dairy products: yogurt
WHAT: Yogurt is made by adding bacterial cultures to milk and cooking the mixture at a low temperature. The bacteria cause the milk to thicken, giving yogurt a creamy texture and slightly tart flavor. Most of the yogurt available in supermarkets is made from cow’s milk, although sheep and goat’s milk yogurts are also available. Greek-style yogurt is a type of strained yogurt, made by straining the yogurt through cheesecloth or a coffee filter to remove the excess liquid.
USES: Yogurt adds tanginess and moistness to cakes and quick breads. It is also a lighter alternative to sour cream and crème fraîche, which are made from cream.
FIND: In the dairy section of the supermarket. If you can’t find Greek-style yogurt there, look for it at specialty foods stores (such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods markets) and Greek markets.
STORE: In the refrigerator. Check the sell-by date on the package.
eggs
WHAT: Organic eggs are the preferred choice in baking, since the chickens are fed an organic diet and raised without antibiotics. The color of an eggshell—white, brown, green, or blue—makes no difference to the flavor or nutritional value of the egg (the shell color varies with the breed of hen).
USES: Most baking recipes call for large eggs, but always use the size that the recipe calls for to ensure the best results. For meringues, make sure the egg whites are at room temperature to ensure more volume. (You can use packaged egg whites if you prefer, but you may not achieve the same results; the Bon Appétit test kitchen uses only fresh egg whites.)
FIND: Most supermarkets now offer regular, free-range, and organic eggs; farmers’ markets are also a good source for organic eggs.
STORE: In their carton in the coldest part of the refrigerator (usually the bottom shelf) for up to a month.
extracts
WHAT: Concentrated flavorings, such as vanilla, almond, and peppermint. Some are extracted from the oil of plants (such as mint and bitter almonds); others are made by distilling and pressing ingredients (such as vanilla beans).
USES: Always use pure extracts and avoid imitation extracts, which are inferior in quality and flavor. Extracts are useful in baking, as they can be added to batter, dough, sauce, ice cream, and custard without affecting the texture or consistency. Since their flavors are intense, they should be used sparingly. For the best results, add extracts to mixtures that are slightly cooled, since heat weakens the flavors. Vanilla extract is the most widely used extract, as it complements most other flavors (see page 14 for more on vanilla extract). Almond extract has a strong, sweet flavor that complements most pitted fruits, such as cherries, apricots, plums, and peaches. Peppermint extract pairs well with chocolate.
FIND: In the baking aisle.
STORE: Indefinitely in a cool, dark place.
flours
WHAT: Wheat flour is the essential ingredient of many desserts; hard and soft wheat are the two main types of wheat used to make it. The difference is the amount of protein in each. When flour is mixed with water to form dough, the proteins in the flour bond to create a gum-like substance called gluten. Gluten is stretchy and gives dough the elasticity to expand and trap the gas formed by leavening agents like yeast, baking powder, and baking soda. Hard wheat is high in protein and forms flour with stronger gluten; flour made from soft wheat has less protein.
USES: Getting the proper texture for various baked goods requires different types of flour:
All purpose flour is a blend of hard and soft wheats; it is the most common flour used in home kitchens. It can be used for making most baked goods, including breads, cookies, pie crusts, and cakes (unless otherwise specified in the recipe). The recipes in this book call for unbleached all purpose flour, which has not been exposed to bleaching chemicals; instead the ground flour has turned from yellow to white naturally through exposure to oxygen.
Cake flour is soft wheat flour and results in baked goods with a tender texture.
Pastry flour is soft wheat flour with a bit more protein than cake flour; it’s good for making pie doughs, muffins, biscuits, and pastries. Whole wheat pastry flour is also available.
Self-rising flour is all purpose flour with baking powder and salt added. If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, you can add 1½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt to 1 cup of all purpose flour to equal 1 cup of self-rising flour.
Bread flour is unbleached flour made with hard wheat and is high in gluten. Because it results in a well-risen loaf, it is the best flour to use for making yeast breads.
Whole wheat flour contains the grain’s bran and germ and so has a higher fiber and oil content. White whole wheat flour is milled from white, rather than red, wheat. It has a milder flavor and lighter color than traditional whole wheat but the same fiber and nutrition.
FIND: Most flours can be found in the baking aisle; some specialty flours can be found online (see Online and Mail-Order Sources on page 632).
STORE: Airtight in a cool, dry place for up to six months. Whole wheat flour should be refrigerated (for up to six months) to keep the oils in the flour from turning rancid.
fruits, dried
WHAT: Fresh fruits that have been dehydrated, retaining only 15 percent to 25 percent of their original moisture; dried fruits have a more concentrated flavor than their fresh counterparts.
Dried tart cherries, also known as dried sour cherries, have a wonderful sweet-tart flavor. Dried Bing cherries are sweeter and darker.
Dried apricots are available sulphured and unsulphured. Sulphured dried apricots are more common. They are preserved with sulphur dioxide to extend the shelf life, lighten the color, and keep the dried fruit soft. Unsulphured and organic fruit is darker and sweeter.
Raisins are dried grapes usually made from Thompson seedless or Muscat grapes. Thompson seedless grapes can be used to produce both dark and golden raisins. When the grapes are sun-dried for several weeks, the resulting raisins are darker and more shriveled. To produce golden raisins, the grapes are treated with sulphur dioxide, then dried with artificial heat; golden raisins are fatter and more moist. Raisins made from Muscat grapes are dark and very sweet.
Dried currants, also called Zante currants, are actually not currants; they are tiny raisins made by drying Black Corinth seedless grapes (when fresh, these grapes are also known as Champagne grapes). Dried currants are not related to fresh currants.
Dried figs come in two varieties—dried Calimyrna figs, with thick, beige skin, and dried black Mission figs, which have very dark skin. You can use these varieties interchangeably in Bon Appétit recipes, though the appearance will be different. The figs should be sweet and still relatively moist. Trim the tough tip of the stem, then chop them into a suitable size and add them to baked goods.
Dried coconut is unsweetened shredded, shaved, or chipped coconut flesh. It is different from sweetened flaked coconut, which has been dried, flaked, rehydrated, and sweetened and tends to be moister; they are not interchangeable. Both types lend a mild, sweet, coconut flavor and texture to desserts and are often used as a garnish. When toasted, dried coconut becomes golden and crunchy with a slightly nuttier flavor.