Recipe Notes: Cod and Potato Cakes

23 September 2019

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, May 2019, also available online

A recent issue of Cook's Illustrated included a fish recipe. As I have relatively little experience or knowledge about fish cookery I was happy to have another recipe to try. This one looked to be easy to prepare, using readily available fish, and good to boot.

I halved the recipe from the magazine which serves 4. A russet potato was cooked in the microwave, cooled, then pressed through a ricer. ⅜ cup of tightly-packed mashed potatoes were put into a bowl and fluffed with a fork. In a skillet, minced green onion whites (from 1 green onion), garlic, thyme (I had to use dry thyme as the supermarket had no fresh thyme), salt, and pepper were cooked in butter until softened. Pieces of cod (other white fish could be used: hake, haddock, pollock) was added to the pan and cooked, flipping it after about 3 minutes, until it just began to flake. The cod mixture was added to the potatoes along with sliced green parts of the green onion. This was mixed, allowing the fish to fall apart. Half of a lightly beaten egg was gently stirred into the mixture. Using a ⅓-cup measuring cup, the mixture was scooped up and placed on a plate, creating four cakes that were placed in the freezer for 15 minutes then coated with crushed panko bread crumbs. These were cooked in a thin layer of oil in a skillet until brown. Preparation time was 75 minutes.

We enjoyed having these cod and potato cakes for dinner and look forward to having them again. They are easy to make and require no exotic ingredients or techniques. They have a nice crispy outside and soft inside. Foods with a crispy exterior like this generally don't work well as leftovers so it was good that we finished all four cakes at one sitting. (A "for two" recipe usually provides the two of us two dinners.) Diane thought they would benefit from a sauce, something creamy or a garlic butter sauce. The recipe in the magazine includes instructions for making a quick tartar sauce that is probably worth trying. 

Recipe Notes: Indian Butter Chicken

10 September 2019

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, May 2019, also available online.

We don't eat out very often, preferring to home-cooked meals. When we eat out it is likely to be American food. Thus, we have limited experience with food from India or other countries. Cook's Illustrated seems to be featuring more recipes for dishes inspired by food from outside the U.S. I welcome this change, after all how many different recipes do you need for roast chicken? The recipe for Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) seemed reasonably familiar with no ingredients unique to this one dish so it was worth trying.

I used the "for Two" version of the recipe that I found online. Preparation consisted of two distinct parts: creating the sauce and cooking the chicken. For the sauce, onion, garlic, ginger, and a serrano chile (ribs and seeds removed and discarded) were cooked in butter. When the aromatics had softened, spices—garam masala (a readily available spice blend), coriander, cumin, and pepper—were added and cooked for about three minutes. Water and tomato paste were whisked into the mixture followed with sugar and salt. Off heat, cream was added and the sauce processed with an immersion blender until smooth. Finally it was returned to the heat, brought to a simmer, and some additional butter added. Next, the chicken was cooked. One pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs were coated with plain European style yogurt. (The recipe specified plain Greek yogurt, but the supermarket had none.) These were cooked under the broiler, flipping half way through, for about 16 minutes. After resting, the chicken was cut into chunks and stirred into the warm sauce and finished with some chopped fresh cilantro. Total time was about 80 minutes.

We enjoyed this dish. We served it with rice and, like most ATK "for two" recipes, it was good for the two of us for two meals. The chicken was tender and juicy. The sauce was rich and smooth with a complex flavor but not too rich and not too spicy for our wimpy palates. It tastes and looks like an Indian dish and it is worth making again.

Recipe Notes: Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

9 September 2019

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, May 2019; also available online

Why another recipe for peanut butter cookies? The Test Kitchen already has an excellent recipe that produces very peanuty cookies using crunchy peanut butter and chopped peanuts. What is so special and different about this recipe and how do the cookies compare? Perhaps the title provides the answer, is this a chewy version?

The technique for making these cookies is standard, it is the proportions and choice of ingredients that leads to a different sort of peanut butter cookie. Flour, baking soda, and salt were whisked together in a bowl. In another bowl, brown sugar, peanut butter (I used Skippy creamy), eggs, melted butter, honey, and vanilla were whisked together. The dry ingredients were added to the wet and stirred with a spatula to form a smooth dough. The dough was finished by stirring in finely chopped dry-roasted peanuts. The dough was dropped onto a parchment-lined baking sheet using a #30 portioning scoop (about 2 tablespoons). The balls of dough were gently flattened into 2-inch disks and baked at 350° for 11 minutes. It took an hour to make 26 cookies.

The original peanut butter cookies are crispy on the outside and chewy inside with the traditional cross-hatch pattern on the top. These new cookies don't have cross hatches and they are not crispy on the outside, but chewy through and through. They have a texture that is more like peanut butter than the classic cookie. Both are good and both are worth making whenever the urge for peanut butter cookies strikes. It's just a question of which texture you want when the time comes.