cookbooks

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Anything’s Pastable review

I didn’t realize that Dan Pashman of cascatelli fame had a new cookbook until I saw he was recently a guest on the “Hotdog is a Sandwich” podcast.  I suppose it should not be be a surprise that the new cookbook is called “Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People.”  This is not a collection of recipes that an Italian nonna is going to have, and that’s what I love about it.  There is a lot of global influence, and well thought out fusion recipes.

The book is divided into: 

  • Pestos, pangrattatos, and the jarred tomato sauce decision tree
  • Classic comfort: Hugs on a plate
  • Carby and crispy: adventures in texture
  • Zing: flavor bombs, not belly bombs
  • Stews, rouxes, and ragus: thick and hearty, warm and toasty
  • Pasta salads redeemed: fresh and bright, hold the mayo
  • To the forno!: baked pasta dishes

You’ll find recipes like: 

  • Ritz cracker and chive pangrattato,
  • Shells with miso butter and scallions,
  • Mac ‘n’ dal,
  • Scallion oil bucatini with runny eggs,
  • Swordfish with salsa verde sagne a pezzi,
  • Kimchi carbonara,
  • Shakshuka and shells,
  • Gnocchi with bacon and sauerkraut,
  • Keema bolognese,
  • Mapo tofu cascatelli,
  • Tteokbokki bolognese,
  • Cavatelli with crunchy fresh corn, tomatoes, ricotta salata, and mozzarella,
  • Crispy gnocchi salad with preserved lemon-tomato dressing,
  • Italian cafeteria hot dog pasta salad with canned vegetables,
  • Pasta pizza,
  • Smoked cheddar and chicken manicotti “enchiladas”

The recipe that immediately caught my attention was tortellini in kimchi parmesan brodo.  It’s made with butter, bacon, scallions, napa cabbage kimchi, gochugaru, chicken stock, lemon, Parmesan, black pepper, and refrigerated cheese or spinach-and-cheese tortellini.  Freshly made, I liked the soup but I wasn’t in love with it.  For me, the lemon flavor seemed to overtake the cheese flavor.  But then I realized that I liked this recipe so much more as leftovers.  I found the lemon mellowed out and gave a nice acidity, and the cheese flavor seemed stronger the next day.  Overall, it was better balanced.  There’s a lot of liquid for the amount of pasta, but it gave me the flexibility to bulk up the leftovers with tofu and kale.

The second recipe I made was for ssamjang aglio olio which has a short ingredient list: salt garlic, extra virgin olive oil, ssamjang, red pepper flakes, mafalde (bucatini, fettuccine, spaghetti), and roasted unsalted peanuts.  (I used fettuccine.)  I’ve never made the original aglio e olio even though I am a garlic lover.  This recipe took me longer to make than I thought it would, but I assume that it’ll go faster next time.  Basically, you make a garlic infused oil, then use it for the ssamjang sauce base.  Next, you boil the pasta, and finish the pasta and sauce together with pasta cooking water.  Plate up the pasta, and garnish with peanuts.

There’s really not much to say except that I loved the ssamjang aglio olio.  I think everyone who loves Asian flavors will love this pasta sauce. It also reminds me to use ssamjang more often.

I can’t wait to cook more from this book.  I recommend this book to everyone.  And I mean “everyone.” Don’t eat pasta much?  Doesn’t matter!  Feel free to serve the sauces over tofu, over vegetables, etc.  Not to sound hyperbolic, but this might be my favorite cookbook of 2024.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from William Morrow/Harper Collins for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference Links:

https://www.sporkful.com/

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/anythings-pastable-dan-pashman

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Cooking with the Crunch Bros, review

If you’re looking for a casual cookbook inspired by Korean and Japanese recipes, “Cooking with the Crunch Bros” by Jeff and Jordan Kim might be the solution.  I first heard about Instagram account ‘easypeasyjordan’ relatively recently, and was quickly amused by a young boy who was dancing to his rice cooker.  I don’t know the background on this influencer family but dad, son, and daughter (mom is behind the scenes) can easily be found online cooking, taste-testing, and making mukbangs.  They reportedly have 3.9 million followers across all their social media accounts. And now, they have a family cookbook that can be enjoyed too.

The book is sectioned by:

  • Easy peasy sides, snacks, and sauces
  • In the kitchen with Crunchdad
  • Jordan’s favorite things to cook and eat
  • In the kitchen with Crunchmom

Here are some of the recipes you’ll find:

  • Kimchi mac salad
  • Kimchi guac
  • Miso mayo dip
  • Korean breakfast burrito
  • Bacon kimchi fried rice
  • Sizzling pork belly kimchi
  • Sweet tteokbokki
  • Jalapeno garlic pork
  • Spicy marinated pork
  • Mochi pizza
  • Galbi gyoza
  • Miso mayo udon
  • Kimchi udon
  • Ramen salad
  • Wafu-style bacon and mushroom pasta
  • Easy salmon rice
  • Panko and tartar sauce salmon
  • Tofu and chicken hambagu
  • Everyone’s favorite sukiyaki
  • Quick and easy nikujaga

This book is honestly one of the rare instances where I think I want to make everything.   None of the ingredient lists are terribly long, and everything seems approachable.  The first recipe I made was for ‘Baba’s garlic shoyu chicken’ as it sounded perfect for meal prepping.  It’s simply chicken thighs in a marinade of soy sauce, mirin, fresh garlic, and onion powder that is cooked on the stove.  Serve it with a simple side dish, and voila! meal done!  My only caution is that the salinity of the end product is going to depend on which soy sauce you use.  I used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, and found it a touch too salty.  I had to serve it along something “plain” like roasted sweet potatoes and steamed white rice.

The second recipe I made was for “beefy corn fried rice”.  This fried rice variation incorporates thinly sliced rib eye, onion, canned corn, and the homemade yakiniku sauce.  You cook the beef, then add the onion and corn. Once that’s is cooked, mix in the rice. Finally, add the sauce.

Since I made the yakiniku sauce, it’s technically the third recipe I made.  The sauce is prepped ahead from sliced scallions, roasted sesame seeds, sugar, soy sauce, cooking sake, black pepper, fresh garlic, and just a touch of lemon juice.  I’m not sure the sesame seeds add enough character to the sauce, and I thought it got lost in the fried rice.  But the dish was tasty overall.  The only substitution I made was to use frozen corn instead of canned because that’s what I tend to stock in my kitchen.  It’s very different from the fried rice my family makes, but the flavors are still familiar.

Both recipes got a seal of approval from my mom (who seems to be my taste tester lately lol!).   I used the leftover yakiniku sauce to cook some fresh shiitake mushrooms, and some ground turkey. The sesame seeds were more noticeable in these applications because I kept them fairly plain with no other ingredients. So in essence, I was garnishing my dishes with sesame seeds. Since the fried rice had other ingredients, it was harder to notice the seeds. If you’re looking for the texture they provide, leave them in the sauce recipe. If you’re looking for sesame flavor instead, maybe swap them with a touch of toasted sesame oil. Quick note: even though I halved the recipe, I still have some sauce left.

An awesome feature of the book is that, while it’s in U.S. volumetric measurement, the main ingredients are also listed in grams. The only downside (for me anyway) is that I have trouble remember which chapter a recipes belong to. Technically, Korean recipes are in the Crunchdad chapter while Japanese recipes are in the Crunchmom chapter (Jeff is Korean-American while his wife is Japanese-American). Asian fusion recipes tend to be in the first chapter or in Jordan’s chapter. Even knowing that, I found I relied on the index most of the time.

When all is said and done, this is a very enjoyable cookbook that I am happy to recommend to any one who wants to cook more with Asian flavors.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Harvard Common Press/Quarto for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This book is available for purchase through your favorite retailer, and will be released on October 17th.

Reference Links:

https://www.tiktok.com/@thecrunchbros

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkCYWJzLzPV2k8X3H5Q5OCg

https://www.instagram.com/thecrunchbros/

https://www.instagram.com/thecrunchtube/

https://www.instagram.com/easypeasyjordan/

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The Global Pantry Cookbook review

There’s a food/cooking channel on Youtube that has several videos about “hacks” and “cheats” to quicken and/or elevate your home cooking.  I like that it’s not about gadgets, or some weird viral cooking method.  It’s more like “here, let’s replace traditional pasta with instant ramen to cut the time on this recipe.”  Or, “take a traditional recipe with potatoes but swap the potatoes with potato chips which will still taste good and cook quickly.”

“The Global Pantry Cookbook: Transform Your Everyday Cooking with Tahini, Gochujang, Miso, and Other Irresistible Ingredients” by Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray reminds me of those videos.  Like the title suggests, here we’re taking a pantry ingredient (possibly a new-to you pantry ingredient), and using it creatively or using it to its fullest potential.

The book is broken down into: 

  • Wow-a-Crowd Snack and Apps,
  • Crunchy, Vibrant Salads,
  • Soups and Comfort Stews,
  • Rich and Hearty Beef and Lamb,
  • Pork is an Umami Superstar,
  • Poultry, Mostly Chicken,
  • Entirely Elevated, Irresistible Fish and Seafood (Sustainable, Too),
  • Meat-free Mains for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner,
  • Totally Satisfying Sandwiches,
  • Noodles, Pasta, Pizzas, and Breads,
  • Easy Vegetables and Starchy Things
  • Seductive Sweets and Frozen Treats

Some of the recipes that particularly appeal to me are: 

  • Shrimp boil hush puppies,
  • 5 Flavors of super-crunchy wokcorn (basic, sesame kettle with furikake, tahini za’atar, nacho-ish, white chocolate-strawberry),
  • Roasted cauliflower salad with quick-pickled raisins,
  • Spinach, grapefruit, and avocado salad with sesame vinaigrette,
  • Damn fine meatloaf with spicy onion glaze,
  • Hamburger steaks with rich onion gravy,
  • Rustic tomato galette with smoky bacon, melty cheese, and sweet onions,
  • 10 minute pan-seared scallops with yuzu kosho sauce,
  • How to build a damn fine veggie burger,
  • Tender multigrain walnut pancakes with plum compote,
  • Ground beef bulgogi sloppy joes with fiery napa slaw,
  • Korean fire chicken pizza,
  • Coconutty banana pudding with candied black walnuts,
  • Salty tahini and pine nut ice cream

The first recipe I tried was for “simply the best-est and moist-est turkey meatballs.” The ingredients are “soft but not squishy white bread”, evaporated milk, ground turkey breast, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, dried oregano, garlic, egg, and oyster sauce.  I make meatballs regularly enough that I had some doubts about the soft white bread.  I’ve always used dried breadcrumbs like panko.  I had some homemade soft bread that was a few days old, stored in the fridge.  Even though it was not in the instructions, I decided to put the specified amount of bread, sliced, on a plate to dry out for a few hours.  I’m glad I did but it ultimately did not help me with the end product.  This recipe has a lot of liquid in it.  The book warns you that “the mixture will be very soft” but it was gloopy.  I used a portion scoop but my meatballs barely held shape.  I had hoped it was just a matter of baking them up, but it was not.  I don’t think the photos do it justice, but instead of meatballs, I had meaty UFOs.

I am mildly amused that it’s stated in the book’s introduction, “we cross-tested each other’s recipes to make sure the steps are clear, times are accurate, and flavors are as they’re supposed to be.”  I want to know if there was any third party testing. lol!

Issues with the shape aside, the overall flavor was really good.  The oyster sauce is used as a glaze, which makes that very first bite tasty while giving a nice shine to the surface.  For personal preference, I think I will cut back some of the salt that goes into the meat mixture.  I found the saltiness of the oyster sauce to be very noticeable since it hits the tongue first, so the whole tasting experience was almost too salty. Meanwhile, my mom (who also got to eat some) absolutely loved them as is.

The second recipe I made was for broiled leeks with toasted pine nut sauce. The pantry ingredient for this one is Banyuls vinegar, which I had never heard of before. It’s a long-aged French vinegar, but the books says you can use a sherry vinegar. Sherry vinegar is quite possibly my favorite vinegar so I used the substitution. (Although I now want to purchase a bottle of Banyuls out of curiosity.) Overall, this dish is very easy to make. You make a sauce with toasted pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, the vinegar, salt, fresh garlic, and black pepper. The sauce is served over broiled leeks. I had pine nuts hiding in my freezer so I took this opportunity to use them. The only thing that I did wrong is that I initially forgot to add hot water to the sauce to make it thinner, otherwise it’s a thick nut butter. So my plated photo was before I remembered to add the water. (Yes, I actually scraped off the sauce, added water, mixed, and then reapplied. lol!)

This was so good! But you do have to like pine nuts to like this recipe. I had sauce leftover which ended up making a lovely sandwich spread. (I used it for both turkey sandwiches and tofu sandwiches.)

And then, though there is no photographic evidence of it, I made the quick pickled raisins. The raisins are supposed to be served with a roasted cauliflower salad but I didn’t buy any cauliflower. I’ve made (and liked) quick pickled raisins before but never with sherry vinegar. (Banyuls was the original ingredient listed.) Also, this version added paprika to the liquid, which I had never done before. Overall, I enjoyed them, and added them to whatever I was eating for a pop of acidity and sweetness.

I had fun with this cookbook, and look forward to cooking from it some more. Other comments? Not every recipe has a photo, in case that matters to you. Ingredients are mostly listed in the volumetric system. Having said that, the baking recipes does offer weighed measurements in ounces for all of the flour which I really appreciate. Since this book revolves around pantry ingredients, you can easily find all the recipes for each pantry ingredient in the index. For example, I can easily see that ghee is listed in 8 recipes.

I think all home cooks who like to work with different ingredients from around the world will enjoy “The Global Pantry Cookbook.”

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Workman Publishing for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This book is available for purchase through your favorite retailer, and will be released on October 10th.

Reference Links:

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/scott-mowbray/the-global-pantry-cookbook/9781523516858/

https://www.anntaylorpittman.com/

https://www.instagram.com/scottmowb/?hl=en

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Kneaders Bakery and Cafe, cookbook review

Having spent most of my time in the Northeast (with a sprinkling of visits to California and Hawaii), I had never heard of Kneaders Bakery and Cafe until I received a review copy of the 25 year anniversary book.  Founded by couple Colleen and Gary Worthington originally in Utah, Kneaders started with artisan bread production, but eventually offered soups, sandwiches, breakfast, and desserts. Today, locations can be found in Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, and Texas. 

I believe most of the items in “Kneaders Bakery and Cafe: A Celebration of Our Recipes and Memories,” by Colleen Worthington, are inspired by their menu but are not necessarily the exact recipes.  For example, Dave’s BLT Sandwich tells you to use Kneaders sauce, which is explained as a mixture of mayo/mustard/sour cream, but no exact ratios are provided.  The recipe for the olive bread comments that it is commercially made with a levain but the published version swaps in instant yeast for ease.  Personally, I dislike getting a recipe that isn’t actually the recipe. I wanted the real one for good reason. Obviously this isn’t an issue for people with access to the real thing. And honestly, most people will be satisfied with easier recipes if it gets them 80% of the way there.

Anyway, the chapters here are:

  • Breakfast,
  • Salads,
  • Sandwiches,
  • Soups,
  • Drinks,
  • Dips and Spreads,
  • Stuffings and Croutons,
  • Cakes and Trifles,
  • Cookies and Bars,
  • Pies and Puddings,
  • Sweets and Treats

Here are some of the recipes you’ll find:

  • Raspberry almond muffin tops,
  • Baked breakfast scones (cranberry orange white chocolate, dark chocolate cherry almond, apricot hazelnut vanilla bean),
  • Buttermilk caramel syrup,
  • Pecan pancakes,
  • BLT macaroni salad,
  • Creamy broccoli salad dressing,
  • Ciabatta muffuletta sandwich,
  • Gourmet picnic sandwich (made with a variety of cheese and cold cuts),
  • Artichoke portobello soup,
  • Irish stew,
  • Pumpkin curry soup,
  • Turkey curry chowder,
  • Chocolate hearth bread,
  • Hot cross buns,
  • Sesame semolina bread,
  • Easy chocolate bake box mix hacks,
  • Basic chocolate cake from scratch,
  • Master chocolate cake from scratch,
  • Tres leches cake,
  • Peanut butter cookies (with peanut butter cups),
  • Blueberry sour cream pie,
  • Pineapple hand pies

I noticed that about a third of the book are sweets, which is great of if you have a sweet tooth.  Some of the recipes depend on Kneaders products.  For example, the recipe for lemon ricotta souffle pancakes asks for Kneaders Homestyle Buttermilk Pancake Mix.  And then, the pumpkin trifle recipe wants Kneaders Pumpkin Bread.  I think most of the product mentions can be substituted with items locally available to you and still be delicious, but the texture and/or flavor might be slightly different.

Since New England is returning to bread baking weather, my initial recipe test was for rosemary focaccia bread, which is simply made of yeast, sugar, water, salt, butter, fresh rosemary, and all purpose flour.  Instructions are fairly standard for a slightly enriched dough, and it makes two small rounds.  The loaves are baked on a sheet pan in the oven, no instructions for steaming or dutch-oven baking provided. As such, the loaves didn’t develop a crackly crunchy crust.  (No shade to a softer crust, but I am curious to bake one large boule in the dutch-oven… but that is an experiment for another day.)  Was this like focaccia?  Hmmm, I’m going to say no to that, but it did make very nice soft sandwich slices that reminds me more of white bread.  (Oh, that’s another thing to try: making this without rosemary in a loaf pan specifically for sandwiches.)  I think the “focaccia” in the name is mostly due to the rosemary.  While focaccia doesn’t require any herbs, I think a lot of people tend to think of them together.  

I shared the bread with my mom who absolutely loved it, so I’ll be re-making this again soon.

The second recipe I made was the low-fat onion spread.  It’s made from cottage cheese, light cream cheese, lemon juice, roasted red bell peppers, salt, black pepper, and green onions (aka scallions).  It’s pretty easy to put together.  You blend most of the ingredients, but mix in the scallions toward the end.  The cottage cheese I used was a bit watery so I think the spread came out thinner than intended (if I am go to by the photo in the book).  Originally, I ate it on some toasted whole grain slices but the flavor combo was subpar.  The spread was good, and the whole grain bread I had was good, but I found that the earthiness of the bread didn’t balance the onion flavor well.  Though I didn’t take a photo of it, I ended up making turkey sandwiches with the rosemary focaccia bread and the onion spread.  That was leagues better.  

The only thing I didn’t like about the spread was the color. It was noticeably pink from the blended red bell pepper. It’s such a silly thing to be weirded out by. I might try an orange bell pepper next time and hope for the best.

The real complaint (as someone who loves her kitchen scale) is that none of the baking recipes, except one, have weighed measurements.  The jalapeno cheddar bagel is the only recipe with gram measurements, probably because it was written (submitted?) by their corporate executive baker.  But since this is a U.S. cookbook, I’m not surprised.  Just mildly disappointed, so you can consider this complaint to be minor.

Overall, it’s a good cookbook.  There are no surprises, and nothing too exotic.  Most of the recipes are not very complicated either.  If Kneaders Bakery is something you grew up with or have in your life, this cookbook probably has a place on your shelf.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of “Kneaders Bakery and Cafe: a celebration of our recipes and memories” by Colleen Worthington from Shadow Mountain Publishing this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This book is available for purchase through your favorite retailer, and will be released on October 3.

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“Egg Rolls and Sweet Tea” review

This might be my favorite cookbook released this year, and this isn’t hyperbole.  “Egg Rolls and Sweet Tea” by Natalie Keng is an “Asian inspired, Southern style” cookbook that I related to on a very personal level.  She’s the daughter of Cantonese-Chinese immigrants who moved to Georgia, U.S.A.  Her palate was formed by both her heritage and her environment.  (Swap Georgia with Boston, Massachusetts, and that’s me.) For Keng, “fusion food” isn’t a trend from the 1990s, it’s simply a way of life because “authenticity” isn’t black and white. 

The chapters in this book are:

  • Wrap and Roll
  • Wild About Rice
  • Veggie Mania and Wok the Garden
  • Lil’ Plates, Appetizers, and Snacks
  • Noodles, Salads, and Slaw
  • Buddha Bubba, Meat and Bones
  • Gone Fishin’
  • Gettin’ Saucy
  • Semisweets

Some of the recipes that I want to try are:

  • Oven-Baked Country Bacon and Collard Egg Rolls
  • Ginger-Spiced Sweet Plantains
  • Five-Spice Mashed Rutabaga
  • Sweet Chili Peach Napa Slaw
  • Savory Miso-Butter Garlic Noodles
  • Mom’s Chinese Spaghetti
  • Game-Day Five-Spice Sausage Meatballs with Teriyaki Sauce
  • Joy Luck BBQ Pulled Pork Bao Buns
  • Late-Night Fish Sticks Congee
  • Gotcha Matcha Ice Cream Pie
  • Zesty Ginger-Peach Cobbler
  • Black Sesame Cupcakes with Matcha Frosting
  • Jasmine and Honey Sweet Tea
  • Golden Milk and Sorghum Hot Toddy

My inaugural recipe was for the cinnamon-molasses oolong milk tea, because it sounded delicious but more importantly because I had all the ingredients: cinnamon sticks, oolong tea, milk, molasses, and vanilla.  I was impressed because these were not flavors that I would have picked on my own to pair.  It was sweet, but not much more so than if I were to go to a bubble tea shop and order a drink with “less sugar.”  (If you’re going to use loose tea, I think you’ll need at least 1.5 tsp worth.  I used 1 tsp for the recipe and I think the flavor should have been stronger.  I could still taste it, but it took a backseat to the other flavors.)

The second recipe I made was the first recipe of the book: smoked salmon summer rolls.  (Rice paper wrappers are my favorite.)  It’s reminiscent of a tuna salad and of a lox bagel, but served as a favorite hot weather dish from Asia.  It’s made with smoked salmon, minced basil, minced mint, chopped scallions, capers, mayo, wasabi powder, milk, cucumber, rice vermicelli noodles, and rice paper wrappers. This was both fun and delicious.

Normally, I test 2 recipes from a book (sometimes 3), with very little alterations. I think it’s only fair to make recipes as written for reviews. But I just couldn’t resist making a third recipe with a major method change. I really wanted to make “Mom’s unfried red rice with berries” which includes goji berries. I may or may not have too much goji berries in my pantry, courtesy of my mother. My family mostly uses it for soups, so I liked the idea of putting it into a rice dish. This recipe has you cook red rice with some bouillon, water, raisins, dried goji berries, dried cranberries, nuts or seeds, garlic powder, white pepper, five-spice powder, and salt on the stovetop for almost an hour, before mixing in some butter. I’m not an Asian snob who will only make rice in a rice cooker (in fact, I don’t use a rice cooker at home) but I really didn’t want to simmer rice on a muggy June day. So, I broke out my electric pressure cooker. Stovetop red rice instructions seem to generally be 1 part rice to 2 parts water, but pressure cookers don’t that much water because the water is not evaporating off. For the 1 1/2 cups of rice in this recipe, I tried 2 1/2 cups water. It was a touch too much water. So, dear reader, if you get your hands on a copy of this book and want to make the red rice in a pressure cooker as well, try either 2 1/4 cups or 2 1/3 cups water. If your dried fruits are dried out, try 2 1/3 cups. If not, try 2 1/4 cups. But even so, the flavors of the final dish were fantastic. I can’t wait to try this out on my family during our next potluck.

If you appreciate fusion food for what it really is, you will enjoy this book. If you have an Asian American background, I think you will enjoy this book. If you’re looking for creative takes on Southern cooking, try out this book. I’m not saying that I’m going to make all of Keng’s recipes. After all, I have too many recipes that I want to make and never enough time, or fridge/pantry space. And like any cookbook (or restaurant menu for that matter), not everything appeals to me. But so much of this book sounds fun and somehow familiar, that I look forward to sharing with friends and family.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Gibbs Smith for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This book is available for purchase now through your favorite retailer.

Reference Links:

https://chinesesouthernbelle.com/

https://gibbs-smith.com/

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“Love is a Pink Cake” review

Claire Ptak released her latest cookbook, titled “Love is a Pink Cake.”  Ptak, an American who lives in England, started her career at Chez Panisse in California, and eventually opened the successful brick and mortar named Violet Bakery in London.  I personally first heard of her when she release “The Violet Bakery Cookbook” but I suspect much of the world heard about her when her bakery was commissioned to bake the cake for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. 

The book is split into two sections: the first half inspired by her North Californian upbringing, and the second half inspired by current life in London.  Each half is then split into: Mornings, Afternoons. After a Meal, Party Party, Savouries and Holiday Treats.

And then, the book finishes with a chapter on Pastry Dough.

The quintessential sticky toffee pudding makes an appearance, but I’m amused that she’s placed it in the California section.  She admits that it’s a very English dessert but that dates remind her of California.  As true as that might be, I don’t think I’d have the confidence to make the same decision.

Some of the delicious sounding recipes you’ll find here are:

  • Huckleberry basil sugar scones,
  • Vegan chocolate chip cookies,
  • Grey salt, white chocolate matcha blondies,
  • Pear Eve’s pudding,
  • Stacked blackberry jam cake,
  • Roasted plum and brown sugar buttercream cake,
  • California cake (vegan and gluten free),
  • Popovers,
  • Roasted squash cobbler,
  • Ras el hanout snickerdoodles,
  • Chocolate almond macaroon teacakes,
  • Apricot, chamomile and honey scones,
  • Brown sugar Victoria sponge

And while versions of the royal wedding cake mentioned earlier exist online, Ptak’s actual lemon and elderflower wedding cake recipe is published in this book.

The two recipes I tested were from “California.”  The first was for “Big Sur Cookies” which is a half whole wheat dough with white chocolate and granola as mix-ins.  It’s a straightforward cookie recipe.  My only surprise was that my mom liked these cookies too!  (My mom is fairly picky when it comes to sweets.)  The only “change” I made was to make smaller cookies.  Baking time and temperature seemed to be the same. It wasn’t too sweet compared to other treats. The granola made these cookies feel very snack friendly, almost like a granola bar but not quite. I think you could get away with thinking of them as breakfast cookies. To be fair, I made my own granola which was unsweetened. So, it really all depends on the ingredients you start with.

The other recipe I made was for “Black Tea Poppy Seed Muffins.”  While I like lemon poppy seed muffins, I’m not convinced that there’s a point to the poppy seeds unless you want it for texture.  I can’t discern a flavor from the poppy seeds.  Ptak’s recipe instructs that the poppy seeds be soaked in black tea overnight to release floral flavors.  The seeds smelled more enticing after the soak, but it’s still a very subtle difference.  Freshly baked, I think I tasted the seeds better but any seed flavor that I thought I tasted was gone when it came to leftovers.  I wish I followed the side note suggestion for using earl grey tea, instead of the English breakfast blend that I did use, to amp up flavors.  However, I’m not saying there is something wrong with the muffins.  It’s a very good lemon poppy seed muffin overall.  I appreciated that it used the juice and zest of just 1 lemon.  I go a little crazy when a recipe wants the zest of multiple lemons but only the juice of one.  Also, I appreciate that a blend of spelt flour and almond flour is used here.  It’s a bit more interesting than just all-purpose flour, and a little more tender.

Things that I particularly like about this book: 1) there’s both volumetric and metric weighed measurements, and 2) in the beginning of the book, there’s a blurb on “language.”  This is a list of 13 common British baking-related words and their American English equivalent, which makes it easier to navigate recipes if you’re not familiar with British English terms. Also handy, there are 13 gluten-free recipes included if you ever need them. (But we should bake them anyway because they sound delicious.)

I think any home baker will enjoy this book. The only advisement I have is that there are some ingredients that may be difficult to source, depending on where you live. For example, one of the bun recipes involves geranium leaves. Short of growing rose geraniums on my own, I don’t know where I can get them. Realistically, I’ll probably leave them out.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from W.W. Norton for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This book is available for purchase now through your favorite retailer.

Reference Links:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/royal-wedding-cake/

https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393541113

http://www.violetcakes.com/

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20-40-60 minute dinners review

I like the idea of sorting dinner recipes by length of time. I don’t because my current lifestyle doesn’t require me to whip out dinner every night, but there’s merit in it. That’s the premise of ’20-40-60 minute dinners: Meals to match the time you have’ by Kate Otterstrom.

The book is divided into:

  • College-Style dinners,
  • Quick-Prep dinners,
  • Slow-Cooker dinners,
  • Frozen dinners,
  • Time-Consuming dinners,
  • Accompaniments,
  • Breakfast,
  • Baking and Candy

Some of the recipes you will find here are:

  • Mac and cheese with candied sausage and green peas,
  • Pancakes with homemade syrup and smoky carrots,
  • Slow cooker strata with green salad,
  • Seven layer dip with tortilla chips and crudites,
  • Sweet and spicy turkey carnitas taco salad,
  • Swedish meatballs with roasted potatoes and green peas,
  • Chicken and corn casserole with sauteed cabbage,
  • Meatballs with roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes,
  • Moroccan-style chickpea stew with bread and preserved lemon salsa,
  • Crunchy granola bars,
  • Gluten-free almond poppy seed muffins,
  • Dinner or cinnamon rolls,
  • Gluten-free baguette,
  • Almond Texas sheet cake

The thing I like best about this book is the recipe format.  It’s similar to how I jot down recipe notes.  It’s a grid system.  For example, the pancakes recipe mentioned above is broken down into a section for the carrots, then the pancakes, the syrup, and the suggested condiments.  The ingredients are on the left side of the grid, while the instructions are next to it on the right.  I don’t have to flip pages, or look at an ingredient list and then go looking for the paragraph that corresponds.  I wish all recipes were formatted more like this!  I also love that since Otterstrom has celiac disease, all recipes come with gluten-free instructions where applicable.  The minor editing complaint that I have is the recipe grid doesn’t always clearly label what the row is for.  So in the recipe for the sushi rolls, the row for a sweet teriyaki sauce is clearly labeled, but then the very last row of the grid has no label.  It took me a second to realize, it was ingredients and instructions for miso soup.

Oh, another comment about consistency – this book does offer weighed ingredients when a flour is listed but not always.  For the dinner/cinnamon rolls, the all purpose flour has a weighed amount with the volumetric amount, but the whole wheat flour only has the volumetric.  But if you make the GF version, all volume and weighed measurements are listed.

Another great feature is that every recipe is meant to be a meal.  You don’t have to go looking for a side dish recipe if you don’t want to.  It’s built into the recipe.

I ended up making the focaccia-style pizza with Greek salad.  I thought it would enable me to test out two recipes – the pizza from the Time-consuming Dinners chapter, and the gluten-free blend from the Baking and Candy chapter.  I was really curious about the GF blend as it’s the only one I’ve personally seen that includes garbanzo bean flour (aka chickpea flour aka besan flour).  But as I re-read the recipe, I realized that the focaccia is different ratio of ingredients.  The GF blend is one of the ingredients, but then more starch and garbanzo bean flour is added to the mix.  (I have since looked more closely at the GF baked items in this book, and Otterstrom does this a lot. I almost wonder what’s the point of having a master blend.)

This recipe, in the GF instructions, offers both focaccia and standard round pizza variations.  I kept to the focaccia instructions (but I wish a little that I went with the standard round pizza as I actually prefer a thinner crust on my pizza pies). 

Anyway, you mix the dough with a high amount of yeast.  Let it rise on a baking sheet.  When it’s time, bake the dough for 15 minutes, take it out of the oven, add the toppings, and then finish in the oven.

Since it was my first time with this recipe, I kept it to just cheese.  I also halved the recipe so I used a quarter sheet pan instead of a half sheet pan.  Otterstrom warns that the GF version is less like a dough and more like a batter, and I can confirm.  It’s like a thick cake batter.  While it was baking, it smelled very strongly of garbanzo bean flour which worried me a bit.  But the eating experience was much nicer.  I think I would still prefer a bit less garbanzo bean flour but that’s just personal preference.  The overall texture was lovely!    As reheated leftovers, I thought that the garbanzo bean flavor was a little stronger (but not overly so), and the structure/texture held up pretty well.  I was too curious for my own good, and did a rough nutritional calculation.  Maybe not a recipe for everyday eating, but, for the occasional indulgence, I enjoyed this. 

Since I made a yeasted recipe, I have no idea if the expected cooking active time is accurate or not in this book.  I still want to test out the GF flour blend, so I think the next recipe I’ll be making is for the almond Texas sheet cake or the muffins recipe.  It looks like those might be the only ones that use the blend without any alternations/adjustments.  As for the non-baked recipes, I’m not sure if I’ll actually make any of them.  This cookbook is mostly meant to feed 4-6 people.  That’s a lot of food.  The recipes I normally use are meant to feed 2-4 people.  So that is to say, you’ll probably have more interest in this book if you’ve got a family to feed. Otherwise, be prepared to do some math.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Shadow Mountain Publishing for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for purchase from your vendors of choice.

Reference Links:

dinnerinrealtime.com

shadowmountain.com/product/20-40-60-minute-dinners-meals-to-match-the-time-you-have

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Noods, cookbook review

Not all good cookbooks must have a fancy name attached to it.  And not all cookbooks written by a popular creator are necessarily good.  Or maybe it’s more that titles don’t always reflect the book?

There was a cookbook I took out of the library recently (I won’t mention who the author(s) is/were because that wouldn’t be fair) that I was deeply disappointed with.  “Noodles” was in the title but once I was home and reading it in earnest, I realized half the recipes were pasta. I consider some pastas to be noodles, but I do not consider all pasta to be noodles.  (Example, I don’t think of orzo as a noodle.) All the pasta recipes were Western style, and honestly half of the noodle recipes were forgettable.  I’d be less disappointed if I picked it up because it was titled “Carbs and Sauce” instead.  

So I was excited but cautious when I received a copy of Smith Street Books’ “Noods: 80 Slurpable Noodle Recipes from Asia.”  My immediate reaction upon reading through the book was that this is a wonderful collection and representation of noodle recipes!

The book is simply broken down into:

  • Stir-fried,
  • Soup,
  • Chilled,
  • Instant,
  • Basics

It highlights recipes from China, Japan, Korean, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.  Looking at the pad thai recipe as a measure of accuracy/authenticity, I think this book is probably representing different cultures pretty well.  Their pad thai recipe includes garlic chives, pickled turnip, tamarind sauce, coconut sugar (which is an acceptable sub for palm sugar), and fish sauce.  

Some of the recipes I want to try:

  • Smoked tofu miso ramen,
  • Pho chay (vegetable noodle soup),
  • Khao soi (curry noodle soup),
  • Liangpi (Chinese cold noodles),
  • Sudachi somen (chilled noodles with citrus),
  • Hiyashi chuka (cold noodles with ham),
  • Bun thit nuong (noodle salad),
  • Sa cha beef noodles (Hong Kong instant noodle dish),
  • Budae jjigae (Korean army base stew),
  • Lemongrass sate (basics chapter),
  • Vegan broth (basic chapter)

While I really wanted to make some of the cold noodle recipes, it’s not quite the season for it yet here (New England in March).  Instead, the first recipe I made was for janchi guksu.  This is a Korean recipe made with zucchini, spinach, wheat noodles, egg, anchovy/kelp broth, and yangnyeom sauce.  A recipe for yangnyeom sauce is included which is simply soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, Korean chili flakes, black pepper, and scallions.  The only swap I made was using yellow squash instead of zucchini, and I cheated by using instant broth.  Overall, I was really happy with this dish.  I also liked the yangnyeom sauce.  I made a second batch of it and used it with some cooked ground turkey.

The second recipe I tried was for kare udon, Japanese curry udon soup.  I love Japanese curry but never really thought to use it in soup.  Trying this recipe also gave me the excuse to re-stock on Japanese curry.  This recipe has a pretty short ingredient list – oil, onion, pork loin, mirin, dashi (I cheated again and used instant), udon noodles, and scallion for garnish.  It was really easy and pretty quick to put together.  Unfortunately, I lost the image of this so I remade it as a vegetarian variation.  The second time I made it, I replaced the pork with roasted mushrooms and garnished with quick pickled red onions.  It was good either way, and I’ll remember to keep this soup in rotation during cooler weather.

If you’re a fan of Asian noodles soup, I recommend picking up this cute little book.  It’s good collection of recipes with a good variety countries represented.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is available for pre-purchase from your favorite bookshops, and gets released next week.

Reference Links:

https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781922754226/

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Plantbased by Alexander Gershberg

‘Plantbased: 80 Nourishing Umami-Rich Recipes from the Kitchen of a Passionate Chef’ is the third cookbook by vegan chef Alexander Gershberg.  Many of the recipes here take inspiration from Japanese flavors, and inspiration from his Russian and Israeli roots.  Even those recipes that don’t seem to be influenced by any particular culture have a fresh approach to them. 

Contents of this book are:

  • Whole grains,
  • Beans and proteins,
  • Root vegetables,
  • Sweet round vegetables,
  • Green vegetables,
  • Sea vegetables,
  • Pickles and fermentation,
  • Fruits and desserts

Some of the recipes you will find here are:

  • Brown rice pilaf with cherry tomatoes and chanterelles,
  • Brown rice with roasted sweet potatoes and dried apricots,
  • Soba noodles with carrot and ginger tempura in clear Japanese broth,
  • A stew of white beans with koya dofu and sweet potatoes,
  • Black bean stew with pumpkin and fried seitan,
  • Jerusalem salad,
  • Creamy pasta with pumpkin sauce and white beans topped with almond pesto,
  • Malaysian vegetable-stuffed tofu with spicy peanut sauce,
  • Roasted celeriac with cucumber tzatziki and miso-roasted cherry tomatoes,
  • Roasted fennel with pumpkin seed tahini,
  • Zucchini baba ghanoush,
  • Israeli-style pickles in Indian spices,
  • Pear amazake tart,
  • Tahini almond mousse with grilled prunes and caramelized pistachio

The first recipe I tried was the sweet rice pilaf with almonds, raisins, and cinnamon.  The ingredients here are mostly familiar kitchen items: sesame oil, almonds, raisins, ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, cooked brown rice, rice syrup, and fresh lemon juice.  Rice syrup isn’t something I have ever felt the need to purchase so I replaced it with maple syrup, which pairs well anyway.  The only thing that tripped me up was that I didn’t realize the book specifically said untoasted sesame oil, until I had already finished cooking.  I used my pantry staple sesame oil which is toasted.*  I admit that it felt weird using toasted sesame oil for this (as I usually use it as a finishing oil for savory dishes), but the flavor was quickly subdued by the almonds, cinnamon, and raisins.  It’s the chewier, healthier, faster version of rice pudding.  Personally, I found the lemon juice to be a bit distracting, and made the dish less desirable.  If I remake this, I’ll leave it out completely.

The next dish I made was the stir-fried pointed cabbage and apple.  This was another approachable ingredient list: neutral sesame oil, pointed cabbage (aka sweetheart cabbage), apple, salt, mirin, fresh lemon juice, and shichimi togarashi.  I used green cabbage instead, as the only times I’ve ever been able to pick up pointed cabbage was from my CSA.  I wanted to adore this recipe as I love cabbage and apples, but this time it was either the lemon juice or the shichimi togarashi that just didn’t appeal to me in the finished dish.  (Don’t worry!  I didn’t use my toasted sesame oil here.  I saw the word “neutral” this time, and subbed with my neutral avocado oil.)

I ate everything so my complaints are relatively minor.  I could have easily adjusted both recipes to my personal preference but I wanted to see how the recipes were meant to be.  If I continue cooking from this book, I will be less strict on myself about following the ingredients.

One observation that might matter to a U.S. audience is that when Gershberg uses a pressure cooker, he’s using a manual one.  The instructions for cooking brown rice and for cooking beans are not for an appliance like the Instant Pot.  I have the impression that North America is heavier on the electric usage than stovetop, so I would recommend looking up cooking instructions for these pantry basics from tried and true websites like Amy + Jacky.

One last note for the U.S. audience, Gershberg is based out of Amsterdam.  Some of the ingredients he uses are hard to get in U.S. grocery stores, like salsify.  And then, some items are available but not very common like the previously mentioned untoasted sesame oil.  Another example is the Jerusalem artichoke.

Visually, the book is lovely.  It also offers a sample menu section if that is something that appeals to you.  I think it offers a lot to the vegan home cook.  If anything, my biggest gripe is the index.  The index is essentially a list of the major ingredients used in the book.  You can’t look up “salad” and see a list of salads from the book.  (This is probably less of an issue if your cookbook library is small.  But since my cookbook library is *not* small, I dearly love a good index. It makes looking for particular recipes much easier.) 

Take what you will from this post.  If any of the recipes sound interesting to you, or if you are tired of the more common vegan recipes that come across your social media feeds, then this book is probably for you.  If you’re anyone else, then maybe take it out of the library first before making a decision.

* How to tell if your sesame oil is toasted or untoasted?  If it’s brown, it’s toasted.  If it’s clear, it’s untoasted.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  This cookbook is currently available for purchase from your favorite bookshops.

Reference links:

https://alexandergershberg.com https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com (Amy + Jacky) https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781922754134
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152 Non-Sad Lunches, cookbook review

I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot for workday lunch ideas! I recently received a copy of 152 Non-Sad Lunches: You Can Make in 5 Minutes, by Alexander Hart. I couldn’t easily find information on the author except that he’s Australian and that he’s written four similar books. In some ways, this book is less a cookbook and more a compilation of combinations. It includes ingredients like pre-cooked chicken and pre-cooked beets. But by no means do I think that makes this book less inspiring. It’s diverse with meat, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.

The book is broken down into categories of:

  • Salad ingredients,
  • Classics and new classics,
  • Noodles and zoodles,
  • Grains and seeds,
  • Beans and legumes,
  • Bento boxes,
  • Wraps

The ideas that I’m most interested in:

  • Roast beef salad with smoked almonds (lemon and chili dressing),
  • Chicken taco salad (jalapeño crema dressing),
  • Cucumber and green apple zoodles with salmon (creamy lemon and herb dressing),
  • Asparagus and zucchini zoodles (green olive dressing),
  • Sesame and avocado soba noodle salad (soy sesame dressing),
  • Red quinoa autumn salad (sherry vinegar and shallot dressing),
  • Chicken and peach bulgur salad (maple dressing),
  • Brown rice, cranberry, and rosemary salad (maple dressing),
  • Spicy black bean and quinoa salad (spicy jalapeño dressing),
  • All-day breakfast bento,
  • Turkey, gruyere, and kale wrap (honey mustard mayo),
  • Smoked salmon wrap (herbed cream cheese)

*note – the dressing in parenthesis is the pairing in the recipe

The first recipe I made was the Hokkien noodle and snow pea salad, which is comprised of lo mein-style egg noodles, oranges, snow peas, and avocado. I didn’t have the opportunity to visit my local Asian market so I had to swapped the Hokkien noodles with Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodles. They are not the same at all, but I felt it was a better substitution than dried Italian style pasta (which are not made with eggs). The recommended dressing was made with orange juice, almond butter, rice wine vinegar, miso paste, and sesame seeds. It is orange season as I write this so I had everything on hand. Even though I had to cook my egg noodles, it all came together quickly. More importantly, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It would also be very easy and tasty to add chicken or egg to up the protein if the salad didn’t seem filling enough as is.

The second salad I made was the broccolini and sesame soba noodle salad. The components were broccolini (quickly cooked for 2 minutes), cooked and cooled soba noodles, sliced scallion, and toasted sesame seeds. The dressing was made from minced ginger, sesame oil, honey, rice wine vinegar, light soy sauce, and ground white pepper. While the dressing is meant to be tossed into the noodle salad, it’s very thin. I wish that I had treated it like dipping sauce instead. Just a comment, not a complaint, so you do you.

The highlight for me was the sheer amount of dressing recipes.  It’s easy to put a handful of salad ingredients together, but that salad will be fairly boring if it doesn’t have the right flair.  If I counted correctly, there are 87 different dressing recipes in this book.  Some are repeated, but it looks like nothing was repeated more than 3 times with the one exception of a basic lemon dressing that’s used a total of 7 times in the book. It’s pretty easy to swap a salad ingredient as needed (like I did), and just let the dressing complete the dish. Also useful is that every recipe is for 1 portion. So if you’re someone who doesn’t like eating the same thing two days in a row, you’ll appreciate the variety available here.

Disclaimer – I kindly received a copy of this book from Smith Street Books/Rizzoli New York for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  

Reference Links:

https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9781922754073