January 11, 2018 | Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

January 11, 2018

Lucky me, I am on America's Test Kitchen's distribution list for new cookbooks; the latest arrival is How to Roast Everything, and it is chock full of tips and techniques. The first 30 pages provide detailed information on poultry, beef, lamb, pork, and seafood, plus brining, sauces, and a few more essentials. Each of the following 7 chapters is devoted to a specific topic: Essential roasts; poultry; beef; pork and lamb; seafood; grill roasting; and vegetables and fruits.

Each recipe includes detail on why the recipe works, the ingredients and method, and often, variations on the recipe, and/or techniques you'll use in other circumstances. It's a great addition to your Cooking Basics bookshelf, and will make a welcome gift to anyone looking to deepen their roasting skills. I've excerpted a shrimp recipe and linked it below; I often use the technique described, but haven't ever tried brining shrimp before cooking them. I think you'll find it interesting.

Paid subscribers should have received the issue pictured top right by now; if you're still NOT a subscriber, now is a good time to change that. An annual subscription is just $25, and that's what keeps me in business. Or opt for a trial subscription and get the next 3 issues for just $10. You won't be disappointed.

Enjoy this week's recipes, share them with family and friends, and, as always, let me know what's on your mind. Please remember that food banks struggle this time of year; pick up a few extra items of non-perishable food items and make a donation to your local food bank.

Best regards,

Susan Ford, Publisher

Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

Technique of the Week: How to Sauté Mushrooms

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Miss last week's recipes?

• West Texas Chili

• Chicken Noodle Soup

• Louisiana Blue Crab Bisque

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	Garlicky Roasted Shrimp with Variations From How to Roast Everything, by America's Test Kitchen, this recipes includes a paragraph on why this recipe works, so that you can take the technique and put your own spin on it; a detailed recipe; and two variations on the theme. Click to forward this email and recipes.

	Roast Chicken with Mustard Crust From Jacque Pepin's More Fast Food My Way, he spatchcocks a small chickn to ensure fast roasting; it's cooked on top of the stove for about 5 minutes, then finished in the oven for about half an hour, just enough time to make a pot of fluffy mashed potatoes to drench with the pan juices, and a crisp side salad. Dinner in under 45 minutes. Click to forward email and recipes.

	McNair's Corn Chowder with Seafood Variations From Louisiana native James McNair's Favorites, this recipe is a dream for me; it provides several variations, with alternate methods, which almost always guarantees I'll learn something about cooking. This is perfect cold weather food; serve plenty of hot buttered French bread with it for dipping. Click to forward email and recipes.

	Lesson: Gnocchi My sister was visiting from the San Francisco Bay Area last fall when we were photographing the feature on learning to make gnocchi, and she's visiting again this week; she's laughing, because the plate of gnocchi pictured here was her lunch just moments after it was shot. We made traditional potato gnocchi, the more forgiving ricotta gnocci, Roman, Parisian, and Tuscan gnocchi, and a variety of sauces. Interesting, and delicious. You'll find the story and the recipes beginning on page 43 of the current issue, available at newsstands and by subscription. Click to forward email and recipes.