Milk Street Q&A

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Charles - The mustard and cumin seeds are left whole. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Matthew Card

Hi, All apologies on missing this earlier. Milk Street knives have bevels that are 17 degrees on each side. This is in line with Japanese design; most European-style knives are sharpened to 20-22 degrees. It's pretty tough to really harm a knife! If sharpened to either degree, they can be brought back to their original bevel angle. If you're really concerned, they can be sharpened by a professional, who can reprofile the bevels and thin out the blade if needed. Best, Matthew Card, Creative Director, recipes and products

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Bill - Yes. Start to finish times include active time. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Denise - We've found, in most cases, this is not necessary. The idea is that, by leaving meat out at room temperature, its internal temperature will rise and bring it closer to the final cooking temperature. This, it is said, will make the meat cook more evenly. However, in reality, the temperature barely rises in the 20 minutes - 1 hour that is typically recommended in recipes and has no impact on even cooking. Hope this helps! The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Kathy - I assume you bought the more modern "sweet" variety, not the bitter ones that require days of soaking to make them edible? If you aren't sure if you have the sweet variety, you will need to soak them for many days to If not prepared correctly, lupini beans are extremely bitter, indicative of toxicity, known as lupin poisoning. Lupin poisoning is relatively common with legumes high in alkaloids, like lupini beans, and can temporarily impair nervous system responsiveness and cause digestive discomfort. If you've got the sweet ones and soaked overnight or the bitter ones and ensured they are no longer bitter, you can use them as you would cannellini, borlotti, garbanzo, or in most white bean dishes. They actually have taste and texture that more closely resembles an edamame bean so feel free to use them in place of those too. These are a common bar snack in the Mediterranean and the Middle East when brined and/or pickled, which would be another great (and long-term) use for them if you've got too many. Once brined, you can toss them with olive oil, a little smoked paprika, fresh herbs, and a little lemon juice or wine vinegar for brightness. Hope that helps! The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Philip - The cookbook version is correct. Our standard measurement for bread flour is 137 g. per cup, so 2 cups would be 274 grams, not 311 grams. I believe we used a different measurement before we did official testing in 2017 and this recipe predates that testing. It should have been updated on the website. I will get our digital team to change it ASAP. Thanks for letting us know! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Lori - Since these are meant to me more of a bite-sized cake, we did not test these in a larger muffin pan so we aren't sure what modifications would need to be made to adjust the recipe. Also, one of the hallmarks of friands (or financiers) is the balance of textures between the soft, cake-y interior and the crisp exterior. With a larger size, we fear that balance would be lost. If you decide to go ahead and try it, we assume the baking time will be longer in order to get the centers baked through. There's a chance that the exterior may over brown in that time so you might want to keep a piece of foil at the ready in case they are browning too much and need to be covered. Good luck! The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Becky - These should be fine to freeze. Just make sure to thaw completely in the refrigerator before cooking. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Chris - If you check out your supermarket's international food aisle, you may find Goya brand finely ground cornmeal or another brand like Caribbean Rhythms or Iberia. If you do decide to use the food processor, just make sure not to overprocess it. I would use the pulse setting and process a little at a time to make sure it doesn't go too far. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Joshua - You could make a blueberry-based sauce to go with meat - duck and pork, in particular would pair well with it. Here is an example from The NY Times. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team