Excerpts

Hot and Sour Soup About 5 Cups A bowl of this bracing soup -- which originated in northern China and now seems to be eaten almost everywhere in the United States -- works wonders for the spirit. Freezing the pork chop for 15 minutes will make it easier to slice into thin strips. Wood or cloud ear mushrooms and tiger lily buds are available in Asian markets. Combine in a medium bowl and let stand until the mushrooms are softened, about 20 minutes: 10 dried wood or cloud ear mushrooms (optional) 4 dried shiitake mushrooms (8 if not using wood ears) 10 tiger lily buds (optional) 1 1/2 Cups hot water Meanwhile, combine in a small bowl: 5 tablespoons rice vinegar 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon cornstarch 4 ounces center-cut pork chop, cut into 1/4-inch strips Remove the mushrooms and lily buds. Reserve the soaking liquid. Remove any tough pieces of the mushrooms and slice into strips. Discard the tough ends of the lily buds and cut in half. Combine. Cut into strips about the same size as the pork: 4 ounces firm tofu, well drained To prepare the soup, strain the reserved mushroom soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a dampened paper towel. Bring to a boil in a soup pot along with: 4 Cups Chicken Stock, 39, Brown Chicken Stock, 39, or any vegetable stock, 38 to 39 Add the mushroom mixture, reduce the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir together in a small bowl: 3 tablespoons cornstarch 3 tablespoons water Add to the soup and simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, Add the meat and tofu along with: 3/4 to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper Bring back to a simmer, then stir into the soup in a wide circle: 1 large egg, well beaten Remove from the heat and add: 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil Ladle into warmed bowls. Garnish with: Sliced scallion greens Pass at the table for those who like their soup very hot and sour: Rice vinegar Chili oil Candied Apples 5 servings These are best within 24 hours of preparing. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Flatten 5 paper cupcake liners on the baking sheet. Remove the stems and insert a wooden skewer into the stem end of each of: 5 medium red apples Combine in the top of a double boiler or a saucepan that will fit over another pan: 2 Cups sugar 1 cup water 2/3 cup light corn syrup One 2-inch cinnamon stick Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil; boil without stirring for about 3 minutes, brushing down any crystals on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in hot water. Boil until the syrup reaches 290°F on a candy thermometer, the soft-crack stage (see The Stages of Cooked Syrup, 846). Remove the cinnamon stick. Add: 3 or 4 drops red food coloring (optional) Set the pan over -- not in -- boiling water. Working quickly, dip in the apples, one at a time, and coat evenly with the glaze. Twirl the apple at the end so the extra drips off. Set each apple on a cupcake liner. Apple Turnovers 8 turnovers Called chaussons aux pommes in French, these classic pastries are a favorite Parisian snack. Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Fuji, and Gala are good apples to use here. Have ready 2 unbuttered baking sheets. Cut in half. 1 pound Food Processor Puff Pastry, page 908 Refrigerate half of the puff pastry. Roll out the other half into an 11-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. Repeat with the second half of the dough and place on the second baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or wrap airtight and freeze until ready to use. Cut into 1/4-inch dice: 1 pound firm apples (about 3), peeled and cored If the dough is frozen, let it thaw for a few minutes before trimming and cutting. Quickly transfer the pastry squares to a cutting board and trim 1/2 inch from all the sides to make two 10-inch squares. Cut each into four 5-inch squares (or circles if you prefer, using a cutter); you will have 8 squares. Turn each piece upside down. Toss well with the apples: 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice Pinch of salt Spoon the apple mixture, dividing it equally, onto the center of the pastry squares. Lightly brush a 1/2-inch border on 2 adjacent edges of each pastry square with: 1 large egg, lightly beaten Form a triangular turnover by folding the dry corner of the pastry over the apples to the egg-washed corner; press the corner and edges together with the flat tines of a fork to seal them. Brush the top of each turnover with egg wash. Cut 3 small slits in the top of each one. Arrange the turnovers at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F Bake the turnovers until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake until golden, about 20 minutes more. Serve warm. If you wish, accompany with: Créme fraîche, whipped cream, or Caramel Sauce Cockaigne, 1046 Applesauce 4 to 6 servings This can be chunky or smooth. A blend of 2 or 3 apples makes the best-tasting sauce. Begin with a tart-sweet apple like Gravenstein or Newton Pippin, then mix in spicy McIntosh with Gravensteins or winy Staymans with Pippins. Golden Delicious adds sunny sweetness to any blend. This recipe doubles easily. Place in a large, heavy skillet or saucepan: 3 pounds cooking apples, peeled if desired, cored, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 1/2 to 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice, depending on juiciness of apples 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, depending on tartness of apples 1 large cinnamon stick Cover and simmer, stirring often, over low heat until tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Stir in: Scant 1/2 cup white or turbinado sugar or 6 tablespoons mild honey 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional) 1/2 teaspoon ground mace (optional) 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg Cook, stirring, until the sweetener is dissolved and blended, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Discard the cinnamon stick. For chunky applesauce, break up the apples with a wooden spoon. For medium texture, crush with a potato masher. For smooth sauce, pass it through a food mill or coarse sieve. Serve warm or chilled. If desired, accompany with: Heavy cream or yogurt For a new flavor, sprinkle each serving with: Anise or fennel seeds, toasted and crushed French Applesauce Prepare Applesauce, above, substituting 2 tablespoons unsalted butter for 2 tablespoons of the cider. Omit the nutmeg and blend 3/4 to 1 teaspoon vanilla into the finished sauce. Serve with Custard Sauce, 1041, or Fresh Strawberry or Raspberry Sauce, 1048. Roasted Brined Turkey 10 to 25 servings; 1 pound turkey per person Brining -- that is, soaking the turkey in a solution of water and salt -- helps the bird retain moisture and seasons the meat throughout. This recipe calls for a 4-to 6-hour soak. If it better suits your schedule, you can decrease the salt by half (in proportion to the water) and soak the turkey for 12 to 18 hours. Do not brine self-basting turkeys or kosher turkeys, both of which already have been treated with salt. Before beginning, please read About Turkey, 611, and About Roasted Turkey, 612. For information on removing the wishbone, trussing, testing for doneness, and carving, see Roasting Whole Poultry, 572. Remove the giblets and neck from, then rinse: 1 turkey (15 to 25 pounds) In a clean bucket or other container large enough to hold the turkey, mix until the salt dissolves: 2 pounds salt (2 cups table salt or 4 cups kosher salt) 2 gallons water Submerge the turkey in the solution. If the turkey is not completely covered, prepare additional brine using a ratio of 1 pound salt to 1 gallon water. Set the turkey in a very cool spot for 4 to 6 hours. Position a rack at the lowest level of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Remove the turkey from the brine. Thoroughly rinse inside and out, then pat the skin and both cavities dry. To facilitate carving, you may wish to remove the leg tendons and wishbone. Place in the large cavity: 1 onion, peeled and quartered 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 1 small celery stalk, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 8 sprigs fresh (optional) See Turned Roasted Chicken, 580. Perform a simple truss, 572; there is no need to close the cavities. Brush the turkey skin all over with: 4 to 6 tablespoons melted butter, depending on the size of the turkey Place a V-rack or sturdy wire rack in a roasting pan and arrange the turkey breast side down on the rack. If you are using a flat rack and the turkey topples over, prop it up with balls of aluminum foil. Pour into the roasting pan: 3/4 cup water Roast the turkey breast side down for 2 hours if it weighs 18 pounds or less, 2 1/2 hours if it weighs between 18 and 21 pounds, and 3 hours if it weighs more than 21 pounds. Baste the back and legs once or twice with: 2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter Remove the turkey from the oven. Protecting your hands with paper towels, grasp the turkey at both ends and turn breast side up. Return the turkey to the oven and roast, basting once or twice with pan drippings, until an instant-read thermometer plunged into the thickest part of the thigh registers 175° to 180°F, 30 to 90 minutes more, depending on the turkey's size. (If the turkey approaches doneness before the breast has browned, increase the oven temperature to 400°F for the last 5 to 10 minutes of roasting.) Remove the turkey to a platter and let stand for 20 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, if you wish, make: Quick Turkey Gravy, 615, Giblet Gravy, 615, or Reduced-Fat Giblet Gravy, above High-Heat Roasted Turkey 12 to 15 servings This high-heat roast delivers a beautifully browned, intensely flavorful bird, and it only requires attention to a few details. Because the turkey must be flipped from side to side every 30 minutes, only a relatively small bird is feasible. And because the turkey is cooked directly on the pan, not on a rack, the pan must be nonstick, preferably heavy. Before beginning, please read About Turkey, 611, and About Roasted Turkey, 613. For information on removing the wishbone, stuffing, trussing, testing for doneness, and carving, see Roasting Whole Poultry, 572. Position a rack at the lowest level of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the giblets and neck from, then rinse inside and out and pat dry: 1 turkey (12 to 15 pounds) To facilitate carving, you may wish to remove the wishbone. Generously rub the body and neck cavities and sprinkle the skin with: Salt If you wish to stuff the bird, prepare and have hot: Bread Stuffing or Dressing or a variation, 482 to 483, or Corn Bread Stuffing or a variation, 484 Loosely pack the body and neck cavities with stuffing and close the vents. Perform a simple truss, 572. Place the turkey in a heavy nonstick roasting pan and brush all over with: 4 to 5 tablespoons melted butter Arrange the turkey so that it rests on one of its sides, that is, with a drumstick pointing up. If the turkey topples over, prop it up with balls of aluminum foil. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven. Protecting your hands with paper towels, grasp the turkey at both ends and turn it onto its other side, again propping it up with foil if necessary. Baste all exposed skin with pan drippings, then roast for 30 minutes. Turn and baste twice more so that the turkey roasts twice on each side, for a total of 2 hours. Turn the turkey breast side up, baste, and roast until an instant-read thermometer plunged into the thickest part of the thigh registers 175°F, 10 to 30 minutes more. (To be safe to eat, the stuffing must register at least 160°F. If the bird is done but the stuffing is not, remove the stuffing from the bird and bake it in a buttered casserole while the bird stands.) Remove the turkey to a platter and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, if you wish, make: Quick Turkey Gravy, 615, Giblet Gravy, 615, or Reduced-Fat Giblet Gravy, 616 Copyright © 1997 by Simon & Schuster Inc., The Joy of Cooking Trust and The MRB Revocable Trust Excerpted from The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.