Nutella choux
Makes: At least 48 choux
A choux is a delicate pastry dough used to make cream puffs. These are filled with a creamy Nutella ganache.
Filling a piping bag can be messy without help, but this hack makes it less so. After securing the tip and coupler, place the bag in a tall drinking glass or empty Pringles can, and fold the sides down over so the bag stands up. Scoop the ganache into the bag with a spatula until it is half full, remove it from the glass, and then press the frosting toward the tip with a bench scraper. Then, twist the end of the bag closed and squeeze to dispense the icing. If you don’t have a piping bag, spoon the ganache into a plastic one-quart Ziploc bag and snip off the corner.
This recipe calls for filling the choux from a small hole in the top until the ganache oozes out, but you also could also slice the choux in half and fill them like sandwiches.
For pastry dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole milk
½ cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 whole eggs, blended with a fork
Powdered sugar, for dusting
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees for conventional, or 325 degrees for convection oven.
2. Sift flour and set aside. Combine milk, water, sugar, salt and butter, and bring to a boil until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, add the sifted flour all at once, and mix with a wooden spoon steadily until all of the flour is combined.
3. Return the pan to the heat and continue to mix for 2 to 3 minutes to dry the dough slightly. Transfer the choux dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes to cool the dough slightly.
4. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the blended eggs in 4 parts. Wait for each addition of eggs to emulsify before adding the next. When all of the eggs are combined, fill a piping bag fitted with a round (No. 804) tip and pipe 50 cent piece-sized drops of choux onto a tray lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
5. Dust with powdered sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the choux are well-browned. Remove from the oven and cool.
For Nutella ganache:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons honey
450 ml heavy cream
2 cups dark chocolate (64% cacao), finely chopped
½ cup Nutella
1. Heat the butter, honey and cream to a bare simmer. Combine chocolate and Nutella in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream mixture over it in thirds, stirring with a spatula to combine before adding the next third.
2. When all of the cream is combined with the chocolate and Nutella, pour it into a clean container and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the top of the ganache. Refrigerate until the plastic wrap can be removed cleanly and the ganache is set, but still pliable.
3. Fill a piping bag, and cut a small hole in the top of each of the choux. Fill each puff completely with ganache from the piping bag. Serve the same day.
The modern-day Italian American version of cacciatore typically contains bone-in chicken pieces in a garlicky, wine-enhanced tomato sauce studded
Pork cacciatore
with onions, peppers and mushrooms. For a fresh revamp, we decided to use bone-in pork chops that had just enough fat to work well when braised. The bone adds flavor, and using bone-in chops honors the spirit and tradition of the dish.
Makes: 4 servings
4 (8- to 10-ounce) bone-in pork loin chops, 3⁄4- to 1-inch thick, trimmed
2 ½ teaspoons table salt, divided
2 teaspoons pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped (1 cup)
6 garlic cloves, sliced thin
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup dry white wine
1 ½ cups canned crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1. Pat chops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Working with 1 chop at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess; transfer chops to a baking sheet.
2. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chops and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Let excess oil drip from chops, then return chops to the baking sheet.
3. Add mushrooms, pepper, onion, garlic, rosemary sprigs, pepper flakes and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to the oil left in the skillet. Cook until vegetables are just softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in wine and cook until nearly evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Nestle chops into sauce and cook until chops register 140 degrees, about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
6. Transfer chops to a platter. Discard rosemary sprigs, then spoon sauce over chops. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes: White mushrooms can be substituted for the cremini. One 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes will yield more than enough for this recipe.