BakingAsked Apr 08, 2020 by Chi D.
Almond paste seems to be made mainly from almonds and sugar. However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a recipe for almond paste. Is there a reason for that? It would be great if you have a recipe for almond paste because it’s not a common ingredient to find in most grocery stores.
Answered by April Dodd
Chi - you can certainly make almond paste at home; when I'm not able to find any in the store, I follow this simple recipe: https://bit.ly/39Pk0NT. What are you hoping to make with it? (I hope it's our Apfelkuchen recipe; check it out here: https://bit.ly/39QHan2.) - April D.
Read MoreAsked Apr 08, 2020 by Elizabeth G.
I have searched long and hard for the kind of pan that leaves little round bumps that used to be standard on the bottom of rye bread loaves. Any suggestions please?
Answered by April Dodd
Elizabeth - sorry for the delay getting back to you on this! The best option we can find is this one; is that what you're looking for? https://www.webstaurantstore.com/chicago-metallic-glazed-47125-customizable-3-pan-rye-bread-miche-pan-set/32647125.html
Read MoreAsked Apr 08, 2020 by Eileen A.
Is there a simple way to peel garlic? If so, I would really appreciate knowing how to do this easily! Thanks!
Answered by April Dodd
What we do in our development kitchen is this: simply place a whole clove of garlic on a cutting surface, then place the flat side of a chefs knife over the clove and smash with the palm of the hand. The knife helps to distribute the force of the smash so that the garlic's skin pops open, making it easy to peel off. Then, if needed for the dish you're making, just slice off that small root end. Happy cooking! -April D.
Read MoreAsked Apr 08, 2020 by Dean B.
Every milk street recipe I have seen calls for 12 oz of pasta for 4 servings. The problem is pasta is typically sold in 16 oz packages. I have asked why you don’t adjust the recipes to accommodate the whole 16 oz package, but have received no response to date (clearly you are set on 3oz servings per person instead of 4oz). So my question is can you suggest a recipe(s) that utilizes the extra 4oz of pasta, or is it that we should have enough for another recipe every four packages😀? Or maybe reconsider 12oz per recipe? Thanks
Answered by April Dodd
Dean - this is a question we have heard many times, and you'll be happy to hear that we recently changed our approach to pasta so that all new pasta recipes we develop will use the full 16 ounce quantity. In the meantime, if you have 4 ounces of any long pasta - like spaghetti, angel hair or bucatini - lying around, a great use is this Parmesan, Thyme and Pasta Frittata:
Pasta, Thyme and Parmesan Frittata
For any of our old pasta recipes that call for 12 ounces, you can always increase all the ingredients by one third in order to use the full 16 ounce box. - April D.
Read MoreAsked Apr 08, 2020 by Michael R.
Hi Team Milk Street!
With everything going on, I've been trying to tackle some of my white whale cooking projects. Just made my first sourdough loaf from my own starter; now, on to cassoulet. The problem: I can't seem to find salt pork at any of the grocery stores or local meat markets for delivery. (I'm planning on making Kenji's recipie: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/10/traditional-french-cassoulet-recipe.html)
Any suggestions for substitutions or places I should be checking (digitally, of course, for delivery) in LA? Can I use Lardons instead, or smoked ham hocks? Or should I track down some pork belly and make my own salt pork?
Thank you!!!
-Michael
Answered by April Dodd
Michael, we're so happy to hear that you're using this time to tackle some big cooking projects. I'm not surprised to hear that you're having trouble finding salt pork; it has fallen somewhat out of favor these days. You could certainly use pancetta (rolled, not sliced like bacon) as a stand-in; it's similarly salty but has a slightly higher meat:fat ratio than salt pork does. I'd recommend that over lardons or smoked ham hocks, which can be quite intensely smoky and overwhelm the other flavors in a cassoulet. For ease, I'd go with the pancetta, but if you make your own salt pork, more power to you! - April D.
Read MoreAsked Apr 08, 2020 by Amanda N.
Hello.. one of my family members is gluten free. I bought Ians gluten free panko.... do you think I can use it in this recipe . We love this meatball recipe...
Answered by April Dodd
Amanda, I'm glad you love the recipe! A gluten-free panko should work just fine, though we haven't tested the recipe that way. The result may be just slightly denser than with traditional panko, but still excellent. Please let us know how they come out! - April D.
Read MoreAsked Apr 08, 2020 by Nancy G.
Please tell me how to preserve my oversupply of ginger. A recipe for ginger paste? Freezing ginger? Candying it? Syrup recipe? Plus length of time each recipe will be good for.
Thank you for everything you have made available during this trying time. Cooking is a tonic and I won't forget what you have done here for everyone!
Answered by April Dodd
Nancy - I'm glad to hear that you have plenty of ginger on hand and that you are thinking about how to make it last. Here are some favorite options:
Peel your ginger and cut it into thin (about 1/4 inch) slices. Place the slices on a parchment paper-lined sheet and freeze until very firm, then transfer to a tightly sealed plastic baggie. When you need fresh ginger, simply pull out a few discs from the freezer, let thaw for 10-20 minutes, then cut as needed. These are good for a year or more.
If you frequently use ginger in curries in soups, then you could make frozen ginger paste. Peel and finely grate the ginger, then pack it into the cubes of an ice cube tray. Freeze until solid, then transfer to a tightly sealed plastic baggie. These are good for a year or more.
Make a snack of candied ginger. I love this recipe from David Lebovitz: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/candied-ginger/. Just save the syrup from this recipe and use it for cocktails or homemade sodas. This stays good for up to two weeks in a sealed container in the fridge.
Hope that helps! - April D.
Read MoreAsked Apr 07, 2020 by Annie H.
I recently bought a baking cookbook (after listening to the author on the Milk Street podcast!) The cookie recipes in this book mostly instruct the baker to mix all of the ingredients, except the flour, with the butter and sugar in the initial creaming process. This means the raising agents, salt, etc. I’m used to a dry ingredient mix and a wet, which get mixed together in a second step. This results in more bowls to clean! Does this technique work with most recipes? Or should I keep whisking the dry ingredients together before I add them to the wet? I know this might seem persnickety, but I love the ease of the all in one mix! Thanks for the feedback!!
Answered by April Dodd
Really glad to hear that podcast has inspired more baking, Annie. As a general rule, of course the most reliable thing to do is to follow the instructions as given in each recipe; recipe developers do a ton of work behind the scenes. That said, let's think about the reasons for the standard bowls of wet and dry ingredients. One big reason to keep dry and wet separate is so that we don't over-hydrate or over-work the flour, resulting in dense, bready cookies. So it definitely makes sense to keep the flour away from the other ingredients as long as possible. But why keep the other dry ingredients separate too? Two big reasons. First, mixing salt, spices, and leavening agents with the flour helps to ensure that they are evenly spread throughout the batter. Second, we don't want to expose leavening agents to moisture too early. Baking soda starts to react as soon as it is combined with liquid and acid (including vanilla), and part of baking powder's "oomp" is used as soon as it interacts with any form of liquid. So combining those ingredients with the flour helps to ensure you get the full leavening you need. With all of that said, you can see how, if you work quickly, most cookie recipes would work fine with the technique in your new book, which saves you that dry ingredients bowl. Does that make sense? - April D.
Read MoreAsked Apr 07, 2020 by Kulia D.
Why do my cookies sometimes come out very flat?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Kulia - 90% of the time cookies will become flat because the dough is too warm. The fat in the cookie (usually butter) is too soft and, therefore, begins to melt before the leavener has a chance to do its work. Popping the cookie dough in the fridge for a bit - you want it to be cool, but not cold - will solve this problem. If that doesn't work, another possibility is that your oven temperature is too low. This would cause the butter to melt before the structure of the cookie is set. This is easily fixed by confirming the temperature of your oven using an oven thermometer. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Apr 07, 2020 by christopher D.
I like MilkStreet because while recipes in general can be fussy, essential techniques and principles aren't. Much of the MS focus is on using what you have to make cooking better.
But my question is red cabbage. I prepare most of my vegetables in the "flash cook" method. Kimball calls this something different, but it is sautee at high heat, hit it with water or broth, adding aromatics if desired at beginning/end.
Red cabbage is sort of a minerally stout brother/sister of our familiar green cabbage. I know how to bring out savory accents in the green; generous amounts of onion, sufficent garlic, and chicken stock do the trick. I could also add a hint of anchovy or pancetta. It does not seem to have the same effect.
Rather than find a winning seasoning combination, should I just pair it with something containing a different flavor profile?
Glad for any ideas.
Answered by April Dodd
Christopher - sounds like you know your way around a kitchen! Your description of red cabbage as a minerally, stout relative of green cabbage is spot-on. The flavors are different, and we treat them differently as a result. Red cabbage has bolder flavor than green cabbage; it's more peppery, and can even border on spicy. So we pair it with things that complement and contrast those flavors. Try these two very different recipes to see how flexible red cabbage can be: first, a braise with apples and brown sugar to play on cabbage's sweetness, but balanced with bold spices (caraway, allspice) and a generous amount of vinegar; and second, a Cambodian salad that counts on cabbage's robustness to carry the big flavors of lime juice, fish sauce, and fresh chilies. Happy cooking! - April D.
Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Juniper
Cambodian Beef Salad
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