Thai-Style Chicken and Rice and a Cookbook Review

I spend a lot of time reading recipes, and while I have a few trusted sources, the ones I like best often come from America's Test Kitchen. Why? Because they are incredibly reliable, thanks to diligent testing (as the name implies) by the recipe developer and the ATK team. (And because Christopher Kimball, fearless leader of the Kitchen, always wears a bowtie. But I digress.)

Which is why I'm pleased to be reviewing three America's Test Kitchen cookbooks (provided by ATK). And why I'm happy to offer all you fine readers a chance to win one later this week. (More about that later in the post.)

Light & Healthy 2011 is a well-rounded collection of (you guessed it) better-for-you recipes. It gives nutrition information for each recipe (something you don't normally get with ATK) and the instructions are easy to follow. It's broken up into 12 main sections, including appetizers, soups and stews, pizza and pasta, meat, breakfast, and even desserts (although when it comes to desserts, my personal philosophy is "Light, shmight -- go for the gusto").

The Best One-Dish Suppers is acompendium of, yes, one-dish suppers. I like the word "supper" because it feels cozy and comforting -- which is the kind of food this book focuses on. Dutch oven dinners, casseroles, one-pot pasta: how could you go wrong? Plus, for those of you who don't have a dish fairy like I do (his name is Ben and he is VERY good at what he does), one-dish suppers make cleaning up from the meal very easy. Maybe not as easy as eating the meal, but easy enough. The book gives great step-by-step details and even has sidebars on equipment recommendations and essential kitchen skills.

So what's not to like about these books? If I have one complaint, its the lack of color photos. I love to see what something SHOULD look like when I'm done (I think of it as aspirational cooking), so a few more pictures would have been most welcome. But there are plenty of illustrations and black-and-white inset photos to guide you, so fear not.

The recipe I made, Thai-style chicken and rice, comes from Light & Healthy 2011 (but it's also a one-dish meal, so it's really the best of both worlds). Please don't tell Mr. Kimball, but I made a few modifications -- not because I don't trust him but because I just didn't have all of the ingredients I needed on hand.

Thai-Style Chicken and Rice
Modified from a recipe from America's Test Kitchen

• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T fresh ginger, minced
• 4 T fish sauce
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 t. canola oil
• 1 c. brown rice, rinsed
• 1 1/4 c. chicken broth
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
• 2 cups edamame
• 2 t. lime juice

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Combine half the garlic, 1 T ginger and fish sauce in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Set aside.

Combine the oil, onion and pinch of salt in a dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium heat about 8 minutes, until onions soften. Stir in remaining garlic and ginger and the rice and cook about 30 seconds. Add the broth.

Place the chicken over the rice mixture. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 40 minutes, then add carrots and edamame. Cover and continue to cook until most of the broth is absorbed -- 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Transfer the chicken to a place. Cover the rice and allow to steam for about 10 minutes. Shred the chicken and stir into the rice. Plate and squeeze lime juice over each serving.

About 390 calories per 1 1/2 c. serving.

Now, about winning a cookbook of your own.

Later this week, I'll be reviewing a third cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. Check back in -- you'll have a chance to win your choice of any of the three books mentioned on this blog. Hold on to your bowties, folks.

Hot from the oven: Baked donuts

Plain baked donuts, ready for glaze. Or a glass of milk.

I've got a small kitchen, so I try to stick to the basics and must-haves when it comes to kitchen gadgets. And a donut pan is not a must-have. But it is fun. So when Cookwear.com offered to send me something from the store to try out, I made an exception to my basics-and-must-haves rule.

The Fox Run non-stick donut pan is a pretty decent piece of bakewear. It's got a good weight (not so flimsy you'd bend it while you're scrubbing out donut crumbs, not so heavy it's annoying to hold while you fill it) and I haven't had any sticking issues, so it lives up to the non-stick name. My one complaint would be that the wells are a tad small. My recipe for a half-dozen donuts produced more batter than could be baked. And keep in mind that if you want to feed a crowd (or just a few very enthusiastic donut eaters), you'll need a couple of these.

If you're a real Krispy Kreme fanatic, I know baked donuts sound like heresy. I'll be honest; you're never going to mistake them for their fried brethren. But if you want hot donuts in a flash with a little bit healthier twist, this is a nice pan to have hanging around.

As far as recipes go, I recommend checking out King Arthur Flour. Between their tasty mixes and the recipes on their blog, you're sure to find the perfect batter for your donut pan. (And there's no shame in using a mix!) For the donuts pictured at the top of this post, I used this recipe (mixing a little whole-wheat pastry flour with plain old all-purpose). I didn't frost mine because I thought they were pretty good as is, but a little melted chocolate or a citrusy glaze would be great, I bet.

The pan: Fox Run non-stick donut pan
The verdict: A nice little pan for the donut-lover in everyone