Milk Street Recipes

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Gabriel - This recipe is a direct excerpt from Paul Hollywood's cookbook, Bake: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics, which was printed with permission to coincide with his appearance on Milk Street Radio. We did not develop this recipe here at Milk Street nor were we authorized to modify it. As reference, an 8 1/2-inch x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan is considered a 1 lb. pan. So, theoretically, you could either bake two or halve the recipe. As a general rule with loaf cakes, you want to fill the pan no higher than 2/3 of the way full to prevent overfilling. Hope that helps, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Alev - You are correct, paprika was not introduced in Hungary until the early 1800's. However, the dish that is now referred to as "goulash," or "pörkölt "(derived from the Hungarian word for "burned") evolved from a similar dish in which cubed meat was cooked with onion and spices (with a ‘short sauce’, meaning a very small amount of liquid). In this dish, black pepper was used not only to give flavor and aroma to the food, but also as a preservative. Raw meat was rubbed and practically covered with ground pepper to keep it fresh longer. The pepper was used with salt, with sugar, or alone. When paprika was introduced in Hungary, Hungarians experimented with using it as a preservative and rubbed it on the raw meat as they did with black pepper. When this raw meat rubbed with paprika came in contact with the heat from the frying kettle, the paprika-covered meat formed a brown crusty surface with a pleasantly different taste resembling that of meat roasted over an open fire to the point of almost burning (pörköl). The meat treated with paprika reaches this taste without the actual burning. That’s why the new dish—the meat fried in small cubes with fat and onion—was called pörkölt. So, while the version made with paprika has only been in existence since the early to mid-1800's, the basics of the dish, albeit made with black pepper instead, have been around for centuries. Hope that helps! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Linda - Although nothing \bad\ will happen when freezing ricotta, we don't recommend it. This is because once ricotta has been frozen, the water in the cheese tends to freeze, which further separates the cheese. That means when the ricotta thaws and the thawed water is poured off with some of the whey, you'll be left with cheese that is drier and more crumbly than when you initially froze it. In addition, this extra water will now become part of the pesto and water down both the texture and flavors. We think it's best to make and use the sage pesto immediately. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Barbara - Please see here for a previous discussion on why we don't provide nutritional information for our recipes. Best, The Milk Street Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Carolyne - We would probably recommend turning off the mixer and ensuring the flour is mixed in once the water is added and just as the dough is starting to form. This will make it easier for the flour to become fully incorporated. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Kevin - It's great that your supermarket carries bone-in, skinless chicken thighs and you can definitely go ahead and use those. However, most of the supermarkets throughout the country only carry skinless chicken without the bone, which is why we call for it with skin and then remove it. We never tested our recipe with masa harina since one of our goals was to develop a recipe that didn't call for an ingredient that most people don't have and is only called for in such a small amount. You can certainly try the recipe using masa harina (mixed with some water before adding), but it will probably require a little trial and error to get the thickness right. We would probably recommend starting with just a teaspoon or two first, to make sure it doesn't get too thick and add more as you see fit. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Dolores - Please see here for a previous discussion that addresses this question. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Josh - Unfortunately, we don't have a mincemeat pie recipe (yet!). We will pass along the suggestion to our editorial team in hopes that they add it to a future lineup. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Todd and Mary - Here is a link to the recipe. Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team

Answered by Lynn Clark

Hi Amy - Spanish chorizo in this country is sold cured and smoked so, yes, that is correct. In this recipe, we are slicing and cooking in order to release some of the oil from the chorizo, which helps flavor the dish. Hope that helps! Best, The Milk Street Cooking Team