The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (136 page)

1½ teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground chile paste

1 Thai bird chile or serrano pepper, chopped (optional)

¼ cup Asian fish sauce (nam pla)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons grated carrots, for garnish

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, chile paste, and fresh chile, if desired, into a paste (or mince together with a knife). Transfer to a bowl. Add the fish sauce,
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cup hot water, the lime juice, and sugar. Whisk together until the sugar dissolves. Garnish with the carrots, and serve.

béarnaise sauce

MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS

½ cup white wine

2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon freshly chopped tarragon

3 whole black peppercorns

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter

3 large egg yolks

½ teaspoon coarse salt

¼ cup boiling water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1.
Place the white wine, white-wine vinegar, shallots, 2 tablespoons tarragon, and the peppercorns in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons.

2.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep warm until ready to use.

3.
Place the egg yolks in a copper or stainless-steel bowl that fits snugly in the top of a medium saucepan. Fill the saucepan with 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Whisk the yolks, off the heat, until they become pale. Add the wine mixture and salt, and whisk until well combined. Gradually add ¼ cup boiling water, whisking constantly. Place the bowl over the medium saucepan of boiling water; reduce heat to the lowest setting. Whisking constantly, cook until the whisk leaves a trail in the mixture and the sauce begins to hold its shape. Remove from heat.

4.
Pour the warm, melted butter into a glass measuring cup. Add to the yolk mixture, 1 drop at a time, whisking constantly. After you have added about 1 tablespoon melted butter, you can begin to add it slightly faster, still whisking constantly. Still, be careful: If the butter is added too quickly, the emulsion will be too thin or will break (separate).

5.
Once all of the butter has been added, adjust the seasoning with the lemon juice, and stir in the remaining tarragon. If the béarnaise becomes too thick, you may thin it with a little additional lemon juice or water. If not serving immediately, place the pan of sauce over a pot of simmering water that has been removed from the heat, or in a warm spot on the stove for up to 1 hour. Alternatively, you may store for up to 3 hours in a clean Thermos that has been warmed with hot but not boiling water.

rémoulade sauce

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

If you are concerned about raw eggs, use store-bought mayonnaise, and begin at step 3. The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

1 large whole egg

2 large egg yolks

½ teaspoon coarse salt

Pinch of sugar

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¾ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon snipped chives

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1.
Place the egg, egg yolks, salt, sugar, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until blended.

2.
With the machine running, slowly drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, then slowly drizzle in the canola oil through the feed tube. Season with more lemon juice, salt, and pepper, if needed.

3.
Stir in the capers, mustard, parsley, tarragon, chives, and shallot, and serve immediately.

perfect gravy

MAKES 3 CUPS

For the best poultry gravy, do not roast the turkey or chicken in a nonstick roasting pan: It keeps the flavorful bits of meat and skin from cooking onto the pan.

Giblets from a turkey or chicken: neck, heart, gizzard, and liver

3½ tablespoons unsalted butter

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 medium leek, white and green parts, roughly chopped, well washed

6 whole black peppercorns

1 dried bay leaf

1½ cups Madeira wine

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

¾ teaspoon coarse salt

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.
Make the giblet broth while the turkey is roasting. Trim any fat or membrane from the giblets. The liver should not have the gallbladder, a small green sac, attached. If it is, trim it off, removing part of the liver if necessary. Do not pierce the sac; it contains bitter liquid. Rinse the giblets, and pat dry.

2.
In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables. Cook, stirring, until slightly brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add the neck. Cook, stirring, until slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1 quart water. Add the heart, gizzard, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Cover; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, until broth is reduced to about 3 cups, 50 to 60 minutes. Set aside.

3.
Meanwhile, chop the liver finely. Melt the remaining ½ tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the liver; cook, stirring constantly, until the liver is fully cooked and no longer releases blood, 4 to 6 minutes. Add to the cooking giblet broth.

4.
Transfer the roasted turkey to a large platter. Pour the juices from the pan into a gravy strainer. Set aside to separate, about 10 minutes.

5.
Strain the reserved broth. Return to the saucepan, and warm over low heat. Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat. Pour the Madeira into a measuring cup, and then into the pan; let bubble, and scrape the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.

6.
Make a slurry: Place the flour in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Ladle 1 cup of the broth into the jar. Shake until combined. Slowly pour into the roasting pan; stir to incorporate. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the flour is cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly stir in the remaining broth.

7.
Raise heat to medium-high. Add the pan juices from the fat separator; add the dark drippings from the bottom into the roasting pan. Discard the fat. Stir in the rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 10 to 15 minutes to reduce and thicken. (For thicker gravy, add 1 more tablespoon flour; reduce the water to 2½ cups in step 2.) Strain the liquid from the pan through a very fine sieve. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until ready to serve.

PERFECT GRAVY EVERY TIME

To make gravy with a velvety texture and rich flavor:

•
Use every part of the bird, from the giblets to the crispy skin and caramelized juices in the bottom of the pan, which add both flavor and color to the gravy.

•
Use a gravy strainer. This straight-sided cup is fitted with a spout that feeds from the base. Because fat floats to the top of liquid, the spout pulls only the nonfatty juices into it.

•
Eliminate lumps that form when flour is added to the roasting pan too quickly and not blended well: Mix the flour and broth together before adding to the pan juices.

homemade mayonnaise

MAKES 2½ CUPS

A food processor helps make homemade mayonnaise quickly, but a whisk works just as well. Martha prefers to use entire eggs, not just the yolks, for a lighter texture. Add the oil very slowly, literally drop by drop. This prevents the oil from overwhelming the egg yolks and produces a smooth, creamy spread. By varying the ingredients, you can create endless variations. Substitute a flavored vinegar such as tarragon or sherry for the lemon juice, or alter the flavor by trying different olive oils. Seasonings or chopped fresh herbs may be added to the mayonnaise after it is made.

1 cup light olive oil

1 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

¼ teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.
Combine the oils in a large glass measuring cup. Place the eggs, mustard, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is foamy and pale, about 1½ minutes.

2.
With the machine running, add the oil, drop by drop, through the feed tube, until the mixture starts to thicken (about ½ cup oil); do not stop the machine at this point, or the mayonnaise may not come together. Add the remaining oil in a slow, steady stream. When all the oil has been incorporated, slowly add the lemon juice. The fresh mayonnaise can be kept, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

clarified butter

MAKES 1½ CUPS

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in tablespoons

Place the butter in a small, deep saucepan over low heat. As the butter melts, 3 layers will develop: a bottom layer of milk solids; a middle layer of clear, yellow butter; and a top layer of milky foam. Allow it to gently simmer for 10 minutes to completely separate the layers. Remove from the heat, and let stand for 10 minutes, to allow the foam to solidify. With a spoon, carefully skim off the foam that rises to the surface, and discard. Carefully pour the clear, yellow butter off the milk solids at the bottom of the saucepan and into a glass jar. Discard the milk solids. Refrigerate the butter in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks, or freeze until needed.

chinese five-spice powder

MAKES ¼ CUP

Though available prepackaged, homemade five-spice powder is far more pungent and flavorful than store-bought. Rub it on fowl, fish, and meat.

10 whole star anise

1 tablespoon whole Szechuan peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons whole fennel seeds

½ teaspoon whole cloves

1.
Place all the ingredients in a small skillet over medium heat, and dry-roast, shaking the pan often, until they give off an aroma, about 5 minutes.

2.
Combine all the ingredients in a mortar or a spice grinder, and grind to a powder. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

curry powder

MAKES ¼ CUP

Homemade spice mixtures are more aromatic than store-bought. Rub curry powder on poultry, lamb, and beef, or use it to flavor dips, marinades, and spreads.

2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds

1 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds

4 small dried red chiles

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

10 fresh or dried curry leaves (optional)

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Place all the seeds together in a small skillet over medium heat, and dry-roast, shaking the pan often, until they give off an aroma, about 5 minutes. Combine all the ingredients in a mortar or spice grinder, and grind to a powder. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.