Milk Street Q&A

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Tara - Have you tried our Yelapa-Style Chocolate Pie? It has both cornstarch and egg yolks to thicken and it holds its shape whether at room temperature or chilled. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi John - The meringue texture should be light and flowy more like the topping to a lemon meringue pie than a marshmallow. Unfortunately, weeping can be an issue with meringue. Was your meringue whipped to stiff peaks? Sometimes if it’s under beaten it is more prone to weeping. Also, when browning the meringue, try not to use too high heat or brown too much. The shock of the high temperature can cause the sugar in the meringue to seize and leach out water. The less of the meringue that gets heated, the less weeping will occur. So swirling the meringue into peaks and just browsing the tips will hopefully minimize weeping Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Robert - Yes, this recipe is missing Step 1, I believe it's because this is one of three similar recipes for roasted acorn squash. I've included the instructions below: Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle position. On a rimmed baking sheet, rub the cut sides of the squash halves with 1 tablespoon oil, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the halves cut sides down and roast until a skewer inserted into the squash meets no resistance, 30 to 35 minutes. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will make sure to fix the recipe online. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Chelsea - We don't have a rolled cake recipe at Milk Street, but there are a few tips that might help you succeed: A rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan would be our pan recommendation While the cake is still hot, roll it into a spiral on a confectioners' sugar—dusted towel and then allow it to sit for 15 minutes before unrolling it and adding the filling. To avoid deflating the batter when transferring it to the prepared baking sheet, hold the mixer bowl as close to the bottom of the sheet as possible, using a rubber spatula to gently push the batter into the sheet. Make sure not to overbake the cake, which can cause cracking once rolled. Be sure to find a recipe from a reliable source - a food magazine, cookbook, or reliable recipe developer (e.g., Sally's Baking Addiction, Serious Eats, King Arthur, etc.). These recipes have been tested by professional recipe developers and will ensure success. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mike - They probably \do\ mean coconut cream and it likely has to do with all of the boiling done in the recipe. That's because coconut cream is higher in fat than coconut milk (about 20% for coconut cream and only 9-15% for coconut milk). This higher ratio of fat to water allows you to boil coconut cream without it curdling in the same way that heavy cream added to a sauce can be reduced but milk (or even half-and-half) cannot. We still think you could make this with full-fat coconut milk you would just need to keep the liquid at a simmer rather than a rolling boil to reduce which, obviously, will take a bit more time. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Donna - We haven't baked with coconut sugar much here at Milk Street and baking with sugar alternatives can be tricky, but coconut sugar works pretty well in a 1-1 substitution for white, granulated sugar as long as you manage your expectations. To understand the pitfalls of baking with coconut sugar, it’s important to understand the traditional role of sugar in baked goods. In addition to providing sweetness and flavor, refined sugar helps create structure, moistness, and chewiness. The chemical bond between sugar and water locks in moisture, creating tender cookies that are less likely to dry out. Alt-sugars have a different chemical makeup, which frequently means they lack these useful qualities. In other words, you shouldn’t expect a cookie made with coconut sugar to behave exactly like a cookie made with refined sugar. It won't be as moist and chewy. Still, coconut sugar easily dissolves into simple syrups and creams into butter and eggs. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mary - Since we haven't tested this with only lentils, we don't know exactly how to modify it to make sure you have the correct ratio of liquid to lentils for the pressure cooker. We would probably recommend this lentil and spinanch soup recipe instead. You can easily modify this one - just use the flavors from the fast & slow version (cook the vegetables as instructed in the fast and slow version but in the saucepan), then use the broth and lentil amounts and cooking time for the saucepan version. That would probably ensure that the lentils don't end up over- or under-cooked and/or the soup isn't too thick or thin. Hope that helps! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Claire - Unfortunately, we don't have a recipe for blueberry pie at Milk Street, however most blueberry pie recipes can be made with fresh or frozen blueberries. The key with any blueberry pie is to add a thickener - clear-gel, tapioca, or pectin - to thicken the filling. As for frozen blueberries, we prefer the smaller, wild blueberries. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Todd - If you go to the TV tab on the website and click on the individual episodes from Season 7 so far, you will find the recipes from that episode linked on the page. Hope that helps! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Josh - While any gluten-free flour \can\ work in a roux-based gravy recipe, one type provides the best results - sweet rice flour aka glutinous rice flour (despite the name, it contains no gluten). Sweet rice flour is made from ground sticky rice and is not actually sweet. It's often used in Japanese desserts, like mochi, which is why it has "sweet" in the name. The same properties that give mochi its signature bounciness are what make for such a great gluten-free gravy. Sweet rice flour has a high ratio of amylopectin (one of the elements that make up starch), which adds body and texture to a gravy without it being too thick or congealing too quickly. Most versions of all-purpose gluten-free flour blends will make a pretty good gravy but, because they usually contain xanthan gum, congeal almost immediately after cooking. If this happens, it’s easy enough to whisk in a little extra warm stock, but it’s not the ideal situation when you’ve got other things to try to get to the holiday table. You can usually find sweet rice flour in the International aisle of some grocery stores or in any Asian market. It's also pretty easy to order online too. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team