Milk Street Q&A

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Theresa - This is basically a chocolate pudding cake. The current recipe on the Hershey's website calls for cocoa powder, sugar, and water, not Hershey's syrup but at some point it probably did. Many food manufacturers in the 1960s, an era of cake mixes and time-saving recipes, would alter recipes to try to sell products that could be used in the recipe, so it's possible they had a version using Hershey's syrup in place of the cocoa powder, brown sugar and water. The only version I could find made with syrup was a version that is intended for food service and scaled beyond what a home cook would want. But I wonder if you could take the recipe that calls for making the sauce with cocoa powder, sugar, and water and replace that with chocolate syrup? That's probably how I would start if I were recreating this recipe. My guess is that the basics of that one on the Hershey's site now is the same as it was in the 60s. There was probably a brief time when it had Hershey's syrup in it instead. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Steve - Unfortunately we didn’t test this in a 3 quart Instant Pot. You could probably halve the recipe, but you would need to make sure there is enough liquid in the pot to get the pot up to pressure. Cooking time \should\ remain the same. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Carol - I think the difference is in the flour. Canadian bread flour is higher in protein than most U.S. brands of bread flour (even King Arthur, which is generally touted as the highest). Canadian all-purpose flour is actually much closer to our bread flour. I would also ensure she is weighing the flour. Canadian flour is more finely milled than American flour and could cause the proportions of flour to water to be off as well. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi William - In general, I'd only recommend using the rind of a hard cheese. The rind does break down and disintegrate quite a bit so a softer cheese would leave a lot of cheese residue in the soup/stew. We would also only recommend adding a parmesan rind to a soup/stew with a complementary flavor profile, such as something with Italian or Mediterranean flavors. If Parmesan sounds like it makes sense with what you are making, then go for it, and don't worry about specific sizes or ratios. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

As a general substitution, I would recommend purchasing a bottle of verjus. Verjus is a great alternative to wine since it is the pressed juice of unripened grapes. (It comes from the French, “vert jus,” which means green juice.) It can be used in a 1:1 substitution. This would be the closest flavor profile to wine. For white wine, you could also use a combination of water and lemon juice with a little honey. For example, in a recipe that calls for 1/2 cup of wine, I'd add 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and a squirt of honey. It's not an exact science. A similar combination of beef broth and a little vinegar or lemon juice can mimic the flavor of red wine -follow the same proportions as mentioned above for the water/lemon juice combo. For sherry, apple cider combined with sherry vinegar can be used as a substitute. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Susan - These two mole pastes from El Sabor de Oaxaca don't include chocolate or cocoa, as not all authentic mole sauces include do. I would try the paste (diluted with some water or stock) without any additions first. It is extremely flavorful and we find it tastes as close to what we had in Oaxaca as anything we've found. Good luck and enjoy! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi - The "see note" generally refers to the introductory paragraph of the recipe where you will find additional information about the ingredient or method referenced. For example, in the case of the honey in the braised pork, the note states the following, "we preferred the braise sweetened with a strong, dark honey, such as buckwheat, which holds its own in the mix of wine, herbs, citrus and fennel seed. But a lighter, milder variety worked, too; orange blossom honey is a good option. For the tomato rice, the note reads, "Kochilas uses ouzo, the Greek anise-flavored liqueur, as seasoning in her rice; if you prefer, substitute an equal amount of white wine plus 1 teaspoon fennel seeds." I will forward your note about the honey link to our store team to fix, thank you! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Todd - I'm glad this worked out for you! It is surprising that we didn't just almond flour in the filling. I think the reason why we chose this route was because these two recipes - crust and filling - were essentially developed separately. The crust was meant to be used in other recipes and the filling was initially intended to be in more traditional pie crust. That being said, I will certainly let the development team know! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Gerald - You want to let it rise the 5 1/2-6 hours first. The dough can then be transferred to the baking pan. After it has settled in the pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The next day, prepare the toppings. Uncover, top the dough with the olives and tomatoes, and let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes, then finish and bake as directed. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Katherine and Vi - I checked in with our Milk Street store team and they let me know the following, "We send out an automatic review email about 28 days after the item ships. If it's past that time significantly, I would suggest checking a spam folder - or the customer can reach out to us directly and we can manually re-send the review. Once they have it, it doesn't expire -- you could review something months after receiving the email." Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.