Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 

If you are buying loose Brussels sprouts, select those that are about 1½ inches long. Quarter Brussels sprouts longer than 2½ inches; don’t cut sprouts shorter than 1 inch.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 3tablespoons olive oil
• 1tablespoon water
•   Salt and pepper

Instructions

• 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss Brussels sprouts, oil, water, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in large bowl until sprouts are coated. Transfer sprouts to rimmed baking sheet and arrange so cut sides are facing down.
• 2. Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook until Brussels sprouts are well browned and tender, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Transfer to serving platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Best Prime Rib

 

Look for a roast with an untrimmed fat cap (ideally ½ inch thick). We prefer the flavor and texture of prime-grade beef, but choice grade will work as well. To remove the bones from the roast, use a sharp knife and run it down the length of the bones, following the contours as closely as possible until the meat is separated. Monitoring the roast with a meat-probe thermometer is best. If you use an instant-read thermometer, open the oven door as little as possible and remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature. If the roast has not reached the correct temperature in the time range specified in step 3, heat the oven to 200 degrees, wait for 5 minutes, then shut it off, and continue to cook the roast until it reaches the desired temperature.

Ingredients

• 1 (7-pound) first-cut beef standing rib roast (3 bones), meat removed from bones, bones reserved
•   Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 2teaspoons vegetable oil

Instructions

• 1. Using sharp knife, cut slits in surface layer of fat, spaced 1 inch apart, in crosshatch pattern, being careful to cut down to, but not into, meat. Rub 2 tablespoons salt over entire roast and into slits. Place meat back on bones (to save space in refrigerator), transfer to large plate, and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 24 hours and up to 96 hours.
• 2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Sear sides and top of roast (reserving bone) until browned, 6 to 8 minutes total (do not sear side where roast was cut from bone). Place meat back on ribs, so bones fit where they were cut, and let cool for 10 minutes; tie meat to bones with 2 lengths of twine between ribs. Transfer roast, fat side up, to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and season with pepper. Roast until meat registers 110 degrees, 3 to 4 hours.
• 3. Turn off oven; leave roast in oven, opening door as little as possible, until meat registers about 120 degrees for rare or about 125 degrees for medium-rare, 30 to 75 minutes longer.
• 4. Remove roast from oven (leave roast on baking sheet), tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 75 minutes.
• 5. Adjust oven rack about 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Remove foil from roast, form into 3-inch ball, and place under ribs to elevate fat cap. Broil until top of roast is well browned and crisp, 2 to 8 minutes.
• 6. Transfer roast to carving board; cut twine and remove roast from ribs. Slice meat into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Season with coarse salt to taste, and serve.

Technique

• Steakhouse Prime Rib at Home

  High-end-restaurant chefs turn out prime rib that’s crisp on the outside and gorgeously rosy from center to edge. For similar results, we used nothing more than a hot skillet, a regular home oven—and a few tricks.
  
• SUPER-CHEF APPROACH
  BLOWTORCH THE MEAT  Blasting the roast with the intense heat of a blowtorch jump-starts its exterior without subjecting the interior to any heat.
  
• OUR WAY
  SALT AND SEAR  Salting the roast and then refrigerating it uncovered for at least a day (and up to four) not only seasons the meat thoroughly but also dries out its exterior for better browning. Searing the super-dry roast in a blazing-hot skillet develops a nice thick crust. 
  
• SUPER-CHEF APPROACH
  ROAST AT 120°  Using a specialized ultra-low-temperature oven—and leaving the roast in it for 18 hours—produces rosy-pink, ultra-tender results.  
  
• OUR WAY
  ROAST AT 200°  Roasting the meat as low as a conventional oven can go and then shutting off the heat and letting it finish in a turned-off oven produces incredibly tender and evenly cooked meat in about 4 to 5 hours.
  

Gingersnaps

 

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

Instructions

• 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.
  

Pumpkin Bread

 

Makes 2 loaves

The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan measures 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches; if using a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness five minutes early.

Ingredients

Topping

• 5tablespoons packed (2 1/4 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8teaspoon salt

Bread

• 2cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 1(15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8teaspoon ground cloves
• 1cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1cup packed (7 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1/2cup vegetable oil
• 4ounces cream cheese, cut into 12 pieces
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4cup buttermilk
• 1cup walnuts, toasted and chopped fine

Instructions

• 1. FOR THE TOPPING: Using fingers, mix all ingredients together in bowl until well combined and topping resembles wet sand; set aside.
• 2. FOR THE BREAD: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl. 
• 3. Combine pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until reduced to 1½ cups, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat; stir in granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and cream cheese until combined. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until no visible pieces of cream cheese remain and mixture is homogeneous.
• 4. Whisk together eggs and buttermilk. Add egg mixture to pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine. Fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until combined (some small lumps of flour are OK). Fold walnuts into batter. Scrape batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle topping evenly over top of each loaf. Bake until skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let breads cool in pans on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove breads from pans and let cool for at least 1½ hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chicken Marbella

 

Any combination of split breasts and leg quarters can be used in this recipe.

Ingredients

Paste

• 1/3cup pitted green olives, rinsed
• 1/3cup pitted prunes
• 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed
• 1/2teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2teaspoon pepper
• 1/4teaspoon kosher salt
•  Pinch red pepper flakes

Chicken

• 2 1/2 - 3pounds bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts and/or leg quarters, trimmed
•   Kosher salt and pepper
• 2teaspoons olive oil
• 3/4cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3cup white wine
• 1/3cup pitted green olives, rinsed and halved
• 1tablespoon capers, rinsed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/3cup pitted prunes, chopped coarse
• 1tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 2tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Instructions

• 1. FOR THE PASTE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse all ingredients in food processor until finely chopped, about ten 1-second pulses. Scrape down bowl and continue to process until mostly smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. (Paste can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
• 2. FOR THE CHICKEN: Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chicken pieces with 1½ teaspoons salt and season with pepper.
• 3. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving it 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 1/3 cup paste to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and fond forms on pan bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, wine, olives, capers, and bay leaves, scraping up any browned bits. Return chicken to pan, skin side up (skin should be above surface of liquid), and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
• 5. Remove skillet from oven and use back of spoon to spread remaining paste over chicken pieces; sprinkle prunes around chicken. Continue to roast until paste begins to brown, breasts register 160 degrees, and leg quarters register 175 degrees, 7 to 12 minutes longer.
• 6. Transfer chicken to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Remove bay leaves from sauce and whisk in butter, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon parsley; season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce around chicken, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, and serve.

Technique

• Making Over Marbella

  The original chicken Marbella featured chicken parts marinated overnight and then baked.
  
• Problem: Pale, flabby skin
  Solutions: Ditch the marinade since it turns skin soggy (and never permeates the flesh anyway). Sear the chicken to crisp the skin before adding liquid.
  Problem: Bland meat
  Solution: Smear a potent paste of capers, garlic, anchovies, olives, prunes, oregano, and red pepper flakes onto the chicken after it is seared.
  Problem: Overly sweet, lackluster sauce
  Solutions: Eliminate brown sugar and use the flavorful fond from searing the chicken (plus more caper-prune-olive paste) to form the base of the sauce. Balance the flavors with butter, vinegar, and parsley.
  

Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp

 

Spanish-Style Toasted Pasta with Shrimp

In step 5, if your skillet is not broiler-safe, once the pasta is tender transfer the mixture to a broiler-safe 13 by 9-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.

Ingredients

• 3tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves minced (1 tablespoon)
•   Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2pounds extra large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined, shells reserved
• 2 3/4cups water
• 1cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 8ounces spaghettini or thin spaghetti, broken into 1- to 2-inch lengths
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and chopped fine
• 1teaspoon paprika
• 1teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2teaspoon anchovy paste
• 1/4cup dry white wine
• 1tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
•   Lemon wedges

Instructions

• 1. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Add shrimp, toss to coat, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• 2. Place reserved shrimp shells, water, chicken 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 12-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 10 minutes. Transfer spaghettini to bowl. Wipe out skillet with paper towel.
• 4. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened and beginning to brown around edges, 4 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes 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 1 1/2 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. Add wine, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 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, passing lemon wedges separately.

Technique

• It's a Snap

  Since traditional short fideos noodles are hard to find, we came up with an easy way to break long strands into even lengths.
• 
  Loosely fold 4 ounces of spaghettini in kitchen towel, keeping pasta flat, not bunched.
• 
  Position so that 1 to 2 inches of pasta rests on counter and remainder of pasta hangs off edge. Pressing bundle against counter, press down on long end of towel to break strands into pieces, sliding bundle back over edge after each break.

Technique

• WeeknIght SpanIsh-style Pasta wIth ShrImp

  A series of shortcuts allowed us to create this traditionally labor-intensive, paella-like dish in a single skillet in just an hour.
• Season Shrimp: Marinating shrimp in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper infuses them with flavor as we prepare other ingredients.
• Make Instant Stock: Microwaving shrimp shells with diluted chicken broth and a bay leaf creates quick, suprisingly rich-tasting broth.
• Toast Noodles: Cooking pasta (broken into pieces) in a skillet with olive oil until well browned develops deep, nutty flavor.
• Cook in Broth: Simmering the noodles in stock and a quick sofrito of sauteed onion, garlic, and tomatoes lets them soak up lots of flavor.
• Add Shrimp; Broil: Partially submerging the shrimp under the pasta and then transferring the skillet to the broiler creates a crisp, browned crust.

 

Catalan-Style Beef Stew with Mushrooms

 

Catalan-Style Beef Stew with Mushrooms

Remove the woody base of the oyster mushroom stem before cooking. An equal amount of quartered button mushrooms may be substituted for the oyster mushrooms. Serve the stew with boiled or mashed potatoes or rice.

Ingredients

Stew

• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped fine
• 1/2teaspoon sugar
•   Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, pulp grated on large holes of box grater, and skins discarded
• 1teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2cups dry white wine
• 1 1/2cups water
• 1large sprig fresh thyme
• 1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes

Picada

• 1/4cup whole blanched almonds
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1slice hearty white sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/2pound oyster mushrooms, trimmed
• 1teaspoon sherry vinegar

Instructions

• 1. FOR THE STEW: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add onions, sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until onions are deeply caramelized, 30 to 40 minutes. Add tomatoes, smoked paprika, and bay leaf; cook, stirring often, until darkened and thick, 5 to 10 minutes.
• 2. Add wine, water, thyme, and cinnamon to pot, scraping up any browned bits. Season beef with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and add to pot. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered. After 1 hour stir stew to redistribute meat, return to oven, and continue to cook uncovered until meat is tender, 1½ to 2 hours longer.
• 3. FOR THE PICADA: While stew is in oven, heat almonds and 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring often, until almonds are golden brown, 3 to 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer almonds to food processor. Return now-empty skillet to medium heat, add bread, and cook, stirring often, until toasted, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to food processor with almonds. 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. Return now-empty skillet to medium heat. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
• 5. Remove bay leaf. Stir picada, mushrooms, and vinegar into stew. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
• TO MAKE AHEAD: Follow recipe through step 2 and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To serve, add 1 cup water and reheat over medium heat. Proceed with step 3.

Technique

• Shaking Up Stew Standards

  To achieve the supremely beefy and complex flavor profile of Spanish beef stew, we learned a few new tricks—and gave up some long-held notions.
  
• START WITH SOFRITO
  A slow-cooked mixture of onions, tomatoes, spices, and herbs—known as sofrito in Spain—forms a flavor-packed base for the stew.
• GO FOR WHITE WINE
  We typically use red wine in beef stew. Here, we agreed with Spanish cooks that red wine ­competes with beefy flavor, so we reached for white instead.
  
• SWAP THE ROAST FOR RIBS
  Most stew recipes (including many of ours) call for chuck-eye roast. Boneless beef short ribs are even beefier-tasting and are easier to break down.
  
• SKIP THE SEAR
  By cooking the stew in the oven and leaving the pot ­uncovered, any part of the beef not ­submerged in liquid can brown, making searing unnecessary.
  
• END WITH PICADA
  A mixture of ground toasted bread, almonds, garlic, and ­parsley—the picada—stirred in before serving brightens the stew’s flavor and thickens the broth.