Cuisine at home Nov/Dec 2017

I love the magic of the holiday season. Though when pressed, I have to say that my favorite is Thanksgiving. That’s because it’s all about the food, and gathering around the table with family and friends to celebrate and give thanks. And this year, I’m especially excited to share with you a way to prepare your turkey — spatchcocking — that cuts the cooking time in half and ensures your bird roasts evenly. This method also saves you valuable oven space for our collection of amazing side dishes. Plus, there are four tasty recipes for using up your leftover turkey. Are you hosting a holiday cocktail party this year? We have a spread of perfectly paired small bites and drinks that can all be made ahead, giving you another reason to celebrate. There…

BILLOWY BISCUITS I love making biscuits from scratch and I often get requests from family and friends for my recipe. You can imagine their surprise when I tell them the key to making my biscuits extra fluffy and soft is not the recipe, but my “secret ingredient.” I always add one tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of flour called for in the recipe. Kristina Segarra, Yonkers, NY STICKY BUSINESS Opening jars can be a challenge, especially when sticky residue builds up on the lid. But no more. I place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the jar before screwing on the lid. Now, when opening the jar, the lid comes off easily. Marilyn Edelman, Sabetha, KS PRESSING MATTERS Pressing tofu used to mean using lots of towels. An easier way I’ve found is to…

Q: Can you explain laminated dough to me? — J.C. Putnam, Lewisburg, PA Answer: Making laminated dough involves three steps: preparing a base dough, enclosing fat (usually butter) inside the dough, then making a series of turns (rolling and folding) to the dough and butter to create very thin alternating layers. The dough is either yeasted (for Danish and croissants) or nonyeasted (for puff pastry). Danish dough, such as in the kringle on page 15, is the richest type because it includes eggs, milk, and sugar. Croissant dough is a little less rich since it doesn’t include eggs, but has some milk, and a little bit of sugar. Puff pastry dough isn’t traditionally made with sugar, eggs, or milk, rather water. One important thing to note, when making laminated dough, both the dough…

Sweet, succulent, and living in the frigid waters off of Alaska and Russia, king crab is the largest crab variety in the world. There are three main types or varieties of king crab: red, blue, and golden. Red king crabs are said to have the best flavor, and blue king crabs are the biggest, while golden king crabs are much smaller with a similar flavor to blue king crab. King crabs can span 10 feet from claw to claw, and can easily weigh 10 to 15 pounds. When buying king crab, they’re measured by how many legs it would take to equal 10 pounds. If legs are labeled 6–9, they’re huge; 12–15 are medium; 21–24 are very small. The meat is delicately flavored, and snowy white in color, with tinges of red. While…

Whether the night before Christmas is an intimate “calm before the storm” gathering or it’s a big night of celebration, one of these three elegant menus is sure to fit the bill. Start with a favorite seasonal soup — butternut squash. It’s hard to believe that this rock-hard vegetable turns into something so silky and velvety. Before puréeing the soup, test three or four cubes of squash to be sure they’re tender. They should be totally soft or the soup won’t purée thoroughly. And one of the best things about this soup is its garnish. These crispy Gruyère fricos are the perfect contrast to the creamy squash soup. Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with gruyère fricos To easily remove the fricos from the baking sheet, slide a mini offset spatula or knife under each one…

Have you ever wanted to bake pastries like a professional? With this recipe you will. Layers of buttery dough create a tender vehicle for the sweet apricot-almond filling. Baked to perfection and drizzled with a simple glaze, this golden beauty will be the focus of your holiday brunch table. Hailing from Denmark, kringle dough is a laminated dough (see Q&A, page 6). It’s a cousin to the dough used to make croissants and palmiers. Most known for the layers of butter that are folded and rolled into it, laminated dough does take some time, but don’t write it off as too difficult or fussy. Good things come to those who wait, so be patient, and enjoy the process. Apricot & Almond Kringle Not including rolling and enclosing the butter, you’ll complete six, three-fold…