Milk Street Q&A

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Sarah - Whole canned tomatoes have been (usually) peeled and packed in tomato juice or purèe. Diced tomatoes are whole tomatoes that have been machine-chopped and packed in juice or purèe. Many cans of whole tomatoes and all cans of diced tomatoes have an additive called calcium chloride added to help the tomatoes stay firm. The diced tomatoes have more surface area exposed and, therefore, are exposed to more calcium chloride causing them to be too firm. They won't break down during cooking. Generally, we recommend whole, peeled tomatoes so we have more control over the texture of the tomatoes - if we break them down by hand some pieces can almost melt into a sauce while other, larger pieces will still have some texture to them. Hope that explains it! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Lynn - 1.) For pancake batter, the order doesn't matter. You can leave some flour unmixed and the batter lumpy. It's more important to limit mixing and gluten development. For quick breads, muffins, scones the traditional method is adding wet to dry. The well in the center of dry ingredients allows the dry ingredients to be folded over on top of the liquid and then gently incorporated just until mixed. Adding the flour on top of the liquid would lead to overmixing. That being said, some recipe developers believe the opposite is true, which is likely what you are seeing in your first example. I think the key is, whichever method you use, to make sure not to overmix the batter. I don't see any reason why leaving behind 3 T. milk and vanilla would make any difference in the batter texture. 2.) I don't see the point in resting a quick bread batter. First, quick breads generally have either just baking soda or a combo of baking soda and powder. Baking soda (and some of the baking powder) reacts when combined with liquid and starts to work immediately. If you let the batter sit, that reaction will be lost before it goes into the oven and you will lose rising power. Also, yes - resting does develop gluten. Which you \don't\ want in a quick bread. Quick breads should be moist and tender, not chewy. 3.) The bread with all baking powder was light and fluffy, like cake; not quick bread. We liked the combo of soda and powder in our bread because of two things - 1.) the added amount of bananas (for flavor) needed some extra lift from powder to achieve the density we wanted and 2.) the soda added browning. 4.) I think the goal with our banana bread was to increase the amount of banana as much as possible to boost the flavor. Because this added more overall volume, we needed to decrease the butter to adjust. And, yes, we found that was easy to do because the bananas kept the bread moist. I hope I've answered all of your questions clearly! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Eileen - I love the simplicity of that recipe! It's listed on the website under another name, which is probably why you couldn't locate it. So sorry about that! Here is the link. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Mildred - We haven't tested it, but I think you could use all bread flour or a/p flour in this recipe with a couple of caveats. You will lose the traditional "wheat-y" flavor of pita and it will be more like a flatbread. Choosing bread flour will maintain more of the "chew" expected in pita bread. Finally, because the recipe was developed with half wheat and half bread flour it's possible that, when made with all bread or a/p, the resulting dough may be wetter and too sticky (whole wheat flour absorbs more water so we would have accounted for that by adding extra water to the recipe). You may need to add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time, to get the right texture. The dough should be just slightly sticky when it's ready. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Keith - We haven't tested it, but our banana bread recipe isn't all that different than this banana whoopie pie recipe from Martha Stewart. I think it should work. I don't think I would recommend it for the French Spice Cake, though. Due to the large amount of honey in the recipe I think it would spread too much. Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Lynn - I spoke with Chris and he sent along the following recipes. Hope this helps! Best, Lynn C. IRISH SODA BREAD   This is a quick bread, since it depends on baking soda, not yeast, for leavening. Many soda bread recipes use no butter and sugar and too little salt, which yields a dull loaf of bread indeed. The interesting aspect to this recipe is the use of a cast iron skillet for baking. Cast iron is a wonderful heat conductor and also serves to shape the dough as it bakes. 4                  cups unbleached all purpose flour 2                  tablespoons sugar 1                  teaspoon cream of tartar 1                  teaspoon baking soda 2                  teaspoons salt 4                  tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 3/4 to 2   cups buttermilk 1                  tablespoon melted butter Heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients (flour through salt) together in a large bowl. With a fork or your fingers, stir softened butter into flour mixture until fully incorporated. Add 1 3/4 cup buttermilk and stir mixture with a large rubber spatula or your fingers until dough starts to come together. Add more buttermilk if necessary to produce a cohesive dough. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 30 seconds or until dough comes together. It should still be rough textured and lumpy. Shape dough into a round and place in a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet. Score top of dough with a knife or razor blade, making two or three slashes. Bake about 40 minutes (it may take longer – the key is to check the internal temperature) or until an instant read thermometer indicates an internal temperature of 180 degrees. (Note that yeast breads usually have to be cooked to over 200 degrees – this bread is done at a much lower temperature.) Remove from oven, brush with melted butter, and let cool for 30 minutes before serving. Makes 1 round loaf TRIFLE 1 recipe Chiffon Cake, cut into 2 layers and then cut into 3/4-inch slices (see below) 4 recipes Pastry Cream (see below) 1 cup heavy cream, very cold 1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup Amaretto or Grand Marnier or other liqueur 4 cups fresh, ripe berries such as raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries, washed and thoroughly dried Bake the chiffon cake, cool, and slice. Make a quadruple recipe of the pastry cream and press a piece of waxed paper onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold. You can make the pastry cream a day ahead of time. Just before using, stir gently until smooth. Chill a large bowl and whisk or the beaters from an electric mixer. Add the cream and sugar to the bowl and beat on low speed (if using an electric mixer), gradually increasing the speed over the next minute until the mixer is on high. Beat until the cream is thick and can easily hold a 2-inch peak. Fold the chilled pastry cream into the whipped cream. To assemble the trifle, select a clear glass bowl with tall, straight sides. (It can also be made in any large bowl if you do not care about presentation.) The bowl should hold about 16 cups. Arrange cake slices in a fallen domino pattern around the perimeter of the bottom of the bowl. (The slices may have to be trimmed to fit properly in the bowl.) Fill in the center with additional slices. (You should have used about 1/3 of the cake slices at this point.) Brush cake slices with 1/3 of the Amaretto. Scatter one third of the fruit over the cake. Spread 1/3 of the pastry cream mixture over the top of the slices. Repeat the steps above twice until you have used up all of the cake and the pastry cream. Place trifle in refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or it can be made a day ahead) before serving. Serves 8 to 10 CHIFFON CAKE 2 1/4 cups cake flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup melted butter or corn oil (butter is preferred) 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 9 egg whites 1 teaspoon cream of tartar Heat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together the flour, 1 cup of sugar (reserving 1/2 cup), the baking powder, and the salt into a large bowl. Whisk to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter (or oil), egg yolks, water, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and beat until smooth (this can be done by hand with a whisk or wooden spoon). Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until frothy and then add the cream of tartar. Beat until soft peaks just begin to form. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until whites hold a 2-inch peak. Do not overbeat; whites should be billowy and glossy. Stir one quarter of the beaten whites into the batter to lighten. Then fold the remaining whites into the batter and pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Press lightly with a fork. If the top of the cake does not spring back, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes (check every 5 minutes). Remove pan from oven let cool on a rack for at least one hour. Run a thin knife around the outside of the cake before removing, since it is sticky and will easily adhere to the sides. PASTRY CREAM This recipe makes a thick, flavorful pastry cream with a deep yellow color. It uses sufficient egg yolks and flour to ensure a thick result (many recipes turn out thin and watery if not prepared just right). 1 cup half and half 3 egg yolks 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons flour Pinch salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Heat half and half in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Add about a 1/2 cup of the hot half and half to the egg mixture, whisking constantly but gently. When mixed, slowly pour in the remaining half and half, whisking slowly to incorporate. Place pan over a low heat and, whisking gently but constantly, heat until mixture thickens, about 4 to 7 minutes. (Time will vary depending on the stovetop and the saucepan.) Continue whisking gently for an additional 3 minutes or until mixture loses its floury taste. Strain custard into a small bowl. Add vanilla and stir gently to incorporate. Smooth top of custard with a rubber spatula and place waxed paper directly on the surface of the pastry cream and refrigerate until needed. Makes about 1 1/2 cups pastry cream

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Caroline - We haven't tested it but, according to Instant Pot, you can halve the recipe. They do recommend keeping the times the same since, "once an Instant Pot pressurizes they all require the same amount of time to cook no matter how much food there is. So whether you want to cook one carrot or one bushel of carrots, it will take the same amount of time to cook. That said, with more ingredients, it may take a bit longer for the cooker to come up to pressure, and similarly, to depressurize after cooking." The only exceptions might be pasta, rice, or oatmeal which may require a specific amount of liquid in order to cook properly. You may have to experiment a bit with those to get the ratios correct. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Eileen - Sorry for the delay in answering your question - somehow it slipped through without us seeing it. I've made the Chicken Yassa a number of times using jalapeño, so that would be a fine substitute. If you'd like thing spicier, I would recommend a combo of fresh jalapeño and your habanero hot sauce. I think the fresh chili is necessary to add fruitiness to the dish. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Layne - thanks for your sharing your suggestion. Happy cooking! Best, Lynn C.

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Melanie - I'm so happy to hear that you are expanding your cooking repertoire! We do have a recipe for making harissa at home. You should be able to find all of these ingredients at your local market. If you can't find white balsamic vinegar you can substitute white wine vinegar or even white vinegar to similar effect. Hope that helps and good luck! Best, Lynn C.