Continental recipes

Cooking American & Continental food at home

This style of cooking relies on a few techniques done properly: a hard sear, a smooth roux, and a crisp finish. Spice is light and seasoning is simple, so the quality of the browning and the salt does most of the work.

Searing and getting a real crust

Heat is the main tool. For smash burgers, use a cast-iron pan or heavy tawa until it smokes lightly, place a loose ball of mince (about 20% fat) on it, and press flat hard for the first few seconds. Leave it alone until the edges are dark and lacy, then scrape under it with a stiff spatula so the crust comes with the meat.

The same rule applies to beef chili. Brown mince in batches. If the pan is crowded, the meat steams and turns grey, and the chili tastes flat. Wait until the liquid has cooked off and the mince sizzles and sticks before adding cumin and chilli powder.

For Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, freeze the beef for about 30 minutes so you can slice it paper-thin, then cook it fast on high heat.

Roux, cream and baked crusts

Many Continental dishes start with butter and flour cooked together. Cook the roux for a minute or two, until it smells slightly nutty, then add milk gradually while whisking. Lumps usually mean the milk went in too fast or too cold. This is the base for baked mac and cheese and the filling of chicken pot pie. Grate your own cheddar, because pre-shredded cheese melts less smoothly. For pie pastry, keep the butter cold and stop mixing while small flecks are still visible; those flecks make the flakes.

Corn chowder uses the same idea: soften onion, add potato and corn, and simmer until the potato just starts to break down and thicken the soup.

Frying, glazing and baking

For a crispy chicken burger, marinate in yogurt or buttermilk, coat well, and fry at a steady medium-high heat. If the oil is too cool the coating turns greasy; too hot and it darkens before the chicken cooks through. Rest the pieces on a rack, not on paper, so the underside stays crisp.

Sugary sauces burn. When making BBQ chicken wings, cook them nearly through first and brush on the sauce at the end. The same applies to the ketchup glaze on beef meatloaf. Mix the meat gently, since overworking it makes it dense.

Bread, sides and what to buy in Pakistan

Bread carries much of this food. Preheat the pan and the fat for skillet cornbread so the edges fry as the batter goes in. For grilled cheese, use medium-low heat and butter the outside of the bread, so the cheese melts before the crust burns. Fresh burger buns or soft sandwich bread from a local bakery work well.

Cold sides need seasoning. Salt shredded cabbage for creamy coleslaw and drain it, otherwise the dressing turns watery.

Buy halal beef mince with visible fat, block cheddar or mozzarella, and fresh cream or full-fat milk. Mustard, vinegar and black pepper are more important here than masala.

Everyday versus weekend cooking

Weeknight dishes are fast: sandwiches, sloppy joes and pancakes. Weekend cooking is slower, such as chili, pies and meatloaf. Pakistani kitchens also adapt these dishes. Chicken tikka pizza works best when the tikka is cooked dry first, so it does not make the base soggy.