Not long ago, Google published the list of the top 10 most-searched-for recipes people were making during lockdown. It’s no surprise that most of the recipes were rich and fiendishly satisfying comfort food. Or what we called around here: Lunch. Mainly American classics such as fried chicken, meatloaf, cheesecake, and banana bread. The one outlier, which gives us hope that people are hunkering down in grand style? Crêpes.
Always wanting to make sure you, dear reader, are up-to-date, amply armed, and fabulously fed, we offer our take on these top 10 favorites. Let the cooking begin!
Light and Fluffy Pancakes
Ethereally light and slightly sweet, these pancakes are exceptionally satisfying. Just like the pancakes of your breakfast dreams. Banana Bread by Cook's Illustrated
A superlative version of the classic American quick bread that everyone loves. And that everyone pretty much always has the ingredients for on hand. Batter-Fried Chicken
Proof that it doesn't take buttermilk or an insufferably long overnight brine to make insanely tender, crazily crisp, gosh darn perfect fried chicken. New York Style Pizza
Simple. Modest. Perfectly proportioned. And just like you'll find in Manhattan. Swear. And a family project that's just time-consuming enough to distract but not so tedious as to deter. Katharine Hepburn Brownies
Who knew Katharine Hepburn was as agile at baking as acting? These brownies make us think maybe she missed her true calling. Basic Crêpes
A simple, step-by-step recipe for the classic French crepe that can easily be mastered by anyone. Yes, anyone. Including you. Homemade Meatloaf
All the comforting flavor and sticky-sweet glaze of Mom's meatloaf but with bacon and caramelized vegetables to make it feel all grown-up. French Toast with Earl Grey Syrup
We know what you're thinking. "I better not try the Earl Grey syrup because my kids may turn up their nose at it." Make it anyways. Lasagne Bolognese
Think you know lasagne? As Giuliano Hazan explains, what you know may be sadly mistaken. His recipe will fix that. New York–Style Cheesecake
How do you define a true New York-style cheesecake? A sweetly crunchy graham cracker crust cushioning a rich, creamy, moan-inducing filling with a slightly lemony lilt. In other words, this recipe. © 2020 Leite's Culinaria. All rights reserved. All materials used with permission.
Last month, in the midst of California’s lockdown, I made a sourdough starter from a recipe that was the simplest one I’ve ever tried. To date I’ve made chocolate cupcake, brownies, English muffins, crackers, waffles, pancakes, pizza, and of course, bread. All using my starter. Next up: sourdough chocolate chip cookies, then granola (apparently, you can do make it with sourdough discard).
Magnificent, AnnieTN! Absolutely love hearing this. Can I ask you to share the starter recipe you used? We’ve been honing our starter techniques and we’re always curious to hear about one that works so infallibly…
@Renee, I used this recipe.
I was rationing my flour at the time because you couldn’t get flour anywhere in CA. I used whole wheat flour which lot of people said was better for getting a starter going since it (& rye flour) had more wild yeast than white flour.
This method didn’t require a daily (or twice daily) feed & discard routine. Just stirring twice a day, for 5 days. You didn’t need to feed it until the 6th day. I had my doubts in the beginning because Day 2-5 nothing was happening and the odor was decidedly not sour or yeasty, or even pleasant. I almost threw it away but I forged ahead anyway. After Day 6 feeding, I saw bubbles. Volume doubled and the odor became much more pleasant, sweet & wheat-y. Then I started feeding it with white flour and keep it in the fridge, feeding only once a week. This schedule has been working well so far. Anytime, I think the starter is getting sluggish, I will do the next feeding with either rye flour or whole wheat flour. Someone on the blog said that it was “like feeding tequila to teenagers”.
Here she is. Her name is “Rona”.
AnnieTN, bless you! And thank you! Love all the cues and insights. We SO appreciate it!