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cups Diamond Crystal kosher salt for every 4 quarts of water. Sugar and other ingredients may be added to balance the flavors. 2 Cornish game hens 4 quarts water 1 cup Morton’s kosher salt 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed 1/3 cup soy sauce, preferably Kikkoman 2 tablespoons peanut oil 4 cloves garlic 3 nickel-size slices of ginger 1. Remove

baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix the milk, eggs, and butter well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just enough to make a thin, homogeneous batter. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes. 2. Stir in the flour and mix the batter until patches of white disappear. Do not overmix. Fold in the

do it with salt and a dash of sugar. This recipe uses half and half, because that’s the way we like it, but you can vary the ratio of salt to sugar to suit yourself. Just make ½ cup total of the mixture. Gravlax is a cinch to make, but you have to plan ahead because it takes two or three days. At the end of that time, you’ll have one of the

lamb. Pour the tomato sauce over and around the lamb. Sprinkle with oregano and thyme. Heat until the liquid comes to a simmer. 4. Cover with a tight lid or crimped aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 2 hours or until the meat is tender and almost falling off the bone. 5. Using tongs, remove the shanks to a serving dish and cover with foil to

fish clean with a knife or spatula, discarding the salty-sugary dill. To serve, slice very thinly on the diagonal, detaching each slice from the skin. SERVES 10 OR 12 Sweet Mustard Sauce Combine ¼ cup spicy brown mustard, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Beat in 1/3 cup vegetable oil in a steady stream to

Preserving with Sugar and Salt Gravlax Hams and other meats are usually cured by salting, while fruits are usually preserved with sugar. The reason for the difference, obviously, has to do with flavor. But salt and sugar are equally effective at killing bacteria; they pull water out in the same way: by osmosis. One classic cured meat—fish,

Tear off two pieces of aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil onto half of each piece of foil. 2. Pick up one of the fillets by one end and slide it around in the olive oil to coat. Repeat with the other side. Repeat this procedure with the other fillet on its own piece of aluminum foil. Season each with salt and pepper. Drape with scallions and parsley

4 medium potatoes, preferably Yukon Golds 2 to 4 tablespoons clarified butter Coarse salt Freshly ground pepper 1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Select an 8½-inch cast-iron skillet and a lid to fit, and butter the skillet generously. Wash the potatoes, pat dry, and cut them into 1/8-inch slices; to peel or not is your choice. 2. Arrange a single layer