Tweet #pin-wrapper > a {background-image:none !important;} From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... I'm going to begin the chocolate extravaganza with one of the easiest recipes I'll be featuring this week. It's not a flashy or rich dessert, but I decided to include it for those of you who will be baking for Valentines who are, or should be, dieting. This is by no means diet food, but the squares are definitely lighter than their full-fat cousins. The recipe was developed by Martha Stewart and it uses reduced fat dairy products and unsweetened cocoa powder to make these light, but rich tasting, squares that taste far more like cheesecake than brownies. While they won't set your world on fire, the brownies are a nice alternative for those of you who are counting fat grams and calories. I've played ever so slightly with the original recipe. The first few times I made these brownies, I used sour cream, but found its tang to be off-putting. I solved that problem by using a low fat creme fraiche in its place. In order to get a richer chocolate flavor I also upgraded the cocoa powder I was using. I switched to Guittard products because that was what was available to me. I'm not touting this brand, but I do want you to know that this is a recipe where it pays to use the best chocolate you can get your hands on. If your ingredients are at room temperature, you can have the brownies in the oven in about 15 minutes. I found mine took a few minutes longer to cook than the recipe had indicated, but they were out of the oven in 45 minutes. I let them cool at room temperature for about an hour and then let them chill for an hour longer before cutting them. I think you'll like these. They are certainly worth a try. Here's the recipe. Chocolate Cheesecake Squares ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Martha Stewart Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray 8 chocolate wafer cookies 1 brick (8-ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese 1 cup reduced fat creme fraiche 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons corn starch 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1 large whole egg plus 1 egg white 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with two crisscrossed pieces of parchment or wax paper, spraying between the sheets. Spray lined pan and set aside. 2) Process cookies in food processor until finely ground. Gently press crumbs into bottom of prepared pan (it is not necessary to rinse the processor bowl). 3) Blend cream cheese and creme fraiche until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add cocoa, cornstarch, sugar, almond extract, egg and egg white and process until smooth. Pour into pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. 4) Bake until just set, 35 to 40 minutes (mine took 45 minutes). Cool completely in pan. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Invert onto tray, peel off paper and reinvert crust side down. Cut into 9 squares. Yield: 9 servings. You might also enjoy these recipes: Bon Appetit Brownies - Cookie Madness Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies -- Elana's Pantry Deep, Dark Chocolate Espresso Brownies - Confessions of a Kitchen Witch The Healthy Brownie - Squirrel Bakes Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Brownies - Lawyer Loves Lunch Hazelnut Brownies - Baking and Boys The Best Cocoa Brownies - The Sophisticated Gourmet Nutella Fudge Brownies - Life's a Feast Nutella Crunchie Brownies - Chow and Chatter

Tweet #pin-wrapper > a {background-image:none !important;} From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... I bought lamb chops for our holiday dinner, but because I was unsure of the number I'd be feeding, I ended up with more chops than guests at the table. I decided to grill the remainder of the chops tonight. Those we had for the holiday were delicious and I wanted to serve these with something that would compliment, rather than overpower, their marvelous flavor. I decided to make an endive and watercress salad and a very cheesy orzo pilaf. I can attribute the salad to Thomas Keller, but identifying the parentage of the orzo is next to impossible. Rachael Ray did a version of this recipe at least five years ago and since that time it has appeared in various guises on numerous cooking sites. I lack the wisdom of Solomon and have no easy test to establish paternity, so I'm just going to move along and pretend the orzo is a new version of rice pilaf. It is very easy to do and can be on the table in 15 minutes. Chances are you have all the ingredients you need to make this in your pantry, and, if not, they can all be found in any large grocery store. It is a perfect dish to serve with grilled meat or poultry and I know you'll enjoy it. Here's the recipe. Cheesy Orzo Pilaf ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite Ingredients: 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 3/4 pound orzo 5 minced garlic cloves 1 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley salt to taste freshly ground pepper to taste Directions: 1) Bring broth to a boil in a large heavy saucepan. Add orzo and garlic and reduce heat to medium high. Simmer, uncovered, for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, and broth is nearly absorbed. 2) Turn heat off, but leave the pan on stove. Add cheese and parsley and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm. Yield: 6 servings. You might also enjoy these recipes: Yangzhou Fried Rice - One Perfect Bite Warm Asian-Style Rice Salad - One Perfect Bite Sticky Rice - One Perfect Bite

Given the number of scone recipes on this blog, you might be fooled into thinking I'm a huge fan. Not true. Don't get me wrong, I like scones, but if you put out a spread of breakfast pastries before me, scones probably wouldn't be a top three selection. That is, unless these cinnamon honey scones were somewhere on that table. I try to refrain from the hyperbole of labeling recipes the "best ever" but sometimes it just can't be helped and such is the case with these scones. Hands down my favorite scones of all time, no doubt about it! The recipe comes from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery , and though I've had the book since Christmas and even flipped through it a few times, I'd never noticed these scones. Luckily Josie put them on my radar a few months ago and I resolved to make them asap. So, what makes these scones so awesome? Butter, and lots of it, of course :) A cinnamon honey butter is made and then cut into tiny cubes which are incorporated into the dough like any other mix-in (think chocolate chips). It's a genius idea, I want to add tiny butter cubes as mix-ins in all my recipes going forward! They give the scones so much flavor, as well as a really neat marbled appearance. Texturally, the scones are impossibly light and tender, thanks to the inclusion of cake flour in the recipe. And in case they weren't already rich enough on their own, the scones are brushed with a honey butter glaze when they emerge from the oven. They're an occasional indulgence for sure, but worth every single calorie! These cinnamon honey scones would be a perfect weekend project. Though they're easy to make, there are quite a few steps and several require hours of chill time. But once they're assembled you can leave them in the freezer for up to a month, allowing you to pull out and bake a few scones at a time as needed. That's my kind of weekend breakfast! One quick note: this recipe calls for creme fraiche, an ingredient I rarely buy or use but I do recommend splurging for it here. That said, I know there's nothing worse than a half-empty container of creme fraiche sitting in the back of your fridge, so I found another recipe to help you use it up. I'll be sharing it with you next week! Cinnamon Honey Scones just barely adapted from Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel (originally seen on Pink Parsley ) {Note: The recipes in this book are given in both weight and volume measurements. I made the scones using the weight measurements and would urge you to do the same for the best results.} Cinnamon Honey Cubes 30 g (3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour 30 g (2 1/2 tablespoons) sugar 4 g (1 1/2 teaspoons) ground cinnamon 30 g (about 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 20 g (1 tablespoon) honey Scones 152 g (1 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour 304 g (2 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) cake flour 12.5 g (2 1/2 teaspoons) baking powder 2.5 g (1/2 teaspoons) baking soda 91 g (1/4 cup + 3 1/2 tablespoons) sugar 227 g (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 135 g (1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons) heavy cream 135 g (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) creme fraiche Honey Butter Glaze 2 oz (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted 20 g (1 tablespoon) honey To make the cinnamon honey cubes: Add the flour, sugar, and cinnamon to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the butter and toss until the pieces are coated in the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until no large visible pieces of butter remain. Stir in the honey with a rubber spatula until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Turn the paste out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a 4-inch square. Wrap the mixture and freeze for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 week). To make the scones: Sift both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed briefly, just until combined. Add the butter pieces, and mix on low speed until no large visible pieces remain, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually pour in the heavy cream, then add the creme fraiche, and continue mixing for about 30 seconds, or until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. A rough dough should form around the paddle. Remove the cinnamon honey butter from the freezer and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Add them to the bowl with the dough and use a spoon to incorporate them by hand (it's fine if they start to break up a bit). Turn the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press it together to form a cohesive mass. Place a second piece of plastic wrap on top, and shape the dough into a 7 1/2 by 10-inch rectangle, smoothing the top and sides the best you can (if the dough becomes soft and difficult to work with, just pop it in the fridge for a few minutes). Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until firm. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and using a sharp knife, cut it lengthwise into thirds and crosswise into quarters so you end up with 12 equally sized scones. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1/2 to 1-inch of space between them. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and freeze the scones until they are frozen solid - at least 2 hours, but even better if you can leave them in there overnight (the scones can be frozen for up to 1 month at this point). Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the scones you want to bake from the freezer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between them. Bake for about 28-30 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and slightly firm. Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking the butter and honey together until combined. When you remove the scones from the oven, immediately brush the tops with the glaze. The scones are best the day you make them, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day. Makes 12 large scones

Let us all acknowledge the truth about roast chicken: it’s not about the chicken, it’s about the vegetables. That truth dawned on me long ago when I used to line a roasting pan with red potatoes sliced in half, all surrounding a well-seasoned chicken; the rendered chicken fat would coat the potatoes, they’d get all crispy, and when it was time to eat, the actual roast chicken was an afterthought. It only got better when I discovered Thomas Keller’s roast chicken: in with the potatoes went leeks, carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, turnips, and suddenly next to that pretty little bird would be vegetables as beautiful as the crown jewels. Now imagine turning those salty, schmaltzy vegetables into soup, a soup that takes about 5 minutes. Riffing on something I saw The Barefoot Contessa do on TV at my gym (trays of roasted vegetables placed in a blender with chicken stock), I looked at this roast chicken that I had made for dinner last week and saw a world of possibility: [Note: Craig’s sister Kristin got me a huge cast iron skillet for Christmas and I’ve been loving it; especially for the Thomas Keller roast chicken. So much easier to deal with than a roasting pan.] From this one meal, two more meals hatched: first, a chicken salad made with the diced chicken breast (skin included), mayonnaise, mustard, preserved lemons, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Second, the aforementioned soup that gives this post its title. Start with as many vegetables as you’re willing to leave behind: Place them in a pot and cover with water. Turn the heat to a simmer and when it gets there, add a big handful of spinach, plus some salt: Make your chicken salad while the spinach wilts. Now take out your hand blender and blend that soup! [Sorry for the blurry pic, but everything was whirrrrrring.] And behold: Chickened Vegetable Soup. You won’t believe how flavorful this is, especially if you add a splash of white wine vinegar. All that salty savoriness of the vegetables is now in the soup; sort of like a reverse-engineered chicken soup, because instead of infusing a broth with slowly rendered chicken fat, you worked that fat into the water via the vegetables. Or something like that, I’m not Harold McGee. I’m just Adam Roberts and this is a very good soup. Go make it.

                                              As fall nears, my thoughts turn to duck confit. I hope you’ll put this excellent and simple technique into your repertoire this fall. It’s a great way to have a delicious meal moments away all fall and into the winter if you make one big batch. It keeps for many months in the fridge. Here’s my method using olive oil, which works great. I love it so much that when Thomas Keller asked me to submit a piece for Finesse, his elegant magazine, on the theme of preservation, my mind went straight to duck confit. I’m reprinting it here in anticipation of fall cooking. It’s about a lot more than deliciousness. (And for Read On »

  (First published in Finesse, Thomas Keller’s superb magazine, earlier this year.) In the 1970s, the egg was bad-for-you food in America. After being a mainstay of the human diet for millennia, doctors here decreed that the cholesterol-laden yolk clogged arteries and resulted in heart attacks. Eat an egg if you must, nutritionists warned, but only in limited quantities. And after 30 years of telling us to avoid eggs and order up those egg white omelettes, the American Heart Association changed its mind—oops!—and declared that eggs, like an unjustly punished child, could once again return to the dining table. As I began to write about the egg, I realized the egg fatwa was no isolated event. Indeed, it came to symbolize for me what was wrong with the way we think about food and how we let others decide what we eat. Read On »

Reposting this method because, well, just the name of the dish is inspiring: butter-poached shrimp. Butter-poached shrimp and grits. Mmmm. Butter-poached lobster, not uncommon in French haute cuisine, was popularized in America by Thomas Keller in The French Laundry Cookbook and at that restaurant. “Lobster loves gentle heat,” he told me then. It’s not much of a leap for the thrifty-minded cook to reason that shrimp, too, love gentle heat. That’s why, in the butter chapter of my book Ruhlman’s Twenty, I showed how to use butter as a cooking medium (one of the many amazing ways butter can be used as a tool). This dish is absolutely killer. The shrimp stay very tender, rich and tasty with the butter; the grits are then enriched with the shrimp butter. Leftover butter can be used to saute shrimp Read On »

My visit to Bouchon Bakery last year was one to remember and every now and then I think of the delicious treats I had there. However, I never got to taste Thomas Keller’s version of the Oreo cookie – me being me I ended up ordering lemon and raspberry sweets. Days ago I set out to make Keller’s Oreo cookies, a recipe from "Bouchon Bakery" , but wasn’t in the mood for rolling out cookie dough – I get lazy sometimes , you know. :) I thought that the slice and bake chocolate cookies I’d seen on Gourmet Traveller’s website would make great substitutes – and indeed, they did. My Oreos don’t look as pretty as the cookies served at Bouchon Bakery , but I can guarantee that they tasted really good. :) Grown up Oreos from two gorgeous sources: Gourmet Traveller and Bouchon Bakery Cookies: 260g all purpose flour 160g icing sugar, sifted 50g cocoa powder, sifted pinch of salt 225g unsalted butter, cold and cut into 2cm pieces 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Filling: 125g white chocolate, finely chopped 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, room temperature ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream Cookies: process flour, icing sugar, cocoa and salt in a food processor to combine, then add butter and pulse until mixture is sand-textured. Add yolk and vanilla and process until mixture comes together (here I added another egg yolk because the mixture wasn’t coming together at all). Turn out onto a work surface and gently knead to come together. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 3.5 cm (1.4in) log – like Martha does here . Wrap in parchment. Chill in the refrigerator until very firm, about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Unwrap one log at a time (keep the other in the fridge). Cut into 5mm thick rounds; space 2.5cm (1in) apart onto prepared sheets. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies edges are firm (10-12 minutes). Cool slightly on trays, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Make the filling: in a small bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate and butter together. In the meantime, bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour it over the chocolate and butter mixture and whisk to combine. Cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hour or up to 1 day. Right before assembling the cookies, beat the filling with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag with a small tip. Assembling the cookies: arrange half of the cookies on a work surface, bottom side up, and pipe the filling onto each. Sandwich with the remaining cookies, pressing to spread the filling to the edges – I used a small cookie scoop instead of a pastry bag and placed rounded mounds of filling on the center of each cookie, topping with another cookie and pressing down gently to squish the filling. Makes about 30 sandwich cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... I came across this recipe years ago. We had been gifted with gorgeous grassfed steaks and I wanted a simple salad to accompany them. I let my fingers do the walking, and while searching I came across The Paupered Chef, a blog that has since become inactive. They were featuring a salad and dressing that was included in Thomas Keller's book Bouchon . With a pedigree like that, I knew my steaks would be in good company, so the salad and dressing became part of our meal. With just 3 ingredients, the dressing is the epitome of simplicity, though I must admit I mix it up a bit and use 2 parts canola oil to 1 part extra virgin olive oil to add some additional flavor. You'll notice that the dressing has no salt, sugar or herbs added to it. That's because Keller adds them to his salads rather than their dressing. This is a creamy sauce that flows easily and coats a spoon. It is not thick, and for that reason it is important to add only a third of the oil to the blender. Adding more at that time would turn the emulsion into a thick mayonnaise that cannot be poured. It's thought that Keller uses canola oil because it is bland and does not interfere with other flavors. I think most of you will enjoy the freshness of this dressing, but do remember it is unseasoned and you are expected to season the greens before tossing the salad. Do give this a try. It will keep for 2-1/2 weeks in the refrigerator, and should it separate, simply give it another whirl in the blender. Here is how the dressing and Keller's Bibb lettuce salad are made. Basic Vinaigrette Ingredients: 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1-1/2 cups canola oil Directions: 1) Combine mustard and vinegar in a blender and blend at medium for 15 seconds to combine. With blender running, add 1/2 cup oil in a slow stream, making sure to add it slowly enough to develop a creamy emulsion. 2) Transfer mixture to a bowl and whisk in the remaining oil. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Yield: 2-1/2 cups salad dressing. Bibb Lettuce Salad Ingredients: 1/2 cup Basic vinaigrette 4 heads Bibb lettuce, or enough lettuce for 4 of another type such as red leaf 2 tablespoons minced shallots 2 tablespoons minced chives 1/4 cup parsley leaves 1/4 cup tarragon leaves 1/4 cup chervil leaves (optional) 1 tablespoon lemon juice salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1) Carefully core each lettuce head and loosen leaves but keep structure of head intact, as it will be reassembled on the plate. If using a leaf lettuce, tear leaves into small pieces. Plunge lettuce into cold water to clean it, then gently spin in a salad spinner until very dry. 2) Transfer lettuce to a large mixing bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter herbs and shallot and drizzle vinaigrette and lemon juice over everything. Toss it gently by hand to dress, and serve. Yield: 4 servings. Older Posts One Year Ago Today: Two Years Ago Today: Cornmeal Cookies Swedish Raspberry and Almond Bars Three Years Ago Today: Four Years Ago Today: Strawberry and Pineapple Jam Picnic Pasta Salad

Things I Learned Hosting My First Friendsgiving On logistics β€’ As I realized last week, what makes big meals (we had 16 people) scary isn’t the cooking as much as the sheer volume of it all and the logistics required to manage them. I mean, who here has a kitchen that was built to feed 16? Trust me, it’s not you, it’s your kitchen making things hard. β€’ Thus the more time you spend plotting things out, the less stressful it will be. Because I’m Team Casserole, i.e. I prefer dishes that are deep and bubbly, can be made well in advance and reheat well, they’re all fairly forgiving of too long or short warming times. Too long, they get a little extra crunchy and toasted on top (yum), too little, they still pack a lot of warmth inside, even if they’re not bubbling hot. I warmed all of the dishes before the turkey went in and then slid in one or two while it roasted. When the turkey came out and we needed 30 minutes to rest and carve it, all the sides went back in to warm. β€’ Everything that can be done in advance, should be, and as early as possible. You’re doing it for you. When we have a lot of people over, this often leads to me quite over-exhausting myself the night before getting everything prepped that can be, but then I wake up rested and we’re 80% there. It’s not actually a stressful day, which means we’re far more likely to enjoy the party. If I can’t finish prep the night before, I’ll do it in the morning. It’s essential to me that there’s a little window of vegging/non-cooking time between prepping stuff and cooking the stuff that must be done at the last-minute. It’s also a great time to change into something fresh. β€’ All the pies were made earlier in the week and either went into the fridge (pecan) or freezer (pumpkin) until needed. β€’ Finally, I think we should all buy each other trivets for Christmukkah. I have… 4? What kind of Thanksgiving has only 4 hot dishes coming out of the kitchen? None we want to be at, thank you very much. About That Turkey β€’ Turkeys are amusingly hard to find a week before Thanksgiving. β€’ Brining is a delicious nightmare. I know a lot of people don’t do it. I know you don’t need to. I know there are less-insane options, like dry-brining. But I am really not hugely into turkey to begin with because I always find it dry and often flavorless. And I don’t want a little overcooking to ruin it. Thus: brining. Oh, but what a comedy it was and by comedy, I mean cry-laugh emoji. It involved a 19.5-pound bird, 1 of these bags and 2.5 gallons of brine, which turned out to create a forceful enough pressure on the bag to pop it open. Mopping was involved. Then I got it into the fridge (40 pounds, no easy feat and yet somehow still easier than that time I had to carry my 20-pounder out of the grocery store sideways with an arced back… life math be crazy) and discovered that the bottom had a tiny hole in it and I don’t know if normal people whose mothers were not microbiologists list salmonella among their greatest fears, but raw turkey juice everywhere in the fridge dripping into the produce drawers required a hazmat-suit level of cleaning until I could stop worrying. β€’ Where’s the recipe, Deb? We were so happy with the turkey but I cannot in good conscience share with you a recipe for something so epic that I’ve only made once. I mean, what if I missed something major and ruin all of your holidays? So, I promise, it’s coming and it’s going to be worth the wait. The Menu β€’ Ina Garten’s Baked Fontina (I hope to share a more budgeted version of this soon) β€’ Corn Muffins (brought by a friend) β€’ A Giant Kale Caesar made with a riff on this dressing. I’d intended to make this salad, however. β€’ A Roast Turkey Mash-Up That Was About 50% Thomas Keller, 30% Gourmet and 20% Alton Brown β€’ Cathy Barrow’s Challah Stuffing With Mushroom and Celery with homemade challah, because crazy things happen in my freezer β€’ Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions (doubled) β€’ Roasted Delicata Squash with Brown Butter, Lime and Pepitas, except I ran out of time so they were just roasted β€’ Root Vegetable Gratin β€’ Baked Beans (brought by a friend) β€’ Ree Drummond’s Twice-Baked Potato Casserole (brought by a friend) β€’ Cranberry Sauce (brought by a friend, the one who taught me to make my own back in the day) β€’ Cheesecake-Marbled Pumpkin Slab Pie β€’ A Very Large Pecan Pie β€’ By the way, we made everything above except the gravy and obviously the turkey vegetarian simply by using vegetable stock; it wasn’t a challenge and nobody missed out on a thing. For the twice-baked potatoes, an area was left bacon-free on top. Postscripts β€’ Do not underestimate the power of one really great, crunchy salad, the perfect contrast to all the butter-drenched and gluten-full wonders across the table. It goes quickly. I’m sharing today the salad I’d intended to make; I think it’s the perfect last-minute addition to any menu and so easy to bring with you from home. I guarantee the host will appreciate it. β€’ Finally, ask me anything! I feel like I know 100x as much about Thanksgiving as I did 72 hours ago and most of what I did is very fresh in my head. I’m happy to answer any questions you have in the comments below. I’ll probably attack them mostly this evening, so don’t fret if you don’t get an immediate response. Previously One year ago: Roasted Leek and White Bean Galettes and Date Breakfast Squares Two years ago: Classic Pecan Pie with Praline Sauce and Crispy Sweet Potato Roast Three years ago: Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions, Apple-Herb Stuffing for All Seasons, Cauliflower with Brown Butter Crumbs and Parsley Leaf Potatoes Four years ago: Cauliflower-Feta Fritters with Pomegranate Five years ago: Gingersnaps and Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Biscuits Six years ago: Creamed Onions with Bacon and Chives and Sweet Corn Spoonbread Seven years ago: Sweet Potato and Buttermilk Pie, Creamed Spinach and Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake Eight years ago: Silky Smooth Pumpkin Pie, Home Fries, Apple Pancakes and Fennel Proscuitto and Pomegranate Salad Nine years ago: Pumpkin Waffles and Creamy White Polenta with Mushrooms and Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie Ten! years ago: Three Cranberry Sauces and No-Knead Bread And for the other side of the world: Six Months Ago: Roasted Carrots with Avocado and Yogurt and Almond Rhubarb Picnic Bars 1.5 Years Ago: Fake Shack Burger and Swirled Berry Yogurt Popsicles 2.5 Years Ago: Soft Pretzel Buns and Knots 3.5 Years Ago: Greek Salad with Lemon and Oregano 4.5 Years Ago: Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice Brussels Sprouts, Apple and Pomegranate Salad This is a crunchy, bright abundantly November-ish salad that hails from Michael Solomonov’s Zahav cookbook. In the book, he calls it tabbouleh and explains that while in the U.S., tabbouleh is usually made with bulgur wheat, parsley and chopped tomatoes, in Israel, you’re unlikely to find it made the same way twice, and I’d say the same for Solomonov’s versions too. In the book, he’s swapped kale for parsley but I’ve also seen him do the same with shredded brussels. He says he enjoys swapping quinoa for the bulgur, and adding pomegranate when it is in season. In the fall, he said he enjoys adding apples and walnuts, and will sometimes even replace the grain entirely with walnuts. And it from here that we’ve ended up with a dish I won’t even call tabbouleh, so not to confuse anyone, but a salad, and an excellent one at that. Between his book and the various outlets that have published versions of this salad, I found almost no two recipes alike so I instead set out all the ingredients and added them at the levels I liked most. You, too, can and should adjust the flavors to taste. 1/2 large red onion, diced small2 tablespoons red wine vinegar2 teaspoons ground sumac1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to season salad2 cups shredded brussels sprouts1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (from about 1/2 a large one)1/2 a large unpeeled apple, cored and diced (I used Granny Smith, the book recommends Pink Lady or Honeycrisp)Juice of half a lemon, plus more to taste1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons honey, plus more to taste1/4 cup olive oil3/4 cup toasted, cooled walnuts, lightly crushed or coarsely choppedGround chipotle chile pepper, urfa biber peppers, hot smoked paprika or another chile flake, to taste Make the sumac-pickled onions: Combine red onion, wine vinegar, sumac and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a small dish and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients, or ideally at least 15 minutes. Combine all salad ingredients, including red onions and their pickling liquid, in a medium bowl and season to taste with salt and red pepper. Taste and adjust ingredients as desired — I’ve seen versions of the recipe with more honey, olive oil and lemon; I didn’t need them but you might find you do. This salad can be prepped ahead, but I’d keep the dressing off of it until at most an hour before serving so it doesn’t discolor the sprouts.

A year or two ago, I got rid of my roasting pan. Not because I’m anti-roasting pan, or because I needed the space, but because I realized that my roasting pan had a non-stick surface and that I’d been scratching it up with a metal spatula over the years and that there was a teensy, tiny chance I’d been exposing myself and my loved ones to carcinogens whenever I roasted a chicken and that we’re all going to die and it’s all my fault. So these days, when I roast a chicken, I rely on my largest cast iron skillet. Frankly, I think it works better. And I riff on the beloved Thomas Keller roast chicken recipe, the one I’ve been making for the past eight years, combining assorted root vegetables and potatoes and garlic in the bottom of the pan with a splash of vegetable oil, salt, and pepper, and then topping it with a chicken that I stuff with thyme and garlic, also rub with vegetable oil, before sprinkling with lots of salt and pepper. Only, I’ve been much bolder with a certain ingredient to really make my roast chicken shine. Can you guess what it is? Hint: it starts with the letter “b” and it rhymes with shmutter. That’s right, butter. You know, in addition to PBS, one of my biggest sources for cooking inspiration is Instagram. I follow lots of chefs and food people on there and not too long ago, I was looking at Ludo Lefebvre’s feed and he positively slathered a chicken in butter. Ludo’s food at Trois Mec and Petit Trois is some of the best French food in L.A., so when I saw that, I made a mental note: the next time I roast a chicken, I’m going to use more butter than usual. And you know what? It makes a big difference. Not only does it keep your roast chicken moist, it also helps it brown up beautifully. I mean just look at last night’s bird. The other big step I’ve been taking has to do with cooking time. In the past, I used to worry about overcooking the chicken; now I worry about undercooking it. Through my various roast chicken experiments, I’ve discovered that the longer I let it sit in the hot oven, the better it gets. Very rarely does the breast dry out (probably because of all of that butter) and the legs and dark meat get properly done, they become almost fall-off-the-bone tender. My new procedure: start at 475 for 20 to 30 minutes, until the outside is really brown, lower to 425 and then cook for an hour more. So 90 minutes total. The other thing I do? Once the pan’s out of the oven, I lift the chicken off, put it on a plate or platter to rest, and, after tossing the vegetables around a bit with a metal spatula, I stick the pan back in the oven to get the vegetables even more caramelized. The dirty secret about this roast chicken recipe is that it’s not about the chicken at all, it’s about the vegetables. They get infused with all of that chicken fat and butter and salt and then get super brown and sweet and I’ve had many a friend nod happily when they try my chicken, but then swoon when they try the vegetables. (See: my friend Ryan proving this point.) (Actually, it looks more like he’s finished his vegetables and he’s recoiling from Craig.) Finally, last night, I figured out the perfect way to serve my roast chicken. Scoop all of the vegetables on to a platter, then cut the bird up with a big knife and place the pieces on top, sprinkling everything with parsley. Who wouldn’t want to see that on their dining room table, especially as it starts to get chillier outside? Serve with Dijon mustard, a bottle of Pinot Noir, and that’s pretty much the perfect roast chicken dinner, as far as I’m concerned. You could add a salad, but after all of that butter? You’d only be kidding yourself.

Want the most golden, most crispy skin on anything from your Sunday roast Chicken to your Thanksgiving turkey? We tested four different methods to find the very best one. Photography Credit: Summer Miller I’ve been wrist deep in the business end of chickens all week. I’m on a quest to determine the best way to achieve perfect deep, golden, crispy skin, both for our everyday roast chickens and also for that bird of all birds — the Thanksgiving turkey. Why? A well-roasted bird makes an undeniably beautiful presentation on your holiday table. Also, of course, the snap of salty, crisp skin with each tender morsel of meat is a little bite of heaven. In the end, we want a bird with tender, flavorful meat, and deeply golden, crispy skin. The goal is to inject the meat with moisture while eliminating it from the skin. DRY SKIN = CRISPY SKIN Ultimately, you want dry skin. The drier your skin to start, the crispier it will be after roasting. Different cooks and chefs have varying techniques for doing this. Some leave the chicken uncovered in the refrigerator (a technique I support), others use salt and or baking powder to draw the moisture out of the skin, and some simply pat the bird dry with paper towels, pop it in the oven and hope for the best. I tested four different techniques to evaluate their effectiveness at creating golden, crispy skin. I tested with chickens rather than turkeys to save time, money, and limit the amount of poultry my family had to eat in a single week. (As it is, they’ve made me promise not to serve chicken for a least a month.) What works for one bird will likely work for another, so you can apply any of the techniques outlined below to any kind of poultry – including, yes, your Thanksgiving turkey. TESTING METHOD I tested four different methods for achieving crispy, golden skin: Dry the bird with paper towels, then roast Rub with baking powder mixture Air-dry for 24 hours Air-dry and baste during roasting To ensure accurate results, I applied a few standards to all the chickens. First, all the chickens were between 5 and 6 pounds. Two were from the supermarket, and two were from a farmer down the street from my house. All chickens were trussed and set on the counter to come up to room temp for 30 minutes before I popped them in the oven. For this test, I was most concerned with the crispness and color of the skin, so I didn’t worry about the flavor of the chicken until the end, adding herbs, or stuffing the cavity. However, I still wanted the chicken to taste good, so except for Chicken No. 2 (see below), I seasoned each one with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme. All the birds were roasted in on a sheet pan lined with parchment with a wire cooling rack placed on top. This allows air to circulate under and around the chicken, similar to roasting a turkey in a roasting pan with a roasting rack. I roasted the chickens on the second lowest rack in the oven and used Ina Garten’s recommendation for cooking time: 1hr and 30min at 425-degrees Fahrenheit for each bird. THE RUNDOWN Each method produced at least some color and a bit of crispness, so even on your least motivated day in the kitchen, you can make a decently crispy, golden chicken. The exact method you use depends on how much time you have and how loyal you are to crispy skin. Chicken No. 1: The Quick Pat Down This first chicken served as my control. It required the least amount of effort and still provided some level of crisp skin. I simply patted this chicken dry with paper towels, then rubbed it with two tablespoons of olive oil on the outside of the skin, under the skin, and inside the cavity of the bird. I combined the salt, pepper, and thyme together then rubbed the spice blend in all the same places. The result after roasting was lightly golden, slightly crisp skin. Basically, consider this bird the “I don’t have any time, but it’s cool, I can still pull off dinner” bird. You aren’t going to win any awards for this one, but it still gets the job done. Chicken No. 2: Baking Powder Rub This was a technique I pulled from Serious Eats, and the author swears by using baking powder to achieve a super crispy chicken. This chicken was rubbed down in a mixture of 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper, then left uncovered in the fridge for 18 hours. This chicken definitely had some crackling skin, but some parts looked a bit leathery and the color was actually lighter than the first bird. The meat was tender and flavorful, but there was a very slight, subtle metallic flavor from the baking powder. Chicken No. 3: The 24-Hour Chill I left Bird Number 3 uncovered in the fridge to air-dry for 24 hours, following the technique espoused by Thomas Keller and several other chefs. Then I used the same combination of oil, salt, pepper and thyme I used for Chicken Number 1 to season and assist crisping the skin just before putting it in the oven. This attempt yielded a beautiful golden color and a nice, crispy skin. The flavor of this bird was the best of those I’d tested so far. The meat was tender and not dry, but trying to season the bird under the skin after air drying proved difficult. More on that later. Chicken No. 4: Because I’m All About that Baste, about that Baste. To baste or not to baste, that is the question! My editor and I both read various accounts debating the merits of basting, so we felt it was worth the time to put this method to the test. I prepared Chicken Number 4 exactly as I prepared Chicken Number 3. The only difference was that I basted the chicken during roasting using the pan drippings. I don’t even have a proper baster, I just used a large spoon to scoop up and drizzle that chicken in all the fat it was working so hard to burn off. I didn’t want this one to win because I don’t like things that require more work, but Grandma knew what she was doing. I basted the chicken every 20 minutes during the 1 1/2 hour roasting time, and it was gorgeous. This bird had a deep brown color, and the skin was nice and crisp. It was the obvious winner. Chicken No. 5: Bonus Bird! I now knew that air-drying and basting created a beautiful bird, but trying to season a bird under the skin after drying it for 24 hours wasn’t the easiest. I took the time to test one more chicken, this time seasoning it before air-drying instead of after. For Bird Number 5, I created a paste of salt, pepper, thyme and one tablespoon of olive oil, and rubbed it on top of and underneath the skin. Then I left it uncovered in the fridge to dry for 24 hours. Just before roasting, I rubbed the outside of the skin with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I then basted it every 20 minutes as it cooked. The result was a chicken that was easy to season, had deep richly colored, crisp skin, and tender flavorful meat. Visually, it looked exactly the same as Bird Number 4, but the flavor was much better. CONCLUSION I’m a big believer in the “less is more” philosophy in the kitchen, so if I could make a perfectly beautiful, and delicious bird without too much fuss, then that’s a win for me. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly how this test turned out. In conclusion, if you want the crispiest, most golden skin on your bird this holiday season, or your next Sunday night chicken, the best way is to rub it with oil and spices under and over the skin, then leave it uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Rub it down with one more tablespoon of oil just before putting it in the oven, sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper. Roast and baste the chicken every 20 minutes. Sometimes a little bit of planning and extra effort is well worth the payout. Follow me on Pinterest If you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #simplyrecipes β€” We love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter! Summer Miller Summer Miller is a freelance writer, recipe developer and author based in Nebraska. Her work has appeared in Bon Appetit, Eating Well, Grit, SAVEUR, and Every Day with Rachel Ray, among others. Her first book is New Prairie Kitchen (Agate Publishing, 2015). More from Summer