<div>For the past six decades, Gourmet magazine has shaped the tastes of America, publishing the best work of the foremost names in the world of food. To create this landmark cookbook, editor in chief and celebrated authority Ruth Reichl and her staff sifted through more than 50,000 recipes. Many were developed exclusively for Gourmet's test kitchens. Others came from renowned food writers and chefs and from the magazine's far-flung readers. Then the editors embarked on an extraordinary series of cook-offs to find the most unforgettable dishes, testing and retesting each one to ensure impeccable results.<br> This collection, the only one of its kind, spans a vast range of cultures and cuisines. With it, you can go back to the time when Beef Wellington ruled the table or prepare something as contemporary as Crispy Artichoke "Flowers" with Salsa Verde. And whether you're cooking a simple supper for two or throwing a cocktail party for fifty, you'll make every dish with more flavor and more flair using The Gourmet Cookbook. It includes<br><br>* 102 hors d'oeuvres, dips, chips, p&#226;t&#233;s, and first courses * exciting vegetable dishes -- more than 120 in all -- using everything from artichokes to yuca * versatile recipes for every available kind of seafood, with many suggested substitutes * hundreds of simple but exceptional dinners * festive dishes for every occasion, including a perfect roast turkey with stuffings, the ultimate standing rib roast, and even a gorgeous (but easy) wedding cake * definitive versions of all the classics, from Chicken Kiev to Crcme Brul&#233;e and from Bouillabaisse to Pad Thai * more than 50 pastas and risottos, from quick everyday meals to party dishes * scores of soups, salads, breakfast dishes, and sandwiches, including the editors' all-time favorite pizza * a wealth of sauces and salsas, to transform ordinary meals into spectacular ones * more than 300 desserts: cookies, pies, tarts, pastries, buckles, crumbles, ice creams, puddings, mousses, and cakes galore, including cheesecakes and the nine best chocolate cake recipes Gourmet has ever published<br><br> With engaging introductions to each chapter by Ruth Reichl, entertaining headnotes, indispensable information about ingredients and techniques, hundreds of tips from Gourmet's test kitchens, and an extensive glossary, The Gourmet Cookbook is the essential kitchen companion for anyone who wants one-of-a-kind recipes and spectacular results every time.</div>

The Gourmet Cookbook

More Than 1000 Recipes (Now with DVD)By Ruth Reichl

Houghton Mifflin Company

Copyright © 2006 Ruth Reichl
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780618806928
La Brea Tar Pit Chicken Wings

It"s easy to understand why chicken wings are so popular
(as if all that crisp skin weren"t enough of a reason).
Economical and sold in just about every market,
they capture the essence of relaxed entertaining: it"s
hard to stand on ceremony while eating with your
fingers. Anyone who has ever visited the La Brea tar
pits in Los Angeles will understand how this great tasting
hors d"oeuvre got its name. The recipe came to
us from reader Metta Miller, from Boston, and it"s a
staff favorite.

4 pounds chicken wings, split at joint and wing tips
discarded
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to
400°F.

Arrange wings in one layer in a large roasting pan.
Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan
and heat over moderately low heat, stirring, until
sugar is dissolved. Pour evenly over wings.
Bake for 45 minutes. Turn wings over and bake
until sauce is thick and sticky, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10
minutes more. Transfer wings to a platter.


Minestrone

Serves 6 to 8 as a main course (makes about 14 cups)
Active time: 1 hour
Start to finish : 2 3/4 hours plus soaking time for beans (and additional time if
making stock)

Real minestrone, with pancetta, Parmigiano-Reggiano,
and kale, is one of the best vegetable soups on the
planet. The secret is the kale, which grounds the soup
and gives it a sturdy underpinning. If you omit it, you
will have a perfectly nice vegetable soup, but it won"t be
minestrone. Note that there"s no need to add pasta to
stretch the soup.

We"re particularly partial to the lacinato variety of kale
(see Glossary). Be aware that lacinato has more aliases
than a gangster on the lam. It can be called Tuscan kale,
cavolo nero ("black cabbage"), black kale, or dinosaur
kale. Its .avor is as deep as the color of its green-black
leaves, with a sweetness reminiscent of artichokes.

1/2 pound (1 1/4 cups) dried white beans, such as great
northern, picked over and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound boiling potatoes
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta or lean bacon (4 slices),chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 celery rib, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 zucchini (1 pound total), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 pound green beans, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups shredded green cabbage, preferably savoy
(3/4 pound)
1/2 pound kale, stems and tough center ribs discarded
and leaves chopped (6 cups)
1 (28- to 32-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice,
drained well and coarsely chopped
4 1/2 cups (36 ounces) chicken stock or store-bought lowsodium
broth
Freshly ground black pepper
accompaniment : 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-
Reggiano (about 2 ounces)

Soak beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches, refrigerated,
for at least 8 hours (or see page 267 for
quick-soaking procedure); drain.

Transfer beans to a 3-quart heavy saucepan, add
cold water to cover by 2 inches, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, adding more
water if necessary to keep beans barely covered, until
tender, about 50 minutes. Add salt and simmer for 5
minutes more. Remove from heat and let beans
stand, uncovered.

Peel potatoes and cut into I-inch dice; put in a
bowl of cold water.

Heat oil in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate
heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring, until crisp and
pale golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring,
until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add carrot, celery,
and garlic and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Drain potatoes
well, add to pot, along with zucchini and green
beans, and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add cabbage
and kale and cook, stirring, until cabbage is wilted,
about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and stock and bring to
a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.

Drain beans, reserving liquid. Purée half of beans
with 1 cup reserved liquid in a blender or food processor
(use caution). Stir into soup, along with remaining
drained beans and reserved liquid. Simmer soup, uncovered,
for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve soup with cheese.

c o o k " s n o t e
The soup can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cool
completely, uncovered, then refrigerate, covered.Thin
with water, if desired, when reheating.


Panfried Red Snapper with Chipotle Butter

Serves 4
Active time : 15 minutes
Start to finish : 15 minutes

Chefs love red snapper for its inherent drama. The
fillets are often served skin side up because the skin is so
beautiful. The sweet, mild flavor of the fish contrasts
with the smoky heat of canned chipotle chiles in a
tomatoey adobo sauce. If you can"t find red snapper, you
can substitute grouper, yelloweye rockfish, or onaga
(Hawaiian red snapper), as long as the fillets are the
same size and thickness, preferably with skin on.

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2–1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in
adobo (to taste; see Glossary) plus 2 teaspoons
sauce from can
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 (6-ounce) red snapper fillets with skin
Freshly ground black pepper
About 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
accompaniment : lime wedges

Mash together butter, chipotles, adobo sauce, and
salt in a small bowl with a fork until blended.
Spread flour on a plate. Pat fish dry and cut each
fillet crosswise in half. Season with salt and pepper.

Dredge fish in flour and shake off excess.
Heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet
over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.
Add 2 fillets, skin side up, and panfry, turning
once, until browned and just cooked through, 4 to 6
minutes. With a slotted spatula, transfer to plates
and loosely cover to keep warm. Add oil to skillet as
needed, heat until very hot, and cook remaining 2 fillets
in same manner. Top fish with dollops of chipotle
butter and serve with lime wedges.



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Excerpted from The Gourmet Cookbookby Ruth Reichl Copyright © 2006 by Ruth Reichl. Excerpted by permission.
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