Tag cookbook

Cookbook Club with Fat by Jennifer McLagan

Aside from warm summer days, another thing to look forward to was this month’s cookbook club. We chose Jennifer McLagan’s cookbook Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes, a drastic contrast from last month’s selection of Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking. McLagan’s book just recently won two James Beard awards for “Cookbook of the Year” and “Best Book: Single Subject.” The author says our society has become increasingly opposed to fat, but her cookbook helps educate us in appreciating fat when cooking with it as well as eating it. Different fats are used in each recipe from butter to pork, duck, poultry, and beef fat.

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There was a range of international cuisines represented at lunch from Indian butter chicken, and French cassoulet, to Mexican pork carnitas. All three of these recipes followed common preparation with ample amounts of marinating/soaking, browning, and simmering. Everyone agreed upon the wonderful flavors and tenderness these slow cooked meat dishes developed.

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) served with Spinach Chapati
Similar to Indian butter chicken and made with spices, tomatoes, whipping cream and butter. Served with Indian flat bread made with spinach, whole wheat flour, and ghee (or lamb fat if preferred).

Carnitas served with Fresh Tomato Salsa
Pork shoulder simmered with ground cumin, oranges, chipotle chile in adobo sauce, brandy, garlic, and pork fat. Served with tomato salsa made of Roma tomaotes, serrano chiles, poblano chile, garlic, salt, and cilantro (no fat included!)

Cassoulet
Traditional slow-cooked white bean casserole from southern France with pork, pork sausages, lamb, and duck.

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Vegetarians need not be alarmed, because dishes using butter and not animal fat, were equally as impressive and enjoyable. Most salad dressings use oil, but the Double Butter Salad cleverly uses browned butter with some chives, salt, and pepper mixed in. With duck fat not as easy to find, the Fat Fat-Cooked Fries can be made using butter and still a winning side dish at the table. This also goes for the Spinach Chapati which can be made with lamb fat or butter. The vegetable cake would be a great addition to any meat or vegetarian Thanksgiving meal.

Double Butter Salad
Salad using butter lettuce and browned butter.

Fat Fat-Cooked Fries
Large, soft potato wedges cooked in duck fat and garlic.

Vegetable Cake
Thinly sliced layers of potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and apple baked with duck fat or butter.

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The desserts at the end of our meal were truly sinful and rich. The salted butter tart and butter cake sweetened our meal, and the spicy buttered popcorn grew addicting from the heat of the chipotle peppers. These recipes showcase how butter and sugar can alone unite so well in desserts.

Kouign Amann (Breton Butter Cake)
Flaky butter cake with caramelized bottom and top.

Salted Butter Tart
Pastry tart with salted butter filling similar to butterscotch or caramel.

Spicy Buttered Popcorn
Snack made sweet from butter, corn syrup and brown sugar, plus made savory with a kick from pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

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Surprisingly, our spread of dishes didn’t leave us too heavy after lunch. We learned a little bit of fat in moderation can go a long way! For the month of July, we will be cooking like Egyptians with the cookbook Dining on the Nile: Exploring Egyptian Cooking by Sally Elias Hanna. Stay tuned for tales of our culinary adventure!

Contributed by guest blogger Sandra Vu

Homage to “The Joy of Cooking”

Joy of CookingThe Joy of Cooking has been the quintessential kitchen reference for tens of millions home cooks, since it was first published in 1931. From tuna noodle casserole to pate maison, Joy covers a comprehensive slew of culinary endeavors rooted vaguely in 20th century American homemaker tradition.

The book’s first edition was self-published by Irma S. Rombauer, a struggling homemaker from St. Louis, who wrote the book to support her family after her husband’s death. Joy became immensely popular as an encyclopedia of tried-and-true recipes, textbook of cooking techniques (canning, pickling, butchering), and culinary primer for proper American dining.

We selected the 75th Anniversary Edition of Joy for our October PTC Cookbook Luncheon. Released in 2006, this latest revision was received with a bit of skepticism because of its restoration of original recipes including use of ready-made products like Cream of Mushroom soup, as well as use of “modern” appliances like the microwave.

On the exploratory menu for our monthly luncheon (see below for our descriptions and thoughts):

Vegetable Pot Pie with Cheddar Biscuit Crust – Made with a variety of meticulously peeled and chopped and individually sauteed winter root vegetables, Rosie’s main complaint was the many hours she spent preparing this dish. Overall, a very satisfying, heart-warming dish that could be pared down to just a couple varieties of vegetable for ease of cooking.

Pate Maison – A dramatic veal and chicken liver pate wrapped in bacon. While the bacon wrap is meant to be cut off after the smoky flavor is imparted, Crissy couldn’t bare slicing off all of the fatty goodness, and served it sliced alongside crusty baguette, dijon and cornichons. We loved the rustic, crumbly texture of the pate and agreed it was all-around was quite impressive a dish.

Tart Greens with Apples, Pecans and Buttermilk Honey Dressing – A simple salad, perfectly balanced and full of flavor. Christina tossed a tasty bowl of seasonal tart greens including endive, radicchio and arugula. The buttermilk honey dressing was surprisingly light, yet satisfying.

Cheese SoufflĂ© – A classic French recipe, prone to “falling.” Bibby adeptly timed her masterpiece, so it was presented in fully poofed gloriousness. The creamy and rich center included a mix of Gruyere and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bibby pumped up the flavor of the recipe with some Dijon mustard and lemon juice.

Tuna Noodle Casserole – A nostalgic favorite from almost everyone’s childhood, Lauren elected to make the Cream of Mushroom-based pasta bake. Eaters agreed the topping of buttered cracker crumbs and parmesean cheese “made the dish.” Alternative topping suggestions included canned potato sticks, cornflakes and breadcrumbs.

Gorgonzola Stuffed Chicken Breasts – Shanti had originally planned on a chicken piccata, but only had a cast-iron pan on-hand, deeming her cream sauce impossible. Instead, she seared up this juicy chicken dish – perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Herb Crusted Sirloin Kebabs with Tomato Basil Relish – New to cooking, Office Manager LeRoid tried his hand at kebabs. Most notably, the recipe lacked portions for the herbs, so LeRoid was left to his own tastebuds to decipher the perfect blend of herbs for the marinade. The directions were also missing basil entirely, so LeRoid instinctively mixed chopped leaves into the relish. We all agreed he did a great job winging it!

Stuffed Cabbage – Tanya had long been searching for a great stuffed cabbage recipe, and may have found it! Traditionally a very labor intensive dish, Tanya cleverly invited friends and family to partake in the rolling of the hearty meat-filled leaves. After being simmered in a well-spiced tomato sauce, the leaf parcels were fork-tender and infused with flavor.