Rao's Famous Lemon Chicken

April 22, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Restaurant Rules”

The Set-up: Ina’s cooking restaurant dishes at home and getting some tips from her chef friends.

The Menu: Prosciutto Roasted Bass with Autumn Vegetables, Skillet Brownies, Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken (Pollo Al Limone), Peas and Prosciutto

0:44 – Ina says she typically avoids restaurant style cooking at home because it’s just too complicated. Amen. There’s a reason chefs and professional cooks need so much training!

1:26 – She’s breaking the rules today with a simplified version of a dish she had at Spago in LA: Prosciutto Roasted Bass.

2:15 – First up, roasting a ton of root vegetables – parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and butternut squash.

3:03 – Now Ina is wrapping squares of sea bass in sheets of prosciutto. Why is it that anything “wrapped” immediately seems special?

4:26 – Oh to be Ina’s assistant, treated to dinner at Spago at the end of every book tour.

5:39 – Final step is melted butter flavored with rosemary and lemon. I trust that literally anything doused in this concoction would taste amazing.

6:01 – Time to plate, the roasted fish placed on a bed of root vegetable and dressed with the flavored butter sauce. Now, Barbara, we feast!!

10:28 – Ina says she first tried Skillet Brownies at the Standard Hotel in New York and couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of the idea herself.

11:15 – Random Side Note: I love recipes with odd measurements, like the sugar (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) here. Maybe this is faulty logic, but it tells me that it’s been tested and tested until it’s Baby Bear level “just right.”

12:32 – Time to bake the brownies and Ina has the most adorable miniature cast iron skillet. Seriously, these babies are ridiculously charming.

13:47 – While the brownies bake we get some kitchen tips from chefs: Kevin Penner recommends covering scales with plastic wrap to prevent cross contamination, Oliver Quignon suggests a new take on plating an iceberg & blue cheese salad.

14:09 – A few more – Julia Turshen uses tongs as a press to juice citrus; Joe Realmutto sautés dried herbs in olive oil to release their flavors before de-glazing with the tomatoes.

15:11 – Brownies are out of the oven – a little underbaked, so they’re still super gooey – and Ina’s serving them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Honestly, people would pass out from the cuteness (and the sugar high) if you served brownies this way.

19:36 – Field trip time! Ina is in East Harlem at the legendary Rao’s, notable for the cooking, but also it’s old-fashioned approach to dining. One seating, not open on weekends, and tables are held for regulars – you can see why a reservation might be just a wee bit challenging to secure.

20:48 – We’re in the kitchen with Frank Pellegrino, the restaurant’s owner to learn how to make a family recipe (70 years!!) called Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken (Pollo Al Limone).

21:14 – The cooking takes place in stages, first broiling the chicken, then making a vinaigrette type sauce with lemon, garlic, oregano, and red wine vinegar.

22:37 – Frank says “we don’t do complicated.” The chicken goes under the salamander/broiler for 2 minutes and “voila, lemon chicken.”

23:19 – Ina gets a taste (natch) and says it’s so, good, so lemony. I’m intrigued by the red wine vinegar…

27:34 – We’re back with Frank to make Peas and Prosciutto which starts with sautéed garlic and onions. I’m on board.

28:23 – Now comes the prosciutto into the pan and I can see why Frank says this is their most popular vegetable. Then the peas are stirred into the cooked onions and then everything gets a ladle of chicken stock.

29:05 – This dish is pretty unusual - somewhere between a vegetable side dish and soup.

29:40 – Ina and Frank belly up to the bar to chat and eat, and laugh and have a fabulous time.

Final Thoughts:
Ordering dishes in restaurants that I know I can’t make at home – fancy technique, unique ingredient, etc. – is always my strategy.

I like Ina’s approach to drawing inspiration from restaurants but in a simplified version.

One year to get a table or thirty-five years I’m still jealous of Ina eating at Rao’s!

Lessons Learned:
I decided to make Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken (Pollo Al Limone) because I can never have enough chicken or lemon or lemon chicken in my life, and, because I’d never cooked an entire chicken under the broiler.

Chicken Cooking – First lesson, make sure the broiling drawer and/or oven is super clean or you’ll fill your kitchen full of smoke like I did. Not so good. When broiling isn’t an option, turn the oven up to 500 degrees. I dried the skin with paper towels and used a cast iron skillet to get the kind of heat retention and sear I was looking for. Problem solved!

Sauce Prep – Just a little bit of mincing, juicing, and measuring; all standard cooking techniques. The recipe as originally written requires two different pans, one for broiling the chicken the first time and a separate pan to cook the chicken in the sauce. I love a pan sauce, and it’s simpler to use the same one so I did. Frank will probably come and hunt me down for messing with his recipe, but I stand by my choice.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, 100%. I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet, tongs, a medium cutting board, chef’s knife, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, and a table fork for whisking. That’s it!

The Verdict:
Mike and I both love a good roasted chicken, but the sauce is what really sets Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken (Pollo Al Limone) apart. On the surface it’s incredibly simple and really not terribly fancy – dried herbs, some lemon, etc. – all ingredients that are accessible to the home cook at a moment’s notice. The combination, however; is greater than the sum of its parts. I served the chicken straight from the skillet and we both found ourselves going back to the proverbial well to soak up more with every bite. Addictively delicious and I will never cease to be amazed at the magic of red wine vinegar. Don’t skip it! Do make this recipe!

Pan Sauted Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce

April 15, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce | Image: Laura Messersmith — Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Episode: “Fast and Fabulous”

The Set-up: Ina’s friend Frank is coming for dinner and she’s cooking up a feast in no time flat.

The Menu: Mustard Roasted Fish, Dill Fingerling Potatoes, Parmesan Roasted Broccoli, Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc with Raspberry Sauce

0:24 – We start out with a little trip to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for dinner. I spy heavy cream, berries, and potatoes.

1:03 – Ina says she has two rules for fast dinners: 1. Really easy recipes and 2. Ingredients found in any typical grocery store.

2:41 – Naturally even though this dinner is coming together quickly Ina is still doing flowers.

3:13 – We’re back at the barn to work on dessert: Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc with a homemade Raspberry Sauce.

4:29 – I’m always fascinated to see the ways cooks use pre-made ingredients to perk-up their recipes. In this case, an entire jar of seedless raspberry jam (Tiptree Farms in case you’re wondering) helps thicken the sauce.

5:46 – Now for the fromage blanc which Ina is thinning non-ironically with heavy cream to make it somewhere between the consistency of pudding and softened ice cream.

11:07 – Ina is plating the “layered dessert” – fromage blanc, berries, raspberry sauce – and it looks so fresh and delicious. Perfect for summer.

12:45 – Just realized that Ina is wearing a beautiful white shirt while cooking bright red berries – this woman is brave!

13:38 – Time to set the table and for a simple dinner Ina has quite a lot going on – a bowl of apples, candles, flowers. I’m lucky if I can remember to put the salt and pepper shakers out!

14:22 – We’re moving on to the Dill Fingerling Potatoes and Ina is cooking them by part steaming, part sautéing in a large dutch oven. I tried this once and it does work, but it takes some patience.

15:17 – Onward to the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli and I can 100% vouch for cooking broccoli this way. It’s hands-down our favorite way to eat our veggies.

16:44 – The premise of this episode is that Ina is making a last minute dinner and usually I’m suspicious of so-called 30 minute meals, but so far I actually believe that this dinner could come together in an hour or so.

21:30 – Now for the main course: Mustard Roasted Fish, which involves cooking filets of red snapper under a sauce of crème fraiche and mustard.

22:19 – Ina says she got the recipe from the coat check attendant at her Parisian hairdresser. Naturally.

23:41 – The red snapper is in the oven with the broccoli and it’s time for a finishing sprinkle of fresh dill and salt on the potatoes. I love how golden and lightly crispy they look.

27:05 – Final touches on the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli – cheese, pine nuts, fresh basil, lemon zest. Sounds awesome.

28:26 – Dinner is plated up and ready to go just as Frank arrives right on time.

29:38 – He marvels at Ina’s ability to whip up dinner in under an hour, honey, she’s not the Barefoot Contessa for nothing!

Final Thoughts:
Ina touched on this briefly, but there’s a lot to be said for dishes that cook at the same temperature (ie. the fish and the broccoli.) Hello multi-tasking!

I love fresh herbs, but I’m a little concerned about the competing flavors (mustard, dill, basil, and parmesan?) I tend to stick to one flavor “palette” but maybe I’m not adventurous enough…

I’m with Ina on the need for great dinners that don’t take hours to make – the less prepping the better!

Lessons Learned:
I took some liberties with Ina’s Mustard Roasted Fish recipe to make my own version using greek yogurt instead of crème fraiche and cooking it on the stovetop in a pan, rather than in the oven. I discovered last year when I made Caesar Roasted Salmon (please forgive the less than awesome photos, I was still learning!) that roasted fish is pretty soft and with a creamy sauce there isn’t quite enough contrast in the texture to suit Mike and I. Pan sautéing the fish was my solve to that issue and since it only takes 5-6 minutes total it’s still a really quick meal.

Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Creamy Mustard Sauce (yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:
4 (8-ounce) red snapper fillets, or other firm white fish
8 ounces Chobani 4% Plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons Gulden’s spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon Maille Old-style whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon Coleman’s English mustard powder
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:
Combine the 4% Chobani yogurt, spicy brown mustard, whole grain mustard, English mustard powder, minced shallots, drained capers, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Set aside while you cook the red snapper filets.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high-heat. Brush both sides of the red snapper filets with olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the fish fillets skin side down in the hot skillet.

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Turn with a flexible metal spatula when the cooked portion reaches about halfway up the filet and it’s easy to slide the spatula between the skin and the pan. The thickness of the filet will determine exactly how long, but the fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.

Serve immediately with the mustard sauce spooned over the top and a small sprinkle of capers.

Inspired by and adapted from Ina Garten’s Mustard Roasted Fish.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, indeed. I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet (2 filets at a time), metal spatula, small cutting board, chef’s knife, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, and a tablespoon for mixing. That’s it!

The Verdict:
Pan sautéing is my favorite way to cook fish because it adds great flavor and texture and in this case the red snapper works perfectly. It’s mild so the mustard sauce really shines – a little bit spicy and creamy it’s a perfect foil. The sauce pretty much enhanced everything I’ve served it with and I’m already planning new ways to incorporate it with other recipes.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

April 08, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Episode: “Dinner and a Movie”

The Set-up: Ina and her card-shark friends are switching up their plans and watching a movie instead.

The Menu: Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic, Couscous with Pine Nuts and Currants, Ice Cream Bombe, Blood Orange Margaritas

0:39 – Ina starts us off by saying that for weeknight entertaining she likes making recipes that look impressive, but that are really easy to make. Great, sign me up!

1:24 – Except that this recipe for an Ice Cream Bombe already involves making your own mango sorbet – frankly this is not something I’m not likely to attempt no matter what day of the week it is.

2:06 – Mango sorbet sounds great though, so I’m willing to go along for the ride!

3:18 – While the mango sorbet chills Ina starts on the Blood Orange Margaritas. Freshly squeezed blood orange juice, natch.

4:25 – “Blood orange” is pretty grisly sounding for a fruit that produces juice the color of a Lilly Pulitzer catalog.

5:43 – Gigantic pitcher of boozy cocktails? Check!

6:10 – The mango puree goes into the ice cream maker to start setting up and it looks really good. Maybe I should add “ice cream maker” to my Christmas list?

9:36 – Back to the bombe making which involves having a graduated set of bowls so that Ina can press the sorbet between two in order to shape it.

10:14 – Jack is in charge of getting the popcorn for their movie party and now I see why Ina sounded doubtful of his abilities – he can barely find it! He finally ends up with some microwave Newman’s Own, so we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

11:35 – Over to Ina again to start the Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic. Forty!

12:51 – Pro Tip #1: Blanch the garlic in hot water for 60 seconds to help remove the paper from the cloves. Neat trick!

13:46 – Ina sings the praises of her enormous bright orange Le Creuset pot and she is preaching to the choir. This blog is sponsored (in spirit) by my blue one.

14:13 – Ice Cream Bombe layer #2 is softened raspberry sorbet compliments of Haagen Dazs which makes me wonder why she went to the trouble of making the mango layer?

15:22 – The bombe follows the same process as before – press the sorbet between two bowls (we’re now up to three in graduated sizes) and freeze.

18:56 – Now we’re making the Couscous with Pine Nuts and Currants, which Ina says will soak up the sauce from the Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic. I concur. This is a solid move.

19:20 – Ina is removing the chicken from the pot so she can make the sauce and I think Ina she made a piece of chicken for every clove of garlic. So. Much. Chicken.

20:04 – Pro Tip #2: Prevent lumps by whisking a small amount of the juices with flour in a small bowl, then return to the pot to help thicken the sauce.

21:48 – I rarely see Ina impatient, but with 34 pieces of chicken left to go back into the pot with the sauce she tired of using tongs and finally just dumps them all in at once. A woman after my own heart.

22:29 – Maybe she’s impatient with the chicken because this godforsaken Ice Cream Bombe has eleventy steps even when two of the three layers are from the freezer section.

23:32 – The strawberry ice cream, in case you were wondering, is also Haagen Dazs so again I ask: why did she make the mango?

26:45 – Time to finish up the Couscous with Pine Nuts and Currants by toasting the pine nuts (aka pignolis) and adding the currants.

27:13 – Pro Tip #3: Fluff couscous with a fork (don’t stir with a spoon) to lighten it and help the grains separate.

28:29 – Here comes Jack, popcorn and poker chips in hand. Apparently he doesn’t think the French film Ina rented will be very interesting so he brought back up. Quite the cultured one, that Jack.

29:57 – Blood Orange Margaritas have been served, dinner is done. Now, the moment of truth: can Ina unmold the infamous Ice Cream Bombe? It works and she looks as surprised as anyone.

Final Thoughts:
I was kind of hard on Ina for the mango sorbet, but secretly I’m intrigued by homemade ice cream. Think of the flavors!!

Confession: I still make couscous from a box. Maybe it’s time to try on my own?

I guess Jack was right about French films, because they skipped the movie and played poker instead!

Lessons Learned:
Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic is a really simple, straightforward recipe but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to learn or practice while cooking it.

Browning Chicken – Perhaps it’s odd to call paper towels a kitchen tool, but when it comes to searing meat or browning chicken they’re your secret weapon. Removing the moisture from the chicken skin helps it turn a lovely golden color that’s really tough to achieve otherwise. Definitely don’t skip the “drying” step.

Sauteing Garlic – I’ve roasted whole heads of garlic before with excellent results, but this was a new method, more like sautéing minced garlic except with a slightly lower chance of burning it immediately. The oil is already hot, so your halfway there before the garlic even hits the pan. Keep a close watch and turn the heads frequently to prevent them from burning.

Thickening Sauce – In other Ina recipes she recommends mashing flour into butter before adding to sauces. It serves a dual purpose, thickening and enriching without lumps. (ew.) This recipe calls for spooning a cup or so of the thin sauce into a measuring cup and whisking with flour before returning to the pot. It’s a pretty neat trick because, again thickened sauce and no lumps, but this time without the added butter. I’m filing this away for those rare times when more butter isn’t what I’m going for. I’ll let you know if that ever happens…

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, definitely. I used my Le Creuset French oven (no surprise there) for both the garlic blanching and chicken cooking. I also used tongs, a slotted spoon, a mixing spoon, measuring cups and spoons, and a whisk. Paper towels and a large plate or platter will be really helpful too.

The Verdict:
I made Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic for dinner last week because the idea of chicken with all that deliciously golden garlic sounded amaaaazing. Alas, even though this recipe “turned out” the flavor was a little underwhelming. How that’s possible with all the glorious ingredients that went into the sauce I don’t know, but unfortunately the chicken was fairly bland. I’m frankly shocked that this didn’t taste better and Mike felt the same way. Sheer stubbornness might induce me to make this recipe again, maybe mashing a few cloves of garlic into the sauce? Or, cooking the garlic in the oil first and see if it permeates the chicken? If you try this and have success let me know!

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

March 25, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Episode: “The Magic Factor”

The Set-up: Ina is adding a secret ingredient to several recipes and conducting a blind taste-test to see if it’s the “magic factor.

The Menu: Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes, Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Easy Cheese Danish

0:29 – Lemons are the first “magic factor” ingredient in the Easy Cheese Danish recipe.

1:22 – I never knew what kind of cheese went into cheese Danish, here it’s cream cheese and ricotta thinned a bit with eggs.

2:15 – Ina’s taking a little short cut with store-bought puff pastry and I can never roll it out like she does – mine always ends up wonky and overly flat in spots.

3:41 – I thought danishes were typically round, but Ina is folding these like the beginning of a paper airplane which begs the question: how do you make the round ones?

4:17 – Version A. is complete with the cheese and vanilla only, now for Version B. incorporating lemon zest.

5:52 – Now a crash course overview on using lemon zest in cooking: apple pie filling, angel food and blueberry cakes, herbed crust on rack of lamb, and lemon garlic pasta.

6:30 – Ina’s assistant Barbara arrives to ferry the danishes over to the rest of the staff. She’s under strict instructions to have everyone try both and then phone Ina immediately with the results.

7:44 – Both Ina and the staff do their taste test and everyone agrees that Version B. containing the lemon zest is the clear winner. Frankly, I’m relieved - what if Ina’s staff liked the plain one better? Heads will roll!!!*

11:26 – Chicken Salad Sandwiches with tarragon as the “magic ingredient” are up next.

12:55 – She starts by roasting bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and dicing some celery.

13:34 – Version A. is the basic chicken salad sandwich seasoned only with salt and pepper, but it still looks pretty delicious.

14:28 – Minced tarragon is added to Version B. and Ina makes sandwiches on simple, whole-grain bread adding a small heap of mesclun mix. Seriously, is it lunchtime yet?

15:13 – Barbara arrives right on cue to pick up the samples for the staff. Once again they all pick Version B. and live to eat another day.*

19:57 – Ina has promised the staff Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes and with this recipe the “magic factor” is instant coffee powder. Think: Folgers crystals, or in this case Maxwell House.

20:16 – Here’s something I’ve NEVER seen her use before: Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. I’m not sure if it makes a difference, but she’s using the canned type, not the squeeze bottle.

21:40 – Ina says that this batter can be used to make any size cake, not just cupcakes. Something to file away for future reference…

22:08 – Upon re-watching I realize that I missed Ina’s recommendation about filling the muffin tins pretty full due to the lack of leavening agent. Note to self: pay better attention!

26:35 – Ina continues to surprise me with this recipe by using chocolate chips for the ganache. Not a chopped chocolate bar in sight!

27:13 – With this recipe Version A. contains the “magic factor” and Version B. is the plain one. Very tricky, let’s see if her staff catches the switch…

28:24 – Cupcakes are boxed and ready for Barbara to bring over to the office. Everyone tastes and deems Version A. the winner, pretty sharp bunch over there.

29:50 – Barbara asks the secret ingredient and instead of answering Ina does a full Sabrina the Teenage Witch disappearing dissolve. Oh no they didn’t!

Final Thoughts:
Someday, perhaps after years of practice I’ll be able to roll out dough evenly.

The cupcake recipe used so many pantry staple ingredients and I love the way Ina elevated them to something decadent.

*I’m pretty sure that Ina is a total sweetheart, so it makes me laugh to imagine her as a culinary tyrant with employees quaking before her wrath.

Lessons Learned:
I adore chocolate and yet, I’ve never made anything with ganache and rarely make cupcakes (usually too fussy for my taste, although they are the most adorable form of cake, so exceptions must be made.) I apologize for how lengthy these comments are, but when it comes to Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes it’s hard to shut up!

Cupcake Batter – This recipe omits both baking powder and soda from the batter and I honestly wondered if there was a misprint. I also couldn’t find canned Hershey’s syrup so I used the same amount of the squeeze bottle variety and crossed my fingers. I hoped that the large number of eggs and fairly thin batter would help the results and I’m happy to report that the cupcakes do rise, but not a ton. These are a deep, dark, and fairly dense cupcake; almost more brownie-ish in texture. Not a bad thing at all, but not the super bouncy, light cake you might be expecting.

Cupcake Portioning – With recipes containing a leavening agent I usually assume that each liner or muffin tin section will be filled to about 75% full to account for the increased volume after baking. These cupcakes don’t expand as much, so I’d recommend filling to about 90-95% full if you want them to rise above the edge of the liner. Seriously, in my first batch the cupcake tops just barely peeked out!

Ganache 101 – Ganache is a general term for the concoction that results from melting chocolate and hot cream together, and like a lot of things in baking, changing the proportion of these two ingredients makes a big difference. More cream and the resulting ganache is thinner, more chocolate and the consistency is thicker. This particular recipe is a 2:1 chocolate to cream proportion and uses chocolate chips which have stabilizers resulting in a sturdier but still pourable mixture when warm.

My Ganache – I wanted a pretty substantial layer – cupcakes are a frosting delivery system after all – so I backed off even a bit more on the cream to a 2 1/2:1 factor. Once my ganache cooled it was practically the stuff of chocolate truffle filling, scoopable and stiff, but while warm was like slightly thin buttercream frosting - almost able to hold its shape but not quite. After swirling the cupcakes in the warm ganache it “set-up” into a glossy coat within a few minutes. Perfect in my book.

Swirl Technique – I recommend holding one cupcake upside down, turning it a few times in the ganache to make sure it’s fully coated, and finishing with the kind of wrist motion you use when trying to finish pouring something like honey or molasses. A twirl and swoop back to right side up.

Extra Bonus: I had a little left over batter, since I didn’t fully grasp the portioning, and I’m here to tell you it lasts in the refrigerator for at least 5 days and still bakes up beautifully - no warming to room temp, no remixing, no fuss at all! Same deal with the ganache, just re-warm over hot water add a smidge more cream if it’s too thick and you’re good to go! Like the cupcake version of slice and bake!

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, for sure. For the batter I used one large heat-safe mixing bowl, a handheld mixer, measuring cups & spoons, a muffin tin, rubber spatula and a cookie scoop to help portion. For the ganache I used the same large bowl, measuring cups, and rubber spatula (washed in between, of course) and a large pot as a double boiler. Muffin liners or papers will definitely help.

The Verdict:
Look, it’s chocolate so already the baseline is set pretty high, but I was surprised how good these Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes are. I think it’s that they do hint at being brownies or flourless torte, while still maintaining enough fluffiness to still be cake. The fudgy ganache glaze – like the best Hostess cake you’ve ever had - doesn’t hurt anything either. We had guests and I smartly (?) made exactly the right number, there were ZERO leftovers which made me all the more thankful for the little bit of extra batter that provided a treat for Mike and I later that week. Please make these, you won’t be sorry!