Cook's Country

NONALCOHOLIC BEER ONCE had a bad rap, but it is staging an exciting metamorphosis. Sales in the United States totalled $670 million in 2021, and they have continued to skyrocket. Though still just a fraction of the beer market, nonalcoholic beer sale

TO SAY THAT Cajun boudin is a pork sausage doesn’t do it justice—this mix of spiced pork, rice, and liver is a totem of Cajun cuisine and helps tell the story of one of the richest culinary traditions in America. Boudin is fully cooked before it gets

IN LOUISIANA, EVERYONE has a gumbo story. I’ve gathered a few favorite declarations about gumbo in my quest to write my own: “Gumbo is a food group” (Pableaux Johnson). “Gumbo is like a religion” (Melissa M. Martin). “Gumbo is a celebration” (Wayne B

IF I WERE going to make a declaration about gumbo, the way that the cooks do in Matthew Fairman’s story about the silky stew on page 14, I would say that gumbo is a delicious mystery waiting to be solved and every cook is a detective. Here are some o

NEW ORLEANS IS a city of people with passionate opinions, especially concerning food. The easiest way to start an argument among New Orleanians is to pronounce as fact your opinion on, say, the best way to boil crawfish or how dark to take your roux

AROMATIC AND COMPLEX in flavor, the Sazerac is one of America’s oldest cocktails and a signature drink of New Orleans. The fact that it remains hugely popular around the Crescent City—a place known for storied bars and famous drinks and that boasts a

ISAAC TOUPS OF Toups’ Meatery in New Orleans says he found this unique version of rillons—bite-size bits of pork belly braised in a red-wine caramel—in an old Cajun cookbook (rillons are a cousin of rillettes—meat cooked and preserved in its own fat)

WHEN I MOVED to New Orleans a few years ago, I had a lot to learn about Mardi Gras (literally translated, “Fat Tuesday”). I primarily pictured the most salacious bits I had seen on TV from afar. You know the scene that’s so often associated with Carn

Sirloin steak tips are often sold as flap meat. Serve with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, rice, or crusty bread and sprinkle with chopped fresh chives. 1½ pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes1½ teaspoons table salt, divided4 ta

STANDING IN FRONT of Dairyland Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard & Hamburgers in Milwaukee, chef and co-owner Kurt Fogle tells me with a calm, matter-of-fact confidence, “Milwaukee is the center of the universe for quality cheeseburgers.” His Midwest poli

THE IDEA OF cowboy butter can be traced back to cattlemen in the Old West mixing thick, sticky sorghum molasses with leftover ham or bacon grease into a spreadable paste to smear on hardtack. In contemporary America, cowboy butter is a compound butte

RECIPES IN SPIRED BY supermarket condiments are a fun and time-tested marketing ploy. Makers of ketchup, mayonnaise, relish, hot sauce, and mustard have featured recipes on the backs of their packages for the better part of a century. These recipes p

QUINOA (“KEEN-WAH”) has a delicious nutty flavor, cooks quickly, is relatively inexpensive, and is a nutritional powerhouse. Often, this ancient Andean food is considered fodder for the super-health conscious. It is high in protein and contains all t

SHAVING BRUSSELS SPROUTS may sound fussy, but it is ideal for a weeknight meal: The shaving, which is easy to do in a food processor, transforms this dense vegetable into small pieces that cook quickly. And because the shavings are irregularly shaped

LET’S SET THE SCENE: You’re in a dimly lit restaurant, you’ve just finished dinner, and the server is bringing over dessert. They set it down and your eyes follow to a glowing, lacquered crust. You lift your spoon and strike the top, shattering the s

THERE’S SOMETHING uniquely melodious about the combination of chocolate and raspberries. Chocolate is dark and bitter, smooth and melty. Raspberries are tangy and bright, all juicy bursts and crunchy seeds. The berries bring out fruity undertones in

RISOTTO IS SO creamy and satisfying that many spin-offs of it have been created using grains and pasta instead of the classic arborio rice. One such variation uses orzo, a short pasta shaped similarly to rice grains. Using the right method to cook th

FRIED CHICKPEAS MAKE a superb snack. They’re crunchy and satisfying, and you can season them any way you want. While there are ways to make chickpeas crunchy by baking or sautéing them, these versions don’t get quite as crispy as fried versions. For

FEW THINGS BRING more comfort to the table than a bowl of warm, deeply seasoned stewy beans. This dish ups the satisfaction quotient by adding chorizo and sweet potatoes to black beans for a simple, warming one-pot dinner. We wanted to celebrate the

NOTHING SAYS SUMMER quite like barbecue, but when it’s not summer, why wait? This tender, tangy pulled chicken can be made year-round in an Instant Pot in just 1 hour. Start by nailing down the main components. For the chicken, boneless thighs provid

WE TESTED ROLLING pins in three styles—handled pins, dowels, and tapered pins (also called French rolling pins)—made from a variety of materials. After rolling out dozens of pie doughs, pizza doughs, and cookie doughs, we found several options that r

Serves 6 to 8 Total Time: 25 minutes To crush the coriander seeds, place them in a zipper-lock bag and press or gently pound with a skillet, rolling pin, or meat mallet. For spicier olives, use the full ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. 1 orange½ cup

Our April/May 2024 issue is a celebration of all things green to welcome spring—from creamy, crowd-pleasing Leek and Spinach Dip and easy Grilled Garlic Scapes to elegant Braised Artichokes and flavor-packed Sautéed Pea Greens. Then, for a showstoppi

prepares brandy old-fashioneds at the Five O’Clock Steakhouse, a supper club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Read our collection of On the Road articles at CooksCountry.com/ontheroad ■