Melissa Clark - Dinner in an Instant: 75 Modern Recipes for Your Pressure Cooker, Multicooker, and Instant Pot

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I have so many people to thank for helping to make this book come together in what was practically an instant.

First I have to thank my editors at the New York Times Food section, Sam Sifton, Patrick Farrell, and Emily Weinstein, for giving me the assignment to explore the world of electric pressure cookers in the first place. That started my obsession and Im so grateful. This book wouldnt exist without them.

Then, of course, theres my darling agent Janis Donnaud, who is always in my corner.

The magnificent team at Clarkson Potter: My editor, Doris Cooper, and her assistant, Danielle Daitch; book designer Marysarah Quinn; the marketing and publicity team of Kate Tyler, Erica Gelbard, and Kevin Sweeting; Linnea Knollmueller in production and Amy Boorstein in production editorial; and publisher Aaron Wehner.

Our fantastic photographer Christopher Testani. The food styling genius Eugene Jho and his assistant Pearl Jones. And Sarah Smart and her assistant Katja Greeff, who curated the gorgeous props.

And finally I couldnt have done this without my talented recipe testers, especially Jade Zimmerman, who might be as obsessed with her electric pressure cooker as I am with mine. And thanks to Adelaide Mueller, Daniel Bernstein, and Lily Starbuck.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MELISSA CLARK , a food reporter for the New York Times, is the author of Dinner: Changing the Game, among dozens of other cookbooks. The recipient of both James Beard Foundation and IACP awards, she frequently appears on NBCs Today show and can be heard regularly as a guest host on American Public Medias The Splendid Table and on NPR. Melissa also has been a judge on Iron Chef America. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

YOGURT,
CHEESE
+
EGGS

PLAIN YOGURT

TIME: 9 HOURS, PLUS 8 HOURS CHILLING

YIELD: 7 CUPS

GF VEG

Once you start making your own yogurt, its hard to go back to store-bought. Homemade is not only fresher and much less expensive, its also incredibly easyand made even easier with an electric pressure cooker that has a yogurt setting. You can use low-fat milk here instead of whole milk if you like, but skim milk doesnt work very well, tending to yield yogurt thats quite thin. Sheep and goat milk will also work if you have a source for them, with sheep milk being extremely rich and sweet tasting, while goat milk is tangier and a little more earthy. And unless making a lower-fat yogurt is your goal, dont omit the cream. It really adds richness in both flavor and texture.

2 quarts whole milk, preferably organic

cup heavy cream (optional)

2 tablespoons plain yogurt (look for the words active cultures on the label)

1. Heat the milk: Pour the milk, and cream if using, into the pressure cooker and cover it (the steam valve should be turned to pressure or sealing. Select the yogurt function (in the Instant Pot, the screen will light up indicating boil; if you have a different machine, consult your manual, and heat the milk to 180F, about 26 minutes (in the Instant Pot, Yogt will appear on the screen when the milk reaches that temperature). Uncover, being careful to avoid letting condensation on lid drip into the milk. Keep milk at 180F for 5 minutes by turning the yogurt function on again, with the pot uncovered. This helps thicken it.

2. Cool the milk: Turn off or unplug your pressure cooker, remove the metal basin, and transfer it to a wire rack. Let it cool until the milk reaches 115F, 35 to 40 minutes. You can speed up the process by placing the basin in an ice bath (I fill my sink with water and ice and set the basin in that). The milk will develop a thin top skin; just give it a stir once it has cooled.

3. Add the starter culture: In a medium bowl, stir together the active yogurt and cup of the warm milk from the pressure cooker basin. Then stir the yogurt mixture into the rest of the milk, and place the basin back inside the pressure cooker. Cover, and set the steam valve to venting. Select the yogurt function, and then use the + button to add 8 hours. Once finished, the Instant Pot will read Yogt. Remove the lid and ladle the yogurt into containers. Seal the containers and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight, and up to 1 week.

NOTE: To make Greek yogurt, after youve let the yogurt chill for 8 hours or overnight (step 3), spoon it into a cheesecloth-lined colander set in a bowl, and let it drain until it reaches the consistency you like, anywhere from 1 hour to 4 hours. Save the whey that drains out and use the milky, tangy liquid in smoothies, soups, breads, and otherrecipes. Its great as a substitute for water when making lemonade. And I sometimes use half whey and half stock in the Red Lentil Soup with Mint Oil (). Whey can be frozen for up to 3 months and is full of protein, B vitamins, and calcium.

Serve your yogurt over fruit and/orgranola, use it to make savory yogurt sauces, or drizzle it with honey or maple syrup for a little added sweetness.

SOY MILK YOGURT

TIME: 12 TO 14 HOURS

YIELD: 3 CUPS

GF V VEG

You can use any nondairy yogurt as the culture for this recipe. Soy and coconut yogurts are the easiest to find. Look for shelf-stable soy milkthe refrigerated kindusually contains thickeners and sweeteners. Serve this with honey or your favorite jam stirred in, or over a bowl of ripe fresh fruit.

32 ounces soy milk (containing only soy and filtered water)

2 tablespoons store-bought nondairy yogurt

1. Stir together the soy milk and store-bought yogurt in the pressure cooker. Cover, and turn on the yogurt function, set for 12 hours with the steam vent open.

2. After 12 hours, taste the yogurt. If you want it tangier, let it go for up to an additional 2 hours (14 hours total).

3. Stir the yogurt well, transfer it to sealed containers, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 5 days (the yogurt will thicken as it chills).

FRESH COCONUT YOGURT

TIME: 24 HOURS

YIELD: 3 CUPS

GF VEG

Using coconut milk instead of regular milk will give you a sweet-tart, albeit thin-textured, yogurt. For something thicker, you can puree the yogurt with the meat of a fresh young coconut. Fresh young coconuts (not to be confused with mature coconuts with the brown husks) are becoming more available at Whole Foods and other specialty markets, large supermarkets, and Asian markets (dont try to substitute coconut flakes or chipsthey dont work). Be sure to use canned coconut milk here, not refrigerated coconut nondairy beverages or creamers, which are laden with stabilizers. You can use any nondairy yogurt, either coconut or soy, as the starter here.

2 13.5-ounce cans full-fat organic coconut milk (not refrigerated nondairy beverage)

2 tablespoons store-bought nondairy yogurt

Meat from 1 young coconut (optional)

1. Stir together the coconut milk and store-bought yogurt in the pressure cooker. Then cover it and turn on the yogurt function, set for 24 hours with the steam vent open.