Making Mole' from Cook's Illustrated
annie1992
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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plllog
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRelated Discussions
Mole Sauce
Comments (6)Robin, I use mole in many ways. We love the stuff. I keep it around both as a paste and mixed with chix broth. Here's a few uses... Enchilladas, burritos, BBQ sauce especially for chix & ribs (for this I mix a bit of the paste with a bit of broth - about a 1:4 ratio), salsa for chips (add cilantro, lime juice, green onion, & you can also add diced tomatoes), eggs (we like mole over an omelet). Generally, I like a salsa verde for tamales because I use a pork filling but once in a while I use mole instead & it's very good. Mole is a generic word for "sauce" although there are some specific dishes it can refer to. My recipe is generally known as a mole poblano. There are many different types of moles. Another one we like very much is mole de cacahuate (peanut mole). Moles are more labor intensive than other Mexican sauces & used to be reserved for special occassions. They're in more general use today from what I've encountered. There's a fun folk story around mole involving its origination. Something about a young Mexican woman called upon to cook for an important guest. Not knowing what to cook & being low on supplies...she started tossing things onto her comal (frying pan) to toast. At the end, she added chocolate & presto! Mole! The combination of ingredients is a bit odd but every one of them add to the finished multi-dimensional flavors. Omitting even one really alters the taste. I was out of cloves once & figured 1/4 teaspoon wouldn't make a difference...wrong. Very complex flavor & very yummy stuff. We're sorta addicted to it. /tricia...See MoreCook's Illustrated
Comments (11)I'm glad people are finding Project Foodie useful. Our goal isn't to duplicate the Cook's Illustrated (or Gourmet, Cooking Light, etc.) recipes, but to simply allow you to easily find and hold on to recipes from multiple sources all in one place. Project Foodie is constantly changing and I'm always looking for ways to make it easier to use. I've had the Cook's Illustrated recipes ready to go for a while on Project Foodie, but hadn't made them "live". They are there now. As everyone here knows, you still need a Cook's Illustrated subscription to actually view the Cook's Illustrated recipes. foodie pam...See MoreCook's Illustrated does their thing with No Knead Bread
Comments (15)Yes Kathleen and only someone who knows the island would know that! I take it from your user name that you're from LI as well...where abouts? The original recipe is as follows. Cook's added beer, vinegar, and a quick knead before the final rise. Sue No-Knead Bread Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery Time: About 1.5 hours plus 14 to 20 hours rising 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/4 teaspoons salt Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed. 1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. 2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes. 3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. 4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yield: One 1.5 pound loaf....See MoreCook's Illustrated magazine
Comments (17)I'm not sure what this unmentioned demographic is, but both I and my adult (and out of the house) kids love Cooks Illustrated. I'm a happy subscriber to the magazine and the online resource. What I enjoy is that they tell you the whys and why nots behind what to do as and what not to do. What they tried that didn't work. Learning these things has made me a better cook beyond what I do just with their recipes. Kimball's tone can be a bit annoying on the TV show but it's obvious he's deliberately playing the role of the foil. He's skeptical, he's questioning, he wants an explanation, he warns "when I tried to do xxx at home, it was a disaster." Don't take it too seriously, he honestly couldn't be that much of a jerk. Even if he is, his shtick provides a bit of tension to make the shows more interesting. One of the things that shows their openmindedness is that that they're not afraid to chase down and recommend an easy (even if off-beat) solution to a missing flavor or appearance component. Like when they sometimes recommend sauteing tomato paste or mushrooms or anchovy paste to give a dish a glutamate (umami) flavor jolt. Not too many have found that bandwagon, it works great. The Cooks Country routine is a little too Ah Shucks, Ma and Pa Kettle for me, but I do like the other show....See MoreJasdip
4 years agosleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
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4 years agoLars
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4 years agoJohn Liu
4 years agochloebud
4 years agonaturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoannie1992
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4 years agoJohn Liu
4 years agoannie1992
4 years agoLars
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoJohn Liu
4 years agoannie1992
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