There’s a nice piece in this Sunday’s New York Times on how their food editor, Sam Sifton, develops recipes for home cooks. It describes a technique we have often used: harassing a chef till she reveals the secret, or at least the secret ingredient. Speaking of secrets, he also spills the beans that the key to most better-than-home-cooking preps at restaurants is unconscionable amounts of butter and salt.
The article includes links to a number of recipes inspired by restaurant dishes. I have found the Times’ recipes consistently well-written and practical so you should try any that appeal. One of the most intriguing preps, though, is missing a key piece of information: in making dulse butter, do you add the powdered seaweed to hot or cold unsalted butter? (A second question, whether one should use clarified butter, is not addressed.) Follow the links and see if you can figure it out.
