BakingAsked Dec 06, 2024 by J F.
Lots of great dessert recipes at Milk Street, but I was surprised not to find one for cherry pie. I'm looking for something that brings out the cherries and has less the texture of cherries embedded in tapioca. Did I just overlook what's here?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello J.F.
Thank you for checking out our recipe selection. I'm sorry we didn't have what you were looking for. We do have some classic, all-American dishes and desserts, but the majority of our recipes were inspired by chefs, cooks and bakers we've met all around the world. We have a handful of baking recipes and chilled recipes containing cherries on our website that you might like to try: [Almond-Coconut Cake with Cherries and Pistachios](https://landmark-pulse.live/recipes/almond-coconut-cake-honey-co), Eton Mess with Cherries and Chocolate, Cherry and Chocolate Crumble Semifreddo and Brandied Cherry Frangipane Tart.
Read MoreAsked Dec 03, 2024 by Melanie M.
I have a concentrated chicken broth that I'd love to use in a soup or other dish, but would like to have at least one recipe recommendation. Thanks!
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Melanie –
There should be instructions on the container of your concentrated broth for reconstituting it with water. At Milk Street, we sometimes use a concentrated broth when developing soup recipes. We dissolve 1 teaspoon of the concentrate into 8 ounces of boiling water to get 1 cup of broth. You use that ratio and multiply it according to the amount of broth called for in a recipe. For example, a recipe that calls for 1 quart of chicken broth would require 4 teaspoons of concentrate dissolved into 4 cups boiling water. Please let us know if you have any more questions.
Read MoreAsked Dec 01, 2024 by Jan V.
Moroccan Beef Stew (Harira) lists ripe tomatoes grated w/o skins. Are canned tomatoes okay to substitute and which variety?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Jan,
We have not made this with canned tomatoes but have seen other recipes for this stew that do. I'd suggest using one 15-ounce can of chopped tomatoes. Let us know how it turns out!
Read MoreAsked Dec 01, 2024 by Kevin G.
Greetings, I recently heard your program on NPR and loved it and then found your site and immediately became a member. I'm pretty excited about this new resource, I didn't discover I had a love of cooking and baking until I was in my early 50s and hadn't yet found a source for general information and techniques or a place to turn to when I run into specific frustrations.
Poppy seed rolls were a Christmas staple when I was growing up and one of the first baking projects I took up over 10 years ago. An ongoing frustration I've been dealing with is them splitting in the oven and I haven't been able to figure out how to get it under control.
Poppyseed Roll.jpg
This is actually a moderate example, this year's first rolls were even worse.
How can I fix this?
oops I forgot a some critical information, here's the recipe I most often use for the dough.
Poppy Seed Roll
Ingredients
- 2¼ cup all purpose flour 300g
- 2 tsp active dry yeast 1 ¼
- ¼ cup sugar 3 tlbs 1 tsp 50g
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup milk, heated to 110 F ½
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil 5 tsps
- 1 egg
- 1 egg beaten (for egg wash)
- 1 can poppy seed filling
- 2 tbsp of honey, or 3 tbsp of dark maple syrup
Method
1. Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt to the bowl of your mixer. Stir in milk, oil and egg. Beat for a couple minutes and if the dough is too sticky, add more flour and beat using the dough attachment until it forms into a ball and the sides of the bowl are clean.
1. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit and rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Empty can of filling into microwave safe bowl, add 2 tablespoons of honey and microwave for 1 minute, mix well.
1. Roll the dough into a 14” by 16” rectangular shape.\* Spread the filling almost to the edges, drizzle with honey, and roll starting at the 14” end. Seal the edges and pinch and tuck the ends under. Place on prepared baking sheet and let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, should take about an hour. A few minutes before ready for baking, preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
1. Brush with egg wash and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown and fully baked inside.\\
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Welcome to Milk Street Kevin!
I discussed your bursting poppy seed roll with one of our recipe developers who is also a baking expert. She said that the developer working on the Milk Street recipe for poppy seed bread had the same problem, which they eventually solved. She thinks that you might be using too much of the poppy seed filling and that is causing it to burst out of the dough. I've attached a copy of our recipe in case you'd like to give that a try. Or you could try reducing the amount of the canned filling (try just 1 cup) to see if that works. Let us know how it turns out!
https://landmark-pulse.live/discussion/uploads/072/TKWP8UWCE1NF.pdf%3C/p%3E%3Ca class="QaQuestionCard_readMore__56Il_" href="/discussion/baking/poppy-seed-rolls-kolachi-splitting">Read More
Asked Nov 26, 2024 by Lori T.
How does one make cream fraiche?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Lori –
Here is information from our July/August 2024 magazine:
Is It Worth It? Homemade Crème Fraîche
Crème fraîche’s rich, velvety texture, tangy flavor and high fat content (compared to sour cream, its closest dairy relative) make it ideal for stirring into soups and sauces. But it isn’t cheap, often costing more than twice as much as sour cream. It is easily made at home, requiring nothing more than heavy cream, a starter culture (such as a dollop of sour cream, yogurt or kefir) and time to thicken. But we wondered whether it’s worth the trouble, so we tried making our own. While crème fraîche made with a sour cream starter was watery and disappointing, we got terrific results from kefir and yogurt—just as good as high-end store brands, and far less expensive. To make your own, in a glass jar stir 1 cup heavy cream with 1 tablespoon plain kefir or whole-milk yogurt. Cover with cheesecloth or a coffee filter, secure with a rubber band, then let sit at room temperature (70°F to 75°F) for about 48 hours. Uncover, stir to combine, then cover and refrigerate for up to one week. For best results, start with organic cream; avoid cream that’s been pasteurized at ultra-high temperatures (UHT). We love using it to make ice cream.
Read MoreAsked Nov 25, 2024 by Gary M.
I am a backer at a local hospital and some of the staff are diabetic. I would like to make this dessert for them and need to know the following:
can I substitute monk fruit sweetener for the granulated sugar and substitute sugar-free chocolate chips for the bittersweet chocolate?
thanks,
Gary
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Gary,
What a lovely treat to make for your staff! We have not made this with any sugar substitutes, so we cannot say for certain how it would turn out. That said, we think that it should work ok. We've read that monk fruit sweetener is sweeter than regular sugar, so you might want to reduce the amount of sugar. Let us know how it turns out!
Best,
Elizabeth
Read MoreAsked Nov 21, 2024 by John G.
Hi, I have made these as written and they turned out great. They make for a great breakfast sandwich! I was thinking of making these to have with Thanksgiving but I'm worried they would be too filling at the size in the recipe. Would these still work at the size of a 1/3 cup scoop vs 1/2 cup, or would they be too likely to dry out? If so, how would the heating/timing need to be adjusted for the smaller size? Is there an internal temp to aim for?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello John,
We are so pleased that you enjoyed the Neapolitan buns! And what a nice idea to serve them for the holidays. We have not made them in a smaller size, but think it should work just fine. The baking time would most likely be shorter, so start checking on them around 20 minutes and keep an eye on the visual cues (golden brown) to determine when they are done. Let us know how they turn out.
We wish you a very happy holiday!
Read MoreAsked Nov 21, 2024 by Adam P.
I have seen a number of sites, including Milk Street, that recommend dry brining a spatchcocked turkey for Thanksgiving. Each site seems to have different recommendations on how long to dry brine. The range has been from 8 hours to 4 days. I believe Milk Street recommends no more than 24 hours. Is there a definitive answer to this question or others that have used this technique? A second note is that I plan to smoke the turkey on a pellet grill. Thank you in advance for your advice.
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Adam,
When you dry-brine beyond 24 hours, the meat starts to cure and become tough. We have not smoked a turkey at Milk Street so we cannot give any advice on that process.
Best wishes for a happy holiday!
Read MoreAsked Nov 21, 2024 by John G.
I make my two spatchcocked turkeys the day before Thanksgiving. I know it's not ideal but it makes Thanksgiving day much easier. I always let the turkeys sufficiently rest afterward, then slice the breasts and pull the remaining meat. Thanksgiving day I put them in the slow cooker on low with a little broth/stock. It comes out fine. However, I am curious if there is any benefit to keeping the cooked turkey parts whole in the fridge and then slicing/pulling right before putting in the slow cooker. Would that make any difference vs carving/pulling the day before in terms of moisture/texture?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello John – Your method sounds like a great plan for easing the stress of holiday cooking and if you are happy with the results, we see no reason to change it. Pulling the turkey meat is easiest before refrigeration and reheating it with broth will remedy any drying out that might happen in the fridge. As they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it! We wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Read MoreAsked Nov 20, 2024 by Joanne G.
I have glass dispensers (OXO) for my vegetable oil and olive oil on my counter. The one with the vege oil always has a sticky residue around the cap but the olive oil never does. Any idea why this happens?
Answered by Elizabeth Mindreau
Hello Joanne –
Sticky oil bottles and dripping caps are common occurrences in kitchens! Cooking oil can degrade plastics with prolonged exposure and some oils are more aggressive than others. We recommend that you clean the caps fully each time you refill your oil bottles to get rid of any oil that may have built up.
Read More 
