cook like james

When I saw this posted on America’s Test Kitchen's Instagram, I knew I had to try it. It is a perfect holiday dessert, with all the traditional flavor of eggnog baked into a rich and creamy custard pie. The whipped cream is unique and particularly delicious with this pie.

Download Spirited Holiday Eggnog Pie

INGREDIENTS

Single Crust Pie Dough

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, divided

1 1/4 cups (6¼ ounces) all-purpose flour, divided

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon table salt

¼ cup ice water, divided

Eggnog Custard Filling

¾ cup (4⅔ ounces) sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons cornstarch

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon table salt

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons dark rum (for more kick, use ¼ cup)

Brown Sugar and Bourbon Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

⅛ teaspoon table salt

½ cup sour cream

2 teaspoons bourbon

Cinnamon and grated nutmeg for dusting finished pie

FOR THE DOUGH:

1. Grate 2 tablespoons butter on large holes of box grater and place in freezer. Cut remaining 8 tablespoons butter into ½-inch cubes.
2. Pulse ¾ cup flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, 2 pulses. Add cubed butter and process until homogeneous paste forms, about 30 seconds. Using your hands, carefully break paste into 2-inch chunks and redistribute evenly around processor blade. Add remaining ½ cup flour and pulse until mixture is broken into pieces no larger than 1 inch (most pieces will be much smaller), 4 to 5 pulses. Transfer mixture to bowl. Add grated butter and toss until butter pieces are separated and coated with flour.
3. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Toss with rubber spatula until mixture is evenly moistened. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons ice water over mixture and toss to combine. Press dough with spatula until dough sticks together. Transfer dough to sheet of plastic wrap. Draw edges of plastic over dough and press firmly on sides and top to form compact, fissure-free mass. Wrap in plastic and form into 5-inch disk. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Let chilled dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling. (Wrapped dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)

FOR THE PIE:

1. Roll dough into 12-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
2. Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Line chilled pie shell with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Bake on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet until edges are set and just beginning to turn golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Remove foil and weights, rotate sheet, and continue to bake crust until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer sheet to wire rack. (Crust must still be warm when filling is added.)
4. While crust bakes, whisk sugar, eggs, cornstarch, ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in bowl. Bring milk and cream to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly whisk 1 cup of hot milk mixture into egg mixture to temper, then slowly whisk tempered egg mixture into remaining milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened, bubbling, and registers 180 degrees, 30 to 90 seconds (custard should have consistency of thick pudding). Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into clean bowl, then stir in rum.
5. With pie still on sheet, pour custard into warm crust, smoothing top with clean spatula into even layer. Bake until center of pie registers 160 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes. Let pie cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours. Spread whipped cream attractively over pie and dust with remaining ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon. Serve.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

1. Whisk all ingredients together in bowl of stand mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip all ingredients together on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes.

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) is an enormously popular dish that you will find served in practically every Indian restaurant around the world.  Tender chicken in a rich and creamy sauce with bold flavors that are vibrant and complex. This recipe from Cook’s Illustrated uses the broiler to imitate the deep charring produced by a tandoor oven and has a perfect balance of spices including garam masala, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. The serrano chile adds just enough heat, but if you want the dish even hotter, mince, and add the ribs and seeds from the chile. Serve with Basmati Rice and warm Naan bread. 

Download Best Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) recipe

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled, divided

1 onion, chopped fine

5 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon pepper

1 ½ cups water

½ cup tomato paste

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons table salt, divided

1 cup heavy cream

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and serrano and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is softened and onion begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garam masala, coriander, cumin, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

2. Add water and tomato paste and whisk until no lumps of tomato paste remain. Add sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Off heat, stir in cream. Using immersion blender or blender, process until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Return sauce to simmer over medium heat and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. 

3. Remove saucepan from heat and cover to keep warm. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days; gently reheat sauce before adding hot chicken.)

4. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Combine chicken, yogurt, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in bowl and toss well to coat. Using tongs, transfer chicken to wire rack set in aluminum foil—lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil until chicken is evenly charred on both sides and registers 175 degrees, 16 to 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through broiling. 

5. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes. While chicken rests, warm sauce over medium-low heat. Cut chicken into ¾-inch chunks and stir into sauce. Stir in 2 tablespoons cilantro and season with salt to taste. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro, and serve with rice and/or naan.

This surprisingly easy soup from Cook’s Country magazine is streamlined by using a store-bought rotisserie chicken and it delivers all the comfort and flavor one expects from homemade chicken soup. The addition of ginger gives the broth a delicious boost without overpowering the other ingredients.

Download Super Easy Chicken Rice Soup Ginger Scallions recipe

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

Salt and pepper

8 cups chicken broth

½ cup long-grain white rice

1 (2 1/2-pound) rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (3 cups)

2 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1-inch pieces

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, mushrooms, ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until just beginning to brown, about 4 -5 minutes.

2. Add broth and rice, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until rice is tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in chicken and scallions and continue to cook until heated through, about 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer soup to serving bowls, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.