The Best Baked Apples

If you prefer sweeter apples Golden Delicious, Braeburn, and Fuji apples can be substituted for the Granny Smith. If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, transfer the browned apples to a 13- by 9- inch baking dish and bake as directed. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

7 large (about 6 ounces each) Granny Smith apples

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats

½ teaspoon finely grated zest from 1 orange

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch table salt

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core, and cut 1 apple into ¼-inch dice. Combine 5 tablespoons of butter, brown sugar, cranberries, pecans, oats, orange zest, cinnamon, diced apple, and salt in large bowl; set aside.

2. Shave thin slice off bottom (blossom end) of remaining 6 apples to allow them to sit flat. Cut top ½-inch off stem end of apples and reserve. Peel apples and use melon baller or small measuring spoon to remove 1 ½-inch diameter core, being careful not to cut through bottom of apple.

3. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Once foaming subsides, add apples, stem side down, and cook until cut surface is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip apples, reduce heat to low and spoon filling inside, mounding excess filling over cavity; top with reserved apple caps. Add maple syrup and 1/3 cup of cider to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake until skewer inserted into apples meets little resistance, 35 to 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with maple syrup mixture in skillet.

4. Transfer apples to serving platter. Stir remaining 2 tablespoons cider into sauce in skillet as necessary to adjust consistency. Pour sauce over apples and serve.

Baked Apples with Raisins and Walnuts

Follow recipe for The Best Baked Apples, substituting coarsely chopped raisins for cranberries, chopped, toasted walnuts for pecans, lemon zest for orange zest, and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg for cinnamon.

Baked Apples with Figs and Macadamia Nuts

Follow recipe for The Best Baked Apples, substituting coarsely chopped dried figs for cranberries, chopped, toasted macadamia nuts for pecans, lemon zest for orange zest, and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger for cinnamon.

Baked Apples with Dried Cherries and Hazelnuts

Follow recipe for The Best Baked Apples, substituting coarsely chopped dried cherries for cranberries, chopped, toasted hazelnuts nuts for pecans, and ground black pepper for cinnamon.

Baked Apples with Dried Apricots and Almonds

Follow recipe for The Best Baked Apples, substituting coarsely chopped dried apricots for cranberries, chopped, toasted almonds nuts for pecans, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for cinnamon.

Gadget Guru — 3 Things You Don’t Need!

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The Real Chilean Sea Bass

Chilean Sea Bass also knows as Patagonian Toothfish

Mandarin Cake Step by Step

For our “Dinner Party of The Century,” to be served on November 7th (from my upcoming book, ‘Fannie’s Last Supper’), the main dessert is a Mandarin Cake which was borrowed from the French by Delmonicos (Savoy Cake a l’Orange). The top of the cake is indeed a “Savoy” cake which is baked in a fluted mold — baking cakes in molds was common in the 19th century. The base was a large round orange cake covered with fondant. (We used an almond cake covered with  marzipan.) Half tangerines were filled with orange jelly (we use an orange sorbet) and then additional tangerines were filled with alternating ribbons of cream and orange jellies (we used almond and orange). For service, one received a slice of cake, a dollop of Bavarian cream, a quartered tangerine filled with two jellies and then a half tangerine with an orange sorbet filling. To die for!

An almond cake with a marzipan coating is used as the base for the cake.

For decoration, orange leaves are sugared.

Half tangerines are hollowed out and filled with an orange sorbet.

Tangerines are hollowed out and filled with alternating layers of almond and orange jellies.

The final Mandarin Cake, ready to serve.

Fannie Rehearsal Dinner Menu

Here is the actual menu from the rehearsal dinner that we are giving tomorrow for our 12-course Victorian feast. Cooking was started Wednesday and the rehearsal is Saturday at 6PM in Boston. Starting to get very, very nervous.

DUXBURY ISLAND CREEK OYSTERS

1990 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame

MOCK TURTLE SOUP

Lustau Rare Amontillado Escuadrilla Sherry

RISSOLES

1996 Heimbourg Pinot Gris, Domaine Zind Humbrecht

LOBSTER A L’AMERICAINE

2005 Saint Joseph Blanc Lyseras, Yves Cuilleron

SADDLE OF VENISON WITH POTATOES LYONNAISE, SUGARED BEETS

AND CURRANT JELLY SAUCE

1986 Château La Mission Haut Brion

WOOD-GRILLED SALMON

2005 Riechsrat von Buhl Riesling Spatlese Trocken Pfalz Forster Ungeheuer

FRIED BABY ARTICHOKES

CANTON FROZEN PUNCH

ROAST GOOSE WITH CHESTNUT STUFFING AND APPLESAUCE

1999 Leroy Beaune 1er Cru Belissands

THREE MOLDED VICTORIAN JELLIES

MANDARIN CAKE

1988 Château Guiraud 1er Grand Cru Classe

COFFEE, CHEESE, CRACKERS AND BONBONS

Thanks to Mountain View & Denver

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Thanks to Books Inc and everyone who attended — great to meet everyone especially the family that plays the “America’s Test Kitchen” game with their two young daughters. (The girls take turns playing Bridget and Julia. Guess the dad is me.) Thanks!

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The crowd at the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver last Wednesday night. Had a great time and terrific to see a lot of kids at the signing as well.

Wiki vs Test Kitchen Recipe Challenge

The current rage is the WIKI recipe notion — a community of on-line foodies who can select and tweak recipes to come up with the best possible version. Then there is the opposite contention — I think that only a professional test kitchen with substantial resources, strict testing protocol, and lots of time can develop the very “best” recipes, all things being equal. So, I am willing to put my money, and my reputation, where my big mouth is. I offer a challenge to any supporter of the WIKI or similar concept to jump in and go head to head with our test kitchen. We will jointly agree on a recipe, on the rules, on a time frame, etc. At the end, we will ask a panel of impartial judges to make and test the recipes and declare a winner. Should be fun! Who is interested?

Ship of Fools?

The comment in my recent NYTs Op Ed piece on Gourmet that has raised the most ire was the one about abandoning the “ship of fools,” referring to the mass of unregulated internet chat about food and every other topic. So let me go back and make a few things a wee bit clearer:
1) Yes, I do believe that most of the food chatter on the internet is less than thoughtful, rarely inspired, and lacking the depth and expertise that, given a very busy day, I would like from a good food writer or blogger. But, yes, I have made many friends on Twitter and found many of the voices there better informed on coffee-making and similar topics that I am. Plus, some of you are actually quite funny.
2) However, this is a free marketplace, and anyone who can punch through the white noise of the web and actually get his or her voice heard is fine by me. This challenge to traditional media can be a good thing. These days, magazine editors are going to have to be much more responsive to their readers since ad dollars are scarcer.
3) What scares me the most, however, is that in a world without editors — just the unfiltered voices of millions — it can be harder to find insightful commentary and get at the truth. I am reminded of the legion of radio talk shows where the listeners are almost universally polemical and uniquely uninformed. In other words, I still miss Walter Cronkite. I also have zero interest in reading the public’s opinion regarding Iran, global warming, or the economy., For that, I will stick to the New York Times and a handful of folks who have spent a lifetime investigating these issues.
4) In terms of recipes, no, I do not believe in a Wiki website, with a community opining on recipes as a means of creating a valuable database. Making a recipe 75 times in a test kitchen under controlled circumstances (yes, this is deeply self-serving) is vastly better than the voices of millions under less the ideal circumstances, with kitchens with a host of different problems/equipment/etc. Go ahead and make that broccoli casserole off your Google search and see how you like it! In cooking, as in all things, there is a right way and a wrong way. Very little in life is truly relative.

Finally, the world changes as does media and every magazine has its run and its time. Gourmet provided a great deal of joy for many of us middle-aged cooks and it is still a sad passing, even if its day had come. Besides, we have good friends who worked there and are now out of a job. So, our best wishes to them, especially to Ruth and Doc Willoughby, my old comrade from the early days of Cook’s. And to those of you trying to get your voice heard on the web, you also have my best wishes but now you are going to have to compete in a crowded marketplace and win on the merits. What is good for the goose is, as they say, is good for the gander. (Boy, that makes me sound old!)

Cooks’ Country Photos, Final Week

Maria, one of our test cook/editors, working in the back kitchen.

Lunch break with a frisbee.

Bridget has shut down the filming with another of her one-liners.

I actually look like I am having a good time — I was!

Ken, one of the four cameramen, digging in between scenes.

A few test cooks take a break on the side porch.

Here we are -- the whole crew on the last day.

Ken (cameraman) and Brenda taking a ride on the last day...it is a Chinese bike.

Having fun during a testing -- Jack is smiling because I got it all wrong!

Setting up the lights for shooting BBQ outdoors.

Bridget and Lynn, who helped run the back kitchen this year.

The backyard of the Cook's Country house. Nice spot!

Our TV Producer, Melissa, takes a quick break during filming and actually smiles.

Erin showing me perfectly whipped egg whites.

The JUCY LUCY Burger gets its 15 minutes of fame.

Another on-set lecture about the science of food.

A fake set of headphones designed by our makeup artist for the sound engineer. The are perfect look for me.

Cali ran the back kitchen this year during filming -- great job.

Kelly also worked in the kitchen this year and did a great job.

Here I am, doing historical intros to the recipes on the porch.

Chewy Cookie Favorites

Makes 16 cookies.   Published January 1, 2009.   From Cook’s Illustrated.

We recommend using the test kitchen’s favorite baking chocolate, Callebaut Intense Dark L-60-40NV, but any high-quality dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate will work. Light brown sugar can be substituted for the dark, as can light corn syrup for the dark, but with some sacrifice in flavor. A spring-loaded ice cream scoop (size #30) can be used to portion the dough.

INGREDIENTS

1/3

cup granulated sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces), plus 1/2 cup for coating

1 1/2

cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)

3/4

cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2

teaspoon baking soda

1/4

teaspoon table salt plus 1/8 teaspoon table salt

1/2

cup dark corn syrup (see note)

1

large egg white

1

teaspoon vanilla extract

12

tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened (70 degrees)

1/3

cup packed dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces, see note)

4

ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

. 1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Place ½ cup granulated sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk corn syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in small bowl.

. 2. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, add corn syrup mixture, and beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl once with rubber spatula. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and chopped chocolate; mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Chill dough 30 minutes to firm slightly 
(do not chill longer than 30 minutes).

. 3. Divide dough into 16 equal portions; roll between hands into balls about 11/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, drop 8 dough balls into baking dish with sugar and toss to coat. Set dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart; repeat with second batch of 8. Bake, reversing position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until cookies are puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 10 to 11 minutes. Do not overbake.

. 4. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature.

Makes 2 Dozen Cookies.   Published March 1, 2007.

The most efficient way to bake these cookies is to portion and bake half of the dough. While the first batch is in the oven, the remaining dough can be prepared for baking. Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter. The dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned. Use fresh brown sugar, as older (read: harder and drier) brown sugar will make the cookies too dry.

INGREDIENTS

14

tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)

1/4

cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)

2

cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)

2

cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (about 10 1/2 ounces)

1/2

teaspoon baking soda

1/4

teaspoon baking powder

1/2

teaspoon table salt

1

large egg

1

large egg yolk

1

tablespoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

. 1. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

. 2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

. 3. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

. 4. Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but it will take 3 batches.)

. 5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone; see photo below), 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.

. 6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Makes 16 cookies.

We recommend using the test kitchen’s favorite baking chocolate, Callebaut Intense Dark L-60-40NV, but any high-quality dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate will work. Light brown sugar can be substituted for the dark, as can light corn syrup for the dark, but with some sacrifice in flavor. A spring-loaded ice cream scoop (size #30) can be used to portion the dough.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup granulated sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces), plus 1/2 cup for coating

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon table salt plus 1/8 teaspoon table salt

1/2 cup dark corn syrup (see note)

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened (70 degrees)

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces, see note)

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Place ½ cup granulated sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk corn syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in small bowl.

2. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, add corn syrup mixture, and beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl once with rubber spatula. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and chopped chocolate; mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Chill dough 30 minutes to firm slightly 
(do not chill longer than 30 minutes).

3. Divide dough into 16 equal portions; roll between hands into balls about 11/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, drop 8 dough balls into baking dish with sugar and toss to coat. Set dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart; repeat with second batch of 8. Bake, reversing position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until cookies are puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 10 to 11 minutes. Do not overbake.

4. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature.

Brown Sugar Cookies

Makes 2 Dozen Cookies.

The most efficient way to bake these cookies is to portion and bake half of the dough. While the first batch is in the oven, the remaining dough can be prepared for baking. Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter. The dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned. Use fresh brown sugar, as older (read: harder and drier) brown sugar will make the cookies too dry.

INGREDIENTS

14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)

1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)

2 cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (about 10 1/2 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but it will take 3 batches.)

5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone; see photo below), 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.

6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.