.
Mixing ricotta with the eggs lent them a rich and decadent texture. Spinach made
the dish hearty and satisfying, and tomato brightened the flavors. Shingling the
tomato on top of the egg mixture exposed it to the oven’s direct heat so the
excess water baked off, keeping the filling from becoming watery. These egg
casseroles were a snap to assemble, yet were perfect for a special brunch or light
dinner.
Whether you want an elegant brunch or a creative supper, eggs can be a simple
and easy solution for the two-person table. Scrambled, hard-cooked, and over
easy are just fine for breakfast, but when eggs make the leap to the supper table,
we yearn for a dish with a little more substance and style. We imagined an egg
casserole, one with a refined, custardlike filling enriched with cheese and
vegetables. It would have the elegance of a quiche but with a hearty, satisfying
filling and without a finicky crust. We’d just need to come up with the right
cooking method and some bold, interesting flavors to make up the filling.
To make our dish easier to serve (and to assemble), we decided to use
ramekins to make two individual casseroles. For the flavors, we looked to Italy
for some inspiration. An Italian spinach pie is a specialty dish made primarily
with chopped spinach, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, and eggs. The recipes we found
were almost as time-consuming as making a quiche, but we did like the idea of a
filling of flavorful spinach, creamy ricotta, and sharp Parmesan cheese. Starting
with that idea, we combined two eggs, spinach, ricotta, and Parmesan and baked
the mixture in the ramekins until just set. We were already getting somewhere
with this test—tasters loved the spinach and egg combination, and the ricotta
made the casseroles extra smooth and creamy. The Parmesan, however, was
gritty and not well incorporated. We decided to switch it out for a better melting
cheese. We tested fontina, mozzarella, and Monterey Jack. All of them melted
well, but the fontina won hands down for having both melting power and a
distinctive flavor to go with it.
Next, tasters wanted to round out the casserole and make it a little more
substantial by adding another vegetable. Fresh tomato seemed like a perfect
addition to complement the rich cheese and spinach. We chopped up a plum
tomato and mixed it into the filling, but when we pulled the casseroles out of the
oven, they were watery and bland. The juicy tomato was watering down the
filling, making it taste thin. What if we pulled the tomato out of the filling and
baked it on top of the casseroles? For our next test, we thinly sliced the tomato,
patted the slices dry, and shingled them on top of each ramekin. This method
paid off. With the tomato exposed to the heat of the oven, the extra water
evaporated and the filling stayed creamy. As an added bonus, the beautiful slices
of tomato not only added bright, balancing flavor but gave the casseroles a more
elegant, colorful presentation.
We had our components nailed down, and the overall flavor was fresh and
delicious, but tasters thought it was still lacking a little depth. We decided to add
some aromatic heavy hitters to our egg casseroles. We sautéed a shallot until
softened, then stirred in a minced clove of garlic until fragrant. Once they were
mixed into the filling and baked, the change was subtle but significant; this batch
had the most depth and sophisticated flavor yet. We had achieved our goal of
elevating the humble egg casserole to fancy supper status, and the casseroles
were a snap to assemble, too.
Ricotta and Egg Casseroles with Spinach and Tomato
SERVES 2

Removing the excess moisture from the spinach and tomato is important here.
The tomato will release some juice while cooking; do not mistake it for the eggs
being underdone. We found that 7-ounce ramekins worked best here, but 6-
ounce or 8-ounce ramekins will also work. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

2 teaspoons olive oil

shallot, minced

1
⅛

teaspoon salt
garlic clove, minced
1
ounces (½ cup) whole-milk ricotta cheese

4
3½ ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1½ ounces fontina cheese, shredded (⅓ cup)
large eggs, lightly beaten

2
⅛

teaspoon pepper
small plum tomato, cored, sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rounds, and patted dry
1
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two
7-ounce ramekins with baking spray with flour and place on rimmed baking
sheet.
2. Heat oil in 8-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallot and
salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and
cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer shallot mixture to bowl and stir in
ricotta, spinach, fontina, eggs, and pepper until uniformly combined.
3. Divide mixture between prepared ramekins and shingle tomato slices evenly
over top. Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes
before serving.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

RICOTTA CHEESE
Originally crafted from the whey byproduct of Romano cheese making, ricotta cheese has garnered fame as
a delicious, cushiony filling for baked pasta dishes. But there are many other uses for ricotta; we put it to
use to make a rich, creamy filling for our individual egg casseroles. Our favorite brand of ricotta cheese is
Calabro, which boasts a certain freshness that many commercial brands lack. It’s made from fresh curds
(drawn from nothing but Vermont farm whole milk), skim milk, a starter, and a sprinkle of salt. Granted, its
shelf life spans only a matter of days, but one spoonful should be enough to guarantee its quick
disappearance from your fridge. If you can’t find Calabro, look for another fresh ricotta without gums or
stabilizers.
Moroccan-Style Quinoa With Chickpeas

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We combined two powerhouse vegetarian

staples—quinoa and chickpeas—in one pot in this unique pilaf-style dish. Hearty
kale helped tie our two proteins together, and golden raisins and carrot imparted
a sweet, earthy flavor. To emphasize the Moroccan flavors, we spiced the dish
with fragrant coriander and hot red pepper flakes and stirred in toasted pine nuts,
salty feta, and a squirt of lemon juice. Packed with exotic flavors and a snap to
pull together, our grain, bean, and greens trifecta made a great vegetarian dish
for two.
Quinoa is a nutritious whole grain regarded as a staple by most vegetarians;
notoriously healthy, it is a complete protein, is high in fiber, and has a mild,
nutty flavor. We’ve enjoyed quinoa as a side dish many times, but we wanted to
use it as a jumping-off point for a main dish by pairing it with greens and beans.
We started with the beans. Because the quinoa would need about 20 minutes
to cook all the way through, we needed a canned bean (we wanted to keep this in
weeknight territory so soaking dried beans was out) that would have a firm
enough texture to hold up for longer cooking times. Hearty, buttery chickpeas
were our first choice. We simply simmered them in vegetable broth with the
quinoa until they were tender and plump.
Next, we turned to the greens. Hearty braised greens would be the perfect
addition; they would be able to stand up to the long simmer, keeping our pilaf an
easy one-dish meal. We tried collard and mustard greens, but their intense
peppery flavors overwhelmed the rest of the dish. The milder flavor of kale was
a much better match. We chopped it coarsely and placed it on top of the quinoa,
chickpea, and broth mixture. Once covered, we let everything simmer until the
quinoa was tender. While the quinoa was cooking and absorbing the liquid, it
created the perfect steamy environment for the greens. When perfectly cooked,
both the quinoa and kale were tender with a pleasant little chew to them.
This was shaping up to be a great one-pot supper, but it still needed some
bolder flavors to complement the earthy grains and greens. We sautéed a small
onion in the pot before adding the rest of the ingredients. A taster suggested that
chopped carrot would add a burst of color as well as sweetness. We sautéed the
carrot along with the onion to give it a head start on cooking. Tasters loved the
carrot, and they commented that our dish was starting to take on a Moroccan
feel. To expand on the Moroccan flavors, we added garlic, red pepper flakes, and
fragrant ground coriander to the onion and carrot mixture. Since tasters liked the
subtle sweetness the carrot lent, we wondered if the dish could use even more.
Golden raisins, a common ingredient in North African cuisine, gave each bite a
sweet edge that kept tasters coming back for more.
A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon balanced the
sweetness with a nice tart quality, and tossing in some toasted pine nuts added
richness and rounded out the sharper flavors. A sprinkle of crumbled feta was
our final addition, providing a salty component that brought out the other
flavors. Finally, our unique approach to quinoa was complete. This dish was
bright and boldly flavored, and with our easy one-pot technique it was a great
way to liven up our weeknight cooking routine.
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
SERVES 2

Be sure to rinse the quinoa to remove its bitter coating (known as saponin).
Don’t dry the greens completely after washing; a little extra water clinging to the
leaves will help them wilt when cooking. For a recipe to use up the leftover
chickpeas. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2 tablespoons olive oil

small onion, chopped fine

1
carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces

1
garlic cloves, minced

2
¼

teaspoon ground coriander

⅛

teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ cup quinoa, rinsed
1½

cups vegetable broth

¾ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed

2 tablespoons golden raisins

 Salt and pepper
ounces kale, stemmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
6
tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

2
¼ teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon juice

2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until
shimmering. Add onion and carrot and cook until onion is softened, about 5
minutes. Stir in garlic, coriander, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant,
about 30 seconds. Add quinoa and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted and
aromatic, about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in broth, chickpeas, raisins, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Place kale on top and
bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is
transparent and tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Off heat, gently stir in remaining 1
tablespoon oil, pine nuts, and lemon zest and juice. Sprinkle with feta and season
with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

ALL ABOUT QUINOA

Quinoa originated in the Andes Mountains of South America, and while it is generally treated as a grain, it
is actually the seed of the goosefoot plant. Quinoa has gained in popularity in recent years, in part because
of its reputation as a “super-grain.” This moniker refers to the fact that quinoa is high in protein, and its
protein is complete–that is, quinoa possesses all of the amino acids in the balanced amounts that our bodies
require. Beyond its nutritional qualities, we love quinoa for its addictive crunch, nutty taste, and ease of
preparation. Note that unless it is labeled as “prewashed,” quinoa should always be rinsed before cooking to
remove its protective layer (called saponin), which is unpleasantly bitter.
RISOTTO PRIMAVERA
Risotto Primavera

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Most risotto recipes require constant

stirring from start to finish, even when cooking for two. We wanted an easier
way. To streamline the process, we cooked the risotto undisturbed for the first 12
minutes; we found that just six minutes of stirring at the end was enough to
release the necessary starch to give us remarkably creamy risotto. For a risotto
with the flavors of spring, we added mushrooms, asparagus, and peas and
brightened the dish with lemon juice and fresh basil.
Risotto is a classic italian rice dish that is typically made with a starchy short-
grain Italian rice called Arborio. After 30 minutes of constant stirring, the rice
turns creamy and rich. Most risotto recipes feed a crowd, but with just two to
feed, we weren’t willing to spend all that time glued to the stove. However, in
the past the test kitchen has developed a risotto recipe that cuts way back on the
constant stirring. Could we adapt that technique to make just enough risotto for
two?
Before working on the cooking method, we selected our ingredients and
scaled them down for two. To avoid having leftover ingredients, we wanted to
use a 14-ounce can of vegetable broth for the liquid. We just had to determine
the right amount of rice for that much liquid. After testing several different
proportions, we found the perfect amounts: ½ cup of rice, plus the broth and a
little water, gave us 2½ cups of risotto—just right for two.
Next, we had to tackle the real work: adapting our almost-no-stir technique to
our two-person portion. In traditional risotto recipes, the constant stirring causes
the rice to release starch granules, which then absorb broth, expand, and thicken
the dish to its hallmark creaminess. In the test kitchen’s original almost-hands-
free risotto, most of the liquid is added to the rice at the beginning of cooking,
then the rice is allowed to cook, stirred just twice, until it absorbs the liquid.
Then the rest of the liquid is added and the risotto is constantly stirred for just a
few minutes.
Working with a total of 2¼ cups of liquid to our ½ cup of rice, we tested
adding various amounts of liquid at the beginning. We tried ¾ cup of liquid, then
1 cup, and then 1½ cups. The more we added up front, the less stirring we had to
do at the end, and there wasn’t a marked difference in texture. So we settled on
introducing 1½ cups at the beginning and cooking the rice until the liquid was
absorbed, which took about 12 minutes, stirred just once halfway through. Then
we added the remaining ¾ cup of liquid in two stages, stirring constantly for 3
minutes after each, for a total of just 6 minutes of stirring. This was enough time
for the rice to release its starches, giving our risotto the classic creamy
consistency we were aiming for with much less hands-on work.
Now we just needed to bump up the flavor. We knew we wanted the classic
risotto flavors of sautéed onion, Parmesan cheese, and a bit of butter. We also
needed an acidic component to brighten things. We tested wine, vinegar, and
lemon juice and ultimately chose lemon juice for its clean, bright flavor. When
we added the lemon at the beginning of cooking, its acidity faded, so we stirred
it in at the end along with the butter.
Next, the risotto needed some vegetables to make it a meal. We opted for
spring vegetables inspired by pasta primavera: mushrooms, asparagus, and peas.
Timing the addition of each so they’d all be tender when the rice was done took
some more testing. First, we sautéed the mushrooms to concentrate their flavor,
then we set them aside to add back in at the end so they wouldn’t turn soggy in
the risotto. Steaming asparagus spears usually takes about 6 minutes, but we
found that since we were cooking them right in the risotto, they took a couple of
extra minutes to cook. We added them 8 minutes before the end of cooking,
which conveniently coincided with the one quick stir we were giving the risotto
during the hands-off phase. Peas went in at the end, just before the sautéed
mushrooms, to warm through. Then we just stirred in the lemon juice, butter, and
Parmesan along with a handful of fresh basil. Thanks to its bright flavors and
inventive technique, our Risotto Primavera tasted like spring and was a breeze to
make.
Risotto Primavera
SERVES 2

White button, shiitake, or portobello (caps only) mushrooms can be substituted

for the cremini in this recipe. High-quality Parmesan makes a big difference
here. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

1¾

cups vegetable broth

½

cup water

4 teaspoons olive oil

ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
3

Salt and pepper
small onion, chopped fine
1
½

cup Arborio rice

ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
3
¼

cup frozen peas

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Bring broth and water to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat.
Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.
Add mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, covered, until just starting to
brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl and set aside. Return now-
empty pot to medium heat, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, and heat until
shimmering. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until just beginning to
soften, about 2 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until grains are
translucent around edges, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in 1½ cups broth, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until
almost all liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Stir in asparagus, cover, and
cook 2 minutes longer. Add ½ cup broth and cook, stirring constantly, until broth
is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add remaining ¼ cup broth and peas and cook,
stirring constantly, until rice is creamy and al dente, 3 minutes longer.
4. Off heat, stir in cooked mushrooms, cover, and let sit for 2 minutes. Stir in
Parmesan, basil, butter, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

VEGETABLE BROTH
There are a slew of vegetable broth options available today, but how do they all taste? We sampled 10
broths, both plain and cooked into soups and risotto. Flavors ranged from bland to overpowering; some
broths were astonishingly salty or sweet, others oddly sour, and many tasted nothing like vegetables. What
we learned is that broths listing vegetable content (whether from fresh whole vegetables or extracts) first on
the ingredient list fared best. Also important were generous amounts of flavor-enhancing additives (such as
MSG) and salt. Swanson Vegetarian Vegetable Broth was the overall winner; tasters praised its “good
balance of vegetable flavors.”
 OUR FAVORITE ARBORIO RICE
The stubby, milky grains of Arborio rice, once grown exclusively in Italy, are valued for their high starch
content and the creaminess they bring to risotto. But does the best Arborio have to come from Italy? To find
out, we cooked up batches of Parmesan risotto with two domestically grown brands of Arborio rice and four
Italian imports. To our surprise, the winning rice, RiceSelect Arborio Rice, hailed not from Italy, but from
the Lonestar State. Its “creamy, smooth” grains won over tasters with their “good bite.” There really isn’t a
substitute for Arborio rice that will deliver the same results, but our tasters found that batches of risotto
made with medium-and short-grain rice were acceptably creamy–however, they lacked the signature
firmness of the Arborio grains.
Thai Vegetable Green Curry

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a full-flavored curry that we could pull
together in a snap, we relied on a few spoonfuls of flavorful store-bought green
curry paste. We sautéed it to bring out its rich flavors, then balanced the flavors
with fresh lime juice and brown sugar and enriched the sauce with coconut milk.
Cauliflower, zucchini, red bell pepper, and snap peas made our curry hearty,
flavorful, and colorful. Rather than serving our curry over plain white rice, we
formed precooked rice into patties and cooked them in a skillet until the outsides
were browned and crisp. Our tasty rice cakes provided a nice textural contrast to
the rich, saucy curry and made this weeknight meal something really special.
Making a deeply flavored and satisfying curry typically involves a laundry list of
ingredients (many of them exotic) as well as loads of steps. Making a curry that
is flavorful, quick, and vegetarian is even more of a challenge. But the appeal of
a hearty, aromatic stew with long, slow-simmered flavor on a weeknight was
undeniable; we were determined to find a way to make a great vegetarian curry
for two.
Thai curries blend a variety of tastes, textures, temperatures, and colors to
work their magic. They almost always contain coconut milk, which not only
blends with and carries the flavors but also forms the base of the sauce. The
focus is on the aromatics, which are added in the form of a paste usually
consisting of garlic, ginger, shallots, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, shrimp
paste, and chiles. These curry pastes can be quite involved; fortunately, the
curries themselves come together rather quickly and need to simmer for only a
short amount of time.
Since our goal was a weeknight meal, we would have to skip the long
preparation of making curry paste from scratch. Instead, we would start with a
store-bought paste and balance the flavors with additional ingredients as needed.
Thai chile pastes are available in green curry or red curry; green curry paste is
made with fresh green chiles, while red curry paste is made with dried red chiles.
We opted for green curry paste, thinking that its fresher, brighter flavor would be
better suited to a vegetarian dish. We started by sautéing the curry paste in hot
oil to bloom and intensify its flavor, then whisked in the coconut milk. The thick
gravy was delightfully unctuous (the word curry comes from the Tamil word
kari, which means “sauce” or “gravy”), but the richness of the coconut milk
muted the flavors of the jarred curry paste. The spicy flavors of garlic, ginger,
and chiles came through, but the more delicate flavor of kaffir lime was lacking.
Since exotic kaffir lime would be difficult to find, we tried to mimic the flavor
with fresh lime juice, adding it at the end of cooking to keep the flavor bright.
Tasters were almost satisfied, but we were still missing a little sweetness. Many
Thai recipes use palm sugar to balance the flavors. Since its rich, caramel-like
sweetness is similar to that of brown sugar, we added a little to the curry. Finally,
the flavors came into balance.
Next, we focused on the vegetables. We wanted this vegetarian dish to make
no apologies; it needed to be rich and hearty. Our goal was to pack as many
different textures and colors into the dish as possible. For a hearty vegetable to
anchor the dish, we chose cauliflower, a substantial, almost meaty vegetable that
would maintain its texture in the thick curry. Since it required the longest
cooking time, we added the cauliflower to the skillet with the curry paste, giving
it an extra hit of flavor with a sear in the hot oil before adding the coconut milk.
For the rest of the vegetables, we settled on a trio of zucchini, red bell pepper,
and snap peas, added near the end of cooking to preserve their more delicate
textures. They added heft, sweetness, and crunch, respectively, as well as giving
the curry a burst of color.
Our curry was really good, but now we needed something to soak up all that
flavor. Fragrant jasmine or basmati rice seemed a perfect fit for the flavors of the
dish, but we were loath to simply heap our delicious curry on a pile of rice. Just
because it was a weeknight meal didn’t mean it needed to be boring, after all. We
also wanted to add a little more texture to the dish; with all that creaminess, it
needed a little crunch. What if we fashioned cooked jasmine rice into cakes, then
sautéed them to develop a browned, crispy crust?
We warmed the rice briefly in the microwave, then mixed in a beaten egg and
some flour and formed the rice into patties. We added the patties to a hot skillet
and sautéed them until they were browned. But when we went to flip the cakes,
they broke into craggy pieces. Clearly we needed a better binder. Adding another
egg made them too wet, and adding flour was equally unsuccessful. Then we
thought of our recipe for black bean burgers, where we pulse a portion of the
beans to serve as a gluey binder to hold the burgers together. Would that work
with our rice cakes? We pulsed half of the warm rice in the food processor until
it was coarsely ground, then added it to the unprocessed rice, egg, and flour.
The starchy, sticky rice bits were just what the rice cakes needed. The next
batch came out of the skillet browned and crisp on the outside, soft and tender on
the inside. Served with a heaping ladle of our Thai vegetable green curry, they
made an easy, elegant entrée for any night of the week.
Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes
SERVES 2

Though we like the flavor of jasmine rice here, regular long-grain rice can be
substituted. We found that a package of Uncle Ben’s Jasmine Ready Rice
worked well in this recipe. Do not substitute light coconut milk here. For a
recipe to use up the leftover coconut milk. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

cups cooked and cooled jasmine rice

1 large egg
tablespoons all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

ounces cauliflower florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
6
1½

tablespoons Thai green curry paste

¾

cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon fish sauce
1½

teaspoons brown sugar

zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into ¾-inch pieces
1
small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks

1
ounces snap peas, strings removed

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1. Microwave rice in covered bowl until hot, about 90 seconds. Pulse half of rice
in food processor until coarsely ground, about 10 pulses; return to bowl with
unprocessed rice. Stir in egg, flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Using hands, form rice mixture into 2 patties.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add rice patties; cook until crisp and browned on both sides, about
3 minutes per side. Transfer rice cakes to plate; tent loosely with aluminum foil.
Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat
until shimmering. Add cauliflower and curry paste; cook until cauliflower begins
to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar and bring
to simmer. Add zucchini, bell pepper, and snap peas. Cover and cook, stirring
occasionally, until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook
until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in lime juice and
season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over rice
cakes.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THAI GREEN CURRY PASTE

Curry paste, which can be either green or red depending on the type of chile peppers used, is key for adding
deep flavor to Thai curries. It’s a lot of work to make from scratch since it uses a number of hard-to-find
ingredients such as lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, and shrimp paste. We’ve found that store-bought curry
paste does a fine job and saves significant shopping and prep time. It is usually sold in small jars next to the
other Thai ingredients at the supermarket. Be aware that these pastes can vary in spiciness depending on the
brand, so use more or less as desired.
 THE BEST COCONUT MILK
Coconut milk is made by steeping shredded coconut meat in an equal amount of either warm milk or water.
The meat is pressed or mashed to release as much liquid as possible, the mixture is strained, and the result is
coconut milk. We tasted seven nationally available brands (five regular and two light) in coconut pudding,
coconut rice, a Thai-style chicken soup, and green chicken curry. In the soup and curry, tasters preferred
Chaokoh because of its particularly low sugar content. Of the two light brands tasted, we preferred the
richer flavor of A Taste of Thai, though neither was nearly as creamy as the full-fat options. Ka-Me brand
coconut milk is best suited for sweet recipes.
GLAZED CARIBBEAN TOFU WITH RICE AND PIGEON PEAS
Glazed Caribbean Tofu

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a Caribbean-inspired tofu dish, we

seared tofu and made a quick but flavor-packed glaze with pineapple preserves
brightened with lime juice and seasoned with red pepper flakes. While the tofu
drained, we made an easy rice dish to serve on the side. We added onion,
jalapeño, and pigeon peas to the rice for flavor and textural contrast. Cooking the
rice in coconut milk made it rich and creamy, a perfect counterpart to the sweet
and spicy tofu.
Whether stir-fried, steamed, or glazed, tofu is a common ingredient in Asian
cuisines. But this versatile protein easily lends itself to any flavor profile, and
since it’s generally sold in small amounts, it’s a great option when cooking for
two. We wanted to expand our tofu repertoire, so we hit the books in search of
other cuisines’ takes on tofu.
Our research led us to the bold, fruity flavors of the Caribbean. In Caribbean
cooking, tofu is often seared until well browned and finished with a tasty glaze.
This seemed like a great technique for a quick weeknight dinner with a flavorful
payoff. We thought that the sweetness of pineapple would be the perfect
Caribbean complement for the tofu. But prepping fresh pineapple was a hassle
(not to mention wasteful when we wanted just enough for two), and simply
throwing chunks in the skillet didn’t give us the cohesive sauce we were after.
We wanted a thick, sweet pineapple glaze that would coat the tofu with bright,
tropical flavor. We decided to scrap the fresh pineapple in favor of pineapple
preserves. The thick, sweet preserves were packed with pineapple flavor. A few
seconds in the microwave loosened it, then we brightened the flavor and
balanced some of the sweetness by adding lime juice and red pepper flakes.
Tasters loved the mix of spicy and sweet flavors, so we decided to bump up
the heat even more. Curry powder, a blend of several spices including coriander,
cumin, and turmeric, added both heat and complexity. After draining the tofu to
remove excess liquid, we sprinkled the pieces with the curry powder before
searing. With this addition, our glazed tofu was well on its way to becoming a
fan favorite with the tasters. Now all we needed to do was come up with just the
right dish to serve it over.
To go along with our Caribbean theme we knew we wanted a rice dish, but
plain white rice just wouldn’t do our flavor-packed tofu justice. To flavor the rice
itself, we sautéed diced onion and jalapeño in a little oil before adding the rice
and water. The jalapeño gave a little heat to the rice but didn’t knock us over
with too much burn. To add some more textural contrast, we decided to add
canned pigeon peas to the rice. Pigeon peas are small, creamy, and slightly
sweet, and they livened up the rice perfectly.
Our side dish was starting to come together, but everyone agreed it was still
missing something. To make it worthy of our glazed tofu, we decided to replace
some of the rice cooking water with coconut milk. The coconut milk imparted a
rich creaminess and distinctly tropical flavor to the rice that paired perfectly with
the sweet glazed tofu. We started our testing with full-fat coconut milk but found
that no matter how little we added to the rice, the rice came out too heavy and
greasy. Light coconut milk worked much better, imparting the same richness and
flavor while keeping our rice fluffy and light. The rice needed about 20 minutes
to cook, so we started it while our tofu was draining, then seared the tofu and
made the glaze while the rice steamed so that everything ended up being done at
the same time. Our quick and easy Caribbean take on tofu was so good, we
almost felt like we were on vacation when we took our first bite.
Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas
SERVES 2

Canned pigeon peas can be found in most supermarkets; however, black-eyed

peas or kidney beans can be substituted if necessary. Light coconut milk works
best here; do not substitute regular full-fat coconut milk, or your rice will turn
out heavy and greasy. To make this dish spicier, add the reserved chile seeds in
step 2. For a recipe to use up the leftover pigeon peas. For a recipe to use up the
leftover coconut milk. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

14 ounces firm tofu

Salt and pepper
1½

teaspoons curry powder

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

small onion, diced
1
jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeds reserved, and minced

1
½ cup long-grain white rice
¾ cup canned pigeon peas, rinsed
¾

cup light coconut milk

⅓ cup plus 1½ tablespoons water
¼
 cup pineapple preserves

1 tablespoon lime juice

⅛

teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Cut tofu in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into 6 slices. Spread
tofu out on paper towel–lined baking sheet and let drain for 15 minutes. Gently
pat tofu dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with
curry powder.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat
until shimmering. Add onion and jalapeño and cook until softened, about 5
minutes. Stir in rice and cook until opaque, about 1 minute. Stir in peas, coconut
milk, ⅓ cup water, and ¼ teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to
low, and cook until rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper
to taste.
3. While rice cooks, place preserves in medium bowl and microwave until
bubbling, about 30 seconds. Whisk in remaining 1½ tablespoons water, lime
juice, and pepper flakes.
4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat until just smoking. Add tofu and cook until golden and crisp on all sides,
about 5 minutes, turning as needed. Add pineapple mixture and simmer, turning
tofu to coat, until glaze thickens, about 1 minute. Serve over rice.
USE IT UP: CHICKPEAS AND PIGEON PEAS

Crispy Spiced Chickpeas or Pigeon Peas Makes ¾ cup

Make sure to dry the chickpeas or pigeon peas thoroughly with paper towels before placing them in the oil.

teaspoon smoked paprika

⅛

teaspoon sugar
⅛

teaspoon salt

Pinch pepper
⅓ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
¾ cup canned chickpeas or pigeon peas, rinsed and patted dry
Combine paprika, sugar, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Heat oil in 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat
until shimmering. Add chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and crisp, 6 to 8
minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chickpeas to bowl with spices and toss to coat. Serve.
SPICY ASIAN SOY AND RICE LETTUCE WRAPS
Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Asian lettuce wraps are traditionally filled
with seasoned ground meat. Our fast, flavor-packed vegetarian version swaps the
meat for soy crumbles, which are made from seasoned, textured soy and have a
satisfying texture similar to that of ground meat. We added some crisp, sweet red
bell pepper and cooked rice to bulk up the filling. For a flavorful sauce, we
started with chili-garlic sauce and punched it up with soy sauce, fresh ginger,
and a little brown sugar. Piled into a crisp lettuce leaf, our meaty vegetarian
filling kept tasters coming back for more.
Asian lettuce wraps are a great idea for an easy weeknight supper with an exotic
flair. Typically it’s a simple dish made with a tasty blend of ground meat,
flavorful sauce, and chopped vegetables, so we thought we would have no
problem adapting this delicious Cantonese specialty to a vegetarian version.
Unfortunately, when we tried the few recipes we found, the bland finished
products left us hungry. Developing a substantial vegetarian lettuce wrap that
packed protein as well as flavor would be our challenge.
The standard meat-based recipes we found shared more or less the same
technique: stir-fry the meat over high heat, add chopped vegetables, pour in the
sauce, and spoon the mixture into Bibb lettuce leaves. First we would need to
find the right substitute for the meat. We wanted something close to ground meat
in texture, so we didn’t bother trying soft tofu, which we knew would be too
soft. Instead we started with extra-firm tofu, which we love in stir-fries. But even
when we painstakingly drained and diced the extra-firm tofu before cooking,
tasters were still disappointed with the too-soft and mushy texture. Tofu was
definitely out. Next, we tried tempeh, another soy product with a much firmer
texture, but we found that its distinctive flavor was too strong and overwhelming
in the finished dish. We wanted a delicate balance of flavors among the filling,
sauce, and Bibb lettuce. We tried several types of mushrooms, but although
tasters liked their flavor, none of them felt substantial enough to stand in for the
meat.
Then a test cook suggested we try soy crumbles, a relative newcomer to the
vegetarian aisle. Made of seasoned, textured soy protein, they had the look and
texture of ground meat and a mild meaty, earthy flavor. We simply browned the
soy crumbles in the skillet before tossing them in the sauce, then piled them in
lettuce leaves to have a taste. We were surprised by their substantial, meaty
flavor and texture; we definitely had a winner. To add freshness, sweetness, and
a little crunch to the filling, we added a chopped red bell pepper. Lettuce cups
are traditionally served with rice on the side, but we thought we could further
bulk up our filling by adding the rice directly to the skillet with the crumbles and
red pepper. We finally had a hearty filling that would satisfy the hungriest dinner
guest.
But our sauce was still pretty wan. We definitely needed to give it more
punch. We started with spicy, flavorful chili-garlic sauce, loosening it with a
little vegetable broth. Soy sauce and grated fresh ginger added seasoning and
gave it a more complex heat. A pinch of sweet brown sugar balanced the
spiciness. This sauce was almost perfect, but it wasn’t clinging to the crumbles
and rice properly. We wanted just a little more body, so we added cornstarch as a
thickener. The cornstarch worked like a charm, thickening the sauce just enough
to coat the filling. We piled our flavorful filling into crisp lettuce leaves and
topped them off with some scallions. Our vegetarian lettuce wraps were now as
bold and complex as they were fresh and filling.
Spicy Asian Soy and Rice Lettuce Wraps
SERVES 2

To make a lettuce cup, put a spoonful of soy and rice mixture in the middle of a
lettuce leaf, fold the leaf edges up to form a taco shape, and eat with your hands.
You can use leftover or precooked rice here; our favorite precooked brand is
Minute Ready to Serve White Rice. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

cup vegetable broth

1½ teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce
1½

teaspoons soy sauce

1½

teaspoons brown sugar

¼

teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1

6 ounces soy crumbles

1 cup cooked rice

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
scallions, sliced thin

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves (½ head)

6
Whisk broth, chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch together in
bowl. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened,
about 3 minutes. Add soy crumbles, rice, and ginger and cook until fragrant,
about 30 seconds. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet and cook until
thickened, about 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in scallions and cilantro. Serve in
lettuce leaves.
USE IT UP: SOY CRUMBLES

Hearty Vegetarian Queso Dip

Makes about 2 cups
Serve with tortilla chips.
6 ounces soy crumbles
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ cup milk
4 ounces pepper Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 scallions, sliced thin
1. Combine soy crumbles and tomato in small saucepan and cook over medium heat until soy crumbles are
heated through, about 2 minutes. In small bowl, stir cornstarch into 1 tablespoon milk and set aside.
2. Add remaining 7 tablespoons milk to saucepan and bring to simmer. Stir in cornstarch mixture and
simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add pepper Jack and scallions, and cook,
stirring constantly, until cheese melts and thickens, about 2 minutes. Serve warm.
CHAPTER 5: DINNER OFF THE GRILL

Grilled Pesto Chicken with Corn on the Cob

Grilled Wine-and-Herb Marinated Chicken with Asparagus

Barbecued Pulled Chicken with Warm Cabbage Slaw

Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Sesame Bok Choy

Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor)

Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with Zucchini Ribbons and Shaved Parmesan

Grilled Steak with New Mexican Chile Rub and Red Potatoes
Grilled Steak with Spicy Chipotle Chile Rub and Red Potatoes

Grill-Smoked Salmon with Cucumber, Radish, and Watercress Salad

Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Radicchio and Gorgonzola Salad

Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad

GRILLED PESTO CHICKEN WITH CORN ON THE COB
Grilled Pesto Chicken With Corn on the Cob

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To instill our pesto chicken with pesto
flavor throughout, we took a three-pronged approach. We started with a batch of
homemade pesto, then thickened a portion with extra Parmesan cheese to make a
stuffing for our bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts that would stay put and
wouldn’t leak out. A cheese-less portion of pesto acted as a marinade, flavoring
the exterior of the meat. Finally, cheesy pesto, thinned out to a sauce and served
with the chicken, provided one last hit of bright, rich flavor. Grilled corn on the
cob, smeared with a little butter, made the perfect partner to our moist, tender
chicken.
Fragrant basil pesto isn’t just for pasta—it can enhance any number of dishes.
One dish that we’re big fans of in the test kitchen is grilled pesto chicken. But
more often than not, the pesto flavor becomes weak and washed out by the time
the chicken makes it to the table. The reason for this is that the heat is tough on
basil’s delicate flavor compounds. For our recipe, we’d have to find a way to
imbue the chicken so deeply with the basil and garlic that the pesto flavor held
up no matter how hot it got on the grill.
Initial recipe tests showed that pesto adhered poorly to boneless, skinless
chicken breasts; bone-in breasts were more substantial, and the pesto adhered to
them better. So, working with store-bought pesto for convenience, we explored
ways to give our pair of skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts a powerful pesto
punch. We slathered it on the chicken and used it to flavor brines, marinades, and
vinaigrettes in which we soaked the meat. We even used it to flavor butter and
mayonnaise, which we smeared under the skin and all over the meat.
Unfortunately, we were disappointed time and again. Not even the pesto on its
own conveyed basil flavor deep into the meat.
If the pesto flavor wasn’t working its way in from the outside, we figured we
should put some on the inside. We cut deep horizontal slits in the thick sides of
the breasts, creating pockets that we stuffed with pesto. We tied the breasts with
kitchen twine to prevent the pockets from opening up on the grill and for good
measure smeared the exterior of the breasts with pesto. What came off the grill
this time gave us a glimmer of hope. Though some of the pesto we’d put in the
pockets had leaked out, its flavor was still evident in the meat.
Reasoning that if we thickened the pesto it might stay put in the pockets
during grilling, we tried mixing it with both cream cheese and shredded
mozzarella. These thicker pestos did indeed leak less than the standard pesto, but
it wasn’t the dish we wanted. The mild cheeses had diluted the pesto flavor.
Since using a thicker pesto showed promise, we turned our attention to its
primary components: basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, and olive oil. Customizing the
texture meant altering the ingredient amounts, so we ditched the store-bought
stuff and started making our own. Though it meant more work, we didn’t mind
because homemade pesto tastes stronger and fresher, and even for-two kitchens
tend to have most of these ingredients on hand. We found that the basil and
Parmesan contributed more to the chicken than the pine nuts did, so we replaced
them with extra Parmesan. Not wanting to use this thicker, cheesy mixture to
coat the exterior for fear it might burn, we pureed the basil and garlic with some,
but not all, of the oil in the food processor and reserved a portion of this cheese-
less pesto for marinating. Then we stirred a generous quantity of cheese into the
remaining basil mixture, turning it into an extra-stiff, cheesy pesto that worked
well as a stuffing, leaking very little on the grill.
This was progress, but the pesto tasted a bit flat, and it turned a dark,
unattractive color on the grill. Adding a small amount of acid, such as lemon
juice, can help retain the bright color of foods, so we gave it a try. In this case, it
gave the flavor a lift, too.
Next we turned to the grilling method. We followed the test kitchen’s method
for grilling bone-in breasts by building a half-grill fire. In this grill setup, all the
coals are placed on one side of the grill, effectively creating a hot zone and a
cool zone. We grilled the breasts skin side up using indirect heat on the cool side
(over medium-low heat on the gas grill), then flipped them and moved them over
the coals to crisp the skin near the end of cooking (we turned the burners up to
medium-high on the gas grill).
At last we had grilled chicken that tasted distinctly of pesto, both inside and
out. Pleased as we were, we decided to really drive home the point by serving
the chicken with even more cheesy Parmesan pesto that hadn’t been exposed to
the heat of the grill. To do this, we simply made more of our pesto filling and
loosened it up with some olive oil, so it was the perfect consistency for drizzling
over the chicken. Now this was grilled pesto chicken that lived up to its billing.
With an entrée this flavorful, we wanted to complete the meal with a simple
side dish. Summer-fresh sweet corn was the answer. We placed two large ears of
corn on the grill while the chicken rested; the corn took on plenty of smoky
flavor and char in less than 10 minutes. With a dab of softened butter and a
drizzle of our pesto sauce, this easy side was ready for the plate.
Grilled Pesto Chicken with Corn on the Cob
SERVES 2

Note that the pesto base is divided into three separate mixtures for marinating,
stuffing, and saucing the grilled chicken. Extra pesto sauce works well drizzled
over the grilled corn. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2 cups fresh basil leaves

tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

6
garlic cloves, peeled

2
2½

teaspoons lemon juice

Salt and pepper

ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)

1
(12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed

2
ears corn, husks and silk removed

2
tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2
1. Process basil, ¼ cup oil, garlic, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt in food
processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed. Remove
2 tablespoons pesto from processor and reserve for marinating chicken. Add
Parmesan to pesto in processor and pulse until incorporated, about 3 pulses.
Remove 2 tablespoons Parmesan pesto from processor and reserve for stuffing
chicken. Add 2 tablespoons oil to Parmesan pesto in processor and pulse until
combined, about 3 pulses; set aside for saucing cooked chicken.
2. Starting on thick side of breast, closest to breastbone, cut horizontal pocket in
each breast, stopping ½ inch from edge so halves remain attached. Season
chicken, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Place 1 tablespoon Parmesan pesto
reserved for stuffing in pocket of each breast. Evenly space 2 pieces of kitchen
twine beneath each breast and tie to secure breast, trimming any excess twine.
Place stuffed breasts in bowl and add pesto reserved for marinating. Rub pesto
all over chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large
chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are
partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in
place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until
hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-low. (Adjust burners as
needed to maintain grill temperature of 350 degrees.)
4. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chicken, skin side up, on grill (over cool
side if using charcoal). Cover and cook until chicken registers 155 degrees, 25 to
35 minutes.
5. Flip chicken skin side down. Slide chicken to hot part of grill if using
charcoal, or turn all burners to medium-high if using gas. Cover and cook until
well browned and chicken registers 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer
chicken to cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10
minutes.
6. While chicken rests, brush corn with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and season with
salt and pepper. Place corn on grill (over hot part if using charcoal) and cook
until lightly charred on all sides, 6 to 10 minutes, turning as needed. Remove
from grill and brush with butter.
7. Remove twine from chicken and carve meat from bone. Serve with corn,
passing Parmesan pesto sauce separately.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING A POCKET FOR PESTO CHICKEN

1. Starting on thick side closest to breastbone, cut horizontal pocket in each breast, stopping ½ inch from
edge.
2. Stuff each breast with Parmesan-pesto mixture, then tie them with two pieces of kitchen twine at even
intervals.
 KEEPING CORN SWEET
Generally, it’s best to eat corn on the cob the same day you buy it, as its sugars start converting to starches
as soon as it is harvested, causing the corn to lose sweetness. But if you buy corn and don’t plan to cook it
the same day, it should be stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. We recommend storing corn
unshucked and wrapped in a wet paper bag to slow down the conversion from sugar to starch, then placing
the wet paper bag in a plastic bag (any shopping bag will do). Because corn on the cob is sensitive to chill
injury, it should be placed in the front of the fridge, where the temperatures tend to be higher.
Grilled Wine-Marinated Chicken With Asparagus

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a grilled take on the classic pairing of
wine and chicken, we started with two leg quarters, which gave us two perfect
portions and lots of rich, moist meat. Combining dry white wine with garlic,
herbs, and a little sugar in the blender produced a flavorful marinade, and poking
the chicken with a skewer helped the flavors of the marinade penetrate the skin,
so the meat was deeply flavored. Tender spears of asparagus proved an elegant
match to our grilled chicken.
Wine is a natural fit with chicken. The bold acidity and fruity, complex flavors of
both red and white wines pair beautifully with the mild-tasting meat—think of
the classic French braise coq au vin or a wine-based pan sauce spooned over
roasted chicken. But while those are great cold-weather dishes, we wanted to
develop a recipe for grilled chicken with a wine and herb flavor profile—one
that we could enjoy in warmer weather. And since we had the grill fired up, we
thought we’d add an easy side to make it a hearty meal for two.
The first step was selecting the chicken. Most recipes use a 4-pound bird,
which is a nonstarter if you’re cooking for two. Since breast meat is more likely
to dry out on the grill, we opted for dark meat. Two chicken leg quarters gave us
a thigh and drumstick for each person—perfect for a weeknight dinner with no
leftovers.
Next, it was on to the wine. Disappointed with the wine flavor (or lack
thereof) in many of the recipes we tried, we searched for a way to make the
wine, and the herbs that would go with it, really shine. It took plenty of testing to
choose the right wine. We quickly eliminated red wine because it gave the
chicken an unattractive purple tint. Trying marinades with eight common white
wine varieties revealed that dry wines, such as Sauvignon Blanc (as opposed to
sweeter varieties such as Riesling or Gewürztraminer), instilled our chicken with
more flavor. Opening bottle after bottle showed that neither the variety of dry
white wine nor the price point—we tried wines from less than $10 to $35 per
bottle—mattered much. In terms of quantity, many recipes we saw called for as
little as ¼ cup, but we found that it took 1 cup of wine in the marinade to flavor
our chicken pieces.
Moving on to the herbs, we tried all the major players and found that fresh
parsley and thyme complemented the wine best (stronger herbs like rosemary
and oregano overpowered it). A healthy dose of salt was essential to season the
meat deeply; the salt facilitates an exchange between the meat’s natural moisture
and the marinade, allowing the flavorful liquid to penetrate more deeply. Garlic
and lemon accented the marinade, and a little brown sugar balanced the wine and
lemon.
Rather than simply stirring our marinade ingredients together, we whizzed
them all together in the blender. In the machine, the herbs broke down for
optimal flavor and distribution. In the test kitchen, we’ve found that puncturing
the surface of chicken or meat can help marinades penetrate better, so we
reached for a skewer and started poking the leg quarters. This noticeably
bumped up the wine flavor with no appreciable loss of juices in the meat. As for
marinating time, we discovered that the chicken had the best flavor if we
marinated it for at least two hours.
When it came to grilling, we needed to minimize flare-ups from the rendering
fat and marinade dripping on the coals. A half-grill fire was the answer; in this
type of grill setup, a hot zone and a cool zone are created by placing all the coals
on one side of the grill. We started the chicken over indirect heat (the cool side)
with the skin side down so the fat would render and the skin would slowly crisp.
Then we flipped the chicken and moved it to the hot side for the final few
minutes of cooking to fully crisp the skin on the underside.
The chicken was well seasoned and evenly cooked and had impressive wine
and herb flavor, but we still had one more card to play: the mop. In the barbecue
world, a mop is a thin basting sauce used to add complexity and freshness to the
meat being grilled. We had tried and rejected basting during cooking—it made
our crisp skin soggy—but this time we set aside a bit of the marinade (minus the
salt) before adding the chicken and brushed it on near the end of grilling, once
the skin had already become crisp. It worked just as we’d hoped, adding a bright
burst of flavor.
Now that we had flavorful, perfectly cooked chicken, we wanted a grilled
vegetable to complement it and thought the fresh, grassy flavor of asparagus
would be ideal. Since the chicken needed to rest after grilling, we had plenty of
time to cook enough spears for two on the hot side of the grill. The duo of wine-
and-herb-infused chicken and bright, crisp-tender asparagus made for one
winning meal for two.
Grilled Wine-and-Herb-Marinated Chicken with Asparagus
SERVES 2

Use a dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, for this recipe.

1 cup dry white wine

2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½

tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

garlic cloves, minced
2
½

teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons salt
(12-ounce) chicken leg quarters, trimmed
2
pound asparagus, trimmed
1
1. Process wine, 1½ tablespoons oil, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, sugar, garlic,
and pepper in blender until emulsified, about 40 seconds. Reserve 2 tablespoons
marinade. Add salt to remaining mixture in blender and process to dissolve,
about 20 seconds.
2. Poke holes all over chicken with skewer. Place chicken in large zipper-lock
bag, pour in salted marinade, seal bag, and turn to coat. Set bag in baking dish,
skin side down, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large
chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are
partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in
place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until
hot, about 15 minutes. Turn secondary burner(s) to low and primary burner to
medium. (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature
between 350 and 375 degrees.)
4. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels; discard used
marinade. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chicken, skin side down, over
cooler part of grill (over secondary burner(s) if using gas), with legs closest to
hotter side of grill. Cover and cook until chicken is well browned and thigh meat
registers 150 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes. Brush chicken with 1 tablespoon
reserved marinade. Flip chicken, slide to hot side of grill (over primary burner if
using gas), and brush with remaining 1 tablespoon reserved marinade. Cook,
covered, until thighs register 175 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
5. Transfer chicken to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5
to 10 minutes.
6. While chicken rests, toss asparagus with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large
bowl. Place asparagus on hot side of grill (over primary burner if using gas) and
cook until tender and spotty brown, 3 to 6 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer
asparagus to platter with chicken. Serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

TRIMMING ASPARAGUS

1. Remove one stalk of asparagus from bunch and bend it at thicker end until it snaps.
2. With broken asparagus as guide, trim tough ends from remaining asparagus bunch using chef’s knife.
 THE BEST GRILL TONGS
For the most part, we pass on the new models of grill tongs each grilling season and rely on a traditional
and effective pair. But to make sure that we weren’t missing anything, we picked up a few of the latest on
the market. Unfortunately, most looked and performed like medieval torture devices, with sharp, serrated
edges that nicked the surface of steaks and shredded fish into flakes. Our overall winner was a plain pair of
OXO Good Grips 16-Inch Locking Tongs, $14.95. Not only do they grip, turn, and move food around the
grill easily, but they are also long enough to keep hands a safe distance from the grill.
BARBECUED PULLED CHICKEN WITH WARM CABBAGE SLAW
Barbecued Pulled Chicken With Warm Cabbage Slaw

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Working with chicken parts, rather than a
whole chicken, brought this barbecue classic into for-two territory. Using a leg
quarter and split breast gave us bites of both tender white meat and rich dark
meat, and brining kept the breast meat moist and juicy. Poking holes in the
chicken skin allowed the meat to pick up serious smoke flavor. A sweet, tangy,
and smoky barbecue sauce added even more flavor, and a warm cabbage slaw
made the perfect partner to our pulled chicken sandwiches.
It takes hours for decent smoke flavor to penetrate meat on the grill (think racks
of ribs and pork butts), which might explain why most pulled chicken
sandwiches we’ve tried are filled with disappointingly dry meat. Most recipes,
no matter if they call for parts, whole birds, or something in between, share the
common thread of overcooking the meat; some recipes have you leave the
chicken on the grill for four hours—as long as it takes to tenderize ribs—which
of course dries out the meat. We wanted a recipe with tender, moist (not
overcooked) chicken with deep smoke flavor, and it couldn’t feed a crowd—it
had to make just enough for two. To complete our backyard barbecue, we looked
to serve our pulled chicken with a tangy slaw.
Initial tests revealed that tasters had a preference for a combination of white
and dark meat. Since we were cooking for two, a whole bird was a no-go. That
meant working with a combination of parts, which would need different cooking
times. We wanted enough meat for two substantial sandwiches, so we settled on
a split chicken breast and a leg quarter and fired up the grill.
After almost an hour of indirect smoking, the dark meat was perfect but the
white meat was getting chalky. How could we even out the cooking time? We
tried putting the more resilient leg quarter closer to the fire and moving the
breast farther away. Giving the more delicate white meat a little distance from
the heat slowed down its cooking, which helped. What helped even more was
brining the chicken to season it and protect it from overcooking. A 30-minute
soak in salt water was all it took for white meat just as moist and tender as the
dark. The white meat easily pulled into strands, but the dark meat, although
tender, didn’t have the right texture to do so. No problem: We chopped it and
mixed it in with the pulled white meat.
Our texture problem was solved, but there just wasn’t enough smoky flavor in
this smoked chicken. Using more wood chips didn’t make a difference, since we
were discarding the skin after smoking the chicken. The skin was absorbing a lot
of the smoke that should have been flavoring the meat, but smoking the breast
without the skin didn’t work, as the skin was also helping to keep the meat
moist. If the skin had to stay, could we make it more permeable? Taking a cue
from our Grilled Wine-and-Herb-Marinated Chicken, we poked the chicken skin
all over with a skewer before grilling, hoping the perforated skin would still
insulate the meat while allowing more smoke in. It worked. The chicken was
much smokier, with no loss of moisture.
Now it was time to address the sauce. We prepared a variety of different
barbecue sauce recipes and tried them with the chicken. Our favorite was the
molasses-y, smoky, Kansas City–style barbecue sauce, but we made a couple of
tweaks to the usual ingredient list while cutting down this ketchup-based
condiment for two. For more depth, we added brewed coffee, which we had seen
in some other sauce recipes; tasters found it boosted the smoky flavor of the
dish. Also, we bumped up the amount of cider vinegar to make the flavor more
pungent. After a half-hour simmer, our barbecue sauce was nicely thickened and
ready to be tossed with our pulled chicken before it was piled atop two kaiser
rolls.
Finally, we could focus on barbecue’s best friend: the slaw. For the main
ingredient, we chose napa cabbage; we liked its thin, crisp leaves and delicate,
mild flavor, and half of a small head was just the right amount for two servings.
Cutting our cabbage half lengthwise through the core kept the leaves together
and gave us more surface area for grilling. After pulling the chicken from the
grill, we brushed the cabbage pieces with oil and grilled them until the tips of the
outer leaves were charred. We then sliced it thinly and tossed it, still warm, with
raisins, a carrot, and a sweet-and-sour dressing of vinegar, mustard, and sugar.
This bright and tangy slaw made the perfect match for our robustly flavored
barbecued chicken.
At last, we had a dinner that offered plenty of smoke and big barbecue flavor
—but it served only two.
Barbecued Pulled Chicken with Warm Cabbage Slaw
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS; ENOUGH FOR 2 SANDWICHES

Do not remove the core from the cabbage; it will help keep the leaves together
on the grill. For a recipe to use up the leftover napa cabbage.

CHICKEN
½

cup salt
(12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breast, trimmed
1
(12-ounce) chicken leg quarter, trimmed

Pepper
cups wood chips, soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained
2

2 kaiser rolls

SAUCE

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped fine

cups low-sodium chicken broth

2
⅔

cup cider vinegar

½

cup brewed coffee

⅓

cup molasses
¼

cup tomato paste

¼

cup ketchup

1 tablespoon brown mustard

1½

teaspoons hot sauce

¼

teaspoon garlic powder

¼

teaspoon liquid smoke

SLAW
½ small head napa cabbage, halved lengthwise through core
1½

tablespoons vegetable oil

Pepper
carrot, peeled and shredded

1
2½

tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons raisins
1½

teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon brown mustard

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container.
Using metal skewer, poke holes all over each piece of chicken. Submerge
chicken pieces in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove
chicken from brine, pat dry with paper towels, and season with pepper. Using
large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked wood chips in foil packet
and cut several vent holes in top.
2. FOR THE SAUCE: Meanwhile, heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-
high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Whisk in broth, vinegar, coffee, molasses, tomato paste, ketchup, mustard, hot
sauce, and garlic powder and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and
simmer until mixture is thick and reduced to 2 cups, 30 to 35 minutes. Off heat,
stir in liquid smoke. Reserve ½ cup sauce for serving. (Sauce can be made up to
2 days in advance.) 3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent
halfway. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts).
When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour into steeply banked pile
against side of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place,
cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are
smoking, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Place wood chip packet over primary burner. Turn all
burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking,
about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
4. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chicken pieces, skin side up, on cool side
of grill with leg quarter closer to heat source and breast farther away. Cover and
cook until breast registers 160 degrees and thigh registers 175 degrees, 30 to 45
minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest
until cool enough to handle, 5 to 10 minutes.
5. FOR THE SLAW: While chicken rests, brush cabbage with 1½ teaspoons oil
and season with pepper. Place cabbage cut side down on hotter part of grill and
cook (covered if using gas) until slightly wilted and browned on all sides, 6 to 10
minutes, turning as needed. Transfer cabbage to cutting board and cut crosswise
into thin strips, discarding core. Transfer cabbage to bowl and stir in carrot. In
small bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, raisins, sugar, and
mustard and microwave, covered, until hot, about 1 minute. Pour dressing over
cabbage mixture and toss to coat.
6. To serve, remove and discard chicken skin. Pull meat off bones, separating
dark and light meat. Roughly chop dark meat into ½-inch pieces. Using 2 forks,
shred white meat into thin strands. Add chicken to pot with sauce and cook over
medium-low heat until chicken is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve
pulled chicken on kaiser rolls with slaw, passing reserved ½ cup sauce
separately.
Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin With Sesame
Bok Choy

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an easy take on Chinese-style glazed

and charred pork, we turned to the grill and opted for pork tenderloin, which
cooks quickly, stays moist, and offers just enough meat for two. Butterflying and
pounding the tenderloin meant we had even more surface area to glaze. A
number of pantry staples like ketchup and jelly, plus a few Asian ingredients,
gave us a salty-sweet sauce that acted as both marinade and glaze. Continuously
flipping and glazing the pork on the grill created a charred and caramelized—but
not burnt—exterior. Grilled baby bok choy completed our takeout-at-home
supper.
When it comes to Chinese food, boneless barbecue spareribs are a popular
favorite. In the wrong hands, they can turn out flabby and greasy. But when
they’re done right—marinated, slowly roasted, brushed with a salty-sweet red
glaze, and then broiled to a crispy, charred finish—they are perfection. We
wanted to bring this dish outdoors and use the heat of the grill to deliver the
same charred look and flavor, and also streamline the ingredient list so it would
be easy to put this dish on the table for two (no specialty shopping required).
“Boneless barbecue spareribs” is a misnomer: They are neither spareribs
(they’re usually strips of pork shoulder) nor barbecue (there’s no smoke
involved). Right from the outset, we knew we’d need a replacement for the pork
shoulder, which takes hours to cook and results in way too much food for two.
We picked up some boneless pork chops, pork tenderloin, and boneless country-
style ribs. We made a quick marinade and fired up the grill. The pork chops
looked great but weren’t quite tender enough; the same held true for the country-
style ribs. Thankfully, the tenderloin cooked quickly and was very tender, just as
the name advertises. We decided to butterfly and pound the tenderloin, turning
the meat into a thin sheet, so we’d have faster, more even cooking as well as
extra surface area for glazing once we hit the grill.
Some marinade recipes for Chinese pork call for exotic ingredients such as
black vinegar, sweet soy sauce, and maltose (a malt sugar). For the home cook,
however, supermarket ingredients were in order: Soy sauce, sherry, garlic,
ginger, and five-spice powder all proved essential. Hoisin added depth, toasted
sesame oil a nutty aroma, and black pepper just enough kick. For sweetness, we
wondered if those little packets of duck sauce might do the trick. Before we
scoured the office refrigerators for packets, we remembered that duck sauce is
basically just apricot jelly, so we gave that a shot. The fruity, sweet-tart jelly was
just what the pork needed.
Traditionally, the “glaze” used for barbecue spareribs is more of a “baste”:
The drippings are brushed onto the pork as it roasts. Since our new technique
didn’t produce any drippings, we set aside some of the marinade mixture to
brush on the pork. It dripped right off. Thickening with more hoisin or jelly
made the glaze too sweet. Reducing the sauce on the stove helped, but it still
lacked body. What if we added ketchup? Although not traditional, many modern
Chinese recipes use it. The ketchup thickened the glaze, its tanginess played
nicely with the other ingredients, and its color guaranteed that familiar red hue.
To finish, we added a little molasses, which tied everything together, from the
smokiness imparted by the grill to the sweet, meaty taste of the pork.
At last, we were ready to grill. Although the test kitchen typically
recommends glazing meats during the last minute or two of cooking to avoid
burning or sticking, this method didn’t give the pork a sticky, lacquered exterior.
Instead, we found that by flipping and glazing the meat throughout grilling, we
could produce a charred, caramelized exterior as good as the real deal, especially
considering the time investment.
To complete the meal, we wanted a fresh vegetable to provide some contrast
to the sweet and sticky glaze of the pork. Crisp-tender baby bok choy fit our
Asian theme, and a light dressing of sesame oil and rice wine vinegar with a
garnish of toasted sesame seeds added nutty flavor, brightness, and texture. Since
the delicate bok choy began to burn on the grill before it had time to soften, we
steamed it in the microwave for a few minutes before grilling.
From marinating to eating, we had richly flavored and nicely charred boneless
“spareribs,” plus a side of sesame bok choy, on the table in about an hour—and
there was no need to tip for delivery.
Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Sesame Bok Choy
SERVES 2

Do not remove the core from the bok choy; it will help keep the leaves together
on the grill.

PORK
(12-ounce) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1
¼

cup soy sauce

¼

cup apricot jelly

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1½

teaspoons toasted sesame oil

garlic clove, minced
1
½ teaspoon five-spice powder
½
 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons ketchup
1½

teaspoons molasses

BOK CHOY
3 heads baby bok choy (4 ounces each), halved

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1. FOR THE PORK: Butterfly tenderloin by slicing lengthwise through side;
do not cut through meat completely. Open up tenderloin like book and place
between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Gently pound to even ¾-inch thickness.
2. Combine soy sauce, jelly, hoisin, sherry, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, five-spice
powder, and pepper in bowl. Reserve ⅓ cup marinade. Place pork in large
zipper-lock bag and pour remaining marinade into bag with pork. Seal bag, turn
to coat, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Remove pork
from marinade and pat dry with paper towels; discard used marinade. Rub pork
all over with vegetable oil.
3. Meanwhile, combine reserved marinade, ketchup, and molasses in small
saucepan. Cook over medium heat until syrupy and reduced to ⅓ cup, 2 to 4
minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon glaze for glazing cooked tenderloin.
4. FOR THE BOK CHOY: Place bok choy in bowl and add water. Microwave,
covered, until bok choy is slightly softened but still firm, 3 to 4 minutes.
Transfer bok choy to paper towel–lined plate to cool and pat dry with paper
towels. Brush bok choy with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.
5A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large
chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are
partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place,
cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
5B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until
hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high.
6. Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill pork (covered if using gas) until lightly
charred on first side, about 2 minutes. Flip and brush grilled side of pork evenly
with 1 tablespoon glaze. Continue grilling until lightly charred on second side,
about 2 minutes. Flip and brush evenly with 1 tablespoon glaze. Repeat flipping
and glazing twice more, until pork registers 140 degrees and is thickly glazed,
about 4 minutes longer. Transfer pork to cutting board and brush with reserved 1
tablespoon glaze. Tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 to 10
minutes.
7. While pork is resting, place bok choy on grill and cook until slightly wilted
and well browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes, turning as needed. Gently toss bok
choy with sesame oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Slice pork ¼ inch thick and serve with bok choy.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PREPARING PORK TENDERLOIN

1. Place tenderloin on cutting board and slice down side, leaving ½ inch of meat uncut, and open like a
book. This provides extra surface area for grilling.
2. Place butterflied tenderloin between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using meat pounder, pound to ¾-inch
thickness for quick and even cooking.
ENHANCED VERSUS UNENHANCED PORK?
Because modern pork is remarkably lean and therefore somewhat bland and prone to dryness if overcooked,
a product called “enhanced” pork has overtaken the market. In fact, it can be hard to find unenhanced pork.
Enhanced pork has been injected with a solution of water, salt, sodium phosphate, sodium lactate,
potassium lactate, sodium diacetate, and varying flavor agents to bolster both flavor and juiciness; these
enhancing ingredients add 7 to 15 percent extra weight. After several taste tests, we have concluded that
although enhanced pork is indeed juicier and more tender than unenhanced pork, the latter has more
genuine pork flavor. Some tasters also picked up artificial, salty flavors in enhanced pork. It can also leach
juice that, once reduced, will result in overly salty sauces. We prefer natural pork, but the choice is up to
you.
Spicy Pork Tacos (Al Pastor)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Traditional recipes for tacos al pastor call
for roasting a pork butt on a vertical spit, but that wouldn’t do for an easy,
streamlined supper for two. Instead, we opted for boneless country-style ribs and
fired up the grill. So the ribs would cook through evenly, we pounded them to an
even ¾-inch thickness to break down the fattier dark meat, and we brined them
to keep the white meat juicy. Then we basted the ribs during grilling with a
potent sauce made from dried chiles, tomatoes, and spices. The meat stayed
tender as it picked up the tangy flavors and a nice char.
Tacos al pastor, or “shepherd-style” tacos, are a Mexican taqueria classic. The
pork is marinated in a chile sauce before being packed onto a vertical spit with
layers of pork fat, topped with a whole pineapple, and roasted. As the meat
cooks, the tangy, sweet pineapple juices trickle down, encouraging the meat to
caramelize as it turns. When the exterior is browned and crisp, thin shavings of
the roasted pork and pineapple are carved off directly onto a warm tortilla and
topped with garnishes that contrast with the rich meat: minced raw onion or
scallion, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime. Since preparing tacos al pastor in
the traditional manner is neither quick nor sensible for the home cook (who
owns a vertical spit?), the test kitchen recently developed a much easier recipe
that still delivered all the rich flavors and textures. First, a pork butt is cut into
½-inch-thick pieces and braised in a potent chile-tomato sauce until tender, then
brushed with more sauce and grilled until crisp and charred. Just before serving,
the pork is tossed back into the braising liquid to absorb the flavor from the
rendered fat. Since this approach is still quite involved, we looked to streamline
it where we could so that even households of two could enjoy the incredibly
tender and deeply flavored meat.
First off, we’d need to find an appropriate stand-in for the 4-pound pork
shoulder. Looking for a smaller cut of meat that boasted some of the marbling
and darker meat of pork butt, we turned to boneless country-style ribs. Country-
style ribs aren’t actually ribs at all; they’re well-marbled pork chops cut from the
blade end of the loin. After whipping up a batch of scaled-down chile-tomato
sauce—a bold blend of fruity guajillos, tomatoes, lots of garlic, bay leaves,
cumin, and sugar—we nestled a pound of the boneless ribs into the liquid and let
it all simmer for about 40 minutes before we moved the meat to the grill to crisp.
Unfortunately, the resulting ribs weren’t all that tender. One of the challenges
of using boneless country-style ribs is the variance in the ratio of light to dark
meat. If the ribs are cooked to optimize the white meat, the dark meat stays
tough, and if they are cooked to optimize the dark meat, the white meat turns dry
and chalky. Even at a low simmer, the lighter meat toughened before the dark
meat had become tender. Since we would be finishing the ribs on the grill to
develop the traditional charred exterior, we wondered if we could eliminate the
braising step completely and do all of our cooking on the grill. In the test
kitchen, we’ve had luck brining boneless country-style ribs to keep them juicy
on the grill and protect the white meat, so we followed suit here. We also
pounded them slightly to break down the dark meat and add more surface area to
the ribs. Since we would be losing the opportunity for the ribs to pick up flavor
from the sauce during braising, increased surface area meant more room to baste
and develop char.
For our next test, we brushed the unctuous liquid over both sides of each pork
rib before grilling and then flipped and basted the ribs every 2 minutes until the
pork reached a temperature of 145 degrees. The layers of sauce became
concentrated into a thick glaze that browned and crisped beautifully over the
heat of the grill. Pineapple was a given to keep with the authenticity of the dish,
so while the meat rested, we skewered a cup of pineapple chunks and grilled
them until they were softened and caramelized. After a coarse chop, they were
ready to garnish the tacos.
To replicate the appearance and texture of meat shaved from a spit, we sliced
the crisped ribs crosswise into short ⅛-inch-thick strips. Then, just before
serving, we tossed the meat with some warm reserved sauce spiked with a bit of
lime juice for brightness.
Topped with thinly sliced scallions and chopped cilantro, our tacos al pastor,
imbued with all of the complexity and rich flavor of the spit-roasted original,
helped us bring the taste of an authentic taqueria home for two.
Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor)
SERVES 2

If you can’t find guajillo chiles, New Mexican chiles may be substituted,
although the dish may be spicier. To warm tortillas, place them on a plate, cover
with a damp dish towel, and microwave for 60 to 90 seconds. Keep the tortillas
covered and serve immediately.

Salt and pepper

pound boneless country-style pork ribs, trimmed
1
large dried guajillo chiles, wiped clean

3
¾

cup water
ounces plum tomatoes, cored and quartered
8
garlic cloves, peeled

1 bay leaf
½

teaspoon sugar
¼

teaspoon ground cumin

 lime, cut into 6 wedges
1
cup 1-inch pineapple pieces

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

(6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed

6
scallions, sliced thin

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Dissolve 1 tablespoon salt in 2 cups cold water in large container. Place ribs,
cut side down, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to ¾-inch thickness.
Submerge pork in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove
pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, toast guajillos in small saucepan over medium-high heat until
softened and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to large plate and, when cool
enough to handle, remove stems.
3. Bring toasted guajillos, water, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, cumin, ½
teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper to simmer in now-empty saucepan over
medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring
occasionally, until guajillos are softened and tomatoes have broken down, about
30 minutes.
4. Transfer guajillo-tomato mixture to blender and process until smooth, about 1
minute. Strain puree through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as
much liquid as possible. Transfer ¼ cup to bowl for grilling. Return remaining
sauce to now-empty saucepan. Squeeze 1 lime wedge into sauce in pot and add
spent wedge; season with salt to taste and set aside.
5A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent halfway. Light large
chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are
partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in
place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
5B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until
hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other
burner(s).
6. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place pork on hot part of grill and brush
uncooked side of pork with 1 tablespoon sauce. Grill until lightly charred on first
side, about 2 minutes. Flip and brush grilled side of pork evenly with 1
tablespoon glaze. Continue grilling until lightly charred on second side, about 2
minutes. Repeat flipping and glazing twice more, until pork registers 145
degrees and is thickly glazed and charred, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer to
cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, thread pineapple chunks onto 12-inch metal skewer, brush with
oil, and season with salt. Place skewer on hot part of grill and cook until
pineapple is softened and caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes, turning skewer as needed;
transfer pineapple to cutting board. Coarsely chop grilled pineapple and transfer
to serving bowl.
8. Using tongs to steady hot pork, slice each piece crosswise into ⅛-inch pieces.
Bring remaining sauce in pot to simmer, add sliced pork, remove pot from heat,
and toss to coat pork well. Season with salt to taste. Spoon small amount of pork
into each warm tortilla. Serve, passing chopped pineapple, remaining lime
wedges, scallions, and cilantro separately.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

BUYING BONELESS COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS

These meaty, tender ribs are cut from the upper side of the rib cage from the fatty end of the loin. They
contain mostly fattier meat and are a favorite for braising, smoking, and slow cooking. Butchers usually cut
them into individual ribs and package several together. When shopping, be sure to choose ribs with plenty
of fat and dark meat to ensure tenderness.
GRILLED MARINATED SKIRT STEAK WITH ZUCCHINI RIBBONS
AND SHAVED PARMESAN
Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak With Zucchini Ribbons

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Skirt steak is a popular cut for grilling, and
though a marinade might add flavor, it usually causes the meat to steam on the
grill. To achieve a charred crust, we seasoned our steak with salt, pepper, and
sugar before grilling and didn’t marinate it until after it came off the grate. Since
the marinade never touched raw meat, we could serve it as a sauce on the side.
Thinly shaved slices of zucchini and Parmesan, tossed with mint and lemon
juice, created a fresh, cool counterpoint to the grilled steak.
Fifteen years ago, the only place most of us could find skirt steak was in Latin
American restaurants and markets; it is a common cut for fajitas and carne
asada. But as American diners slowly grew to appreciate the appeal of this
intensely beefy, pleasantly chewy cut, supermarkets caught on—especially
during grilling season. Most recipes call for marinating before grilling, as skirt
steak’s loose, almost shaggy grain makes it ideal for soaking up flavor. In terms
of an easy dinner for two, a robustly flavored steak meant we could keep our
side dish simple. But all too often, “simple” is synonymous with “boring.”
Keeping the side dish’s flavors bright and vibrant was just as important as
developing a proper sear on our steak. And as we would come to realize, the
latter proved more difficult to achieve than we expected.
While marinating works well with the texture of skirt steak, it doesn’t exactly
work well with grilling. In the half-dozen recipes we tried, even with the grill
cranked up high, the marinated meat steamed and fizzled rather than seared and
sizzled—not one produced rosy meat with a deeply charred exterior. The
problem: Skirt steaks are thin, so they are apt to overcook by the time they get a
nice sear. And the marinade was compounding this by making the meat wetter
and slowing down the searing. Patting the meat dry before grilling helped, but
even then the thin, still-moist meat didn’t get the kind of crusty char we were
after. This might not be a problem with red-hot restaurant grills, but it was for us
on a regular backyard grill. What’s a home cook to do?
Since we were determined to marinate our meat, we figured we’d work on the
flavor first and get to the char later. The test kitchen has a lot of experience with
beef marinades, so we weren’t starting from scratch. We used soy sauce for
seasoning and meaty flavor, garlic for depth, olive oil to help carry the flavors,
and mustard for pop. Knowing that we’d need about half a cup of marinade for a
12-ounce skirt steak, which offered just the right amount of meat for two, we
started fiddling with ratios and realized that we needed to bump up the flavor.
Worcestershire sauce added complexity, and balsamic vinegar brought both
sweetness and acidity. Scallions lent a mild onion flavor. Finally, to make sure
the flavors were evenly distributed, we took a hint from vinaigrette recipes and
emulsified the marinade by slowly whisking the oil into the base.
With the marinade squared away, it was time to work on getting a substantial
char. A colleague thought a sprinkling of sugar might help the steak caramelize,
and yes, the meat did get some char. Still, “some” char was a long way from a
proper char. We were stumped. We were patting the meat dry, sugaring it,
preheating the grill, and oiling the grill grates. And still the steaks weren’t taking
on a hard sear.
Then it hit us. In restaurant kitchens, chefs often rest cooked meat—steak,
lobster, and more—in melted butter until it is ready to be served. The meat stays
warm, and it absorbs some of the butter, giving it rich, buttery depth. Would this
work with a marinade, too?
For the next test, we simply seasoned a skirt steak with salt, pepper, and sugar
and threw it on a hot grill. After a few minutes of good, hard searing on both
sides, we moved the steak to the marinade; it drank it up. To push the recipe over
the top, we poked the steak a few times with a fork when it came off the grill to
allow the marinade to penetrate even deeper. Tasters loved the thoroughly
seasoned meat, and they were surprised when we served the marinade on the
side as a sauce for drizzling over the steak. Since it never touched raw meat, it
was good eating.
Finally, to complete this seriously low-fuss meal, we wanted an equally simple
but flavorful salad—ideally something that could be assembled during the
steak’s short resting time in the marinade. Mild-tasting, subtly sweet zucchini
seemed to fit the bill—and one was just enough to serve two. While we love
grilled zucchini, we wanted to find a way to serve it without softening its
crunchy texture or altering its fresh flavor, so we used a vegetable peeler to
shave it into long, delicate ribbons. We liked the idea of adding some creamy,
nutty Parmesan, but grated cheese muddied the clean look of the dish. Instead,
we turned the peeler on the cheese, shaving thin slices to mimic the ribbons of
zucchini. A quick toss with salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil and lemon
juice balanced the flavors, and a sprinkling of chopped mint added a cool
component to this super-fresh, and incredibly easy, side dish.
Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with Zucchini Ribbons and Shaved
Parmesan
SERVES 2

Keep the marinade at room temperature or it will cool down the steaks. Using in-
season zucchini, good olive oil, and high-quality Parmesan is crucial in this
simple side dish. Make sure to dress the zucchini just before serving. See the
sidebar that follows the recipe.

cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 teaspoons sugar
scallion, sliced thin
1
garlic cloves, minced

2
1½

teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil
(12-ounce) skirt steak, cut crosswise into 4-inch pieces and trimmed

1 zucchini

2 teaspoons lemon juice

ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved

1
teaspoons minced fresh mint or basil

2
1. Combine soy sauce, Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon sugar, scallion, garlic,
mustard, vinegar, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons
oil until incorporated and sugar has dissolved. Pat steaks dry with paper towels
and season with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon
pepper.
2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large
chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are
partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in
place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
2B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until
hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
3. Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill steaks (uncovered and directly over coals if
using charcoal; covered if using gas) until well browned and meat registers 125
degrees (for medium-rare), 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to 8-inch
square baking pan and poke all over with fork. Pour marinade over steaks, tent
with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer meat to cutting
board and slice thinly against grain. Pour marinade into serving vessel.
4. While meat is resting, use vegetable peeler or mandoline to slice zucchini
lengthwise into very thin ribbons. Gently toss zucchini ribbons with salt and
pepper in shallow platter. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and lemon
juice, then sprinkle with Parmesan and mint. Serve immediately with steaks and
reserved marinade.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SHAVING PARMESAN

To make Parmesan shavings, run vegetable peeler over block of cheese, making sure to use light touch to
ensure thin shavings.
 ALL ABOUT SKIRT STEAK
Once reserved for fajitas and carne asada, skirt steak has become very popular in recent years–and for good
reason. Cut from the underside of the animal, it’s well marbled, which means it has great flavor. It’s thin,
which means it cooks quickly. And it has an open grain, which means it readily soaks up flavor from a
marinade. When shopping for skirt steak, choose fattier cuts, as they will offer more flavor.
 TESTING MEAT FOR DONENESS
An instant-read thermometer is the most reliable method for checking the doneness of poultry and meat. To
use an instant-read thermometer, simply insert it through the side of a chicken breast, steak, or pork chop.
The chart below lists temperatures at which the meat should be removed from the heat, as the temperature
of the meat will continue to climb between 5 and 10 degrees as it rests. (Thin cutlets cook too quickly for an
actual doneness test, and you will have to rely more on visual cues and cooking times.)
WHEN IS IT DONE?


Meat: Chicken Breasts
Cook Until it Registers: 160 degrees Serving Temperature: 160 degrees
Meat: Chicken Thighs
Cook Until it Registers: 175 degrees Serving Temperature: 175 degrees
Meat: Pork Chops and Tenderloin Cook Until it Registers: 145 degrees Serving Temperature: 150
degrees
Meat: Pork Loin and Roasts
Cook Until it Registers: 140 degrees Serving Temperature: 150 degrees
Meat: Beef and Lamb, Rare
Cook Until it Registers: 115 to 120 degrees Serving Temperature: 125 degrees
Meat: Beef and Lamb, Medium-Rare Cook Until it Registers: 120 to 125 degrees Serving
Temperature: 130 degrees
Meat: Beef and Lamb, Medium
Cook Until it Registers: 130 to 135 degrees Serving Temperature: 140 degrees
Meat: Beef and Lamb, Medium-Well Cook Until it Registers: 140 to 145 degrees Serving
Temperature: 150 degrees
Meat: Beef and Lamb, Well-Done Cook Until it Registers: 150 to 155 degrees Serving Temperature:
160 degrees
Grilled Steak With New Mexican Chile Rub and Red
Potatoes

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an affordable steak night for two, we
used a two-stage rub to make the most of a comparatively inexpensive cut, the
shell sirloin. We started with a rub of salt, onion powder, garlic powder, fish
sauce, and tomato paste for deep, savory flavor and enhanced juiciness. For the
second stage, we made our own coarsely ground rub with toasted whole spices
and dried chiles. Making shallow cuts in the steak increased its surface area and
allowed the meat to absorb the flavors. Grilled halved red potatoes, flavored with
chives and garlic, turned this into a steakhouse-worthy dinner.
With their tender texture and big-time beef flavor, pricey steaks like rib eyes and
T-bones need little more than salt, pepper, and a few minutes over a hot fire to
render them impressive. But try that minimalist technique on cheaper steaks and
you’ll get meat that’s chewy and dry, with flavors that veer toward liver-y and
gamy. And spice rubs don’t help matters much; because cheap steaks exude little
fat to bond with the spices, the rub tends to fall off in chunks. If by some stroke
of luck the rub remains intact, it usually tastes dry and dusty, plus nuances of
flavor can vaporize over the fire. Still, we’re not ones to give up easily. We
wanted a great grilled steak for two, and we didn’t want to spend an arm and a
leg on it. Surely there was a way to create a recipe for inexpensive grilled steak
that was also tender and juicy, with a flavorful, crunchy crust that stayed in
place. But first, we had to find a steak that provided the best taste and texture for
the money.
After considering our options and sampling several rounds of steak, we settled
on the shell sirloin steak, which is also sold as top butt, butt steak, top sirloin
butt, top sirloin steak, and center-cut roast. Tasters described the shell steak as
having a relatively beefy taste, with none of the liver-y flavor found in other
cuts. A single shell steak provided just the right amount of meat for two diners.
Salting the steak before cooking was a given. Salt sprinkled liberally on the
surface of the meat draws moisture from inside, which over time is then
reabsorbed as the meat sits, seasoning it and changing the structure of the muscle
fibers so that they hold on to more juices. But we’d have to do more than just
salt our cheap cut to turn it into a steakhouse-worthy supper. We already knew
that a spice rub might not deliver the results we wanted: Most flavor compounds
in spices are fat-soluble rather than water-soluble, so they can’t penetrate below
the surface of the steak. Furthermore, in tests of marinades, we’ve found that
other than salt, the only water-soluble flavor compounds that can travel deep into
meat are glutamates, which are naturally occurring flavor compounds that
enhance savory qualities.
So, maybe glutamate-rich ingredients were the way to go. Scanning the
pantry, we singled out two of the most potent sources of these compounds:
tomato paste and fish sauce, a condiment that is unusual in a steak recipe but one
we’ve called upon in other unlikely applications to amp up savory taste. We
made a rub with kosher salt and a teaspoon each of these two ingredients (to
compensate for their extra sodium we cut back a little on the salt) and applied it
to our steak an hour before grilling. The difference in the steak was remarkable:
It boasted a much deeper flavor without any trace of our secret enhancements.
Spurred by this success, we decided to add ¼ teaspoon each of garlic powder
and onion powder to the rub. Though neither substance contains significant
levels of glutamates, their water-soluble flavors are potent enough (especially in
concentrated powdered form) that even if they penetrated only a little into the
meat, they might make a difference in the overall flavor. Tasters confirmed that
our hunch was correct: The steak from our next test had noticeably richer flavor.
It was time to move on to the spice rub.
Our plan was to treat the steak with our savory salt paste first, wait an hour,
and then apply a second, more conventional dry rub right before grilling. We
tried a variety of rubs, but we found that those made mostly with dried herbs lost
their flavor, while those based on spices, particularly those containing capsaicin
—namely, peppers, chiles, and paprika—fared better. First we tried rubs made
with preground spices, but these formed a coating that was more pasty than
crunchy. Then we tried toasting some whole spices (cumin, coriander, red pepper
flakes, and black peppercorns) in a skillet along with an earthy-tasting dried
New Mexican chile, then we ground the mixture coarsely in a coffee grinder. To
round out the flavors, we also incorporated sugar, paprika, and ground cloves
before pressing the rub onto the surface of the steak.
Tasters pronounced the steak juicy, tender, and flavorful, and they greatly
preferred the more robust texture of this home-ground rub. Still, there were two
problems to be solved. First, despite the toasting step, the spices retained a
slightly raw taste, the result of being cooked with very little fat, so the flavors
couldn’t bloom. Second, tasters requested a more substantial crust (there had
been more rub when we started grilling, but half of it had been left on the
cooking grate). Clearly, we needed to find a way to help the spices stick to the
steak and not to the grate.
In the past, we’ve made shallow cuts in pork chops and other cuts of meat to
help give breadings and coatings more purchase. Doing the same with our steak
before adding the first rub seemed likely to be doubly advantageous: It would
increase the surface area, which could give that first rub more opportunity to
really get into the meat, plus it could help the spice rub stick to the meat.
As we liberally greased the cooking grate in preparation for grilling the newly
crosshatched steak, we wished that there were some way to put a layer of oil on
the steak itself without disturbing the spice crust (which—we were pleased to
see—was sticking quite nicely). The easy solution: A light spritz of vegetable oil
spray helped keep the rub intact through the grilling process. The steak was
crusty and crunchy on the outside, with just enough heat and spice to
complement the meat’s rich flavor, and that little bit of added fat imparted by the
spray gave the spices the deep flavor that tasters were after. The tender and juicy
meat belied its $5.99-per-pound price tag.
Now we were ready to move on to the side dish and thought grilled potatoes
would complete our steak dinner. We halved a few small red potatoes (which
held their shape over the high heat of the grill better than other varieties) and
skewered and grilled them once our steak came off the grill. However, by the
time the steak had finished resting, our potatoes were still raw on the inside. We
often give hardier vegetables a jump start in the microwave before grilling, so
we decided to give it a go with our potatoes. After skewering our spuds, we
brushed them with oil and sprinkled them with salt, then microwaved them until
they were almost tender and placed them over the hot fire. This time, when the
steak was ready for the plate, our spuds were tender and creamy on the inside
and nicely charred on the outside. Tasters had only one complaint: The interiors
of the potatoes didn’t have much flavor. Piercing each potato prior to
microwaving encouraged the salt on the skin to migrate to the inside. For a final
boost of flavor, we tossed the grilled potatoes with olive oil, chives, and garlic
just before serving.
Our grilled steak-and-potatoes dinner offered all the rich flavor and great
texture we’d expect—but not the price tag.
Grilled Steak with New Mexican Chile Rub and Red Potatoes
SERVES 2

Shell sirloin steak is also known as top butt, butt steak, top sirloin butt, top
sirloin steak, and center-cut roast. Spraying the rubbed steak with oil helps the
spices bloom, preventing a raw flavor. Use small red potatoes, measuring 1 to 2
inches in diameter. You will need two 12-inch wooden skewers for this recipe.

STEAK AND POTATOES

1

teaspoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon fish sauce

¾

teaspoon kosher salt

¼

teaspoon onion powder

¼

teaspoon garlic powder

(12-to 16-ounce) boneless shell sirloin steak, ½ to 1 inch thick
1
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

 small garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper

ounces small red potatoes, halved and skewered
12

SPICE RUB
dried New Mexican chile, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces
1
1½

teaspoons cumin seeds

1½

teaspoons coriander seeds

⅛

teaspoon red pepper flakes

⅛

teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon paprika
Pinch ground cloves

Vegetable oil spray

1. FOR THE STEAK AND POTATOES: Combine tomato paste, fish sauce,
salt, onion powder, and garlic powder in bowl. Pat steak dry with paper towels.
With sharp knife, cut 1/16-inch-deep slits on both sides of steak, spaced ½ inch
apart, in crosshatch pattern. Rub salt mixture evenly on both sides of steak. Place
steak on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet; let stand at room temperature for
at least 1 hour. After 30 minutes, prepare grill.
2. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, chives, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon
pepper in medium bowl and set aside for serving. Place skewered potatoes on
large plate and poke each potato several times with skewer. Brush potatoes with
remaining 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Microwave until potatoes are
softened but still hold their shape, 6 to 8 minutes, flipping them halfway through
cooking.
3. FOR THE SPICE RUB: Toast chile, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, pepper
flakes, and peppercorns in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring
frequently, until just beginning to smoke, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to plate to
cool, about 5 minutes. Grind spices in spice grinder or in mortar with pestle until
coarsely ground. Transfer spices to bowl and stir in sugar, paprika, and cloves.
4A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large
chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are
partially covered with ash, pour two-thirds evenly over half of grill, then pour
remaining coals over other half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and
open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
4B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until
hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to
medium.
5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Sprinkle half of spice rub evenly over 1 side of
steak and press to adhere until spice rub is fully moistened. Lightly spray rubbed
side of steak with vegetable oil spray, about 3 seconds. Flip steak and repeat
process of sprinkling with remaining spice rub and coating with vegetable oil
spray on second side.
6. Place steak over hotter part of grill and cook until browned and charred on
both sides and center registers 125 degrees for medium-rare or 130 degrees for
medium, 2 to 4 minutes per side. If steak has not reached desired temperature,
move to cooler side of grill and continue to cook. Transfer steak to clean wire
rack set in rimmed baking sheet, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for
5 to 10 minutes.
7. While steak rests or cooks on cooler part of grill, place potatoes, cut side
down, on hotter part of grill. Cover and cook until browned on both sides, 4 to 6
minutes, flipping them halfway through cooking. Slide potatoes to cooler part of
grill, cover, and continue to cook until tip of paring knife slips in and out of
potatoes easily, 4 to 6 minutes longer.
8. Remove skewers from grill, carefully slide potatoes off skewers into bowl
with reserved oil mixture, and toss to combine. Slice meat thin against grain and
serve with potatoes.
VARIATION

Grilled Steak with Spicy Chipotle Chile Rub and Red Potatoes
Substitute 1 dried chipotle chile for New Mexican chile, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano for paprika, and ⅛
teaspoon ground cinnamon for ground cloves.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

KEYS TO GREAT GRILLED SHELL SIRLOIN STEAK

1. Shallow slits cut into the steak help the salt paste and spice rub adhere to the meat and penetrate more
deeply.
2. A paste of onion and garlic powders, salt, tomato paste, and fish sauce boosts beefy flavor and tenderizes
the meat.
3. A spice rub made from toasted and ground dried chiles and spices leads to a more substantial crust with
complex flavor.
4. A light misting of oil blooms the spices on the grill and helps the rub cling to the meat.
SKEWERING POTATOES FOR THE GRILL

Place a potato half, cut side down, on counter and pierce it through center with wooden skewer. Repeat,
holding already-skewered potatoes for better leverage.
GRILL-SMOKED SALMON WITH CUCUMBER, RADISH, AND
WATERCRESS SALAD
Grill-Smoked Salmon With Cucumber Salad

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a new take on salmon for two, we grill-
smoked our fillets. First, to prepare the salmon for smoking, we quick-cured our
fillets with a mixture of salt and sugar to draw moisture from the flesh and firm
it up and to season it inside and out. We then cooked the fish indirectly over a
gentle fire with ample smoke to produce salmon that was sweet, smoky, and
tender. A creamy sauce and bright-tasting cucumber and radish salad made the
perfect complements to our silky, smoky fillets.
While we love the texture and flavor of grilled salmon fillets, we wanted to up
the ante when it came to our grilling repertoire. With its unique taste and texture,
smoked salmon seemed to fit the bill, but both cold-smoking and hot-smoking
require loads of time (the former calls for cooking the salmon for at least 24
hours). Though both approaches deliver terrific results, they’re impractical for a
home cook making just two servings. Sure, you can impart a touch of smokiness
by tossing wood chips onto hot charcoal and quickly grilling the fish, but we had
also heard of a lesser-known, more intriguing option that captures both the
intense, smoky flavor of hot-smoked fish and the firm but silky texture of the
cold-smoked type. It’s easy because the fish is cooked via indirect heat on a grill
—a familiar and uncomplicated technique. And although the resulting fillets
have a distinctive taste, they are not overpoweringly salty or smoky, so they’re
suitable as an entrée either warm from the grill or at room temperature.
To try out these smoky, succulent fillets, we looked for recipes. The typical
first step in smoking fish is to cure the flesh with salt; some recipes
recommended brining, others salting. For a simple dinner for two, we steered
away from recipes that cured the fish for longer than an hour. The other criteria,
smoking temperature and length of exposure—both crucial to the final result—
were all over the map. One recipe called for smoking the fish at 350 degrees for
a modest 20 minutes; another let it go twice as long at only 275 degrees. We
decided to start by nailing down the salting step.
Since most brining methods involved a soak of two hours, taking this recipe
too far from weeknight-friendly, we turned to salting. We covered the salmon
with a generous blanket of kosher salt—its coarse texture makes it cling to food
better than table salt—and refrigerated it, uncovered, on a wire rack on a baking
sheet. After an hour, a considerable amount of liquid had been drawn to the
surface, so we promptly removed the fish from the refrigerator, blotted the
moisture with a paper towel, and took it out to the grill for smoking. This sample
was promising, but not perfect; most tasters found it too salty to be enjoyed as a
main dish. We tried dialing down the amount of salt as well as salting for a
shorter amount of time, but, alas, the fish didn’t achieve the proper texture.
Searching for a different tack, we looked at recipes that we’d collected and
came across a few that called for adding sugar to the cure. We knew that, like
salt, sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts water. Could sugar pull moisture
from the salmon as effectively as salt? Not quite, we found out, but it was a
workable option. Eventually, we determined that a ratio of 2 parts sugar to 1 part
salt produced well-balanced taste and texture in the finished salmon. When we
used these proportions, the fish firmed up nicely; plus, it was far less salty and
the sugar counterbalanced its richness.
With a reliable curing method in hand, we could finally fine-tune our smoking
technique. The current setup was far from ideal: By the time the fish was
sufficiently smoky, it was dry and flaky. Conversely, when it was cooked
perfectly—still silky and slightly pink in the interior, or about 125 degrees—the
smoke flavor was faint. Adding more wood chunks only gave the fillet a sooty
flavor. Instead, we tried to cool down the temperature of the grill by reducing the
amount of charcoal. This helped somewhat, since the fish cooked more slowly
and had more time to absorb the smoke.
But the smoke flavor still wasn’t as bold as we wanted. Rather than
manipulating the cooking time any further, we turned to the salmon itself,
swapping our single 12-ounce fillet for two smaller 6-ounce portions. This
seemingly minor tweak resulted in big payoffs: First, it ensured more thorough
smoke exposure (in the same amount of time) by creating more surface area.
Second, the smaller pieces were far easier to get off the grill in one piece than a
single bulky fillet. (To that end, we also started placing the fillets on a piece of
foil.) Finally, we found that we could now use an even cooler fire (produced with
a mere 2 quarts of charcoal). The smaller fillets still reached their ideal serving
temperature in the same amount of time that the single, larger fillet had taken,
and the gentler fire rendered the fillets incomparably tender.
With a smoky, rich taste and a silky, supple texture, our quick smoked salmon
recipe was complete. To provide some contrasting flavors and textures, we
devised a mayonnaise sauce that incorporates many of the garnishes commonly
served on a smoked salmon platter—shallot, capers, and dill. Looking to turn
this dish into a complete meal, we also created a refreshing salad that cut the
richness of the salmon and complemented the creamy herb sauce. Cucumber,
radishes, and watercress, tossed with a lemon-mustard vinaigrette, made for a
light, bright partner to the rich, smoky salmon.
After just a few bites, all of our tasters agreed that smoked salmon wasn’t just
for bagels anymore—it had more than earned its place at the dinner table.
Grill-Smoked Salmon with Cucumber, Radish, and Watercress
Salad
SERVES 2

Use center-cut salmon fillets of similar thickness so that they cook at the same
rate. Avoid mesquite wood chunks for this recipe.

SALMON
3

tablespoons mayonnaise
teaspoons capers, rinsed, plus 1 teaspoon brine
2
small shallot, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

(6-ounce) center-cut, skin-on salmon fillets

2
wood chunks, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained (if using charcoal), or 2 cups
wood chips, half of chips soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained (if using gas)
2
SALAD
small cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut on bias into ¼-inch pieces
1

Kosher salt and pepper

¼ teaspoon lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½

teaspoon sugar
1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
ounces watercress (2 cups)

2
radishes, trimmed and sliced thin

2
1. FOR THE SALMON: Gently combine mayonnaise, capers, brine, shallot,
and dill in bowl. Chill until serving time. Combine sugar and salt in second
bowl. Set salmon on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle flesh side
evenly with sugar mixture. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour. With paper
towels, brush any excess salt and sugar from salmon and blot dry. Return fish on
wire rack to refrigerator, uncovered, while preparing grill.
2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent halfway. Light large
chimney starter one-third filled with charcoal briquettes (2 quarts). When top
coals are partially covered with ash, pour into steeply banked pile against side of
grill. Place wood chunks on top of coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and
open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chunks begin to smoke,
about 5 minutes.
2B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Combine soaked and unsoaked chips. Use large piece
of heavy-duty aluminum foil to wrap chips into foil packet and cut several vent
holes in top. Place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Turn primary
burner to high (leave other burners off), cover, and heat grill until hot and wood
chips begin to smoke, 15 to 25 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium. (Adjust
primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 275 to 300 degrees.)
3. Clean and oil cooking grate. Fold piece of heavy-duty foil into 6 by 6-inch
square. Place foil rectangle over cool side of grill and place salmon pieces on
foil, spaced at least ½ inch apart. Cover grill (positioning lid vent over fish if
using charcoal) and cook until center of thickest part of fillet registers 125
degrees and is still translucent when cut into with paring knife, 30 to 40 minutes.
Transfer to platter and tent with foil, or allow to cool to room temperature.
4. FOR THE SALAD: Meanwhile, toss cucumber with ¼ teaspoon salt and let
drain in colander for 15 minutes. In small bowl, whisk lemon zest and juice,
mustard, and sugar together. Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil.
5. Combine drained cucumber, watercress, and radishes in large bowl. Just
before serving, whisk dressing to re-emulsify, then drizzle over salad and toss
gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve salad with salmon and
sauce.
Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops With Radicchio
Salad

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To bring this cocktail-party favorite to the

dinner table for two, we moved it to the grill. To ensure that the sturdy, fatty
bacon and lean, delicate scallops cooked through at the same rate, we parcooked
the bacon in the microwave to render some of its fat and prevent flare-ups when
it hit the grill. To prevent the bacon from taking over the dish, we didn’t wrap
each scallop individually in bacon; instead, we wrapped each bacon slice around
two scallops, then skewered the bundles so everything was secure. Grilled
radicchio and crumbled gorgonzola offered a boldly flavored side that paired
well with the contrasting textures of our main dish.
Anyone who’s ever been to a wedding or cocktail party knows a thing or two
about bacon-wrapped scallops, and there’s a reason this passed appetizer is a
crowd favorite: The smoky, salty bacon beautifully accents the sweet, succulent
scallops. Surely taking it to the grill for an exciting new dinner for two would
make it even better. And because we weren’t cooking scallops for a crowd, it
would be easier to monitor them over the heat for a perfectly cooked supper.
Once we fired up the grill, we realized that the shellfish wouldn’t be
problematic at all. In fact, grilling scallops is a straightforward matter: Start with
“dry” scallops, which have no chemical additives or excess moisture; toss them
with oil or melted butter to keep them from sticking to the grate; skewer them;
and sear them over high heat for a minute or two on each side until they’re just
cooked through. But you can’t grill bacon like that. The fat will cause flare-ups,
and the bacon needs longer, gentler cooking to render and crisp. We knew that
parcooking the bacon before skewering and grilling was a must. We were hoping
that we could make life easier by doing it in the microwave.
We started by microwaving the bacon on a plate between layers of paper
towels (to absorb the grease). To make sure we could get a snug fit when
wrapping the bacon around the scallops, we placed another plate on the bacon to
prevent it from curling. After testing various durations, we landed on four
minutes for bacon that had given up a good bit of its fat and would finish
crisping up after a few minutes on the grill.
Now we needed to find the best way to wrap and skewer the scallops. In the
test kitchen, we’ve grilled scallops on a single skewer as well as on double
skewers (two parallel skewers running through each scallop). Though the double
skewers would make it easier to flip the scallops, it would take some effort to
double-skewer them while keeping the bacon in position. (Once the bacon is cut
to length and wrapped around the scallop, the skewer needs to go through the
overlapped bacon ends to hold it in place.) For the sake of ease, we decided on a
single skewer, taking care to firmly press each bacon-wrapped scallop into its
neighbor on the skewer to minimize spinning. We found that tossing the scallops
in a small amount of melted butter not only helped prevent sticking to the grill
but also made the scallops a little tacky and thus easier to handle and skewer.
After several grilling attempts, though, we still had one problem: the fire.
We’d been working over medium heat to reduce the risk of flare-ups, but with
only two skewers on the grill and much of the bacon fat already rendered in the
microwave, we seemed to be solving a problem that didn’t exist. In fact, the
result of our cautious cooking was flabby bacon. In order to achieve a crisp
exterior on the bacon, we needed to turn up the heat. So we mounded two-thirds
of the coals on one side of the grill, leaving the final third to make a cooler side
to grill a side dish. We cooked the two bacon sides of the skewers over the hot
side until browned and crispy, and then just one of the nonbacon sides to get a
flavorful sear and finish cooking the scallops. (There was no need to cook the
other nonbacon side, as the scallops were now cooked just right.)
Though a few scallops wrapped in bacon are perfect as an appetizer, six
scallops wrapped in bacon means you’re eating six slices of bacon for dinner—
too much, even for a tasting panel of cured pork–loving cooks. We decided to
double up the scallops and wrap a single slice of bacon around two of them.
Three two-scallop bundles made for one perfect dinner portion. Plus, this meant
we didn’t have to cut the bacon into shorter lengths to comfortably fit around
just one scallop—one slice of bacon fit almost perfectly around two scallops.
With the scallops ready to go, we decided to take advantage of the cooler side
of the grill to cook an equally tempting side dish. We chose slightly bitter
radicchio, which would make a flavorful partner to the rich scallops. We
quartered a head of radicchio—a single head was plenty for two people—and
brushed it with oil. Leaving the core intact kept the wedges together on the grill,
as the leaves tend to separate as they cook. After 5 minutes, the radicchio was
browned and lightly charred. We sliced the grilled radicchio into thin strips
before tossing it with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and crumbled Gorgonzola
cheese. The interplay of sweet, creamy, and bitter won tasters over.
As final flourishes, we grilled lemon halves and squeezed the juice over the
bacon and scallop skewers, then sprinkled them with chopped chives. In about
30 minutes we had created a complexly flavored dinner of perfectly cooked
scallops, crispy bacon, and a balsamic-spiked radicchio and Gorgonzola salad—
not too shabby for a simple dinner off the grill.
Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Radicchio and Gorgonzola
Salad
SERVES 2

Use ordinary bacon, as thick-cut bacon will take too long to crisp on the grill.
When wrapping the scallops, the bacon slice should fit around both scallops,
overlapping just enough to be skewered through both ends. We recommend
buying “dry” scallops, which don’t have chemical additives and taste better than
“wet” scallops. Dry scallops will look ivory or pinkish; wet scallops are bright
white. You will need two 12-inch metal skewers for this recipe.

6 slices bacon
large sea scallops, tendons removed

12
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Salt and pepper

small head radicchio (6 ounces), quartered lengthwise through core
1
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2
lemon, halved

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

ounce Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (¼ cup)
1

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Place 4 layers of paper towels on large plate and arrange bacon over towels in
single layer. Cover with 2 layers of paper towels; place second large plate on top
and press gently to flatten. Microwave until fat begins to render but bacon is still
pliable, about 4 minutes.
2. Toss scallops, butter, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper together in bowl until
scallops are thoroughly coated with butter. Press 2 scallops together, side to side,
and wrap with 1 slice bacon, trimming excess as necessary. Thread onto skewer
through bacon. Repeat with remaining scallops and bacon, threading 3 bundles
onto each of two 12-inch metal skewers. Brush radicchio with 1 tablespoon oil
and season with salt and pepper.
3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large
chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are
partially covered with ash, pour two-thirds evenly over half of grill, then pour
remaining coals over other half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and
open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until
hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to
medium.
4. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place skewers, bacon side down, and lemon
halves, cut side down, on hotter side of grill. Cook (covered if using gas) until
bacon is crisp on first side, about 4 minutes. Flip skewers onto other bacon side
and cook until crisp, about 4 minutes longer. Flip skewers scallop side down and
grill until sides of scallops are firm and centers are opaque, about 4 minutes on 1
side only. Transfer skewers to platter, squeeze lemon over, and sprinkle with
chives.
5. When scallops are flipped for final time, place radicchio, cut side down, on
cooler part of grill and cook until slightly wilted and browned on all sides, about
5 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer to cutting board.
6. Slice radicchio into thin strips, discarding core. Toss sliced radicchio,
remaining 1 tablespoon oil, Gorgonzola, and vinegar together in bowl. Season
with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with scallops.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SKEWERING SCALLOPS

To skewer scallops, wrap 1 strip of parcooked bacon around 2 scallops and run skewer through overlapped
bacon. Place three 2-scallop bundles on each skewer.
GRILLED SPICY SHRIMP MASALA WITH ZUCCHINI AND
COUSCOUS SALAD
Grilled Shrimp Masala With Couscous Salad

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Grilled shrimp, rubbed with a potent paste
made from garam masala, chili powder, sweet paprika, ginger, and garlic,
delivered an exotic dinner for two that was ready in no time. To ensure that the
shrimp cooked through evenly, we packed them tightly onto two skewers. An
easy-to-make yogurt dipping sauce served as a cooling counterpoint to the
boldly spiced shrimp, and grilled zucchini and couscous salad, flavored with
lemon, feta, and mint, made for a bright, fresh-tasting side dish.
The briny, sweet taste of shrimp, coupled with its sheer convenience and ease of
cooking, make shrimp one of our favorite go-to proteins when cooking for two.
Plus, a bag of frozen shrimp can be kept on hand in the freezer, making it ideal
for a last-minute meal. But rather than simply grill our shrimp and spritz it with
some lemon juice, we looked to elevate our entrée to an exotic dinner for two
boasting all the rich, intense flavors and colors of Indian cuisine. We wanted a
lively dish in the spirit of an Indian masala, featuring tender, juicy shrimp that
tasted of warm, potent spices and was a showstopper on the plate, with its rich,
red hue and lightly charred exterior. To complete our dinner, we looked to serve
it with an effortless, yet brightly flavored, side dish.
To infuse our shrimp with big flavor, we planned to make a spice paste, which
we’d apply prior to grilling. First things first; we started with the spice blend.
Masala means spice mixture, and the ingredients in a masala blend depend
largely on the whims of the cook. To keep things simple, we began with store-
bought garam masala, which is a blend of warm spices such as cardamom, black
pepper, cinnamon, and coriander. To make a paste that would stick to the shrimp,
we stirred in a tablespoon of vegetable oil. The oil would pull double duty,
simultaneously giving the paste the right texture while helping the fat-soluble
spices bloom and develop in flavor over the heat of the grill.
We tossed the shrimp into the paste and then threaded them onto skewers. Our
first test was promising, but the dish definitely needed some work. The spice
blend alone was rather flat, and the paste was far too thick, giving the spices a
raw flavor that tasters disliked. The paste also lacked the characteristic red hue
of many masalas, so we added a combination of paprika and chili powder to add
complexity and color. To add freshness to the paste, we added minced garlic,
ginger, lemon zest, and a bit of lemon juice. Finally, we increased the amount of
oil to loosen the paste so it wouldn’t clump on the shrimp. What a difference!
The looser texture of the paste allowed the spices to bloom, alleviating the
unpleasant rawness of the previous test, and the combination of fresh aromatics
and dried spices gave the paste a bright complexity.
While the spice paste was now balanced, it was still intensely flavored with a
touch of heat from the garlic and chili paste. Many of the masala recipes we
researched included a dairy element—either heavy cream or yogurt—to mitigate
the overwhelming spiciness. Serving the shrimp skewers with a yogurt sauce
seemed like a great way to tame the heat. Though plain yogurt worked fine, we
preferred the thicker, richer texture of Greek yogurt. To unite the dish, we stirred
a small amount of our spice blend into the yogurt before we added the oil to turn
it into a paste. This livened up our yogurt sauce, though it still needed some salt
and acidity. A splash of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper did the trick.
With our masala ready to go, we turned to the shrimp. Lean shrimp can easily
become tough and dry, especially when cooked over a super-hot grill. A bit of
trial and error taught us how to avoid these pitfalls. Packing the shrimp tightly
on two skewers ensured that they cooked more slowly and kept them from
spinning on the skewers when we flipped them, and building an ultrahot fire
meant our shrimp picked up great grill marks in a short amount of time and
didn’t have to stay over the heat any longer than necessary. When a nice crust
had formed on the first side, which took about 2 minutes, we flipped the skewers
and gave the second side a few minutes to finish up. Our shrimp were not only
perfectly tender with a good amount of char on the outside, but they also offered
big flavor.
Having pulled off great-tasting grilled shrimp masala, we set our sights on a
simple side dish. Tasters liked the idea of a salad starring grilled zucchini, so we
sliced one in half lengthwise, brushed it with oil, and tossed it on our super-hot
grill right before we placed our shrimp skewers on the grate. Once it was done,
we cut it into ½-inch pieces. To keep our side dish as interesting and brightly
flavored as our entrée, we bypassed the usual salad lettuces and tossed our
zucchini chunks with cooked couscous, crumbled feta, lemon juice, and minced
mint. Our zucchini and couscous salad provided a fresh-tasting partner to our
boldly seasoned grilled shrimp.
Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad
SERVES 2

Feel free to substitute 0 percent Greek yogurt for a lighter version of this dish.
You will need two 12-inch metal skewers for this recipe.

cup boiling water

½

cup couscous
zucchini, halved lengthwise
1

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2½ tablespoons juice

2 teaspoons garam masala

1½

teaspoons grated fresh ginger

garlic clove, minced
1

1 teaspoon paprika
½
 teaspoon chili powder
½

teaspoon sugar
¼

cup plain Greek yogurt

ounces extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
12
ounces feta cheese, crumbled (½ cup)

2
tablespoons minced fresh mint or basil

2
1. Combine boiling water and couscous in medium bowl, cover, and let sit until
liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and
set aside. Brush zucchini with 1 teaspoon oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. In large bowl, combine lemon zest, 4 teaspoons lemon juice, garam masala,
ginger, garlic, paprika, chili powder, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt to make paste. In
separate bowl, stir together ¼ teaspoon spice paste, ½ teaspoon lemon juice, and
yogurt until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
3. Stir 2 tablespoons oil into remaining spice paste, breaking up any clumps. Add
shrimp to bowl with spice paste and toss to coat. Thread shrimp tightly onto two
12-inch metal skewers, alternating direction of heads and tails.
4A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large
chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are
partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place,
cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
4B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until
hot, about 15 minutes.
5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place zucchini on grill and cook (covered if using
gas) until spottily charred on both sides, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping zucchini
halfway through grilling.
6. When zucchini is flipped, place shrimp on grill and cook until lightly charred
and opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp skewers to
platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest while making salad.
7. Cut zucchini into ½-inch pieces. Gently fold zucchini, remaining 2 teaspoons
oil, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, feta, and mint into couscous and season
with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with shrimp and yogurt sauce.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

CROWDING SHRIMP ONTO A SKEWER

Pass skewer through center of each shrimp. As you add shrimp to skewer, alternate direction of heads and
tails for compact arrangement of about 8 shrimp. Shrimp should be crowded and touching each other.
 THE BEST GARAM MASALA
This spice blend is a key ingredient in our Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala, but making it from scratch can add
a great deal of time to recipe preparation. In search of a good-tasting commercial garam masala, we tested a
handful of top brands. Tasters’ favorite was McCormick Gourmet Collection Garam Masala for its
ability to both blend into dishes and round out their acidic and sweet notes. Tasters also liked the subtle
warmth of cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. Widely available in supermarkets, McCormick won praise
from tasters for adding a mellow, well-balanced aroma to most dishes.
CHAPTER 6: LIGHT AND FRESH

Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup

Spaghetti al Limone

Chinese Chicken Salad

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Sweet and Spicy Mango Relish

Turkey Taco Salad

Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Port Wine and Cherry Sauce
Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Quick Ginger-Apple Chutney

Chilled Rice Noodles with Shrimp

Seafood Risotto

Braised Cod Peperonata

Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To create a chilled tomato soup for two that
offered complex flavor, we used a combination of fresh and roasted tomatoes,
which gave us a bright, tangy freshness as well as a deep, sweet flavor. We also
used a small amount of tomato paste and lightly roasted garlic and shallot to
boost the soup’s flavor. Cream is a common inclusion, but to keep our chilled
tomato soup light and bright-tasting, we opted for a mere drizzle of olive oil,
which added body and richness without weighing the soup down.
On a sweltering day, an icy bowl of chilled soup is one of summer’s great
pleasures. Vegetable-filled gazpacho has its place, but ripe, peak-season
tomatoes deserve a soup in which they don’t have to share the spotlight. An ideal
cold tomato soup captures the essence of the fruit in silky-smooth liquid form:
light yet satisfying, savory yet sweet, and deeply flavorful yet simple. At its best,
tomato soup is the perfect light summer meal for two; after all, it contains just
tomatoes, plus a few additional seasonings.
But the many failed attempts at attaining tomato soup perfection in the test
kitchen proved that exemplary fruit alone doesn’t guarantee success. Our results
ranged from the thin, mealy mess that we got from blending raw tomatoes with a
couple of ice cubes to an overthickened, ketchuplike sludge that was the result of
simmering tomatoes with tomato juice for half an hour before chilling.
Determined to get it right, we loaded up on tomatoes and headed back into the
test kitchen.
Before we started cooking, we studied our past recipe flops. It occurred to us
that in order to get the best of both worlds—fresh yet potent flavor—a hybrid
half-raw, half-cooked approach might be in order. We knew that oven roasting is
an effective way to concentrate flavor, so we halved 1 pound of fruit crosswise
(to help excess moisture escape) and experimented until we determined that
roasting the tomatoes for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees was enough to
intensify their taste. We also found that this method required no additional oil (a
bonus for our lightened soup) as the moisture in the tomatoes kept them from
completely shriveling up, and just a quick spritz of vegetable oil spray on the
baking sheet prevented them from sticking. We pureed the roasted tomatoes with
an equal amount of uncooked fruit and strained out the skins and seeds, happily
finding that this approach produced both deep, sweet flavor and bright, tangy
freshness.
Though our pureed tomatoes offered rich flavor, we still needed to round out
the profile of our soup. Red bell pepper (a common addition) was nixed, as it
overwhelmed the tomatoes. Garlic and mild shallot seemed like natural additions
but only if we tamed their raw pungency. We roasted two garlic cloves and one
sliced shallot together with the tomatoes for the first 15 minutes, removing them
from the oven as soon as they had softened. When we pureed the raw and
roasted tomatoes with the gently roasted aromatics, the soup’s flavor improved,
but it was still missing some backbone. It made sense to turn to a test kitchen
secret weapon: tomato paste, which is high in glutamates and adds depth and
savory richness to a variety of recipes. We blended some into our next batch, and
sure enough, a small dose of the sweet paste dramatically upped the flavor
quotient. Finally, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper added even more layers of
complexity.
With the flavor profile complete, we now had to focus on texture. As it stood,
our soup was dismally thin and runny. Cream is a common thickener in chilled
soups, but we wanted to keep our soup on the lighter side. Blending some bread
with the tomatoes thickened the mixture, but its starchiness seemed out of place
in our cool, fresh soup.
Inspiration struck as we noticed another test cook making a batch of
mayonnaise. We watched the slow drizzle of oil into eggs transform into creamy
billows as the ingredients formed an emulsion. Lo and behold, just 1 tablespoon
of olive oil added gradually to the blender as we pureed the tomatoes added rich
thickness. The fruity, peppery notes of the oil were an ideal accent to the savory-
sweet tomatoes, and even with its addition, each serving was still low in fat.
Strained and chilled for at least two hours to let the flavors blend, the soup was
velvety and delicious.
Finally, as is the case with many soups, this one benefited greatly from a touch
of acid and a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Just a teaspoon of sherry vinegar and a
scattering of basil (mint works well, too) perked up all of the flavors. This
healthy chilled tomato soup was now summertime perfection in a bowl—make
that two bowls.
Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup
SERVES 2

In-season, locally grown tomatoes and high-quality extra-virgin olive oil are
ideal for this recipe. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

pounds tomatoes, cored

2
shallot, sliced thin

1
garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 teaspoons tomato paste

⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

Pinch cayenne pepper

Salt
tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1
teaspoon sherry vinegar, plus extra as needed

1
tablespoon chopped fresh basil or mint

1
Pepper (optional)
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line
rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with vegetable oil
spray.
2. Cut 1 pound tomatoes in half horizontally and arrange cut side up on prepared
baking sheet. Arrange shallot and garlic in single layer over 1 area of baking
sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove shallot and garlic. Return baking sheet
to oven and continue to roast tomatoes until softened but not browned, 10 to 15
minutes longer. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
3. Peel garlic cloves and place in blender with roasted shallot and roasted
tomatoes. Cut remaining 1 pound tomatoes into eighths and add to blender along
with tomato paste; paprika, if using; cayenne; and ½ teaspoon salt. Puree until
smooth, about 30 seconds. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil in slow,
steady stream.
4. Pour puree through fine-mesh strainer into nonreactive bowl, pressing on
solids in strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Stir in
vinegar. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled and flavors have blended, at
least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
5. To serve, stir soup to recombine (liquid separates on standing). Taste and
adjust seasoning with salt and vinegar, as needed. Ladle soup into chilled bowls,
sprinkle with basil, and grind pepper, if using, over each. Serve immediately.
PER SERVING: Cal 180; Fat 9 g; Sat fat 1.5 g; Chol 0 mg; Carb 22 g; Protein 5 g; Fiber 5 g; Sodium
610 mg
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST BLENDERS

A good blender needs to tackle a variety of tasks–from crushing ice and making frozen drinks, to blending
lump-free soups, smoothies, and milkshakes, and even making hummus–quickly and easily. To find the best
one, we gathered nine models and put them through their paces, using them not only on the aforementioned
tasks, but also pressing them into service every day for a month to make thick smoothies with fibrous frozen
pineapple and stringy raw kale. We identified three key features that can make or break a blender’s
performance: long blades, each set at a different position and angle; a jar with a bowl-shaped bottom; and a
relatively powerful (at least 750-watt) motor. In the end, two blenders clearly outperformed the others. The
Vitamix 5200, left, is the longtime test kitchen favorite thanks to its durability, long-armed, well-configured
blades, and souped-up (1,300-watt) motor–but it costs $449. Fortunately, our co-winner, The Hemisphere
Control by Breville, right, costs less than half the price at $200. It sports all three key blender features we
identified, and it sailed through all of our tests.
 THE BEST TOMATO PASTE
Tomato paste is basically tomato puree with most of the moisture cooked out. It adds body, color, and
intensity to many dishes, including pastas, stews, and soups. To find out which brand is best, we gathered
10 brands for a tasting: nine in small cans and one in a toothpaste-like tube. We had tasters sample the paste
straight from the container, cooked by itself, and cooked in marinara sauce.
When the brands were sampled uncooked, tasters downgraded some for “dried herb” notes, including
oregano. Because tomato paste is usually cooked, we sautéed each brand in a skillet and tasted again. Some
pastes became dull; others sprang to life. In the marinara sauce, tasters leaned toward those pastes that
provided long-simmered flavor and depth. But ultimately, we found that while better tomato pastes
improved the taste of the marinara, no brand ruined the dish.
Overall scores were relatively close, but one paste came in slightly ahead of the pack. Goya tomato
paste was praised for its “bright, robust tomato flavor.” Tasters liked its sweetness (this brand had one of the
highest levels of natural sugars in the lineup) yet found it well balanced.
SPAGHETTI AL LIMONE
Spaghetti Al Limone

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Spaghetti al limone comes together with

just a handful of ingredients, making it the perfect weeknight dinner for two. But
classic recipes go heavy on the cream to mitigate the acidity of fresh lemon
juice. For a lighter dish, we turned to a slurry of cornstarch and half-and-half,
which gave us the slightly thickened sauce we were looking for, but with a lot
less fat. Grated lemon zest added more lemony kick without the acidity. Letting
the sauced pasta sit, covered, for a few minutes allowed the pasta to absorb the
flavors and the sauce to thicken.
Spaghetti al limone, a staple of southern Italy, is a simply flavored pasta dish that
puts the emphasis on bright lemony flavor, with a few key background
ingredients to support it. Sure, it sounds like the ideal light and healthy pasta
dish. Yet traditional recipes, and the version we had recently developed in the
test kitchen, rely on heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and a generous amount of
olive oil to create a sauce that clings to each strand of spaghetti. We wanted to
slim down and scale back this recipe to make a truly light and fresh pasta dish
for two.
We already knew from testing our original full-fat recipe that the right amount
of dairy fat serves a dual purpose. First, it dampens the sourness of the lemon by
neutralizing some of the acids in the juice. Second, it actually changes the part of
the lemon’s flavor profile (the oils) responsible for the fruity, floral notes by
working in tandem with the olive oil to emulsify those flavors into a form that
really coats the tastebuds. We wanted to cut the fat that went into this dish, but
without the rich ingredients to tame the bracing acidity of the lemon, the flavor
was thrown totally out of balance.
We started by looking at what kinds of low-fat dairy might work in place of
the heavy cream. Fat-free evaporated milk came to mind first since it has a rich,
silken texture, but tasters found it too sweet and overpowering. Regular low-fat
milk was pretty unimpressive also. Weak in flavor, it was easily overpowered by
the lemon, and its thin consistency meant it didn’t coat the pasta but rather sat at
the bottom of the pot in a puddle. Half-and-half certainly had the desired
richness and was our best bet, but it didn’t quite cling to each strand of spaghetti
the way we wanted. We needed to find another ingredient to work as a thickener.
A little bit of light cream cheese seemed like a logical choice since it would
maintain the dairy profile. Combined with the half-and-half, it gave the sauce
more body, but tasters found that the one-dimensional and “generic cheese
flavor” competed with the purer ingredients in the dish like the lemon and
Parmesan. Cornstarch or flour often helps thicken sauces in the test kitchen, so
that angle seemed worth a try. We tried mixing just ⅛ teaspoon of cornstarch
into our half-and-half. We added the mixture to the pot and brought it up to a
simmer with some of the starchy water we used to cook our spaghetti to give a
little more volume, and voilà, we had a clean, silky sauce that lightly coated our
pasta and really allowed the lemon to shine. Tossing the pasta in the sauce, then
letting it rest, covered, for a couple of minutes ensured that the strands absorbed
the flavors and gave the sauce a chance to thicken nicely.
 To finish our pasta, we added a little chopped basil for fresh herbal flavor and
color and a minced shallot for depth. At this point, our numbers were so low we
didn’t need to change anything else about the original recipe. We happily kept
the grated Parmesan cheese (just 2 tablespoons), as it lent a nutty, salty tang and
really brought our dish to life.
Spaghetti al Limone
SERVES 2

Because this recipe is so simple, it is important to use high-quality extra-virgin

olive oil, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and fresh basil here. Let the pasta rest
briefly before serving so the flavors develop and the sauce thickens. For a tip on
how to measure out long strands of pasta without using a scale. See the sidebar
that follows the recipe.

6 ounces spaghetti

Salt and pepper

teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2
small shallot, minced

1
⅛

teaspoon cornstarch
tablespoons half-and-half
2
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and
cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ¾ cup cooking water, then drain pasta
and set aside.
2. Combine ½ teaspoon oil, shallot, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in now-empty pot.
Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to
5 minutes.
3. Whisk cornstarch into half-and-half, then whisk into pot along with ½ cup
reserved cooking water. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened slightly, about
2 minutes.
4. Off heat, add cooked pasta and toss until coated. Add remaining 1½ teaspoons
oil, lemon zest and juice, Parmesan, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and toss to combine.
Cover and let stand for 2 minutes, tossing frequently. Before serving, add
remaining ¼ cup cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Stir in basil and
season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
PER SERVING: Cal 390; Fat 8 g; Sat fat 2.5 g; Chol 10 mg; Carb 66 g; Protein 13 g; Fiber 3 g;
Sodium 500 mg
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Extra-virgin olive oil has a uniquely fruity flavor that makes it a great choice for a vinaigrette or a pesto, but
the available options can be overwhelming. We recently gathered 10 brands and sampled them plain and
warmed and tossed with pasta, looking for the best one. Many things can impact the quality and flavor of
olive oil, but the type of olives, the harvest (earlier means greener, more peppery; later, more golden and
mild), and processing are the most important factors. The best-quality oil comes from olives picked at their
peak and processed as soon as possible, without heat or chemicals (which can coax more oil from the olives
but at the expense of flavor). Our favorite oils were produced from a blend of olives and, thus, were well
rounded. Our favorite is Columela Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain; it took top honors for its fruity
flavor and excellent balance.
Chinese Chicken Salad

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To keep our scaled-down salad on the

lighter side, we cut back on the oil in the dressing and bumped up the flavor with
rice vinegar, fresh ginger, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce. Using a hybrid cooking
method (browning, then poaching) delivered moist, tender chicken and required
a minimal amount of fat. Thinly sliced cabbage, shredded carrot, sliced red bell
pepper, and bean sprouts provided a good mix of textures and flavors and
rounded out our salad. Rather than finish the dish with nuts, we opted for a
handful of chow mein noodles, which contributed a big crunch factor.
Typically composed of a mixture of tender chicken and bright vegetables tossed
in a toasted sesame oil vinaigrette, Chinese chicken salad is quick to prepare and
offers an enticing variety of tastes, textures, and visual appeal. But a heavy hand
with oil can obscure any hint of freshness. Plus, we’ve seen a number of versions
topped with overly generous handfuls of high-calorie cashews, peanuts, or
sesame seeds. This dish would need some serious work to become a healthier
dinner option, so we headed into the test kitchen right away, set on creating a
simple version for two that was light and flavorful, with a mixture of crisp,
colorful vegetables and moist chicken, tossed in a bright, well-balanced
vinaigrette.
Since the dressing was responsible for most of the problems, that’s where we
started. We began with a basic vinaigrette, scaled down to serve two, using ¼
cup of canola oil, an amount called for in several recipes we found. We used the
vinaigrette to dress a simple salad of thinly sliced cabbage, shredded carrot, and
sliced chicken. Not surprisingly, this much oil made the dressing heavy, dull, and
too fatty for our lightened salad. With 2 tablespoons of oil, the dressing was
reasonably light, but tasters were convinced we could go lower still. We found
we could go as low as 2 teaspoons—this amount added the right degree of
richness without obscuring the other flavors. Our next task was to nail down the
other components of our dressing.
For the vinegar, we stuck with tradition and used rice vinegar; its mild acidity
and slight sweetness were ideal for keeping this salad light and bright-tasting.
Fresh ginger seemed like a natural addition and added a bright zing, and soy
sauce contributed an earthy, malty richness. But our dressing still lacked depth
and, because it contained so little oil, didn’t cling to the cabbage. So we
rummaged through our Asian pantry ingredients and spotted hoisin sauce. Hoisin
added the sweetness and spiciness we were looking for, and its thick texture gave
us a dressing with viscosity. A final drizzle (just ½ teaspoon) of sesame oil added
a rich nuttiness without contributing too much extra fat.
Next, we moved on to the chicken. We wanted it to be fresh and moist, so
leftover roast or grilled chicken wasn’t an option. At the same time, we didn’t
want to make preparing the chicken a production, especially since we had
determined that a single boneless, skinless breast—both lean and quick-cooking
—was the right amount for a salad serving two. Considering cooking technique,
we wanted the flavor and color of browning, but browning both sides of the
chicken breast required more oil than we wanted to use. We found our answer in
a half-sautéing, half-poaching method that required very little fat. First we
browned the chicken on one side in just ½ teaspoon of oil, then we flipped the
chicken over, added a small amount of water to the skillet, reduced the heat, and
covered the skillet until the chicken was cooked through. This method yielded
moist, flavorful chicken. So the chicken would be evenly distributed throughout
the salad, we simply let it cool, then shredded it with two forks before combining
it with the vegetables and dressing.
Now all we had left to do was decide which vegetables to include. Thinly
sliced cabbage and shredded carrot were a given. To add color, texture, and a bit
of sweetness, we added half a red bell pepper, cut into thin slices. Tasters also
appreciated a few handfuls of bean sprouts for their fresh, crisp bite and earthy
flavor; a single scallion and some minced cilantro contributed fresh, grassy
notes. Finally, for a big crunch factor, we included some crispy chow mein
noodles.
Our revamped Chinese chicken salad offered all the exciting textures and
flavors we expected—but not the high fat count.
Chinese Chicken Salad
SERVES 2

Chow mein noodles can be found in most supermarkets with other Asian
ingredients; La Choy is the most widely available brand. Click here for a recipe
to use up the leftover cabbage.

(8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of all visible fat

Salt and pepper

2½

teaspoons canola oil

½ small head napa cabbage, shredded (4 cups)
small carrot, peeled and shredded

1
½ small red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
ounce (½ cup) bean sprouts

1
¼

cup chow mein noodles

scallion, sliced thin on bias
1

2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro

3½
 tablespoons rice vinegar
2½

tablespoons hoisin sauce

2½ teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1½

teaspoons grated fresh ginger

½

teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛
teaspoon pepper. Heat ½ teaspoon canola oil in 8-inch nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken well on first side, 5 to 7
minutes. Flip chicken, add ½ cup water, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover
and continue to cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes longer.
2. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Using 2 forks,
shred chicken into bite-size pieces.
3. In large bowl, combine shredded chicken, cabbage, carrot, bell pepper,
sprouts, chow mein noodles, scallion, and cilantro. In small bowl, whisk
remaining 2 teaspoons canola oil, vinegar, hoisin, soy sauce, ginger, and sesame
oil together until combined. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss gently to coat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
PER SERVING: Cal 340; Fat 12 g; Sat Fat 1.5 g; Chol 75 mg; Carb 29 g; Protein 29 g; Fiber 5 g;
Sodium 1280 mg
Sautéed Chicken Breasts With Mango Relish

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Sautéed chicken breasts are an easy answer
to “What’s for dinner?” when cooking for two. But too often, they make for a
ho-hum meal. To liven up the weeknight dinner hour, we paired them with a
sweet and spicy mango relish. To cook the lean chicken breasts, we coated them
in flour and started them in a hot pan with a modicum of oil so they could take
on some color, then turned down the heat so they could cook through more
gently and evenly and stay moist. Fresh mango, tossed with Peppadew peppers,
lime juice, and cilantro, gave our dinner a tropical feel and bright, fresh flavor.
Sautéed boneless chicken breasts are a staple not only in a healthy kitchen, but
also in the for-two kitchen. This popular cut is packed with protein, virtually fat
free, and frequently sold in convenient packages of two. Boneless chicken
breasts also cook quickly and easily, needing only a skillet and a modicum of oil.
The only problem? This simple supper can grow tiresome quite quickly,
becoming a ho-hum go-to entrée, rather than a showcase for bright, bold flavors.
To bring our chicken breasts back from the brink of boredom, we looked to pair
them with a light and lively sauce that would wake up the palate. But before we
got started, we wanted to make sure we had our sautéing technique nailed down
—after all, turning out golden-brown, moist chicken breasts is half the battle.
We began by selecting our pan and preparing the chicken. After a few tests,
we found that a large, heavy-bottomed skillet was best. Given that we were
working with just two chicken breasts, we tried using an 8-inch pan first, but it
crowded the chicken and caused it to steam. A 10-inch pan was clearly the way
to go. Though we were using 6-ounce chicken breasts, we knew that no matter
the total weight of each breast, the thin tip and the opposite end, which is much
thicker, would cook at different rates. To remedy this problem, we pounded the
chicken breasts to an even ½-inch thickness. Now we were ready to sauté.
In order for anything to brown properly in a skillet, at least some oil is
necessary. To keep this dish on the lighter side, we didn’t want to add a big pour
of oil to the pan, but how much was really necessary to keep the chicken from
sticking? We started with a single tablespoon of canola oil and tried dialing back
1 teaspoon at a time. It turned out that we could cut only 1 teaspoon before the
chicken fused to the pan.
The problem we then found with our low-oil method was that the chicken
took on very little browning—it had only spots of color—despite the fact that we
heated the oil until it just started to smoke before adding the breasts. The smooth
surface of the breast meat was going to need a little extra texture in order to turn
golden brown. For our next test, we coated the chicken in a little flour to aid in
browning (and to help protect the breasts from drying out). This worked like a
charm, giving our chicken great color and a nice crust.
But even though our chicken now looked great, the finished product still
needed some work. Although the chicken was cooked evenly, the exterior
portions of the meat were dry and stringy. Up until this point, we had been
sautéing the chicken over medium-high heat for the entire cooking time. Perhaps
we needed to take a gentler tack. For our next test, we browned the chicken on
the first side as before, but when we flipped the breasts, we reduced the heat to
medium-low and let them finish cooking over the gentler heat level for just a few
minutes. Perfect.
Having nailed the cooking technique, we had yet to develop a recipe for a
light yet lively sauce to keep our dinner interesting. The idea of a fresh salsa or
relish was appealing because we wouldn’t have to add another pot to the
stovetop or turn on the oven. We homed in on a fruit relish made from fresh,
sweet mango, which would offer a bright-tasting, tropical counterpoint to our
moist, golden-brown chicken. A few jarred Peppadew peppers packed just the
right amount of heat, and their tangy bite contrasted perfectly with the sweetness
of the mango. A tablespoon of fresh lime juice lent brightness, and a sprinkling
of fresh cilantro added herbal complexity. We let our fresh relish chill for 30
minutes so that all the flavors could meld.
With that, we had a dish that boasted both fresh, bright flavor and savory
depth—and though it had started with a kitchen standby, it was far from
mundane.
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Sweet and Spicy Mango Relish
SERVES 2

Pounding the thicker ends of the chicken breasts ensures even cooking. See the
sidebars that follow the recipe.

½ mango, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces

jarred Peppadew peppers or pickled hot cherry peppers, chopped

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour
(6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat and pounded to
even ½-inch thickness
2

2 teaspoons canola oil

1. In small bowl, combine mango, peppers, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with
salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until flavors meld, about 30
minutes.
2. Meanwhile, spread flour in shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels
and season with ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Lightly dredge chicken
in flour and shake off excess.
3. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add
chicken and cook until well browned on first side, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip chicken,
reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook until chicken registers 160 degrees,
6 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let
rest for 5 minutes. Serve with relish.
PER SERVING: Cal 340; Fat 9 g; Sat Fat 1.5 g; Chol 110 mg; Carb 24 g; Protein 38 g; Fiber 2 g;
Sodium 880 mg
USE IT UP: MANGO

Mango Lassi
SERVES 2
You may need to sweeten the drink with extra honey, depending on the sweetness of the mango. Be sure to
use fresh mango; frozen mango will make a dull-tasting lassi.
½ mango, peeled and chopped
cup plain low-fat yogurt

1
½

cup ice water

teaspoons honey, plus extra as needed

2 teaspoons lime juice

Pinch salt
Puree all ingredients together in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain mixture through fine-mesh
strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard any solids left in strainer. Serve in
chilled glasses.
PER 1-CUP SERVING: Cal 130; Fat 2 g; Sat Fat 1.5 g; Chol 10 mg; Carb 23 g; Protein 6 g; Fiber 1 g;
Sodium 160 mg
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

POUNDING CHICKEN BREASTS

To ensure chicken breasts cook through evenly, simply pound the thicker end until the whole breast is
roughly the same thickness. Though one breast may still be larger than the other, they will at least cook at a
similar rate.
 ALL ABOUT PEPPADEW PEPPERS
Peppadew is the brand name for the pickled grape-size red pepper known as Juanita. The Juanita plant was
reportedly discovered in 1993 by Johannes Steenkamp, who found it growing in the garden of his vacation
home in South Africa. His first bite of the pepper delivered a significant shot of heat. To capitalize on their
spicy flavor profile, he pickled the peppers in a simple sugar and vinegar mixture.
Today, Peppadews are available in mild and hot varieties (the heat is adjusted by adding more or fewer
dried, ground seeds to the pickling liquid), as well as in a new yellow Goldew variety, which has less heat.
While a comparison to these unusual peppers is hard to make, their closest competitor might be the pickled
cherry pepper. When we compared hot Peppadews with hot cherry peppers, the biggest difference was the
pronounced sweetness of the Peppadews, which made them the favorite of our tasters. We found that the
subtleties of the Peppadew flavor were lost in cooked sauces, so we recommend eating them raw on
antipasto platters and in salads and relishes, or in cooked dishes like pizza, where they can maintain their
identity.
TURKEY TACO SALAD
Turkey Taco Salad

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a lighter yet still flavorful taco salad for
two, we skipped the deep-fryer and baked our tortillas instead, which gave us a
pair of golden, ultracrisp taco shells with a lot less fuss and fat. Rather than use
ground beef in the filling, we reached for leaner ground turkey; sautéed
aromatics and tomato sauce added savory depth, and a hefty dose of chili powder
lent heat and spicy flavor. For more heartiness, we included beans in our salad,
along with cherry tomatoes and shredded romaine. Dressing the salad with a bit
of lime juice ensured that it was both light and fresh-tasting.
On paper, the taco salad sounds like a lighter alternative to more indulgent Tex-
Mex fare like quesadillas, burritos, or nachos. But once you consider the fried
shell, the saucy, meaty filling, and the mountain of grated cheese piled on top,
this dish becomes much less virtuous. Still, the idea of a healthier taco salad was
intriguing. We decided to figure out how to slash the fat while keeping the bright
flavors and great textures intact, so we would have the perfect main course for a
fiesta for two.
As the edible bowl for our salad, the crunchy fried tortilla shell was the first
fatty component we decided to tackle. Deep frying tortillas was obviously a no-
go. Not only does frying increase the fat content of the tortilla to unacceptable
levels, but it also requires cups of oil and can create a mess on the stovetop,
making a simple salad for two into a big hassle. We tried serving our salad in a
regular bowl and crumbling baked tortilla chips over the top, but tasters quickly
turned up their noses at the idea. While the crunch was good, there wasn’t
enough of it. Plus, without the taco bowl, the salad seemed to have lost its
identity. It was clear we couldn’t do away with the taco shell. Instead, we
explored ways that we could lighten it, while still retaining the ultracrisp, golden
exterior.
When looking for a lighter snack option, we often make our own tortilla chips
using store-bought flour tortillas; cut into wedges and spritzed with vegetable oil
spray, the chips crisp nicely in a 425-degree oven. Perhaps this would be our
answer. But how would we turn a flat tortilla into a bowl? We’d need a mold.
After pulling out and tinkering with each and every ovensafe piece of equipment
in the test kitchen, including ramekins and measuring cups, we finally landed on
the obvious choice: soup bowls. To soften our two flour tortillas, we microwaved
them briefly; we sprayed them with vegetable oil spray so they would turn
golden and wouldn’t dry out, then draped them over the bowls before popping
them into the oven. Ten minutes later, we had incredibly crisp, golden taco shells
that were much healthier than the deep-fried version.
Taco bowls in hand, we addressed the rest of the dish. We knew we wanted
our salad topped with a hearty, saucy meat mixture, just like the taco salads
found in restaurants. But since we were going for a lightened recipe, we
bypassed the ground beef and turned instead to ground turkey. Six ounces,
combined with our other salad components, gave us just the right amount for
two. To ramp up its flavor, we sautéed the turkey with chopped onion, some
garlic, and chili powder, then stirred in a bit of tomato sauce and chicken broth
for moisture, sweetness, and savory depth. After the mixture simmered for a bit,
tasters dug in with gusto, but they found the flavor a little dull. A splash of cider
vinegar and a spoonful of brown sugar brightened things right up.
Moving on to the actual “salad” of the dish, we started with some shredded
romaine lettuce, which offered a hearty base to support the saucy filling.
Quartered cherry tomatoes provided sweetness and a pop of color, and a thinly
sliced scallion and chopped cilantro added herbal, grassy notes. In our research
we found that many recipes also included beans. We thought this would add
heartiness to our dish, so we did a few tests with black beans, kidneys, and
pintos. Each type of bean offered the same nutritional benefit—adding extra
protein with very little additional fat—but we found that black beans stood up
best to the turkey filling. Half a can (¾ cup) was just the right amount for two.
Cheese is standard when it comes to taco salads, but it adds a great deal of
extra fat and calories. Clearly, we’d have to tread carefully here. We often turn to
reduced-fat cheeses when lightening dishes, so we decided to give it a go here.
First, we went for convenience and tried a preshredded Mexican cheese blend.
Unfortunately, tasters found its flavor to be a little flat. Instead, we tried light
cheddar, which we grated ourselves. Just 2 tablespoons per taco bowl, sprinkled
over the salad and filling, provided the savory, cheesy flavor we were after.
Finally, we moved on to the dressing for the salad. Many taco salads are just
topped with salsa, but we found it overwhelmed the lettuce and competed with
the flavor of the saucy turkey mixture. Some recipes include a vinaigrette, but in
our tests we found that oil-based dressings weighed down the salad. Moving in a
more conservative direction, we tried simply tossing the lettuce, beans, and
tomatoes with a tablespoon of lime juice. While subtle, the juice added just the
right amount of acidity without overpowering our myriad ingredients or
contributing much in the way of fat and calories.
At last, we had a taco salad that offered all the bright flavors and appealing
textures of the full-fat restaurant version, but without any of the guilt.
Turkey Taco Salad
SERVES 2

Be sure to use ground turkey, not ground turkey breast (also labeled 99 percent
fat free), in this recipe. See the sidebars that follow the recipe.

TACO BOWLS
(10-inch) flour tortillas
2

Vegetable oil spray

½

teaspoon canola oil

small onion, chopped fine
1

2 teaspoons chili powder

garlic clove, minced

1
ounces 93 percent lean ground turkey

6
½

cup canned tomato sauce

¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
½

teaspoon light brown sugar

Salt and pepper

SALAD
romaine lettuce heart (6 ounces), shredded
1
¾ cup canned black beans, rinsed
ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

4
scallion, sliced thin

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon lime juice

Salt and pepper

ounce 50 percent light cheddar cheese, shredded (¼ cup)
1
1. FOR THE TACO BOWLS: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat
oven to 425 degrees. Arrange 2 ovensafe soup bowls upside down on rimmed
baking sheet (or use 2 slightly flattened 3-inch aluminum foil balls). Place
tortillas on plate, cover with damp paper towel, and microwave until warm and
pliable, about 20 seconds.
2. Generously spray both sides of warm tortillas with oil spray. Drape tortillas
over soup bowls, pressing top flat and pinching sides to create 4-sided bowl.
Bake until tortillas are golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway
through baking. Let cool upside down.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili
powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add turkey and
cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until almost cooked through but still
slightly pink, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, and sugar and
simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes; mixture will be saucy. Season
with salt and pepper to taste.
4. FOR THE SALAD: Combine lettuce, beans, tomatoes, scallion, and 1
tablespoon cilantro in large bowl; toss with lime juice and season with salt and
pepper to taste. Place tortilla bowls on individual plates. Divide salad between
bowls and top with turkey mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining 1
tablespoon cilantro. Serve.
PER SERVING: Cal 430; Fat 15 g; Sat fat 4.5 g; Chol 55 mg; Carb 46 g; Protein 30 g; Fiber 7 g;
Sodium 1070 mg
USE IT UP: BLACK BEANS

Chunky Black Bean Dip

SERVES 2
You can substitute 1 minced small shallot for the scallion. Serve this dip with baked tortilla or pita chips.

¾ cup canned black beans, rinsed

1 teaspoon olive oil

tomato, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces

1
scallions, minced

1 tablespoon lime juice

garlic clove, minced

1
⅛

teaspoon cumin

Salt and pepper

Mash beans and oil together in medium bowl until coarsely mashed. Stir in tomato, scallions, lime juice,
garlic, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
PER ½-CUP SERVING: Cal 100; Fat 2.5 g; Sat Fat 0 g; Chol 0 mg; Carb 18 g; Protein 4 g; Fiber 4 g;
Sodium 230 mg
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING TACO BOWLS

Warm tortillas in microwave until pliable, then spray with vegetable oil spray. Place 2 ovensafe soup bowls
upside down on baking sheet; drape tortillas on top. Press tops flat and pinch sides to create two 4-sided
bowls.
Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops With Port Wine And
Cherry Sauce

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a pair of juicy, tender pork chops, we
had to sauté them over two different heat levels. First, we seared them on one
side over medium-high heat for a nicely browned exterior, then we flipped them
over and turned the heat down to let them finish cooking through. To dress up
our chops, we created two effortless yet impressive pan sauces with the browned
bits left behind in the pan.
Boneless pork chops have become a popular alternative for those looking to
cook with leaner meat and wanting an option beyond chicken breasts. But as we
began our research, we realized that most pork chop recipes out there were more
likely to result in sad, poorly cooked chops with bland, heavy sauces (usually
relying on lots of butter and cream) than something you would proudly bring to
the table. Our goal was to create a pair of perfectly cooked pan-seared pork
chops with a light pan sauce that would be flavorful, rich, and anything but
boring.
First we focused on the pork. Boneless pork loin chops are a great option for a
quick meal, since they cook relatively fast. After several tests with various sizes
of pork chops, we discovered that extra-thick chops (those over 1 inch thick)
required both the stovetop and the oven to cook properly; this felt like too much
work for a weeknight meal for two. Thin chops (about ¼ inch), on the other
hand, were impossible to keep juicy. A ¾-inch chop proved perfect: thick enough
to stay moist during sautéing, but thin enough that we could cook it entirely on
the stovetop.
Next, we experimented with cooking methods that would yield nicely
browned chops without requiring a big pour of oil. The first technique we tried
was browning the chops in a little oil, then covering them to finish cooking
through. Doing this yielded a fairly moist piece of meat, but covering the pan
created steam and ruined the chops’ attractive and flavorful golden-brown
exterior. The small amount of oil worked well (just a teaspoon did the trick), but
a more traditional approach would be necessary. Unfortunately, the medium-high
heat needed to properly brown the chops on the first side left us with dry,
overcooked chops when we finished cooking them all the way through over that
heat level. As with our Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Sweet and Spicy Mango
Relish, we found it necessary to use two different heat levels. We seared the
chops on one side over medium-high heat, and once they developed a deeply
browned crust, we flipped the chops and reduced the heat to medium, allowing
the chops to slowly reach 145 degrees. At this point, we removed them from the
pan to rest for a few minutes, which allowed their juices to redistribute and the
temperature to continue to rise (this is called carryover cooking) to the 150-
degree mark. These chops were nicely browned and juicy.
During these tests, we found that a 10-inch skillet was necessary to build the
exterior crust we desired; a pan that was any smaller crowded the chops and they
simply steamed, while a pan that was larger scorched where the surface wasn’t
covered by meat. Testing both traditional and nonstick skillets, we were
surprised to see that the two performed similarly well. We opted to use a
traditional skillet, however, so that we could take advantage of the fond left
behind—an opportunity to build our pan sauce.
Looking for flavors that best complemented the pork, we found that a broth-
based sauce with a sweet component had the most potential. Tasters preferred
chicken broth over beef for its unobtrusive nature, and dried cherries for their
concentrated sweet-tart flavor. Shallot, rosemary, and port also helped to deepen
the flavors of the sauce. To create an easy variation, we swapped in a chopped
apple, cider, and freshly grated ginger for a quick chutney.
After just one bite, we realized we didn’t miss the more typical (and higher-
fat) ingredients we’d seen elsewhere, especially when we had such bold,
flavorful options for topping our perfectly cooked chops.
Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Port Wine and Cherry Sauce
SERVES 2

Other dried fruit, such as figs (cut into slices), raisins, or cranberries, can be
substituted for the cherries. There is no need to buy expensive port for this dish;
less costly bottles will work fine.

(6-to 8-ounce) boneless pork chops, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed of all visible fat

Salt and pepper

1½

teaspoons canola oil

shallot, minced
1
½

teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼

cup ruby port

¼

cup dried cherries

1. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and season with ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛
teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat
until just smoking. Brown chops well on first side, about 3 minutes.
2. Flip chops over, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook until chops
register 145 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer pork to platter, tent loosely
with aluminum foil, and let rest while making sauce.
3. Add remaining ½ teaspoon oil, shallot, and rosemary to now-empty skillet and
cook over medium heat until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth,
port, and cherries, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until
reduced to ¾ cup, about 5 minutes.
4. Add any accumulated meat juices to simmering sauce and cook until sauce
has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon sauce over pork and serve.
PER SERVING: Cal 370; Fat 10 g; Sat Fat 2.5 g; Chol 110 mg; Carb 20 g; Protein 40 g; Fiber 2 g;
Sodium 450 mg
Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Quick Ginger-Apple Chutney
SERVES 2

We like the flavor of Granny Smith apples here; however, any type of apple will
work fine. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

(6-to 8-ounce) boneless pork chops, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed of all visible fat

Salt and pepper

1½

teaspoons canola oil

Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1
shallot, minced

1
1½

teaspoons grated fresh ginger

⅛

teaspoon ground allspice

½

cup apple cider

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and season with ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛
teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat
until just smoking. Brown chops well on first side, about 3 minutes.
2. Flip chops over, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook until chops
register 145 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer pork to platter, tent loosely
with aluminum foil, and let rest while making chutney.
3. Add remaining ½ teaspoon oil, apple, and shallot to now-empty skillet, cover,
and cook over medium-low heat until apple is softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
Uncover, stir in ginger and allspice, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in cider and brown sugar, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer
and cook until sauce has thickened slightly, about 4 minutes.
4. Add any accumulated meat juices to simmering sauce. Season with salt and
pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over pork and serve.
PER SERVING: Cal 370; Fat 9 g; Sat Fat 2.5 g; Chol 110 mg; Carb 32 g; Protein 39 g; Fiber 1 g;
Sodium 240 mg
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

ALL ABOUT PORT

Port is a sweet fortified wine that originated in the city of Oporto in northern Portugal. Today a wide variety
of ports are produced around the world. For cooking, we prefer ruby port, which is inexpensive and garnet-
colored and has a decidedly sweet, fruity flavor. Two other varieties of port, tawny and vintage, are
typically aged for years before bottling, yielding a more complex, and much more expensive, spirit. While
both tawny and vintage port could be used for cooking, in most cases their higher price tags and subtle,
nuanced flavors make them better suited to sipping.
Chilled Rice Noodles With Shrimp

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Taking our inspiration from Japanese

cuisine, we created a chilled noodle dish that boasted light, bright flavors.
Though it’s traditionally eaten with chopsticks, we transformed this dish into a
fork-friendly supper for two by turning the standard dipping sauce into a deeply
flavored dressing. A simple dashi (a sweet, briny broth) made with kombu and
bonito flakes provided the basis for our dressing; soy sauce and ginger punched
it up a bit. Steeping the rice noodles in hot water ensured that they were tender,
and using the same water to poach shrimp streamlined our recipe and guaranteed
our chilled noodle dish was refreshingly light yet satisfying.
A bowl of Japanese-style chilled noodles can make a refreshing change of pace
from the usual go-to Asian noodle dishes like pad thai and lo mein. As the name
implies, these noodles are served in ice water with a bowl of dipping sauce and
pickled ginger on the side. Traditionally, diners use chopsticks to dip the noodles
a few at a time into the soy-based sauce, which is usually seasoned with dashi (a
seafood broth) and ginger. With its delicate balance of Japanese flavors, this
refreshing dish seemed like it would be perfect for our roster of lighter entrées
for two. While we set out to develop our own recipe, we also hoped to make
chilled noodles more approachable for the American dinner table—that meant
putting away the chopsticks and transforming the dipping sauce into a dressing
to pull the whole thing together for a fork-friendly dish.
First, we tackled the backbone of our dish, the dashi, or broth. Dashi is a
simple seafood broth made from kombu (dried kelp), bonito flakes (dried,
smoked fish flakes), and water. While the ingredient list might make dashi seem
a complicated endeavor, the procedure is actually quite simple. Plus, most
supermarkets now carry both kombu and bonito flakes in their international
foods aisle. To make dashi, the water and kombu are brought slowly to a boil.
Once the water bubbles, the pot is removed from the heat, and the bonito flakes
are added and steeped for just a few minutes to infuse the liquid with their flavor.
To finish, the kombu and bonito flakes are strained out, and the dashi is
complete. Since this was a fairly easy, foolproof way to make our dashi, and
neither kombu nor bonito flakes added any discernible fat or calories, we
adhered to this method. In just a few minutes, we had an intensely flavored
broth. However, it still needed a few flavor tweaks.
To ramp up our dashi, we added a handful of traditional seasonings. Soy sauce
added rich, savory depth; a few spoonfuls of mirin, which is a tawny, sweetened
Japanese rice wine, added distinctive flavor; some grated fresh ginger provided a
fresher, less obtrusive flavor than the pickled ginger; and a small amount of
sugar rounded out the other ingredients. With the dashi nicely seasoned and
offering a rich taste, we moved it to the refrigerator to chill.
Next, we considered the noodles. Rice noodles are available in a variety of
thicknesses, but for our dish, tasters preferred thin noodles, which offered a
delicate feel that matched the tone of the subtle yet well-seasoned dashi. Like
other noodles, rice noodles require an ample amount of water for cooking. We
achieved the best results by boiling a pot full of water, then steeping the noodles
in the pot (off the heat) until they were tender. When the noodles were tender, we
found it best to quickly rinse them under cold water to stop their cooking and
wash away any residual starches that might turn them gummy.
After the noodles were sufficiently cooled, we tossed them with our chilled
broth and considered additional elements. To complement our broth and turn our
noodle dish into a satisfying supper, we added 8 ounces of shrimp. Since we
were already bringing out a pot of water to boil the noodles, we decided to poach
the shrimp in the same pot before cooking the noodles; this step saved us both
prep and dishwashing time. To add a little crunch, we topped our noodles with
cucumber slices. A sprinkle of fresh scallions contributed a grassy, oniony
quality that balanced the brininess of the shrimp and broth.
While not exactly identical to what you might find in Japan, our dish
definitely captured the flavorful lightness of traditional chilled noodle dishes—
and we didn’t need any fancy chopstick skills to enjoy it.
Chilled Rice Noodles with Shrimp
SERVES 2

Bonito flakes are dried fish flakes found in the international aisle at the
supermarket, or at Asian and natural foods markets; they add a distinct smoky
flavor to this dish. Rice noodles can vary in sodium content; make sure you use a
brand with the lowest amount of sodium possible. See the sidebar that follows
the recipe.

1⅓

cups water
(3-inch) piece kombu
1

2 tablespoons dried bonito flakes

tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons mirin
1½

teaspoons grated fresh ginger

¾

teaspoon sugar
ounces medium-large shrimp (31 to 40 per pound), peeled, deveined, tails removed, and
sliced in half lengthwise
8

ounces rice vermicelli

4
½ small cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
scallions, sliced thin on bias

2
1. Bring water and kombu to boil in large saucepan over medium-low heat.
Remove from heat, stir in bonito flakes, and let sit for 3 minutes. Strain broth
through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much
broth as possible; discard solids. Whisk in soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and sugar
until sugar is dissolved. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.
2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Fill large bowl with ice water. Add
shrimp to boiling water, remove pot from heat, and cover; let sit until shrimp are
just cooked through, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to ice
water and let chill; drain shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Off heat, add noodles to hot water in pot and stir to separate. Let noodles soak,
stirring occasionally, until softened, pliable, and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain
noodles, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Toss noodles with chilled broth
in large bowl. Divide noodles between 2 individual serving bowls. Top each
bowl with broth, shrimp, cucumber, and scallions. Serve.
PER SERVING: Cal 350; Fat 1 g; Sat fat 0 g; Chol 105 mg; Carb 64 g; Protein 14 g; Fiber 2 g;
Sodium 1300 mg
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

ALL ABOUT KOMBU AND BONITO FLAKES

Kombu and bonito flakes give our Chilled Rice Noodles with Shrimp its authentic and distinctive flavor.
You can usually find both ingredients in the international aisle at the supermarket, or at an Asian market or
a natural foods market. Kombu is a type of seaweed sold in dried, whole sheets that are quite thick and
often have a chalky white powder on the exterior. Bonito flakes are dried fish flakes; they have a notable
smoky flavor.
SEAFOOD RISOTTO
Seafood Risotto

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an approachable and foolproof seafood

risotto for two, we found we didn’t need to constantly stir the pot as most recipes
require; stirring every few minutes during the early stages of cooking worked
just as well, ensuring a thick, creamy risotto. A quick seafood broth, made by
simmering shrimp shells and aromatics with bottled clam juice, chicken broth,
and water, gave our risotto deep yet balanced flavor in short order. For the
seafood, we chose shrimp, squid, and bay scallops, which paired well with the
rich, creamy rice.
Seafood risotto begins with naturally low-fat shellfish paired with Arborio rice
and either broth or fish stock. So why does this healthy-and minimalist-sounding
dish get such a bad rap? First of all, it tends to entail a lot of work, which is
especially annoying when making only two servings. The standard procedure
calls for adding ladles of hot broth to the pot in small amounts while the cook
stirs almost constantly until the rice is tender but still maintains a slight bite. Add
to that the fact that many seafood risotto recipes call for lots of butter and cheese
to enhance the “creaminess” of the rice’s naturally occurring starches, and it’s
easy to see how seafood risotto doesn’t make it to the for-two table when lighter
dishes are what you’re after. Our goal was to create a rich-tasting weeknight
seafood risotto without tipping the scale or leaving leftovers behind. We also
wanted to keep dirty dishes to a minimum and develop a more hands-off
approach.
We started with streamlining. Medium-grain rice, such as Arborio, is the best
choice since it is higher than both short-and long-grain rice in an important
starch called amylopectin, the key to what gives risotto a creamy consistency.
Stirring the rice in hot broth releases the surface starches that dissolve into, and
thicken, the broth. Since stirring is paramount to this technique, we knew that
eliminating it entirely wasn’t an option, but we were hopeful we could reduce
the amount required.
To see how infrequently we could add broth and stir and still get the creamy
results we desired, we made dozens of batches of risotto, tweaking both factors.
Batches stirred roughly half of the time were hard to distinguish from those
stirred constantly. In the end, we settled on a technique of adding almost half of
the liquid at the beginning and stirring infrequently for the first 7 to 9 minutes.
The remaining broth was then added in ½-cup increments, and the rice was
stirred frequently (but not constantly) for the final 12 to 14 minutes. We found
that ⅔ cup of Arborio rice was the right amount for two people, which required
almost 3 cups of cooking liquid to achieve a fully cooked and creamy risotto.
While some seafood risotto recipes use plain water for the cooking liquid, our
tasters found the resulting risotto thin and bland. Substituting bottled clam juice
for a portion of the water was more promising, offering a welcome briny hit, but
it came at a price: Bottled clam juice is high in sodium, and the two bottles we
added sent our sodium numbers soaring. In addition, the broth still lacked depth.
Stepping away from the sea for a moment, we tried substituting store-bought
low-sodium chicken broth for some of the water. This was certainly our richest
batch yet, but tasters were still missing a certain seafood essence.
At this point, a colleague pointed out that since we knew we wanted our
risotto to include shrimp, we could use their shells to add the missing seafood
flavor to the broth. We tried simmering the broth with the shells from 4 ounces
of shrimp, along with a chopped onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns (a few classic
broth additions). Simmering the shells for just 15 minutes infused the broth with
a light but distinct seafood flavor that was potent enough to allow us to reduce
the clam juice from two bottles to one, which got us into an appropriate range for
sodium. Final touches of saffron and drained diced tomatoes added color and
acidity to the rice.
Next, we focused on the seafood and when to add it to the pot. In addition to
the shrimp, we decided to include 4 ounces of squid, which tasters liked for its
mild flavor and gentle bite. We cut the bodies into rings but left the tentacles
whole to showcase their unique texture and visual appeal. We excluded clams
and mussels from the running (their steaming would require another pot, and we
wanted to keep our risotto simple), but 4 ounces of scallops lent a gentle
brininess and sweetness to the dish and, best of all, were easy to prepare. We
chose small bay scallops over large sea scallops because they cooked quickly
and fit on a fork with a bite of rice. Now we just needed to find the best way to
cook the seafood.
We tested a number of recipes that called for adding the seafood to the rice as
it stood off the heat for a few minutes. We liked the idea of relying on residual
heat to gently cook the seafood, but we found it often produced undercooked
shrimp and squid. We found it was necessary to keep the pot on the heat for
about three minutes before taking it off. Stirring during this brief period ensured
that every bite of seafood cooked at the same rate. With a richly flavored pot of
perfectly cooked rice and seafood, we addressed a few final touches.
Since fish and cheese are rarely combined in Italian cooking, we weren’t
tempted to enrich this risotto with cheese, not to mention that it would add fat
and calories. But we did want to add some richness. One minced anchovy added
with the aromatics and just half a pat of butter stirred in at the end did the trick.
The anchovy lent a savory character, and the butter gave the rice a voluptuous
feel without weighing it down.
With just a few labor-and pot-saving techniques, we now had a deceptively
light seafood risotto that was suitable for a healthy weeknight dinner for two, yet
elegant enough to make it feel like a special occasion.
Seafood Risotto
SERVES 2

Do not buy peeled shrimp; you will need the shrimp shells in order to make the
broth. You can substitute 4 ounces of sea scallops, quartered, for the bay
scallops. If you cannot find squid or prefer to omit it, you can use 6 ounces each
of shrimp and scallops. We recommend buying “dry” scallops, those without
chemical additives. Dry scallops will look ivory or pinkish and feel tacky; “wet”
scallops look bright white and feel slippery. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

BROTH
1½

cups water
(8-ounce) bottle clam juice
1
cup low-sodium chicken broth

1
½ cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
Shells from 4 ounces shrimp (see below)
small onion, chopped coarse

4 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf
Pinch saffron threads, crumbled
 Hot water

RISOTTO
1

tablespoon unsalted butter

small onion, chopped fine
1

Salt and pepper

garlic cloves, minced
2
½ anchovy fillet, rinsed and minced
¼ teaspoon minced fresh thyme or pinch dried
⅔

cup Arborio rice

⅓

cup dry white wine

ounces medium-large shrimp (31 to 40 per pound), peeled, deveined, and shells
reserved
4

4 ounces small bay scallops

ounces squid, bodies cut crosswise into ½-inch rings, tentacles left whole

4
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. FOR THE BROTH: Combine all ingredients except hot water in medium
saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low
and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into large
measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. (You
should have 3 cups broth; if not, add hot water as needed.) Discard solids and
transfer broth to clean saucepan; return saucepan to lowest possible heat to keep
broth warm.
2. FOR THE RISOTTO: Melt ½ tablespoon butter in large saucepan over
medium-low heat. Add onion and ⅛ teaspoon salt, cover, and cook, stirring
occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, anchovy, and thyme
and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Increase heat to medium, stir in rice,
and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3
minutes.
3. Stir in wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, about 1 minute.
Stir in 1 cup warm broth. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring about every 3
minutes, until broth is absorbed and bottom of pot is dry, 7 to 9 minutes.
4. Continue to cook rice, stirring frequently and adding more hot broth, ½ cup at
a time (you may not need to add all of broth mixture), every few minutes as pan
bottom turns dry, until rice is cooked through but still al dente, 12 to 14 minutes.
5. Stir in shrimp, scallops, and squid and continue to cook, stirring frequently,
until seafood is just cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. Remove pot from
heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in remaining ½ tablespoon butter, parsley, and lemon juice and season
with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add remaining broth, 1 tablespoon at a
time, to loosen consistency of risotto before serving.
PER SERVING: Cal 530; Fat 9 g; Sat fat 4.5 g; Chol 220 mg; Carb 73 g; Protein 31 g; Fiber 4 g;
Sodium 1380 mg
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST CLAM JUICE

When there’s no time to shuck fresh littlenecks and cherrystones for a homemade seafood base, we reach
for a jug of their juice. Clam juice is made by briefly steaming fresh clams in salted water and filtering the
resulting broth before bottling. Of the three brands we tried in a basic seafood pasta dish, only one sample
garnered criticism for tasting “too strong” and “too clammy”–perhaps because its sodium content was more
than double that of the other brands. Our top brand, Bar Harbor, hails from the shores of clam country in
Maine, is available nationwide, and brings a “bright” and “mineraly” flavor to seafood dishes.
BRAISED COD PEPERONATA
Braised Cod Peperonata

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Braising mild-tasting cod in a sauce made

from tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic gave us a simple yet richly
flavored supper for two that was on the table in a flash. The fish fillets absorbed
the bright, bold flavors of the sauce in just minutes and were protected from the
heat of the pan so they stayed moist and tender. Chopped basil and a dash of
balsamic vinegar, stirred into the sauce at the end, amped up the freshness of the
dish and kept with our Mediterranean theme.
While braising is usually associated with cooking tough pieces of meat over a
long period of time, it can also be a great way to add deep flavor and complexity
to mild-tasting fish in a short amount of time. To that end, we looked to use this
cooking method to deliver two moist, tender, and flavor-packed cod fillets, for a
lighter, fresher alternative to the standard, less healthful offerings of fish baked
and topped with buttery bread crumbs or deep-fried in a big vat of oil. Taking
our inspiration from the Italian dish peperonata, we looked to pair our cod with a
mixture of sautéed tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic for a lively-tasting dish
that didn’t taste like it was light. And to keep our recipe easy and quick—making
it the perfect go-to dish for two on a busy weeknight—we wanted to keep all the
cooking to one pan.
After gathering a handful of recipes uncovered in our research, we
commenced testing, but we were soon disappointed to find that most produced
tough, dry cod and dull sauces that were either too thick or too thin, too sweet or
too greasy. The biggest challenge would be cooking the cod to perfection, as it is
meaty but lean and prone to drying out. We had our work cut out for us.
First, we focused on the sauce in which the cod would be braised; it would
need to be slightly thick so we could nestle our pair of fish fillets in it to protect
them from the heat of the pan. We started by sautéing a sliced onion in olive oil,
then added two cloves of garlic and sautéed them briefly to bring out their flavor.
Bell peppers are a given in peperonata; after testing both the green and red
varieties, tasters exhibited a clear preference for the latter, which offered more
sweetness and less of a vegetal taste. A single pepper was ample for our two-
person dish, and adding it to the pan with the onion gave it plenty of time to
soften. Slicing it thinly, rather than chopping it, helped give our sauce more
substance.
Turning next to the tomatoes, which would add not only flavor but also more
volume and liquid for braising, we considered the most likely options: crushed,
diced, or pureed canned tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes. Both crushed and pureed
canned tomatoes produced a thick, sweet, overbearing sauce reminiscent of bad
Italian restaurant food. Fresh tomatoes, though more promising, offered
inconsistent results depending on the juiciness of the tomato. Canned diced
tomatoes were the clear winner. Just ½ cup of drained diced tomatoes provided
sufficient acidity and the right amount of boldness and presence to complement
the pepper and onion.
At this point, tasters were happy with the texture of the sauce, but the flavor
was somewhat lacking. A few additions remedied the problem. A splash of white
wine gave our sauce a much-needed boost of brightness and complexity. Fresh
thyme contributed a sweet, woodsy quality, and paprika offered a slight kick and
reinforced the peppery notes of the dish. With our sauce in good shape, we
turned our attention to cooking the cod.
We found the key to braising our fish was twofold: Low heat ensured that
nothing burned, and a skillet with a tight-fitting lid trapped the heat so the fish
partially steamed and partially simmered in the aromatic stew of vegetables. We
nestled the cod into the simmering sauce and basted it quickly with the mixture
to ensure that it was infused with flavor, then cooked it over medium-low heat,
covered, for just 10 minutes. The fish emerged succulent and moist, and the
sauce had good body.
For last touches, we stirred a dash of balsamic vinegar and a bit of chopped
basil into the sauce once the fish was cooked. These two additions ramped up the
brightness and freshness of the finished sauce, guaranteeing our one-pan braise
offered not only moist, tender bites of fish, but also vibrant, intense flavor.
Braised Cod Peperonata
SERVES 2

Halibut, snapper, tilapia, bluefish, monkfish, and sea bass fillets are all good
substitutions for the cod. If your fillets have skin on them, follow the instructions
at right to remove it. Smoked paprika is a nice substitution for the paprika here.
See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

(6-ounce) skinless cod fillets, 1 inch thick

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
1
small onion, sliced thin

1 teaspoon paprika
garlic cloves, minced

2
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
½ cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
¼

cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon balsamic or sherry vinegar

1. Pat cod dry with paper towels and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon
pepper.
2. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add
bell pepper, onion, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables have
softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until
fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, wine, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and
bring to simmer.
3. Nestle cod into pan and spoon sauce mixture over fish. Cover, reduce heat to
medium-low, and cook until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring
knife and registers 140 degrees, about 10 minutes.
4. Gently transfer fish to individual plates. Off heat, stir basil and vinegar into
sauce in pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over fish and
serve.
PER SERVING: Cal 260; Fat 6 g; Sat Fat 1 g; Chol 75 mg; Carb 13 g; Protein 32 g; Fiber 4 g; Sodium
840 mg
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SKINNING FISH FILLETS

1. Using tip of boning knife (or sharp chef’s knife), begin to cut skin away from fish at corner of fillet.
2. When enough skin is exposed, grasp it firmly with paper towel, hold it taut, and carefully slice flesh off
skin.
CHAPTER 7: EXPRESS LANE

Putting Rotisserie Chicken to Work

Rustic Chicken Tart with Spinach and Goat Cheese
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Chicken and Biscuits
Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pies

Putting Chicken Sausage to Work

Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
Escarole, Sausage, and Orzo Soup
Aloha Kebabs
Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake

Putting Precooked Shrimp to Work

Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
Shrimp Fried Rice
Baked Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta

Putting Cheese Tortellini to Work

Tomato Florentine Soup
Pasta Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Basil
Skillet Tortellini with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Tortellini Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes

Putting Canned Beans to Work

Crispy Black Bean Cakes with Chipotle Sour Cream
Tuscan White Bean Soup
White Bean and Tuna Salad
Smoky Chicken Chili
Putting Rotisserie Chicken to Work

A supermarket rotisserie chicken makes a good emergency dinner on its own, but
we wondered if there were more interesting ways we could put it to work. Once
we got in the kitchen, we found there are countless ways to press this tender
meat into service to make all sorts of quick and easy dishes.
We started out with an elegant tart that only looks like it took hours to make.
We combined rotisserie chicken, a few carefully chosen ingredients, and a store-
bought pie crust. These timesaving ingredients made it possible to assemble and
bake the tart in just half an hour. Hearty, healthy spinach added color and helped
make this tart a satisfying meal, and toasted chopped walnuts added crunch and
nutty flavor. Creamy, flavorful goat cheese pulled double duty, imparting
richness and binding the filling together.
Next, to make a practically effortless weeknight baked pasta dish for two, we
relied on a simple no-cook red bell pepper sauce that we whirled together in the
food processor. To brighten and balance the sauce, we added plenty of fresh
parsley, Parmesan, shallot, and garlic along with a good amount of extra-virgin
olive oil. After tossing our richly flavored, colorful sauce with cooked pasta, we
stirred in the shredded chicken and briny olives. Dollops of ricotta mixed with
Parmesan cheese made for a creamy topping that browned beautifully in the
oven in about 10 minutes.
For comfort food in no time, we wanted to streamline chicken and biscuits.
This Southern classic is usually a time-consuming labor of love, making it
completely impractical for two, but we beat the clock by using our rotisserie
chicken and Bisquick baking mix to speed up the process. We focused most of
our time and effort on making a rich, creamy sauce with sweet leeks and meaty
mushrooms that would add deep flavor and heft to the dish. For the crowning
glory, we doctored up the baking mix by adding Gruyère and tarragon for
cheesy, flavorful biscuits that tasted like they were made from scratch. To avoid
gummy biscuits, we parbaked them before adding them to our casserole. After
just 10 minutes in the oven, this down-home comfort food was a table-worthy
treat.
Finally, we put our rotisserie chicken to use south of the border. For a quick
Southwestern-inspired quiche for two, we mixed a batter of eggs, milk, flour,
and baking powder with a classic quesadilla filling. Our creative “crust” is
simply a flour tortilla, which we cut down to size and spritzed with vegetable oil
spray to ensure that it didn’t dry out or crack during baking. We made a hearty,
tasty filling that required no extra cooking with rotisserie chicken, cheese, corn,
cilantro, and pickled jalapeños; we simply mixed the ingredients and spread
them in the pie dish. Once baked, this pie boasted a rich, creamy filling with a
crust so crispy that we made two mini pies so we wouldn’t have to share.
With so many easy options to make a simple rotisserie chicken into something
special, it definitely won’t be just a last-minute resort in our kitchens anymore.
RUSTIC CHICKEN TART WITH SPINACH AND GOAT CHEESE
Rustic Chicken Tart with Spinach and Goat Cheese
SERVES 2

Our favorite store-bought pie dough is made by Wholly Wholesome. It is sold

frozen and requires 3 hours of defrosting. This is best done on the counter rather
than in the refrigerator; microwave the dough for up to 10 seconds if the center
is not fully thawed. You can use an inverted bowl with a 10-inch diameter to
cleanly cut out the circle of pie dough. See the sidebars that follow the recipe.

1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4
ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)

2 tablespoons toasted and chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons water

Salt and pepper
store-bought pie crust
1
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Combine
chicken, spinach, goat cheese, walnuts, water, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon
pepper in bowl and microwave until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir mixture
to recombine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim pie crust to 10-inch
round and place on prepared sheet. Spread chicken filling in center of crust,
leaving 1½-inch border around edge. Fold edge of dough over filling, pleating it
every 1 to 2 inches as needed.
3. Bake tart until crust is golden and filling is hot, about 15 minutes, rotating
sheet halfway through baking. Let cool slightly and serve.
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
SERVES 2

You will need two 12-ounce ramekins for this recipe. Other pasta shapes can be
substituted for the penne; however, their cup measurements may vary.

ounces (1¼ cups) penne

Salt and pepper
ounces (¼ cup) whole-milk ricotta cheese
2
1½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (¾ cup)
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3
cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped coarse

2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves

shallot, minced

1
garlic clove, minced

1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Bring 4
quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook,
stirring often, until nearly al dente. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain
pasta and return it to pot.
2. Meanwhile, mix ricotta, ¼ cup Parmesan, 1½ teaspoons oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt,
and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in bowl; set aside. Process remaining ½ cup
Parmesan, remaining 2½ tablespoons oil, red peppers, parsley, shallot, garlic, ⅛
teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in food processor until smooth,
scraping down bowl as needed, about 20 seconds.
3. Add red pepper sauce, chicken, olives, and reserved cooking water to pasta
and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta evenly
between two 12-ounce ramekins. Dollop ricotta mixture evenly over top. Bake
until filling is bubbling and cheese is spotty brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool
slightly and serve.
Chicken and Biscuits
SERVES 2

You will need a 3-cup baking dish (measuring approximately 7¼ by 5¼ inches)

or a similar-size dish for this recipe.

cup Bisquick original mix

1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (½ cup)

1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
4
small leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed
thoroughly
1
tablespoons all-purpose flour

2
garlic clove, minced

1
⅓
cup heavy cream

1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

⅓

cup frozen peas

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line
baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir Bisquick, ¼ cup broth, Gruyère, 1½
teaspoons tarragon, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in bowl until combined.
Using 2 greased spoons, scoop out and drop 4 even mounds of dough onto
prepared sheet. Bake until biscuits are puffed and lightly browned on bottom, 8
to 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add mushrooms and leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until
softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in flour and garlic and cook,
stirring often, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in
remaining 1 cup broth and cream, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing
out any lumps. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened, 3 to 5
minutes. Stir in remaining 1½ teaspoons tarragon, shredded chicken, and peas
and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Grease shallow 3-cup baking dish. Transfer chicken mixture to prepared dish
and arrange biscuits on top. Bake until filling is bubbling and biscuits are
browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.
CHICKEN AND CHEESE QUESADILLA PIES
Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pies
SERVES 2

You will need two 6-inch pie plates for this recipe. Serve with sour cream and
fresh tomato salsa, if desired.

Vegetable oil spray
(8-inch) flour tortillas
2

1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup)

3
¼ cup frozen corn, thawed

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1½ tablespoons minced jarred jalapeños

Salt and pepper

1 large egg
½

cup whole milk

⅓ cup all-purpose flour
¼

teaspoon baking powder

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray two
6-inch pie plates with vegetable oil spray. Trim each tortilla to 7-inch round,
press into prepared pie plates, and spray with oil spray. Toss shredded chicken in
bowl with ½ cup cheese, corn, cilantro, jalapeños, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛
teaspoon pepper. Divide mixture evenly between pie plates and transfer plates to
rimmed baking sheet.
2. Whisk egg, milk, flour, baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt together in bowl
until smooth. Slowly pour mixture into pie plates, dividing mixture evenly, then
sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese. Bake until surface is golden brown, about
20 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING A RUSTIC CHICKEN TART

1. Trim pie crust into 10-inch circle and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread chicken filling in
center of dough, leaving 1½-inch border at edges.
2. Fold edge of dough in over the filling, pleating it every 1 to 2 inches as needed.
 THE BEST ROASTED RED PEPPERS
Whether you’re cooking for two or more, we recommend keeping a jar of good roasted red peppers on hand
at all times. Roasted red peppers are an easy way to quickly give dishes bold, deep flavor, such as in our
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. Just be sure to rinse and pat the peppers
dry before using them. To determine which brand of jarred roasted red peppers is best, we rounded up eight
nationally available brands and tasted them plain and in a hummus. Peppers that were packed with flavorful
ingredients like garlic, herbs, and vinegar tasted good plain, but those flavors weren’t appreciated when
incorporated into a sauce. In the end, our tasters’ favorite roasted red peppers were Dunbars Sweet
Roasted Red Peppers; the label lists only red bell peppers, water, salt, and citric acid in the ingredients list.
These peppers were great on their own, and their sweet, earthy, unmarred essence made for a terrific sauce.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PREPARING LEEKS

1. Trim and discard root and dark green leaves.

2. Slice trimmed leek in half lengthwise, then cut it into pieces as directed. Rinse cut leeks thoroughly to
remove dirt and sand.
ASSEMBLING CHICKEN QUESADILLA PIES

1. After trimming each tortilla to 7-inch round, press into pie plates, and spray tortillas with vegetable oil
spray to ensure crust does not dry out or crack during baking.

2. Evenly pour batter over chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
Putting Chicken Sausage to Work

Chicken sausage is a lifesaver for a busy cook; it is already well seasoned, so it

contributes rich flavor to a dish and cuts down on the amount of additional
seasonings needed. And because it is precooked, it needs just a few minutes in a
skillet or oven to brown and warm through. We set out to develop some
interesting, creative recipes that would spice up our weeknights.
To start, we wanted to put our chicken sausage to work in a simple, hearty
pasta dish. Roasted garlic has a sweet, intensely aromatic flavor that’s great for
punching up pasta, but we weren’t about to roast a head of garlic for over an
hour for a quick dinner for two. To speed up the process, we needed to get
creative. First, we found we could roast the garlic more quickly when the cloves
were separated, and cranking the oven up to 425 degrees cut the roasting time to
just 20 minutes. Covering the garlic was essential to keep the cloves from
turning tough and overly brown during roasting. Once our garlic was soft and
browned, we mashed it into a paste. Crumbled goat cheese and a little of the
pasta cooking water were all we needed to turn the roasted garlic into a thick and
creamy sauce for our campanelle. We lightly browned the chicken sausage and
added some fresh baby arugula to round out the dish.
For our next dish, we combined tender bites of meaty sausage, delicate pasta,
and hearty greens for a warming Italian-style soup. We browned the sausage to
create a flavorful fond on the bottom of our pot, then sautéed an onion and some
garlic. The fond and aromatics gave us deeper flavor than that of a simple broth-
based soup you’d get out of a can. Red pepper flakes infused the soup with a
subtle heat. Cooking orzo pasta right in the broth streamlined the dish, and the
starch from the pasta gave the broth more body and substance. Finally, we stirred
in some chopped escarole—a green related to the endive family but with a
slightly less bitter flavor—to simmer with the sausage and orzo.
Kebabs are a great way to put dinner on the table quickly and with minimal
cleanup, and using precooked chicken sausage made them a snap. To make our
kebabs for two even faster, we skipped firing up the grill, relying on our broiler
to do the job instead. We combined flavorful, precooked chicken sausage with
sweet pineapple and crunchy bell pepper for a fresh, delicious meal that came
together in just 25 minutes. For an added flavor boost, we brushed the skewers
with hoisin sauce, a richly flavored Asian condiment made of soybeans, sugar,
vinegar, garlic, and chiles. The sugar in the hoisin glaze also helped speed up the
browning—after just 10 minutes under the broiler, our kebabs were perfect.
Like rice and pasta, polenta is a great vehicle for flavorful sauces. We wanted
to incorporate its unique creaminess and hearty corn flavor into an Italian-
inspired casserole. What we didn’t want was the endless stirring that preparing
our own polenta from scratch would entail. With simplicity in mind, we turned
to precooked polenta. We cut the polenta into thick slices, layered them on the
bottom of a small casserole dish, and topped them with a simple sausage-packed
tomato sauce. Switching from regular diced tomatoes to fire-roasted tomatoes
imparted a pleasant smokiness that paired perfectly with the sausage. A layer of
cheese, which browned beautifully in the oven, topped off our casserole.
As quick and easy as our simple chicken sausage dinners were, they definitely
didn’t taste like convenience food. And because chicken sausage comes in a
variety of flavors, we had endless options to change up the recipes.
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
SERVES 2

Chicken sausage is available in a wide variety of flavors; feel free to choose a

flavor that you think will pair well with the other flavors in this dish. Other pasta
shapes can be substituted for the campanelle; however, their cup measurements
may vary. See the sidebars that follow the recipe.

garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper
ounces (2 cups) campanelle
6
(3-ounce) links cooked chicken sausage, sliced ½ inch thick

2
ounces baby arugula (2 cups)

2
ounces goat cheese, crumbled (½ cup)

2
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine
garlic, 1 tablespoon oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt in 10-inch ovensafe skillet. Cover
and roast until garlic is soft and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to
small bowl and mash into paste with back of spoon.
2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and
cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta
and return it to pot.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over
medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, stirring
occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Add roasted garlic, sausage, arugula, goat cheese, and ¼ cup cooking water to
pasta and stir until goat cheese is melted and arugula is slightly wilted. Season
with salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, add remaining cooking water as
needed to adjust consistency. Serve.
Escarole, Sausage, and Orzo Soup
SERVES 2

Chicken sausage is available in a wide variety of flavors; feel free to choose a

flavor that you think will pair well with the other flavors in this dish.

1 tablespoon olive oil

(3-ounce) links cooked chicken sausage, sliced ½ inch thick

2
small onion, chopped fine

1
garlic clove, minced

1
⅛

teaspoon red pepper flakes

cups low-sodium chicken broth
3
ounces escarole, chopped coarse (2 cups)

2
¼

cup orzo
¼

cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Salt and pepper
1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5
minutes. Transfer to bowl, cover, and set aside.
2. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to now-empty saucepan and cook
over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and just
beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook
until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in sausage, broth, escarole, and orzo and simmer until orzo is tender, 10 to
12 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and parsley and season with salt and
pepper to taste. Serve.
ALOHA KEBABS
Aloha Kebabs
SERVES 2

Chicken sausage is available in a wide variety of flavors; feel free to choose a

flavor that you think will pair well with the other flavors in this dish. You will
need four 12-inch metal skewers for this recipe. Serve with rice, if desired.

(3-ounce) links cooked chicken sausage, sliced 1 inch thick

3
cup 1-inch pineapple pieces

1
red or green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1½-inch pieces

1
¼

cup hoisin sauce

1. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler and heat broiler. Line rimmed baking
sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Thread sausage, pineapple, and bell pepper onto four 12-inch metal skewers.
Brush skewers evenly with hoisin sauce. Transfer skewers to sheet and broil,
turning every few minutes, until vegetables are softened and well browned, 10 to
15 minutes. Serve.
Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake
SERVES 2

Chicken sausage is available in a wide variety of flavors; feel free to choose a

flavor that you think will pair well with the other flavors in this dish. You will
need a 3-cup baking dish (measuring approximately 7¼ by 5¼ inches;).

(14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

(3-ounce) links cooked chicken sausage, sliced ½ inch thick

2
small onion, chopped fine

1
garlic clove, minced

1
⅛

teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper
½ (18-ounce) tube cooked polenta, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
ounce shredded Italian cheese blend (¼ cup)

1
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place
tomatoes in bowl and mash with potato masher until mostly smooth. Heat oil in
10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook,
stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook until
softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add
mashed tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season
with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place polenta rounds in bottom of 3-cup baking dish. Top with sausage
mixture and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake until hot, 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST GARLIC PEELER

When you need to peel garlic, you can either whack the clove with the side of a knife blade (which works
beautifully, but you get a crushed clove) or you can use a garlic peeler. Garlic peelers are simply silicone or
rubber tubes (or sheets that you shape into tubes); you roll them with the garlic inside, and they gently tug
the papery skins off the cloves, leaving the cloves intact. Garlic peelers are perfect for recipes that call for
whole or sliced garlic cloves. We tried three models priced from $6.50 to $8.79, peeling both single cloves
and multiple cloves, and evaluated them on their peeling performance, ease of use, and cleanup. While all
were easy to wash in the dishwasher or by hand, the differences lay in how comfortable they were to press
down on and roll and how quickly and effectively they removed the peels. Our winner, the Zak! Designs E-
Z Rol Garlic Peeler, lived up to its name. It was the thickest and most well cushioned, and its grippy
silicone surface thoroughly and speedily removed the skins from cloves of all sizes without bruising them.
It’s our new favorite way to peel garlic.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PREPPING BELL PEPPER

1. Slice off top and bottom of pepper and remove seeds and stem.
2. Slice down through side of pepper.
3. Lay pepper flat, trim away remaining ribs and seeds, then cut into pieces or strips as desired.
 ALL ABOUT PRECOOKED POLENTA
We generally prepare raw polenta from scratch when we want to serve it as a traditional Italian-style
cornmeal mush, but for some recipes, such as our Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake, we like to use the
firmer precooked polenta sold in supermarkets. These shelf-stable tubes are handy to have in your pantry;
all that is required is slicing, heating, and serving. You can cut the polenta into rounds and grill or broil
them, ladle beef stew over warmed rounds, or top a slice with a fried egg for breakfast. You can find
precooked polenta near the dried pasta in most supermarkets.
Putting Precooked Shrimp to Work

When you’re tight on time, Frozen, precooked shrimp are a great way to pull a
delicious meal out of thin air. Because they’re frozen, the quality is consistent,
and it’s easy to keep them on hand. And because they come fully cooked and
peeled, they don’t require any prep work. You can simply stir them into chilled
dishes, or, to use them in warm dishes, add them at the end of the cooking time
so that they are just warmed through.
To put our shrimp to work, first we wanted something light and easy.
Sandwiches can be a frequent default dinner in a two-person household: They
are filling and easy, and when they are good, they are definitely crave-worthy—
but they can quickly become dull if you aren’t thinking creatively. For a one-of-
a-kind sandwich wrap with fresh, bright flavors, we developed a shrimp salad
recipe that boasted plenty of garden-fresh herbs, convenient precooked shrimp,
and a creamy, piquant dressing. For the salad, we tossed chopped shrimp and red
bell pepper in a mixture of mayonnaise, lemon juice, cayenne, paprika, and
garlic. To brighten things up, we added a hefty amount of chopped cilantro and
mint, folding half of the herb mixture into the shrimp salad, then topping the
salad with the remaining herbs before wrapping it up in soft flour tortillas.
Next, we wanted to come up with a simple shrimp stir-fry packed with flavor.
We got started by quickly scrambling an egg in a nonstick skillet, then we used
the same skillet to fry leftover rice, shrimp, and a little garlic. Prep-free peas
added freshness, and scallions lent the dish color and crunch as well as a light
onion flavor. Our precooked and peeled shrimp made this dish super-simple; all
we needed to do was stir them in with the rice to heat them through. A
combination of soy and oyster sauces imparted an umami-rich complexity that
complemented our simple ingredients.
To transform risotto into a simple weeknight recipe for two, we avoided the
laborious process of constant stirring by relying on a stovetop-to-oven method.
For a little more flavor and color, we sautéed a zucchini until it was lightly
browned and tender. We used the same skillet to soften a chopped onion in some
butter, then added the Arborio rice and lightly toasted it for a couple of minutes
before adding liquid. White wine and chicken broth added bright, rich flavor
without overwhelming the dish. We needed to stir the rice for only a minute
before moving it to the oven to cook through. Once the rice was tender, we
stirred in Parmesan, parsley, the sautéed zucchini, and precooked shrimp for a
light but satisfying meal.
For our final simple shrimp recipe we made a refreshing Mediterranean-style
pasta salad. Thanks to our easy precooked shrimp, the dish came together in
minutes. We cooked some farfalle pasta, then rinsed it under cold water to cool it
quickly. For the dressing, we combined rich, flavorful extra-virgin olive oil with
sharp red wine vinegar, bright, citrusy lemon juice, and a little oregano to
amplify the Mediterranean flavors. Along with pasta and shrimp, we chose sweet
cherry tomatoes and salty kalamata olives to round out the dish and tossed in
some briny feta cheese and fresh parsley just before serving.
For easy weeknight meals that go beyond boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
precooked shrimp are a great way to break out of the box.
Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
SERVES 2

Parsley is a good alternative to the cilantro in this recipe. See the sidebar that
follows the recipe.

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

½

cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

¼

cup mayonnaise
garlic clove, minced
1

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¼

teaspoon paprika
¼

teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper
ounces cooked and peeled medium shrimp (41 to 50 per pound), cut into ½-inch pieces

12
red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks
1
(10-inch) flour tortillas

2
1. Combine cilantro and mint in small bowl. In separate large bowl, whisk
mayonnaise with half of herb mixture, garlic, lemon juice, paprika, cayenne, ¼
teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper until combined. Fold shrimp and bell
pepper into mayonnaise mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Lay tortillas on clean counter. Divide shrimp mixture evenly between tortillas,
leaving 2-inch border at bottom. Sprinkle remaining half of chopped herbs
evenly over shrimp mixture. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, fold sides of
tortilla over filling, then tightly roll bottom edge of tortilla up over filling, and
continue to roll into wrap. Cut each wrap in half on bias. Serve.
Shrimp Fried Rice
SERVES 2

You can use leftover or precooked rice here; our favorite precooked brand is
Minute Ready to Serve White Rice.

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

large egg, lightly beaten

1
2½

cups cooked rice

ounces cooked and peeled medium shrimp (41 to 50 per pound)
8
1½

tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

garlic clove, minced
1
⅓ cup frozen peas, thawed
scallions, sliced thin on bias

4
1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add egg and cook, stirring often, until scrambled and barely moist,
about 2 minutes; transfer to bowl.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until just
smoking. Add rice, shrimp, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and garlic and cook, stirring
constantly, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in cooked egg,
peas, and scallions. Cover and let sit until egg and peas are heated through, about
2 minutes. Serve.
Baked Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini
SERVES 2

RiceSelect Arborio Rice is the test kitchen’s winning brand.

2¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

small zucchini (6 ounces), quartered lengthwise and sliced ½ inch thick

1
small onion, chopped fine

Salt and pepper
¾

cup Arborio rice

garlic clove, minced
1
¼

cup dry white wine

ounces cooked and peeled medium shrimp (41 to 50 per pound)
6
ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)

1
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring broth
to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and
cover to keep hot.
2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in 10-inch ovensafe skillet over medium
heat. Add zucchini and cook until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Transfer zucchini to bowl and cover to keep warm. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon
butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and ⅛ teaspoon
salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add rice and
stir until edges begin to turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook
until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until
completely absorbed, about 1 minute.
3. Pour 2 cups broth over rice mixture, cover, and transfer to oven. Bake until
rice is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir in zucchini,
shrimp, Parmesan, and parsley. Add remaining ¼ cup broth as needed to adjust
consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta
SERVES 2

Other pasta shapes can be substituted for the farfalle; however, their cup
measurements may vary.

ounces (1⅔ cups) farfalle

Salt and pepper
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

small shallot, minced

1
⅛

teaspoon sugar

Pinch dried oregano
ounces cooked and peeled medium shrimp (41 to 50 per pound)

6
ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
3
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped coarse

2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and
cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water until
cool, then drain pasta well.
2. Meanwhile, whisk oil, vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, sugar, oregano, and ⅛
teaspoon pepper together in medium bowl until combined. Add drained pasta,
shrimp, tomatoes, olives, feta, and parsley to bowl and toss to combine. Season
with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

ASSEMBLING SHRIMP AND HERB SALAD WRAPS

1. After spreading shrimp mixture on bottom half of each tortilla, leaving 2-inch border at bottom edge of
tortilla, sprinkle half of reserved herb mixture on top.
2. Fold sides of tortilla over filling, then tightly roll bottom edge of tortilla up over filling, and continue to
roll into wrap.
Putting Cheese Tortellini to Work

If you think store-bought tortellini is only a vehicle for jarred pasta sauce on a
busy night, think again. Store-bought tortellini offers both good flavor and tender
texture in a fraction of the time of homemade. Tortellini can be found at the
supermarket refrigerated, frozen, or dried.
To start, we wanted to use our cheesy tortellini in a warm, satisfying soup.
Tomato and tortellini soup can be a perfect comfort food on a cold winter day,
but when tomatoes aren’t in season, good luck getting ripe tomato flavor.
Canned tomatoes are available all year round, but they require a long simmer to
get rid of the tinny taste. We got around these problems by using a rather unusual
ingredient: V8 juice. It lent the soup a surprisingly rich, fresh tomato flavor
without tasting harsh and canned. To boost its flavor, we rendered a little
pancetta, then added an onion, tomato paste to deepen the tomato flavor, brown
sugar for balance, and garlic to boost the savory qualities. We simmered the
dried tortellini in the soup until tender, then we stirred in some baby spinach for
a hearty dose of fresh leafy greens. Our substantial soup had all the warmth and
complexity we wanted—any time of year.
For a super-easy pasta salad that would impress any picnic date, we paired
convenient store-bought cheese tortellini with sweet red bell pepper and a simple
yet bold dressing made of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and shallot. To give
the salad a little more flavor and some crunch, we added a handful of chopped
basil and stirred in toasted pine nuts at the end. The fresh basil and toasty pine
nuts gave this simple salad the flavors of a classic Italian pesto.
Next, we found the velvety texture of a cream sauce to be a good complement
for our cheesy store-bought tortellini, especially when paired with meaty cremini
mushrooms. For a simple pasta sauce that came together in minutes, we first
cooked the mushrooms in some butter in a skillet. Covering the cremini until
they released their liquid sped up the cooking process and concentrated their
flavor. A shallot and some garlic infused the sauce with aromatic flavor. Some
corn lent color as well as a subtle sweetness that complemented the earthy
mushrooms. After simmering the tortellini and mushroom mixture with chicken
broth until tender, we added some heavy cream. For a cheesy finish, we folded in
grated Parmesan just before serving, along with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
 Finally, for a weeknight supper that is as delicious as it is fast, we kept the
cheesy premade tortellini but made our own quick tomato sauce by sautéing an
onion until golden brown, then adding a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes. The
tomatoes gave our sauce a smoky complexity, and we fortified the flavors with a
little smoked paprika and garlic. We reduced the sauce on the stovetop to
concentrate its flavor, then tossed it with the tortellini, spread the mixture in two
individual gratin dishes, and topped the dishes with cheese. We broiled them just
long enough to melt and brown the topping. A sprinkle of fresh chopped basil
rounded out the flavors and made this simple weeknight supper far from
ordinary.
Once we looked beyond the jarred tomato sauce, we found store-bought
tortellini to be a great way to make a dinner for two that is quick, easy, and
delicious.
Tomato Florentine Soup
SERVES 2

We like to serve this soup drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil. See the
sidebars that follow the recipe.

1 tablespoon olive oil

ounce pancetta, chopped fine

1
small onion, chopped fine

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon brown sugar

garlic cloves, minced

2
1½

cups V8 juice
1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 ounces dried cheese tortellini

ounces (3 cups) baby spinach

3
 Salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add
pancetta and cook until fat begins to render, about 2 minutes. Add onion, tomato
paste, and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5
minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Whisk in V8 juice and broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tortellini,
bring to simmer, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach and let
wilt, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan.
Pasta Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Basil
SERVES 2

Cooking the tortellini until it is completely tender and leaving it slightly wet
after rinsing are important for the texture of the finished salad. You can
substitute one 9-ounce package of fresh cheese tortellini for the dried tortellini.

6 ounces dried cheese tortellini

Salt and pepper
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2

2 tablespoons lemon juice

small shallot, minced

1
small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch-wide strips

1
¼

cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2
1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add tortellini and 1 tablespoon salt
and cook, stirring often, until tender. Drain tortellini, rinse with cold water, and
drain again, leaving tortellini slightly wet.
2. Meanwhile, whisk oil, lemon juice, shallot, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon
pepper together in medium bowl. Add tortellini, bell pepper, and basil to bowl
and toss to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir in pine nuts and
season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
SKILLET TORTELLINI WITH MUSHROOM CREAM SAUCE
Skillet Tortellini with Mushroom Cream Sauce
SERVES 2

You can substitute one 9-ounce package of fresh cheese tortellini for the dried
tortellini; increase the broth to 2½ cups and simmer for an additional 3 to 5
minutes.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin

6
shallot, minced

1
¼

cup fresh or frozen corn

garlic clove, minced
1
1¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth

6 ounces dried cheese tortellini

¼

cup heavy cream

¼

cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley


Salt and pepper
1. Melt butter in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add
mushrooms and shallot, cover, and cook until mushrooms have released their
liquid, about 4 minutes. Uncover, stir in corn, and cook, stirring often, until
mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant,
about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in broth and tortellini and bring to rapid simmer. Cook, stirring often, until
tortellini is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until
sauce is slightly thickened and tortellini is coated with sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Off
heat, stir in Parmesan and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve.
Tortellini Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
SERVES 2

You will need two shallow 2-cup gratin dishes (measuring approximately 9 by 6
inches;). You can substitute one 9-ounce package of fresh cheese tortellini for
the dried tortellini.

8 ounces dried cheese tortellini

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

small onion, chopped fine
1
garlic clove, minced

1
¼

teaspoon smoked paprika

(14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1
ounces shredded Italian cheese blend (½ cup)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water
to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until
tender. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in 8-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add
onion and pinch salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 8 to 10
minutes. Stir in garlic and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir
in tomatoes and simmer, mashing tomatoes with back of spoon, until slightly
thickened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add tomato sauce and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture evenly between 2
shallow 2-cup gratin dishes (measuring approximately 9 by 6 inches) and
sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about
3 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST TORTELLINI

Making tortellini by hand is a delicious, albeit time-consuming, kitchen project. Store-bought tortellini is a
great runner-up, offering both good flavor and tender texture in a fraction of the time. To find the best
brand, we recently sampled seven supermarket varieties of cheese tortellini, including two refrigerated, two
dried, and three frozen. Surprisingly, our winner was a dried brand: Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini. It was
praised for a filling that tasters called “creamy,” “pungent,” and “tangy,” thanks to its bold mixture of
ricotta, Emmentaler, and Grana Padano cheeses. Another factor in Barilla’s win was the texture of the pasta.
The delicate wrapper of these petite tortellini was strong enough to contain the filling during boiling, but
not overly gummy or prone to blowouts like other brands.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

STORING MUSHROOMS
Gourmet markets usually sell loose mushrooms, but most of the time you’ll find mushrooms prepackaged in
amounts that are too much for two people. Because of their high moisture content, raw mushrooms are very
perishable. Packaged mushrooms, unopened, can be stored in their original containers, which are designed
to “breathe,” balancing the retention of moisture and the release of ethylene gas. If you open a sealed
package of mushrooms but don’t use all the contents, simply rewrap the remaining mushrooms in the box
with plastic wrap. If your market has loose mushrooms, store these in a partially open zipper-lock bag,
which maximizes air circulation (and allows for the release of ethylene gas) without drying out the
mushrooms.
Putting Canned Beans to Work

Dried beans often offer superior flavor and texture, but most require presoaking
and long cooking times—not a great option for the weeknight table. Canned
beans are a convenient alternative, and we’ve had success using them in a
variety of recipes. They’re the perfect choice for last-minute soups, salads, and
chilis because they require only a few minutes of simmering to heat through and
meld with the flavors in the pot.
First we wanted to make a hearty vegetarian meal. Crispy on the outside and
creamy on the inside, pan-fried black bean cakes make a satisfying supper, and
canned beans make this supper a snap. We found that mashing most of the beans
but leaving a portion of them whole made a cake that was neither too crumbly
nor too dense and pasty. To ensure that the cakes would hold together once
cooked, we added a little beaten egg and bread crumbs, ingredients often used to
bind meat in meatloaf and meatball recipes. Scallions, garlic, and cumin spiked
the cakes with warm, savory flavor. We simply mixed everything together,
shaped the patties, quickly breaded them, and fried them in a skillet until nicely
browned. For a tangy, spicy accompaniment, we mixed sour cream, lime juice,
and minced canned chipotle chile in adobo for a dipping sauce that helped to
round out our bold Southwestern flavor profile.
For a hearty, flavorful Tuscan-inspired white bean soup, we started by
browning pancetta in a large saucepan, then added an onion and carrot for depth
and sweetness. To get the maximum amount of flavor from only a few
ingredients, we sautéed the vegetables until brown, then stirred in an ample
amount of garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat. Earthy and
aromatic rosemary infused the soup with Italian flavor. Convenient canned white
beans needed to simmer in chicken broth for only 10 minutes. Once the beans
were hot and the soup slightly thickened, we had a hearty, flavorful soup perfect
for devouring with crusty bread.
For another Italian-influenced meal, we took inspiration for a quick, fresh
salad from northern Italy, where hearty portions of white beans and tuna are
lightly dressed with olive oil and citrus for an easy summer dinner. To make this
dish convenient for a two-person table, we used canned white beans and oil-
packed tuna, which boasts a taste and texture far superior to those of the usual
canned tuna packed in water. We tossed the beans and tuna with oil-cured olives,
grape tomatoes, and peppery watercress. For our dressing, we reduced orange
and lemon juice to pack a refreshing flavor punch. The bright citrus brought all
the flavors of the rich tuna, salty olives, and sweet tomatoes into perfect balance.
When it comes to cooking with beans, it’s hard to beat a good, meaty chili.
Whether you like your chili spicy or mild, with or without tomatoes, a bowl of
chili should always taste rich, thick, and hearty. But chili typically takes hours to
thicken to that perfect consistency, so we set out to streamline the process for
two. First, a sautéed onion, minced garlic, and enough chili powder to pack a
punch served as our building blocks to a quick, flavorful chili. Once our
aromatics were softened, we added ground chicken and cooked it until no longer
pink. To give our chili body and a touch of smoky sweetness, we added some
store-bought barbecue sauce. A can of diced tomatoes lent a nice acidity to the
chili, and creamy canned pinto beans ensured that our chili was hearty and
substantial.
Whether we were in the mood for a light summer supper or a hearty, warming
winter meal, all we needed was a couple of cans of beans in the pantry to get
dinner on the table.
Crispy Black Bean Cakes with Chipotle Sour Cream
SERVES 2

Canned chickpeas are a good alternative to the black beans in this recipe. See the
sidebars that follow the recipe.

cup sour cream

2 teaspoons lime juice

teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1
(15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed

1
scallions, sliced thin

3
tablespoons plus ½ cup vegetable oil

2
garlic clove, minced

1
½

teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper
eggs, lightly beaten
2
¾

cup panko bread crumbs

1. Whisk sour cream, lime juice, and chipotle together in bowl until combined;
set aside. Mash 1 cup beans, scallions, 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, cumin, ¼
teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in medium bowl until mostly
smooth. Gently stir in remaining beans, 2 tablespoons beaten egg, and ¼ cup
panko. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions and lightly pack into 1-inch-
thick cakes.
2. Place remaining egg in shallow dish and remaining ½ cup panko in second
shallow dish. Working with 1 bean cake at a time, dip cake in egg, allowing
excess to drip off, then coat with panko, pressing gently to adhere.
3. Heat remaining ½ cup oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Carefully place cakes in skillet and cook until golden brown on
both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer cakes to paper towel–lined plate to
drain briefly. Serve with chipotle sour cream.
Tuscan White Bean Soup
SERVES 2

We like to serve this soup with crusty Italian bread.

2 teaspoons olive oil

ounce pancetta, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1
small onion, chopped fine

1
carrot, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch-thick pieces

1
garlic cloves, minced

3
¼

teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

Pinch red pepper flakes
cups low-sodium chicken broth

2
(15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed

Salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add
pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add
onion and carrot and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic, rosemary, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30
seconds. Add broth and beans and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low
and simmer until soup is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt
and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan.
White Bean and Tuna Salad
SERVES 2

We prefer more flavorful oil-packed tuna in this salad, but you can substitute
water-packed tuna.

(2-inch) strips orange zest, sliced thin, plus ½ cup juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

Salt and pepper
ounces (4 cups) watercress
4
(15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed

1
ounces grape tomatoes, halved

6
¼ cup pitted oil-cured olives, halved
ounces oil-packed solid white tuna, drained and flaked

5
1. Combine orange zest and juice and lemon juice in small saucepan and bring to
boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until
reduced by half, 4 to 6 minutes. Strain juice through fine-mesh strainer set over
large bowl. Whisk in oil, thyme, pinch salt, and pinch pepper.
2. Add watercress, beans, tomatoes, and olives and toss to coat. Season with salt
and pepper to taste. Divide salad between 2 serving plates, then arrange tuna
evenly on top of each portion. Serve.
SMOKY CHICKEN CHILI
Smoky Chicken Chili
SERVES 2

Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

small onion, chopped fine

1
garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

8 ounces ground chicken

(15-ounce) can pinto or kidney beans, rinsed

1
(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1
¾

cup water
⅓

cup barbecue sauce

1
 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add
onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in
garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground
chicken and cook, breaking up meat with spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5
minutes.
2. Add beans, tomatoes, water, and barbecue sauce and bring to simmer. Reduce
heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir
in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST CANNED WHITE BEANS

We sampled four brands of canned white beans in our search for the best beans. Because so few brands of
canned cannellini beans are distributed nationwide, we broadened our taste test to include alternative white
beans with widespread distribution, such as great Northern and navy beans. We tasted each contender twice:
straight from the can (after being rinsed) and prepared in soup. Westbrae Organic Great Northern Beans,
described as “creamy” but “firm,” came in first in both tastings. Tasters complained that other brands of
beans were mealy, bland, and mushy in comparison.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST PREMIUM CANNED TUNA

The imported European equivalent of sushi-grade toro, ventresca tuna is cut from the fatty belly of either
the bonito del norte or yellowfin species, and the buttery, tender, olive oil-packed slices make a luxe
addition to any tuna salad or Spanish tapas spread.
Most of the six brands we tasted (priced from $1.20 to $4.72 per ounce, plus shipping) stood head and
shoulders above regular supermarket canned tuna. One in particular, Nadrin Bonito Del Norte Ventresca
Fillets, left tasters swooning over its “creamy, delicate” meat boasting “full, rich tuna flavor.” We think it’s
worth the occasional splurge, but since it costs $35 for 8.5 ounces before shipping, we gladly elected a more
frugal alternative: The “firm-fleshed,” “briny” Tonnino Tuna Ventresca Yellowfin was our Best Buy at
one-quarter the price ($7.99 for 6.7 ounces) and can be found in some supermarkets.
 THE BEST BOTTLED BARBECUE SAUCE
Whether you use it to baste, dip, or slather, chances are you have a bottle of barbecue sauce tucked into the
door of your refrigerator. But is it the best-tasting brand? To find out, we gathered eight national brands and
asked tasters to sample each sauce on its own, as a dip for chicken nuggets, and broiled on chicken thighs.
Barbecue styles vary greatly by region, but we’d argue there’s an all-American supermarket style. It’s on
the sweet side and balances tang, smoke, and tomato flavor. The sauces that fit that profile rated better than
those closer to regional barbecue styles, which tasters often thought weren’t sweet enough. Total sugars
proved the determining factor in our tasting; the sauces with more total sugars rated better than the sauces
with less. But not all sugars are created equal. Our two favorite sauces were the only two in our lineup that
list molasses as their third ingredient. When the robust, distinct flavor of molasses was in short supply, the
sauces fell flat. Moreover, our winner contains no high-fructose corn syrup; white sugar is its primary
sweetener. In the end, Bull’s-Eye Original Barbecue Sauce won tasters over with its tangy, tomatoey,
robust and spicy flavor; tasters thought it was “almost perfect,” with “a good balance of smoky and sweet.”
CHAPTER 8: SLOW-COOKER FAVORITES

Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew

Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup

Slow-Cooker Chicken Provençal

Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew

Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Cranberries and Orange

Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Chili with Pork and Hominy

Slow-Cooker Southwestern Pork

Slow-Cooker Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs

Slow-Cooker Smothered Steak

Slow-Cooker Beer Brats

SLOW-COOKER RED LENTIL STEW
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a satisfying, flavorful lentil stew for
two, we looked to Indian cuisine for inspiration. Red lentils, a handful of warm
spices, and coconut milk gave us a rich, creamy stew with vibrant flavor, even
after hours in the slow cooker. Fork-friendly bites of carrot, chopped tomatoes,
sweet peas, and minced cilantro ensured that our stew was plenty hearty and
offered colorful bursts of flavor.
While we’re big fans of traditional lentil soup, sometimes it can seem a little ho-
hum. Casting about for a more exciting way to enjoy this legume, we looked to
Indian cuisine for inspiration. Deeply flavored, exotically spiced dal are
comforting, hearty lentil dishes that have a thick, almost porridgelike
consistency when cooked. Red lentils, sold under the Indian name masoor dal,
are one of the most popular legumes of India. These mild, slightly nutty-tasting
lentils are small and break down easily, so we thought they would cook down
nicely in the moist environment of the slow cooker. We also expected that the
potent mix of Indian spices would keep our lentils richly flavored, even after
hours of cooking. Our goal, then, was a deeply flavored, perfectly thickened
lentil stew for two from the slow cooker.
We started with the foundation of our stew: the spices. We weeded through
our spice pantry to determine our favorite mix. In an attempt to streamline our
ingredient list, we tried using only garam masala—an Indian spice blend that
includes coriander, cloves, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, and
nutmeg—but found that this didn’t produce the complex flavor we expected.
Instead we reached for individual spices to create our own mix. Not wanting to
make our lentil stew overly spicy, we sought to build a basic blend of warm
spices that offered just a punch of subtle heat. After a number of tests, we settled
on a combination of coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and a pinch of red
pepper flakes. Together the spices yielded fragrance and flavor that were rich
and complex, but not overpowering.
Many recipes we researched called for adding the aromatics raw or skipping
them altogether, relying entirely on the spices and additional garnishes such as
chutney for flavor. We felt this dish would benefit from the addition of onion,
garlic, and ginger, but adding them to the slow cooker raw gave us a harsh-
tasting stew. For our next test, we reached for a skillet and sautéed them quickly
in a small amount of oil. Since we already had our pan out, we decided to bloom,
or cook, the spices as well in order to deepen their flavors.
Though it took just 10 minutes to cook our aromatics and spices, we wondered
if we could speed up the process. To keep things easy and to cut back on dirty
dishes, we simply combined our onion, garlic, and ginger with the spices and 2
teaspoons of vegetable oil in a bowl, popped it into the microwave, and hit the
start button. Just a few minutes worked to enhance the flavor of our spices and
mellow the harshness of our aromatics, leading to a dish with more complexity.
For even more vegetal presence, we added some chopped carrots to the slow
cooker; they added to the heartiness of our stew and contributed a slightly sweet,
earthy quality.
Next, it was time to address the texture of the cooked stew. Traditional dal has
a porridgelike consistency, almost bordering on a puree; this consistency comes
from cooking the lentils for the appropriate amount of time with the correct
amount of water. This was easier said than done in the slow cooker, and it took
us several tries to get the lentils to their ideal consistency. Too much water and
the dish wound up thin and soupy; too little and it was thick and pasty. We found
that 2 cups of liquid to ½ cup of lentils worked best, giving our stew just the
right texture (and ensuring that we had no leftovers). But though it had the right
texture, tasters found it somewhat lean-tasting. Luckily, we found an easy
solution to this problem. We simply swapped out a portion of the water for
coconut milk. Now our stew was not only properly thickened; it was rich and
creamy as well.
With our lentils perfectly cooked, we considered final additions. Chopped
plum tomatoes contributed freshness and acidity; to ensure that they didn’t break
down too much, we added them to the slow cooker for the last 10 minutes of
cooking. Frozen peas, stirred in at the end just to heat through, offered sweetness
and a pop of color. Minced cilantro added herbal, citrusy notes.
Miles away from ordinary, our slow-cooked red lentil stew was not only richly
flavored, but it was also incredibly hearty and satisfying—and we didn’t even
have to dirty a pot to make it.
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew
SERVES 2

Do not substitute light coconut milk here. Do not substitute brown lentils for the
red lentils in this recipe; red lentils have a very different texture. For a recipe to
use up the leftover coconut milk. Cooking time: 4 to 5 hours on low or 2 to 3
hours on high. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

small onion, chopped fine

1
garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

¼

teaspoon ground coriander

¼

teaspoon ground cumin

¼

teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼

teaspoon ground turmeric

Pinch red pepper flakes
1¼ cups water, plus extra as needed
¾

cup coconut milk

½ cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces

2
plum tomatoes, cored and chopped medium

2
⅓

cup frozen peas

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper
1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Microwave
onion, garlic, oil, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and pepper
flakes in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes;
transfer to slow cooker.
2. Stir water, coconut milk, lentils, and carrots into slow cooker. Cover and cook
until lentils are very tender and broken down, 4 to 5 hours on low or 2 to 3 hours
on high.
3. Stir in tomatoes, cover, and cook on high until heated through, about 10
minutes. Stir in peas and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. (Adjust
stew consistency with additional hot water as needed.) Stir in cilantro and season
with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

ALL ABOUT LENTILS

Lentils come in various sizes and colors, and the differences in flavor and texture are surprisingly distinct.
Though both red and yellow lentils are frequently used in Indian cooking, we prefer red lentils in our slow-
cooked stew. They are very small, have an orange-red hue, and break down completely when cooked.
Yellow lentils are also small, brightly colored, and cook down completely. Brown and green lentils are the
most common varieties. Brown lentils are larger than red and yellow lentils and have a uniform brown color
and a “mild yet light and earthy flavor”; green lentils are similar in size to the brown but are greenish brown
in color and have a very “mild flavor.” Lentilles du Puy are smaller than the brown and green varieties and
take their name from the city of Puy in France. They are dark olive green, almost black, in color and are
praised for their “rich, earthy, complex flavor” and “firm yet tender texture.”
Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To create an easy black bean soup for two
that offered robust flavor even after hours in the slow cooker, we cooked the
beans in a mixture of chicken broth and water for a flavorful backbone and
simmered the soup with a few slices of bacon (we removed the bacon at the end
of cooking). Onion, garlic, and a good amount of chili powder amped up the
flavor and heat level, and mashing some of the cooked beans and stirring them
back into the finished soup provided excellent body and a nicely thickened
texture.
Good black bean soup is robust, hearty, and earthy-tasting, with a creamy texture
and jet-black color. Most black bean soups we’ve sampled, however, are not so
good—their flavor is dull and washed out, and their color is a drab and murky
gray. Add the moist cooking environment of the slow cooker to the mix, and
things don’t improve much. Plus, most recipes serve a hungry crowd. We
thought the appeal of a hands-off black bean soup that served just two was
undeniable and resolved to not only scale down our soup, but also infuse it with
as much flavor as possible. We set out to create a black bean soup for two that
we could walk away from for part of the day, but it had to be rich and full-
flavored when we returned.
We started out with dried beans in hand. Usually we prefer to soak beans in a
saltwater solution prior to cooking. This softens the tough bean skins and
prevents the beans from bursting during cooking. However, we weren’t
convinced that soaking would be necessary given the long cooking time. After a
few tests, we knew our instincts were right. The unsoaked beans were just as
flavorful and tender as the beans that had been soaked. A few of them had burst
open, but these beans would only contribute to the thick, rich texture we were
after.
Moving on to the liquid component of our soup, we needed to determine the
right amount to properly cook the beans—too much and the soup was dull and
watery; too little and we ended up with sludge. To serve two people, we found
that ¾ cup of beans and 2½ cups of liquid produced perfectly cooked beans with
just the right texture. To ensure well-seasoned beans, the liquid component also
needed to impart flavor. Because we were working with a slow cooker, using a
flavorful liquid was even more important, as there would be no opportunity for
the liquid to reduce and concentrate in flavor. We tried using chicken broth first,
but the resulting soup was (not surprisingly) too chicken-y in flavor. Water alone
left the soup bland and one-dimensional. We tested various combinations of
chicken broth and water and settled on a ratio of 1½ cups of chicken broth to 1
cup of water for soup with a balanced flavor.
Now we could focus on developing the flavor profile. We began with chopped
onion and minced garlic. For heat and depth, we included some chili powder.
Taking a cue from our Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew, we microwaved these
ingredients with a small amount of oil rather than sautéing them on the stovetop.
This worked to mellow the raw, harsh taste of the aromatics and intensify the
flavor of the chili powder. Chopped celery and carrot, which we added to the
slow cooker with the beans and cooking liquid, contributed more heartiness and
vegetal notes.
The soup was coming together nicely, but tasters agreed it was missing a
certain meaty quality traditionally imparted by salt pork or ham hocks. Keeping
an eye on convenience in the for-two kitchen, we tested cooking the beans with a
few slices of bacon, a thin ham steak from the deli counter, and some kielbasa.
We liked all three for different reasons, but the familiar smoky and salty flavor
of the bacon ultimately won out. However, we didn’t care for the slippery,
unappetizing texture of the bacon after a few hours in the slow cooker, so we
opted to remove the slices right before serving.
This slow-cooked soup boasted perfectly cooked beans and rich, deep flavor,
but the texture was still lacking a certain creaminess. Yes, some of the beans had
broken down during cooking, but the soup still remained brothy. To solve the
problem, we decided to mash a small portion of the beans and stir the smooth
paste back into the soup. This worked like a charm and gave us the velvety
texture we were after. Finished with minced cilantro for color and freshness, our
Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup was richly flavored, utterly satisfying—and
practically effortless.
Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup
SERVES 2

If cooking this soup on low, you may need to adjust the consistency with
additional warm broth before serving. Serve this soup with minced red onion,
sour cream, and hot sauce. Cooking time: 10 to 12 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours
on high. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

onion, chopped fine

1
garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water
¾ cup dried black beans, picked over and rinsed

3 slices bacon
celery rib, cut into ½-inch pieces

1
small carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1
1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper
1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Microwave
onion, garlic, oil, and chili powder in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is
softened, about 4 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
2. Stir broth, water, beans, bacon, celery, carrot, and bay leaf into slow cooker.
Cover and cook until beans are tender, 10 to 12 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on
high.
3. Let soup settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon.
Discard bacon and bay leaf.
4. Transfer ½ cup cooked beans to bowl and mash until smooth with potato
masher. Stir mashed beans into soup and let sit until heated through, about 5
minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST DRIED BLACK BEANS

In the cooking-for-two kitchen, canned beans offer the ultimate in convenience. But for dishes in which the
beans truly take center stage, we prefer the flavor and texture provided by dried beans. To find the best
dried black beans, we sampled three brands cooked plain and in a recipe for black beans and rice.
Surprisingly, the single mail-order variety, a pricey heirloom bean, became mushy, while the beans from the
two national supermarket brands were perfectly creamy. Our favorite was Goya Dried Black Beans, which
offered “nutty,” “buttery” bean flavor and a reliably uniform texture.
SLOW-COOKER CHICKEN PROVENÇAL
Slow-Cooker Chicken Provençal

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: A French classic, chicken Provençal calls

for slow-simmering chicken with a bold mix of tomatoes, herbs, and olives. For
a more hands-off version for two, we moved ours to the slow cooker and traded
the whole bird for chicken thighs. Removing the skin prior to cooking kept the
sauce from becoming greasy, and a spoonful of tomato paste amped up the rich,
savory notes of the dish in lieu of browning the meat. Canned whole tomatoes,
processed until smooth, gave us the makings of a bright-tasting, nicely clingy
sauce. A potent blend of garlic, oregano, white wine, and niçoise olives rounded
out our homage to simple yet satisfying French fare.
Chicken provençal represents the best of french peasant cooking—chicken on
the bone is slowly simmered with tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and olives, making for
an appealing, satisfying supper. Given that this dish traditionally calls on low,
slow heat to produce chicken that’s fall-off-the-bone tender and a sauce that’s
thick and rich-tasting, we thought it would be the perfect candidate for the slow
cooker. We wanted a simple recipe for slow-cooked chicken Provençal, for an
easy yet flavorful dinner for two.
In our research we found a handful of recipes and commenced testing. Most of
them began with browning a cut-up chicken, then removing it from the pot;
sautéing some aromatics; deglazing the pot with white wine or dry vermouth;
adding stock, tomatoes, olives, and herbs; and finally simmering the chicken in
the slow cooker until done. Though they sounded promising, the results were
disastrous. Our sample recipes produced rubbery, dry chicken, dull and muddy
flavors, and a sauce that was either too thick or too thin, too sweet or too salty.
We had to find a way to turn out moist, tender chicken, even after hours in the
slow cooker, and a boldly flavored yet balanced sauce with a nice, clingy texture,
without the aid of any evaporation. We knew we could do better.
Since a whole chicken is overkill for just two servings, our first move was to
ditch the bird in favor of bone-in chicken thighs. Experience has taught us that
chicken breasts tend to dry out and become tough in the slow cooker, so we
knew dark meat was the way to go. We also knew we’d have to remove the skin
prior to cooking; otherwise we would end up with a greasy sauce. We did a trial
run with our chicken thighs (skin removed) and a simple sauce (we could finesse
the amounts and seasonings later) and were pleased with the results. The meat
came out tender, moist, and flavorful, and the sauce had just a modicum of fat on
the surface.
Though searing the chicken is usually the first step in most slow-cooker
recipes, our skinless thighs stuck to the pan during searing, the outer layer of the
chicken becoming tough and dry from browning. The skin, it turns out, acts as a
necessary cushion between the meat and the pan, and without it searing wasn’t a
viable option. We’d have to find another way to instill our dish with deep flavor
because we wouldn’t have a flavorful fond, or the browned bits left behind from
searing our chicken, available to us. In the test kitchen we often turn to tomato
paste, which is high in glutamates, to add depth and savory complexity to
recipes. Here, it was just the ticket. A single teaspoon, cooked with our
aromatics, contributed subtle depth to our dish.
 Our final tests with the chicken focused on the timing. Chicken is notorious
for drying out with extended cooking, even in the moist environment of a slow
cooker. After several rubbery results, we found that the optimal cooking time
and temperature were three to four hours on low in a standard slow cooker. Any
longer and the chicken overcooked, and cooking the chicken on high for half that
time turned out inconsistent results and negated using a slow cooker in the first
place. This was reversed, however, when we used a small (3-quart) slow cooker.
Because of the smaller size of the slow-cooker insert, the chicken was covered
by more of the sauce, so it was insulated from the heat of the cooker and we
were able to achieve perfectly tender chicken on the high setting.
With the chicken squared away, we turned our attention to the sauce. Onion, a
healthy dose of garlic, and tomato paste were set as the foundation. As in our
Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup, we enlisted the help of our microwave to jump-
start the cooking of the aromatics and intensify the flavor of the tomato paste.
Recipes we researched had included either dry white wine or dry vermouth, but
in our sauce wine turned out to be the favorite among tasters; the vermouth
seemed to exaggerate the acidity of the tomatoes. We tested a variety of tomato
products to round out our sauce. Both tomato sauce and pureed canned tomatoes
produced thick, sweet, overbearing sauces reminiscent of bad Italian restaurant
fare. Canned diced tomatoes, though more promising, presented the opposite
problem: Even when drained they contain a fair amount of liquid, and the
resulting sauce was too thin. We found a happy medium in canned whole
tomatoes, which we quickly pulsed in the food processor until smooth. This
improved the sauce dramatically, and it easily coated the chicken.
Whole niçoise olives appeared in nearly every recipe we found, but tasters
complained that whole olives cooked with the chicken overpowered the dish. No
problem—we coarsely chopped a few olives and stirred them in near the end of
cooking. Now they added a salty contrast to the slightly sweet sauce. As for
seasonings, tasters liked a combination of fresh oregano and parsley. To
maximize the brightness of the parsley we stirred it in just before serving.
A couple of other last-minute additions brought the whole dish together. We
considered extra-virgin olive oil to be essential (after all, it’s a signature
ingredient of Provençal cuisine), and drizzling a little over the sauce at the end
perfumed the dish. Finally, a spritz of lemon contributed brightness. This slow-
cooker chicken Provençal was every bit as hearty and homey as the original, and
though it required a lot less work, it still offered all the big flavors.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Provençal
SERVES 2

We like serving this dish with polenta, but rice or crusty bread also make good
accompaniments. Cooking time: 3 to 4 hours on low in a 6-quart slow cooker, or
3 to 4 hours on high in a 3-to 3½-quart slow cooker. See the sidebars that follow
the recipe.

onion, chopped fine

1
garlic cloves, minced

4
teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving

1 teaspoon tomato paste

¾ teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ⅛ teaspoon dried
(14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

3 tablespoons dry white wine

1 bay leaf
(6-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed

 Salt and pepper
tablespoons pitted niçoise olives, chopped coarse
2
1½

tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Lemon wedges
1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Microwave
onion, garlic, oil, tomato paste, and oregano in bowl, stirring occasionally, until
onion is softened, about 4 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
2. Pulse tomatoes and their juice in food processor until almost smooth, about 10
pulses. Stir tomatoes, wine, and bay leaf into slow cooker. Season chicken with
salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is
tender, 3 to 4 hours on low in 6-quart slow cooker (or 3 to 4 hours on high in 3-
to 3½-quart slow cooker).
3. Transfer chicken to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let
braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large
spoon. Discard bay leaf. Stir in olives and parsley and season with salt and
pepper to taste. Spoon 1 cup sauce over chicken and serve with additional olive
oil, lemon wedges, and remaining sauce.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SLOW COOKING FOR TWO

Using a slow cooker is a great way for the time-pressed cook to get supper on the table–no close monitoring
of the stovetop or oven necessary. But most slow-cooker recipes make enough food to feed a crowd. In this
chapter you’ll find an array of slow-cooker recipes scaled down to serve just two. We developed these
recipes with an oval 3-to 3½-quart slow cooker because we found it to be easier to maneuver and clean,
more affordable, and less space-hogging than larger slow cookers, but this collection of recipes works
equally well in a standard 6-quart slow cooker. After developing lots of slow-cooker recipes over the years,
we’ve learned a few tricks for ensuring success, no matter the size of your slow cooker.
SPRAY YOUR SLOW COOKER: Spraying the sides of the insert with vegetable oil spray, before adding
food, eliminates any sticking (or burning) and makes cleanup easier. This is especially important when you
are cooking a smaller amount of food, as with our scaled-down recipes for two.
USE THE MICROWAVE: When there is no need to get out a skillet to brown meat, use the microwave to
cook the aromatics and bloom the flavors of any spices. We also use the microwave in place of the oven to
infuse rib bones with “roasted” flavor in our Slow-Cooker Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs.
BROWN YOUR MEAT–SOMETIMES: In recipes that use a lot of spicy or aromatic ingredients, we’ve
found that we can get away with not browning meat. But when a deep flavor base is required, we need to
get out the skillet and brown the meat.
INCLUDE FLAVOR-AMPLIFYING INGREDIENTS FOR DEPTH: We’ve found that a handful of
key ingredients, such as tomato paste and soy sauce, can increase meaty richness and depth of flavor
substantially, especially when we’re not browning meat.
ADD A THICKENER: Since there is no opportunity for sauces and stews to thicken naturally in the moist
environment of the slow cooker, thickeners are necessary for many recipes. We’ve found that tapioca,
cornstarch, and flour all work well according to the application. When we don’t need to sauté aromatics or
brown meat, we opt for tapioca or cornstarch; they require no precooking and can simply be stirred into the
slow cooker. Flour, on the other hand, must be cooked briefly to rid it of its raw flavor, so that’s our
thickener of choice when we’re sautéing or browning.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PITTING OLIVES
We prefer buying unpitted olives and pitting them ourselves since olives sold already pitted tend to be
mushier and saltier and have less flavor than their unpitted counterparts. Buy olives from the refrigerated or
salad bar section of the supermarket, rather than purchasing the jarred, shelf-stable variety.

To pit olives, place them on cutting board; hold flat edge of knife over one olive. Press blade firmly with
your hand to loosen olive meat from pit, then remove pit with your fingers and repeat.
Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a slow-cooked Moroccan chicken stew

for two that delivered authentic flavor, we started with chicken thighs and added
chickpeas and dried apricots, which softened during the long cooking time and
permeated the stew with their flavor. Onion and garlic provided a flavorful
backbone, and tomato paste added depth to our slow-simmered sauce. A small
amount of tapioca ensured that the sauce thickened nicely. Narrowing down the
spice list to just the essentials—paprika, cardamom, and cayenne—gave us a
dish that tasted like a true tagine but didn’t require seeking out obscure
ingredients.
Drawing on influences from diverse surrounding cultures, moroccan stews (or
tagines, as they’re commonly called) are highly aromatic and flavorful.
Characterized by brilliant, earthy hues and a blend of sweet and savory
ingredients, they can be at once intriguing and intimidating—traditional recipes
call for a laundry list of spices, plus they make enough food to feed a small
village. We wanted to develop a recipe for an authentic-tasting Moroccan stew
featuring bites of moist, tender chicken that was prepared in the slow cooker and
didn’t require much advance work (read: no seeking out specialty ingredients).
And it had to make just enough to serve two.
We started with chicken thighs as the base for our stew, which we chose
because their flavor is more robust than that of chicken breasts and would stand
up to the bold mix of spices we planned to include. For our first pass, we
chopped boneless, skinless thighs into bite-size pieces before cooking, but after a
few hours in the slow cooker the chicken had dried out despite the moist cooking
environment. To keep the chicken moist, we decided to cook the thighs whole
and then shred the meat and stir it back into the stew after cooking. This gave us
tender meat that, when shredded, dispersed evenly throughout the stew.
Knowing that the choice of spices would be critical, we addressed seasonings
next. We tested a number of options that appear often in Moroccan stews but in
the end kept only two that tasters deemed essential: cardamom and paprika.
Cardamom is a pungent, aromatic spice with lemony undertones and is available
in whole pods or in ground form, which we used in this recipe to keep things
simple. Paprika can range in potency from sweet to hot. We opted for sweet
paprika and supplemented it with a pinch of cayenne pepper to give our stew a
vibrant and piquant flavor.
Moving on to the aromatics, we selected onion and garlic. A teaspoon of
tomato paste offered depth of flavor to our long-cooked stew. To temper the
sharp spices, we cooked them together with our aromatics in the microwave for
just a few minutes before adding them to the slow cooker. For a touch of
sweetness, we added dried apricots, another common tagine ingredient, and used
chicken broth and a small amount of white wine for the cooking liquid. Now we
had a stew packed with big flavors.
Tasters were satisfied with our chicken stew thus far but wanted more
heartiness, so we decided to add chickpeas, a common ingredient in Moroccan
cuisine. Their creamy texture and nutty flavor added yet another dimension to
the stew. Canned chickpeas proved a more convenient option than the dried
variety, so we opted for canned. When stirred in at the onset of cooking, the
chickpeas absorbed the complex flavors of the stew, and their firm texture had
softened slightly by the time the stew finished cooking.
Our last challenge was to address the consistency of our stew, which had been
on the loose side in our initial tests. Many slow-cooker stew recipes turn to a
slurry of either flour or cornstarch, combined with broth or water, which has to
be stirred in at the end of the cooking time. While both of these options worked
to thicken the sauce, they imparted a starchy taste and required extra cooking
time to thicken the liquid. We found a substitute, however, in instant tapioca; this
ingredient was ideal because it thickened the sauce without making it gloppy or
contributing any off-flavors.
Finishing the stew with cilantro and lemon juice gave it the fresh, bright flavor
we sought. With its exotic flavors and heady aromas, this simple stew had all the
intrigue and complexity of a true tagine.
Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew
SERVES 2

This stew can be served on its own or over couscous or basmati rice. Cooking
time: 3 to 4 hours on low in a 6-quart slow cooker, or 3 to 4 hours on high in a
3-to 3½-quart slow cooker. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

small onion, chopped fine

1
garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

¾

teaspoon sweet paprika

¼

teaspoon ground cardamom

Pinch cayenne
1⅔ cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra as needed
¾ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
¼

cup dry white wine

3
 tablespoons chopped dried apricots

2 teaspoons Minute tapioca

1 bay leaf
ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
12

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Light brown sugar

Lemon wedges
1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Microwave
onion, garlic, tomato paste, oil, paprika, cardamom, and cayenne in bowl,
stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 4 minutes; transfer to slow
cooker.
2. Stir broth, chickpeas, wine, apricots, tapioca, and bay leaf into slow cooker.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook
until chicken is tender, 3 to 4 hours on low in 6-quart slow cooker (or 3 to 4
hours on high in 3-to 3½-quart slow cooker).
3. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size
pieces. Let stew settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large
spoon. Discard bay leaf.
4. Stir shredded chicken into stew and let sit until heated through, about 5
minutes. Adjust stew consistency with additional hot broth as needed. Stir in
cilantro, season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste, and serve with lemon
wedges.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SHREDDING CHICKEN OR PORK

Hold 1 fork in each hand, with tines facing down. Insert tines into meat and gently pull forks away from
each other, breaking meat into bite-size pieces or large chunks.
 CHOPPING DRIED FRUIT
Dried fruits, especially apricots (or dates), very often stick to the knife when you try to chop them. Here’s
an easy way to avoid this problem.

Coat the blade of the knife with a thin film of vegetable oil spray before chopping the dried fruit. The
chopped fruit won’t cling to the blade, and the knife will stay relatively clean.
Slow-Cooker Pork Chops With Cranberries and
Orange

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To keep a pair of pork chops from drying
out in the slow cooker, we chose thick-cut blade chops, which have plenty of
dark meat and fat to keep them tender and juicy. But even with this cut, we had
to limit their exposure to the heat and found it best to stick to the low setting on
the slow cooker. Dried cranberries and orange juice gave us the makings of a
brightly flavored sauce that we reduced briefly on the stovetop until it was nicely
thickened and clung perfectly to our tender chops.
Pork chops are one of our go-to cuts in the cooking-for-two kitchen. But given
that they are fairly lean, they can overcook easily, resulting in a dry, flavorless
dinner. We wanted to take advantage of the convenience of the slow cooker to
prepare this supermarket staple so we could have a satisfying supper waiting in
the wings when we were ready to eat, but we’d have to figure out how to keep
the pork moist and tender for the duration of cooking. Since pork chops and fruit
pair perfectly, we decided to incorporate bright, citrusy orange and tangy, sweet
cranberries into our dish to create a simple sauce for our slow-cooked pork
chops for two.
First we had to figure out which cut of chop would stay tender in the slow
cooker. Rib chops are a common cut for braising, so that’s where we started. We
made sure they were about ¾ inch thick, thinking anything thinner would
overcook quickly in the slow cooker. For a quick sauce (we’d finesse the flavors
later on), we combined canned cranberry sauce and orange juice. We moved this
mixture to the slow cooker, added our pork chops, and set the cooker on low.
When we pulled them from the slow cooker 4 hours later, the chops were dry
and stringy. It appeared that thin was not in, and we’d need to consider thicker
chops.
For our next test we used 1½-inch-thick rib chops, but to our dismay, 4 hours
later these chops were also overcooked. We were thinking of cutting back on the
cooking time when a test kitchen colleague suggested blade chops, which are cut
from the shoulder end of the loin and contain a significant amount of fat and
connective tissue, both of which make them ideal for long cooking times. When
we tried them, the fat melted into the meat, keeping it moist and tender, and the
connective tissue all but disappeared over the long stint in the slow cooker.
Though we often sear meat prior to braising, we found that in this case, searing
sped up the cooking process, leading to the dry meat we were trying to avoid, so
we crossed this extra step off the list. We tested cooking the chops on the low
and high settings in the slow cooker and found that high heat, even for just a
couple of hours, was too intense and dried out our chops. For this recipe, only
low would do.
But while our chops were now in great shape, our sauce was definitely not up
to par. The canned cranberry sauce, while easy, turned far too sweet and one-
dimensional. It was clear that the canned stuff wouldn’t cut it, so we ditched it in
favor of an equally no-prep ingredient: dried cranberries. But simply braising our
chops in orange juice with some dried cranberries gave us a thin, runny sauce
that tasted way too tart. For deeper, more complex flavor and a thicker sauce, we
swapped some of the orange juice for chicken broth, which amped up the savory
notes, and added a tablespoon of maple syrup, which offered a more
sophisticated sweetness than white or brown sugar. With a few more refinements
—a minced shallot contributed some aromatic backbone, and a sprinkling of
fresh thyme offered a woodsy herbal quality—our sauce boasted a complex,
multidimensional flavor.
Our last challenge was to finesse the texture of the sauce—the dried fruit had
absorbed some of the liquid, but overall it was still a bit thin. While the chops
rested after cooking, we transferred the sauce to a small saucepan and simmered
it briefly on the stovetop until it had reduced to the perfect consistency. At last,
we had a bright-tasting sauce that clung nicely to our tender, juicy chops.
Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Cranberries and Orange
SERVES 2

Be sure to use blade-cut pork chops (that are at least 1½ inches thick), which are
cut from the shoulder end of the loin and contain a significant amount of fat and
connective tissue. Cooking time: 3 to 4 hours on low. See the sidebar that
follows the recipe.

⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth

¼

cup dried cranberries

shallot, minced
1

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon maple syrup

½

teaspoon minced fresh thyme

(12-to 14-ounce) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, 1½ inches thick, trimmed
2

Salt and pepper
1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Stir broth,
cranberries, shallot, orange juice, maple syrup, and thyme into slow cooker.
2. Cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart through fat around outside of each pork chop.
Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Nestle chops
into slow cooker. Cover and cook until pork is tender and fork easily slips in and
out of meat, 3 to 4 hours on low.
3. Transfer pork chops to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let
rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Let sauce settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from
surface using large spoon. Transfer sauce to small saucepan, bring to simmer,
and cook until reduced to ¾ cup, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper
to taste. Spoon ⅓ cup sauce over meat and serve with remaining sauce.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

PREVENTING CURLED PORK CHOPS

To prevent pork chops from curling, cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart through fat around outside of each raw
chop. This method works with both thin and thick pork chops.
SLOW-COOKER TOMATILLO CHILI WITH PORK AND HOMINY
Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Chili With Pork and Hominy

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted an easier, more streamlined take

on classic Mexican green chili, posole, which stars tender pork, tangy tomatillos,
and earthy hominy, and started by moving the dish to our slow cooker. To make
it for-two friendly, we traded the traditional pork shoulder for boneless country-
style pork ribs. To achieve the bold flavor of authentic recipes, we broiled the
tomatillos, along with our aromatics and spices; once charred, the vegetables and
spices took on an earthy, smoky flavor. Canned hominy added sweet, “corny”
flavor, and a bit of tapioca helped give our chili just the right consistency.
Wanting to spice up the dinner hour for two, we looked south of the border for
inspiration and hit on posole, which is the Mexican name for both hominy (dried
field corn kernels treated with lime and boiled until tender but still chewy) and a
stew made with hominy and pork. While this dish is made throughout Mexico in
several distinct incarnations, we thought the appeal of posole verde (green
posole), which is chock-full of bright, fresh tomatillos (tangy little tomato-like
fruits common in Mexican cuisine) and chiles, was undeniable. With its long
simmering time, posole seemed a natural choice for our slow cooker. Our goal
was to create our own take on this dish using the slow cooker, not the stovetop,
and keep all the bold, bright flavors intact, while also making just enough to
serve two.
We started with the foundation of our chili: the meat. Traditional recipes start
with a pork shoulder roast, which is simmered for hours before being shredded
and returned to the pot. Since a roast isn’t practical in the for-two kitchen, we
turned to boneless country-style ribs, not only because of their availability but
because they require little trimming. We chose ribs with a lot of dark meat and
fat and cut them into bite-size pieces, which became juicy and tender during the
long cooking time.
With the pork ready to go, we addressed the tomatillos and decided on fresh
for the bright, tangy flavor they would impart. (That said, fresh tomatillos can be
difficult to locate, so canned can be substituted.) In authentic posole verde,
tomatillos are traditionally dry-roasted whole in a cast-iron pan and then ground
to a puree using a mortar and pestle before being added to the pot. This cooking
method works to impart smokiness and concentrate flavor, but it also requires
close monitoring, as cooking the tomatillos for just a few seconds too long can
make them unusable. Looking for an easier and more hands-off method, we tried
broiling the tomatillos along with our aromatics (onion and garlic) and a little
oil. The tomatillos could be broiled whole, but this required more frequent
turning, and ultimately we found that cutting them in half helped them blacken
more evenly. One taste, and we knew that we’d hit the jackpot: Broiling was
quick and easy, and it tempered the tartness of the tomatillos. Plus, it added
charred, smoky flavor to the aromatics, too. To puree the broiled vegetables, we
tossed them into the food processor. After a few pulses, we had a coarsely
chopped mixture that closely approximated the texture produced by a mortar and
pestle.
Moving on to the chiles, which are another defining ingredient of this dish, we
tested the usual suspects: poblanos, serranos, and jalapeños. Tasters preferred the
poblanos, which have a mild to moderate heat and a deep herbal flavor that is
more complex than the straightforward heat of jalapeños and serranos. Just two
provided ample flavor, and we found we could chop them finely and add them
right to the slow cooker.
Next, it was time to decide on the liquid and other seasonings. We tested water
and canned chicken broth. Although the water was fine, the broth was superior,
adding not only depth of flavor but body to the stewing liquid. In addition to the
onion and garlic that we broiled with the tomatillos, oregano and cumin provided
an earthy backbone. To balance the acidity of the tomatillos, we also stirred in
some sugar.
With the chili’s flavor balanced and the pork on its way to being fall-apart
tender, we could now consider the other star ingredient—the hominy. There were
two options: freshly rehydrated hominy, which takes hours to prepare, and
canned hominy, which we simply had to drain and rinse. We prepared a batch of
chili using each and gathered tasters. The chili made with freshly cooked hominy
was superb, but the chili with canned hominy was still really good. The hominy
was chewy (as hominy should be) and relatively sweet, so we decided it was
well worth using canned to save a significant amount of prep time.
Canned hominy comes in white and yellow varieties, depending on the type of
field corn used. In our tests we found that both types are fine. Flavor isn’t much
of an issue, as both are sweet and “corny”-tasting. We determined that adding the
canned hominy at the beginning of cooking allowed it to soak up some of the
flavorful broth as well as infuse the chili with big corn flavor. Though the starch
from the hominy helped to thicken the chili slightly, we found it necessary to add
a tablespoon of tapioca, which had also worked well to bring our Slow-Cooker
Moroccan Chicken Stew to the right thickness.
Finally, a generous sprinkling of minced cilantro emphasized the fresh, clean
flavor of this Mexican-inspired chili. Our recipe delivered a uniquely bright but
still rich chili with all the hallmark flavors of an authentic posole verde—but
without all the work.
Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Chili with Pork and Hominy
SERVES 2

If you can’t find fresh tomatillos, you can substitute one 11-ounce can of
tomatillos, drained, rinsed, and patted dry; broil as directed in step 1. Serve with
your favorite chili garnishes. Cooking time: 5 to 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours
on high. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

ounces tomatillos (3 to 4 medium), husks and stems removed, rinsed well, dried, and
halved
6
½ onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
garlic clove, minced

1
teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ¼ teaspoon dried

1
¼

teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

¾ cup canned white or yellow hominy, rinsed
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 tablespoon Minute tapioca

½

teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
ounces boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into ¾-inch pieces
12

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Adjust oven rack
6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with
aluminum foil. Toss tomatillos, onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin with oil and
spread on prepared sheet. Broil until vegetables are blackened and begin to
soften, 5 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through broiling.
2. Let vegetables cool slightly. Pulse vegetables with accumulated juices in food
processor until almost smooth, about 10 pulses; transfer to slow cooker.
3. Stir hominy, broth, chiles, tapioca, sugar, and bay leaf into slow cooker.
Season pork with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook
until pork is tender, 5 to 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.
4. Let chili settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon.
Discard bay leaf. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

ALL ABOUT TOMATILLOS

Called tomates verdes (green tomatoes) in much of Mexico, tomatillos have a tangier, more citrusy flavor
than true green tomatoes. When choosing tomatillos, look for pale green orbs with firm flesh that fills and
splits open the fruit’s outer papery husk, which must be removed before cooking. The flavor of canned
tomatillos is less bright, but they make a fine substitute when fresh are not available.
Slow-Cooker Southwestern Pork

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a hearty, richly flavored slow-cooker

pork dish for two, we turned to country-style pork ribs, which gave us just the
right amount of meat and stayed moist and tender in the slow cooker. For a
Southwestern-inspired supper, we applied a combination of chili powder, cumin,
and oregano to the pork as a rub; we also included a small amount of the rub in
the sauce for robust flavor. Chicken broth and pulsed whole tomatoes formed the
base of the sauce, and tomato paste, soy sauce, and chipotle chiles contributed
depth and heat. Tapioca, plus mashed sweet potato, ensured that it was plenty
thick.
You’d think a hearty, rich cut of pork would make the perfect candidate for slow
cooking, but too often its flavor turns washed out after hours in the appliance.
We wanted a satisfying yet scaled-down pork supper worthy of the Sunday-night
dinner table, with fork-tender meat and big flavors. For the flavor profile, we
quickly settled on the spicy, smoky notes of Southwestern cuisine—we thought
these bold flavors would enliven the mild-tasting meat and make for one
robustly flavored meal for two.
As we set out to bring our vision to reality, we first considered the cut of pork
that would work best. Well-marbled boneless pork butt stays tender in the slow
cooker as the fat melts and keeps the meat moist, but it’s an unwieldy size when
cooking for two. Pork tenderloin and center-or rib-cut pork chops are our go-to
cuts when cooking for two, but they were far too lean and dried out easily. Blade
chops worked much better, but the light meat didn’t quite stand up to the bold
flavor profile of the dish. In the end, we opted for country-style ribs, which have
a good amount of fat and dark meat and turned silky and fall-apart tender.
Working with the Southwestern theme, we seasoned the meat with a potent
mix of chili powder, cumin, and oregano. To create a flavorful sauce in which to
braise our pork, we started with the aromatics—a chopped onion and some
minced garlic—and added a bit of tomato paste for savory depth. Chicken broth
and processed canned tomatoes provided the bulk of the sauce, and a small
amount of tapioca was selected as the thickening agent. We added everything to
the slow cooker and nestled the pork into the sauce.
After a few hours of cooking, the meat was tender and flavorful, but the onion
was a tad soggy. As we’d done in other recipes, we opted to precook the onion
(and garlic and tomato paste) in the microwave to soften it and prevent it from
becoming soggy in the slow cooker.
Another problem we faced was that the sauce tasted washed out. Since we
were mixing up spices to rub on the pork, we tried adding some of the rub to the
onion before microwaving it so the spices could bloom and deepen in flavor.
This was a big improvement. A tablespoon of canned chipotle chile further
emboldened the sauce; reserving a portion and stirring it in at the end provided
another hit of potent, smoky flavor. We also added a couple of spoonfuls of soy
sauce, which lent deep, savory notes. The flavor was definitely more robust, but
the sauce tasted a little harsh and out of balance. And there was a bigger problem
—it was too thin.
Sure, we could reduce the sauce on the stovetop, but we hoped to avoid
dirtying another pan. Adding more tapioca made the sauce too thick and did
nothing for the flavor. We needed something that fit with the Southwestern
theme of our pork dinner that could both round out the flavor of the sauce and
help thicken it. Thankfully, orange-hued inspiration struck: We sometimes
thicken sauces with cooked potato, so what about sweet potato? Adding half of a
sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges, to the slow cooker with the pork
deepened the flavor of the cooking liquid. And, when mashed into a paste, the
cooked sweet potato thickened the sauce beautifully.
To finish the dish, we stirred in some lime juice and sprinkled minced cilantro
over the top to reinforce the Southwestern angle. Tasters not only approved of
the fork-tender meat, enlivened with our boldly flavored sauce—they devoured
it.
Slow-Cooker Southwestern Pork
SERVES 2

Try to buy country-style pork ribs with lots of fat and dark meat, and stay away
from ribs that look overly lean with pale meat. Serve with mashed potatoes or
rice. Cooking time: 5 to 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.

1½

teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ¼ teaspoon dried
1

Salt and pepper
pound boneless country-style pork ribs, trimmed
1
small onion, chopped fine

1
1½

teaspoons tomato paste

1½

teaspoons vegetable oil

garlic cloves, minced
2
(14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes
1
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1½

tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Minute tapioca

teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1
½ small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
1½

teaspoons lime juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Combine chili
powder, cumin, oregano, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Rub
pork ribs with half of spice mixture.
2. Combine remaining half of spice mixture, onion, tomato paste, oil, and garlic
in bowl and microwave, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5
minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
3. Pulse tomatoes, with their juice, in food processor until almost smooth, about
10 pulses. Add tomatoes, broth, soy sauce, tapioca, and ½ teaspoon chipotle to
slow cooker. Nestle ribs and sweet potato into slow cooker. Cover and cook until
pork is tender, 5 to 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.
4. Transfer ribs to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for
10 minutes. Transfer sweet potato to medium bowl. Let braising liquid settle for
5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Add 2 tablespoons
cooking liquid to sweet potato and whisk to smooth paste. Whisk sweet potato,
lime juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon chipotle into sauce. Season with salt and
pepper to taste.
5. Top pork with ⅓ cup sauce and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve, passing
remaining sauce separately.
SLOW-COOKER RED WINE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS
Slow-Cooker Red Wine–Braised Short Ribs

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Beef short ribs usually require hours to
become meltingly tender. To make this hearty dish a more accessible option for
the for-two household, we moved them to the slow cooker. To build deep flavor
from the outset, we cut away the bones and “roasted” them in the microwave,
which not only ratcheted up the flavor of the sauce but also helped to render
excess fat. Browning the meat and reducing our sauce in a skillet before moving
everything to the slow cooker ensured deep, savory flavor after hours of
cooking.
There may be no cut of meat better suited for braising than the rich, beefy short
rib. Thanks to copious amounts of fat and gnarly sinews of connective tissue,
these “short” portions cut from a cow’s ribs start out tough and chewy but are
transformed into soft, succulent morsels through lengthy braising. But though it
may be the ultimate in comfort food, the downside is the prep and cooking time
involved. Most recipes call for an hours-long stint in the oven, and some even
have you start a day ahead—traits that make this dish unreasonable when
cooking for two. We wanted to streamline this time-intensive recipe for the for-
two household by moving it to the slow cooker, where it could simmer
unattended for hours until the meat was fall-apart tender and richly flavored.
In the test kitchen, we typically turn to English-style ribs for braises. Their
single bone and thick layer of meat make for hefty, uniform portions. Browning
the ribs in a skillet first is standard protocol to intensify the meat’s flavor, but in
an effort to streamline prep we tried skipping this step and simply stirred all our
ingredients into the slow cooker. This was a big mistake. After hours of cooking,
our ribs were tender but the sauce was thin and dull. This was one case where we
definitely needed the flavor imparted by fond, or the browned bits left behind
from searing the meat.
To easily and quickly brown our meat, we decided to remove it from the bones
first; this would also work to give us more surface area for browning. But we’d
learned from many past recipes that the bones contribute irreplaceable flavor and
body to dishes, so we reserved them and stirred them into the slow cooker along
with our seared meat. After browning the meat, we sautéed chopped onion,
celery, and carrot in the drippings left behind in the pan and stirred in a small
amount of flour to help thicken the sauce and give it some body. Then we
deglazed the surface with a generous cup of red wine to bring up all the flavorful
browned bits and reduced the mixture to a thick, concentrated sauce that would
hold its flavor through hours of cooking.
The only trouble now was that we didn’t have enough braising liquid to keep
the meat partway submerged in the slow cooker. We tried adding more wine, but
it made our sauce overly acidic. After testing additions of water and chicken
broth, we settled on the broth, which won out for its ability to reinforce the
meaty flavors of our dish. After another stint in the slow cooker the flavor had
improved but was still missing the rich depth and body we had hoped for.
Restaurant chefs know that roasting bones is key to making flavorful stock,
since bones carry lots of flavor and roasted bones carry even more. Could we
brown the bones as well to add more flavor to our braise? Roasting the bones in
the oven would take more time than we wanted, but we wondered if we could
“roast” them in the microwave. We spread the bones in a dish, popped it into the
microwave, and hit the start button. After about 10 minutes, the bones looked as
if they’d spent hours in the oven, and this process had also rendered some
unwanted fat. We added them to the slow cooker. To further intensify and
balance our flavor profile, we added two powerhouse flavor components to our
sauce mixture, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar, along with thyme for its
herbal complexity.
At this point, only one problem remained: Short ribs ooze fat as they cook,
and after another 7 hours in the slow cooker we had a slick of grease on the
surface of our sauce. To remedy this, many recipes include a step of chilling the
cooked ribs overnight so that the jelled fat can be scraped from the cooking
liquid and discarded. Adding a day to our cooking time wasn’t an option, so we
simply fished out the ribs and set them aside, discarded the bones, let the sauce
settle, and skimmed as much fat as we could from the top before pouring
everything through a fine-mesh strainer. What we were left with was a sauce that
had incredible body and layers of flavor.
Our slow-cooked short ribs were unbelievably tender and now were
smothered in a luxurious sauce that boasted just the right amount of rich wine
flavor. This was one ultrasatisfying dinner for two that we knew we’d be making
again and again.
Slow-Cooker Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs
SERVES 2

Buy English-style short ribs that have at least 1 inch of meat on top of the bone;
avoid ribs that have little meat or large bones. This dish is equally good served
over mashed potatoes or noodles. Cooking time: 7 to 9 hours on low or 5 to 6
hours on high. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2½ pounds bone-in English-style short ribs, trimmed, meat and bones separated

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

onion, chopped
1
small carrot, peeled and chopped

1
small celery rib, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Arrange beef
bones on dish and microwave until well browned, about 10 minutes; transfer to
slow cooker.
2. Pat short ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil
in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown short ribs
well on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
3. Add onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste, and thyme to fat in skillet and cook
over medium-high heat until onion is softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10
minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine and vinegar,
scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Bring to simmer
and cook until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
4. Stir broth and bay leaf into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 7
to 9 hours on low or 5 to 6 hours on high.
5. Transfer short ribs to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let
braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large
spoon. Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer, discarding solids. Stir in
parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon ½ cup sauce over short
ribs and serve with remaining sauce.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

BUYING BEEF SHORT RIBS

Short ribs are just that: fatty ribs (cut from any location along the length of the cow’s ribs) that are shorter
than the more common, larger beef ribs. Short ribs come in two styles: “English,” which contain a single rib
bone, and “flanken,” which have several smaller bones. After cooking both, we found the two options to be
equally tender and flavorful. However, the flanken-style ribs are more expensive, and you typically have to
buy them from a butcher. We prefer the cheaper and more readily available English-style ribs.

ENGLISH

FLANKEN
PREPARING SHORT RIBS FOR THE SLOW COOKER

Insert knife between rib and meat and, staying as close to bone as possible, slice meat off bone.
SLOW-COOKER SMOTHERED STEAK
Slow-Cooker Smothered Steak

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Smothered steak, with its tender meat and
rich, oniony gravy, sounds perfect for the slow cooker, but we had our work cut
out for us if we wanted to avoid the common pitfalls of washed-out meat and a
watery, flavorless sauce. For fork-tender steaks and perfectly cooked onion, we
devised a simple two-step process for preparing each component. First, we
marinated the meat and onion separately in soy sauce prior to cooking. Then we
briefly microwaved the onion to soften its texture, draw out some of its liquid,
and deepen its flavor. For the steaks, rather than sear them in a pan on the
stovetop, we simply dusted them with cornstarch to help them brown and
develop flavor in the steamy environment of the slow cooker.
In culinary terms, “smothered” means braised and served with gravy. Hearty and
satisfying, smothered steak typically starts with a cheap cut (usually lean, tough
beef from the round) that’s slowly cooked with onions in broth until the meat is
tender and the onions break down to create a rich, savory gravy. We looked to
bring this dish home for two and wanted to use the slow cooker to deliver all the
appealing flavors and textures we expected; that way we wouldn’t need to spend
hours monitoring the stovetop.
While we were researching recipes for slow-cooker smothered steak, we
discovered that they fell into two camps. There are the easy “dump and cover”
recipes in which the seasoned meat, chopped onions, and broth (or a can of
condensed soup) go into the slow cooker with little upfront prep. The other style
of recipe takes the time to brown the meat, sauté the onions, and reduce the
sauce before everything goes into the cooker. We prepared three examples of
each style (five of them called for round steaks, and one called for blade steaks)
and 7 hours later eagerly opened the slow cookers.
Unfortunately, none of our test recipes contained the succulent beef and rich,
oniony gravy we sought. Though the round steaks all resembled rawhide, the
blade steaks were somewhat tender (albeit bland and dry), so at least we had
somewhere to start. The pale appearance of both meat and onions in the recipes
in which ingredients were simply added to the slow cooker was offputting; the
recipes that called for precooking looked much better, but we wanted easy and a
nicely browned exterior. As for the sauce, all the steaks swam in watery juices,
not the thick, rich gravy we were after, but reducing the sauce at the end was an
extra step we hoped to avoid.
To improve the texture of the blade steaks, we reduced the cooking time from
7 to 4 hours on high and placed the steaks on top of the sliced onion; this meant
that the beef wouldn’t be immersed in liquid and, thus, would cook more gently
and emerge more moist. In order to avoid the lake of watery “sauce,” we needed
to understand how much liquid the onion and blade steaks threw off during
cooking. So we made a batch with no added liquid. To our surprise, the onion
and beef released almost enough liquid for a sauce. But that liquid was sour and
unpleasantly oniony. We needed to find a way to get rid of some of the raw
onion flavor and juices upfront; to ensure that the sauce had the right volume and
texture, we could simply add some moisture back to the slow cooker.
After several tests, we came up with a simple method for bold but not sour
onion flavor: We macerated the onion in a little brown sugar and salt for a half-
hour and then microwaved it for a few minutes before adding it to the slow
cooker. The brown sugar brought out the onion’s natural sweetness, and
microwaving softened it and kick-started the cooking process so all the raw
onion juices didn’t end up in our sauce. A small amount of chicken broth ensured
that there was enough moisture in our slow cooker.
To further finesse our sauce, we stirred some cornstarch into the precooked
onion before adding the steaks and broth to the slow cooker; the cornstarch
helped to thicken the mixture. To deepen the flavor of the sauce, we introduced
garlic and thyme. For enhanced seasoning (and color), we added a little soy
sauce, a test kitchen secret weapon when we want to infuse dishes with savory
flavor. To make the most of its deep, umami-rich flavors, we decided to use soy
sauce instead of salt when we macerated the onion. Using a small amount of soy
sauce to marinate the meat also worked to amp up the savory flavor of the dish.
Now the gravy was well balanced and flavorful, and the meat was much better
seasoned and tasted beefier. But it still looked unappetizingly gray. As we stirred
the cornstarch into the next batch of onion slices, a colleague reminded us of a
recent discovery made with a pot roast recipe: During testing, it was revealed
that cornstarch reacts with meat juices to form sugars that brown at low
temperatures and in moist environments. For our next test, we rubbed the tops of
the blade steaks with an extra teaspoon of cornstarch; they emerged from the
slow cooker with enough browning that tasters were fooled into thinking we’d
seared them first.
But though cornstarch worked to give our steaks a nicely browned exterior
when they were cooked on the high setting, our rubbed steaks never passed the
gray and unappetizing state when cooked on low heat. It seemed that high heat
was our only option here—luckily, it worked beautifully.
With just a few flavor-boosting tricks, and the right heat level, we had deeply
flavored, almost effortless smothered steaks we couldn’t wait to dig into.
Slow-Cooker Smothered Steak
SERVES 2

Do not cook this recipe on the low setting. If using a 3-to 3½-quart slow cooker,
omit the chicken broth in step 3. Arrange the steaks so the cornstarch-rubbed
sides face up during cooking to ensure adequate browning. Blade steaks have a
thin line of gristle running through the center. Some people eat it; others eat
around it. Cooking time: 4 to 5 hours on high. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

onion, halved and sliced ½ inch thick

1
1½

teaspoons packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

(6-to 8-ounce) blade steaks, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed
2

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch
garlic clove, minced
1
¼

teaspoon dried thyme

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1. Toss onion, sugar, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce together in large bowl and let sit
for 30 minutes. Combine steaks, remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and ¼
teaspoon salt in large zipper-lock bag and let sit for 30 minutes, turning once.
2. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Microwave
onion mixture until onion is softened and beginning to dry around edges, about 3
minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Transfer onion mixture to slow
cooker and stir in 2 teaspoons cornstarch, garlic, thyme, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
3. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and rub 1 side with remaining 1 teaspoon
cornstarch. Gather onion mixture in center of slow cooker and arrange steaks,
cornstarch side up, in single layer on onion mixture. Pour broth around steaks in
slow cooker (if using 6-quart slow cooker). Cover and cook until steaks are
completely tender, 4 to 5 hours on high.
4. Transfer steaks to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to
10 minutes. Let liquid settle in slow cooker for 5 minutes, then remove fat from
surface using large spoon. Strain onion mixture through fine-mesh strainer set
over large liquid measuring cup. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Top
steaks with onion mixture and ¼ cup sauce and serve with remaining sauce.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

“SEARING” STEAKS WITHOUT A SKILLET

Searing meat in a hot skillet gives it a tasty browned crust. To avoid the work of searing the blade steaks
before putting them in the slow cooker, we devised a technique that allows the meat to brown in the moist
environment of the slow cooker.

For a nicely browned exterior, we rub the meat with cornstarch, which breaks down into sugars that react
with the meat juices to cause browning in the slow cooker.
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted to use the slow cooker to

deliver the flavor of great grilled beer brats—plump, juicy bratwurst topped with
sweet onion and crisp sauerkraut—any time of year, and for just two.
Microwaving the onion with soy sauce and sugar before adding it to the slow
cooker ensured that it cooked up tender and flavorful. Elevating the brats from
the bottom of the slow cooker allowed for gentler cooking and ensured a perfect
texture. And adding the sauerkraut at the end of cooking maintained its
appealing flavor and texture.
On game days, there’s nothing like classic tailgating fare to get you ready to root
for the home team. We’re big fans of burgers and dogs, wings, and especially
beer brats—grilled sausages cooked in a flavorful concoction of beer, onions,
and sauerkraut and served on rolls with mustard. But sometimes we want a
recipe that serves two rather than the whole team, so we set out to re-create beer
brats in the slow cooker. That way, we could prepare just enough for two any
time we had a hankering for this hearty dish, even if it wasn’t grilling season.
Not surprisingly, we found several slow-cooker recipes for beer brats in
cookbooks and online. We ordered a case of bratwurst and several types of beer,
plugged in a number of slow cookers, and got to work. The recipes were all
similar: Dump in the brats, shower them with sliced onions and sauerkraut, pour
beer over them, cover, and cook. But the results were dismal; the brats were
mealy and gray, the onions raw and crunchy, the kraut barely detectable, and the
whole dish wan and practically flavorless. Clearly, we had our work cut out for
us.
We started with the beer. Our test recipes had led us to believe that the type of
beer we used didn’t matter much. But we quickly discovered that was not the
case. When the beer simmered in the slow cooker for several hours, its flavor
really made a difference. We tested batches of beer brats made with stout, porter,
a hoppy IPA, American lager, red ale, wheat beer, and even fruity lambics.
Darker, malty beers (like stout, porter, and red ales) became bitter when cooked,
and the flavor of wheat and hops got cooked out. The lambic didn’t taste right,
but old-fashioned American lager was perfect. Its clean, mild flavor could
withstand hours in the slow cooker without becoming bitter. Adding mustard and
a sprinkling of caraway seeds to the beer before it went into the slow cooker
helped bump up the flavor and was a nod to the German heritage of the dish.
Next, we tackled the brats themselves. Although they had good flavor, the
brats emerged from the cooker dry and mealy by the time they were cooked
through (about 4 hours on high). Plus, they were missing that signature “snap” in
the casing. Because the brats were immersed in liquid at the bottom of the slow
cooker, they cooked at a fast simmer. This caused the casings to rupture and the
juices that they normally contain to leak out, making the brats dry. Rearranging
the order in which they went into the slow cooker—the onion and kraut first,
followed by the brats—slightly elevated the bratwursts out of the simmering
liquid so they cooked more gently without breaking and drying out. The drier
environment also helped the casings retain their snap.
 Although moving the onion to the bottom of the cooker helped the brats, the
sauerkraut was still washed out, and the onion was stringy and raw tasting. The
kraut fix was easy. We held off on adding it until the end of cooking; it just
needed to be warmed through for a few minutes in the slow cooker. As for the
onion, we decided to try precooking the slices in the microwave. Since we were
taking this extra step, we saw it as another opportunity to add flavor (and color)
by microwaving the onion with some soy sauce and brown sugar, a trick we’d
learned when developing our recipe for Slow-Cooker Smothered Steak. This
worked perfectly, softening the onion and giving it a helpful injection of flavor
that lasted throughout the hours of cooking. After we removed the brats from the
slow cooker, we stirred in the sauerkraut and let it warm through, then drained
the mixture of excess moisture so our buns wouldn’t become soggy. Finally, we
nestled the brats into buns, topped them with our flavorful onion-kraut mixture,
and enjoyed a perfect game-day dish for two.
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats
SERVES 2

Light-bodied American lagers, such as Budweiser, work best in this recipe.

Cooking time: 5 to 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.

½ onion, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rings

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1¼

teaspoons packed brown sugar

(4-ounce) bratwurst sausages
2
¾

cup beer
teaspoons Dijon mustard, plus extra for serving
2
¼

teaspoon caraway seeds

⅓

cup sauerkraut

2 hot dog buns

1. Combine onion, soy sauce, and sugar in bowl and microwave until just
softened, about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Spread onion rings
and their liquid in bottom of slow cooker. Arrange bratwursts on top of onion.
2. Whisk beer, mustard, and caraway seeds together in bowl and add to slow
cooker. Cover and cook until bratwursts are tender, 5 to 6 hours on low or 3 to 4
hours on high.
3. Transfer bratwursts to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Stir
sauerkraut into onion mixture in slow cooker and let sit until warmed through,
about 5 minutes. Strain onion-sauerkraut mixture through colander, discarding
liquid, and transfer to serving bowl. Serve bratwursts on buns, topped with
onion-sauerkraut mixture and mustard.
CHAPTER 9: SIDE DISHES

Southern-Style Green Beans

Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

Easy Creamed Spinach

Broccoli Salad

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Parmesan
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pecans

Skillet-Fried Corn

Cauliflower Gratin

Tomato Gratin

Roasted Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes

Potato Casserole with Bacon and Caramelized Onion

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Crisp Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

White Bean Salad

Tabbouleh

Lentil Salads
Lentil Salad with Olives, Mint, and Feta
Lentil Salad with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
Southern-Style Green Beans

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Southern cooks simmer green beans with
pork for up to 4 hours to give them an irresistibly silky texture and intense
flavor, but simmering beans for that long to make just two servings hardly makes
sense. For a quicker take on this dish, we created a flavorful broth with a sliced
onion and a strip of bacon. Removing the pot lid for the last few minutes of
cooking gave the liquid a chance to reduce and deepen in flavor. Salt, pepper,
and a bit of sugar ensured well-seasoned beans, and a sprinkling of crisp bacon
provided more pork flavor and a crunchy contrast.
Generations of Southern cooks have gotten the most out of their green beans by
tossing pork—oftentimes a ham hock left over from Sunday dinner—into the
pot. After a long, gentle simmer, the beans emerge satiny soft and saturated with
rich, pork-infused broth—delicious proof that not all green beans are meant to be
snappy and bright green. But when you’re cooking for two, it’s rare to have an
extra ham hock lying around and 4 hours to spend monitoring the stovetop. We
hoped to find another way to deliver the same rich flavor and tender texture of
the authentic Southern dish, and we wanted to do it in an hour or less.
Since we couldn’t count on having a spare ham hock on hand, we did our first
trial with a small chunk of salt pork. We simmered our green beans in water with
the salt pork and some sliced onion (a standard addition), but it was a huge
disappointment; the salt pork didn’t give up its flavor quickly enough, and long-
simmered green beans without pork flavor just weren’t worth the effort.
After considering our options, we decided to try a two-pronged approach
using bacon instead. We cooked one slice until it was crisp and removed it from
the pot. Then we softened an onion in the fat, added 8 ounces of green beans,
covered them with water, and tossed in another slice of raw bacon. We brought
the pot to a boil, then covered it and lowered the heat to a simmer. (We knew
from experience that we couldn’t boil the beans because they’d turn to mush.)
In most recipes the simmering time is dragged out to 2, even as many as 4,
hours. We waited a mere 45 minutes, at which point a peek inside the pot
revealed a battalion of army-green beans that certainly looked like what we were
after. We discarded the bacon slice, which was now soggy, and called our tasters
to dig in. They were pleased that the texture was spot-on—almost, but not quite,
falling apart. But the much shorter simmering time left both beans and broth
short on flavor. To fix that, we tried swapping the water for chicken broth in our
next batch. The broth only muddied the flavor.
For the next test, we took the cover off the pot and turned up the heat for a few
minutes after the beans had simmered for 45 minutes. This allowed the liquid to
reduce, which, by concentrating, intensified the pork flavor. To reinforce that and
add crunch, we crumbled the crisped bacon and sprinkled it on top before
serving.
With a little salt, pepper, and sugar for a gentle sweetness, our Southern-Style
Green Beans both looked and tasted the part—even though they were ready in a
fraction of the time.
Southern-Style Green Beans
SERVES 2

The long-simmered beans will easily break apart; be sure to stir them gently
when seasoning and serving. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2 slices bacon
small onion, halved and sliced thin

1
ounces green beans, trimmed

8
⅔

cup water

Salt and pepper

⅛

teaspoon sugar
1. Cook 1 slice bacon in medium saucepan over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8
minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate, leaving fat in pot. Add onion
to now-empty pot and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add remaining 1 slice
uncooked bacon, green beans, water, ¼ teaspoon salt, and sugar and bring to
boil. Cover, reduce hat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until
green beans are very tender, about 40 minutes.
2. Remove lid and discard bacon. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to
cook until liquid is reduced slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper
to taste. (Stir carefully to avoid breaking beans apart.) Transfer to serving bowl.
Crumble reserved bacon over top. Serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

TRIMMING GREEN BEANS QUICKLY

Line up several green beans in row on cutting board. Trim about ½ inch from each end, then cut beans as
directed in recipe.
PARMESAN-CRUSTED ASPARAGUS
Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: A crunchy, flavorful coating of bread

crumbs and grated Parmesan promised to jazz up our roasted asparagus, but only
if we could figure out how to get rid of the vegetable’s excess moisture. Poking
holes in the asparagus and salting it worked wonders, driving off the extra
moisture that would have made our asparagus rubbery and prevented the topping
from sticking. From there, we dipped the spears in a combination of honey and
egg white whipped to soft peaks and then coated them with a mixture of panko
bread crumbs, Parmesan, melted butter, and a pinch of cayenne. Finally, to
reinforce the Parmesan flavor, we topped the spears with an extra dose of cheese
halfway through roasting.
We love the sweet, intensely concentrated flavor of roasted asparagus, but we
wanted a more exciting take on this vegetable to liven up the dinner hour for
two. We thought a nice coating of bread crumbs and freshly grated Parmesan
would elevate this side to something more that would pair well with simply
prepared steaks or chops. Our goal was an amped-up asparagus dish that
delivered rich, roasted flavor plus an ultracrispy, cheesy coating.
From the outset, we thought it would be a simple matter of tossing raw spears
with olive oil, seasonings, and a cheese and bread-crumb mixture. But when we
tried this, we found that as the asparagus roasted, it released moisture. That’s no
problem when the spears roast on their own—the moisture simply evaporates.
But now that we’d coated them with crumbs and cheese, the moisture turned the
topping soggy, so it fell off in large clumps.
Clearly we had to get rid of some of the moisture before adding the crumb
topping. For the next test, we tried roasting the stalks in a 450-degree oven until
the moisture evaporated, about 10 minutes, and then topping them with the
cheese-crumb mixture. We gave everything a few more minutes to crisp in the
oven. The finished asparagus was dehydrated and leathery, and the coating didn’t
adhere. We tried parcooking the asparagus in the microwave, but after this go-
around the spears were limp by the time the moisture was gone.
What about salt? We often salt vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant, and
cucumbers to draw out their moisture. We sprinkled ¼ teaspoon of salt over the
raw asparagus and let it sit on paper towels to drain. Thirty minutes later, the
towels were sodden with exuded liquid. We tossed the asparagus with oil,
sprinkled on the bread-crumb topping, and then let the spears roast for 20
minutes. This batch was markedly better. We saw further improvement when we
poked the spears with a fork before salting to facilitate the release of moisture.
But the cheese-crumb mixture still refused to stick. So we decided that, rather
than tossing the crumbs onto the spears, we’d need to “glue” them on. We
moistened each spear in lightly beaten egg and pressed them in the cheese-crumb
mixture before roasting. Unfortunately, this topping was too heavy for the
delicate vegetable. To lighten it, we ditched the egg yolk and used only the
white. To ensure that the cheese-crumb combo would stay put, we mixed the
white with the stickiest (edible) thing we could think of: honey. The fact that
tasters liked its subtle sweetness was a bonus; its adhesive properties won us
over from the start.
For the coating, we pitted ordinary bread crumbs against extra-crunchy panko
crumbs. Not surprisingly, we preferred the latter. Ultimately, we determined that
⅓ cup of crumbs to ¾ cup of Parmesan worked best. We also found that if we set
aside ¼ cup of the cheese to sprinkle over the coated asparagus partway through
roasting, we got the crispiest coating and best cheese flavor.
With each test, the asparagus was improving, yet tasters continued to ask for
more crunch. If we whipped the egg white before coating the asparagus, might it
help form peaks and valleys to grip the most possible bits of crunchy coating? In
a word, yes. With this one simple change, each spear now delivered loads of
crunch, cheese, salt, and roasty asparagus sweetness.
Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus
SERVES 2

Avoid pencil-thin asparagus for this recipe. Since the recipe involves just one
egg white, we recommend using a hand-held electric mixer to whip it rather than
a stand mixer. Work quickly when tossing the asparagus with the egg white, as
the salt will rapidly begin to deflate the white. See the sidebar that follows the
recipe.

pound (½ inch thick) asparagus, trimmed

Salt and pepper

1½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (¾ cup)
⅓

cup panko bread crumbs

½ tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Pinch cayenne

1 large egg white

½

teaspoon honey
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line
rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray.
Using fork, poke holes up and down stalks of asparagus. Toss asparagus with ¼
teaspoon salt and let stand for 30 minutes in single layer on large paper towel–
lined platter.
2. Meanwhile, combine ½ cup Parmesan, panko, butter, ⅛ teaspoon salt, pinch
pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Transfer half of panko mixture to shallow dish and
reserve remaining mixture. Using electric mixer, whip egg white and honey
together on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to
medium-high and whip until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape egg white
mixture into medium baking dish, then gently toss asparagus in mixture.
Working with 1 spear at a time, dredge half of asparagus spears in panko and
transfer to prepared baking sheet. Refill shallow dish with reserved panko
mixture and repeat with remaining asparagus.
3. Bake asparagus until just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with
remaining ¼ cup Parmesan and continue to bake until cheese is melted and bread
crumbs are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer to platter. Serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING THE COATING STICK

1. Use fork to poke holes in asparagus spears, then toss with salt and let drain on paper towel-lined baking
sheet to draw out excess moisture that could saturate bread-crumb coating.
2. Gently toss asparagus spears in whipped egg white-honey mixture, which helps crumbs adhere.
3. Working with 1 spear at a time, dredge spears in panko bread-crumb mixture.
 THE BEST PANKO
Light and flaky, panko bread crumbs, which originated in Japan, add big crunch and a neutral flavor to
recipes. Once the domain of specialty shops and Asian markets, panko bread crumbs are now available in
most supermarkets. We tested four supermarket brands, as a coating for baked chicken and pan-fried pork
cutlets, to find the best one. While we couldn’t distinguish differences in taste among brands, our test
kitchen tasting did reveal differences in texture. Our favorite is Ian’s Panko Bread Crumbs, which
provided a much more substantial crunch than the other brands.
Easy Creamed Spinach

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted super-easy, one-pot creamed

spinach that still offered the rich flavor and creamy texture of the authentic
steakhouse versions. After wilting our spinach in a covered pot, we set it aside
and used the same pot to make the sauce. We bypassed the usual béchamel and
started with creamy Boursin cheese, flavored with garlic and herbs. Just 2
tablespoons of cream ensured that our sauce was the right thickness and coated
our spinach nicely.
A stalwart of steakhouses, where it rides shotgun to a juicy rib eye or T-bone,
creamed spinach offers big flavor in spite of its homely appearance. Then again,
when a vegetable comes cloaked in a velvety cheese sauce, who’s complaining
about aesthetics? We were much more interested in finding a way to streamline
this recipe into an easy weeknight side dish for two. Most versions call for at
least two pots: one to cook the spinach, and another to prepare the sauce. In the
interest of ease, we set out to make a one-pot creamed spinach that cut back not
only on dirty dishes but also on leftovers.
First, we tackled the greens. Though for salads we prefer bagged baby spinach
or bundled tender flat-leaf spinach, curly-leaf spinach sold in cellophane bags
has one distinct advantage: Most of the dirt has already been removed, so it
requires only a quick rinse. In our testing, it also retained its structure after being
sautéed and mixed with the cream sauce. Flat-leaf spinach was a close second
when it came to hearty texture, but because it comes in bunches, it is almost
always sandy and requires multiple soakings before it can be used. Baby
spinach, for all its popularity raw, wilted away to nothing and left us with a pool
of cream sauce. Curly-leaf spinach, it seemed, was the clear choice for our
creamed spinach.
Although we tried blanching, steaming, and microwaving, we achieved the
best results when we wilted the spinach in a covered pot; this technique yielded
the best texture in a short amount of time. We heated some olive oil over high
heat in a large saucepan, then added the stemmed leaves, still damp from rinsing,
to the pot by the handful. The water clinging to the leaves was enough to cook
the spinach, which broke down from the seemingly large volume of raw leaves
(we used 10 ounces) to a manageable quantity of cooked spinach in about a
minute. To make sure the spinach wilted evenly, we stirred the leaves constantly,
then transferred the wilted spinach to a colander to drain off excess liquid.
With our spinach cooked, we turned to the cream sauce. Most recipes for
creamed spinach start with a béchamel, which is a white sauce made by stirring
milk into a butter and flour roux. Cheese is then stirred in before the sauce and
spinach are combined. To streamline our recipe, we looked to bypass the
béchamel and build a quick creamy sauce in the saucepan we were already
using.
Looking through the ingredients in creamed spinach sauces, we came back to
the same basic players: milk or heavy cream, cheese, salt, aromatics such as
shallot or garlic, and flour to thicken the sauce. Instead of adding cheese to the
cream sauce, what if we started with a creamy cheese that would melt and turn
into a rich, velvety sauce? Cream cheese was an obvious first choice, but
although it melted nicely, it lacked the rich texture of a béchamel. We tried
adding other varieties of cheese and a few types of dairy to give it the intense
creaminess we were after, but to no avail. That’s when we hit on Boursin cheese,
a soft, spreadable cheese that comes in a few different varieties.
The Boursin melted like a champ, and the garlic-and-herb variety offered big
flavor, allowing us to nix the aromatics from our ingredient list. To ensure that
the sauce was the right consistency, we added 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
After just a couple of minutes in the pan, our sauce was nicely thickened.
Finally, we tossed the still-warm spinach with the warm sauce until it was
coated. In about 10 minutes and with just a handful of ingredients, our for-two
take on this steakhouse classic offered all the rich flavor and silky texture we
were craving—and we weren’t left with a pile of dishes or leftovers to deal with
afterward.
Easy Creamed Spinach
SERVES 2

Leave some water clinging to the spinach leaves to help encourage steam when
cooking. One pound of flat-leaf spinach (about 1½ bunches) can be substituted
for the curly-leaf spinach, but do not use baby spinach because it is much too
delicate. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

1½

teaspoons olive oil

ounces curly-leaf spinach, stemmed and chopped coarse
10
½ (5.2-ounce) package Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add spinach in
handfuls, stirring and tossing each handful to wilt slightly before adding next.
Continue to cook spinach, stirring constantly, until uniformly wilted, about 1
minute. Transfer spinach to colander and squeeze between tongs to release
excess liquid.
2. Wipe saucepan dry with paper towels. Whisk Boursin and cream together in
now-empty saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until thickened, about
2 minutes. Off heat, stir in spinach until evenly coated. Season with salt and
pepper to taste and serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

ALL ABOUT BOURSIN CHEESE

Boursin is a soft, spreadable cheese that comes in several varieties that are available in every supermarket.
It is a versatile cheese that works well as a sandwich spread, as a stuffing for chicken breasts, as a topping
for steaks, in mashed potatoes, on crackers, and in dips. We use it in our Easy Creamed Spinach to create a
silky, flavorful sauce in record time.
 STORING BAGGED SPINACH
Fresh spinach used to come in perforated plastic bags that allowed the greens to breathe and stay fresh
longer. These days, the bags of greens we buy no longer have the holes. Why the change? Plastic bag
technology has come a long way over the years. Though they appear solid, the bags in which spinach and
other greens are now sold are made of a polymer that allows the ripening gases that all produce emits to
pass through freely. Because of this, leftover packaged spinach or greens will do much better when stored in
their original bags than when stored in ordinary plastic ones. To ensure freshness for as long as possible,
fold the bag over and tape it shut.
BROCCOLI SALAD
Broccoli Salad

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Most recipes for this potluck favorite make
enough for a crowd, but we wanted a scaled-down dish for two. Rather than
leaving the broccoli raw, we found that cooking it briefly in boiling water
improved both its flavor and its texture and kept it bright green. Adding the
hardier stems to the cooking water first ensured that they were tender at the same
time as the quick-cooking florets. Drying the broccoli in a salad spinner got rid
of the excess moisture, so the dressing—a tangy mayo-and-vinegar mixture—
didn’t get watered down. Crisped bacon, toasted walnuts, and raisins brought
crunch and a salty-sweet balance to this salad.
For some folks, broccoli salad is a potluck and block party mainstay. Its
combination of ingredients—chopped broccoli, crumbled bacon, raisins, and
chopped walnuts in a mayonnaise-based dressing—is surprising. Even more
surprising is how unexpectedly delicious the components can be together. But
did we have to wait for the next picnic to enjoy it? We hoped to scale this
potluck favorite down to two servings and still keep the appealing mix of
textures and flavors intact.
We collected a number of recipes and headed into the test kitchen. The
problems in our test salads were quickly evident: The raw broccoli tasted woody,
the dressing was way too sweet, and the recipes used so much mayonnaise that
not much else registered. Since the name is broccoli salad, shouldn’t you be able
to taste the broccoli? Most of these recipes called for raw broccoli, but we were
grateful to find one that called for cooking it. When the broccoli was briefly
blanched in boiling water and then shocked in cold to stop the cooking, the
woodiness disappeared. These pretty green florets had a softer crunch and a
clearer broccoli flavor. There was no need to smother them in mayonnaise now,
so we cut back to a reasonable ¼ cup for 12 ounces of broccoli. The stems,
however, remained tough, even though we’d peeled them. To fix that, we gave
them a minute’s head start in the boiling water. Now stems and florets were
cooked to a perfect, tender crunch.
The dressing itself is usually little more than mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar.
We tested an assortment of vinegars and liked the sweet-tart quality contributed
by 1½ teaspoons of balsamic. Its slight sweetness was really all the salad needed,
so we cut the sugar out of the recipe altogether. We seasoned the dressing with
salt and pepper and tossed it with the blanched broccoli. Unfortunately, after the
salad sat, even for a few minutes, we noticed that the dressing had thinned and
pooled in the bottom of the bowl. Now that we were blanching the broccoli, it
was obvious we needed to dry it. So we whirled the blanched broccoli in a salad
spinner, which shook off any water that still clung to it and restored the
dressing’s creamy consistency.
At this point, our dish just needed a couple of minor tweaks. Most recipes for
broccoli salad include raw walnuts, but we found that toasting the nuts was a
small step with a large positive impact. Plumping the raisins in hot water for a
few minutes to soften them also upgraded the salad; to make things easy, we
simply used the water we were already boiling to blanch the broccoli. Now, the
juicy raisins—golden tasted slightly fruitier—were a good counterpoint to the
crunchy broccoli.
We combined all the components, tossed them together, and dug in. We were
thrilled with this new take on an old favorite, which now offered the perfect
combination of big, crunchy bites and fresh flavor.
Broccoli Salad
SERVES 2

When prepping the broccoli, keep the stems and florets separate. If you don’t
own a salad spinner, lay the broccoli on a clean dish towel to dry in step 3.

slices bacon, chopped fine

3 tablespoons golden raisins

½ bunch broccoli (12 ounces), florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks peeled and sliced ¼ inch
thick
¼

cup mayonnaise
1½

teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

small shallot, minced

1
1. Cook bacon in 8-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.
Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate.
2. Combine 2 cups water and 2 cups ice in large bowl. Bring 2 quarts water to
boil in large saucepan. Remove ¼ cup boiling water and combine with raisins in
small bowl. Let sit, covered, for 5 minutes, then drain.
3. Meanwhile, add broccoli stalks to boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Add
florets and cook until slightly tender, about 1 minute. Drain broccoli and place in
ice water to cool, about 2 minutes. Drain again, transfer broccoli to salad
spinner, and spin dry.
4. Whisk mayonnaise, vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together
in large bowl. Add broccoli, raisins, walnuts, and shallot to bowl with dressing
and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with bacon
and serve.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a streamlined recipe for roasted

Brussels sprouts for two, we tossed the halved sprouts with a bit of water and oil
before roasting them, covered, in the oven. The water worked to create a steamy
environment, which cooked the sprouts through, and the oil ensured that they
didn’t stick. Uncovering the pan allowed the exteriors to dry out and caramelize,
giving us perfectly tender Brussels sprouts with a nicely browned exterior.
Achieving perfectly cooked Brussels sprouts is usually a two-part process. To
ensure that the interiors of this dense vegetable get sufficiently tender, the
sprouts are often blanched or steamed before being roasted or pan-seared. The
latter process lightly crisps the outer leaves and creates the nice browning that
mellows the sprouts’ bitter kick. But when you’re cooking for two, this two-step
approach can be a little fussy. We wanted to streamline the preparation of this
side dish but still enjoy nicely tender, richly flavored Brussels sprouts with a
well-caramelized exterior when we were done.
Since roasting seemed like the most hands-off option, we elected to focus our
efforts in the oven, rather than on the stovetop. We started out with 8 ounces of
sprouts, which offered just enough for two servings, looking for same-size
specimens about 1½ inches long. With parcooking ruled out, the obvious first
step was to halve the sprouts, which would help ensure that they cooked through
and would create a flat surface for browning. We then tossed them in a bowl
with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
To maximize browning and to jump-start cooking, we often preheat the baking
sheet before roasting vegetables. We did precisely this, placing the sprouts cut
side down on the hot sheet before moving it back into a 500-degree oven. But
when we pulled the vegetables out 20 minutes later, they were dry, chewy, and
even burnt in spots on the outside, while practically crunchy on the inside.
Switching to a cool baking sheet didn’t improve matters, and turning down the
heat merely meant that it took a little longer for the sprouts to reach the same
unsatisfactory state.
To prevent the outer leaves from drying out too much before the center
achieved the ideal tender-firm texture, it seemed clear that we needed to
introduce moisture into the equation. We wondered if just covering the sprouts
with aluminum foil as they roasted would trap enough steam to do the trick.
Once again, we arranged the sprouts cut side down on the baking sheet, but this
time we covered the pan tightly with foil before placing it in the oven. After 10
minutes we removed the foil so that the slightly softened sprouts could brown
and get just a little crisp. Ten minutes later, the Brussels sprouts were perfectly
browned on the outside. But they were still undercooked on the inside and a bit
dry and chewy all around.
Before we addressed the chewiness factor, we needed to examine our sheet
pan: It was a mess. While perfectly appropriate for a bigger batch of vegetables,
the sheet pan was simply too much surface area for our small batch of sprouts;
excess olive oil began to burn in unappealing (and hard-to-clean) spots on the
uncovered parts of the pan. For the next test, we reached for our favorite 12-inch
skillet. With less empty surface area, the skillet was the perfect size to give our
sprouts room to cook, but not enough empty space to burn. Plus, since we had a
tightly fitting lid, there was no need to use foil to retain moisture.
The sheet pan problem solved, we returned to the dry, chewy sprouts and
reluctantly considered lowering the oven temperature—but that would almost
certainly increase the cooking time, and we wanted a side dish that would be
done when our chicken breasts or pork chops finished resting. The solution was
as simple as tossing the sprouts with 4 teaspoons of water along with the oil and
seasonings before we put them in the oven. With the lid forming a moisture seal
for the skillet, each halved sprout acted like its own little steam chamber, holding
on to a tiny bit of water to finish cooking its interior even as its outside began to
brown. The results were perfect: tender, sweet insides and caramelized exteriors.
Now that we’d made perfectly cooked Brussels sprouts in one easy step, we
devised two quick variations. For an Italian-inspired dish, we tossed our roasted
sprouts with garlicky, peppery olive oil and grated Parmesan. And to play up
their nuttiness, we created a second variation with toasted pecans and crisped
bacon.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
SERVES 2

If you are buying loose Brussels sprouts, select those that are about 1½ inches
long. Quarter Brussels sprouts that are longer than 2½ inches; don’t cut sprouts
shorter than 1 inch. You will need a 12-inch ovensafe skillet with a tight-fitting
lid for this recipe.

ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

4 teaspoons water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss
Brussels sprouts, water, oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper in bowl until
sprouts are coated. Transfer sprouts to 12-inch skillet and arrange so cut sides are
facing down.
2. Roast sprouts, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until
sprouts are well browned and tender, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Transfer sprouts to
serving platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
 VARIATIONS
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Parmesan
While Brussels sprouts roast, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat until
shimmering. Add 1 small minced garlic clove and pinch red pepper flakes; cook until garlic is golden and
fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. After transferring sprouts to platter, toss with garlic oil and
season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pecans
While Brussels sprouts roast, halve 1 slice bacon crosswise and cook in 8-inch skillet over medium heat
until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and reserve bacon
fat. Finely chop bacon. After transferring sprouts to platter, toss with 1½ teaspoons olive oil, reserved bacon
fat, chopped bacon, and 2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted pecans. Season with salt and pepper to taste
and serve.
Skillet-Fried Corn

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: This traditional Southern side dish

normally requires constant stirring to achieve a rich, creamy texture. We wanted
an easier, more hands-off recipe. First, we let the corn brown for about 10
minutes before we added water to the pan. Then we supplemented the corn’s
natural starch, which adds significant body, with a teaspoon of flour. A little
sugar brought out the sweetness of the corn and further enhanced browning, and
a small pat of butter ensured that our creamy side dish tasted plenty rich.
Skillet-fried corn, a popular side dish in the South, is a cousin of creamed corn,
and it’s just as simple: Add corn kernels to a skillet with water, fat of some sort
(often lard), corn “milk” (the starchy white liquid that can be scraped from the
cob), and lots of salt and pepper. Then cook, stirring constantly, for upwards of
30 minutes to encourage the corn’s starch to release. It’s slightly creamy
although it has no cream, plus it tastes like sweet corn amplified. Though it
sounds pretty good, we weren’t excited about the prospect of standing over the
stove for half an hour, so we set out to come up with an easier version of this
Southern staple, and it had to be scaled down to serve just two.
We began by considering the ingredients and started with the fat. We quickly
rejected lard—few people keep it around. We tried butter but it burned, and
bacon fat overshadowed the sweet, nutty corn flavor. In the end, we decided to
go with neutral vegetable oil. We also found that ½ teaspoon of sugar enhanced
the natural sweetness of our two ears of corn (which provided just enough for
two). With that, we turned to technique.
For a baseline, we made the dish following the traditional recipe but stirring it
just enough to keep the corn from burning. That batch lacked the slightly
caramelized, lightly coated, porridgelike quality that is the hallmark of skillet-
fried corn. Luckily, further testing showed that if we staggered the ingredients
instead of adding them all at once, we had better results. We learned to let the
corn brown in the oil for some 10 minutes before adding the water. That one step
helped us reduce the time of steady stirring by more than half—to about 10
minutes—with no harm done. We also discovered that the dish improved if we
added the water in two parts, almost as if we were making risotto.
Unfortunately, less time stirring meant less time for the corn to release its
starch, which meant the dish had less body. We tried adding some cornstarch, but
it lost its thickening power after being cooked for more than a few minutes.
Happily, a single teaspoon of flour ensured that our dish had the proper texture.
Satisfied with the texture, we dug in for a taste and found our corn was
lacking in richness. We finished it by stirring in half a pat of butter. At last, we’d
reached our goal: an easy, creamy, sweet-tasting skillet-fried corn with all the
satisfying flavor and texture of the authentic versions that have been prepared for
many years in kitchens across the South.
Skillet-Fried Corn
SERVES 2

Do not use frozen corn for this recipe. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

ears corn, kernels cut from cobs, cobs reserved

2
teaspoon all-purpose flour

1
½

teaspoon sugar
¼

teaspoon salt
⅛

teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

⅔

cup water
½

tablespoon unsalted butter

1. Place kernels in bowl. Holding cobs over bowl, use back of butter knife to
firmly scrape any pulp and liquid into bowl. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and
pepper in second bowl.
2. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 8 to 10
minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir flour mixture into corn and cook for 1
minute. Stir in ⅓ cup water and cook, stirring constantly, until water evaporates,
about 5 minutes. Add remaining ⅓ cup water and cook, stirring constantly, until
corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

CUTTING CORN KERNELS FROM THE COB

Standing corn upright inside large bowl, carefully cut kernels from cob using paring knife.
Cauliflower Gratin

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted an effortless version of this

casserole that would serve two, not 10. Cooking the cauliflower in the
microwave gave us a big head start (no need to drag out a pot to steam it on the
stovetop) and meant that our gratin needed just a short stint in the oven. For a
speedy cheese sauce, we microwaved garlic-and-herb Boursin cheese with a
small amount of heavy cream; after a minute, it had thickened to the right
consistency. Toasted panko bread crumbs ensured that our easy cauliflower
gratin offered the same golden, crisp topping as the traditional versions.
Making a cheesy cauliflower gratin seems like a surefire way to entice even the
pickiest eaters to eat their vegetables, but all too often the plan backfires: The
gratin contains mushy or undercooked vegetables and an unappetizing and
curdled or gloppy sauce. We set out to fix these problems while also scaling
down this classic casserole to serve just two. And to up the ante, we hoped to
streamline the traditional process, which calls for a few pots and pans to cook
the cauliflower and make the sauce, so we could put the tender florets, crisp
topping, and rich, cheesy sauce within reach on even the busiest of weeknights.
We began by looking for the easiest way to cook the cauliflower and started
out on the stovetop. We tried boiling and steaming 10 ounces of florets, which
seemed just the right amount for two diners. Given the vegetable’s porous
nature, boiling it resulted in a waterlogged veggie that tasted bland and dull;
regardless of the cooking time, all we could taste was the cooking water.
Steaming the cauliflower, on the other hand, produced evenly cooked florets
with a clean, bright, sweet flavor. We wondered if microwaving would do as
good a job, thereby shrinking our pile of dirty pots; indeed, it did. After just a
minute in the microwave, our florets were still crisp but on their way to tender; a
little time in the oven would ensure that they finished cooking through properly.
To guarantee that they didn’t make our gratin a watery mess, we set them in a
colander for a few minutes so the excess moisture could drain off.
We turned our attention to the sauce. Most gratins rely on a béchamel, a white
sauce that is made by stirring milk into a butter-flour roux, but that would
require getting out a pan. We wondered if we could cut down on the extra time
and effort by taking a cue from our Easy Creamed Spinach, for which we
skipped the béchamel and created a sauce with Boursin cheese and heavy cream.
We gave it a whirl here, microwaving a couple of ounces of Boursin with ¼ cup
of heavy cream until the cheese melted, then whisking it together to form a thick,
creamy sauce. We added our cauliflower to the bowl and tossed the lot together.
The sauce was a bit on the thick side, but we anticipated the cauliflower would
release more liquid as it finished cooking in the oven.
Sure enough, the sauce thinned out to just the right consistency as it baked.
We did find, however, that the parcooked cauliflower florets did not soften
appreciably during their stint in the oven. Would giving them a couple of extra
minutes in the microwave solve this problem?
For our next test, we microwaved the cauliflower until it was tender, which
took about three minutes. We set it aside to drain; wiped out the bowl; added the
Boursin, cream, and some salt and pepper; and popped the sauce into the
microwave to heat through. After combining our drained florets with the rich,
creamy sauce and sprinkling on a few bread crumbs (we could finesse the
topping later), we moved our casserole to the oven. As we’d expected, we were
able to cut down on the baking time; our gratin needed only long enough for a
golden-brown, crisp crust to form on top.
While some gratins achieve that appealing top layer with melted cheese,
others rely on buttered bread crumbs. Since we already had plenty of cheese in
the sauce, we opted for a crunchy bread-crumb topping. Bypassing fresh bread
crumbs, we reached for ultracrisp panko, or Japanese-style bread crumbs, and
toasted them in a skillet until they were golden. Scattered on top of the casserole,
the panko browned further in the oven. Just seven minutes later, the crust was
perfect, and the casserole was bubbling lightly around the edges.
This cauliflower gratin offered everything we wanted—tender florets, rich,
cheesy sauce, and a satisfying crunch—but without all the work.
Cauliflower Gratin
SERVES 2

If buying a head of cauliflower rather than cauliflower florets, you will need half
of a 2-pound head of cauliflower in order to yield 10 ounces of florets. You will
need an 8½ by 5½-inch baking dish for this recipe.

cup panko bread crumbs

1½

teaspoons olive oil

ounces cauliflower florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
10

1 tablespoon water
½ (5.2-ounce) package Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese
¼

cup heavy cream

¼

teaspoon salt
⅛

teaspoon pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss panko
with oil and place in 8-inch nonstick skillet. Toast panko over medium-high heat,
stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes.
2. Microwave cauliflower and water together in covered bowl until tender, about
3 minutes. Drain cauliflower in colander; set aside.
3. Wipe bowl dry with paper towels; add Boursin, cream, salt, and pepper; and
microwave, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Whisk Boursin
mixture until smooth, then add drained cauliflower and toss to coat.
4. Transfer cauliflower mixture to 8½ by 5½-inch baking dish and sprinkle with
toasted panko. Bake until hot and lightly bubbling around edges, about 7
minutes. Transfer gratin to wire rack and let cool slightly before serving.
TOMATO GRATIN
Tomato Gratin

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Most tomato gratins end up waterlogged

and flavorless—not ours. We solved the problem of a watery gratin by salting
the tomatoes for 30 minutes before taking them for a spin in a salad spinner to
remove excess moisture. Sautéed onion, flavored with garlic and fresh thyme,
amped up the savory notes of the dish, and panko plus grated Parmesan cheese
delivered a crispy, cheesy topping. Since the panko browned before the tomatoes
were cooked, we gave the tomatoes a head start in the oven before sprinkling on
the topping.
Riding high on the success of our Cauliflower Gratin, we set our sights on
another popular variation on this dish: tomato gratin. But what makes a good
tomato great—lots of flavorful juices—can also wreak havoc on this humble
casserole. At its simplest, tomato gratin is made by layering sliced tomatoes
under a mixture of bread crumbs and grated cheese. Fancier recipes include
other vegetables, like cooked onions or grilled eggplant. The gratin is then baked
or broiled until the topping turns golden. But if making it were as simple as it
sounds, the topping wouldn’t be soggy and the tomatoes wouldn’t taste washed
out—problems we encountered with almost all of the recipes we tested. We
resolved to bring both a crisp topping and full, distinct tomato flavor to our
tomato gratin for two, for a boldly flavored side dish that would go well with any
number of entrées.
We knew from the outset that too much moisture was the enemy, so we
decided on plum tomatoes, which are less watery than other varieties. Even with
these, though, we found it necessary to employ a test kitchen technique for
drying watery vegetables: Slice, salt and sugar (the sugar enhances the tomatoes’
natural sweetness), wait, then drain. After a half-hour, a good amount of liquid
had drained from the tomatoes, so we whirled them in a salad spinner. Then we
put together and baked a gratin, using a basic topping from our first tests.
Combined, these tactics mitigated the moisture pretty well, and we added
insurance by cranking up the oven to 450 degrees. At that temperature, any
remaining tomato juices cooked off.
We liked the taste of onions in one of the gratins from the first tests we’d
done, and we figured we could sauté them (with a bit of garlic and thyme for
flavor) to soften them as the tomatoes drained. We spread the sautéed onions in a
baking dish, layered the drained tomatoes on top, and turned to the topping.
Parmesan is the traditional choice for gratins, and it’s a classic for a reason: It
adds big flavor without melting into a gooey mess. We stuck with it. We tested
the cheese mixed with three sorts of crumbs: uncooked sandwich bread crumbs,
fried bread crumbs, and panko (which we liked in our Cauliflower Gratin). To
promote browning, we stirred in a little olive oil. Baked atop the gratin, both the
uncooked and the fried crumbs tasted slightly sandy. Panko, however, lent a nice
crunch. And thanks to our diligent salting and spinning of the tomatoes, the
topping wasn’t soggy at all.
Unfortunately, a new problem emerged: In the hot oven, the topping browned
before the tomatoes had time to cook. To get the components in harmony, we’d
need to adjust the baking method. For the next test, we started by cooking the
onion and tomato layers together in the baking dish without the topping. After 15
minutes—with the dish on the lower-middle oven rack—they began to gently
meld and bubble. At that point, we sprinkled on the crumbs, moved the dish to
the upper-middle oven rack for better browning, and cooked our casserole for
another 10 minutes.
After the gratin had cooled for 10 minutes, we eagerly dug in. We were
thrilled: The tomatoes were moist but not wet, and their flavor was concentrated.
The onions added a savory undertone, and the beautifully browned topping had
great toasty Parmesan flavor and offered a big crunch factor. Our Tomato Gratin
was a resounding success.
Tomato Gratin
SERVES 2

You will need an 8½ by 5½-inch baking dish for this recipe.

ounces plum tomatoes, cored and sliced into ¼-inch-thick rings

12

Salt and pepper

⅛

teaspoon sugar
¼

cup panko bread crumbs

¼

cup grated Parmesan cheese

teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4
small onion, halved and sliced thin

1
small garlic clove, minced

1
½

teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions and heat oven
to 450 degrees. Toss tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, and sugar together in bowl until
combined; let sit for 30 minutes. Combine panko, Parmesan, 2 teaspoons oil, ⅛
teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper in second bowl.
2. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat until
shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic
and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and
pepper to taste. Spread onion mixture in bottom of 8½ by 5½-inch baking dish.
3. Transfer tomatoes to salad spinner and spin to remove excess moisture.
Arrange tomatoes in even layer over onion mixture and sprinkle with pinch
pepper. Transfer baking dish to lower-middle oven rack and bake until tomatoes
are tender and starting to bubble, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with panko
mixture, transfer to upper-middle oven rack, and bake until topping is golden
brown, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer gratin to wire rack and let cool for 5 to
10 minutes before serving.
Roasted Salt-And-Vinegar Potatoes

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted a side dish that delivered spuds
with a bold, vinegary tang and crisp exterior. Cooking small red potatoes in a
super-saturated salt solution ensured that they had an incredibly creamy, well-
seasoned interior. After the potatoes were parcooked, we smashed them to
expose some of the potato flesh, brushed them with malt vinegar, and roasted
them in a well-oiled skillet until the exposed surface was golden and crispy. A
final brush with more vinegar when the potatoes came out of the oven reinforced
the addictive salty-sour flavor of these spuds.
German potato salad, salt-and-vinegar potato chips, and English “chips”
sprinkled with malt vinegar all offer an addictively appealing salty-sour flavor
combination. Inspired by this unique flavor profile, we set out to come up with a
crispy potato side dish that was easy and satisfying and made just enough for
two.
This dish was more of a concept than an established dish, but we did discover
a few recipes online. We followed two of the recipes we found: For one, we
boiled potatoes in a mixture of vinegar and lightly salted water. We couldn’t taste
the vinegar or the salt, and obviously the spuds had no crunch. For the other
recipe, we roasted seasoned potato quarters and doused them in vinegar when
they came out of the oven. The vinegar tasted raw and harsh, and the salt was
barely skin-deep. Clearly we had our work cut out for us.
Moving on, we abandoned these half-baked efforts in favor of a technique
we’ve used in the past: boiling small red potatoes in very heavily salted water. In
previous tests, we’ve found that the concentrated salt solution cooks the potato
starch more completely than usual, resulting in extremely creamy flesh. At the
same time, these potatoes develop an amazingly salt-encrusted exterior and a
well-seasoned interior; the potato skin protects the interior from being inedibly
salty. Salt solved, the vinegar challenge lay ahead.
At this point, we knew that, first, we’d need to roast the potatoes for crispness
and, second, sprinkling vinegar on cooked potatoes was not the answer. So for
our next batch, after boiling the potatoes in the super-saturated salt solution, we
cut them into quarters, brushed them with vinegar, and roasted them in an
extremely hot oven. This was a definite step forward.
But had we gone overboard? The whole idea of baking the vinegar into the
roasting potatoes was to mellow it, but now we missed its brightness. While the
roasted potatoes were still very hot, we brushed them with extra vinegar. We got
a nice jolt of pleasing sourness, with none of the harshness that had ruined
earlier versions. Why? Our science editor explained that as the water molecules
rising from the hot potatoes evaporate, they carry some acetic acid molecules
from the vinegar along with them. This technique worked better when we
replaced the neat wedges with a “smash”: We pressed the potatoes with the
bottom of a measuring cup to about a ½-inch thickness. The interiors of the
smashed potatoes stayed soft when roasted, so they could better absorb the
vinegar brush.
Cider vinegar was our default vinegar, but was it the best choice? We tried
white vinegar, only to find it too harsh. Cider and red wine vinegars were
perfectly fine, but balsamic vinegar was better. Unfortunately, it turned the
potatoes the color of mud. Hoping for the same sweetness but a more appealing
color, we tried malt vinegar, a sweet, mild vinegar popular in Britain. Now both
color and flavor hit the mark.
Roasted Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes
SERVES 2

Use small red potatoes, measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter. If you prefer to use
kosher salt, you will need ¾ cup of Morton kosher salt or 1¼ cups of Diamond
Crystal kosher salt. Cider vinegar works here, too. See the sidebar that follows
the recipe.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound small red potatoes

½

cup plus 2 tablespoons salt

1½

tablespoons malt vinegar

Pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Set
wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet. Brush 12-inch ovensafe skillet evenly
with oil. Bring 4 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Stir in potatoes and salt and cook until just tender and paring knife slips easily in
and out of potatoes, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and transfer to wire rack;
let dry for 10 minutes.
2. Transfer potatoes to oiled skillet. Flatten each potato with bottom of
measuring cup until ½ inch thick. Brush potatoes with half of vinegar and season
with pepper. Roast until potatoes are well browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Brush with
remaining vinegar. Transfer potatoes to platter, smashed side up. Serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

SMASHING OUR SPUDS

Use bottom of 1-cup dry measuring cup to evenly flatten potatoes to ½-inch thickness. Then brush potatoes
with half of vinegar and pepper.
Potato Casserole With Bacon And Caramelized Onion

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: In the old days, this rich potato and onion
casserole got its deep flavor from the drippings of a meaty roast. For an easier
take on this luxurious dish, minus the roast, we started by rendering a small
amount of bacon, which lent the dish a meaty flavor. Browning the onions in the
rendered bacon fat gave the dish remarkable complexity. A mix of chicken broth
and beef broth provided a savory backbone, and the step of reducing it on the
stovetop, in addition to the potatoes’ natural starch, ensured that the sauce was
nicely thickened by the time it came out of the oven.
In the French dish known as pommes de terre boulangère, or “baker’s potatoes,”
incredibly tender potatoes nestle in a rich, meaty sauce beneath a delicately
browned crust. The name dates to a time when villagers used the residual heat of
the baker’s oven to cook dinner at the end of the day. Chicken, pork, or beef
would roast on an upper oven shelf while this casserole of thinly sliced potatoes
and onions bubbled away underneath, seasoned by the savory fat and juices
dripping from above.
Today French chefs no longer cook this dish beneath a blistering roast, but
they impart the same unctuous flavor, deep brown color, and supreme tenderness
using hearty meat stock and a well-calibrated oven. While we could spend hours
making stock from scratch, that was too much time and effort for a side dish for
two. We wanted a potato casserole with deep flavor and a super-tender texture—
without spending all day in the kitchen.
Since we were seeking a creamy consistency, only one potato variety would
do: the moderately starchy, buttery-tasting Yukon Gold. For our casserole for
two, 1 pound of potatoes seemed ample. A mandoline was the ideal tool for
slicing the peeled spuds since we wanted them to be wafer-thin (about ⅛ inch)—
any thicker and the casserole would be too chunky, losing its refined nature. We
added a thinly sliced onion to the Yukons, packed the mixture into a small
baking dish, poured in 1½ cups of store-bought beef broth, and slid the casserole
into a 350-degree oven. It was no surprise when this test batch revealed two big
flaws. First, the sauce was bland and tasted tinny from the canned broth. And
second, its consistency was soupy, lacking the requisite creaminess.
We tackled the flavor issue first. To temper the beef broth’s undesirable
qualities, we diluted it with an equal amount of commercial chicken broth. This
mellowed the flavor of both, for a blend that didn’t taste processed. But that
didn’t mean it tasted meaty. For more depth and meaty notes, we turned to
flavor-packed pork options like ham hocks, pancetta, and bacon. We simmered a
hock briefly in the broth, expecting it to impart smokiness, but the effect was
negligible. (We could have cooked it longer but we wanted a quick fix.) For the
pancetta and bacon, we simply rendered them until crisp and then tossed the
pieces with the potatoes and onion. Both were much more effective at boosting
meatiness than the ham hock was, but in the end, tasters preferred the smoky
bacon; a single slice was all we needed.
Next up: the onion. We found inspiration in another French classic: onion
soup, in which onions are deeply caramelized to concentrate their flavor.
Cooking the sliced onion to a deep molasses-y brown made it too sweet for this
dish, but sautéing it in some of the leftover bacon fat until golden brown was
enough to bring out remarkable complexity.
With a scattering of fresh thyme, sprinkles of salt and pepper, plus a few pats
of butter, the flavor of our potatoes was in really good shape. But we still needed
to improve the too-thin sauce and somehow make the overall texture silkier and
more luscious.
Our first attempt to remedy the consistency of the sauce was twofold: We
decreased the amount of broth to 1 cup and increased the oven temperature to
425 degrees so that more liquid would evaporate during baking. When we
started to see an improvement, we took things one step further by bringing the
broth to a simmer in the pot used to cook the onion, giving it a jump start on
reducing in the oven. As a bonus, this deglazing step captured all of the flavorful
fond left behind by the bacon and caramelized onion.
The broth had now cooked down, but it was still neither thick nor creamy.
Then it became clear: We had been submerging the sliced potatoes in water to
keep them from discoloring while we prepped the remaining ingredients—a
common practice, but one that also washes away most of the spuds’ starch.
Without enough starch, the sauce couldn’t thicken up. We tried again with
unsoaked potatoes and witnessed a striking difference. The sauce now glazed the
potatoes and onion in a velvety cloak. As a final measure, we made sure to allow
the casserole to rest for a good 20 minutes before serving it. This went a long
way toward developing a silky, creamy texture, since the starch granules in the
potatoes continued to absorb moisture and swell as they cooled.
With a few modifications, we had been able to achieve a satisfying version of
a rustic French dish within a reasonable time frame. It was now much more
accessible for kitchens of two, and it still delivered all of the hearty appeal and
great flavors of the original casserole.
Potato Casserole with Bacon and Caramelized Onion
SERVES 2

Do not rinse or soak the potatoes, as this will wash away their starch, which is
essential to the dish. A mandoline makes slicing the potatoes much easier. For
the proper texture, make sure to let the casserole sit for 20 minutes before
serving. You will need an 8½ by 5½-inch baking dish for this recipe.

slice bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1
small onion, halved and sliced thin

1
½

teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

½

teaspoon salt
⅛

teaspoon pepper
pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
½

cup beef broth

½ tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
Grease 8½ by 5½-inch baking dish.
2. Cook bacon in small saucepan over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.
Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. Return now-
empty saucepan to medium heat and add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until
onion is soft and golden brown, about 20 minutes, adjusting heat and adding
water 1 tablespoon at a time if onion or bottom of pot becomes too dark.
Transfer onion to bowl; add bacon, thyme, salt, and pepper.
3. Slice potatoes ⅛ inch thick. Transfer to bowl with onion mixture and toss to
combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Firmly press down on mixture to
compress into even layer.
4. Add broths to now-empty saucepan and bring to simmer over medium-high
heat, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Carefully pour hot
broth over top of potatoes. Dot surface evenly with butter.
5. Bake, uncovered, until potatoes are tender and golden brown on edges and
most of liquid has been absorbed, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let
stand for about 20 minutes to fully absorb broth before cutting and serving.
CHEESY SCALLOPED POTATOES
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Casserole-style scalloped potatoes can take

up to an hour to cook through, plus they usually serve a small crowd. We not
only wanted a version suitable for two, but we wanted it on the table as quickly
as possible. We began by sautéing onion, garlic, and thyme in a small skillet
before adding chicken broth and cream. To ensure that our casserole was ready
in short order, we simmered the potatoes in the aromatic liquid until they were
nearly tender, then moved the skillet to the oven so they could finish baking. A
mix of cheddar and Parmesan gave our spuds big cheesy flavor, and a bit of
cornstarch prevented the dish from becoming greasy.
In many households, scalloped potatoes are reserved for a large crowd. We
suspect it’s because the dish bakes for as long as 90 minutes, so people think the
time commitment isn’t worth it for a smaller group. We disagree: This bubbling
casserole of sliced potatoes in a luscious, creamy sauce oozing with cheese is too
good to save for company. We set out to both scale down and speed up this
satisfying dish.
We made several versions to figure out our starting point. All of the recipes
required layering thinly sliced raw potatoes in a casserole dish, pouring cream or
milk (sometimes mixed with chicken broth) over the slices, sprinkling the dish
with cheese, and setting it in the oven to bake. After assimilating tasters’
comments, we cherry-picked aspects of the different versions to put together a
basic dish. Our working recipe used a combination of cream and chicken broth,
with cheddar for the cheese. Now we whittled down the proportions to serve
two; the potatoes and sauce fit neatly in a pie plate.
We expected that with so much less bulk, the dish would cook faster, but our
scaled-down scalloped potatoes still required an hour of baking time to
tenderize. Clearly, the spuds needed a head start. For the next test, we parcooked
the sliced potatoes in boiling water before following the recipe as usual. These
potatoes were tender after just 15 minutes in the oven. But they tasted watery,
and the sauce was now thin. Too late, we realized that we’d forgotten a key
advantage of the traditional method: The potatoes release starch into the liquid as
they bake, which helps thicken it. By parboiling and then draining the potatoes,
we were pouring all that starch—and thickening power—down the drain. We
had a better idea.
We turned to a technique that the test kitchen has used that not only takes
advantage of the potatoes’ natural starch but also gets flavor deep inside the
spuds. We pulled out a saucepan and simmered the raw potatoes on the stovetop
right in the cream and broth. After 10 minutes, we emptied everything into the
pie plate and baked our potatoes. Barely 15 minutes later, we had tender potatoes
nestled in velvety sauce. Since we were now using a saucepan to get the potatoes
started, it seemed like an easy opportunity to introduce more flavor. We sautéed
chopped onion, garlic, and thyme in butter for a few minutes, only then adding
the potatoes, cream, and broth. It was a winning flavor combination.
But by this point, the pie plate seemed unnecessary (unless we had a burning
desire to wash more dishes). We ditched the pie plate and exchanged the
saucepan for a small ovensafe skillet to allow the potatoes to bake more quickly
and evenly. As we’d hoped, the skillet proved a talented multitasker, letting us
sauté the vegetables, simmer the potatoes and cream, bake, and serve—all in a
single dish.
Most of our test cooks would agree that half of the pleasure of scalloped
potatoes is the cheese. The ¼ cup of cheddar we’d been sprinkling on top wasn’t
adding much, so we doubled that amount and mixed it right into the sauce. Then,
for nutty flavor, we sprinkled on Parmesan. The flavor was great, but there was
too much grease. Here in the test kitchen, we’ve figured out how to solve that
problem: by tossing the cheese with cornstarch, which absorbs the fat (or grease)
that the melting cheese releases.
Because the scalloped potatoes were baking comparatively quickly, they
didn’t have time to develop a deep-golden crust. Fortunately, raising the oven
rack so that the top potatoes could brown where the oven was warmest was an
easy work-around.
We baked one final test batch—and were thrilled with the outcome. The
potatoes were tender, the sauce creamy and oozing, the top golden and crisp
around the edges—and it was just enough to serve two.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
SERVES 2

Don’t use preshredded cheese, which contains added starch that will interfere
with the sauce. You’ll need two small potatoes or one extra-large one. See the
sidebar that follows the recipe.

ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded (½ cup)

2
1½

teaspoons cornstarch
ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
1

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

½

cup finely chopped onion

garlic clove, minced
1
¼

teaspoon dried thyme

⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth
⅓

cup heavy cream

ounces russet potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
12
½
teaspoon salt
¼

teaspoon pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss
cheddar and 1 teaspoon cornstarch together in bowl until well combined. Toss
Parmesan and remaining ½ teaspoon cornstarch together in second bowl until
well combined.
2. Heat oil in 8-inch nonstick ovensafe skillet over medium heat until
shimmering. Add onion and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic
and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, cream,
potatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover,
and simmer until potatoes are nearly tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Off heat, stir in cheddar mixture and press potatoes into even layer. Sprinkle
Parmesan mixture evenly over top and bake until golden brown, 12 to 14
minutes. Let potatoes cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

JUMP-STARTING OUR SPUDS

To get dinner on the table faster and infuse our spuds with flavor, we simmered the slices in the sauce on the
stovetop, then moved everything to the oven, where the potatoes could finish cooking through in about 10
minutes.
Crisp Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Roasted potatoes should be easy enough,

but too often the results are disappointing: chewy, leathery skins and a mealy
interior. Fingerlings present an even bigger problem because they’re lacking in
starch, which helps facilitate browning for a crisp exterior. Boiling our spuds in a
mixture of salt and baking soda was our first step toward perfectly roasted
fingerlings; the salt made the potatoes fluffy, and the baking soda brought any
potato starch to the surface. After boiling the potatoes, we let them cool to vent
steam and then roasted them, cut side down, in a hot skillet so that the now-
starch-covered potatoes would become crispy.
Fingerling potatoes are prized for their good flavor, ultrathin skins, and creamy
texture. Plus, they can be purchased in smaller quantities, which makes them
ideal for the for-two kitchen. Though they’re usually cooked gently to showcase
their delicate nature, we had a tougher treatment in mind: We wanted roasted
fingerling potatoes that were still fresh-tasting and creamy but had a crisp edge.
The problem? It’s the starch that facilitates crisp browning, and diminutive
fingerlings have little of it. Could we find a way to deliver small spuds with the
perfect creamy interior and a nicely browned exterior to match?
Early tests proved that putting fingerlings (halved lengthwise to create a flat
surface to brown) on an oiled sheet pan in a hot oven was a nonstarter: The
potatoes were leathery by the time they picked up any color. We tried covering
them with aluminum foil for half of the cooking time to trap the steam, but that
didn’t work either. From previous recipes we learned that boiling potatoes in
super-salty water helps season them throughout and maximizes a creamy
interior. Also, with potato salad recipes we’ve added vinegar to the boil to halt
the release of starch. Could we do the reverse here, making the water more
alkaline (with baking soda) to encourage maximum starch release—and better
browning?
Our science editor thought it would work, explaining that adding baking soda
to boiling potatoes starts a chain reaction in which the pectin molecules that
strengthen cell walls are unzipped, releasing the starch molecule amylose (a
potato starch that facilitates browning) to the potatoes’ surface. So we gave it a
try and added lots of salt and a little baking soda to the boiling water. Once the
fingerlings were drained in the colander, we could see a thin layer of sticky
starch on them. As we shook the potatoes dry in the colander, the starch became
more abundant. We arranged the dried potatoes, cut side down, on a preheated,
oiled sheet tray and roasted them at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes.
These spuds came out of the oven tender and crisp but became soggy as they
cooled because they continued to release steam even after a seared crust had
formed. Clearly, we needed to cool the potatoes before roasting them, so in our
next test we spread the boiled potatoes out on a large platter. After 5 minutes
they’d stopped steaming. Now we placed them on a hot, oiled sheet tray and
roasted them as before. These fingerlings were just as tender and creamy as
boiled ones, but this time they had a crisp, flavorful crust.
Only one problem remained. Since we were cooking such a small quantity of
potatoes (just 1 pound to serve two people), we were left with a lot of empty
space on the sheet pan, which caused the oil to burn and leave a black, crusty
mess behind. Transferring the potatoes to a 12-inch ovensafe skillet was a better
option; the size was just right for the potatoes, and the resulting cleanup made
for a dish that was a snap both to prepare—and to devour.
Crisp Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
SERVES 2

Using fingerlings of uniform size will ensure that the potatoes cook at the same
rate and fit in the skillet in an even layer. Be sure to press the potatoes so that the
cut side is flush against the bottom of the pan for even browning. If you prefer to
use kosher salt, you will need ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of Morton kosher salt or
½ cup of Diamond Crystal kosher salt. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

pound fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise

1
¼

cup salt
¼

teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon olive oil

⅛

teaspoon pepper
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 12-inch ovensafe skillet on rack,
and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring 4 cups water to boil in medium saucepan
over medium-high heat. Stir in potatoes, salt, and baking soda and cook until
potatoes are tender but centers offer slight resistance when pierced with paring
knife, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain potatoes in colander and shake vigorously to
roughen edges. Transfer potatoes to large platter lined with dish towel and
arrange cut side up. Let sit until no longer steaming and surface is tacky, about 5
minutes.
2. Transfer potatoes to large bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon oil and pepper.
Working quickly, carefully remove skillet from oven, add remaining 2 teaspoons
oil to skillet, and swirl to coat. Carefully arrange potatoes in skillet, cut sides
down, in even layer, pressing potatoes to ensure that cut sides are flush with
bottom of pan. Return skillet to oven and bake until cut sides are crisp and skins
are spotty brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Flip potatoes cut sides up and let cool in pan
for 5 minutes. Serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

COAXING OUT THE STARCH

Boiling the potatoes with salt helps guarantee a creamy interior and seasons the spuds, and adding baking
soda to the water breaks down pectin, draws starch to the surface, and encourages browning.
White Bean Salad

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To liven up canned white beans for a boldly
flavored bean salad for two, we started by steeping the namesake ingredient in a
garlicky broth. This infused the beans with deep flavor in short order, and
sautéing the garlic first brought a toasty element to the salad. Marinating our
shallot in vinegar worked to tame its raw, harsh notes. Some red bell pepper
added color and crunch, and chopped parsley and chives ramped up the
freshness of the salad.
Come summer, we love white bean salad with a simple vinaigrette—the creamy,
mild beans offer a nice counterpoint to the boldly flavored dressing. But when
you’re cooking for two, it doesn’t make sense to start with dried beans, which
require an overnight soak prior to being cooked for a good amount of time in
order to develop their deep, savory flavor. In the test kitchen, we turn to canned
beans often when they’re playing a supporting role or are gussied up with lots of
big flavors. But here they’d be the main attraction, and there wouldn’t be many
distractions. Could we find a way to deliver the rich flavor of long-simmered
beans in our white bean salad for two, but use the convenient canned variety?
In the past, the test kitchen has found that simmering canned beans for at least
30 minutes with strong flavors like garlic and onion improves their flavor
significantly. But it also causes the beans to soften and break apart—which is
fine for a soup that you’re going to puree, but a nonstarter for salad. We’d need
to flavor them yet keep them intact.
To get our bearings, we threw together an easy salad: We minced garlic and
chopped a small shallot (a vinaigrette staple) and tossed them with a can of
drained, rinsed beans and oil and vinegar. The verdict? The shallot and garlic
tasted harsh, and the beans were dull. To fix the beans, we tried steeping them
with smashed garlic. We experimented with letting the beans rest in hot garlicky
water for 10, 20, and 30 minutes. Then we drained them, discarded the garlic,
and tossed them with vinaigrette. After 20 minutes, the beans emerged intact and
with good garlic flavor. It was a solid start.
Typically, sautéing garlic in fat both mellows and deepens its flavor. So rather
than using raw garlic, we switched to sautéing smashed cloves in olive oil for a
couple of minutes, until they began to brown. We added salt and water to the
saucepan, brought everything to a simmer, and introduced the beans to this
flavored water. Tasters were pleased; we’d drawn out the garlic flavor and added
a toasty dimension to the salad. To further boost the flavor, we experimented
with soaking the beans in chicken broth and vegetable broth in place of water.
But the broths didn’t add enough to justify their inclusion, especially since we’d
have to discard them after the steeping was done.
The bean salad already tasted much better, but our work was only half done;
now for the shallot. Since we had 20 minutes to kill while the beans steeped,
we’d use that time to quickly pickle the shallot. We minced it and soaked it in
sherry vinegar until the beans were ready. The shallot’s raw, oniony harshness
was transformed. Tasters liked its milder flavor, and we especially liked the fact
that the timing lined up so neatly.
After that, the salad came together quickly. We drained the steeped beans and
threw away the garlic. Then we tossed the beans with olive oil and the shallot-
vinegar mixture, adding red bell pepper for crunch and color, as well as fresh
chives, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper. We used more vinegar than called
for in a classic vinaigrette to counter the sweet starchiness of the creamy beans;
that jolt of acid kept the flavors bright. Then we let the salad sit so the flavors
could meld briefly. We were thrilled with the results: The beans were garlicky,
creamy, and intact, and the pickled shallot vinaigrette brought everything
together. After just a forkful, we knew canned beans had earned a permanent
spot in our pantry.
White Bean Salad
SERVES 2

Make sure you rinse the white beans thoroughly before adding them to the pot to
get rid of excess salt. The salad can be served chilled or at room temperature.

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2
garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Salt and pepper

(15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed
1

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

small shallot, minced

1
½ red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1. Heat 1½ teaspoons oil and garlic in small saucepan over medium-high heat
until garlic just begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Slowly add ⅔ cup water and
¼ teaspoon salt and bring to simmer. Off heat, add beans, cover, and let sit for 20
minutes. Combine vinegar and shallot in large bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Drain beans and remove garlic. Add beans, remaining 1½ tablespoons oil, bell
pepper, parsley, and chives to shallot mixture and toss to combine. Season with
salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Serve.
Tabbouleh

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a bright, balanced, and fresh-tasting

tabbouleh, we started by salting the tomatoes to rid them of excess moisture that
would have made our salad soggy. Soaking the bulgur wheat in some of the
drained tomato liquid and lemon juice, rather than water, ensured that it was
flavorful. For the herbs, we included lots of bright, peppery parsley and a good
amount of mint. Chopped tomato and a sliced scallion rounded out the mix, and
a bit of cayenne pepper added zing. We added the mix-ins while the bulgur was
still soaking so the components had time to mingle, resulting in a perfectly
balanced dish.
Tabbouleh has long been a meze staple in the Middle East, but these days it can
be found in the refrigerator case of virtually every American supermarket. Its
brief (and healthful) ingredient list explains its popularity: Chopped fresh parsley
and mint, tomatoes, onion, and bits of nutty bulgur are tossed with lemon and
olive oil for a refreshing appetizer or side dish. It all sounds easy enough, but
following a recipe or picking up a pint at the market reveals that most versions
are hopelessly soggy, with flavor that is either too bold or too bland.
Another problem is that there’s no agreement on the correct proportions for
tabbouleh. Middle Eastern cooks favor loads of parsley (75 to 90 percent of the
salad), employing only a sprinkle of bulgur as a texturally interesting garnish.
Most American recipes, on the other hand, invert the proportions, transforming
the green salad into an insipid pilaf with a smattering of herbs. We were after a
balanced dish that featured a hefty amount of parsley as well as a decent amount
of bulgur. It had to offer the bright, fresh flavors lacking in the supermarket
versions, and it had to yield just enough for two.
For our scaled-down tabbouleh, we started with the bulgur. Bulgur is made by
boiling, drying, and grinding wheat kernels, so it only needs to be reconstituted
in cool water. But specific advice on how to prepare the grains is all over the
map. Rehydration times range from a cursory 5 minutes all the way up to several
hours. And then there’s the amount of liquid: Some recipes call for just enough
to plump the grains; others employ the “pasta method,” soaking the bulgur in
lots of water and then squeezing out the excess.
Working with ¼ cup of medium-grind bulgur (the easiest size to find) and first
rinsing the grains to remove any detritus, we experimented with innumerable
permutations of time and amount of water. Our initial findings: First, the grains
required at least 90 minutes to tenderize fully. Second, the less liquid we used,
the better the texture was. Soaking the bulgur in excess water only made it
heavy, damp, and bland. In the end, a mere 2 tablespoons of liquid was enough
for ¼ cup of dried bulgur. The grains absorbed the liquid almost instantly and
then slowly swelled into ½ cup of tender, fluffy grains as they rested.
With the method settled, we switched to soaking the bulgur in lemon juice
instead of water, as some cookbooks recommend. This was a no-brainer—
eliminating water only made sense for a salad that can taste washed out.
Next, we moved on to the parsley. To our ½ cup of reconstituted bulgur we
added ¾ cup of chopped parsley and ¼ cup of chopped mint. These quantities
still put the emphasis on the bright, peppery parsley but didn’t discount the
lemony bulgur and refreshing mint.
As for the rest of the salad, 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil tempered
the tart lemon juice, and a chopped ripe tomato and a single sliced scallion
(preferred over red or white onion) rounded out the mix. A pinch of cayenne
pepper along with the usual salt and pepper added zing. Finally, we considered
garlic and cucumbers. Tasters soundly rejected these additions, complaining that
they detracted from the salad’s clean flavor (in the case of the former) and
overall texture (in the case of the latter).
We set out pita bread wedges and romaine lettuce leaves (traditional
accompaniments) and summoned tasters for feedback. They were happy enough
with the texture, but the flavors of the salad, they lamented, weren’t cohesive—
tabbouleh features bold ingredients, and our method wasn’t giving them time to
blend. This was easy to resolve: We simply reworked the method to give the
bulgur a chance to absorb the liquids—namely, olive oil and juices from the
tomato—in the salad. Soaking the bulgur for 30 to 40 minutes, until it began to
soften, and then combining it with the remaining ingredients and letting it sit for
an hour until fully tender gave everything time to mingle, resulting in a perfectly
well-balanced dish.
We had just one final issue to deal with. Over the course of testing, we had
noticed that depending on variety, the tomato contributed different amounts of
liquid to the tabbouleh, sometimes diluting its flavor and making it soupy. The
solution? Salting. Tossing the chopped tomato with salt and letting it drain in a
colander drew out its moisture, precluding sogginess. We were about to break
out the bubbly when a light bulb went on: By discarding the tomato juice, we
were literally pouring flavor down the drain. What if we reserved this savory
liquid and used it to soak the bulgur? For our next try, we put a bowl under the
colander to catch the juices and prepared a salad using 1 tablespoon of the
tomato liquid (along with an equal amount of lemon juice) to soak the bulgur,
whisking the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with oil for the dressing. At
last, here was tabbouleh with fresh, penetrating flavor and a light texture that
would make cooks—from anywhere around the globe—proud.
Tabbouleh
SERVES 2

Serve the salad with the crisp inner leaves of romaine lettuce and wedges of pita
bread.

tomato, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces

Salt and pepper

¼ cup medium-grind bulgur

2 tablespoons lemon juice

tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch cayenne pepper

¾

cup chopped fresh parsley

¼

cup chopped fresh mint

scallion, sliced thin
1
1. Toss tomato with ⅛ teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Transfer to fine-mesh
strainer, set strainer in bowl, and let sit for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.
2. Rinse bulgur in fine-mesh strainer under cold running water. Drain well and
transfer to second bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon juice from drained tomatoes and 1
tablespoon lemon juice. Let stand until grains are beginning to soften, 30 to 40
minutes.
3. Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, oil, cayenne, and ⅛ teaspoon salt
together in large bowl. Add drained tomatoes, soaked bulgur, parsley, mint, and
scallion; toss gently to combine. Cover and let sit at room temperature until
flavors have blended and bulgur is tender, about 1 hour. Toss to recombine,
season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
Lentil Salads

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted a bright-tasting lentil salad in

which the lentils retained their shape and boasted a firm-tender bite. Brining the
lentils in warm salt water was our first move. With brining, the lentils’ skins
soften, which leads to fewer blowouts. Then we cooked the lentils in the oven to
heat them gently and uniformly. Once we had perfectly cooked lentils, all we had
left to do was to pair the earthy beans with a tart vinaigrette and boldly flavored
additions.
Lentils may not get points for glamour, but when properly cooked and dressed
up in a salad with a bright vinaigrette and herbs, nuts, and cheeses, the legumes’
earthy, almost meaty depth and firm-tender bite make a satisfying side dish that’s
a nice break from the norm and the perfect partner to a variety of main courses,
such as simply prepared chicken breasts or fish fillets.
The trouble is, perfectly cooked lentils are never a given. Too often, either
their skins burst and their flesh disintegrates into starchy mush, or they don’t
cook through completely and retain chewy skin and a hard, crunchy core. Before
we started adding accoutrements, we had to nail down a reliable way to produce
tender, buttery lentils with soft, unbroken skins. And because the tiny, shape-
retaining French green lentils we favor in the test kitchen, known as lentilles du
Puy, can be hard to come by, we were also determined to develop an approach
that would yield perfect results with whatever lentil variety our supermarket had
to offer.
Fortunately, the test kitchen’s previous work with bean cookery gave us a
good idea of how to improve the skins. We’ve discovered that brining beans
overnight softens their outer skins and makes them less likely to burst. The
explanation is twofold: As the beans soak, the sodium ions from the salt replace
some of the calcium and magnesium ions in the skins. By replacing some of the
mineral ions, the sodium ions weaken the pectin in the skins, allowing more
water to penetrate and leading to a more pliable, forgiving texture. But with
beans, brining requires an overnight rest to be most effective. Fortunately, due to
the lentils’ smaller, flatter shape, we found that just a few hours of brining
dramatically cuts down on blowouts. We also had another idea for hastening the
process: Since heat speeds up all chemical reactions, we managed to reduce that
time to just an hour by using warm water in the salt solution.
Another way to further reduce blowouts would be to cook the lentils as gently
as possible. But we could see that even our stovetop’s low setting still agitated
the lentils too vigorously. We decided to try the oven, hoping that its indirect
heat would get the job done more gently—and it did. And while the oven did
increase the cooking time from less than 30 minutes to up to an hour, the results
were worth the wait: Virtually all of the lentil skins were tender yet intact.
Despite the lentils’ soft, perfect skins, their insides tended to be mushy, not
creamy. It occurred to us to try another very simple trick with salt: adding it to
the cooking water. Many bean recipes (including ours) shy away from adding
salt during cooking because it produces firmer interiors that can be gritty. Here’s
why: While a brine’s impact is mainly confined to the skin, heat (from cooking)
affects the inside of the bean, causing sodium ions to move to the interior, where
they slow the starches’ ability to absorb water. But a firmed-up texture was
exactly what our mushy lentils needed. Could a problem for beans prove to be
the solution for lentils? Sure enough, when we added ¼ teaspoon of salt to the
cooking water, the lentils went from mushy to firm yet creamy.
We had just two remaining tasks to tackle: enriching the flavor of the lentils
and creating a couple of salad variations. Swapping some of the cooking water
for chicken broth solved the first problem, and tossing the lentils with tart
vinaigrettes and bold mix-ins—feta, olives, and mint in one salad; hazelnuts and
goat cheese in another—brightened and balanced their rich, earthy flavor.
Lentil Salad with Olives, Mint, and Feta
SERVES 2

French green lentils, or lentilles du Puy, are our preferred choice for this recipe,
but it works with any type of lentil except red or yellow. Brining helps keep the
lentils intact, but if you don’t have time, they’ll still taste good without it. The
salad can be served warm or at room temperature.

½ cup lentils, picked over and rinsed

Salt and pepper

cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
3
cup low-sodium chicken broth

1
garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled

1 bay leaf
2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½

tablespoons white wine vinegar

¼ cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives
¼

cup chopped fresh mint

shallot, minced
1
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1. Place lentils and ½ teaspoon salt in bowl. Cover with 2 cups warm water and
soak for 1 hour. Drain well.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place
drained lentils, remaining 1 cup water, broth, garlic, bay leaf, and ¼ teaspoon
salt in medium saucepan. Cover and bake until lentils are tender but remain
intact, 40 to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk oil and vinegar together in large
bowl.
3. Drain lentils well; remove garlic and bay leaf. Add drained lentils, olives,
mint, and shallot to dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to
taste. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with feta, and serve.
 VARIATION
Lentil Salad with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
Substitute red wine vinegar for white wine vinegar and add 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard to dressing in step 2.
Omit olives and substitute 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for mint. Substitute 1 ounce crumbled goat
cheese for feta and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted and skinned hazelnuts before
serving.
CHAPTER 10: BAKED GOODS AND DESSERTS

Cranberry-Pecan Muffins

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Maple-Pecan Scones

Skillet Olive Bread

Sour Cream Biscuits

Easy Apple Galette

Peach Melba Crisp

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Banana Cream Pie

Crème Caramel

Individual Chocolate Fudge Cakes

Creamy Chocolate Pudding

Quicker Turtle Brownies

Cranberry-Nut Muffins

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted cranberry-nut muffins for two

punctuated by zingy but not harsh cranberries and rich-tasting, crunchy nuts. Our
first job was to tame the bite of the cranberries, so we chopped them in a food
processor with a little confectioners’ sugar and salt. For big, nutty flavor, we
supplemented the all-purpose flour with our own nut flour (made by grinding
pecans in a food processor). Letting the batter rest for 30 minutes ensured that
the small amount of flour became more hydrated, resulting in a properly
thickened batter that baked up perfectly domed. A pecan-streusel topping added
even more nuttiness and a nice crunch.
Most recipes for cranberry-nut muffins follow the same course as those for any
fruit-studded muffin: Just toss fresh berries and coarsely chopped nuts into the
batter and bake. It’s an approach that works well enough when using ripe, sweet
blueberries or raspberries, but the method is never as successful with cranberries.
That’s because the cranberries’ ultrasour burst completely overwhelms the
delicate flavor of the muffin. And as for the nuts, after they’ve steamed in the
moist batter, their rich, toasty flavor has washed away. Then there’s the usual
problem of unevenly distributed mix-ins. Depending on where you bite, you
might get a mouthful of sour berries, a cluster of nuts, or plain old cake.
Hankering for a well-balanced breakfast pastry, we decided to reinvent the
concept. Our muffin would feature a moist crumb with plenty of its own flavor,
punctuated by zingy but not harsh cranberries and rich-tasting, crunchy nuts.
And it would make just enough for breakfast for two, plus an afternoon snack, so
we didn’t have muffins hanging around for days.
First things first: We had to create a muffin that could stand up to the heft of
two mix-ins. We could choose one of two options: either the creaming method or
the hand-mixed “quick bread” method. In this case, only the latter’s coarser,
sturdier crumb would do. We whisked together sugar, an egg, melted butter, and
milk in one bowl, and flour, baking powder, and salt in another. Then we gently
combined the two components with a generous fistful each of whole cranberries
and rich, buttery pecans before putting the muffins into a 375-degree oven.
About 18 minutes later, we had a good-looking quartet of muffins—nicely
domed and sturdy enough to accommodate the fruit and nuts. But that’s all this
batch had going for it, as the nuts offered nothing but a little crunch and the
cake’s ho-hum flavor was no match for the sour berries.
One idea was to trade some of the all-purpose flour for a heartier grain like
cornmeal or whole-wheat flour, but when we tried it, the resulting batches baked
up gritty and dense, respectively. It then dawned on us that the magic ingredient
to replace some of the flour had been sitting under our noses the whole time:
nuts. What if we ground some in the food processor to create our own nut flour?
We knew the trade would mean losing some of the wheat’s gluten-forming
proteins and, in turn, some of the muffins’ tall, sturdy structure, but we decided
to worry about that later. We processed the toasted pecans into a coarse, sandlike
meal, which we then substituted for regular flour in varying amounts—from 2
tablespoons all the way up to ½ cup.
Our suspicions were correct: These batches of muffin batter looked looser and
runnier than those made with regular flour, and rather than baking up tall and
self-contained, they spread out—particularly those with more nut flour. But once
our tasters took a bite, we knew the trade-off hadn’t been for naught. Despite
their now-disappointing structure, these nut-based muffins boasted a richer-
tasting, heartier crumb that helped counter the cranberries’ acidity. As for how
much nut flour to put in the batter, tasters were definitive: the more, the better.
Moving on to another batch, we decided to compensate for the nut flour’s
inability to form gluten and committed what some in the baking community
would call treason: We overmixed the batter, to overdevelop the gluten strands in
the flour and toughen up the final product. But instead of the domed tops that we
wanted, we got squat, chewy muffins with stunted peaks—two classic signs of
overworking.
But if a lack of gluten wasn’t the problem, what was? After whipping up
another batch of batter, we were called across the kitchen to another tasting.
When we returned 30 minutes later, a curious thing had happened: The batter
had thickened up considerably. Intrigued, we baked the muffins and were
rewarded with the best batch yet. The batter hadn’t spread across the pan, and
the muffins were symmetrical, with gently rounded tops. When we hit the
science books for an explanation, we discovered that although the rest allowed a
little more gluten to form, its main effect was to hydrate the batter. Because this
batter contained relatively little flour, there were very few starch granules to
absorb the liquid and thicken the batter. Letting the batter rest allowed what
starch granules were available to more fully absorb the free water, which, in turn,
resulted in batter with more body.
It was time to temper the berries’ sour punch. Sugar was the obvious go-to
ingredient, but further sweetening the batter wouldn’t help once the whole
berries burst and released their sharp juice. The more effective solution was
chopping the berries to expose some of their inner flesh—a fix that also helped
distribute the fruit more evenly throughout the batter—and tossing them with
sugar. We pulsed the berries in the food processor with a little confectioners’
sugar (which dissolves more quickly than granulated sugar). The sugar took the
edge off, and a pinch of salt tamed any residual bitterness.
These muffins were in good shape, but our tasters wanted more nut flavor.
They also wanted to get back the crunchy element that had been eliminated
when we switched from chopped to ground pecans. To meet the first request,
instead of grinding the nuts by themselves, we processed them with the
granulated sugar. The sugar’s abrasiveness helped the nuts break down further,
releasing more of their flavorful oils and preventing clumping. Recovering some
of the crunchy texture was as simple as creating a topping. A mixture of flour,
sugar, butter, and chopped pecans worked perfectly.
Finally, with its crunchy topping and the pop of tart berries against the nutty-
tasting crumb, this was a cranberry muffin we could go nuts for.
Cranberry-Pecan Muffins
MAKES 4 MUFFINS

Any size muffin tin will work here, and the batter can be placed in any of the
muffin cups. If fresh cranberries aren’t available, you can substitute frozen;
simply microwave them in a bowl until they’re partially but not fully thawed, 30
to 45 seconds. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

STREUSEL TOPPING
2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and softened

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Pinch salt

3 tablespoons chopped pecans

MUFFINS
tablespoons (1¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

6
¼

teaspoon baking powder

 Salt
½ cup pecans, toasted and cooled
¼

cup granulated sugar

1 large egg
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 tablespoons whole milk

½

cup cranberries
teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
1
1. FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle
position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together flour, butter, brown sugar,
granulated sugar, and salt with fingers in small bowl until mixture resembles wet
sand. Stir in pecans and set aside.
2. FOR THE MUFFINS: Spray 4 cups of muffin tin with baking spray with
flour. Whisk flour, baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in bowl; set
aside.
3. Process pecans and granulated sugar together in food processor until mixture
resembles coarse sand, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer to large bowl and whisk in
egg, melted butter, and milk until combined. Whisk flour mixture into egg
mixture until just moistened and no streaks of flour remain. Set aside for 30
minutes to thicken.
4. Pulse cranberries, confectioners’ sugar, and pinch salt together in food
processor until very coarsely chopped, 3 to 5 pulses. Gently fold cranberries into
batter and divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle streusel
topping over muffins, gently pressing into batter to adhere. Bake until muffin
tops are golden and just firm, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through
baking. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove
muffins from tin and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

RAMPING UP NUTTINESS, TONING DOWN TANG

1. Processing toasted pecans with sugar results in pecan “flour” that makes for muffins with a richer,
heartier flavor.
2. Processing the berries with confectioners’ sugar sweetens them, while adding a dash of salt masks their
bitter edge.
3. Finally, sprinkling a classic nut streusel over the top of the muffins provides a rich, buttery crunch and
just a hint of sweetness.
CINNAMON STREUSEL COFFEE CAKE
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a well-balanced coffee cake for two
that delivered both tender cake and a crunchy, cinnamon-y topping, we started
by building a simple cake with the right amount of moisture and structure. We
cut back on the butter so our cake wouldn’t be greasy, but we needed to find
another ingredient to bump up the moistness and richness. Buttermilk solved the
problem, guaranteeing that our cake was sturdy enough to support the crumb
topping. A generous amount of pecan-and cinnamon-laced streusel topping made
the perfect finishing touch.
Order a slice of coffee cake at a café and you’ll inevitably be disappointed. Most
versions we’ve seen offer a heavy, grease-laden cake with an achingly sweet
crumb topping. And recipes for this popular brunch treat result in far too much
for a small household to consume before it dries out. We wanted to develop a
tasty, old-fashioned coffee cake that was nicely sweetened but wouldn’t give us a
toothache. It had to have just enough of the appealing crumb topping, and it had
to make the perfect amount for two (with just a little left over for a snack, of
course).
After digging up a few recipes in our research, we baked up a number of cakes
but ended up being disappointed with all of them. First of all, there was not
nearly enough streusel, although this problem could be remedied easily by just
scaling up. The bigger issue was the mediocre texture of both the batter and the
topping. What should be a moist, tender crumb with a crunchy topping was in
fact a dry, crumbly cake with a soggy, scant topping. Starting with the cake
itself, we vowed to fix these recurring problems so we’d have a recipe for a
coffee cake that we’d want to start our day with.
Most coffee cake is nothing more than buttery yellow cake topped with a
crumbly streusel. But it’s essential that the cake be sturdy enough to support the
streusel. To that end, we started with a simple yellow cake recipe and made
adjustments along the way. All-purpose flour provided the proper structure; a
single egg helped reinforce that structure. Though we wanted our cake to be rich
and moist, we also didn’t want it to leave us with greasy fingertips. Cutting back
on the butter solved the greasiness issue, but now we were left with a dry, lean
coffee cake. To stave off dryness, we tried including a handful of dairy
ingredients. Sour cream and yogurt created a batter that was slightly too thick.
Buttermilk, on the other hand, worked much better, imparting a flavorful tang
and ample moisture.
For final tweaks, we added baking powder and baking soda to take some of
the leavening burden off the lone egg and ensure that the cake would rise evenly.
The duo of granulated sugar and brown sugar added a moderate amount of
sweetness that had a deeper flavor than granulated sugar on its own but didn’t
put our cake into cavity-inducing territory. A small amount of cinnamon offered
subtle warmth.
With the cake figured out, it was time to analyze what most would consider
the most important part of a good coffee cake: the topping. Crispy, crunchy, yet
melt-in-your-mouth streusel requires a careful balance of sugar, flour, and butter;
spices and nuts also warrant careful scrutiny. As in the cake, we liked the flavor
contributed by both granulated and brown sugar; the former added a nice
sweetness, and the latter contributed rich, caramel-like undertones. Just 1½
tablespoons of flour was necessary to keep the sugar from melting into shards,
and a single pat of butter helped hold the topping together without making it
greasy. A hefty dose of cinnamon gave our streusel a bold flavor and echoed the
warm notes in the cake. For more textural interest, we decided to include nuts.
Chopped pecans added a big crunch factor that tasters loved.
About 30 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees proved to be the best and easiest
option for baking; at higher temperatures, the streusel became too dark, requiring
an aluminum foil shield to protect it from the heat. After a brief rest so the cake
could cool, we dug in. Our coffee cake was perfectly moist and tender, with a
crumbly, crunchy, cinnamon-spiked streusel on top. In short, this was a morning
treat worth getting out of bed for.
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
SERVES 2

You will need a 6-inch round cake pan for this recipe. You can substitute 3
tablespoons of plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon of
milk for the buttermilk if necessary.

TOPPING
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½

tablespoons granulated sugar

1½

tablespoons packed light brown sugar

tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1
¾

teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅓ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

CAKE
¾ cup (3¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
¼

teaspoon baking powder

¼

teaspoon baking soda

¼
teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch salt
¼

cup buttermilk
¼ cup (1¾ ounces) granulated sugar
¼ cup (1¾ ounces) packed light brown sugar

1 large egg
tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2
1. FOR THE TOPPING: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to
350 degrees. Grease 6-inch round cake pan, line with parchment paper, grease
parchment, then flour pan. Using your fingers, mix flour, granulated sugar,
brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon together in medium bowl until mixture
resembles wet sand. Stir in pecans and set aside.
2. FOR THE CAKE: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and
salt together in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, granulated sugar, brown sugar,
egg, and melted butter together in small bowl until smooth. Gently fold egg
mixture into flour mixture until combined.
3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle topping evenly over
top of cake. Bake until top is golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out
with few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Let cake cool on wire rack
for 15 minutes before serving.
Maple-Pecan Scones

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To infuse our scones with deep maple
flavor throughout, we replaced the sugar in the dough with maple syrup, which
offered sweetness without being cloying. To amp up the maple flavor a little
more, we made a glaze with maple syrup and confectioners’ sugar, then drizzled
it over our baked and cooled scones. Because we had only four scones on the
baking sheet, they came out burnt when baked at the higher temperatures
suggested by most recipes. We found the middle ground—and perfectly golden-
brown scones—at 375 degrees.
When fall rolls around and we see maple scones at the local coffeehouse, we
hope for a tender and buttery pastry that will be subtly infused with maple flavor.
Unfortunately, what we usually get is a dense, dry, and bland rock, topped with a
sickly sweet maple topping. We wanted a maple scone that was not only light
and delicate but also tasted like maple throughout—not just in the topping. We
set out to develop our own recipe for maple scones for two; four seemed like a
good number, providing enough for breakfast and to satisfy an afternoon
craving.
Most recipes we surveyed used similar amounts of flour—about 2 cups—to
produce eight scones, but they used different types of flour. We figured we’d
need to cut the amount of flour down to 1 cup for our batch of four scones, but
we’d have to do some legwork to figure out which type of flour to use. We tested
bread flour, cake flour, and all-purpose flour, and the differences in outcome
were astonishing. The scones made with bread flour were heavy and tough. Cake
flour produced scones that were doughy in the center, with a raw taste and poor
texture. All-purpose flour was the clear winner, resulting in scones that were
light and tender.
For the butter, we tested varying amounts, ending up at 2½ tablespoons for
rich scones with a tender texture. Any more, and the dough was too soft; any
less, and the scones baked up dry and tough.
Not surprisingly, the choice of liquid also profoundly affected the flavor of our
scones. Scones made with milk were bland and dry. Buttermilk gave us scones
with plenty of flavor, but they were too flaky and biscuitlike. Scones made with
cream were both light in texture and flavorful, making it the clear winner.
Conventional recipes tend to call for a good amount of granulated sugar for
sweetness. After a number of tests, we determined that just a tablespoon and a
half provided a nice level of sweetness. But, at this point, our scones were still
lacking in rich maple flavor. What if we swapped the sugar for maple syrup?
Indeed, this provided the maple notes we were looking for. Our scones weren’t
tooth-achingly sweet but instead had a slightly sweet, maple-y flavor.
To enhance their appeal, scones are often either coated with a sweet glaze or
filled with chopped fruit or nuts. We definitely wanted a glaze to enhance the
subtle maple flavor we had in the dough, but we also wanted to add a little more
textural interest. When we threw in dried fruit such as raisins and cherries, their
sweetness overpowered the delicate maple notes. Pecans, on the other hand,
offered up a sweet, toasty flavor that played off the maple syrup nicely.
 The quickest and easiest way to mix the dough was in a food processor. We
found the food processor to be more reliable than hand mixing, since hand
mixing can overheat the butter and soften it. For shaping the scones, many
recipes suggest using a 9-inch round cake pan as a mold before cutting the dough
into wedges. But with so little dough, we did away with the cake pan entirely
and simply pressed the dough into a 5-inch circle of even thickness before
cutting it into four wedges.
The biggest problem we encountered in our scaled-down recipe arose when
we put the scones in the oven. Without the extra scones to absorb the heat from
our 450-degree oven (the temperature stipulated by a number of recipes), our
scones began to darken before they completely baked through, resulting in
moist, gummy centers. Reducing the heat to 425 degrees merely bought us a few
more minutes before the scones began to burn—but it still wasn’t enough to fully
bake them. We turned the oven knob down to 400 degrees—still no luck. Finally,
at the gentler temperature of 375 degrees, we were able to bake the scones for
about 20 minutes, long enough to ensure that the centers were fully baked and
the crusts were just the right shade of light golden brown. Once they had cooled,
we drizzled a simple glaze of confectioners’ sugar and maple syrup over the top;
this easy topping reinforced the subtle flavor of our tender scones nicely.
At last, we had flaky, tender, rich-tasting scones with just enough maple flavor
to satisfy all of our cold-weather cravings.
Maple-Pecan Scones
MAKES 4 SCONES

Be sure to let the scones cool for at least 20 minutes before glazing. See the
sidebar that follows the recipe.

cup heavy cream

2½

tablespoons maple syrup

cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1
1½

teaspoons baking powder

¼

teaspoon salt
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and chilled
¼ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

3
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line
rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine cream and 1½ tablespoons
maple syrup in small bowl and set aside.
2. Pulse flour, baking powder, and salt together in food processor until
combined, about 3 pulses. Scatter butter evenly over top and continue to pulse
until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with some slightly larger butter lumps,
about 6 pulses. Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir in pecans. Stir in cream
mixture until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
3. Turn out dough and any floury bits onto lightly floured counter and knead
until rough, slightly sticky ball forms, 5 to 10 seconds. Shape dough into 5-inch
round of even ¾-inch thickness and cut into 4 wedges.
4. Place wedges on prepared baking sheet. Bake until tops are golden brown, 20
to 25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer scones to wire rack
and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Whisk remaining 1
tablespoon maple syrup and confectioners’ sugar together in bowl until
combined. Drizzle glaze over scones and let glaze set for 5 to 10 minutes before
serving.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING MAPLE-PECAN SCONES

1. Pat dough into 5-inch round, about ¾ inch thick.

2. Using metal bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 4 evenly sized wedges.
 OUR FAVORITE BENCH SCRAPER
Here in the test kitchen, we find that there is one incredibly simple and inexpensive piece of equipment that
is invaluable for baking: a bench scraper. A bench scraper is a rectangular blade with a wood or plastic
handle affixed to one side. Bench scrapers are ideal for countless baking tasks, like dividing dough for
scones or cleaning up a messy counter. Our favorite scraper is the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Multi-
Purpose Scraper and Chopper, $8.95, which has a sturdy blade and comfortable handle. We also like the
ruler marked along the blade, which is helpful for accurate measuring.
SKILLET OLIVE BREAD
Skillet Olive Bread

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Most savory breads serve a crowd and
require long rest periods and kneading. Not ours. We stirred together an
effortless quick bread and baked it in a small cast-iron skillet, which gave us just
enough for two (plus a little extra). We started with all-purpose flour and added
whole milk and sour cream for a clean, creamy flavor and rich, moist texture. A
whole egg lent richness and structure. Coarsely grated Parmesan, minced garlic,
chopped kalamata olives, and fresh basil ensured that our bread was robustly
flavored, and our cast-iron pan guaranteed a golden-brown, crisp crust.
A hearty, rustic bread makes the perfect partner to a steaming-hot bowl of chili
or stew. But if you’re a household of two, chances are that a store-bought loaf
will go stale before you’re able to finish it. We wanted a richly flavored bread
that yielded just enough for two and came together in a flash—no long rises or
kneading necessary. A skillet bread spiked with salty, nutty Parmesan and briny
olives seemed just the ticket, as it would stand up to any number of robustly
flavored dishes, while providing just the right amount for a couple of diners.
The recipes we found all followed a simple formula: Just stir together flour,
cheese, salt, milk, and baking powder; scrape the batter into a preheated skillet;
and bake. Unfortunately, there were a lot of problems with the recipes we tested.
Many loaves were about as flavorful as a saltine, and others were as dense and
heavy as a hockey puck. And some breads were so greasy that we had to pass
out extra napkins after each tasting. Clearly, we had our work cut out for us.
In search of a light but hearty crumb, we experimented with different flours,
making one loaf with all-purpose flour, another with bread flour, and yet another
with half bread and half all-purpose flour. A few tasters noticed that the breads
made with all or part of the higher-protein bread flour were slightly rubbery, but
the difference was not all that dramatic. Still, all-purpose flour was clearly the
best, and most convenient, choice.
Moving on to the liquid component, we considered our options. Buttermilk is
a common ingredient in quick breads, and it produced a decent loaf. Skim milk
was too watery and produced a crumbly, dry bread. The whole-milk version was
the best, with a creamier flavor.
Several recipes omitted the butter in favor of olive oil, which was preferred
for its subtler, cleaner flavor. Starting with 4 tablespoons, we worked our way
down to a mere 2, putting an end to the slick hands and lips we’d been
experiencing after eating a piece of the greasier samples. The single egg we had
been using turned out to be just right. When we once mistakenly omitted it, the
loaf failed to rise properly and had little structure. Skillet bread made with more
than one egg had a beautiful golden hue but tasted more like quiche than a
hearty, rustic bread.
We had made progress, but we were falling short in the texture department.
Because we wanted a rich loaf with a light texture, we replaced a portion of the
milk in each of two breads with scoops of yogurt and sour cream, respectively.
Tasters preferred the sour cream–based bread; it was rich and moist without
being greasy. The sour cream also added a nip of tartness to the bread, offsetting
the richness of the milk.
It was time to decide on the leavening: baking soda or baking powder. To do
its job, baking soda needs an acidic ingredient (such as the lactic acid in sour
cream), while baking powder is self-reliant, essentially composed of baking soda
plus one or two acids. We made two breads, one with baking powder and a
second with baking soda. Both breads rose perfectly evenly, but the bread made
with baking powder was preferred, due to its more complex flavor. A discussion
with our science editor helped us understand why: The baking soda had
neutralized the lactic acid in the sour cream, whereas the baking powder, which
brings its own acid to the mix, had not. The acid was giving the bread more
flavor.
Although we were on the right track, and we knew the cheese and olives
would bring our bread squarely into savory territory, we still wanted to add a bit
more savory flavor to the crumb itself. For the next test, we flavored the olive oil
with a minced garlic clove before adding part of it to the batter. This worked
wonders, adding just the right aromatic background. Using the rest of the garlic
oil to coat the bottom of the skillet ensured that our bread developed a golden-
brown, ultraflavorful crust on the bottom.
Finally, it was time to consider the mix-ins. We loved the sharp, nutty flavor
and moistness contributed by a good amount of grated Parmesan, but it wasn’t
doing anything for the texture of the bread. We discovered that coarsely
shredding the cheese, instead of grating it fine, was better, as it melted into
luscious, cheesy pockets. For rich color and flavor on the top crust, we sprinkled
the bread with shredded Parmesan before moving it to the oven. Turning to the
olives, we decided to chop them for even distribution. To play up the decidedly
Mediterranean tone of our bread even further, we added a tablespoon of freshly
chopped basil, which infused the bread with a bright, herbaceous note.
At last, we had a recipe for an easy, fast, and incredibly flavorful skillet bread
that would pair well with any number of entrées—or be enjoyed all on its own.
Skillet Olive Bread
SERVES 2

Coarsely grating the Parmesan adds a nice texture to the bread and helps prevent
the cheese from burning. To grate the cheese coarsely, use the large holes of a
box grater. Do not substitute finely grated or pregrated Parmesan. We prefer to
use an 8-inch cast-iron skillet here because it makes the best crust; however, an
8-inch ovensafe skillet will also work, but you will need to increase the baking
time by 10 to 15 minutes.

cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼

teaspoon salt
1¾ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated coarse (½ cup)
½

cup whole milk

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 large egg

2 tablespoons olive oil

 garlic clove, minced
1
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, basil, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Stir in ⅓
cup Parmesan, breaking up any clumps, until coated with flour. In separate bowl,
whisk milk, sour cream, and egg together until smooth.
3. Heat oil in 8-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour all but 2 teaspoons
garlic oil into milk mixture and whisk to incorporate. Gently fold milk mixture
into flour mixture with rubber spatula until just combined, then fold in olives.
Batter will be heavy and thick; do not overmix.
4. Working quickly, scrape batter into hot skillet and smooth top. Sprinkle with
remaining Parmesan. Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center
comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking. Let
bread cool slightly in skillet before removing. Serve warm or at room
temperature.
Sour Cream Biscuits

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Instead of a big batch of biscuits, we

wanted just enough for two. They had to give us from-scratch flavor, but without
the hassle of cutting butter into flour or rolling and stamping out dough. Sour
cream drop biscuits, which are simply stirred together, fit the bill nicely. Though
most recipes call for self-rising flour or baking mix, we didn’t like the flavor
these contributed and swapped in all-purpose flour. We then upped the amount of
sour cream so the tangy flavor came through. Adding melted butter to the batter
kept the biscuits tender and moist, and brushing melted butter on top helped
them brown and crisp nicely.
We love a good biscuit—with a tender texture and rich flavor—as much as
anyone. But pulling out the food processor to work the butter and flour into a
coarse meal; then mixing in buttermilk; and finally rolling, stamping, and baking
just doesn’t make sense when preparing a smaller batch. When we came across
sour cream biscuits, which require neither cutting the butter into the flour nor (at
least for the drop biscuit version) rolling and stamping and boast an appealingly
tangy flavor, we thought we might have the ultimate easy biscuit recipe for two
on our hands.
To get our bearings, we collected a number of recipes and headed into the test
kitchen. Most called for combining sour cream with either self-rising flour or
biscuit mix, but tasters complained that these versions tasted either soapy or
salty, so they were out of the running. Recipes that used standard flour instead of
the self-rising kind or a biscuit mix varied primarily in the ratio of sour cream to
flour. Unfortunately, even those that used the highest ratio had none of the
characteristic tang of sour cream. And strangely, despite the sour cream, most of
our samples came out tough and lean.
Since we had ruled out biscuit mix and self-rising flour, we looked over some
of the test kitchen’s plain biscuit recipes and decided to follow their lead on the
ratios for dry ingredients to make four biscuits. In accordance with the
directions, we whisked together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt;
dumped in as much sour cream as it took to form a cohesive dough; and baked a
batch of biscuits. Finally, these biscuits really tasted like sour cream. But, sadly,
they didn’t taste buttery at all.
We thought the solution would be to just add butter. We hoped this would pull
double duty and fix the lean texture (sour cream has about 20 percent fat to
butter’s 80 percent) while also introducing buttery flavor. The key, obviously,
was to get the right balance. At 1 cup of sour cream and 4 tablespoons of butter
(melted to maintain the ease of drop biscuits) to ¾ cup of flour, we were making
progress, but now the biscuits were too fat: They were greasy and flat. We
gradually reduced the butter and the sour cream. At 2 tablespoons of butter and
¾ cup of sour cream, the interior was fluffy, moist, and tender. For more flavor,
we brushed the biscuits with a little more melted butter before baking.
About 20 minutes later, we pulled our biscuits from the oven and let them cool
before we dug in. The golden-brown, light biscuits were tender and buttery, and
the flavor was rich and tangy. And the best part: They were so easy to throw
together—just stir, scoop, and bake—that we knew we’d be making them again
and again.
Sour Cream Biscuits
MAKES 4 BISCUITS

For easy portioning, grease the ¼-cup measure with vegetable oil spray.

¾ cup (3¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sour cream
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line
rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder, and
salt in bowl. Add sour cream and 2 tablespoons melted butter and stir until just
combined.
2. Using greased ¼-cup measure, scoop out and drop 4 mounds of dough onto
prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Brush with remaining
1½ teaspoons melted butter and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes,
rotating pan halfway through baking. Let biscuits cool on sheet on wire rack for
15 minutes. Serve warm.
EASY APPLE GALETTE
Easy Apple Galette

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For an ultraeasy apple galette for two, we
bypassed the labor-intensive, time-consuming homemade pastry and reached for
store-bought frozen puff pastry instead. Forming an attractive crust was as easy
as folding over the edges of the pastry. We found the best variety of apple to be
the Granny Smith; it stayed moist in the oven and maintained its shape
throughout cooking. Once we doctored up the apple slices with some sugar to
lock in moisture and a simple glaze for an attractive sheen and fruity tartness,
our scaled-down apple galette was ready to be served.
Classically French but far from complicated, an apple galette marries buttery,
flaky pastry with sweet, tender slices or chunks of apple. But though the galette
itself is a simple dessert, making the pastry from scratch is truly a labor of love,
requiring a serious investment of time, not to mention dexterity with a rolling
pin. But we didn’t want to write this elegant dessert off the menu for households
of two. We hoped to keep the crisp, flaky texture and fruity flavors intact, while
scaling down and speeding up this dessert so it could be on the menu even on a
busy weeknight.
During our research, we found that galettes come in all shapes and sizes—
from ones in which the dough is folded over the apples, to others that feature
layers of sweet pastry, almond filling, and meticulously layered apples. But it
was a simpler version that caught our eye: This galette has a thin, flaky crust
topped with a layer of thinly sliced apples; there really wasn’t much to this
galette after all, besides the puff pastry and fruit. Now that we knew what style
of galette we were after, we could get to work.
Though we considered store-bought pie dough and phyllo dough, subsequent
tests told us that neither one was ideal here; the pie dough was too thick, and the
phyllo dough, even when layered, was too thin. Instead, we turned to
commercial puff pastry for our base; half of a sheet provided just enough for a
dessert for two. After letting the dough thaw, we created a border by simply
folding over the edges, then baked it, topped with a simple layer of sliced apples,
until golden brown. It came out as tender and sturdy as a homemade dough
would, and tasters were happy with the rich, buttery flavor. With our dough
problems figured out, we moved on to the fruit.
Because this style of galette has no top crust to seal in moisture, our apple
slices could easily dry out during baking. Obviously, the variety of apple used
here would be key. We gathered some of the most commonly available apple
varieties, including Granny Smith, Gala, McIntosh, Braeburn, Fuji, and Red and
Golden Delicious, and tested each type in our galette. In every case but one, the
apples cooked up tough, dry, and leathery. The exception was the McIntosh,
which baked to the other extreme; they were so moist that they turned to mush.
Of the varieties tested, we found that Granny Smith and Golden Delicious
showed the most promise and had the best flavor after cooking. When we tried
parcooking the Granny Smith slices before layering them in the tart, in the hope
that they might retain some moisture, the apples turned mushy and we lost all of
the pure apple flavor we wanted to preserve (not to mention it was a slippery
mess trying to arrange them attractively on the puff pastry).
So we returned to our original method—layering raw apple slices into the tart.
The thin slices were more moist but still not perfect. That’s when a colleague
suggested that we sprinkle the apples with sugar. This turned out to be our
saving grace—the sugar prevented the apples from drying out in the oven and
also helped them brown nicely.
Last, the ideal galette should have both a crust and apples that are deep golden
brown in color. After several tests, most tasters felt that 400 degrees struck the
right balance between intensely caramelized and simply burnt. Now our galette
was perfect—almost.
Although not all galette recipes called for it, in many that we found the hot-
out-of-the-oven tart was brushed with apricot preserves. After just one test, we
could see why. This glaze provided an attractive sheen and fruity tartness that
brought out the flavor of the apples, taking our Easy Apple Galette from good to
great.
Easy Apple Galette
SERVES 2

Be sure to let the puff pastry thaw completely before using; otherwise it can
crack and break apart. To thaw frozen puff pastry, let it sit either in the
refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes. Apple jelly can
be substituted for the apricot preserves; omit straining in step 3. See the sidebars
that follow the recipe.

½ (9½ by 9-inch) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

large Granny Smith apple (8 ounces), peeled, cored, and sliced ⅛ inch thick

1
½ tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon apricot preserves

1 teaspoon water
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line
rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer puff pastry to prepared
baking sheet and fold edges over by ¼ inch; crimp to create ¼-inch-thick border.
2. Starting in 1 corner of tart, shingle apple into crust in tidy, diagonal rows,
overlapping each slice by about half, until surface is completely covered. Dot
apple slices with butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake until bottom of tart
is deep golden brown and apple has caramelized, 40 to 45 minutes.
3. Combine apricot preserves and water in bowl and microwave until mixture
begins to bubble, about 30 seconds. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer to
remove any large apricot pieces. Brush baked galette with glaze and cool sheet
on wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

MAKING EASY APPLE GALETTE

1. Slice apples ⅛ inch thick so they are easy to shingle.

2. Fold edges of dough over by ¼ inch and crimp to create ¼-inch-thick border.
3. Starting in 1 corner, shingle sliced apples to form even row across dough, overlapping each slice by about
half.
USE IT UP: PUFF PASTRY

Coffeehouse Breakfast Twists

MAKES 4
Be sure to let the puff pastry thaw completely before using; otherwise it can crack and break apart. To thaw
frozen puff pastry, let it sit either in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes.

2 teaspoons sugar
½

teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ (9½ by 9-inch) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with
parchment paper. Combine sugar and cinnamon in bowl.
2. Lay puff pastry on clean counter, brush with half of melted butter, then sprinkle with half of cinnamon
sugar. Flip dough over and brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Fold
dough in half, creating 4½-inch square. Cut dough into 4 equal strips. Working with 1 strip at a time, pinch
ends together and twist strip few times to create spiral; transfer to prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake twists until fully puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
Transfer twists to wire rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Peach Melba Crisp

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a new spin on classic peach Melba, we
decided to combine peaches and raspberries in a warm crisp for two. Fruit
juiciness varies based on ripeness, so to even the playing field, we macerated
and drained the peaches before assembling the crisp in a small baking dish,
avoiding a runny filling and soggy topping. We added back a measured amount
of the peach juice, which we thickened with ground tapioca, to create a perfectly
thickened, flavorful filling. Layering the raspberries on top of the peaches
instead of folding them in prevented them from turning to mush. Finally, using
oats, flour, and nuts in our topping guaranteed that it was ultracrisp.
We love the classic flavors of peach Melba, in which poached peach halves and
vanilla ice cream are drizzled with a luscious raspberry sauce. But we hoped to
update this retro dessert by transforming it into a rustic, homey crisp for two. It
had to boast all the lively sweet and tart flavors of the traditional dish, but we
would take things up a notch by adding a crunchy, nutty topping.
After doing diligent research, we realized we weren’t the first to have thought
of morphing peach Melba into a crisp, so we assembled a few recipes we
stumbled across and baked them to assess the territory. While the flavor combo
was predictably delicious, these crisps shared several problems: The peaches
released so much juice that the fillings were soupy and the toppings soggy. And,
just as bad, the raspberries disintegrated with baking.
In an effort to right these wrongs, we threw together a standard topping from
butter, flour, oats, pecans, sugar (brown and white), and cinnamon (we later
spiced it up with ginger) and set the topping aside as we combined the peach
slices and raspberries with more sugar. In a handful of recipes the fruit wasn’t
thickened at all (no wonder those were soupy), but most called for a few
tablespoons of either flour or cornstarch. We tried these options, plus ground
tapioca, which we’ve used in the past to thicken fruit fillings. The tapioca won
out, producing a jammy filling with the clearest fruit juices and brightest flavor.
To boost the flavor further, we stirred in vanilla extract and lemon juice.
As we were working through these thickener tests, we noticed that no matter
how carefully we folded the berries in with the peaches, they fell apart in the
oven. To avoid smashing them, we scattered the berries on the bottom of the
baking dish and gently placed the sweetened peaches and the topping over them.
While more berries than before survived this test, it wasn’t a rousing success.
But if we put the peaches on the bottom and the raspberries in the middle, the
delicate berries were jostled less, protected from the direct heat of the baking
dish, and remained intact.
Thinking our work was about done, we made another crisp for good measure.
We peeled, sliced, topped, and baked. A half-hour later, we were staring at a
soupy mess. Had we forgotten the tapioca? We didn’t think so. Aggravated, we
baked another crisp. The results were just as bad. We rummaged through our
notes and studied our recipe, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.
Suddenly, it dawned on us: During the week of testing, the firm, slightly
underripe peaches had softened and become deliciously juicy: perfect for eating,
but problematic for cooking. We would need to standardize them so that no
matter how variable the fruit, the recipe would always work.
Clearly, we would need to get rid of some juice before the crisp ever went into
the oven. Macerating fruit draws off liquid, so we combined the peaches with
sugar and salt (to season them deeply), let them sit for 30 minutes, and drained
them. Then we made the recipe as before, this time with our drained peaches and
2 teaspoons of their juice (during tests the peaches released as much as 2
tablespoons or as little as 2 teaspoons of juice). We also raised the oven
temperature from 350 to 400 for extra browning and, we hoped, extra crispness.
After letting the baked crisp cool, we reached for our spoons. We were
thrilled: The berries were fresh and bright, the peaches tender but not mushy, the
topping crisp, and the balance of sweet, tart, and buttery exactly right. Our new
take on peach Melba was perfect for the modern-day dinner table for two.
Peach Melba Crisp
SERVES 2

You will need a 3-cup baking dish, measuring approximately 7¼ by 5¼ inches,

for this recipe. Do not use quick or instant oats in this recipe. Measure the
tapioca before grinding it.

FILLING

2 teaspoons instant tapioca

peaches (6 ounces each), peeled, halved, pitted, and cut into ½-inch wedges, or 8 ounces
frozen sliced peaches, thawed
2
1½

tablespoons granulated sugar

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¼

teaspoon vanilla extract

ounces (⅔ cup) raspberries
3

TOPPING
 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

⅛

teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch ground cinnamon

Pinch salt
tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
2
tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats

3 tablespoons chopped pecans

1. FOR THE FILLING: Grind tapioca in spice grinder to fine powder, about 30
seconds; set aside. Gently toss peaches with sugar and salt in bowl and let sit,
stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Drain peaches through colander set inside
bowl; reserve 2 teaspoons peach juice. Return drained peaches to original bowl
and toss with reserved peach juice, ground tapioca, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Transfer to 3-cup baking dish measuring approximately 7¼ by 5¼ inches and
press gently into even layer. Top peaches with raspberries.
2. FOR THE TOPPING: While peaches are macerating, combine flour, brown
sugar, granulated sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in food processor and process
until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles
wet sand, about 5 pulses. Add oats and pecans and pulse until mixture forms
marble-size clumps and no loose flour remains, 8 to 10 pulses. Chill mixture for
at least 15 minutes. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to
400 degrees.
3. Distribute topping evenly over fruit. Bake until topping is well browned and
fruit is bubbling around edges, about 30 minutes, rotating dish halfway through
baking. Cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted a tender, fine-crumbed pound

cake flavored with tangy cream cheese. For the richest flavor, we let the butter,
cream cheese, and egg take center stage, adding only vanilla and a moderate
amount of sugar. For a velvety texture, cutting back to just one egg and
swapping all-purpose flour for lower-protein cake flour were key. And to
achieve a tight, fine crumb, we left the leavener out altogether. Finally, though a
low oven took a little longer, we found it produced a golden-brown crust and a
moist, tender interior.
With its rich, buttery flavor, moist, tender crumb, and bronzed exterior, pound
cake makes a nice treat after dinner, or an equally good pick-me-up in the
afternoon with coffee. And its versatility doesn’t end there. This simple cake
takes well to any number of flavorings, from lemon and poppy seeds to
chocolate. But one issue we have is that no matter the flavor, pound cake tends
to serve at least eight. We wanted a scaled-down cake that would make enough
for just two so we wouldn’t be tempted by the leftovers for a week. And, for a
slight twist on the classic, we looked to make ours a cream cheese pound cake;
the cream cheese would give it a slightly tangy flavor and an especially velvety
texture.
To start, we gathered a few recipes for cream cheese pound cake and headed
into the test kitchen. Following these recipes, we baked and then ate our way
through a half-dozen samples. We had plenty of help in the eating department,
but the reviews were mixed. Overall, we agreed that while the cream cheese
added a pleasant tang, most of the cakes were either dense and gummy or coarse
and marred by tunnels. A coarse, open crumb suits white layer cake, but pound
cake should be fine-crumbed, lusciously tender, and rich. As for flavor, tasters
voted for simplicity. Classic pound cake, we felt, is defined by pure flavors:
butter, vanilla, and, in this case, cream cheese. We also preferred the cakes that
weren’t cloyingly sweet.
Informed by those tests and armed with a favorite test kitchen recipe for plain
pound cake, we cobbled together a working recipe as a place to begin our
testing. We beat half a stick of butter (this is a pound cake, after all) with ½ cup
of sugar and 4 ounces of cream cheese. Then we added two eggs and a dash of
vanilla extract, followed by ½ cup of all-purpose flour mixed with baking
powder and salt. We scraped the batter into a 5½ by 3-inch loaf pan and baked
the cake. An hour later, we tasted. The verdict: too cakey. On top of that, we
spied the occasional tunnel worming its way through the cake.
Our experience has taught us that tunnels can be caused by overleavening. For
our next test, we cut the baking powder in half (to ⅛ teaspoon), which alleviated
but didn’t eliminate the tunneling. Maybe baking powder wasn’t necessary in the
first place.
We knew from our research that older recipes for pound cakes don’t call for
leaveners. When cakes are made, air is beaten into batter during the creaming
stage, when the butter and sugar are beaten together until fluffy. This forms
small holes that eventually make the cake’s crumb. The job of the leavener is to
enlarge those holes. So if we wanted a tighter crumb, eliminating the baking
powder might get us there. Indeed it did: The tunnels disappeared. But we still
hadn’t achieved the ideal velvety texture.
Cake flour was the obvious next thing to try: It’s a little more acidic than all-
purpose flour. Acidity lowers the temperature at which proteins coagulate and at
which starches gelatinize, in turn making for a tighter crumb. Our years in the
test kitchen had taught us that cake flour absorbs more moisture than all-purpose
flour does. To account for that, we replaced some of the cream cheese that we
had been using with a tablespoon of neutral-tasting milk. These changes in place,
we baked another pound cake. We were definitely on the right track: This latest
version was more tender, fine-crumbed, and velvety than any other we had baked
thus far.
Encouraged, we moved down the ingredient list, looking for more ways to
improve the cake. That’s when we spied eggs. Egg yolks tenderize, but the
whites actually have a drying effect. After several more tests, we decided to cut
an egg; including just one in our recipe gave us the fine crumb that we had been
after all along.
Our cream cheese pound cake was getting better and better, but now a layer of
gumminess on top stood between us and a perfect pound cake. A gummy top is a
telltale sign of an underbaked cake. But if we baked the cake any longer, the
sides of the cake burned—unless we decreased the oven temperature. We inched
the dial down to 325 degrees (from 350).
One hour later, we knew we’d hit the sweet spot. This cake was moist, tender,
golden brown, and very velvety. It had all the richness (more, actually) and pure
buttery flavor of classic pound cake, but with a delicate tang—and, as a boon to
the for-two kitchen, none of the leftovers.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
SERVES 2

You will need a 5½ by 3-inch loaf pan or a pan of similar size for this recipe.
Make sure to give the batter a final stir by hand before transferring it to the loaf
pan. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

½ cup (2 ounces) cake flour

⅛

teaspoon salt
large egg, room temperature
1

1 tablespoon milk
½

teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup (3½ ounces) sugar
tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4
1½ ounces cream cheese, softened
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and
flour 5½ by 3-inch loaf pan.
2. Combine flour and salt in bowl and set aside. Whisk egg, milk, and vanilla
together in 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle,
beat sugar, butter, and cream cheese together on medium-high speed until pale
and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and very slowly add egg
mixture until incorporated (batter may look slightly curdled). Add flour mixture
in 3 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand.
3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and gently tap pan on counter to release air
bubbles. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour,
rotating pan halfway through baking.
4. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and
let cool completely, about 1 hour. Serve.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST VANILLA EXTRACT

Vanilla extract is sold in pure and imitation varieties. So which should you buy? If you’re buying only one
bottle of vanilla for cooking, baking, and making cold and creamy desserts, our top choice is a real extract–
real vanilla has around 250 flavor compounds compared to imitation vanilla’s one, giving it a complexity
tasters appreciated in certain applications. Our favorite pure vanilla is McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract.
But if you use vanilla only for baking, we have to admit there’s still not much of a difference between a
well-made synthetic vanilla and the real thing (the flavor and aroma compounds in pure vanilla begin to
bake off at higher temperatures, so the subtleties are lost). Tasters liked the “well-balanced and full” vanilla
flavor and budget-friendly price of our top-rated imitation vanilla, Gold Medal.
BANANA CREAM PIE
Banana Cream Pie

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: This layered concoction of pastry cream

and sliced bananas topped with whipped cream is utterly addictive—but it serves
a crowd. For a smaller pie, we reached for a 6-inch pie plate. Using cornstarch
instead of flour gave us a nicely thickened pastry cream that held up to slicing.
For big banana flavor, rather than relying on banana extract (which tasted
artificial) or liqueur (which was an impractical purchase when we needed only a
splash) as most recipes do, we got far better results by infusing the pastry cream
with sautéed bananas. To keep the fresh banana slices from browning, we tossed
them with orange juice. And relying on our favorite store-bought pie crust made
this recipe a no-brainer for the for-two household.
We can think of few more indulgent desserts than banana cream pie. But leftover
cream pie is never as appealing as it is the first time it hits the plate, so we set
out to scale down this dessert so that smaller households could enjoy all the
addictive flavors and textures, too.
Before getting to work on our for-two version, we sampled a number of
recipes, looking for some insight into what would produce the very best banana
cream pie. These initial tests revealed problems with every aspect of the pie. The
creamiest versions were unsliceable, and the tidiest slices were starchy and
gloppy. To reinforce the banana flavor, some recipes include banana extract or
banana liqueur in the pastry cream. We liked the idea, but the extract tasted
artificial, and buying a bottle of liqueur for the small amount we’d need seemed
crazy. Pies with cookie-crumb crusts were too sweet, and those with from-
scratch dough took a good portion of the day to make. And the sliced bananas in
every last test pie turned brown by the time the pastry cream set. In truth, the pie
needed more work than just being scaled down.
First things first: We focused on the “cream” of banana cream pie. To make
pastry cream, you combine egg yolks, flour or cornstarch, and sugar; whisk in
hot half-and-half; stir over low heat until thick; and then add vanilla and a little
butter. (The butter melts in the hot pastry cream but resolidifies and stiffens the
cream as it cools.) Hoping to strike a compromise between starchy and runny, we
made pastry cream again and again over a series of days, adjusting each
component. Eventually, we figured out our ratios and settled on cornstarch,
which proved to be a more foolproof thickener than flour.
With our working pastry cream, we assembled a test pie. We arranged a sliced
banana between two layers of the pastry cream in a prebaked pie shell (we used
store-bought pie dough for convenience). After chilling the pie, we sliced into it
and served a couple of pieces. Though the pie sliced nicely, the bananas were
turning brown.
To investigate without the trouble of baking more pies, we decided to toss
banana slices with various ingredients alleged to protect them from browning,
then left them out on the counter, checking in periodically to see which browned
the slowest. Sugar and vodka were a bust. Salt, vinegar, and lemon juice slowed
browning but tasted either salty or sour. Orange juice, however, slowed
browning and left the mellow, fruity banana flavor alone, so we assembled a pie,
this time tossing our banana with orange juice. Tasters approved.
Next, we turned to bumping up the banana flavor. Since banana extract and
liqueur were out, we tried smashing up a banana in the pastry cream. No dice: It
turned the pastry cream brown. A colleague recommended banana baby food—
great idea, but another failure: It made the pastry cream runny. So we borrowed
an idea from a banana pudding recipe, using pureed roasted bananas to flavor
our pastry cream. This pie was delicious. Unfortunately, it was also loose and
turned brownish gray. Now we tried sautéing the bananas in butter, and again we
pureed them into the cream.
Once more, delicious—and gray. We were starting to get really frustrated
when the solution occurred to us: Maybe we could infuse the half-and-half with
banana flavor and then strain out the fruit. Just one sautéed banana gave the
pastry cream a big banana-y boost, and straining minimized the unappealing
color change.
For the pie shell, we decided to stick with our favorite store-bought pie crust
instead of laboring with our own homemade version; this was much more
practical for our scaled-down dessert, and tasters were plenty satisfied.
With a creamy yet sliceable banana-boosted pastry cream, mellow and
(finally) yellow sliced bananas, and a light and stable whipped cream, this pie
now had it all.
Banana Cream Pie
SERVES 2

You will need a 6-inch pie plate for this recipe. Use all-yellow to lightly spotted
bananas for this recipe (not green-topped or all-brown). Peel and slice the
bananas just before using to prevent browning. When straining the half-and-half
mixture in step 2, do not press on the bananas or the custard will turn gray as it
sits. The pie can be made up to 24 hours in advance; note that it should be
chilled for a minimum of 5 hours. Our favorite pie dough is made by Wholly
Wholesome, which has two crusts in a box; you will need only one for this
recipe. This pie dough is sold frozen and requires 3 hours of defrosting. This is
best done on the counter rather than in the refrigerator; you may microwave the
dough for up to 10 seconds if the center is not fully thawed. See the sidebar that
follows the recipe.

2 ripe bananas

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1¼ cups half-and-half
¼ cup (1¾ ounces) plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3 large egg yolks

⅛

teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch
¾

teaspoon vanilla extract

½ package store-bought pie dough

1 tablespoon orange juice

¼ cup heavy cream, chilled
teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

2
1. Peel 1 banana and slice into ½-inch-thick pieces. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in
small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add banana slices and cook until they
begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, bring to boil, and boil for 30
seconds. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let sit for 40 minutes.
2. Whisk granulated sugar, egg yolks, and salt together in medium bowl until
smooth. Whisk in cornstarch. Strain half-and-half mixture through fine-mesh
strainer into yolk mixture—do not press on bananas—and whisk until
incorporated; discard cooked bananas.
3. Transfer mixture to clean saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking
constantly, until thickened to consistency of warm pudding (180 degrees), 4 to 6
minutes. Remove pan from heat; whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and ½
teaspoon vanilla. Transfer to bowl, press greased parchment paper directly
against surface, and let cool for about 1 hour.
4. Gently unroll dough onto 6-inch pie plate, letting excess hang over edge. Ease
dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with 1 hand while pressing into
plate bottom with other hand. Leave any dough that overhangs plate in place.
Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of pie plate. Tuck overhang under itself;
folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Crimp dough evenly around
edge of pie using your fingers. Wrap dough-lined pie plate loosely in plastic
wrap and place in freezer until dough is fully chilled and firm, about 20 minutes.
5. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line
chilled crust with sheet of lightly greased aluminum foil, folding foil over edges
of dough. Fill with pie weights. Bake until pie dough looks dry and is light in
color, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and
continue baking until crust is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Let cool to
room temperature.
6. Peel remaining banana, slice into ¼-inch-thick rounds, and toss with orange
juice. Whisk pastry cream briefly, then spread half over bottom of pie shell.
Arrange sliced bananas on pastry cream. Top with remaining pastry cream. Whip
cream, confectioners’ sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon vanilla together in bowl
until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream attractively over center of pie and
refrigerate until set, at least 5 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

FITTING PIE DOUGH INTO A PIE PLATE

1. Gently unroll dough over pie plate.

2. Lift dough and gently press it into pie plate, letting excess hang over plate.
3. Trim pie dough so that it hangs over pie plate by ½ inch, then tuck dough underneath itself to form tidy,
even edge that sits on lip of pie plate.
4. Use index finger of 1 hand and thumb and index finger of other to create fluted ridges perpendicular to
edge of pie plate.
THE BEST STORE-BOUGHT PIE CRUST
Hands down, homemade pie crust is worth the effort, but we don’t always have the time. Enter premade
crust–it may not be Grandma’s, but it’s fast and easy. To find the best one on the market, we recently put
eight products to the test, choosing a mix of frozen and refrigerated doughs, including three sold in sheets
and five ready in aluminum pie plates. We ate the shells baked plain, in single-crust pumpkin pies, and in
double-crust apple pies, evaluating them on flavor, texture, capacity, and handling. One sample outshone the
others: Wholly Wholesome 9-Inch Certified Organic Traditional Bake at Home Rolled Pie Dough.
Tasters found it “rich” and “tender.”
Crème Caramel

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Our crème caramel for two had to be
creamy and tender, yet firm enough to unmold without collapsing on the plate.
Nailing the custard came down to figuring out the right proportion of whole eggs
to yolks. Selecting half-and-half for the dairy ensured that the custard was plenty
rich and creamy, but not over the top. Creating a custard that’s creamy and
smooth also depends on maintaining a gentle heating environment; this was
provided by baking our ramekins in a water bath. Once inverted, our custards
were coated by a nicely sweetened caramel, which gave them a picture-perfect
appearance and worked to balance their richness.
Crème caramel is a deceptively simple classic French dessert. Made with just a
few ingredients that are readily available (sugar, eggs, and milk or cream), it is
similar in construction and flavor to other baked custards from around the world.
Slightly lighter and a little less sweet than a standard baked custard, this dessert
really stands out thanks to the caramel sauce, which bakes underneath the
custard. Once the dessert is baked and the custard inverted for serving, the
caramel sauce spills over the top and onto the plate, making for one
showstopping finish to any special-occasion dinner. We thought this fancy
dessert would be the perfect addition to our lineup of scaled-down sweets.
Since eggs are integral to the structure of crème caramel, we started there. In
doing our research, we learned that not all recipes agreed on the number of eggs
or the proportion of egg yolks to egg whites. Here’s what we learned: Too many
whites produced a custard that was almost solid and rubbery; too few egg whites,
on the other hand, and our custard collapsed. After much tinkering, we came up
with what we consider the ideal ratio: 2 tablespoons of lightly beaten egg
(roughly half of a large egg) and one yolk. The resulting custard was tender yet
not overly rich, and firm enough to unmold easily.
Next, we examined the question of what liquid to use. Since we were making
a classic crème caramel, our choices were limited to milk, heavy cream, and
half-and-half. We made our initial custard using milk alone, but it tasted far too
thin. The custard made with heavy cream, on the other hand, was creamy but too
rich. This left us wanting something in between, and half-and-half solved the
problem, giving us just that extra edge of richness, creamy enough to satisfy our
tasters.
As for the sugar, we knew that a crème caramel custard should be less sweet
than a custard meant to be eaten unadorned. We initially used 2 tablespoons of
sugar for ¾ cup of liquid in the recipe and were quite satisfied, but some tasters
felt that this custard was too bland. Bumping up the sugar to 4 tablespoons
ensured that our custards were nicely sweetened, but not cloying.
Now that our custard base was settled, we got to work on the caramel. We had
two techniques to choose from. In the dry method, you use only sugar, cooking it
slowly until it melts and caramelizes. The wet method uses a combination of
water and sugar. The sugar begins to dissolve in the water, then the mixture is
simmered until the water evaporates and the sugar caramelizes. The dry method
can be tricky to pull off, so we opted for the wet method.
Once our caramel was done, we poured it directly into our lightly greased 4-
ounce ramekins. We then followed common advice to coat the bottom evenly
and tilt the ramekins to coat the sides. But an accident with hot caramel burning
our fingers while the ramekins were tilted caused us to question this particular
bit of advice. We started to coat only the bottoms of the molds, reasoning that the
caramel sinks to the bottom while baking anyway. When we unmolded the
custards, the caramel still poured evenly over the tops of the custards, and we
didn’t have to worry about burnt fingertips.
How you bake crème caramel and how long you bake it can make all the
difference between a great dessert and a mediocre, or even disappointing, one.
After considerable experimentation, we determined that baking the custards at
350 degrees in a water bath, in order to maintain an even, gentle heating
environment, worked best, producing custards that were creamy and smooth.
As a final experiment, we decided to try lining the baking pan with a towel
before adding the ramekins or the water. We found this step in a couple of
recipes and thought it was worth a try, given that our custards still had bubbles
from overcooking near the bottom. We reasoned that the towel might absorb
some of the heat from the bottom, preventing the custards from overcooking in
this area. Custards baked with the towel contained significantly fewer bubbles,
so we decided to throw in the towel (no pun intended).
Just one spoonful revealed that we’d succeeded. Our pair of perfect crème
caramels not only looked elegant and refined, but they also tasted that way, too,
with their rich, creamy texture and sophisticated sweetness from the caramel.
Crème Caramel
SERVES 2

You will need two 4-ounce ramekins for this recipe. Note that the custards will
look barely set once they are ready to be removed from the oven. You will need
a candy thermometer or another thermometer that registers high temperatures for
this recipe. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2 tablespoons water
tablespoons (2⅔ ounces) sugar

6
tablespoons lightly beaten egg, plus 1 large yolk

2
¼

teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt
¾ cup half-and-half
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring kettle
of water to boil. Place dish towel in bottom of metal 8-inch square baking pan.
Grease two 4-ounce ramekins and place on towel.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons water into small saucepan, then pour 4 tablespoons sugar
into center of pan (don’t let it hit sides of pan). Gently stir sugar with clean
heatproof spatula to wet thoroughly. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and
cook, without stirring, until sugar has dissolved completely and liquid has faint
golden color and registers 300 degrees, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until
caramel has dark amber color and registers 350 degrees, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Carefully divide caramel between ramekins and let cool slightly until hardened.
4. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg, egg
yolk, vanilla, and salt together in large bowl. Heat half-and-half in medium
saucepan over medium heat until steaming, then whisk into egg mixture until
just combined. Strain custard through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring
cup. Pour custard evenly into ramekins on top of caramel.
5. Place baking pan in oven and carefully pour enough boiling water into pan to
reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake custards until small knife inserted
halfway between center and edge comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
6. Carefully remove ramekins from water bath using tongs and sturdy spatula
and let custards cool to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours. Set ramekins on plate,
cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.
7. Run small knife around 1 ramekin to loosen custard. Place inverted serving
plate over top and quickly flip custard onto plate, drizzling any extra caramel
sauce over top (some caramel will remain stuck in ramekin). Repeat with
remaining ramekin and serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

UNMOLDING CRÈME CARAMEL

1. Slide small knife around custard to loosen it, pressing knife against side of dish.
2. Hold individual serving plate over top of ramekin and swiftly invert.
3. Set plate on counter and shake ramekin gently to release custard and caramel (some caramel will remain
in ramekin).
INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKES
Individual Chocolate Fudge Cakes

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: To bring this bistro favorite home for two,
we started by building a rich, brownielike cake with an intense chocolate flavor.
Moderate amounts of vegetable oil and chocolate ensured that our cakes were
plenty moist and boasted a good jolt of chocolaty flavor. Half an egg also
contributed to our cakes’ moistness and richness, and a small amount of flour
gave our cakes more structure and lift. Finally, for a gooey center, we pressed a
square of chocolate into each ramekin before baking, giving us individual cakes
with a big burst of chocolate and a rich, fudgy center.
Warm, gooey, and uber-chocolaty, individual chocolate cakes are a mainstay on
most bistro menus—and it’s not hard to understand why. With their rich, fudgy
centers and dense, brownielike exteriors, these individual desserts are incredibly
satisfying—and not just for diehard chocoholics. But we didn’t want to have to
go out to enjoy the decadent, intense richness and big chocolate flavor of this
dish, so we set out to develop our own recipe to make this restaurant favorite at
home. And because we’d be preparing just two desserts—not a whole fleet of
individual cakes—we were already well on our way to ensuring that these were
easy enough to make, bake, and serve that we could indulge any night of the
week.
Our first step was to gather several recipes that we had encountered in our
research and test them out. We found that most followed one of two paths. The
fussier version called for beating the egg yolks and whites separately and then
folding them together before baking the cakes in a hot-water bath to produce a
soufflélike cake that sat above a layer of fudgy sauce. Then there were the
absurdly simple recipes that started with melting the chocolate before stirring in
everything else, dividing the batter among the ramekins, and baking the cakes.
But though the latter method was much easier and more foolproof, not all of the
recipes delivered fudgy cakes with the flavor and texture we were after.
Instead of offering deep, chocolaty flavor, some tasted shallow and mild. And
instead of providing a molten fudgy center, some were dry, while others were
just plain soupy or severely underbaked. But we weren’t about to give up on the
notion of an effortless recipe for cakes with intense flavor and a gooey center.
For our next move, we cobbled together a working recipe based on our test
cakes. It consisted of chocolate, oil, milk, eggs, and flour, plus brown sugar
(which provided more depth than granulated sugar) and leaveners (both baking
powder and baking soda). After considerable testing, we decided that just 2
tablespoons of vegetable oil and 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate made the
dessert moist enough and delivered a good jolt of intense chocolate flavor. A
quarter-cup of whole milk further amped up the moistness and richness of our
cakes.
Moving on to the eggs, we quickly realized that nailing down the right amount
was perhaps even more crucial, as it affected the texture, richness, and moisture
of our cakes. We tested cakes made with one whole egg (these had a light and
spongy texture), one large yolk (these were moist and dense), and half of a
beaten egg (these were rich but light, moist, intense, and dark). Half an egg gave
us the best cakes overall, with both the flavor and texture we were after.
Although some recipes use very little or no flour, we found after some testing
that 6 tablespoons gave the cakes some structure and lift—making them less
fudgelike and more cakelike.
But though we liked a more cakey exterior, we still wanted the center of the
cakes to have a soft, fudgy texture. Underbaking our cakes prevented the outside
of the dessert from setting up, so to get the gooey center we were after, we tried
adding plain chocolate to the batter. Chocolate chips melted into the cake, but a
single square of bittersweet chocolate, pressed right into the center of each
ramekin, melted perfectly and made for a delicious molten center.
To bake the cakes, we greased two 6-ounce ramekins and dusted them with
flour to ensure that the cakes wouldn’t stick to the sides. With the dishes ready
and the batter portioned, we turned our attention to oven temperatures, baking
our cakes at 350, 400, and 450 degrees. At the two higher temperatures, we
found that the tops were slightly burned and the centers were too runny. At 350
degrees, our cakes had a nicely set, cakey perimeter surrounding a saucy surprise
in the middle.
With a scoop of ice cream on top, these ultrachocolaty cakes delivered the
richness, intensity, and flavor we expected—and we didn’t have to tip our server
afterward.
Individual Chocolate Fudge Cakes
SERVES 2

You will need two 6-ounce ramekins for this recipe. Serve these cakes warm in
their ramekins and top them with vanilla ice cream, if desired. See the sidebar
that follows the recipe.

tablespoons (1¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

6
¼

teaspoon baking powder

⅛

teaspoon baking soda

⅛

teaspoon salt
ounces bittersweet chocolate, 2 ounces chopped and 1 ounce broken into 2 (½-ounce)
squares
3
¼

cup whole milk

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg

¼
teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and
flour two 6-ounce ramekins and arrange on rimmed baking sheet. Whisk flour,
baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl; set aside.
2. Microwave 2 ounces chopped chocolate and milk together in medium bowl,
stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in sugar until
dissolved; let cool slightly. Whisk oil, egg, and vanilla into melted chocolate
mixture until combined. Slowly whisk in flour mixture until just combined.
3. Divide batter between prepared ramekins and gently tap ramekins on counter
to release air bubbles. Gently press 1 square chocolate into center of each
ramekin to submerge. Bake until tops are just firm to touch and center is gooey
when pierced with toothpick, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through
baking. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
 NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN

THE BEST DARK CHOCOLATE

Semisweet and bittersweet chocolate, also called dark chocolate, must contain at least 35 percent chocolate
liquor (a combination of chocolate solids and cocoa butter), although most contain more than 55 percent
and some can go as high as 99 percent. Many brands have distinctive flavors that tasters liked in particular
desserts, but two brands, Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate L-60-40NV and Ghirardelli Bittersweet
Chocolate Baking Bar, consistently produced great results in all types of baked goods. Note that both of
these chocolates contain 60 percent cacao–the type most recipes calling for dark have been developed to
use. (Chocolates containing 70 percent or more cacao usually require recipe adjustments to get good
results.)
Creamy Chocolate Pudding

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a rich and creamy homemade chocolate
pudding for two that was worlds better than a snack pack, we found that using a
moderate amount of bittersweet chocolate in combination with unsweetened
cocoa and espresso powder helped us to achieve maximum chocolate flavor. For
thickening, cornstarch proved the right choice, and using mostly milk and just ¼
cup of heavy cream, along with one egg yolk, ensured that our pudding had a
silky-smooth texture. Salt and vanilla enhanced the chocolate flavor even more.
Sometimes we miss the simplicity—and the restraint—of a good homemade
chocolate pudding: that wonderfully smooth, dense, yet light marriage of
chocolate and dairy thickened with cornstarch and maybe a couple of egg yolks.
We can manage only a few bites of dense, ganachelike pot de crème, but we can
easily devour a generous serving of chocolate pudding. Though it might be
viewed as a kids’ dessert, we think this classic is worthy of the adult dinner table
and looked to bring back this simple pleasure in a recipe that made just enough
for two.
When we went to the test kitchen library to gather recipes, we were happily
reminded that making chocolate pudding from scratch couldn’t be easier:
Simmer dairy and sugar with cornstarch, whisk in chocolate and (sometimes)
egg yolks, add vanilla extract, and chill. If we weren’t already excited about
scaling this recipe down for two, its sheer simplicity sealed the deal.
That said, when we gave the recipes a closer look, the variety among them
was startling for a dish with so few steps and ingredients. Some called for
unsweetened chocolate, others bittersweet. Amounts ranged from a modest
ounce to more than 10 times that amount. Still others ditched the solid chocolate
for cocoa powder. As for the egg yolks, many recipes didn’t include them,
instead opting for a heftier dose of cornstarch to thicken things up. Then there
was the dairy question: Should it be milk, cream, half-and-half—or some
combination? And would adding butter be a good thing or overkill?
We decided to start conservatively, scaling down and preparing a pudding
from an old recipe that called for 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate, milk,
cornstarch, and no eggs. No surprise: Tasters panned this pudding for its wan
flavor and loose consistency. Trying our hand at a more modern recipe, we made
a version that kicked everything up a notch, increasing the unsweetened
chocolate to 3 ounces, swapping in some half-and-half for the milk, and adding a
few tablespoons of butter. But still, our pudding had no fans.
Putting the lackluster recipes aside, we went for a more drastic change and
tried a bittersweet chocolate pudding recipe we’d found. This formula—2
ounces of bittersweet chocolate, milk, and no eggs—produced a markedly richer,
more complex chocolate pudding. But we hadn’t hit the mark yet. Sure, this
pudding’s chocolate flavor had more oomph and dimension, but according to our
tasters, we had yet to reach the chocolate ceiling. Upping our chocolate to 3
ounces only gave us a grainy pudding, which we figured was from the high
proportion of chocolate solids.
 Thinking back to our research, one unusual recipe had called for cocoa
powder, but no bar chocolate. We decided to give it a try, although we thought
the gritty cocoa particles would equal gritty pudding that didn’t taste very rich.
Sure enough, our tasters thought this pudding’s flavor was just OK, but to our
surprise, they raved about its silky texture—by far the smoothest pudding we
had turned out to date.
Turning back to our working recipe that used 2 ounces of solid chocolate, we
began adding cocoa powder to it, stopping when we got to 1 tablespoon. This
pudding boasted not only deep chocolate flavor but also perfect smoothness.
How was it that more chocolate contributed to a gritty texture, while cocoa
didn’t adversely affect the pudding’s smoothness? A chat with our science editor
helped clarify things. He explained that the culprit in causing grittiness is cocoa
butter—and solid chocolate has far more of it than cocoa powder. Solid
chocolate is manufactured so that its cocoa butter remains solid at room
temperature but melts precisely at human body temperature. But when the same
chocolate is melted and then allowed to re-solidify, the crystalline structure of
the cocoa butter is reorganized; it becomes more stable and melts at higher
temperatures. If present in high enough amounts, this more-stable form of cocoa
butter creates a grainy texture. The upshot: For a pudding with both potent
chocolate flavor and a supremely smooth texture, a combo of bittersweet
chocolate and cocoa powder was definitely the way to go.
With that mystery solved and the chocolate flavor exactly where we wanted it,
we had just a few more tweaks to make. Thus far, we hadn’t used egg yolks in
our recipe, but the pudding was lacking a certain richness and body that yolks
would surely provide. After a few tests, we determined that one yolk did the
trick. Tasters also liked the extra creaminess brought about by adding ¼ cup of
heavy cream.
And yet something was still missing—some depth and roundness to the
chocolate flavor. We often turn to espresso powder to add richness and depth to
chocolate desserts, and here it worked perfectly. Just ⅛ teaspoon did the trick.
At long last—and with the help of two kinds of chocolate—we had achieved
pudding perfection.
Creamy Chocolate Pudding
SERVES 2

For this recipe, we recommend using one of our favorite dark chocolates—
Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate L-60-40NV or Ghirardelli Bittersweet
Chocolate Baking Bar. If you like, garnish the pudding with whipped cream and
chocolate shavings.

teaspoon vanilla extract

⅛

teaspoon instant espresso powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2½

teaspoons cornstarch
⅛

teaspoon salt
¼

cup heavy cream

1 large egg yolk

1 cup whole milk

 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2
ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

2
1. Combine vanilla and espresso powder in bowl; set aside. Whisk sugar, cocoa,
cornstarch, and salt together in small saucepan. Whisk in cream and egg yolk
until fully incorporated, making sure to scrape corners of saucepan. Add milk
and whisk until combined.
2. Heat milk mixture over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until
mixture is thickened and bubbling over entire surface, 5 to 8 minutes. Cook 30
seconds longer, remove from heat, add butter, chocolate, and vanilla mixture,
and whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth.
3. Pour pudding through fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Press lightly greased
parchment paper against surface of pudding and refrigerate until completely
cool, at least 4 hours. Briefly whisk pudding before serving.
Quicker Turtle Brownies

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: With their rich caramel and crunchy nuts,
turtle brownies up the ante when it comes to your standard brownie—but they
also up the ante when it comes to the amount of work involved. For an easier
path to turtle brownie heaven for two, we first created a simple yet flavor-packed
brownie. Bypassing the homemade caramel, we doctored up caramel candies
with heavy cream. Placing a layer of caramel in the brownies, rather than just on
top, ensured that it stayed put, and parbaking the bottom layer first kept the
caramel from sinking. Using a loaf pan to bake our brownies delivered just
enough for two (with a little extra left over for a snack).
Dark chocolate brownies, rich and chewy caramel, and sweet pecans—it’s hard
to go wrong with turtle brownies. In the test kitchen, we recently developed a
recipe for this amped-up brownie, but scaling it down for two seemed like a
nonstarter. Even though they are incredibly decadent and rich, that wasn’t
enough to justify buying a few different types of chocolate and making caramel
from scratch. We wanted a recipe that would be every bit as tempting and rich
tasting but would require a little less shopping, time, and effort.
Looking for a more streamlined take on the turtle brownie, we started with a
more basic recipe for brownies. First, we melted butter and unsweetened
chocolate (for maximum chocolate flavor) together until smooth, then whisked
in granulated sugar, an egg, and vanilla. Finally, we added the flour (cake flour
gave our brownies a more tender texture than all-purpose flour), baking powder,
and salt. After baking our brownies—a loaf pan made the perfect mini baking
pan—and letting them cool, we topped one batch with jarred caramel sauce and
the other with melted caramel candies. The jarred sauce was a goopy mess, and
the melted caramels, although tasty, were waxy and created a skin that peeled off
in a single leathery layer. Worse, the brownies were soggy because the sugar in
the caramel added too much moisture. Cutting back on the sugar and increasing
the flour in the brownie batter seemed to fix the moisture level, but we still had
to fix the caramel.
To prevent waxiness in the melted caramels, we melted them with a little
cream. But the solidified caramel layer still peeled off in one big strip. What if
we put the caramel layer inside the brownies instead? We poured half of the
batter into our loaf pan, layered on the melted caramel, topped it with the rest of
the batter, and baked it. Sadly, the caramel disappeared into the bottom brownie
layer. Maybe parbaking the bottom layer would help, so the caramel wouldn’t
have a chance to sink into the batter.
For our next test, we mixed together our brownie batter, spread half of it in the
pan, and then parbaked the bottom while making the caramel sauce. After just 10
minutes, the bottom layer was set. Next, we sprinkled on the nuts, poured on the
caramel, and topped it with the remaining batter and more pecans. When the
brownies were done, we gave them a finishing drizzle of a little more caramel.
Finally, the caramel stayed put, and each bite was met with tender brownie,
crunchy nuts, and rich caramel flavor.
Our streamlined turtle brownies now both looked and tasted the part. And
though they were ready in record time, they disappeared from the plate even
faster.
Quicker Turtle Brownies
MAKES 4 BROWNIES

You will need an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan, or a pan of similar size, for this recipe.

tablespoons (1½ ounces) cake flour

6
¼

teaspoon baking powder

Salt
tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

3
1½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
½ cup (3½ ounces) sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

10 soft caramels
1½

tablespoons heavy cream

½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Make
aluminum foil sling for 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan by folding 2 long sheets of foil;
first sheet should be 8½ inches wide and second sheet should be 4½ inches wide.
Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over
edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan and smooth foil flush to
pan. Spray with vegetable oil spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in bowl. Microwave
butter and chocolate together in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth,
about 1 minute. Whisk sugar, egg, and ½ teaspoon vanilla into chocolate
mixture. Add flour mixture in two additions, mixing until combined. Scrape
approximately half of batter into prepared pan and spread into even layer. Bake
until center is just set, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, microwave caramels, cream, remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla, and ⅛
teaspoon salt together in bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2
minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon caramel mixture for topping. Sprinkle parbaked
brownies with ¼ cup pecans; pour remaining caramel mixture evenly over
pecans. Top with remaining brownie batter and remaining ¼ cup pecans. Bake
until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30
to 35 minutes.
4. Let brownies cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Reheat reserved 1
tablespoon caramel mixture in microwave for 30 seconds, drizzle over brownies,
and let sit for 30 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan and cut
into 4 pieces. Serve.
Conversions & Equivalencies
SOME SAY COOKING IS A SCIENCE AND AN ART. We would say that geography has a hand in
it, too. Flour milled in the United Kingdom and elsewhere will feel and taste different from flour
milled in the United States. So we cannot promise that the loaf of bread you bake in Canada or
England will taste the same as a loaf baked in the States, but we can offer guidelines for converting
weights and measures. We also recommend that you rely on your instincts when making our recipes.
Refer to the visual cues provided. If the bread dough hasn’t “come together in a ball,” as described,
you may need to add more flour—even if the recipe doesn’t tell you to. You be the judge.
The recipes in this book were developed using standard U.S. measures following U.S. government
guidelines. The charts below offer equivalents for U.S., metric, and imperial (U.K.) measures. All
conversions are approximate and have been rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.

EXAMPLE:

1 = 4.9292 milliliters, rounded up to 5 milliliters

teaspoon
1 ounce = 28.3495 grams, rounded down to 28 grams

VOLUME CONVERSIONS U.S. TO METRIC

1 teaspoon = 5 milliliters 2 teaspoons = 10 milliliters 1 tablespoon = 15 milliliters 2 tablespoons = 30

milliliters ¼ cup = 59 milliliters
⅓ cup = 79 milliliters
½ cup = 118 milliliters
¾ cup = 177 milliliters
1 cup = 237 milliliters
1¼ cup = 296 milliliters
1½ cup = 355 milliliters
2 cups (1 pint) = 473 milliliters 2½ cups = 591 milliliters
3 cups = 710 milliliters
4 cups (1 quart) = 0.946 liter 1.06 quarts = 1 liter
4 quarts (1 gallon) = 3.8 liters

WEIGHT CONVERSIONS

½ ounces = 14 grams
¾ ounces = 21 grams
1 ounce = 28 grams
1½ ounces = 43 grams
2 ounces = 57 grams
2 ½ ounces = 71 grams
3 ounces = 85 grams
3 ½ ounces = 99 grams
4 ounces = 113 grams
4 ½ ounces = 128 grams
5 ounces = 142 grams
6 ounces = 170 grams
7 ounces = 198 grams
8 ounces = 227 grams
9 ounces = 255 grams
10 ounces = 283 grams
12 ounces = 340 grams
16 ounces (1 pound) = 454 grams

CONVERSIONS FOR INGREDIENTS COMMONLY USED IN

BAKING

Baking is an exacting science. Because measuring by weight is far more accurate than measuring by
volume, and thus more likely to achieve reliable results, in our recipes we provide ounce measures in
addition to cup measures for many ingredients. Refer to the chart below to convert these measures
into grams.

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour* = 5 Ounces = 142 Grams 1 Cup Cake Flour = 4 Ounces = 113 Grams 1
Cup Whole-Wheat Flour = 5 ½ Ounces = 156 Grams 1 Cup Granulated (White) Sugar = 7 Ounces =
198 Grams 1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar (Light or Dark) = 7 Ounces = 198 Grams 1 Cup
Confectioners’ Sugar = 4 Ounces = 113 Grams 1 Cup Cocoa Powder = 3 Ounces = 85 Grams Butter †
4 Tablespoons (½ stick, or ¼ cup) = 2 Ounces = 57 Grams 8 Tablespoons (1 stick, or ½ cup) = 4
Ounces = 113 Grams 16 Tablespoons (2 sticks, or 1 cup) = 8 Ounces = 227 Grams
* U.S. all-purpose flour, the most frequently used flour in this book, does not contain leaveners, as
some European flours do. These leavened flours are called self-rising or self-raising. If you are using
self-rising flour, take this into consideration before adding leavening to a recipe.

† In the United States, butter is sold both salted and unsalted. We generally recommend unsalted
butter. If you are using salted butter, take this into consideration before adding salt to a recipe.

OVEN TEMPERATURES
225 Fahrenheit = 105 Celsius = ¼ Gas Mark (Imperial) 250 Fahrenheit = 120 Celsius = ½ Gas Mark
(Imperial) 275 Fahrenheit = 135 Celsius = 1 Gas Mark (Imperial) 300 Fahrenheit = 150 Celsius = 2
Gas Mark (Imperial) 325 Fahrenheit = 165 Celsius = 3 Gas Mark (Imperial) 350 Fahrenheit = 180
Celsius = 4 Gas Mark (Imperial) 375 Fahrenheit = 190 Celsius = 5 Gas Mark (Imperial) 400
Fahrenheit = 200 Celsius = 6 Gas Mark (Imperial) 425 Fahrenheit = 220 Celsius = 7 Gas Mark
(Imperial) 450 Fahrenheit = 230 Celsius = 8 Gas Mark (Imperial) 475 Fahrenheit = 245 Celsius = 9
Gas Mark (Imperial)

CONVERTING TEMPERATURES FROM AN INSTANT-READ

THERMOMETER

We include doneness temperatures in many of our recipes, such as those for poultry, meat, and bread.
We recommend an instant-read thermometer for the job. Refer to the table above to convert -
Fahrenheit degrees to Celsius. Or, for temperatures not represented in the chart, use this simple
formula: Subtract 32 degrees from the Fahrenheit reading, then divide the result by 1.8 to find the
Celsius reading.

EXAMPLE: “Roast chicken until thighs register 175 degrees.”
To convert:
175 F − 32 = 143°
143 ÷ 1.8 = 79.44°C, rounded down to 79°C
Master Recipe Listing
CHAPTER 1: THE MAIN COURSE
Weeknight Roast Chicken

Chicken Marbella

Filipino Chicken Adobo

Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Olives

Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Porcini and Shallots

French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork

French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork with Port and Figs

Red Wine-Braised Pork Chops

Smoky Indoor Ribs

Prime Rib for Two

Minute Steaks with Garlic-Parsley Butter

All-American Mini Meatloaves

Southwestern Mini Meatloaves

Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

Greek Meatballs with Herbs and Feta

Braised Brisket with Mushrooms

Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Artichokes and Tomato-Sherry Vinaigrette

Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Scallions and Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Jalapeños and Spicy Vinaigrette

Baked Fish with Crisp Bread Crumbs

Maryland Crab Cakes
CHAPTER 2: ONE-DISH SUPPERS
Skillet Chicken Fajitas

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel and Parsnips

Chicken and Rice

Chicken and Rice with Five-Spice and Scallions
Chicken and Rice with Smoked Paprika and Cilantro

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Skillet Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Feta

Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits

U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup

Crispy Sesame Pork Cutlets with Wilted Napa Cabbage Salad

Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce

Strip Steaks with Potato-Artichoke Ragout

Catalan-Style Beef Stew with Mushrooms

Five-Alarm Chili

Moroccan Fish and Couscous Packets

Chili-Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy

Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash

CHAPTER 3: PASTA FOR DINNER
Skillet Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti al Vino Bianco

Penne with Pancetta, White Beans, and Rosemary

Summer Pasta with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata

Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta

Whole-Wheat Rotini with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Peas

Cheese Ravioli with Pestos

Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto

Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce

Fresh Pasta without a Machine

Olive Oil Sauce with Anchovy and Parsley
Walnut Cream Sauce

Potato Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage

Vegetable Lasagna

Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp

Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple

Drunken Noodles with Chicken

Beef Lo Mein with Broccoli and Bell Pepper

Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame
CHAPTER 4: VEGETARIAN SUPPERS
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup

Vegetable Pot Pie

Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie

Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts

Ricotta and Egg Casseroles with Spinach and Tomato

Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale

Risotto Primavera

Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes

Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas

Spicy Asian Soy and Rice Lettuce Wraps

CHAPTER 5: DINNER OFF THE GRILL
Grilled Pesto Chicken with Corn on the Cob

Grilled Wine-and-Herb Marinated Chicken with Asparagus

Barbecued Pulled Chicken with Warm Cabbage Slaw

Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Sesame Bok Choy

Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor)

Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with Zucchini Ribbons and Shaved Parmesan

Grilled Steak with New Mexican Chile Rub and Red Potatoes
Grilled Steak with Spicy Chipotle Chile Rub and Red Potatoes

Grill-Smoked Salmon with Cucumber, Radish, and Watercress Salad

Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Radicchio and Gorgonzola Salad

Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad

CHAPTER 6: LIGHT AND FRESH
Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup

Spaghetti al Limone

Chinese Chicken Salad

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Sweet and Spicy Mango Relish

Turkey Taco Salad

Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Port Wine and Cherry Sauce
Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Quick Ginger-Apple Chutney

Chilled Rice Noodles with Shrimp

Seafood Risotto

Braised Cod Peperonata

CHAPTER 7: EXPRESS LANE
Putting Rotisserie Chicken to Work
Rustic Chicken Tart with Spinach and Goat Cheese
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Chicken and Biscuits
Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pies

Putting Chicken Sausage to Work

Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
Escarole, Sausage, and Orzo Soup
Aloha Kebabs
Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake

Putting Precooked Shrimp to Work

Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
Shrimp Fried Rice
Baked Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta

Putting Cheese Tortellini to Work

Tomato Florentine Soup
Pasta Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Basil
Skillet Tortellini with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Tortellini Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes

Putting Canned Beans to Work

Crispy Black Bean Cakes with Chipotle Sour Cream
Tuscan White Bean Soup
White Bean and Tuna Salad
Smoky Chicken Chili
CHAPTER 8: SLOW-COOKER FAVORITES
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew

Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup

Slow-Cooker Chicken Provençal

Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew

Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Cranberries and Orange

Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Chili with Pork and Hominy

Slow-Cooker Southwestern Pork

Slow-Cooker Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs

Slow-Cooker Smothered Steak

Slow-Cooker Beer Brats

CHAPTER 9: SIDE DISHES
Southern-Style Green Beans

Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

Easy Creamed Spinach

Broccoli Salad

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Parmesan
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pecans

Skillet-Fried Corn

Cauliflower Gratin

Tomato Gratin

Roasted Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes

Potato Casserole with Bacon and Caramelized Onion

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Crisp Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

White Bean Salad

Tabbouleh

Lentil Salads
Lentil Salad with Olives, Mint, and Feta
Lentil Salad with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
CHAPTER 10: BAKED GOODS AND DESSERTS
Cranberry-Pecan Muffins

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Maple-Pecan Scones

Skillet Olive Bread

Sour Cream Biscuits

Easy Apple Galette

Peach Melba Crisp

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Banana Cream Pie

Crème Caramel

Individual Chocolate Fudge Cakes

Creamy Chocolate Pudding

Quicker Turtle Brownies

Index

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W |
Y | Z

A
Aïoli
All-American Mini Meatloaves
Almond(s)
Green Olive, and Orange Pesto, Cheese Ravioli with
Picada
Aloha Kebabs
Anchovy and Parsley, Olive Oil Sauce with
Appetizers
Chunky Black Bean Dip
Crispy Spiced Chickpeas or Pigeon Peas
Hearty Vegetarian Queso Dip
Apple(s)
French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork
Galette, Easy
-Ginger Chutney, Quick, Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with
Artichoke(s)
Crispy, and Tomato-Sherry Vinaigrette, Poached Fish Fillets with
-Potato Ragout, Strip Steaks with
Arugula
Sausage, and Roasted Garlic, Campanelle with
 Spaghetti al Vino Bianco
Asparagus
Grilled Wine-and-Herb-Marinated Chicken with
Parmesan-Crusted
Risotto Primavera
trimming

B
Bacon
Broccoli Salad
Brussels Sprouts, and Peas, Whole-Wheat Rotini with
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits
and Caramelized Onion, Potato Casserole with
and Pecans, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with
Penne with Pancetta, White Beans, and Rosemary
Southern-Style Green Beans
Spaghetti al Vino Bianco
taste tests on
Wrapped Scallops, Grilled, with Radicchio and Gorgonzola Salad
Baked Fish with Crisp Bread Crumbs
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Baked Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini
Baking dishes, small
Baking sheets, rimmed, ratings of
Banana Cream Pie
Barbecued Pulled Chicken with Warm Cabbage Slaw
Barabecue Sauce
Barbecue sauce, taste tests on
Barley and Vegetable Soup, Farmhouse
Basil
Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto
fresh, storing
Grilled Pesto Chicken with Corn on the Cob
Pine Nuts, and Red Bell Pepper, Pasta Salad with
Bean(s)
Black, Cakes, Crispy, with Chipotle Sour Cream
Black, Dip, Chunky
black, dried, taste tests on
Black, Soup, Slow-Cooker
Crispy Spiced Chickpeas or Pigeon Peas
Five-Alarm Chili
Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas
Green, Southern-Style
green, trimming quickly
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
Navy, Soup, U.S. Senate
Pinto, Salad, Mexican-Style
Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew
Smoky Chicken Chili
Turkey Taco Salad
White, and Tuna Salad
white, canned, taste tests on
 White, Pancetta, and Rosemary, Penne with
White, Salad
White, Soup, Tuscan
see also Lentil(s)
Beef
All-American Mini Meatloaves
Braised Brisket with Mushrooms
Five-Alarm Chili
Greek Meatballs with Herbs and Feta
Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with Zucchini Ribbons and Shaved Parmesan
Grilled Steak with New Mexican Chile Rub and Red Potatoes
Grilled Steak with Spicy Chipotle Rub and Red Potatoes
Lo Mein with Broccoli and Bell Pepper
Minute Steaks with Garlic-Parsley Butter
Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers
Prime Rib for Two
short ribs, buying
short ribs, preparing for slow cooker
skirt steak, about
Slow-Cooker Red Wine–Braised Short Ribs
Slow-Cooker Smothered Steak
Southwestern Mini Meatloaves
Stew, Catalan-Style, with Mushrooms
Strip Steaks with Potato-Artichoke Ragout
testing for doneness
Bench scrapers, ratings of
Berries
Cranberry-Nut Muffins
Peach Melba Crisp
Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Cranberries and Orange
Biscuits
Chicken and
Sour Cream
Blenders, ratings of
Bok Choy
Chili-Glazed Salmon with
cleaning
Drunken Noodles with Chicken
Sesame, Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin with
Bonito flakes, about
Boursin cheese
about
Cauliflower Gratin
Easy Creamed Spinach
Vegetable Lasagna
Braised Brisket with Mushrooms
Braised Cod Peperonata
Bread(s)
Cranberry-Nut Muffins
Crumbs, Crisp, Baked Fish with
crumbs, panko, taste tests on
Maple-Pecan Scones
 Olive, Skillet
Sour Cream Biscuits
Broccoli
and Bell Pepper, Beef Lo Mein with
Salad
Broth, vegetable, taste tests on
Brownies, Quicker Turtle
Brussels Sprouts
Bacon, and Peas, Whole-Wheat Rotini with
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables
Roasted
Roasted, with Bacon and Pecans
Roasted, with Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Parmesan
slicing evenly
Bulgur
Tabbouleh
Burgers, Oklahoma Fried Onion
Buttermilk
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Vegetable Pot Pie

C
Cabbage
bok choy, cleaning
Chili-Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy
 Chinese Chicken Salad
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup
Napa, Hot and Sour
Slaw, Warm, Barbecued Pulled Chicken with
Wilted Napa, Salad, Crispy Sesame Pork Cutlets with
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits
Cake pans, small
Cakes
Chocolate Fudge, Individual
Coffee, Cinnamon Streusel
Pound, Cream Cheese
Campanelle
with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta
Carrot(s)
Chinese Chicken Salad
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew
Casseroles
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Chicken and Biscuits
Potato, with Bacon and Caramelized Onion
Ricotta and Egg, with Spinach and Tomato
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake
 Vegetable Lasagna
Vegetable Pot Pie
Catalan-Style Beef Stew with Mushrooms
Cauliflower
Gratin
Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes
Cheddar
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pies
Turkey Taco Salad
Vegetable Pot Pie
Cheese
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Boursin, about
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta
Cauliflower Gratin
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Chicken and Biscuits
and Chicken Quesadilla Pies
Cream, Pound Cake
Easy Creamed Spinach
Goat, and Hazelnuts, Lentil Salad with
Goat, and Spinach, Rustic Chicken Tart with
 Goat, Fennel, and Olive Tarts
Greek Meatballs with Herbs and Feta
Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Radicchio and Gorgonzola Salad
Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad
Hearty Vegetarian Queso Dip
Lentil Salad with Olives, Mint, and Feta
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
ricotta, taste tests on
Ricotta and Egg Casseroles with Spinach and Tomato
Skillet Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Feta
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Summer Pasta with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata
Tortellini Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Turkey Taco Salad
Vegetable Lasagna
Vegetable Pot Pie
see also Parmesan
Cheese Ravioli
with Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Pesto
with Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto
with Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto
with Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto
Skillet, with Meat Sauce
taste tests on
Cherry and Port Wine Sauce, Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with
Chicken
Adobo, Filipino
Barbecued Pulled, with Warm Cabbage Slaw
and Biscuits
Breasts, Pan-Roasted, with Fennel and Parsnips
Breasts, Pan-Roasted, with Root Vegetables
breasts, pounding
Breasts, Sautéed, with Sweet and Spicy Mango Relish
and Cheese Quesadilla Pies
Chili, Smoky
and Chorizo Paella
cooked, shredding
Drunken Noodles with
Fajitas, Skillet
Grilled Pesto, with Corn on the Cob
Grilled Wine-and-Herb-Marinated, with Asparagus
Marbella
Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Baked Pasta with
and Orzo, Skillet, with Spinach and Feta
Provençal, Slow-Cooker
and Rice
and Rice with Five-Spice and Scallions
and Rice with Smoked Paprika and Cilantro
Roast, Weeknight
Salad, Chinese
slicing thinly
 Stew, Slow-Cooker Moroccan
Tart, Rustic, with Spinach and Goat Cheese
testing for doneness
Thighs, Quick Braised, with Porcini and Shallots
Thighs, Quick Braised, with Tomatoes and Olives
thighs, trimming
see also Chicken sausages
Chicken sausages
Aloha Kebabs
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
Escarole, Sausage, and Orzo Soup
Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake
Chile(s)
Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple
Crispy Black Bean Cakes with Chipotle Sour Cream
Five-Alarm Chili
New Mexican, Rub, Grilled Steak with, and Red Potatoes
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Jalapeños and Spicy Vinaigrette
poblano, about
Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Chili with Pork and Hominy
Southwestern Mini Meatloaves
Spicy Chipotle, Rub, Grilled Steak with, and Red Potatoes
Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor)
Chili
 Chicken, Smoky
Five-Alarm
Tomatillo, Slow-Cooker, with Pork and Hominy
Chili-Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy
Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup
Chilled Rice Noodles with Shrimp
Chinese Chicken Salad
Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Sesame Bok Choy
Chocolate
dark, taste tests on
Fudge Cakes, Individual
Pudding, Creamy
Quicker Turtle Brownies
Chunky Black Bean Dip
Chutney, Easy Tomato
Cilantro
Moroccan Fish and Couscous Packets
and Smoked Paprika, Chicken and Rice with
Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
Cinnamon
Coffeehouse Breakfast Twists
Streusel Coffee Cake
Clam juice, taste tests on
Coconut milk
Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple
Easy Coconut Kulfi
 Filipino Chicken Adobo
Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew
taste tests on
Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes
Cod
Baked Fish with Crisp Bread Crumbs
Peperonata, Braised
Coffee Cake, Cinnamon Streusel
Coffeehouse Breakfast Twists
Corn
Cherry Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata, Summer Pasta with
Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pies
on the Cob, Grilled Pesto Chicken with
cutting kernels from cob
fresh, storing
Skillet-Fried
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Skillet Tortellini with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Cornmeal
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Couscous
about
and Fish Packets, Moroccan
and Zucchini Salad, Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with
Crab Cakes, Maryland
Cranberry(ies)
-Nut Muffins
and Orange, Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with
Cream, heavy
Easy Coconut Kulfi
recipes using small amounts of
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Creamy Chocolate Pudding
Crème Caramel
Crisp, Peach Melba
Crisp Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Crispy Black Bean Cakes with Chipotle Sour Cream
Crispy Sesame Pork Cutlets with Wilted Napa Cabbage Salad
Crispy Spiced Chickpeas or Pigeon Peas
Cucumber(s)
Chilled Rice Noodles with Shrimp
Radish, and Watercress Salad, Grill-Smoked Salmon with
Curry, Thai Vegetable Green, with Jasmine Rice Cakes
Curry paste, Thai green, about

D
Desserts
Banana Cream Pie
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Creamy Chocolate Pudding
Crème Caramel
 Easy Apple Galette
Easy Coconut Kulfi
Individual Chocolate Fudge Cakes
Quicker Turtle Brownies
Dips
Chunky Black Bean
Vegetarian Queso, Hearty
Drinks
Mango Lassi
Drunken Noodles with Chicken

E
Easy Apple Galette
Easy Coconut Kulfi
Easy Creamed Spinach
Easy Tomato Chutney
Eggplant
Roasted, and Sesame, Soba Noodles with
Vegetable Lasagna
Egg(s)
in Purgatory, Cajun-Style, with Cheesy Grits
and Ricotta Casseroles with Spinach and Tomato
Equipment, for cooking-for-two kitchen
gratin dishes
loaf pans
ramekins
 small baking dishes
small cake pans
small pie plate
small slow cooker
Equipment, ratings of
bench scrapers
blenders
garlic peelers
grill tongs
rimmed baking sheets
skillets, nonstick
skillets, traditional
Escarole, Sausage, and Orzo Soup

F
Fajitas, Skillet Chicken
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup
Fennel
Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts
and Parsnips, Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with
preparing
Vegetable Pot Pie
Feta
Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad
and Herbs, Greek Meatballs with
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
 Olives, and Mint, Lentil Salad with
Roasted Garlic, and Shrimp, Campanelle with
and Shrimp, Mediterranean Pasta Salad with
and Spinach, Skillet Chicken and Orzo with
Figs and Port, French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork with
Filipino Chicken Adobo
Fish
Baked, with Crisp Bread Crumbs
Braised Cod Peperonata
Chili-Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy
and Couscous Packets, Moroccan
Fillets, Poached, with Crispy Artichokes and Tomato-Sherry Vinaigrette
Fillets, Poached, with Crispy Jalapeños and Spicy Vinaigrette
Fillets, Poached, with Crispy Scallions and Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette
fillets, skinning
Grill-Smoked Salmon with Cucumber, Radish, and Watercress Salad
Olive Oil Sauce with Anchovy and Parsley
poaching in oil, note about
premium canned tuna, taste tests on
White Bean and Tuna Salad
see also Shellfish
Five-Alarm Chili
Five-Spice and Scallions, Chicken and Rice with
French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork
French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork with Port and Figs
Fresh Pasta with Olive Oil Sauce with Anchovy and Parsley
Fresh Pasta without a Machine
Fresh Pasta with Walnut Cream Sauce
Fruit
dried, chopping
see also Berries; specific fruits G
Galette, Easy Apple
Garam masala, taste tests on
Garlic
Aïoli
-Parsley Butter, Minute Steaks with
Picada
prepeeled vs. fresh
Roasted, Sausage, and Arugula, Campanelle with
Roasted, Shrimp, and Feta, Campanelle with
Sauce, Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork in
Garlic peelers, ratings of
Ginger
-Apple Chutney, Quick, Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with
Chili-Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy
-Miso Vinaigrette and Crispy Scallions, Poached Fish Fillets with
Moroccan Fish and Couscous Packets
Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas
Gnocchi, Potato, with Browned Butter and Sage
Goat Cheese
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
Fennel, and Olive Tarts
 and Hazelnuts, Lentil Salad with
and Spinach, Rustic Chicken Tart with
Grains
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
precooked polenta, about
quinoa, about
Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake
Tabbouleh
see also Rice
Gratin dishes, small
Gratins
Cauliflower
Tomato
Tortellini, with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Greek Meatballs with Herbs and Feta
Green Beans
Southern-Style
trimming quickly
Greens
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
Cheese Ravioli with Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto
Escarole, Sausage, and Orzo Soup
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
Spaghetti al Vino Bianco
 Spicy Asian Soy and Rice Lettuce Wraps
Turkey Taco Salad
White Bean and Tuna Salad
see also Spinach
Grilled dishes
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Radicchio and Gorgonzola Salad
Barbecued Pulled Chicken with Warm Cabbage Slaw
Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Sesame Bok Choy
Grill-Smoked Salmon with Cucumber, Radish, and Watercress Salad
Marinated Skirt Steak with Zucchini Ribbons and Shaved Parmesan
Pesto Chicken with Corn on the Cob
Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor)
Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad
Steak with New Mexican Chile Rub and Red Potatoes
Steak with Spicy Chipotle Rub and Red Potatoes
Wine-and-Herb-Marinated Chicken with Asparagus
Grill tongs, ratings of
Grits, Cheesy, Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with

H
Half-and-half
Crème Caramel
Easy Coconut Kulfi
recipes using small amounts of
Ham
U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup
Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese, Lentil Salad with
Hearty Vegetarian Queso Dip
Herb(s)
-and-Wine-Marinated Chicken, Grilled, with Asparagus
fresh, storing
see also specific herbs
Hominy and Pork, Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Chili with
Hot and Sour Napa Cabbage

I
Individual Chocolate Fudge Cakes
Ingredients, tastings of
bacon
barbecue sauce
black beans, dried
clam juice
coconut milk
dark chocolate
garam masala
liquid smoke
olive oil, extra-virgin
panko bread crumbs
penne
pie crust, store-bought
ravioli
rice, Arborio
 rice, long-grain white
rice, precooked ready
rice, short-grain
ricotta
roasted red peppers
soy sauce
tomato paste
tortellini
tortillas
tuna, premium canned
vanilla extract
vegetable broth
white beans, canned

K
Kale
and Chickpeas, Moroccan-Style Quinoa with
and Sunflower Seed Pesto, Cheese Ravioli with
Kombu, about
Kulfi, Easy Coconut

L
Lamb, testing for doneness
Lasagna, Vegetable
Lassi, Mango
Leeks
 Chicken and Biscuits
preparing
Legumes. See Bean(s); Lentil(s) Lemons
Spaghetti al Limone
Lentil(s)
about
Red, Stew, Slow-Cooker
Salad with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
Mint, and Feta
Lettuce
Turkey Taco Salad
Wraps, Spicy Asian Soy and Rice
Liquid smoke, taste tests on
Loaf pans
Lo Mein, Beef, with Broccoli and Bell Pepper

M
Main dishes (express lane)
Aloha Kebabs
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Baked Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
Chicken and Biscuits
Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pies
Crispy Black Bean Cakes with Chipotle Sour Cream
Escarole, Sausage, and Orzo Soup
 Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta
Pasta Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Basil
Rustic Chicken Tart with Spinach and Goat Cheese
Shrimp Fried Rice
Skillet Tortellini with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Smoky Chicken Chili
Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake
Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
Tomato Florentine Soup
Tortellini Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Tuscan White Bean Soup
White Bean and Tuna Salad
Main dishes (grilled)
Barbecued Pulled Chicken with Warm Cabbage Slaw
Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Sesame Bok Choy
Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Radicchio and Gorgonzola Salad
Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with Zucchini Ribbons and Shaved Parmesan
Grilled Pesto Chicken with Corn on the Cob
Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad
Grilled Steak with New Mexican Chile Rub and Red Potatoes
Grilled Steak with Spicy Chipotle Rub and Red Potatoes
Grilled Wine-and-Herb-Marinated Chicken with Asparagus
Grill-Smoked Salmon with Cucumber, Radish, and Watercress Salad
Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor)
Main dishes (light and fresh)
Braised Cod Peperonata
 Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup
Chilled Rice Noodles with Shrimp
Chinese Chicken Salad
Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Port Wine and Cherry Sauce
Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Quick Ginger-Apple Chutney
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Sweet and Spicy Mango Relish
Seafood Risotto
Spaghetti al Limone
Turkey Taco Salad
Main dishes (main course)
All-American Mini Meatloaves
Baked Fish with Crisp Bread Crumbs
Braised Brisket with Mushrooms
Chicken Marbella
Filipino Chicken Adobo
French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork
French-Style Pot-Roasted Pork with Port and Figs
Greek Meatballs with Herbs and Feta
Maryland Crab Cakes
Minute Steaks with Garlic-Parsley Butter
Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Artichokes and Tomato-Sherry Vinaigrette
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Jalapeños and Spicy Vinaigrette
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Scallions and Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette
Prime Rib for Two
Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Porcini and Shallots
 Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Olives
Red Wine–Braised Pork Chops
Smoky Indoor Ribs
Southwestern Mini Meatloaves
Weeknight Roast Chicken
Main dishes (one-dish)
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits
Catalan-Style Beef Stew with Mushrooms
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Chicken and Rice
Chicken and Rice with Five-Spice and Scallions
Chicken and Rice with Smoked Paprika and Cilantro
Chili-Glazed Salmon with Bok Choy
Crispy Sesame Pork Cutlets with Wilted Napa Cabbage Salad
Five-Alarm Chili
Moroccan Fish and Couscous Packets
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel and Parsnips
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables
Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash
Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce
Skillet Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Feta
Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Strip Steaks with Potato-Artichoke Ragout
U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup
Main dishes (pasta)
Beef Lo Mein with Broccoli and Bell Pepper
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta
Cheese Ravioli with Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto
Chilled Rice Noodles with Shrimp
Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple
Drunken Noodles with Chicken
Fresh Pasta with Olive Oil Sauce with Anchovy and Parsley
Fresh Pasta without a Machine
Fresh Pasta with Walnut Cream Sauce
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta
Pasta Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Basil
Penne with Pancetta, White Beans, and Rosemary
Potato Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage
Skillet Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce
Skillet Tortellini with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame
Spaghetti al Vino Bianco
Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp
Summer Pasta with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata
Tomato Florentine Soup
Tortellini Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Vegetable Lasagna
 Whole-Wheat Rotini with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Peas
Main dishes (slow cooker)
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats
Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup
Slow-Cooker Chicken Provençal
Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew
Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Cranberries and Orange
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew
Slow-Cooker Red Wine–Braised Short Ribs
Slow-Cooker Smothered Steak
Slow-Cooker Southwestern Pork
Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Chili with Pork and Hominy
Main dishes (vegetarian)
Cheese Ravioli with Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto
Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup
Crispy Black Bean Cakes with Chipotle Sour Cream
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup
Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts
Fresh Pasta with Walnut Cream Sauce
Glazed Caribbean Tofu with Rice and Pigeon Peas
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
Pasta Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Basil
Potato Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage
 Ricotta and Egg Casseroles with Spinach and Tomato
Risotto Primavera
Skillet Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew
Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame
Spaghetti al Limone
Spicy Asian Soy and Rice Lettuce Wraps
Summer Pasta with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata
Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes
Tortellini Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Vegetable Lasagna
Vegetable Pot Pie
Mango
Lassi
Relish, Sweet and Spicy, Sautéed Chicken Breasts with
Maple-Pecan Scones
Maryland Crab Cakes
Meat
testing for doneness
see also Beef; Pork
Meatballs, Greek, with Herbs and Feta
Meatloaf mix
All-American Mini Meatloaves
Southwestern Mini Meatloaves
Meatloaves, Mini
 All-American
Southwestern
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta
Mexican-Style Pinto Bean Salad
Mint
Olives, and Feta, Lentil Salad with
Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
Tabbouleh
Minute Steaks with Garlic-Parsley Butter
Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette and Crispy Scallions, Poached Fish Fillets with
Moroccan Fish and Couscous Packets
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
Muffins, Cranberry-Nut
Mushroom(s)
Braised Brisket with
Catalan-Style Beef Stew with
Chicken and Biscuits
Cream Sauce, Skillet Tortellini with
Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Porcini and Shallots
Risotto Primavera
Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce
storing
Vegetable Pot Pie

N
Noodles
 Beef Lo Mein with Broccoli and Bell Pepper
Chinese, fresh, about
Chinese Chicken Salad
Drunken, with Chicken
rice, about
Rice, Chilled, with Shrimp
Rice, Coconut, with Shrimp and Pineapple
soba, about
Soba, with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame
Nut(s)
Broccoli Salad
Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
-Cranberry Muffins
Fresh Pasta with Walnut Cream Sauce
Lentil Salad with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
Maple-Pecan Scones
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
Peach Melba Crisp
Pine, Red Bell Pepper, and Basil, Pasta Salad with
Quicker Turtle Brownies
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pecans
toasting
see also Almond(s)
O
Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers,
Olive Oil
extra-virgin, taste tests on
Sauce with Anchovy and Parsley
Olive(s)
Bread, Skillet
Chicken, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Baked Pasta with
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Chicken Marbella
Fennel, and Goat Cheese Tarts
Green, Almond, and Orange Pesto, Cheese Ravioli with
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta
Mint, and Feta, Lentil Salad with
pitting
Slow-Cooker Chicken Provençal
and Tomatoes, Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with
White Bean and Tuna Salad
Onion(s)
Caramelized, and Bacon, Potato Casserole with
Fried, Burgers, Oklahoma
Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats
Slow-Cooker Smothered Steak
Southern-Style Green Beans
Tomato Gratin
Orange, Green Olive, and Almond Pesto, Cheese Ravioli with

P
Paella, Chicken and Chorizo
Pancetta
Spaghetti al Vino Bianco
White Beans, and Rosemary, Penne with
Panko bread crumbs, taste tests on
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel and Parsnips
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables
Parmesan
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Baked Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
-Crusted Asparagus
Garlic, and Red Pepper Flakes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with
Grilled Pesto Chicken with Corn on the Cob
pregrating, note about
Risotto Primavera
Shaved, and Zucchini Ribbons, Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with
shaving
Skillet Olive Bread
Tomato Gratin
Parsley
-Garlic Butter, Minute Steaks with
Picada
 Tabbouleh
Parsnips
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup
and Fennel, Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with
Pasta
Baked, with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Sausage, and Arugula
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta
cheese ravioli, taste tests on
Cheese Ravioli with Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio Pesto
Cheese Ravioli with Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto
cooking instructions
Escarole, Sausage, and Orzo Soup
Fresh, with Olive Oil Sauce with Anchovy and Parsley
Fresh, without a Machine
Fresh, with Walnut Cream Sauce
Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad
penne, taste tests on
Penne with Pancetta, White Beans, and Rosemary
Potato Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage
Salad, Mediterranean, with Shrimp and Feta
Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Basil
shapes, measuring
Skillet, with Fresh Tomato Sauce
 Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce
Skillet Tortellini with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Spaghetti al Limone
Spaghetti al Vino Bianco
Summer, with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata
Toasted, Spanish-Style, with Shrimp
Tomato Florentine Soup
tortellini, taste tests on
Tortellini Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Vegetable Lasagna
Whole-Wheat Rotini with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Peas
see also Couscous; Noodles
Peach Melba Crisp
Pea(s)
Brussels Sprouts, and Bacon, Whole-Wheat Rotini with
Chicken and Biscuits
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup
Risotto Primavera
Shrimp Fried Rice
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew
snow, trimming
Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes
Vegetable Pot Pie
Pecan(s)
 and Bacon, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Cranberry-Nut Muffins
-Maple Scones
Peach Melba Crisp
Quicker Turtle Brownies
Penne with Pancetta, White Beans, and Rosemary
Pepper(s)
Aloha Kebabs
Bell, and Broccoli, Beef Lo Mein with
bell, preparing
Braised Cod Peperonata
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits
Chinese Chicken Salad
peppadew, about
Red Bell, Pine Nuts, and Basil, Pasta Salad with
Roasted Red, and Pistachio Pesto, Cheese Ravioli with
Roasted Red, Sauce, Chicken, and Olives, Baked Pasta with
roasted red, taste tests on
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Sweet and Spicy Mango Relish
Spicy Asian Soy and Rice Lettuce Wraps
Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes
White Bean Salad
see also Chile(s)
Pesto
 Chicken, Grilled, with Corn on the Cob
Green Olive, Almond, and Orange, Cheese Ravioli with
Kale and Sunflower Seed, Cheese Ravioli with
Roasted Red Pepper and Pistachio, Cheese Ravioli with
Sage, Walnut, and Browned Butter, Cheese Ravioli with
Picada
Pie crust, taste tests on
Pie plates, small
Pies
Banana Cream
Pot, Vegetable
Quesadilla, Chicken and Cheese
Tamale, Skillet Summer Vegetable
Pigeon Peas
or Chickpeas, Crispy Spiced
and Rice, Glazed Caribbean Tofu with
Pineapple
Aloha Kebabs
and Shrimp, Coconut Rice Noodles with
Spicy Pork Tacos
Pine Nuts
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
Red Bell Pepper, and Basil, Pasta Salad with
Pistachio and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto, Cheese Ravioli with
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Artichokes and Tomato-Sherry Vinaigrette
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Jalapeños and Spicy Vinaigrette
Poached Fish Fillets with Crispy Scallions and Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette
Polenta
precooked, about
and Sausage Bake, Smoky
Pork
All-American Mini Meatloaves
boneless country-style ribs, buying
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Chops, Boneless, Sautéed, with Port Wine and Cherry Sauce
Chops, Boneless, Sautéed, with Quick Ginger-Apple Chutney
chops, cooking tip
Chops, Red Wine–Braised
Chops, Slow-Cooker, with Cranberries and Orange
chops, trimming
cooked, shredding
Cutlets, Crispy Sesame, with Wilted Napa Cabbage Salad
enhanced vs. unenhanced
French-Style Pot-Roasted
French-Style Pot-Roasted, with Port and Figs
and Hominy, Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Chili with
Sichuan Stir-Fried, in Garlic Sauce
Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats
Slow-Cooker Southwestern
Smoky Indoor Ribs
Southwestern Mini Meatloaves
 Tacos, Spicy (al Pastor)
Tenderloin, Chinese-Style Glazed, with Sesame Bok Choy
tenderloin, pounding
testing for doneness
U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup
see also Bacon
Pork sausages
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats
Potato(es)
-Artichoke Ragout, Strip Steaks with
Casserole with Bacon and Caramelized Onion
Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup
Fingerling, Crisp Roasted
Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Root Vegetables
Red, Grilled Steak with New Mexican Chile Rub and
Red, Grilled Steak with Spicy Chipotle Rub and
Roasted Salt-and-Vinegar
Scalloped, Cheesy
skewering for the grill
Slow-Cooker Southwestern Pork
Vegetable Pot Pie
Poultry. See Chicken; Turkey Prime Rib for Two
Prunes
 Chicken Marbella
Pudding, Creamy Chocolate
Puff pastry
Coffeehouse Breakfast Twists
Easy Apple Galette
Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese Tarts

Q
Quesadilla Pies, Chicken and Cheese
Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Porcini and Shallots
Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Olives
Quicker Turtle Brownies
Quinoa
about
Moroccan-Style, with Chickpeas and Kale

R
Radicchio and Gorgonzola Salad, Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with
Radish, Cucumber, and Watercress Salad, Grill-Smoked Salmon with
Raisins
Broccoli Salad
Moroccan-Style Quinoa with Chickpeas and Kale
Ramekins
Raspberries
Peach Melba Crisp
Red Wine–Braised Pork Chops
Rice
Arborio, taste tests on
Baked Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini
Chicken and
Chicken and, with Five-Spice and Scallions
Chicken and, with Smoked Paprika and Cilantro
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Fried, Shrimp
Jasmine, Cakes, Thai Vegetable Green Curry with
long-grain white, taste tests on
and Pigeon Peas, Glazed Caribbean Tofu with
ready, taste tests on
Risotto Primavera
Seafood Risotto
short-grain, taste tests on
and Soy Lettuce Wraps, Spicy Asian
Ricotta
Baked Pasta with Chicken, Olives, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
and Egg Casseroles with Spinach and Tomato
taste tests on
Ricotta Salata, Corn, and Cherry Tomatoes, Summer Pasta with
Rimmed baking sheets, ratings of
Risotto
Baked, with Shrimp and Zucchini
Primavera
Seafood
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pecans
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Parmesan
Roasted Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes
Rustic Chicken Tart with Spinach and Goat Cheese

S
Saffron
about
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Sage
and Browned Butter, Potato Gnocchi with
Walnut, and Browned Butter Pesto, Cheese Ravioli with
Salads
Broccoli
Chicken, Chinese
Cucumber, Radish, and Watercress, Grill-Smoked Salmon with
Lentil, with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
Lentil, with Olives, Mint, and Feta
Pasta, Mediterranean, with Shrimp and Feta
Pasta, with Red Bell Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Basil
Pinto Bean, Mexican-Style
Radicchio and Gorgonzola, Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with
Tabbouleh
Turkey Taco
White Bean
 White Bean and Tuna
Wilted Napa Cabbage, Crispy Sesame Pork Cutlets with
Zucchini and Couscous, Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with
Salmon
Chili-Glazed, with Bok Choy
Grill-Smoked, with Cucumber, Radish, and Watercress Salad
Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes, Roasted
Sandwiches
Barbecued Pulled Chicken with Warm Cabbage Slaw
Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
Sauces
Aïoli
Barbecue
Olive Oil, with Anchovy and Parsley
Walnut Cream
Sauerkraut
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats
Sausage(s)
Aloha Kebabs
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Escarole, and Orzo Soup
and Polenta Bake, Smoky
Roasted Garlic, and Arugula, Campanelle with
Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats
Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Port Wine and Cherry Sauce
Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with Quick Ginger-Apple Chutney
Sautéed Butternut Squash
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Sweet and Spicy Mango Relish
Scallions
Crispy, and Miso-Ginger Vinaigrette, Poached Fish Fillets with
and Five-Spice, Chicken and Rice with
Scallops
Grilled Bacon-Wrapped, with Radicchio and Gorgonzola Salad
preparing
Seafood Risotto
Seared, with Butternut Squash
skewering
Scones, Maple-Pecan
Seafood Risotto
Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash
Seeds
toasting
see also Sesame seeds
Sesame seeds
Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Sesame Bok Choy
Crispy Sesame Pork Cutlets with Wilted Napa Cabbage Salad
Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame
Shallots and Porcini, Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with
Shellfish
Baked Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini
Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp, and Feta
 Chilled Rice Noodles with Shrimp
Coconut Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Pineapple
Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Radicchio and Gorgonzola Salad
Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with Zucchini and Couscous Salad
Maryland Crab Cakes
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Feta
scallops, preparing
scallops, skewering
Seafood Risotto
Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash
shrimp, skewering
Shrimp Fried Rice
Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp
Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
Shrimp
Chilled Rice Noodles with
and Feta, Mediterranean Pasta Salad with
Fried Rice
and Herb Salad Wraps, Spicy
Masala, Grilled Spicy, with Zucchini and Couscous Salad
and Pineapple, Coconut Rice Noodles with
Roasted Garlic, and Feta, Campanelle with
Seafood Risotto
skewering
Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with
and Zucchini, Baked Risotto with
Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce
Sides
Asparagus, Parmesan-Crusted
Broccoli Salad
Brussels Sprouts, Roasted
with Bacon and Pecans
with Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, and Parmesan
Butternut Squash, Sautéed
Cauliflower Gratin
Chickpeas or Pigeon Peas, Crispy Spiced
Corn, Skillet-Fried
Green Beans, Southern-Style
Lentil Salad with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
Lentil Salad with Olives, Mint, and Feta
Napa Cabbage, Hot and Sour
Pinto Bean Salad, Mexican-Style
Potato(es)
Casserole with Bacon and Caramelized Onion
Cheesy Scalloped
Fingerling, Crisp Roasted
Roasted Salt-and-Vinegar
Spinach, Easy Creamed
Tabbouleh
Tomato Gratin
White Bean Salad
Skillet Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Feta
Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Skillet-Fried Corn
Skillet Olive Bread
Skillet Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce
Skillets, ratings of
nonstick
traditional
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Skillet Tortellini with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Slaw, Warm Cabbage, Barbecued Pulled Chicken with
Slow cooker
cooking tips
small size
Slow-Cooker Beer Brats
Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup
Slow-Cooker Chicken Provençal
Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew
Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Cranberries and Orange
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew
Slow-Cooker Red Wine–Braised Short Ribs
Slow-Cooker Smothered Steak
Slow-Cooker Southwestern Pork
Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Chili with Pork and Hominy
Smoky Chicken Chili
Smoky Indoor Ribs
Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake
Soba Noodles
about
with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame
Soups
Black Bean, Slow-Cooker
Escarole, Sausage, and Orzo
Fresh Tomato, Chilled
Navy Bean, U.S. Senate
Tomato Florentine
Vegetable and Barley, Farmhouse
White Bean, Tuscan
see also Chili; Stews
Sour Cream Biscuits
Southern-Style Green Beans
Southwestern Mini Meatloaves
Soy crumbles
Hearty Vegetarian Queso Dip
Spicy Asian Soy and Rice Lettuce Wraps
Soy sauce, taste tests on
Spaghetti al Limone
Spaghetti al Vino Bianco
Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp
Spicy Asian Soy and Rice Lettuce Wraps
Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor)
Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
Spinach
bagged, storing
Easy Creamed
and Feta, Skillet Chicken and Orzo with
and Goat Cheese, Rustic Chicken Tart with
and Tomato, Ricotta and Egg Casseroles with
Tomato Florentine Soup
Vegetable Lasagna
Squash
Butternut, Sautéed
Butternut, Seared Scallops with
Vegetable Lasagna
see also Zucchini
Squid
Seafood Risotto
Stews
Beef, Catalan-Style, with Mushrooms
Chicken, Slow-Cooker Moroccan
Red Lentil, Slow-Cooker
see also Chili
Strip Steaks with Potato-Artichoke Ragout
Summer Pasta with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, and Ricotta Salata
Sunflower Seed and Kale Pesto, Cheese Ravioli with
Sweet chili sauce, about
Sweet potatoes
Slow-Cooker Southwestern Pork
 Vegetable Pot Pie

T
Tabbouleh
Tacos, Spicy Pork (al Pastor)
Taco Salad, Turkey
Tamale Pie, Skillet Summer Vegetable
Tarts
Chicken, Rustic, with Spinach and Goat Cheese
Easy Apple Galette
Fennel, Olive, and Goat Cheese
Thai green curry paste, about
Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes
Tofu, Glazed Caribbean, with Rice and Pigeon Peas
Tomatillo(s)
about
Chili, Slow-Cooker, with Pork and Hominy
Tomato(es)
Braised Cod Peperonata
Cajun-Style Eggs in Purgatory with Cheesy Grits
Cherry, Corn, and Ricotta Salata, Summer Pasta with
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Chunky Black Bean Dip
Chutney, Easy
Fire-Roasted, Tortellini Gratin with
Florentine Soup
 Fresh, Soup, Chilled
Gratin
Hearty Vegetarian Queso Dip
and Olives, Quick Braised Chicken Thighs with
Sauce, Fresh, Skillet Pasta with
Seafood Risotto
-Sherry Vinaigrette and Crispy Artichokes, Poached Fish Fillets with
Skillet Ravioli with Meat Sauce
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Slow-Cooker Chicken Provençal
Slow-Cooker Red Lentil Stew
Smoky Sausage and Polenta Bake
Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor)
and Spinach, Ricotta and Egg Casseroles with
Tabbouleh
Turkey Taco Salad
White Bean and Tuna Salad
Tomato paste, taste tests on
Tongs, ratings of
Tortellini
Gratin with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Pasta Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Pine Nuts, and Basil
Skillet, with Mushroom Cream Sauce
taste tests on
Tomato Florentine Soup
Tortillas
 Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pies
Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Spicy Pork Tacos (al Pastor)
Spicy Shrimp and Herb Salad Wraps
taste tests on
Turkey Taco Salad
Tuna
premium canned, taste tests on
and White Bean Salad
Turkey Taco Salad
Tuscan White Bean Soup

U
U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup
Use It Up
black beans
butternut squash
chickpeas and pigeon peas
coconut milk
diced tomatoes
mango
napa cabbage
pinto beans
puff pastry
soy crumbles
V
Vanilla extract, taste tests on
Vegetable broth, taste tests on
Vegetable(s)
and Barley Soup, Farmhouse
Green Curry, Thai, with Jasmine Rice Cakes
Lasagna
Pot Pie
Root, Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with
Summer, Skillet Tamale Pie
see also specific vegetables
Vinegar-and-Salt Potatoes, Roasted

W
Walnut(s)
Broccoli Salad
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Cream Sauce, Fresh Pasta with
Sage, and Browned Butter Pesto, Cheese Ravioli with
Watercress
Cucumber, and Radish Salad, Grill-Smoked Salmon with
White Bean and Tuna Salad
Weeknight Roast Chicken
White Bean(s)
canned, taste tests on
Pancetta, and Rosemary, Penne with
 Salad
Soup, Tuscan
and Tuna Salad
U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup
Whole-Wheat Rotini with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Peas
Wine
-and-Herb-Marinated Chicken, Grilled, with Asparagus
Port, and Cherry Sauce, Sautéed Boneless Pork Chops with
Red, –Braised Pork Chops
Red, –Braised Short Ribs, Slow-Cooker
Spaghetti al Vino Bianco

Y
Yogurt
Mango Lassi

Z
Zucchini
and Couscous Salad, Grilled Spicy Shrimp Masala with
Ribbons and Shaved Parmesan, Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with
and Shrimp, Baked Risotto with
Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie
Thai Vegetable Green Curry with Jasmine Rice Cakes
Vegetable Lasagna