Skillet Burgers with Sautéed Onions and Horseradish Sauce

Skillet Burgers with Sautéed Onions and Horseradish Sauce

From Cook's Country | December/January 2012

Why this recipe works:

Ground beef seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper makes for flavorful burgers, and a quick sear in a hot skillet brings them to a perfect medium-rare in minutes. To finish, a garnish of horseradish sauce and charred onions dresses up these simple indoor burgers.

Serves 4

Horseradish sauce and charred onions dress up these simple indoor burgers.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
• 4 hamburger buns

Instructions

1. 1. Combine sour cream, horseradish, chives, and lemon juice in bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside. Gently knead beef, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl until well combined. Shape into four ¾-inch-thick patties and press shallow divot in center of each.
   
   2. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add patties and cook until well browned and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer burgers to plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
   
   3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan. Cook onion over medium-high heat until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Place burgers on bun bottoms and top with onions and horseradish sauce. Serve.
   

New England Fish Chowder

New England Fish Chowder

Published January 1, 2012. From Cook's Illustrated

Why this recipe works:

Most modern fish chowders are so rich with cream that you can hardly taste the fish. We wanted a chowder with a delicate, clean-tasting broth. We started by gently poaching flaky cod in water flavored with salt pork, onions, and herbs, which created a quick fish stock. To this stock we… read more

Serves 6 to 8

Haddock, or other flaky white fish, may be substituted for cod. Garnish the chowder with minced fresh chives, crisp bacon bits, or oyster crackers.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 ounces salt pork, rind removed, rinsed, and cut into 2 pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 cups water
• 2 pounds skinless cod fillets, sliced crosswise into 6 equal pieces
• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, salt pork, thyme, ¾ teaspoon salt, and bay leaf; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add water and bring to simmer. Remove pot from heat, gently place cod fillets in water, cover, and let fish stand until opaque and nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cod to bowl.

2. Return pot to medium-high heat, add potatoes, and bring to simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender and beginning to break apart, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk milk, cornstarch, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Stir milk mixture into chowder and return to simmer. Return fish and any accumulated juices to pot. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove and discard salt pork and bay leaf. Stir gently with wooden spoon to break fish into large pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Herbed Roast Beef

Herbed Roast Beef

From Cook's Country | December/January 2010

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Why this recipe works:

A luxurious, crunchy bread-crumb crust is great for a tenderloin, but it fell apart when we tried to slice our Herbed Roast Beef thin. Instead of a crust, we developed an herb mustard spread and discovered a way to incorporate it directly into the roast. As the herb butter lay on the resting… read more

Serves 6 to 8

For even deeper seasoning, refrigerate the roast overnight after filling it with the herb mixture in step 2.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 (4-pound) top sirloin roast, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper

Instructions

1. 1. PREP HERBS Combine parsley, thyme, and shallot in bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons herb mixture to another bowl and stir in mustard and 1 tablespoon oil until combined. Add butter to remaining herb mixture and mash with fork until combined.
   
   2. PREP BEEF Butterfly roast and rub inside and out with salt and pepper. Spread herb-mustard mixture over interior of meat and tie securely with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
   
   3. BROWN AND ROAST Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels. Heat remaining oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast all over, 8 to 12 minutes, then arrange on V-rack set inside roasting pan. Transfer to oven and roast until meat registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
   
   4. BUTTER AND REST Transfer roast to carving board, spread with herb-butter mixture, tent with foil, and let rest 20 minutes. Remove kitchen twine. Slice roast crosswise against grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve.
   

Herbs Galore

Fresh parsley and thyme flavor both the interior and exterior of our roast.

1. Butterfly the roast by slicing horizontally through the middle of the meat. Leave about 1/2 inch of meat intact, then open it like a book.

2. After seasoning the meat, spread the herb-mustard mixture over the interior of the meat.

3. Fold the meat back to its original position, then tie securely at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine.

4. For a second hit of herb flavor after the roast is cooked, spread it with herb butter.

Fast Sear, Slow Roast for Beef

To promote browning when roasting beef, you want the oven to be very hot. Unfortunately, even if you remove the roast when the center is pink, you'll find a thick, unsightly band of gray, overcooked meat at its edge; a low temperature does a better job of cooking the meat evenly. So we brown most beef roasts on the stovetop to build a flavorful crust, then roast them gently for a uniformly rosy, juicy interior.

1. Searing the roast assures a flavorful, deep brown crust.

2. Roasting at a low temperature (275 degrees) keeps the meat moist and succulent.

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Ginger Snaps ATK

Makes 80 1½-inch cookies

For the best results, use fresh spices. For efficiency, form the second batch of cookies while the first batch bakes. And no, the 2 teaspoons of baking soda is not a mistake; it’s essential to getting the right texture.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• pinch cayenne
• 1 1/4 cups packed (8 3/4 ounces) dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

Instructions

1. 1. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Heat butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until melted. Lower heat to medium-low and continue to cook, swirling pan frequently, until foaming subsides and butter is just beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer butter to large bowl and whisk in ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and cayenne. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar, molasses, and fresh ginger to butter mixture and whisk to combine. Add egg and yolk and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
   
   2. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place granulated sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Divide dough into heaping teaspoon portions; roll dough into 1-inch balls. Working in batches of 10, roll balls in sugar to coat. Evenly space dough balls on prepared baking sheets, 20 dough balls per sheet.
   
   3. Place 1 sheet on upper rack and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, transfer partially baked top sheet to lower rack, rotating 180 degrees, and place second sheet of dough balls on upper rack. Continue to bake until cookies on lower tray just begin to darken around edges, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Remove lower sheet of cookies and shift upper sheet to lower rack and continue to bake until cookies begin to darken around edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Slide baked cookies, still on parchment, to wire rack and cool completely before serving. Cool baking sheets slightly and repeat step 2 with remaining dough balls.
   
   TO MAKE AHEAD: Dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Let dough stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping. Let frozen dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding with recipe. Cooled cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks in airtight container.
   

Technique

Loading Up On Leavening

Using a full 2 teaspoons of baking soda in our cookie dough instead of the more typical ½ to 1 teaspoon not only helped create desirable fissures in the final cookie but also helped it dry out. Baking soda is an alkaline substance that weakens the gluten (the network of proteins that gives most baked goods their structure) in a dough or batter. Weaker gluten means a more porous structure from which air bubbles and moisture can burn off. It also means that the dough will collapse after its initial rise in the oven, leading to cracks that also allow more moisture to escape.

Technique

Putting the Snap in Gingersnaps

The hallmark of gingersnap cookie texture—big crunch—came down to one key factor: drying out the dough.

BROWN THE BUTTER Butter is 16 percent water. Browning it before whisking it with the sugar, eggs, and flour eliminates moisture.

CUT BACK ON SUGAR The brown sugar in our recipe holds on to water, even after baking. Our solution? Use just 1 1/4 cups.

TURN DOWN THE OVEN Baking the cookies in a low (300-degree) oven gives the dough ample time to gradually—but thoroughly—dry out.

STAGGER THE BAKING Baking each tray on the top rack before moving it to the cooler bottom rack creates fissures that allow moisture to escape.