In one episode, America's Test Kitchen demonstrated how to make creamy butter chicken (murgh makhani) so you can recreate the restaurant-style taste at home. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Editor's note: This is part of The Know's “Staff Favorites” series. Every week, we'll share our opinions on the best of Colorado's dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more (we'll even share some hidden gems).
I am not a good cook. I am impatient and lazy and give up easily when challenged. I will never be a professional chef. Neither fish nor bones will end up on my plate.
When I try a recipe and it fails, I'm not going to try it again. When I watch my friends cook, they cook quickly. They chop veggies, chop meat, measure ingredients, and have dinner cooked in no time. For me, it takes a lot of time to chop onions and slice tomatoes. eternally.
But through cooking shows, I found some recipes that helped me impress friends: Chocolate roulade, Hungarian goulash, chuck roast with wine gravy, and braised red potatoes all received rave reviews. One year, I cooked my own Thanksgiving turkey, which drew praise and tears from my mother.
The chocolate roll cake with Chantilly cream filling was inspired by Julia Child and Jacques Pépin's “Julia & Jack Cooking at Home.” The goulash was inspired by watching Martha Stewart. These successes inspired me to start watching PBS' “America's Test Kitchen.”
I watch every episode I can (even the ones with fish in them) and the equipment tests, gadget recommendations, taste tests and cooking science sessions fascinate me.
All of ATK's recipes are tested and retested, which gives me confidence and allows me to see how the chefs prepare them – I trust them as if they were old friends, and I've spent a lot of time with chefs like Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster.
One day many years ago, I was watching an episode of “Old Fashioned Stuffed Turkey” with my mom, and she asked me to make it for the next Thanksgiving. It seemed like a complicated process, and I had never made a turkey before. To me, turkey is more of a yearly obligation than a treat like a great side dish or table centerpiece.
I saved the episode on my DVR and watched it several times to study, and on the big day, I walked back and forth between the kitchen and living room multiple times to watch the steps in preparing the turkey. I didn't bother with the ATK stuffing, because my mom wanted a traditional stuffing, but I followed the technique of preparing the turkey for roasting, topping it with slices of salted pork, and seasoning it myself.
My mother loved it so much that she declared it the best thing she had ever eaten, then felt guilty. She hoped her grandmother hadn't heard it from beyond, and the thought brought tears to her eyes.
She said the skin was crispy and juicy. To me, it just looked like regular turkey.
I own the big ATK cookbook that covers each season of the series and often use it as a weight for building projects, and recently purchased the updated edition as an e-book, so now I always have the recipes close at hand.
Pan-seared red potatoes are a joy to make. I put small potatoes, cut-side down, in a nonstick skillet, pour in water, add butter and garlic, and sprinkle on some coarse salt. I sit in the next room watching TV. I know the water has evaporated when the butter sizzles in the skillet. The potatoes come out crisp and perfectly creamy on the inside. (I omit the lemon-and-garlic step called for in the recipe and just throw in a bit of minced garlic with the rest of the ingredients.)
I'll try any recipe that looks appealing at least once. Old-fashioned pot roast isn't as complicated as it sounds, and I make it often now. The gravy made with cooked veggies and red wine from the pot is amazing.
And I often change recipes, sometimes to my own taste, sometimes by accident. Either way, it helps me claim ownership.
Lately, my friends and I have been looking for Indian recipes. Butter chicken and saag pairing makes for a great Indian night. ATK's technique of searing boneless chicken thighs with yogurt is amazing. I skip the paneer for my saag, and add seared chicken or steamed sweet potato chunks. I buy naan and samosas from the frozen food section of the grocery store because, as I said, I'm lazy. I might try veggie fritters next, but frying seems like a pain and a hassle. But then I have something to dip into ATK-style mint chutney.
Get the recipe
Julia Collin Davison has a YouTube video of her making butter chicken, and the comments section is filled with suggestions for making the dish more authentic, such as adding fenugreek. My friend likes to add a few more chillies for extra heat, and she also adds tomato paste right after cooking the vegetables to give them a roasted flavour.
The full names of the ATK recipes are: Braised Red Potatoes with Lemon and Chives, Old Fashioned Pot Roast, Old Fashioned Stuffed Turkey, Murgh Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken) and Saag Paneer.
The chocolate roll cake is featured in the cookbook “Cooking with Julia and Jacques,” and you can watch a video of how to make the dessert on Martha Stewart's Facebook page.
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