Cooking for Two (31 page)

R
IB
R
OAST FOR
T
WO
makes
one 1-bone rib roast

W
ho could believe a rib roast for two? And who could believe how fast you can make it? It’s so easy: just coat it in kosher salt and pepper and roast for under 20 minutes. Voilà, dinner in no time. Ask your butcher to give you a one-bone roast—not the so-called first bone, because it will be too lean to stand up to cooking as a thin, small roast; and not the last bone either, the one that’s mostly fat. Ask for one of the bones somewhere in the middle of the ribs, about where the cut is made for the three- or four-bone roasts.

1.
Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. Massage the olive oil into the rib roast, then rub the salt and pepper into it.

2.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet, preferably cast-iron, over high heat for about 4 minutes, or until smoking. Add the roast on its side and sear it for 2 minutes, turning once. Sear it on the top and bottom as well, about 30 seconds for each. Then place the skillet in the oven. Roast for about 16 minutes for rare, or 18 minutes for medium-rare, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast registers between 115°F and 120°F for rare or 125°F for medium-rare. Add about 3 additional minutes for medium (and an internal temperature of 130°F), or about 7 additional minutes for medium-well (140°F). Carefully remove the skillet from the oven—it is very hot—then
transfer the roast to a carving board and tent it with foil. The internal temperature of the roast will rise five to ten degrees as it rests.

3.
Pour any excess fat from the skillet, then set it back over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and rosemary; cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant, stirring frequently. Stir in the brandy. If the brandy ignites, cover the skillet and remove it from the heat for at least 30 seconds, or until the fire is out. Cook for 1 minute, or until the liquid in the pan is reduced by half and thickened. Swirl in the butter, if using, stirring until melted.

4.
To serve, carve the meat away from the bone by running a chef’s knife along the inside curve of the bone. Lay this “eye” of the meat on the carving board and slice it in half in the middle, as you would if you were slicing the layer of a cake open in the middle to frost it. Place one slice on each of two plates, then top with the shallot-rosemary sauce to serve. The bone is also quite delicious. Flip a coin to determine who gets it. Or devise your own reward system.

S
AUTÉED
V
EAL
C
UTLETS
with
B
UTTERY
C
ARAWAY
N
OODLES
makes
2 hearty servings

V
eal cutlets make a quick dinner—as here, with a classic German preparation. You can also use this technique with thin pork cutlets, or with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin. Follow this creamy entrée with a simple dessert such as strawberries, macerated in sugar, spiced with a little ground black pepper and a splash of aged balsamic vinegar.

1.
Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface, place the cutlets on top of it, then cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap. Pound them to ¼-inch thickness with the smooth side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy saucepan. Peel away both sheets of plastic wrap, slice each of the cutlets in half, and set the cutlets aside.

2.
Mix the flour, paprika, salt, and pepper together on a large dinner plate. Lightly beat the egg with the milk in a wide, shallow bowl; set aside. Spread the bread crumbs onto a second large dinner plate.

3.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet set over medium-high heat. Working quickly, dredge the veal cutlets first in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess but making sure each is well
coated. Dip them in the beaten egg mixture, then into the bread crumbs, coating both sides. Transfer the prepared cutlets to the skillet and fry for 4 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Transfer the cutlets to two dinner plates; tent with foil to keep warm.

4.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet; as it melts, scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Add the caraway seeds and toast for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the cooked noodles and the parsley, toss well to coat, then cook for 30 seconds, or until heated through. Divide the noodles between the plates and serve at once.

Is there anything better than cookies? But who wants to make six dozen when six will do? With these recipes, you don’t have to stand over a hot oven bringing out tray after tray. One baking sheet, and you’ve got traditional sugar cookies or lemon hazelnut biscotti. Just one piece of advice: measure the ingredients precisely—there’s a huge proportional difference between a 1 and 1½ teaspoons in these recipes. All in all, you’ll have a batch of sweet indulgence, hot, moist, and ready to eat, without a cookie to spare.

C
HOCOLATE
C
HIP
E
SPRESSO
C
OOKIES
makes
6 large cookies

T
hese chocolate chip cookies are spiked with instant espresso powder, available in most supermarkets alongside the other instant beverages, or with the teas and coffees. Look for
instant
espresso powder, a freeze-dried coffee, not just espresso powder (which is simply finely-ground espresso beans). The instant powder dissolves in the batter and gives the cookies a mild, mocha taste. Store instant espresso powder in the freezer, tightly sealed, for up to a year.

1.
Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a nonstick cookie sheet, or a regular one lined with either parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet.

2.
Cream the brown sugar and butter in a small bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer at low speed, until pale brown and fluffy, about 2 minutes by hand or 3 minutes with the mixer (see Note). Beat in the pasteurized egg substitute or the quail eggs and the vanilla for about 1 additional minute, until creamy. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the flour, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt all at once but just until incorporated; then gently stir in the chocolate chips. Do not use an electric mixer at this stage or the cookies will be tough.

3.
Drop by six heaping tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet. Gently press the cookies with the back of a stainless steel tablespoon, just until they flatten slightly—but do not press hard enough to turn them into disks. Bake for 10 minutes, or until brown and set. Transfer from the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool. Store them in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

For a small batch of standard chocolate chip cookies, without the mocha taste, simply omit the instant espresso powder from the recipe.

P
EANUT
B
UTTER
O
ATMEAL
C
OOKIES
makes
6 cookies