Cooking Signature

Grilled Salmon Steaks with Lemon Caper Sauce source: American Test Kitchen
Ingredients: Serve 4
4 ( 10 ounce ) skin on salmon steaks, 1 to 1 ½ inches thick
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 6 tablespoons juice (2 lemons)
1 shallot, minced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 (13 by 9 inch) disposable aluminum roasting pan
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Procedures:
Pat salmon steaks dry with paper towels. Working 1 steak at a time, trim 1 ½ inches of skin from 1 tail. Wrap other tail around skinned prtion; tie steak with kitchen twine. Season with salt and pepper; brush both sides with oil. Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, shallot, butter, capers, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in disposable pan.

FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: open bottom vent complety. Light large chimney starte filled with charcoal briquettes ( 6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

FOR A GAS GRILL: turn all burners to high, cover and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and tun off other burners.

Clean and oil cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well oiled paper towels until grate is black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Place salmon on hot part of grill, cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Meanwhile, set disposable pan on cool part of grill and cook until butter has melted, about 2 minutes. Transfer salmon to pan and gently turn to coat. Cook (covered if using gas) until center of salmon is still translucent when checked with tip of paring knife and salmon registers 125 degrees (medium rare), 6 to 14 minutes, flipping salmon and rotating pan halfway through grilling. Remove twine and transfer salmon to platter. Off heat, whisk parsley into sauce. Drizzle sauce over steaks and serve.

Grilled Salmon Steaks with Lime Cilantro Sauce
Omet lemon zest, lemon juice, shallot, and capers. Add 1 teaspoon grated lime zest, 6 tablespoons lime juice, 2 minced garlic cloves, and ½ teaspoon ground cumin to pan in step 1 replace parsley with 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro. End.

Glazed Salmon Fillets source: American Test Kitchen
Ingredients: Serve 4
1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
4 (6 – 8 ounce) center cut skin on salmon fillets
Pepper
1 teaspoon vegetables oil
1 recipe soy mustard glaze (recipe follows)

Procedures:
Adjust over rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine sugar, salt, and cornstach in bowl. Pat salmon dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Springkle brown sugar mixture evenly over flesh side of salmon, rubbing to distribute.

Heat oil in 12 inch oversafe nonstick skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Place salmon, flesh side down, in skillet and cook until well broned, about 1 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip salmon and cook on skin side for 1 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and spoon glaze evenly over salmon fillets. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until fillets are still translucent when checked with tip of paring knife and register 125 degrees ( medium-rare ), 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer fillets to platter or idividual plates and serve.

Soy Mustard Glaze:
Ingredients: ½ cup
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Procedures:
Whisk all ingredients together in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium high heat; simmer until thickened, about 1 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. End.

Indonesian Style Fried Rice with Shrimp
source: American Test Kitchen
Ingredients: Serve 4 to 6
5 green or red Thai chiles, stemmed
7 large shallots, peeled
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons acked dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ligh or mild molasses
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon fish sauce
Salt
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 recipe Faux Leftover Rice (recipe follows)
12 ounc extra large shirp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, tails removed, and cut crosswise into thirds
4 scallions sliced thin
Lime wedges

Procedures:
Pulse chiles, 4 shallots, and garlic in food processor until coarse paste is formed, about 15 pulses, scraing down sides of bowl as necessary. Ransfer mixture to bowl; set aside. In second bowl, stir together brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, fish sauce, and 1 ¼ teaspoons salt. Whisk eggs and ¼ teaspoon salt together in third bowl.

Thinly slice reamining 3 shallots and place in 12 inch nonstick skillet with oil. Fry over medium heat, stirring constantly, until shallots are golden and crisp, 6 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spot, transfer shallots to paper towel lined plate and season with salt to taste. Pour off oil and reserve. Wipe out skillet with paper towels.

Heat 1 teaspoon reserved oil in now empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add half of eggs to skillet, gently titling pan to evenly coat bottom cover and cook until bottom of omelet is spotty golden brown and top is just set, about 1 ½ minutes. Slide omelet onto cutting board and gently roll up into tight log. Using sharp knife, cut log crosswise into 1 inch segments (leaving segments rolled) repeat with 1 teaspoon more reserved oil and remaining eggs.

Remove rice from refrigerator and brek up any large clumps with fingers. Heat 3 table spoons more reserved oil in now empty skillet over medium heat until just shimmering. Add chile mixture and cook until mixture turns golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add shirmps, increase heat to medium high, and cook, stirring constantly, until exterior of shrimp is just opaque, about 2 minutes. Pus shrimp to sides of skillt to clear center; stir molasses mixture to recombine and pour into center of skillet. When molasses mixture bubbles, add rice and cook, stirring and folding constantly, until shrimp is cooked, rice is heated through, and mixture is evenly coatd, about 3 minutes. Stir in scallions, remove from heat, and transfer to serving platter. Garnish with omelet segments, fred shallows, and lime wedes. Serve immediately. End.

Faux Leftover Rice

Ingredients: Makes 6 cups
2 cups jasmine or long grain white rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 2/3 cups water

Procedures:
Place rice in fine mesh strainer set over large bowl. Rinse under running water until water runs clear, about 1 minutes. Drain rice well.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add rice and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add water, increase heat to high, and bring to boil.

Cover saucepan, reduce heat to low, and simmer until liquid is absorbed by rise, about 18 minutes. Off heat, remove lid and place clean kitchen towel folded in half over saucepan. Cover and let stand until rice just tender. About 8 minutes. Spread cooked rice on rimmed baking sheet, set on wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes. End.

Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping Recipe source: American Test Kitchen
Ingredients: Serve 6
CHICKEN :
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs, trimmed
3 cups low sodium chicken broth

CRUMBLE TOPPING:
2 cups (10 ounce) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½ pieces and chilled
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated( ½ cup)
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

FILLING:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼ inch thick slices
2 small celery ribs, minced
Salt and pepper
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon tomato sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¾ cup frozen baby peas

Procedures:
FOR THE CHICKEN: Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until chicken is just done, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to large bowl. Pour broth through fine mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve. Do not wash Dutch oven. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne in large bowl and sprinkle butter pieces over top. Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in parmesan. Add cream and stir until just combined. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces, ½ to ¾ inch wide, onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and starting to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Set aside.

FOR THE FILLING: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, celery, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, shred chicken into bite size pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their juice, about 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir in soy sauce and tomato paste. Increase heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated, mushrooms are well browned, and dark found begins to form, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with chicken and vegetables. Set aside.

Melt butter in now empty Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minutes. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits, and continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Off heat, stir in 2 table spoons parsley and lemon juice.

Stir chicken vegetable mixture and peas into sauce. Pour mixture into 13 by 9 inch baking dish or casserole dish of similar size. Scatter crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake on baking sheet until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and serve. End.

High Roast Chicken With Potato Gratin Recipe source: American Test Kitchen
Ingredients: Serve 4
½ cup sugar
Salt and pepper
1 ( 4 ½ to 5 pound ) whole chicken, giblets discarded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 ½ pounds russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 to ¼ inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil

Procedures:
Dissolve sugar and ½ cup salt in 2 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hours or up to 1 ½ hours. Meanwhile, combine butter, thyme, garlic, and lemon zest in bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Line broiler pan bottom with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread potatoes evenly over prepared broiler pan bottom and cover with broiler pan top.

Remove chicken from brine, rinse well, and pat dry with paper towels. Butterfly chicken, flatten breastbone, and gently tuck wings behind back.

Gently loosen center portion of skin covering each side of breast. Using spoon, place butter mixture underneath skin, and then gently press on skin to spread out butter mixture. Place chicken on slotted broiler pan top, brush with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and season with pepper. Push each leg up to rest between thigh and breast.

Roast chicken until skin is crisped and deep brown and breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes. Rotating pan halfway through roasting.

Transfer chicken to carving board; let rest for 10 minutes. Remove broiler pan top and using paper towels, soak up excess grease from potatoes; transfer to serving platter. Carve chicken; serve with potatoes. End.

Nut Crusted Chicken Cutlets Recipe source: American Test Kitchen
Ingredients: Serve 4
4 ( 6 to 8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, timed
Kosher salt
1 cup roughly chopped almonds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 shallot, minced
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, zested lemon cut into 4 wedges
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenned pepper
3 large eggs
2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup all purpose flour

Procedures:
Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Using fork, poke thicker half of each breast 5 or 6 times. Place on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and season each breast with ½ teaspoon salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, while preparing coating.

Pulse nuts in food processor to coarse meal, about 20 pulses. Melt butter in 12 inch skillet over medium heat and cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter turns golden brown and has nutty aroma, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallot and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, add panko and ground nuts, and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer panko mixture to shallow dish or pie plate and stir in lemon zest, thyme, and cayenne.

Lightly beat eggs, mustard, and pepper together in second shallow dish or pie plate. Place flour in third shallow dish or pie plate. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge chicken in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer breaded chicken to clean wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken.

Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees, 20 to 25 chicken. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges. End.

Variation:
Nut Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Lime and Chipotle: substitute 2 teaspoon grated lime zest for lemon zest, reserving lime wedges for garnish, and 1 teaspoon chipotle Chile powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and ½ teaspoon ground coriander for thyme.

Nut Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Orange and Oregano: Substitute 1 teaspoon grated orange zest for lemon zest, reserving orange wedges for garnish, and oregano for thyme.