Perfectly roasted salmon requires hot oven, hot pan
Asparagus with hollandaise gets a remake with dill, roasting
By America’s Test Kitchen
The key to perfectly roasted salmon is to preheat a baking sheet in a very hot oven, then lay the fish on the hot pan and reduce the oven to a gentle 275 degrees to cook.
The initial blast of high heat firms the exterior of the salmon and helps to render some of the excess fat. The fish then gently cooks as the oven temperature slowly drops, keeping the meat moist and succulent.
To help the fat render, we cut several slits in the skin. For evenly cooked salmon, be sure to cut the pieces the same size; Americas Test Kitchen found it easiest to buy a large piece of salmon and cut the fillets ourselves.
Oven Roasted Salmon Fillets
With Almond Vinagrette
8
25-30 minutes The consistency of the vinaigrette should be thick and clingy. It is important to keep the salmon skin on during cooking. You can remove it before serving if desired. asparagus is roasted; the browning adds deep flavor to the sweet and verdant vegetable.
This complexity called out for a hollandaise with a bit more character than our lemon-scented standby, so we decided to use our Foolproof Mustard-Dill Hollandaise; tasters thought its zingy, herbal flavor woke up the dish. When roasting the asparagus, Americas Test Kitchen discovered that thicker spears held up better to the high heat. Peeling the bottom halves of the stalks just enough to expose the creamy white flesh delivered consistently tender and visually appealing asparagus.
To ensure a hard sear on our spears, we preheated the baking sheet and resisted the urge to give it a shake during roasting. This recipe works best with thick asparagus spears that are between 1/2 and 3/4 inch in diameter. Do not use pencil-thin asparagus; it overcooks too easily.
Roasted Asparagus with Mustard-Dill Hollandaise
4 to 6
20 minutes
Above: This Jan 24,2017, photo provided by America’s Test Kitchen shows Salmon with Almond Vinaigrette in Brookline, Mass. Below: This undated photo shows Roasted Asparagus with Mustard-Dill Hollandaise in Brookline,
Mass. (AP)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Place 2 heatproof plates on rack.
Cut 1 tablespoon butter in half and set aside. Cut remaining 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces, transfer to small bowl, and place in freezer while preparing eggs and skillet, at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in 8-inch nonstick skillet over low heat for 10 minutes. Crack 2 eggs into medium bowl and add 1 egg yolk. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and pinch pepper. Break egg yolks with fork, then use fork to beat eggs at moderate pace, about 80 strokes, until yolks and whites are well combined. Stir in half of frozen butter.
When skillet is fully heated, use paper towels to wipe out oil, leaving thin film on bottom and sides of skillet. Melt 1/2 tablespoon reserved butter in skillet, swirling to coat. Add egg mixture and increase heat to medium-high. Use 2 chopsticks or wooden skewers to scramble eggs, using quick circular motion to move around skillet, scraping cooked egg from side of skillet as you go, until eggs are almost cooked but still slightly runny, 45 to 90 seconds. Turn off heat (remove skillet from heat if using electric burner) and smooth eggs into even layer using heat-resistant rubber spatula. Sprinkle omelet with 1 tablespoon Gruyere and 2 teaspoons chives. Cover skillet with tightfitting lid and let sit for 1 minute for runnier omelet or 2 minutes for firmer omelet.
Heat skillet over low heat for 20 seconds, uncover, and, using rubber spatula, loosen edges of omelet from skillet. Place folded paper towel on warmed plate and slide omelet out of skillet onto paper towel so that omelet lies flat on plate and hangs about 1 inch off paper towel. Using paper towel, roll omelet into neat cylinder and set aside. Return skillet to low heat and heat for 2 minutes before repeating instructions for second omelet, starting with cracking eggs into medium bowl and adding 1 egg yolk. Serve.
Americas Test Kitchen’s slowcooker bread pudding boasts tender bread cubes enveloped by a rich custard and accented with a few stirins and a simple topping. Getting the texture of this company-worthy dessert just right was a challenge; early tests yielded mushy or dry puddings.
After testing types of bread, Americas Test Kitchen settled on challah for its rich flavor. Using stale bread was key as it was much better at soaking up our custard. By soaking and pressing the bread into the custard for just 10 minutes prior to cooking, we ensured that the bread absorbed the custard evenly.
After three hours in the slow cooker, we had moist, evenly cooked bread pudding that was definitely luxurious. Hearty white sandwich bread can be substituted for the challah. If you dont have stale bread, you can dry fresh bread pieces by baking them on a rimmed baking sheet in a 225-degree oven for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. You will need an oval slow cooker for this recipe.
Slow Cooked Classic Bread
Pudding
8 to 10
15 minutes prep time, plus 3 to 4 hours on low, plus 30 minutes to cool
5 to 7 quarts