I'm not a bad chef, really and truly, and I do cook on the boats from
time to time. I'm always looking for tips to make the stuff I cook
tastier or easier to prepare.

This past holiday season, I was "gifted" with a set of nice knives.
Packed in the box was a coupon for a magazine called "Cook's
Illustrated" that I had never encountered. So I sent away for a trial
subscription.

The magazine is fabulous, in that it actually teaches you how to cook
some really interesting meals, and it explains techniques, cooking
hardware, et cetera. The current issue has a recipe for Fish Meuniere,
which I tried. It was delicious. Along with the recipe, the magazine
presented several tidbits, including this one:

"Anatomy of a Flatfish Fillet"

"Flatfish fillets have two distinct sides, and it makes a difference
which one goes into the pan first..."

The article then proceeds to explain why when frying flatfish you should
put the bone side of the fish into the pan first.

It also explains how to get a uniform, thin, brown crust on the fillets,
and lots more.

The magazine has a website:

www.cooksillustrated.com


Here's a freebie recipe for doughnuts:

Author(s): Christopher Kimball - Eva Katz
Buttermilk Doughnuts
In just forty-five minutes, you can fry up two dozen robust country
doughnuts with great crunch and flavor. The secrets to success are the
right dough and the right frying medium.

The challenge: Cook's founder and publisher, Christopher Kimball,
thought he had come as close as possible to replicating the
country-style doughnuts made by the local baker in the Vermont village
where he grew up. But when he rethought them for a story in the magazine
and brought a collection of recipes into the test kitchen, he learned to
make them all over again--but better. The doughnut he was after was
crunchy on the outside, tender yet sturdy on the inside, laced
delicately with the flavor of nutmeg, and as greaseless as it was
possible for a fried doughnut to be. And fried it would have to be; the
batch of baked doughnuts we tried turned out dull, with smooth--not
crunchy--exteriors.

The solution: Although we knew that the price of crunch was to be paid
in fat, we weren't sure what kind would work best, how hot it should be,
or how long we'd have to cook the doughnuts in it. We tested all kinds
of vegetable oil and had almost settled on peanut until we tried
vegetable shortening in the form of Crisco. It won hands down, producing
a much less greasy doughnut than the peanut oil. Temperature was
important, too. At 350 degrees the dough absorbs too much oil; at 385
degrees the outside starts to burn before the inside can cook through.
We got our best results by bringing the oil up to 375 degrees before
adding the doughnuts; it would fall back to 360-365 degrees once the
doughnuts were dropped in. It was also important to bring the oil back
up to 375 before adding each new batch of doughnuts. Although some
recipes called for cooking times as long as one and one-half minutes, we
found this to be much too long. The longer the doughnuts cooked, the
greasier they got. The shorter the frying time, the less chance the
shortening had to penetrate the dough. We found 50 seconds to be ideal.

For good measu A cast-iron kettle works best for frying these
doughnuts because it is so good at retaining heat. It doesn't register
much of a temperature change even right when the doughnuts go in to the oil.

BUTTERMILK DOUGHNUTS

Makes 15 to 17 doughnuts

There are two variations on this recipe. For a bit more flavor, add two
ounces of lard to every cup of shortening. You can also add one-quarter
cup of flour to the recipe, which will produce a chewier doughnut with a
less crispy exterior. Regardless, these doughnuts are best eaten very
warm, as soon out of the pot as possible. The dough can be made by hand,
using a large bowl with a wooden spoon, or in a mixer as directed. Like
cookies, doughnuts rolled from scraps will be a little drier and less
crisp than those cut from the first roll.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for surfaces
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
6 cups vegetable shortening for frying

1. Mix 1 cup flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg
in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment.

2. Mix buttermilk, butter, and eggs in 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Add
wet ingredients to the dry; beat on medium speed (number 4 setting on a
KitchenAid) until smooth, about 30 seconds. Decrease speed to low
(number 2 setting on a KitchenAid); add remaining flour and mix until
just combined, about 30 seconds. Stir batter once or twice with wooden
spoon or rubber spatula to ensure that all liquid is incorporated. (The
dough will be moist and tacky, a cross between cake batter and cookie
dough.)

3. Fit candy thermometer to side of cast-iron kettle or large,
heavy-bottomed soup kettle; gradually heat shortening over medium-high
heat to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, turn dough onto floured work surface.
Roll with heavily floured rolling pin to 1/2-inch thick. Stamp out dough
rings with heavily floured doughnut cutter, reflouring between cuts.
Transfer dough rounds to jelly roll pan or large wire rack. Gather
scraps and gently press into disk; repeat rolling and stamping process
until all dough is used. (Cut doughnuts can be covered with plastic wrap
and stored at room temperature up to 2 hours.)

4. Carefully drop dough rings into hot fat four or five at a time,
depending on kettle size. Turn doughnuts as they rise to surface with
tongs, a Chinese skimmer, or a slotted spoon. Fry doughnuts until golden
brown, about 50 seconds per side. Drain on paper towel-lined jelly roll
pan or wire rack. Repeat frying, returning fat to temperature between
each batch.

SUGARED BUTTERMILK DOUGHNUTS

Regular confectioners' sugar breaks down into a gummy glaze on the
doughnuts, but Snow White Non-Melting Sugar (see link below) makes a
long-lasting coating. If you do not have it, try the Cinnamon-Sugared
Buttermilk Doughnuts below.

Follow recipe for Buttermilk Doughnuts, tossing doughnuts in nonmelting
sugar to coat (about 1 cup) after cooling for 1 minute.

CINNAMON-SUGARED BUTTERMILK DOUGHNUTS

Follow recipe for Buttermilk Doughnuts. Mix 1 cup sugar with 1 1/2
tablespoons cinnamon in small bowl. Cool doughnuts about 1 minute and
toss with cinnamon sugar to coat.



Bon Appetit!





--
Email sent to is never read.