Welcome to Cookbook of the Week.
A girl needs a reliable resource for holiday cooking.
For me, that isThe Complete Americas Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook(2001-2019).
The name doesnt exactly roll off the tongue, so Ill refer to it asThe ATK Cookbookfrom here on.
My dad got me this beast of a cookbook a few years ago.
But I am also obsessed with cookbooks (clearly), so I kept returning to it anyway.
There’s evenan entire Thanksgiving section.
I decided to give the cookbook a test run.
My yearly Christmas party was on the horizon, so I settled on the Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake.
I followed the directions, which can be tough for me since I love to experiment.
Trusting the process, I blotted the pumpkin, just like the notes advised.
I filled the water bath.
I even used heavy cream, though my boyfriend is lactose intolerant.
After baking, the cheesecake un-molded perfectly, with nary a crack in sight.
Come evening, I sliced into the cheesecake while folks were still milling about the party.
I may have started parading it around on my shoulders like a little pumpkin MVP.
And that’s justoneof the recipes inThe ATK Cookbook.
Americas Test Kitchen stands on a pillar of testing, and testing again.
Some recipes also include a sidebar with pictures of a particular process, like stuffing a chicken breast.
Its also great for a person interested in food science.
Its good mental stretching for anyone who wants to start experimenting with their own originals.
This is a no-bones-about-it cooking resource.
Therearenice pictures, but theyre small, and sometimes in black and white.
There are notes before the recipe, but they are about temperature, timing, or other practical matters.
You wont get a sneak peek into the lives of the brilliant folks in the test kitchen.
Instead, youll get a damn good recipe that will never let you down.
I decided to make something I wanted to eat.
So I chose the lemon pound cake.
I had never made this recipe before, but I will be making it again.
