Cook's Country October - November 2016

IT’S GOT RUM in it,” I said. “For flavor. Just a little bit.” Gram looked at me and blinked. “More than just a little bit, I hope,” she said, employing the signature deadpan delivery she’s spent nearly 99 years perfecting. “It’s supposed to be for a holiday.” We were talking about the Rum Pumpkin Chiffon Pie that test cook Katie Leaird developed for this issue of Cook’s Country. It’s a lighter, fluffier take on the traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, and while to our palates it tastes fresh and contemporary, the pie has rather old roots. Nearly as old as Gram herself (see “Fashions in Food” on page 22). Our mission in Cook’s Country magazine is to tell our American culinary story, taking as many twists, turns, and unexpected detours as…

Bundt Pan Chicken I recently saw a recipe online that called for cooking chicken in a Bundt pan. I’m intrigued. Is there something to it, or is it just a gimmick? Diane Stapleton, Bloomington, Ind. We did a little digging and found a load of recipes online for Bundt pan chicken. All call for propping the chicken up vertically by placing its cavity over the center tube of the Bundt pan. (Some call for covering the hole with foil to prevent a mess in the oven). Vegetables, which are scattered around the base of the chicken in the bottom of the pan, soak up the flavorful drippings as the bird cooks. The benefit of roasting a chicken in a Bundt pan is similar to roasting one suspended over a beer…

DOUBLE DUTY Standard Measure Sandra Wilson, Lancaster, Pa. A lot of baking recipes call for rolling dough to a certain length. If I don’t have a ruler handy in the kitchen (I never seem to), I use my bench scraper as a guide. The blade is exactly 6 inches long, so I can easily measure and then use the bench scraper to help me transfer my dough. GOOD THINKING Splatter Cover Melissa Staples, Mikanda, Ill. I often need a lid for my skillet, but the only lidded pots I own are smaller saucepans. I’ve discovered that I can use my splatter guard, wrapped in aluminum foil, as a makeshift lid for skillets of different sizes. It doesn’t make the world’s tightest seal, but it works well enough. SMART TIP E-Z…

ONE OF MY favorite ways to roast chicken is on top of a bed of potatoes. The chicken’s skin becomes crackly-crisp while the potatoes slowly steep in the savory juices. And while the test kitchen has mastered this method, we have yet to take it to the next logical place: infusing every bite of potato with comforting chicken flavor by smashing them. I set out to change that. I started by nestling some cubed potatoes (Yukon Golds, which we love for their buttery flavor) under a 4-pound chicken in a skillet and sending it to the oven. Once the chicken was done, I zeroed in on the potatoes— and found myself disappointed. Those peeking out around the edges of the chicken were deeply browned and bordering on overdone, but the…

WHEN CAST-IRON STEW pots come out in Lenoir County, North Carolina, the safe bet is that a fish stew is nigh (see “On The Road”). Here’s how it goes down: First, the host renders bacon or salt pork in a large pot. He or she then layers in sliced onions, sliced potatoes, and chunks of whitefish and adds water, tomato, and red pepper flakes—and then walks away for a bit (it’s essential to not stir the stew as it cooks to keep the fish from breaking up). When the stew’s nearly done, the cook cracks eggs into it to poach until just cooked through. The stew is ladled into bowls and served with sliced white bread to mop up the spicy broth. Wait. Eggs? Yes, eggs. The origins of this…

BY DIANE UNGER TO “SMOTHER” MEAT (usually chicken or pork) is to cook it low-and-slow in rich gravy until the meat is ridiculously tender. Unfortunately, that gravy is often just a cloak to mask subpar meat or, worse, a barrier obscuring perfectly good meat. What I wanted was thick, meaty, ultratender chops nestled in a rich, well-seasoned gravy made lightly nutty by a golden-brown roux. To find the best chop for smothering, I started by testing rib, loin, and blade chops. Both the rib and loin chops cooked up tough and dry, no matter how gentle the heat. But blade chops have more fat and connective tissue and stand up really well to aggressive browning (which you need for good flavor) and long braising (for tenderizing). Margaret Boyd of Mrs.…