Recipes By Melissa Knific
32 recipes found
Buttermilk
It may not be much to look at, but buttermilk is a wonderfully versatile cooking ingredient. In baking, it’s used to counteract the bitterness of the baking soda, while also activating the rise. In brines, it helps tenderize and flavor the meat. And in dressings, it adds tang and body. For all of these reasons, it’s not a bad idea to keep it on hand, but if you don’t, or if you’ve run out, make it from scratch with just two ingredients that are already in your fridge. Simply combine milk and lemon juice (or a light-colored vinegar), and set the mixture aside for 10 minutes until it visibly thickens, then proceed with your recipe. Most of the buttermilk on supermarket shelves is cultured, which is tangier and thicker than this homemade version, so this is best used in a brine for extra-juicy chicken or to make a pile of fluffy biscuits or waffles. It also tastes great in classic ranch dressing, although the consistency might be a bit thinner than store-bought.
Edible Cookie Dough
The tasty practice of sneaking a couple bites of cookie dough before baking has likely been around as long as cookies themselves, but making and tucking into a full bowl of raw dough — made expressly to eat — is relatively novel. Perhaps it was the success of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, a flavor that popped up some time in the mid-1980s, that started the mass love affair, but the concept stuck, and brands and businesses have fully embraced it. This at-home version is safely edible; it’s made without eggs and the flour is heat-treated, or baked to a temperature of 165 degrees, to rid it of harmful bacteria. (And without the eggs, as well as a few other ingredients, this dough cannot be baked.) Regular or mini semi-sweet chocolate chips are a classic mix-in, but feel free to replace them with equal amounts of white chocolate chips, M&M’s or chopped nuts.
Strawberry Jam
Sweet and ever-so-slightly tart, strawberry jam ranks among the top spreadable fruit flavors. When the pick-your-own season begins and supermarket shelves are abundant with the juicy, scarlet berry, it signals the start of summer, and it’s an opportunity to get your jam on. Here, just three ingredients—strawberries, sugar and lemon juice—make a simple jam that’s not overly sweet. However, it is crucial to have an instant-read thermometer on hand and to keep a watchful eye on the simmering temperature so the fruit’s natural pectin can do its thickening magic. In the off-season, frozen berries are a perfectly suitable stand-in for fresh, since they’re often picked at peak ripeness. This simple jam will last in the fridge for up to two weeks (for larger batches and a longer shelf life, consider canning it). Spread strawberry jam on crumpets, make an extra-special dessert, or, if you can’t wait for it to cool, spoon it warm over some ice cream.
Baked Pork Chops
For the juiciest, most golden pork chops, a few things need to happen. Dry brining, or rubbing the meat with salt (and in this case, spices) at least 4 hours ahead of cooking, results in deeply seasoned chops that won’t be dry. Here, a mixture of common pantry spices make for a flavorful, barbecue-inspired blend. A little brown sugar in the brine, a pat of butter in the skillet and a quick high-heat sear ensures a browned crust. From there, the pork chops are baked just shy of doneness; they’ll come to temperature as they rest. Use bone-in or boneless chops that are somewhere between 3/4- and 1-inch thick. Serve these alongside classic mashed potatoes, applesauce and a simple green vegetable, such as green beans.
Chopped Cheese
Crispy bits of ground beef mixed with charred onion and melty American cheese, sandwiched between a long, fluffy roll, the chopped cheese has long been a comfort food staple in bodegas throughout New York’s Harlem neighborhood and beyond. The origin of the sandwich, also called a chop cheese, is fuzzy, but it’s widely agreed the name comes from its preparation — the meat is pressed and flattened on a super-hot cooking surface for maximum crispiness, flipped and then “chopped” with a metal spatula or similar tool and draped with cheese. Here, a cast-iron skillet replicates the flattop often used in a bodega, but feel free to fire up a griddle if you have one. For the full filled-to-the-gills chopped cheese experience, be sure to slather plenty of mayo and ketchup on the buttery toasted rolls, and pile on the shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes.
Hamburger Soup
Not to be confused with tasting like an actual burger, this soup is actually named after ground beef, which is sometimes referred to as “hamburger” in certain parts of the United States. Here, it’s combined with any mix of vegetables you like or have on hand, making it an ideal one-pot meal to use up odds and ends from both your crisper and freezer. The key to unlocking a speedy, fully loaded soup is using frozen, pre-chopped vegetables — just be sure not to thaw them before adding to the broth so they don’t lose their bite. To store, cool completely in the pot before transferring to an airtight container, then refrigerate and enjoy for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Poutine
Composed of freshly made French fries bathed in a rich, brown gravy and dotted with squeaky pieces of fresh cheese, poutine is a Canadian specialty with small town roots. Several restaurants claim to have invented the dish in rural Quebec, an area known for cheesemaking, either in the late 1950s or early ’60s. (In one story former restaurateur Fernand Lachance replied, “Ça va te faire une maudite poutine!”, slang for “That will make a damned mess!”, to a customer who requested cheese curds on fries. Another story links poutine to restaurant owner Jean-Paul Roy, who noticed customers were adding the curds, sold separately at his drive-in, to their fries.) Poutine has expanded beyond its rural beginning, and can be found topped with everything from bacon to duck confit. Here, the fries are made fresh (highly recommended), but frozen packaged fries can be used in a pinch. Layer poutine a bit like you would nachos, except start with cheese on the bottom of the dish, followed by the fries, more cheese and, finally, the gravy.
Pickled Eggs
Briny and slightly sweet with a vibrant pink hue, beet-pickled eggs were likely brought to the United States by German immigrants, and remain a staple in Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch communities. Hard-boiled eggs are brined with just beets, vinegar, sugar and some optional flavor add-ins, but they do need at least one full day — optimally two — of brining before they’re ready to eat. (Their color and flavor will deepen the longer they pickle; keep refrigerated and enjoy for up to a week.) Canned plain beets make this pretty easy, but fresh beets can be used instead (see Tip). Once pickled, halve the eggs and eat them on their own, or sprinkle them with a little black pepper, kosher salt, dill sprigs and perhaps a dollop of mayonnaise. Or, add them to salads or bowls, layer thin slices on a sandwich, or use them for a colorful twist on deviled eggs. (Of course, don’t forget to eat the beets, too!)