Alton Brown is a chef, author, and TV host who got his start directing TV commercials before attending culinary school. Famed for his hosting stints in Good Eats and more recently Cutthroat Kitchen, his new cookbook, Alton Brown: EveryDayCook is his first title in five years. The book is much more personal, as it’s filled with all of his favorite foods, but it bears his signature (and beloved) science-geek focus.
When I was growing up, beef stroganoff was my jam. My mom’s version was solid, but over the years I became suspicious of the beef. I’m just not convinced it’s at home in this dish. After all, Russians eat noodles, sour cream is practically their national condiment and both Tolstoy and Chekhov wrote about mushrooms. I rest my case.
6-8 servings
- Add the noodles to 4 quarts cold water in a large pot, cover, and place over high heat. Cook to al dente, 18 to 22 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Increase the heat to high, add half of the mushrooms and sprinkle with V teaspoon of the salt. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, until the mushrooms darken and reduce in volume by half. Remove to a bowl (see Note).
- Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the remaining mushrooms and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, along with the white bottoms of the scallions.
- Return the first batch of mushrooms to the pan, sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine, cooking for 1 minute, or until the flour disappears and a dark “fond” appears on the bottom of the pan.
- Deglaze the pan with the beef broth and as soon as it simmers (almost immediately), decrease the heat to low and cook for 10 to 12 minutes to reduce the liquid.
- Add the sour cream, goat cheese and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a bare simmer and cook, covered, for 2 to 4 minutes.
- Drain the noodles and stir gently into the mushroom mixture. Turn onto a platter and garnish with the scallion tops and additional pepper.
Excerpted from Alton Brown: EveryDayCook by Alton Brown, copyright © 2016, published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photography copyright © 2016 by Sarah De Heer.