Serious Eats - How To

How to Make Fresh Silken Tofu from Soy Milk

2011-08-01T15:00:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make Fresh Silken Tofu from Soy Milk

[Photographs: Kumiko Mitarai]

Lose five pounds to fit in a bikini, learn to surfboard, get over a fear of bears and go camping—aren't these everyone's resolutions for the summer? Partway through my tofu-making trials, I wondered if maybe that's what I should have been doing.

But this summer I was determined to learn how to make tofu. In the end, I'm glad I did.

It all started with a tofu press I had picked up at a flea market; the press ended up tucked back into the cupboard. It's not that the press didn't work. It turned out beautiful firm tofu on the first try. The Book of Tofu, what many people consider to be the tofu bible, took me through each step.

It wasn't particularly hard to make this type of tofu, but the process involved a lot of steps and a fairly elaborate set-up somewhat akin to cheesemaking. For all the effort, it wasn't deeply satisfying to end up with a block of firm tofu that's pretty much the same as a premium store-bought tofu. Firm tofu is a great ingredient that I like cooking with, but not something I was excited to make myself.

Kinugoshi Tofu: Delicate, Elegant and Silky

What did excite me was the thought of making the silken, custard-like tofu that you can find at Japanese restaurants. That felt special. Fresh kinugoshi tofu is much more delicate than the silken tofu you find in stores (the kind with a long shelf-life that comes in aseptic packaging). Making this would be worth the effort, right? I flipped through this earnest and comprehensive tofu book and found a recipe for kinugoshi tofu.

This very elegant style of tofu is actually simpler than making firm pressed tofu. To make kinugoshi tofu you don't separate curds and whey, and you don't need a tofu press. Simpler, but not necessarily easier. Achieving that silky smooth texture, I soon found out, requires a delicate touch. I quickly accumulated several failed attempts in my fridge. I even named some of them: Lumpy, Weepy, Foamy, etc.

At first, I had followed the Book of Tofu's instructions and added coagulant (such as Epsom salt) to hot soy milk. The coagulant worked so quickly at this temperature that it started to curdle immediately. That's how Lumpy was born.

Then I tried lowering the soy milk to body temperature. Still pretty lumpy. And somewhere along the line Weepy showed up. I learned that agitating the tofu while it sets causes the whey to separate from the tofu. It wasn't until I combined the coagulant with cold soy milk and heated the mixture gently in a bath of simmering water that I got the right texture. (Foamy turned out to be not a big deal; he was easily defeated with a simple skimming.)

But don't worry: you can make kinugoshi without ever having to meet any of these tofu demons. It's all laid out for you in the slideshow and the recipe links. Take a look and see how you can make a refreshing, lightly sweet tofu that sets up like custard in individual serving bowls.

Homemade Soy Milk

Even if you only make it halfway through the slideshow, you'll have already learned how to make your own soy milk. It costs a fraction of manufactured soy milk and is made with just soybeans and water. No additives or flavoring. The fresh, clean taste is delicious on its own and I don't even drink straight-up soy milk (or even cow's milk!) normally. But you can always add vanilla, almond extract, honey, or sugar.

But once you've made the soy milk, you might as well take the final couple of steps and make tofu.

Served chilled with a little freshly grated ginger, some scallion, and a drizzle of soy sauce, kinugoshi tofu is lovely in the summer. It's refreshing much like a chilled cucumber soup. Clean and light for a few moments, it almost makes you forget how hot and sticky you are.

Get the Recipes

Homemade Soy Milk »
Fresh Silken Tofu »

About the author: Kumiko writes the blog Recipe Interrupted. She believes that having a few cooking techniques under your belt can help make home cooking creative and easy, and is excited to share these basics here on her regular column Technique of the Week. A graduate of Brown University, the Institute of Culinary Education, and a mother of two hungry girls, Kumiko is always trying to keep her Brooklyn kitchen smelling of something good.

Recipes!

How to Make No-Cook Freezer Jam

2011-06-06T22:45:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make No-Cook Freezer Jam

For years the term "freezer jam" eluded me. I never spent much time pondering it, but if I had been pressed to define it, I would've guessed it was something you spread on a frozen dessert. Or jam made in the freezer, like how icebox cake is made in an icebox.

Fortunately, after a U-pick spree in Seattle several years ago, I complained to my mother over the phone that I had to cook jam during an unusual heat wave. She clued me in: I didn't have to cook the fruit to make jam. And I could store the jam in the freezer. Ah-ha.

Why You Should Be Freezer Jammin'

With no-cook freezer jam you get to preserve the bounty of summer without the fuss, heat, equipment, and time that canned jams require. All you need is ripe fruit, sugar (or other sweetener), freezer jam-compatible pectin, and about 15 minutes of easy kitchen time. Before you know it, you'll be proudly scooping up homemade jam for toast, smoothies, yogurt, or just by the big spoonful.

Uncooked freezer jam is a little different than its cooked counterpart. It doesn't have that thick, cooked-down texture and flavor. Instead, it looks and tastes like the ripe fruit. And freezer jam is not shelf-stable, so for long-term storage, it must go in the freezer. Then, when the winter days are closing in on you, all you need to do is pop open a jar and thank yourself for saving a little jar of summer.

Because the process is so simple and there's very little set-up required, no-cook freezer jams work great even with relatively modest harvests. Experiment with whatever you find at the farmers' market. Even if you pick up just a couple of pints of berries, you can make small, city slicker-sized batches in hardly any time at all. Even making several types of jam in one afternoon is easy enough.

Flavors

Pick up whatever is ripe and looks good to you:strawberries, peaches, mango, cherries, blueberries. I even tried making an uncooked rhubarb jam—delicious, even with its raw celery-like texture.

Another bonus to no-cook freezer jams: without the harsh heat of traditional jam-making, you can add fresh herbs and taste their bright flavor months later. You can even spike your jam with a small amount of flavor-highlighting alcohol.

Pectin

There are several different types and brands of pectin to choose from. Just make sure the label specifies that it works with no-cook freezer jam recipes then follow the specific instructions provided.

I've used both Ball instant fruit pectin and Pomona's Universal pectin—these were the easiest for me to find. I like that neither of these varieties relies on massive amounts of sugar for the jam to set. The Ball pectin is a little simpler to use, but I appreciated that Pomona's has no preservatives. Otherwise, the ingredients and the overall process are the same for both; see the slideshow for the basic steps.

The main thing to remember is this: stir your pectin well. Otherwise you could get lumpy or unevenly set jam.

Check out the slideshow for illustrated instructions »

Recipes

Here are some examples of no-cook freezer jams that I've made. With the exception of the last, savory jam, they each yield about five cups. Once these jams have set, they should keep for two weeks in the refrigerator or one year in the freezer. If you want to start out with smaller batches, go ahead and halve the amounts. If you use a different pectin than the ones I used, be sure to check the label before you start jamming—some of them require more sugar to set properly.

Raspberry Jam: get the recipe »

Strawberry-Mint Jam: get the recipe »

Peach-Mango-Ginger Jam: get the recipe »

Tomato-Roasted Garlic Jam: get the recipe »

More Techniques

How to Make a Flaky Pie Crust »
How to Toast Spices »
How to Make Compound Butter »
How to Bake in a Salt Crust »
How to Make Fresh Pasta »
How to Prepare Breaded Cutlets »
How to Trim an Artichoke »
How to Cook En Papillote »
How to Sweat Vegetables »
How to Cook Dried Beans »

How to Make Spätzle

2011-05-02T20:45:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make Spätzle

Spätzle is gemütlichkeit at its best: homey, oddly shaped little clumps, somewhere between dumplings and pasta. Hearty and very homey. The traditional homemade style of cutting the dough on a wooden board and letting the little bits drop into boiling water is particularly rustic. That's how my grandmother and my mother prepared them. It's something I loved watching as a kid and is now how I make mine.

I'll admit, seeing spätzle being made was more captivating than having to do it myself. But in the end, it's worth the effort.

Hand-Cut Spätzle

Sure, you could get a spätzle maker. They're easy to use (so I hear) and not at all expensive. Or, if you have just the right colander with large enough holes that are not too close together, you could use that. But, with either of these you end up with what I think of as restaurant spätzle. Much smaller and more consistently shaped (like monochromatic Fruity Pebbles), they may be more delicate, but doesn't that defy the essence of spätzle?

The shape and size of hand-cut spätzle is as individual as one's handwriting. Mine tend to be on the longer, thinner side, while my mom's spätzle are a little stubbier. Try it out for yourself and see what your personal spätzle-ization is.

If you've never made spatzle this way before, take a glance at the slideshow and see all the steps.

The Easy Part

Thankfully, while forming spätzle may take a little practice, preparing the dough is as easy as mixing pancake batter. There are two basic keys to getting the right flavor and texture. Adding semolina flour to the all-purpose flour adds flavor, a brighter color, and a texture that is lighter, a touch sandy, and less gummy. Secondly, it's important to rest the dough before cooking it. It doesn't need a long rest, just 15 minutes or so. In the time it takes you to get your spätzle board ready and boil a big pot of water, you'll be ready to start cooking.

The Lighter Side of Spätzle

Spätzle is served with any number of stews, braised dishes, and gulashes. It does a great job of holding on to rich sauces and holding up to hearty meats. Another popular way to serve it, particularly in the Swabian region of Germany, is as Kässpätzle, alternating layers of buttered spätzle and melted cheese topped with frizzled onions.

Though delicious, this kind of food is not daily fare, at least for me. I'm not turning it into spa food, but I do like to lighten it up just a tad and let the spätzle itself feature more prominently. In this recipe, toss some herbed spätzle with butter, crispy speck, peas, and top it with toasted bread crumbs.

About the author: Kumiko writes the blog Recipe Interrupted. She believes that having a few cooking techniques under your belt can help make home cooking creative and easy, and is excited to share her tips with the Serious Eats community. A graduate of Brown University, the Institute of Culinary Education, and a mother of two hungry girls, Kumiko is always trying to keep her Brooklyn kitchen smelling of something good.

Get the Recipe!

How to Grow Bean Sprouts in a Jar

2011-04-04T18:30:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Grow Bean Sprouts in a Jar

No outdoor space? No green thumb? Not much sunshine? No problem.

You can still easily grow your own bean sprouts. The process feels more like prepping food than actual gardening, which I think is key to not screwing it up either. All you need are beans, a jar, some cheesecloth, a rubber band, and water.

I've been happily growing alfalfa sprouts this way for a while now. A batch of sprouts takes just a few days and little maintenance. And what a reward to be able to eat your own harvest. Alfalfa is a legume just like lentils, chickpeas, and mung beans—they can all be sprouted with the same grow-in-the-jar method.

You may be picturing alfalfa sprouts and mung beans sprouts in your local Chinese take-out. These looked more bean than sprout; I was a little wary. How palatable (and digestible) could they be? My sprouted lentil actually had a pleasant crunch and fresh, slight sweetness. It was a little like biting into a fresh, raw cob of summer corn.

Clockwise from upper left corner: adzuki, green lentil, alfalfa, French green lentil, chickpea, mung beans.

The sprouting process releases dormant enzymes that make the beans more easily digestible and in some cases, even more nutritious. The sprouts that are easiest to grow are also commonly eaten raw: mung beans, alfalfa, lentils, chickpeas, and adzuki beans. See the slideshow for my growing tips.

Other beans such as fava, kidney, black, navy, and pinto beans—typically the larger beans—can also be sprouted with this method but are generally considered difficult to digest and potentially toxic in their raw form. They cook much faster than their unsprouted counterparts and are still more digestible. You can also sprout nuts, grains, and other seeds, but we won't get into all that here.

As with many raw or not fully cooked foods, there have been some cases of food-borne illnesses from eating contaminated sprouts and a lot of subsequent debate over the safety. Some people feel it's not safe to eat any raw sprouts, especially for those with a compromised immune system.

Before growing sprouts, you should decide for yourself how comfortable you are with the potential risks, and whether you'd prefer raw or cooked sprouts. Either way, take a look at the slideshow for the full demonstration on how to grow them.

Once your sprouts are all grown, they make crunchy, nutritious additions on sandwiches, soups, salads, and tossed into stir-fries.

Whole raw chickpea sprouts aren't really my thing, but they do make a wicked hummus. Get the recipe here »

If you prefer cooked sprouts, the alfalfa won't take the heat well, but the other sprouts in the slideshow are delicious when cooked. Mung bean sprouts can be added to a dish in the final few minutes of cooking. Sprouted lentils are fully cooked after four or five minutes of steaming. Sprouted chickpeas and adzuki beans need around 15 minutes of cooking.

Get the Recipe!

How to Make Potato Gnocchi

2011-03-07T19:30:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make Potato Gnocchi

It had been a while since I last made gnocchi, and as I geared up to write this post, I asked myself, why on earth had I picked this for my next topic?! Part of me had no patience for the hour it takes to bake the potatoes and the whole process of making the dough and tediously shaping it into individual gnocchi. Then there was the underlying fear that all the hard work could result in heavy, dense dumplings instead of tender, light little pillows.

But once I stopped dragging my feet and actually got started, I asked myself a different question: why did I ever stop making them? At each of step of gnocchi-making, I remembered what makes the whole process so appealing and worthwhile.

First, the ingredients couldn't get more basic: potatoes, eggs, flour. There's a good chance you have them all in your fridge right now. You don't even have to use eggs, but this will ensure tender gnocchi that hold together better.

Secondly, it doesn't have to take as long as the cookbooks say. To make the process more enjoyable: preheat the oven as soon as you get home and throw the potatoes in to start baking. You can spend the next hour taking off your coat, pouring yourself a drink and leisurely setting up for the next steps without feeling the least bit rushed.

Making gnocchi is like slowing down time. And if you're in a time crunch, some preparations can be done in advance.

With just a little practice, it's really not that hard. If you ever enjoyed playing with Play-Doh, forming the gnocchi is the same kind of fun. In order to get light, pillowy gnocchi, it's important not to overwork the dough. That's a good thing, because once you get the rhythm of the whole process, you'll be surprised how quickly it moves along.

See for yourself in the step-by-step slideshow »

Finally, all the time you invest in preparing the pasta you can make up in the sauce. Gnocchi pair well with very simple, quick sauces, such as the ones below.

Sage brown-butter sauce: Get the recipe here. It's pretty straightforward though: brown some butter in a sauté pan, adding fresh sage once the butter is melted and bubbling. Toss in the gnocchi and allow them to brown lightly in some spots. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Top with grated parmesan.

Fresh tomato, garlic and basil sauce: Actually, in the winter, I use boxed crushed or canned tomatoes. Heat some olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, add chopped garlic, and cook until fragrant. Then add boxed, canned, or fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped, to the pan and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and stir in fresh basil. Cook just until basil is wilted, then toss with cooked gnocchi.

Baked gnocchi 'n' cheese: Place cooked gnocchi in a buttered casserole dish, dot with butter, and sprinkle shredded parmesan and/or fontina on top. Pass under the broiler until cheese is melted.

Get the Recipe!

How to Make Onigiri

2011-01-03T14:30:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make Onigiri

In these post-holiday days of getting back to basics and back to work, I'm looking to keep things simple without falling into the humdrum. To me, that means foods that are uncomplicated but also a little fun. Like onigiri.

If fine sushi-making is a culinary art form, you could think of onigiri as culinary arts 'n' crafts. More humble and practical than sushi, and with a lot of potential for cuteness, onigiri is, not surprisingly, a mainstay of the Japanese bento box and a popular quick meal.

These little flavored rice balls are made with sushi rice, but the rice is not fanned and seasoned with rice vinegar and sugar as it is in sushi-making. Instead, the rice is simply salted lightly. Sushi tends to showcase the most delicate—and often expensive—cuts of seafood and tender vegetables. Onigiri, on the other hand, makes use of leftovers and other ingredients you might have around, often hiding them inside the rice.

Here's where the cuteness factor comes in: onigiri is sometimes decorated with little faces or dressed up as bunny rabbits. If you didn't get to decorate enough cookies this holiday season, here's your second chance.

The Basic Ingredients

Not much planning or advanced preparation is required for making onigiri. All you need is some warm cooked sushi rice, salt, and a few flavorful additions.

I always relied on a Japanese rice cooker and didn't learn how to make rice any other way until after college.*

* In case you could use a rice-cooking primer, here it is. Rinse 1 ½ cups of sushi rice in water, drain, bring the rice to a simmer in a saucepan with 2 cups of water, cover and lower the heat to medium-low for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the saucepan covered for another 10 minutes.

You can leave the rice plain, mix additions like herbs, seasonings, or finely chopped meat and vegetables into it, or place a filling in the center of the rice ball.

If you choose to fill your onigiri, pick something flavorful. That way, if you are eating it on the go, you don't have to use a dipping sauce. A few bits of leftover broiled fish or fried chicken can go a long way. If the filling needs a little boost, mix it with a touch of soy sauce, lemon juice, mayonnaise, or hot sauce before tucking it into the rice and forming a ball.

Other traditional onigiri ingredients like tsukudani (seasoned kombu seaweed) and umeboshi (pickled plum) are also ideal because they keep for a long time and take up little space. Don't fret if you don't have these ingredients on-hand; you probably have several promising options (canned tuna? pickled vegetables? Vegemite?) just waiting to be rediscovered in your pantry.

Check out the slideshow for more playful, yummy takes on onigiri »

Filling and Forming Onigiri

There are a few ways you can form the rice balls.

By hand. I find it easiest to pack them into triangles, but some people prefer rolling them into balls. Have a bowl of salted water set up and moisten your palms with it. This will prevent the rice from sticking and the salt will season the rice.

Spread a palmful (or less, depending on how big you want the onigiri to be) of warm sushi rice into one hand. If you are using a filling, place it (in this case, umeboshi) in the middle. Fold up the rice around the filling. Pack the rice tightly with both hands.

With a mold. There are onigiri molds made especially for this job, but you can easily rig up your own—don't put those holiday cookie-cutters in storage yet.

Salt the rice directly, since you're not using salted water on your hands. Moisten the mold and place it over a non-stick surface such as parchment paper. Press rice into the mold, filling it halfway. Form a small hole in the middle and place your filling (tsukudani pictured) in it. Fill the rest of the mold with rice and pack it in well, with your fingers or the bottom of a cup.

Use a damp clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. The towel method works especially well if the rice is very hot. If you use plastic wrap, save it to wrap up and store the onigiri.

Place the lightly salted rice into the towel or plastic wrap. Tuck the filling (takuan, or pickled daikon radish, in this one) in the center and gather the towel up so that the rice surrounds the filling. Twist and squeeze the towel. When you unwrap it, the rice ball should be well-packed, like a good snowball.

Dressing the Outside

Once the rice balls have been formed, you can leave them unadorned, roll them in furikake seasoning (savory sprinkles, often with seaweed, sesame seed, salt, and dried fish), wrap them in nori, or decorate them. If you are not eating them right away, wrap them well in wax paper or plastic wrap. To keep the nori from getting soggy, store it separately and wrap it around the onigiri just before eating.

Yaki Onigiri

You can even revive onigiri that's gotten a little dried out. Just toast them up lightly for a few minutes on a hot skillet, brush on soy sauce and a little toasted sesame oil, and toast both sides again for another minute or two. The outside will get crispy and the inside will be tender and moist.

How to Make Marshmallows

2010-12-06T15:00:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make Marshmallows

More than likely, if you've ever made s'mores at a campfire, opened a plastic egg to find a marshmallow Peep, or drank a mug of hot cocoa with mini marshmallows floating on top, you'd agree that marshmallows are fun. They're puffy, light, and springy—qualities that convince the kid in us that marshmallows must be made by magic, or at least in some Willy Wonka-esque factory.

Magic You Can Make at Home

Marshmallow-making is magic you can very easily create at home. Make a sugar syrup and beat it for awhile with gelatin and you've got marshmallows. That's the easiest method. Add egg whites to the mix, and they become even more ethereal. My favorite method for making marshmallows with eggs is to just blend beaten egg whites into that syrup/gelatin mixture. To see the basic process broken down into steps, take a look at the slideshow.

Marshmallow Variations

Adding flavors, colors and textures to create a marshmallow tasting platter of your own is simple enough. Green tea, coconut, cocoa-amaretti, espresso, peppermint is the assortment I tried out at home.

See the variations in the Classic Marshmallow recipe »

The Vegan Marshmallow Conundrum

The only truly tricky thing about marshmallows is making a vegan marshmallow. I'd seen them out there (Sweet and Sara and Chicago Soydairy) and figured, how hard could it be? But here's the problem: it's the protein in animal-based gelatins that works so beautifully in combination with the sugar syrup to create those marshmallow-y peaks. If it's mammal protein you'd like to avoid, and you can locate some fish-derived gelatin (possibly at a Kosher market where might also find other Kosher gelatins that are beef derived), you can substitute that.

But if you want to use a vegetable-based gelatin, like agar agar, you need to introduce another ingredient that is high in protein, like soy. Plus, you'll want other ingredients to help bind and stabilize the ingredients. Experimenting with agar agar, egg replacer, vegetarian gelatin packets, soy flour, soy protein isolate, xanthan gum, and sweet rice flour, I had many disasters and a renewed respect for store-bought vegan marshmallows. Finally, I did wind up with something that works.

See the vegan marshmallow recipe »

Recipes!

How to Make Mulling Spices for the Holidays

2010-11-01T21:15:00Z

[Photograph: Kumiko Mitarai]

When I was five years old, I gave my parents a Christmas present we had made at school: a jelly jar filled with mulling spices. I think it was just Tang and ground cinnamon mixed together but I couldn't have been prouder: I had made astronaut cider!

Wanting to recreate this gift in a more grown-up form, I recently filled some cotton spice bags with cracked spices, crystallized ginger, and dried orange zest. These sachets of mulling spices make a festive gift, plus it's also kind of fun to smash the spices with a frying pan, a technique that can come in handy in dealing with any holiday aggression.

The mulling spices fit neatly in little cotton spice bags (often sold as "bouquet garni bags"). Alternatively, you can wrap up the spices with a triple layer of cheesecloth and cooking twine. Either way, they should then be packed up in an airtight container or bag and stored in a cool, dark place to preserve the flavor. I wrapped mine up in cellophane gift bags.

To prepare mulled cider, simply steep the bag of mulling spices in a barely simmering covered pot of cider. If you'd like it even more "grown-up," spike it with a splash of Grand Marnier or Calvados. Disks of crystallized ginger and orange slices make a nice garnish.

Mulled wine: You can also use the mulling spices from the mulled cider recipe for making mulled red wine. Instead of a 1/2 gallon of cider, use a 750ml bottle of red table wine, along with about 1/3 cup each of port and orange juice to add a little sweetness.

Mulled Apple Cider

Get the Recipe!

How to Carve a Pumpkin like a Pro

2010-10-20T15:45:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Carve a Pumpkin like a Pro

[Photographs: Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, unless otherwise stated.]

Yesterday we brought you the basic guide to pumpkin carving. Ain't no shame in tracing the classic triangle eyes and snaggly-tooth mouth. But if you're looking for a more advanced, knock-your-neighbors'-socks-off-o'-lantern, here is a step-by-step guide to carving more detailed designs, with examples at the end to inspire you. With some X-acto knives, drawing markers, and your new skills, you'll be able to whittle away at that gourd like a pro.

About the authors/carvers: Maniac Pumpkin Carvers is a Brooklyn-based duo comprised of Marc Evan and Chris Soria who operate out of a full creative studio. The Maniacs began carving nightmares into children's minds, while still in high school. They each paid their way through art school working lengthy stints at some of New York City's best bars and restaurants. Now, they are proud to be known as professional pumpkin carvers. What do they do outside of October? It's the most popular question they get asked! You may find Marc and Chris painting murals in public spaces, or working on any of a number of other creative endeavors.

How to Make Pumpkin Butter

2010-10-18T12:30:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make Pumpkin Butter

When I set out to make pumpkin butter for the first time, I had elaborate visions of pre-roasting the pumpkins to concentrate the flavor, adding unexpected spices, and waiting for hours for the slowly simmering brew to be ready. After getting results that tasted nothing like fall, or pumpkin pie, or even pumpkins, I stopped to reconsider my strategy. When it comes to something as rustic and seasonal as pumpkin butter, I thought, perhaps it's best to keep it simple.

I started again, this time sticking to these guidelines:

"If it grows together, it goes together."

Following this wise adage, out went the orange juice I had been using to keep the pumpkins moist as they roasted. In went the apple cider.

In many parts of the country these days, are you are likely to find sugar pumpkins (also called "cooking pumpkins" or "pie pumpkins"), apple cider, and maple syrup. These make up three of the main ingredients in this recipe.

Stick with classic fall flavors

Most of us love pumpkin butter for its familiar and homey flavors. Star anise, which I put in one of my early pumpkin butter attempts, is not exactly a pumpkin pie classic, so I got rid of it.

Instead, I used my favorite pumpkin pie spices in the amounts and proportions I like.

Be like a witch standing over the cauldron

I put the roasting pan and food mill away when it dawned on me that pumpkin butter works great as a one-pot wonder. Not quite as fast as chanting "lizards and gizzards, pumpkin stew..." but the new process was quicker, neater, and yielded tastier results when I switched to the cauldron method.

I put peeled pumpkin cubes in a pot, barely covered them with apple cider, and cooked them until they were soft. The next step was to purée them, spice and sweeten up the pot, and let the whole thing simmer until the pumpkin butter was thick and spreadable.

I ended up with this recipe, which I like very much. Unlike my earlier orange zest- and star anise-spiked versions, this one actually tastes like the kind from a farm stand: sweet pumpkin flavor warmed up with some cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

What about canned pumpkin?

I know the question is out there: can I use canned pumpkins instead? Peeling and cubing a fresh pumpkin is really not that much work, but there are times when canned pumpkin is the only practical option. So the answer is yes, instead of cooking the pumpkin pieces in apple cider, add the apple cider to the purée along with the spices.

Recipes!

How to Roast Perfect Pumpkin Seeds

2010-10-15T18:30:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Roast Perfect Pumpkin Seeds

Maybe it's my infatuation with fall produce in all its glory, but I've been noticing a trend in my cooking. It's a bit like the nose-to-tail approach to meat, but with vegetables. Stems of beet greens and chard leaves have become the subject of creamy gratins, the loose outer leaves of brussel sprouts the base of lemony salads, and now the seeds of pumpkins and squashes, the makings of sweet midnight snacks.

Using the seed-roasting technique we all probably know by heart (scoop, dry, bake until crispy) then spiced up with your spice cabinet (and cheese drawer, and baking reserves), you can take the classic Halloween snack to new levels.

Seed Roasting Refresher Course

Not much has changed since you helped Mom and Dad with this task as a kid (although you've probably outgrown your mess-making gusto some). Here's a basic recipe for roasting seeds with sea salt and olive oil, with four variations below, and check out the slideshow for the basic seed-roasting technique»

4 Flavor Variations

I toyed with a ton. These few were game-changers. (Bake them all first at 275°F for 20 to 25 minutes.)

Sweet Balsamic
Drizzle the seeds in equal parts good balsamic vinegar (if yours isn't great quality, just reduce it by half in a saucepan to sweeten and thicken first) and fruity extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast. (Oddly, the end result tastes similar to Cracker Jacks.)

Butter and Ground Sage
Melt butter in a small saucepan on the stovetop; lightly coat seeds in it and let excess butter drain off in a colander. Toss with generous amounts of ground sage and kosher salt to taste. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast. (These may take an extra 5 or 10 minutes to crisp in the oven.)

Pepper and Parmesan
This classic combination is so for a reason. Coat seeds with extra virgin olive oil and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Roast; then remove and mix with grated parmesan or pecorino romano. Place back in the oven to quickly brown the cheese. (This happens quickly, so be sure to keep watch.)

Candied Espresso and Brown Sugar Seeds?
I had major doubts when trying a sweet version of roasted seeds. But I threw back the resulting treats so fast, I scared myself a little. Here's the recipe »

About the author: "Sue Veed" is an editor at a Manhattan-based food magazine and a current culinary student who's trying to learn it all so she can cook it all. She'll take us along for the ride as she makes the journey from home cook to professional. Among things she may never master: looking natural in a chef's hat, and acting demure whenever a pork product hits the table.

Recipes!

How to Make a Savory Soufflé

2010-10-04T14:00:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make a Savory Soufflé

There was a time when the idea of making a soufflé was the farthest thought from my mind. Just seeing the words "eggs, separated" was enough to ward me off. But I've since discovered the truth about soufflés: their reputation for being disaster-prone and finicky is undeserved. They puff up reliably, stay puffed up even when you open the oven door, and pay-off is unparalleled. There's nothing like having a big puffy soufflé all to yourself. And after you've dug in and greedily enjoyed the entire thing, you don't even get that painful "eyes bigger than stomach" regret.

Myth: You have to use a special soufflé dish, build a collar around the dish, prepare the entire dish just before serving, or keep the oven door closed the whole time.

Reality: Forget about all that fussiness. The most important thing in achieving puffiness is incorporating a lot of air into the soufflé batter. The egg whites need to be beaten until they are stiff and shiny and then gently folded into the base.

There are lots of different kinds of soufflé recipes, but for the sake of simplicity, I'm sticking with a basic and versatile savory formula here. It's one you can easily adapt in your kitchen:

Base (béchamel + egg yolks + "mix-in" additions) + Beaten egg whites =
Savory Soufflé

To find out what's really important when it comes to making a savory soufflé, see the slideshow. And for a few examples of soufflés that use the béchamel-base formula, read on below.

Some Soufflé Variations

The starting point for these soufflé variations was a recipe for cheese soufflé in James Peterson's Baking. For the béchamel, I used 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour, and 3/4 cup milk. In each version, I used 4 yolks to enrich the base and 7 egg whites beaten with a pinch of salt and cream of tartar. They all serve four. The differences are in the "mix-in" part of the formula.

By the way, I think these soufflé's are great without an accompanying sauce, but if you'd like you could simply add a dollop of crème fraiche to yours.

Pumpkin Soufflé

I cooked 1/4 cup of minced shallots and a tablespoon of chopped fresh sage in the butter that went into the béchamel. The "mix-in" was made with 2/3 cup pumpkin (or other squash) puree, 1 tablespoon pulverized amaretti cookies, 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, 1 tablespoon of bourbon, a few gratings of nutmeg, 1/2 + teaspoon of Kosher salt, and a few turns of black pepper. After buttering the baking dish, I dusted it with about a tablespoon of ground amaretti cookies.

Spinach Soufflé

I pureed 3/4 cup cooked and well-drained spinach with 1/4 cup of cooked, chopped leeks and 2 tablespoons sour cream. To that, I added 2 tablespoons dry sherry, 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt, and a little nutmeg and black pepper.

Cheese and Fines Herbes Soufflé

I blended 1 cup (about 4 ounces) very well packed grated cheese (Emmentaler, Gruyere, or Comté) into the base along with 1 tablespoon Kirschwasser, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder. As I folded in the egg whites, I sprinkled in the herbs: a tablespoon each of minced fresh parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil.

How to Make Dried Apple Chips

2010-10-01T14:30:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make Dried Apple Chips

Allow me to join the ranks of Serious Eaters trumpeting the arrival of apple season (see here, here and here). It's time to start fiddling with our favorite fall friend.

Before the chillier temps set in and we all start (at long last) on pie, tart and crumble baking, here's how I'll be satisfying my fruit fetish: airy, delicate slices, crisp and almost candied, tinged with just the slightest bit of oven-brown on the edges. Let's make apple chips!

The idea of making dried apples at home didn't spark my fire at first—store-bought apple slices have a consistency somewhere between chewy and gummy, with little apple flavor. Apple chips, on the other hand, still have some of the fabulous crunchiness and tartness of their raw counterparts. Drying concentrates their sweetness, and the slim shape allows them to crisp up instead of collapse. Combine that with their gorgeous fall-leaf-reminiscent colors and lovely flowery shapes, and I say you have a snack that gives the fresh fruit a run for its money.

The Best Apples For Baking

Everyone seems to have a favorite when it comes to raw apple flavor, but tarter apples hold their shape better when cooked. Though not as much of a problem for apple chips as it is for pie fillings, you're still best off reaching for varieties that will retain their shape texture as they dry. Golden Delicious seems are the old reliable, combining great flavor and texture. I personally had great luck with Granny Smiths. Galas and Pink Ladies also seem to have good rapport with the oven.

How Drying Works

Drying fruit is simply a technique of removing most of its natural moisture. The only real trick is to do so at the right speed and temperature to maintain the flavor and texture of the slices. This all depends on the type of fruit and the shape of the cut, but in most cases it'll range between 120 and 225°F. Too hot and you'll scorch the outside before the center is able to dry. I'm not sure there is such thing as too low or slow—after all, old-school drying techniques can involve hanging or laying the fruit out in the sun to shrivel up over several hours or days.

True, drying is traditionally a way of preserving foods (microbes can't survive as easily once excess moisture has been removed). But, since apple season has only just begun, for our immediate purposes, it's just a means to achieve a snappier manifestation of our favorite fruit.

A Note on Prepping

If you're working with a large batch of apples, you'll want to rest them in a bowl of water containing an acid such as lemon juice or citric acid while you work to peel and slice them (in mass-produced dried fruits, sulfur is applied to do this job). Since I worked with a small amount, I plunged my slices right into some boiling simple syrup (I find the extra hit of sweetness makes them taste more like a treat and the extra sugar helps to pull moisture from the fruit and enhance caramelization—more on this in the slideshow). Just remember sugar also has a tendency to burn and scorch, and the change from lightly toasted to burnt can happen within minutes if you're not watching carefully.

Some people like to core their apples before breaking them down. Personally, I enjoy the gorgeous star-like shape in the center of the slices and leave the core in. I still gently pop out the seeds.

Equipment

I tested baking slices from the same apple on three different surfaces: a wire rack, a non-stick baking mat (I used Silpat), and the bottom of a bare metal baking sheet. Naturally I assumed the rack would be my quickest bet—often in roasting, lifting the object you're cooking can help air circulate around it more quickly and evenly. But in this case it took the longest by far. Crisping a few slices took 1.5 hours at 220°F, compared to an easier 50 minutes on the non-stick mat. Laying the slices directly on the bare cookie sheet produced the fastest results—in barely 45 minutes I had crispy, toasty chips. If you don't favor darkness or heavy-duty crunch, or don't trust yourself to check the oven every few minutes, this method might be a little too speedy for you.

Click around the slideshow for an easy tutorial. The method shown also works with thinly sliced, firm pears.

How to Make Gyoza

2010-09-20T14:00:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make Gyoza

[Photographs: Kumiko Mitarai]

Soon after my mother married my father, she asked her three sisters-in-law for some basic cooking lessons. She was already a good cook, but a good German cook. What she wanted to learn was how to prepare simple Japanese dishes for her Japanese husband. That's when she was taught how to make gyoza, a dish that ultimately became a favorite in our family and one that I learned to make from her.

After passing this recipe across cultures and generations, it may have changed slightly over time, but since childhood, I've pretty much stuck to what my mom made: pork, ginger, garlic, chives or scallions, Napa cabbage, carrots and celery wrapped up, pan-fried, and then steamed. I always enjoy preparing gyoza, particularly the folding up of the wrappers which always makes me a bit nostalgic.

But it occurred to me that I didn't need to be sentimental with the fillings. While my mom stuffed them with carrots and celery, I was ready to experiment on my own.

The central thing to making gyoza is the cooking method, which involves a combination of browning and steaming. First you briefly fry one side of the filled dumplings in a very hot pan. (If the pan is hot enough, these "potstickers" will never really stick to the pan.) Then you add a small amount of water, quickly cover the pan and allow the steam to complete the cooking process.

Then there's the fancy crimped seal that's characteristic of gyoza and potentially a little intimidating if you're not an origami fan. Don't sweat it—the crimping is not mandatory. You could also make a simple flat seal (maybe using a little egg wash to really glue it shut) and the result will be just as delicious.

The slideshow will show you the basic gyoza-making process and proportions. To see what I've been stuffing in my gyoza (and in my face) read on below. And then let us know what's in your gyoza!

Family Classic

Family Classic: ground pork or turkey, ginger, garlic, scallions, Napa cabbage, carrots and celery

The combination I grew up with is a pound of ground pork, about 3/4 cup shredded Napa (or Chinese) cabbage leaves, 1 grated carrot, 1 minced stalk of celery, a couple of minced scallions, 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger, and 2 cloves of pressed or grated garlic. I now often use ground turkey instead. Maybe it defeats the purpose of choosing a leaner meat, but a few times when I've had some rendered duck fat handy, I've mixed a tablespoon or so of it into the turkey to make it extra moist. I season the mixture with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and mirin and bind it all with an egg.

The dipping sauce: soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot chili oil, toasted sesame oil

Frou-frou but Fabulous

Frou-frou But Fabulous: duck confit, caramelized onions, fresh figs, and chives

This requires some advance work caramelizing the onions but otherwise this little number is simple (that is, if you buy the duck leg already confit'd). Make a little assembly line and build a small mound on your wrapper: shredded duck confit, a small piece of fresh fig, a few strands of caramelized onion, and a sprinkling of chives.

The dipping sauce: balsamic vinegar and honey.

Vegan/Vegetarian

Vegan/Vegetarian: shiitake mushrooms, leeks, garlic, cilantro (and eggs)

You can skip the meat and concentrate the umami flavor by sautéing vegetables such as mushrooms, leeks, and garlic and seasoning them well with soy sauce and sesame oil before filling the gyoza. Adding an egg will bind the mixture and contribute flavor, but it's not essential. A little kick of hot chili or pickled ginger in the filling or as a condiment also keeps things interesting.

The dipping sauce: same as the Family Classic, plus a little pickled ginger on the side.

Work in Progress

Work in Progress: mozzarella and bay scallops

Maybe since this one wasn't a homerun, I shouldn't be sharing it, but I like to think that something can be learned from the effort.

Inspired by Harumi Kurihara's deep-fried scallops and mozzarella (in Everyday Harumi), I filled the dumplings with bay scallops nestled in fresh mozzarella. It was actually pretty good but here's the tricky part: those scallops cook so fast, it's hard to not overcook them. Using a high heat and a very short cooking time helps. Since there is a lot of moisture in the mozzarella and scallops, it's also good to use less water than usual to steam them. I wonder if these might just be best deep-fried instead...

The dipping sauce: basil pesto and white wine vinegar

How to Make a Gastrique

2010-09-03T14:45:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: How to Make a Gastrique

There was a time when my description of sauce perfection would never have featured the word sticky. But like any good sauce, when a well-made gastrique serves its plate honorably—moistening our bites, brightening flavor and kicking up color, often to a beautiful berry or citrus hue—what's not to love?

In plain terms, a gastrique is a sweet-and-sour sauce at its simplest. You caramelize sugar (or sometimes honey), combine it with equal parts vinegar, and reduce it slightly to make a tart, slightly thickened syrup.

Let it be said that some gastriques might not be the kind of sauce you want to lick straight off the spoon. (Well, maybe once or twice.) Although caramelizing the sugar and cooking down the vinegar will take the straightforward sweetness and tartness down a notch to a more savory level, gastriques can pack quite a punch. Depending on the flavorings used, they can go with everything from delicate fish and desserts to more robust foods like meat in combination with richer, fattier elements like a pan sauce.

Flavoring a Gastrique

Since the flavor base comes from the simple combination of the sugar and vinegar, your first bet for customizing the flavor is to choose your vinegar. Seem like small potatoes? Think of the spicy, sharp flavor of cider vinegar, versus the fruity raspberry flavor of a red wine version, then imagine trying to incorporate one into your dish. The list goes on: Balsamic, sherry, white wine and champagne will each enhance certain other foods and flavors.

As you'll see in the slideshow, your second option for flavor tweakage is to experiment with added ingredients once the gastrique base has finished cooking. At this final stage, you can add fresh fruit or berries, a dash of juice like tomato or orange, alcohol, citrus peel, herbs, spices or chiles. Heat them through, or do a final round of reducing if needed, and serve.

What to Serve It With

Gastriques are pretty but plucky. Usually a little will go a fairly long way, so try not to get carried away with the plating. Play with flavor combinations based on the protein you're serving. A rich red cherry or blackberry gastrique, for example, can stand up to fattier red meats like duck or beef, while a more delicate mango or apple may pair better with lighter pork or poultry. And citrus or herb versions are great options for seafood dishes.

Gastriques can also be combined with other sauces, simply providing a tangy element to a larger flavor profile. One of the most seductive instances I've heard of is using a tomato version to perfectly acidify pan drippings from a roasted chicken. And, I have yet to see this in action, but mixologists have started to incorporate gastriques into their cocktails for flavor and color, too.

I still have some berry gastrique in my fridge (luckily, they keep for weeks), and am fully planning to test its snack capacity. Doesn't it sound divine spread with buttery, soft cheese on crusty bread for breakfast or a quick snack? Indeed, it does.

More How-Tos

How to Make Creme Fraiche »
How to Make Your Own Breadcrumbs »
How to Make Battuto: The Italian Soffritto »
How to Poach an Egg »
How to Brine Meats »
How to Render Bacon Fat »
How to Salt Food »
How to Blanch Fruits and Vegetables »

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