le sauce

cookbooks crossed off the wishlist

Within the last year I wished for a few cookbooks and I was recently gifted two of them! James was feeling generous (common) and I am now the happy owner of The New Brooklyn Cookbook and Asian Dumplings. (Click the links for more about why I wanted them so badly.)

Having eaten at these restaurants in Brooklyn, I'm most excited to try the recipes from No. 7, The General Greene, Buttermilk Channel, FIve Leaves. After a visit to Five Leaves in July, I was inspired to recreate an amazing salad I had there, so I'm excited to see that their recipe in this book is for one of their salads too.

And the very first recipes I'm making from Asian Dumplings is going to be the Nepalese Vegetable and Cheese dumplings (cheese? like an Asian ravioli!) and the fried taro dumplings that are calling out to me from the opening page.

Those might have to wait for when I can devote a nice block of time to cooking. My holiday break is looking pretty delicious right now.

not just any kitchen

This is the kitchen of Judith Jones, legendary editor of so many great cookbooks by ground-breaking authors including Julia Child, Marcella Hazan and Madhur Jaffrey. Now at almost 90, she's still a Senior Editor and VP at Knopf and is an accomplished cook with decades of experience and wisdom in her pocket. And dozens of covetable cast iron and copper pans as you can see.

These are just a few photos from the kitch'n's tour of Judith's kitchen. It's definitely worth checking out the rest and reading writer Sara Kate's touching account of being mothered/fed/loved that day, by someone who clearly cooks with their heart.

cookbook i'm craving: the new brooklyn cookbook

This isn't exactly the kind of cookbook I'd usually covet. For one thing, I find compilations sometimes have forced themes. Does someone necessarily want a bunch of recipes from an area, if the regional cuisine isn't a common thread? Actually, in the case of The New Brooklyn Cookbook, I do. It happens to include recipes from restaurants where I've had food so satisfying and interesting to me that I was inspired to recreate or create meals as a result. There are recipes from No. 7, The General Greene, Buttermilk Channel, FIve Leaves--all of which I would happily return to--so I think I might actually cook from this cookbook.

Even if you haven't set foot in Brooklyn, you might be intrigued because of the ongoing buzz it's new(ish) restaurants continue to receive. As the authors state in their introduction, the book is about the culinary energy that's moved through Brooklyn in the last decade, creating destination restaurants, and the people and the recipes behind them. It's a chance to taste a little of that creativity even if it's in your kitchen instead of a dining room in Williamsburg.

tempting: illustrated guide to cocktails

 

You might say I'm just sticking my toe in the vodka when it comes to cocktails. I'm far from a mix master yet I've never thought of buying a guide before. But an Illustrated Guide to Cocktails, illustrated by Elizabeth Graeber and authored by Orr Shtuhl, however, has swayed me. I can't resist a fun illustration and this book seems to have that in spades. Just look at the cover. A fox saddled up to the bar, with a martini in one paw, looking like he's had quite the day. Talk to me, fox! I'll have what he's having. And while I'm at it, I may just have to have this book too. You too? You can order it here, and see more pics from inside this beautiful book.

tartine's savoury bread pudding

The title alone drew me to this recipe: a Tartine recipe, for a savoury bread pudding. I love the savoury version of things over the sweet, almost without exception. And though I've yet to visit San Francisco, the city's own Tartine Bakery's reputation spread like wildfire and people gush about their bread. This recipe is from Tartine co-owner, Chad Robinson's book Tartine Bread. Of course he suggests that you actually make Tartine bread for this bread pudding, and the recipe for it is within the book as well. Of course you really don't have to go to all that trouble, although I did make the trek to a stellar local bakery to get some quality bread for this recipe. 

cookbooks i'm craving: asian dumplings, encyclopedia of asian food

There's been so many great things said about these two book, more than enough to tempt me to buy. But in the end, I'm sold on Andrea Nguyen's book Asian Dumplings because it features a picture in the early pages of crispy, golden taro dumplings--my FAVOURITE dim sum order...and to think it would be possible to make them in my own home??

And just browsing the index of Charmaine Soloman's Encyclopedia of Asian Food convinces me that I could learn some Sri Lankan recipes that aren't even in my aunt and mother's repertoire. If you're interested in Asian cooking, check them out, or look out for some sample recipe tests here soon.

a random bite of greens, soy sesame dressing and tahini

If you live in Toronto, you've probably heard of the Fresh restaurant franchise. James owns a copy of their now out of print cookbook, Juice for Life, with recipes from the restaurant's early days. He made this dinner of steamed greens last week, with their soy sesame dressing drizzled on top. We made tahini in the food processor using a large handful of white sesame seeds, and I sprinkled cayenne pepper over top which I used to do at the restaurant too. With all of that and toasted nori on the side, this is so much more than a plain plate of greens. It's a damn good meal, there is SO much going on in every bite. He's making something similar again tonight--I can tell this is going to be a regular in our weeknight winter rotation. Lucky me!

cheese soufflé

I totally get it now, all of that shushing that happens once people put a soufflé in the oven and, more gently than they ever have before, close the door. Once you fold those very delicate whites into that heavier, thick cheese batter, you wonder how this thing is ever going to rise. If, like me, you spent the last ten minutes straight whisking your heart out to get those egg whites firm, and your arm is still vibrating though you can barely feel the rest of your body, you are not going to let anyone mess this up. I snapped "no hard-walking!" in the most viscious whisper at James as he galavanted into the kitchen. Hard-walking? I was like a cagey raccoon mama in front of that oven door.

And then it rose. Quickly. They do grow up so fast.

broiled eggplant with pesto

the thing about eggplant is that it's not fun to eat raw. i have a feeling that people who dislike or are even on the fence about eggplant have suffered through a meal of half-cooked stir-fried eggplant, for instance. if you follow simon hopkinson's instructions perfectly, but use an eggplant as large as the one i used, you would be very disappointed. checking for doneness can be just as important as checking your seasoning--something else you should do with this, and every other recipe you follow.

but you were going to do all of that anyway, i know, and so you would end up with the same result i did, which is this:

eggplant as luscious as marrow. trust me, eggplant baked with oil until it's postively silky is quite comparable in texture to marrow (something you couldn't keep me away from in my meat-eating days), and adding this much pesto to the top is simply indulgent. if you feel the need to restrain yourself a little, using half the pesto would probably be fine. otherwise, slather away, stand by during the broiling phase, and try to contain yourself while the bubbling vegetable and sauce cools down enough to dive into.

broiled eggplant with pesto

from the vegetarian option

ys notes: the size of the eggplant will determine the baking time. i suggest checking the eggplant after 30 minutes and if the eggplant is still opaque at the base, bake for another 5 minutes before broiling. also, if your eggplant is very large, score the eggplant 3/4 of the way to the skin, not just 3/4 inch deep. oh, and if the eggplant your cooking is that large, believe me, this recipe will serve 4.

1 large eggplant
about 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons pine nuts
a large bunch of basil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
3 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino or parmesan
½ lemon, to serve

preheat the oven to 425°F. cut the eggplant lengthwise in half, through the stalk. using a small, sharp knife, make a crisscross pattern across the cut surfaces, to a depth of about 3/4 inch. brush with a little of the olive oil and season. bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. the flesh should be very soft.

meanwhile, lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet, then remove from the skillet and cool. process the basil, garlic, and pine nuts, together with a little salt and pepper, to a paste in a food processor (or use a mortar and pestle for a more authentic result). now add enough of the olive oil to produce a loose-textured purée. finally, briefly mix in the cheese.

spread the pesto over the scored surfaces of the eggplant and broil until golden and bubbling. serve with a squeeze of lemon.

serves 2.

 

tempting: beautiful (new) food videos vol.i

 

there aren't many things that i like more than sitting on the couch on saturday afternoon, still in my pajamas but onto my second meal, watching lidia basianich on pbs. i'm entertained but i also learn a lot which is why i respect her and her cooking shows so much.

but there are a growing number of food videos that i'm drawn to that are arguably less instructional and i love them for different reasons. they're making their own rules and i think it's interesting to see the evolution.

like the video above, cooking dinner, which is simply beautiful to look at, and evokes a certain mood. actually, perhaps it's a little too moody for my taste, but it's beautifully shot and, as seems to be the new trend, opts for the use of music and no voices.

 

the new go-to dish videos that chow is producing are of fantastic quality but are so fun and casual. my favourite so far is molly ringwald's go-to dish, chicken, even though i don't eat meat! i like the natural light flooding the kitchen, the conversational tone, but the clear purpose--to create a good (and in this case, simple) dish. no written recipe instructions in this one at all, yet i think even an amateur cook would feel confident about trying this--it's friendly all around.

 

these last two are actually videos shot to promote books, both by highlighting one recipe from within, but in two very different ways. i am dying to get my hands on yotam ottolenghi's cookbook plenty and this video is exactly why. the book, like this video, promises to deliver uncomplicated but interesting recipes (inspiration, really) starring vegetables. like the cooking dinner video, this video is all about the food, you barely see the host at all. it's beautiful and professional, but it has laid-back qualities like background noise and messy counters.

on the other hand, the recipe in the the geometry of pasta video features no host, and it is neat, tidy, completely styled yet so much fun to watch.

all of these videos are inspiring and enjoyable to me. what do you think about these new ways to showcase recipes? if you have any others that you like, please share them with me. i'm on the hunt for more of the same. happy weekend!