Milk Street RecipesAsked Apr 24, 2020 by Raymond B.
OK you know the drill. Got a "free" 21lb turkey last Thanksgiving 97 year old WW2 vet held it in his freezer for me until now. So got it back and using this opportunity to break down the bird and to experiments with recipes I want to try.
One is turkey burgers that don't, you know - suck :-)
This is one that I had my eye on. When I parted out the turkey I had 2lbs plus of boneless thigh meat. So perfect for trying 2 recipes. One was this one from Milk Street. The other one was not from ATK, but I'm a long time member there and they are on the list too for some koji turkey experimenting (yeah I have the koji done for a good while)
Anyway I digress - Key question: would one freeze the uncooked herbed burgers as is (raw) or par cook first then freeze?
Will the herbs and texture suffer from freezing without par cooking?
Yesterday I did one of the herb burgers and par cooked first at 425, in the oven for 20 minutes flipping. It was good, very good. But didn't finish to mallard it totally. Worked fine. Everyone is skeptical when folks talk about turkey burgers. I think this is a great recipe frankly. The density also makes it easy to work with. It's very similar to beef burgers in texture /density.
I will be answering my own question over time - but don't have all that much extra time to experiment as you folks :-)
I love Milk Street!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Raymond - These turkey burgers are some of the best I've had, but I do think they are best made fresh since they are pre-seasoned and contain fresh herbs, both of which will fade in the freezer. If you do decide to freeze them, I would 100% freeze them raw and then defrost in the fridge before cooking. You can freeze them on a sheet until firm and then place parchment between and transfer to a zipper-lock bag. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 24, 2020 by Peter S.
I prefer my sweets a little less sweet than others often do. I will frequently cut the amount of sugar by 1/2 or more in cakes and other baked goods. What other adjustments should I make? Note that I'm not asking about substitutes for table sugar but rather using less sweetener altogether.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Peter - Baked goods are successful due to the delicate balance of the ingredients a recipe developer has determined based on food science and testing. Sugar affects the texture and rise in baked goods and there's no hard-and-fast formula for baking with reduced sugar that will cover every single thing you bake. King Arthur has a good article on reducing sugar in recipes. As suggested in the article, you'll want to use a scale that measures in grams and adjust your recipes using baker's percentages, a formula professional bakers use to scale recipes in order to account for the sugar's impact on structure, moisture, and rise. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 24, 2020 by Mitchell G.
Is there any workable substitute for fish sauce? I can't use it due to a family member with a food sensitivity to almost all things fishy. Right now I'm eyeing the Vietnamese Caramel Chicken recipe in the most recent magazine.
Thanks!
Mitch
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Mitchell - In general, and especially in this recipe, you could use a combination of soy sauce and rice vinegar in place of the fish sauce. It's hard to fully mimic the distinct flavor of fish sauce, but this combo should work OK. I highly recommend this recipe - it's on weekly rotation in my house since it's so easy to prepare and packs a ton of flavor in its simplicity. Make sure to really cook the caramel until it's smoking. You need the bitterness from the dark caramel to balance the sweetness of it. I'd love to know what you think! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 23, 2020 by Beverly F.
Are the recipes in the magazine part of the 2020 cookbook or the Tuesday night book?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Beverly - All of the issues of the magazine and their recipes will appear in the 2020 Annual that is published at the end of the year. The Tuesday night cookbook was published in 2018. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 23, 2020 by Dianne D.
Hi there,
Which Milk Street Cookbook features or contains fish recipes? Loving the Fast and Slow, and trying various products, thanks!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Dianne - Both our Milk Street Tuesday Nights and New Rules cookbooks have a bunch of great fish recipes. Also, if you use the search feature on the website you can find many really great fish recipes that may have appeared in our magazine. One of my favorites is the Baked Salted Salmon with Dill that appeared in our January-February 2020. It's so simple and hands-off and comes out perfectly-cooked every time. Happy cooking! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 23, 2020 by Chi D.
Most pastry cream recipes include the following steps: whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch; slowly add hot milk; and cook the mixture until thickened. Would we get the same result if we whisk all of the ingredients together and then cook until thickened?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Chi - you don't \have\ to temper the eggs when making a pastry cream. See this recipe from Martha Stewart where everything goes in the pot at once. You\do\ need to stir constantly to keep the eggs from forming clumps. Tempering works because the addition of the liquid dilutes the egg proteins making it harder for them to combine and form those clumps. A tempered mixture is already warm so it takes less time to come to a boil and, therefore, requires less stirring and time. But, as long as you stir constantly, you can get the same results from adding the eggs and liquid together from the start. I would still recommend running it through a fine-mesh strainer after cooking to strain our any curds that may have formed despite your best efforts. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 22, 2020 by Alix S.
I want to know what qualities make cookie dough especially good for making clear stamp impressions; is it more butter, more flour, fewer eggs? Baking powder vs. baking soda? I would like to be able to assess and adjust recipes to use stamps, so I'm hoping some cookie experts will weigh in.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Alix - Unfortunately, we haven't used cookie stamps for any recipes at Milk Street so I can't give you any tested advice. However, here are some of my personal suggestions -
Choose the right style of cookie - a shortbread or sablè cookie is probably best for stamping. That's because these don't contain any leavener or eggs (or only egg yolks), which makes them less likely to rise or spread and impact the design.
Don't overmix the dough - when creaming the butter and sugar, you want to make sure to mix the butter and sugar thoroughly but you don't want to beat too long or at too high a speed. This will incorporate too much air which will cause the cookies to spread during baking and affect the stamped design.
Flour the stamp very well before stamping the cookies - you want to be able to make a relatively deep impression without the stamp sticking to the dough.
Chill the cookies before baking - put the stamped cookies in the fridge before baking. I'd say about an hour. Cold cookies won't spread in the oven and will hold the stamped shapes.
I hope these suggestions are helpful and lead to some beautiful stamped cookies! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 21, 2020 by Kiesy S.
Hello, I would love to know names of your favorite EVOOs for cooking and for finishing and dipping. Thank-you very much and hopefully this finds you and yours in good health.
Kiesy
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Kiesy - For high-end options, our absolute favorite extra-virgin olive oil is Maalouf Extra Virgin Olive Oil from North Lebanon. It's a truly all-purpose extra-virgin olive oil without the overpowering bitterness that mars some other brands. Unfortunately, it's a small-batch producer and they are sold out in our store until next year's harvest. But, when it comes up again, definitely grab a bottle or two! Our second choice would be the Castelines L'Anglandau Extra-Virgin Olive Oil from Provence. It's a little more peppery than the Maalouf, but it's a favorite in our kitchen too. For daily use, California Olive Ranch extra-virgin olive oil is a terrific product that can be found in most supermarkets. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 21, 2020 by Anna A.
We have an old family recipe, English Pea & Asparagus Casserole, that we make every time we have a ham. It uses drained cans of peas & asparagus, and you layer it with sliced hard-boiled egg and then pour a white sauce \[béchamel\] over the top, and bake until it's heated through, top with a bit of grated cheddar. \[It sounds weird but everyone raves about it. I, however, have a reaction to peas, so I've never tasted it.\]
In recent years, after baking in the oven, the white sauce just returns to liquid, and it doesn't set up as it cools. So it's almost like a cream soup. My mother had been making the white sauce in the microwave. I thought perhaps something weird was happening via that process. So this time around, I made it the traditional way, on the stove top. The result was a beautiful white sauce that both my mother and I thought perfect. But still, after the casserole went into the oven, the white sauce went back to being soupy.
My next thought is to 1) try a more thorough drain of the peas and asparagus \[I don't know how thorough my mother is when doing this part\] or 2) use frozen peas \[cooked\] and fresh asparagus \[cooked\], but it will probably be months before we have another ham. Other than those two ideas, do you have any suggestions? \[I am happy to share the recipe.\]
Thank you.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hi Anna - Thank you for reaching out, but I'm afraid that we cannot offer suggestions for recipes that we did not develop.
Read MoreAsked Apr 21, 2020 by Teresa J.
Hi! Thank you for opening up the forum. I’ve been wondering what to do with the 5 lbs of fresh slice pork I got as part of a ‘pig share’. It looks just like bacon, but is just raw pork sliced like bacon. We cooked one package and were decidedly underwhelmed. Pretty flavorless. I sprinkled some smoked paprika on the last couple slices as they were in the skillet, better, but ..... Suggestions? Can we MAKE it BACON?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Teresa - What you have, essentially, is pork belly. Since it's already been sliced it shouldn't be smoked and cured like bacon at this point. You can, however, use it as you would thin pork belly - search for recipes for sliced pork belly. Unlike bacon, it has only its pork flavor so adding some salt to it is crucial. I'd probably choose to make Char Siu, Chinese-style barbecue. I love it served with steamed rice and sautéed vegetables to soak up the sticky glaze. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
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