Only two more weeks until Christmas! Hard to believe, right? I think, in truth, I have mixed feelings about this season. I want to slow down and enjoy it and spend long days just, I don’t know, being festive. Like when you were a kid. But there’s still work and projects and wrapping things up for the end of the year. So, like most things in life, I’m striving for balance, getting things done while also indulging in Christmas activities. I’m also trying not to set unreasonably high standards for myself about what it means to “celebrate.” What this balance translates to in my house is the Swinging Christmas Pandora station playing when I’m cooking dinner, even if dinner is not particularly Christmasy. It means watching Love Actually and The Grinch and A Muppet Christmas Carol with Trevor, even if we only make it through 1/3 of each movie every night. It means baking simple cookies that can be made on a weeknight and saved for later, and spending a few minutes every day just sitting by the tree and enjoying the lights. Because a little bit of Christmas spirit every day adds up!

One of my more ambitious Christmas kitchen projects this year was these Spiked Eggnog Éclairs with Nutmeg Glaze. These are a weekend project, good for a freezing cold Saturday like today. Or, in the spirit of what I wrote above, you can split the prep over a few days, like I did, making the eggnog pastry cream in the morning before work, then baking and filling the shells later. I love eggnog – it’s so indulgent but so good. With a splash of rum and just a hint of nutmeg it’s one of my favorite Christmas treats. So turned into a pastry cream and piped into freshly baked éclair shells? I am definitely into it.

This recipe is adapted from Jenny McCoy‘s book Modern Éclairs, which is full of great recipes for sweet and savory éclairs, profiteroles, and other treats using pate a choux. I particularly like the savory recipes, like the Croque Monsieur Éclairs and the Cheddar, Chipotle and Roasted Corn Gougeres. But for Christmas, I couldn’t resist testing out the very seasonal Eggnog Éclairs. The original eggnog pastry cream recipe didn’t call for any liquor, but having tasted it both before and after adding the rum, I think the spiked version is superior. I always have a tough time piping filling into éclairs, so in the recipe below I call for slicing them in half to fill. But if you’re handy with a piping bag, by all means, fill away.

I hope your Christmas preparations are getting underway, too, if Christmas is your thing. And either way, I hope you’re finding some time to enjoy this festive season!

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Disclosure: I received a review copy of Modern Eclairs from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Spiked Eggnog Eclairs with Nutmeg Glaze

Recipe adapted from Modern Éclairs. Makes 20 large eclairs.

For the eggnog pastry cream:

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 4 TBS cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups eggnog
• 5 TBS salted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup dark spiced rum

For the elcair shells and nutmeg glaze:

• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 10 TBS salted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1 1/2 cup bread flour, sifted
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 TBS dark rum

1. To prepare the eggnog pastry cream: add the egg yolks, whole egg, cornstarch, and sugar to a large heatproof bowl. Beat vigorously until very smooth (you don’t want any lumps of cornstarch). Set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring the eggnog to a gentle simmer. Slowly pour the hot eggnog over the eggs while whisking the eggs vigorously to prevent scrambling. Return the mixture to the pot and cook over medium low heat, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the 5 TBS of butter pieces until melted. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Let cool about 10 minutes, then stir in the rum. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
2. To prepare the pate a choux dough: add the water, milk, butter pieces, and sugar to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is boiling and the butter is fully melted. Turn off the heat and add the sifted bread flour all at once, stirring hard until there are no dry lumps of flour left. Turn the heat back on and cook the dough while continuing to stir it constantly until a skin begins to form on the base of the pot (or the dough begins to look slightly dry on the surface if using a non-stick pot), which should take about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Let dough cool for about 3 minutes, and then add the eggs one at a time, beating each egg into the dough completely before adding the next egg. The final dough should be thick and shiny and slowly run off your spoon when lifted out of the bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fit a pastry bag with a large star tip and fill the bag with the pate a choux dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe long, straight, and thick lines of dough, leaving 2 inches of space between them. Each eclair should be about 5 inches long and 1 inch wide. They will look awkwardly skinny but don’t be tempted to make them wider – they will expand as they bake. Press down any pointy tips with your finger. Bake the eclairs until deep golden brown and cooked through, about 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before filling.
4. To fill, use a serrated knife to cut the eclairs in half lengthwise. Fill a pastry bag with the eggnog pastry cream and pipe onto the cut side of each eclair bottom. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and nutmeg until smooth, then add the rum and whisk until a smooth, runny glaze has formed. If the glaze does not drip easily off of a spoon, add a little more rum. Drizzle the glaze over the un-cut side of the eclair tops, using the back of a spoon to smooth out the glaze if necessary. Let the glaze dry before putting the tops back on the filled eclairs. Serve immediately.

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Last weekend, I had such a lovely, rejuvenating visit with my best college girlfriends, as always. The four of us try to get together for a long weekend at least once a year (this year we’ve actually managed three!). It’s the easiest sort of friendship – one where you know everyone so well that you don’t have to worry about what you say or how weird you sound. We spend a lot of time snuggling and a lot of time talking and laughing and last, eating. We love to eat. Obviously, eating is very important to me, so it’s great to have friends that are on the same page. But it can get a bit heavy, particularly at this time of year. I have a lot of dinners out coming up in the near future, and I’m looking forward to all of them, but I’m also trying to eat lighter at any meal that is not a celebration. I’ve been craving vegetables and whole grains and other things that leave me feeling light and fresh in between eating fests, so it was perfect timing to receive a copy of Diana Henry’s newest cookbook, Simple.

I’m a big fan of Diana Henry – I have four of her books, all of which are in heavy use in my kitchen. I love her books first and foremost because she is a whiz with flavors, and I love her food, period. But I also love that all the books have the same clean, appealing design and colorful, casual photography. The books are inviting – they remind me what it is I love about food. As is perhaps obvious from the title, this book focuses on simple food – the kind of thing you can throw together on a weeknight with what you have in the fridge. It’s basically an ode to the way I cook when I’m only feeding myself, full of vegetable roasts and fancy nourishing toasts and quick but healthy pastas. There’s even a special two page section dedicated to fillings for baked potatoes! Seriously, Diana is a woman after my own heart. This is the book I’m going to recommend to friends who love food and want to learn to cook but don’t know where to start. It has all the simple recipes and techniques that you need to learn when you first learn to cook for yourself, but still feels creative and balanced.

The first recipe I made is an adaptation of Diana’s Roast Cauliflower with Pomegranates, Green Olives, and Chickpea Puree. I love crunchy roasted chickpeas, so rather than blending the chickpeas into a hummus, I roasted them with the cauliflower and used the other hummus ingredients to make an addictive tahini dressing. I tossed everything together with a generous amount of fresh parsley leaves and juicy pomegranate seeds and it was amazing, exactly what I want to be eating in between plates of Christmas cookies. And bonus: about halfway through the bowl, I realized that this recipe was naturally gluten free and vegan.  This is not a very frequent occurence in my house – we love cheese and we love bread. So when I don’t even realize a recipe has neither? That’s a win.

Recipe Shortlist: Huevos Rotos; Baked Merguez Sausage with Beans, Eggs, and Feta; Smoky Couscous; Salmon, Fennel, and Potatoes en Papillote; Roast Maple and Mustard Spatchock Chicken with Figs; Spanish Spiced Pork with Sherried Onions; Baked Sausages with Apples and Cider; Butternut Squash Strata; Roast Apple, Blackberry, and Whiskey Trifles

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Disclosure: I received a review copy of Simple from Mitchell Beazley, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Roast Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad with Pomegrante, Green Olives, and Tahini Dressing

Adapted from Diana Henry’s Simple. Serves 3-4.

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas
• 6 TBS olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt
• black pepper
• 1/3 cup walnut halves and pieces, toasted in a dry pan for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned
• 1/2 cup pitted, chopped green olives
• seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 3 TBS minced fresh parsley
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely minced or crushed
• 3 TBS tahini paste
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the cauliflower florets out on one rimmed baking sheet and the chickpeas out on another rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together 4 TBS of the olive oil, the cayenne pepper, the cumin seeds, sea salt, and black pepper until evenly combined. Pour half of the oil over the cauliflower and half over the chickpeas. Use a spatula to flip the ingredients to coat with the olive oil.
2. Place pans in the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes. The cauliflower is done when it is tender all the way through and caramelized on the edges. The chickpeas are done when they are crunchy and golden brown. Add roasted chickpeas and cauliflower to a large bowl. Add the toasted walnuts, chopped olives, pomegranate seeds, and chopped parsley to the bowl and stir together.
3. To make the dressing, whisk the remaining 2 TBS of olive oil together with the minced garlic, the tahini paste, the lemon juice, and the cumin until smooth and thick. Taste and adjust balance of ingredients if desired. Add the dressing to the bowl and stir to coat the ingredients. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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The Book: Grilling is not my strong suit. Nor, for that matter, is cooking large cuts of meat. I find both intimidating – partly because the idea of ruining an expensive piece of meat is so stressful, and partly because working with fire makes me jumpy. But I very much want to be good at grilling – at cooking over a flame, at coaxing beef and lamb and fish to a charred but juicy perfection, neither overcooking or undercooking them. And the only way to get better is to practice, and to learn, for which I turn to the grilling, meat-centric cookbooks in my collection like Around the Fire, the newest addition to that collection, and a gorgeous book by the team at Ox in Portland.

This book really wowed me. In my opinion, it has everything a cookbook needs – thoughtful, well-written words, inspiring photographs, and most importantly, creative but accessible recipes that work. I love cookbooks where the words themselves add something, where they are not just trite filler text surrounding the recipes, and Around the Fire fully meets that criteria. It is beautifully written, both evocative and informative. The story of the authors’ first Argentinean asado that fills the introduction is the perfect invitation into the book – it so clearly portrays the beauty and excitement of live fire cooking. There’s a big difference between a book that states “this is my favorite version of chimichurri” and this one, which includes a 6-paragraph love letter to the condiment while giving you a peek into it’s culture and history.

The inspiration for the book is primarily South American, but occasionally veers East to Italy, North to Portland, and West to Hawaii, to incorporate flavors from other cuisines and cultures into a unique, creative cooking style. The recipes are mid level as far as difficulty – many have long ingredient lists and multiple components, but are not overly complicated or so esoteric as to be inaccessible to the home cook. They certainly aren’t “grilling 101,” but if you know your way around a kitchen they won’t leave you overwhelmed, either. Recipes range from the expected, centerpiece meat dishes like grilled short ribs or whole grilled crabs, to chilled seafoods like poke and ceviche, to a collection of gorgeous grilled vegetable dishes and salads (that might be the highlight of the book for me). There are even a handful of intriguing and very of-the-moment cocktail recipes, like the “Things Done Changed,” which features pisco, smoked lemon, and jalapeno oil. As a collection, they’ll keep you busy at the grill all through summer and well into fall.

The Food: When we took this book for a spin a few weeks ago we went a little overboard, choosing three different recipes and loading the grill up with a pile of meat and veggies that lasted us for a full week in various forms. Maple-Brined Pork Chops were the star, a dish that couldn’t be simpler or more flavorful. Soaking the chops overnight in a salty-sweet maple brine before charring them on a hot grill made for the tastiest, juiciest pork chops I have ever tried. They will definitely be making more appearances on my table (and I might start brining all kinds of other meats in the maple brine as well). As a side, we served a warm vegetable dish of Grilled Sweet Onion with Buttered Beets, Blue Cheese, and Walnuts. For me this one was just OK – I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but I thought there was too much butter and richness – but Trevor loved it, so to each their own. The dish is what it sounds like from the title, with the roasted, diced beets sauteed in a generous amount of melted butter until they are completely and luxuriously coated. The sweet, roasty flavors of the onions and beets did make a good pairing for the maple chops – together, it made for a delicious September dinner, perfectly hitting all the notes I want in “between seasons” cooking.

Recipe Shortlist: Grilled Corn Empanadas with Poblanos and Gruyere; Shrimp Ceviche with Chiles and Avocado; Grilled Whole Chicken with Figs, Manouri Cheese, and Lentil Chimichurri; Cast Iron Grilled Trout with Potatoes and Capers; Grilled New Potato and Onion Skewers with Bacon-Sherry Cream; Salt Crust Roasted Tomatoes; Grilled Peaches with Maple-Corn Panna Cotta

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Katie at the Kitchen Door in the box on the right, on Feedly or Bloglovin‘, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Google+. Thanks for reading!

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Around the Fire from Ten Speed Press, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Grilled Maple-Brined Pork Chops

Recipe from Around the Fire. Serves 4.

• 1/4 c. kosher salt
• 1/4 c. pure maple syrup
• 2 TBS sugar
• 2 TBS dried thyme
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 head garlic, sliced in half crosswise
• 6 c. water
• 4 bone-in pork loin chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick each
• 2 TBS olive oil
• sea salt for seasoning

1. To make the brine, combine the salt, maple syrup, sugar, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 1-2 minutes, stirring once or twice to help fully dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes, before straining the brine into a large bowl. Let the brine cool completely.
2. Arrange the pork chops in a baking dish or storage container and pour the cooled brine over them to cover them completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
3. When you are ready to grill, prepare your grill to medium-high heat. Remove the pork chops from the brine and place on a plate or platter (discard the used brine). Drizzle the pork chops on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt on top. Grill the pork chops for 4-5 minutes per side, until the exterior of the pork is colored and the chops have reached an internal temperature of 145-150°F for medium doneness. Use tongs to hold the pork chops on their sides to quickly sear the fatty edges, then remove to a plate and let rest for 4-5 minutes before serving.

Grilled Sweet Onion with Buttered Beets, Blue Cheese, and Walnuts

Recipe from Around the Fire. Serves 4.

• 10 walnut halves
• 2 whole sweet onions (such as Walla Walla or Vidalia)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• sea salt and fresh black pepper
• 3 oz high quality blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 c. diced, roasted beets
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3 TBS saba or balsamic vinegar glaze
• 1/4 c. minced chives

1. Toast the walnuts – you can do this either by spreading them on a baking sheet and roasting them for 8 minutes in a 350°F oven, or by adding them to a dry frying pan and toasting over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they just begin to brown and are fragrant. In either method, be careful not to burn them. Once they are toasted, let cool and coarsely chop them, then set aside.
2. Prepare a grill to medium heat. Quarter the onions lengthwise, keeping the root attached so the layers don’t separate, and remove the peels. Drizzle the onions with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Grill, 3-4 minutes on each side, until they are charred and softened. If the onions char before they are tender, move them to a cooler part of the grill and continue cooking until they are tender all the way through. Transfer the onions to a plate and set aside.
3. Put the beets and the water in a small frying pan over medium heat. As soon as the water begins to simmer, turn the heat to low and add the butter a few pieces at a time. Swirl the pan until the butter melts and fully coats the beets. To serve, place a few pieces of onion on each plate, top with several spoonfuls of the buttered beets, and sprinkle with the blue cheese, walnuts, and minced chives. Drizzle with the saba or balsamic glaze, and serve.

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The Book: It’s been ages since I’ve done a cookbook review – my last one was way back in August! That’s partly because my cookbook shelves are not just full, but crammed, so last fall I forced myself to take a break from ordering and requesting cookbooks. But when I got back from Asia all that restraint flew out the window – one of the first things I did after getting home was order 4 Japanese and Vietnamese cookbooks, and now I have a sizable stack of books awaiting review sitting next to my desk. I guess it’s time to clean out those cookbook shelves and make room for the new!

Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Phô, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals, successfully capitalizes on the intersection of two trends: the rage for “bowl food” and the rising popularity of authentic Asian cuisine in Western cultures. The book covers a lot of cultural ground, ranging from ramen and phô, bibimbap and even polenta, but is fundamentally organized by grain type, starting with wheat (ramen, soba), moving through rice (phô, bibimbap), and then onto other grains and dumplings. The flavors and techniques showcased here are not exactly classic – I’m sure many ramen chefs would cringe to see brussels sprouts and kabocha squash included in a ramen recipe – but they are modern, refreshing, and clever twists on traditional Asian dishes. There were a few flavor combinations that were a bit too far fetched for me (soba, kimchi, and pickled apple?), but far more that sounded absolutely delicious. I particularly love the seasonal variations, like summer ramen with corn, basil, and cherry tomatoes as toppings, or the winter bibimbap with gochujang-roasted sweet potatoes and kale. The dumpling chapter was also intriguing, and even includes an overview of the 5 kinds of dumpling folding styles, which is exactly the type of new-to-me information I love to find in the middle of a cookbook. And although the dishes themselves are a little irreverent, there are some good tips and historical tidbits included – now I know to rinse my ramen noodles post cooking to remove the excess starch and up the “slurp factor,” and that phô is traditionally served for breakfast.

The Food: I have to admit, I was skeptical about how satisfying a vegetarian ramen broth would be. I loved the idea of a light, vegetarian bowl of ramen, but I couldn’t imagine the soup without the salty, golden yellow broth I’d come to revere during our time in Asia. I considered making one of the broth-free recipes for this review, like the leek and mushroom shumai dumplings, but decided that I couldn’t give a fair review of a vegetarian ramen book without making, well, vegetarian ramen. I would put it to the test – could a handful of dried mushrooms, asparagus stems, sheets of seaweed, and a spoonful of miso make a satisfying soup?

I ended up loving the soup. Sure, the broth on its own wasn’t the same as a really perfect chicken broth, but the combination of the noodles, the raw and grassy asparagus, the sweet, crunchy peas, the bright lemon and ginger, the creamy egg, and the charred, bitter but sweet shallots was almost perfect. I went back for seconds and felt nourished and satisfied and happy. The recipe does require dirtying a number of different pots and pans to make all the components, but despite that, it wasn’t very time consuming to pull together.

Recipe Shortlist: Autumn Ramen with Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Mushrooms, and Chili Broth; Vegetairan Curry Laksa; Fennel Pho; Spring Bibimbap with Kimchi, Swiss Chard, and Avocado; Sprouted Lentil Bowl; Edamame Dumplings; Leek and Mushroom Shumai; Chickpea Potstickers

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Katie at the Kitchen Door in the box on the right, on Feedly or Bloglovin‘, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Google+. Thanks for reading!

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Phô, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Vegetarian Spring Ramen

Recipe adapted slightly from Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Phô, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals. Serves 4.

• 8 oz. asparagus
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 9 cups water
• Four 2-inch squares of kombu
• 2 TBS minute miso
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 large eggs
• 4 oz. sugar snap peas, trimmed of strings
• 2 TBS canola oil
• 3 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
• 12 oz. fresh or frozen ramen noodles
• 4 pinches of freshly grated lemon zest
• 4 tsp freshly grated ginger pulp

1. To make the broth: thoroughly rinse the asparagus, then snap off the tough ends by bending each piece of asparagus in the middle and letting it snap at the natural point. Place the tough ends of the asparagus, the dried mushrooms, garlic, and water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Cover and keep at a low boil for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the kombu, and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain the broth into a clean bowl, discarding the solids. Stir the miso into the hot broth, then taste and adjust seasoning with additional miso or salt as needed.
2. To prepare the ramen toppings: bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water. Boil the eggs for exactly 7 minutes, then immediately use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to an ice bath. Soak in the ice bath until cool, then carefully peel.
3. Add the snap peas to the boiling water you used for the eggs and blanch them until bright green, about 2 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to an ice bath. Keep the water at a gentle boil. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the raw asparagus into long, thin strips (like flat noodles), and set aside. Then add the canola oil to a frying pan and heat over medium heat, add the shallots (test one shallot first – it should sizzle as soon as it hits the oil) and saute, stirring frequently, until the shallots are dark brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the shallots to a paper towel-lined plate and salt generously. Set aside.
4. To assemble the ramen: bring the vegetable broth back to a gentle simmer. Add the ramen noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, usually about 2 minutes for fresh noodles. When noodles are tender, use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove the noodles from the pot and rinse in cold water to remove the excess starch, then quickly dunk them back in the hot water just to reheat them. Add a pinch each of the lemon zest and ginger pulp to each of your serving bowls, then cover with a few ladlefuls of the hot broth and add a serving of noodles. Top each bowl with a handful of the asparagus “noodles,” a few blanched snap peas, a soft-boiled egg, and a spoonful of the fried shallots. Serve immediately.

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The Book: A few years ago, Quirk Books reached out to me about reviewing a book called Winter Cocktails that had just been published. They sent over a copy and it quickly became one of my most used and best loved cookbooks. I’ve shared a number of recipes from it here, including Nutella Melt with Frangelico, Burnt Sugar Hot Buttered Rum, and Chocolate Stout Affogato. Now, the same talented ladies have teamed up to write a second book – Summer Cocktails, but of course. I love making and shooting cocktails: they’re quick to make, instantly rewarding, and they provide endless opportunities for creativity. Plus, at the end you have a cocktail to drink. So I was really excited to dive into this book, and I was not disappointed.

The first section of the book contains classics, always with the option for a clever, modern twist. Mint Juleps go further South with cilantro and ginger-infused rum, and Shirley Temple grows up with a splash of Bourbon and Campari. Next we move on to summer punches, large format drinks and pitchers to set out during backyard soirees, like a frizzante and herb-laced Italian sangria, basil and rhubarb vodka spiked lemonade, and peachy bourbon punch. The “Frosty Drinks” section includes all things blended, ice cream based, or best served with an umbrella. Frozen pineapple gets lots of opportunity to shine in fancy ginger-lemongrass piña coladas and blended with tequila and cointreau, while boozy pops made with everything from avocado and tequila to mango and sake will keep you cool (and really relaxed). The last section of the book is reserved for antidotes, “hair-of-the-dog” daytime mimosas, shandys, and micheladas to help you recover from the night before, if that’s your sort of thing. There are also a few, choice, non-liquid recipes included – think sliders, breakfast tacos, and other things you might start to crave once you’re a few drinks in. In short, this book is full of good stuff: tons of creative ideas, gorgeous photos, and enough inspiration for every summer party you’ll throw.

The Drinks: As we get into the sticky-hot heat of August, refreshing, thirst quenching drinks are just about the best thing in the world. While I was tempted by the boozy milkshakes and sweet punches, I knew that they might feel a little too heavy. But a Watermelon and Pisco Refresher? I was 100% sold on that. I’ve been drinking a lot of pisco in Chile, and I just bought a bottle to experiment with at home, so that was an added temptation. This drink is delightfully fresh from the watermelon, cilantro, and mint, and surprisingly spicy from the little bit of jalapeno that’s added. I may or may not have had one, gone for a run, and then come back and had another one… that counts as hydrating, right?

Recipe Shortlist: Kentucky Mule (with Bourbon and Ginger Beer); Fresco de Arroz con Piña; Bollywood Margarita (with Curry Leaves, Tomatillo, and Coriander Tequila); Moroccan Mint Iced Tea; Pink Ladies Lemonade (with Rhubarb and Strawberry Vodka); Peachy Keen Bourbon Punch; The Luxe Cherry Milkshake

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Katie at the Kitchen Door in the box on the right, on Feedly or Bloglovin‘, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Google+. Thanks for reading!

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Summer Cocktails from Quirk Books, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Watermelon Pisco Refresher

Recipe adapted slightly from Summer Cocktails. Serves 2.

• 3 c. cubed, chilled watermelon
• 3 oz. Pisco
• 1/4 c. packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 c. packed fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed, sliced thinly
• 1/4 c. sugar
• pinch of salt
• ice

1. Muddle the cilantro, mint, jalapeno, sugar, and salt in a cocktail shaker until fragrant. Add several ice cubes to the shaker.
2. Add the watermelon and the Pisco to a blender and blend until smooth. Let settle for a few minutes, then scoop the foam off the top and discard. Strain liquid through cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer into the cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into ice-filled glasses and garnish with additional watermelon slices, cilantro, and mint. Serve immediately.

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The Book: Katie Quinn Davies of What Katie Ate has been one of the world’s most celebrated, successful food bloggers. Although she doesn’t post as much as she used to, when she does, it’s always a treat for the eyes – and for the tastebuds, if you get the chance to cook her food instead of just drooling over the photos. Her first, eponymous cookbook, was hugely popular and now, her second book, What Katie Ate on the Weekend has just launched in the US. The book is distinctively hers – Katie’s signature photography and writing style fills each of the 310 pages of the book. Her photography style – which is a bit metallic, with high-contrast editing, off-center styling, and strong shadows – is one of the few that I can recognize before seeing the photographer’s name. Her writing, too, is specific to her – verbose and friendly, as if writing a long and warm letter to a friend she hasn’t spoken with in a while. The two come together beautifully in a book that is quirky, warm, and playful, scattered with images and phrases from old advertisements, fun typography, and of course, delicious recipes. The food in What Katie Ate on the Weekend has a universal appeal – pancakes, crispy chicken tacos, burgers, chili, brownies, etc. – but everything is dressed up just enough to make it feel special. It’s casual food, easy to prepare and to serve to friends during weekend gatherings.

The Food: I feel a bit guilty about defaulting to something as simple as a self-saucing pudding to showcase this book, especially when there are so many beautiful and creative savory recipes included. But I was reading this book on a chilly, rainy Sunday afternoon, after an exhausting and emotionally overwhelming week, and nothing sounded better than melty, gooey, chocolate. Perhaps in the end, it’s appropriate for a book called What Katie Ate on the Weekend… as in fact it was exactly what I needed to close out my weekend. This is perhaps not the most memorable or special warm chocolate cake in the world, but it is really easy, and really chocolatey, and probably one of the better ways to satisfy an urgent chocolate craving. It’s a one bowl affair, and any baker will have all the ingredients on hand, meaning it’s only about 35 minutes from conception to digging into a piping hot bowl of gooey chocolate pudding with quickly melting ice cream. There won’t be leftovers.

Recipe Shortlist: Chocolate and Sour Cherry Hotcakes; Chorizo Rosti with Duck Eggs and Anchovy Mayo; Smoked Trout, Egg, and Potato Salad with Cider Mayo; Crispy Chicken Tacos with Creamy Slaw; Lamb Shank Pie; Truffle Beef Burgers with Creamy Mushrooms and Pancetta; Pretzels with Chocolate and Sea Salt; Double Chocolate Brownies with Salted Butterscotch and Cherries

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Disclosure: I received a review copy of What Katie Ate on the Weekend from Penguin Random House, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Self-Saucing Mocha Pudding

Recipe from What Katie Ate on the Weekend. Serves 4.

• 2/3 c. AP flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 TBS cocoa powder
• 1/3 c. light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 TBS espresso coffee
• 7 TBS milk
• 1 egg
• 3 TBS butter, melted
• 1 1/2 TBS creme de cacao or chocolate liqueur
• ice cream, to serve

For the sauce:

• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 4 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp espresso instant coffee powder
• 1 c. boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 4 cup capacity souffle mold or baking dish and set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and cocoa into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the sugar. Add the espresso, milk, egg, melted butter, and creme de cacao and stir to thoroughly combine. Pour into the prepared baking mold and place on a rimmed baking sheet (important to catch drips).
3. Mix the dry ingredients for the sauce (brown sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso instant coffee powder) together in a small bowl. Scatter evenly over the top of the batter, then pour the boiling water over the top.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pudding has risen and the sauce is bubbling up around the sides. Serve warm with ice cream.

Reprinted by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Katie Quinn Davies, 2015.

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The Book: Although I know that for a lot of Americans, chicken is the mainstay of the family dinner table, I actually don’t cook it very often. My parents might find this ironic, as the only form of protein I consumed up to age 14 was basically chicken fingers. (And I suppose the occasional hot dog.) Perhaps the reason it doesn’t make it into my cart all that often is childhood overexposure, but more likely, it’s because I find chicken a little ho-hum. Diana Henry’s new book, A Bird in the Hand, is written for precisely that reason – to remind you of all the exciting, flavorful ways you can use that package of chicken sitting in the fridge. You know, that one you picked up because it was on sale and it seemed like a practical thing to buy.

I’m a huge fan of Diana Henry’s work. A Change of Appetite, one of her more recent books, is the book I’m cooking from the most these days, and Roast Figs Sugar Snow was one of the first cookbooks I purchased for myself. So despite my lack of enthusiasm for chicken in general, I was excited to see what magic Diana could work with the ubiquitous bird – I was not disappointed. She brings a great deal of variety – in flavor and technique – to the humble chicken. Recipes are divided into sections based loosely on how much effort they will need from you, ranging from simple suppers prepared in 15 minutes after a long day at work, to feast dishes meant to be the crowning glory of a celebratory table. There’s lots of international spin here, with inspiration coming from every corner of the globe. It’s evident just by looking at the “recipe shortlist” I’ve included below… almost every recipe on there has a distinct and easily identifiable global origin. Every part of the bird, too, is represented, although I will say that boneless, skinless thighs seem to be the favorite. And of course, the book is graced by the bright, inviting food photography and clean design I’ve come to expect from all of Diana’s books. Of all the books I’ve reviewed recently, this one is probably the safest bet for your average cook – the one that loves to eat and doesn’t mind dedicating a short amount of time to a great home-cooked dinner, but who doesn’t go in for complicated techniques or impossible to find ingredients.

The Food: I had a short but concentrated Eastern European food kick last weekend. Friday night I dragged Trevor out for beer and brats and pretzels dipped in super-spicy mustard at Bronwyn. Then, flipping through this book trying to decide what to make for lunch on Saturday, I went straight for the rye chicken schnitzel. The chicken recipe itself was fairly standard – pound the chicken thin; dip in flour, egg, and rye breadcrumbs; shallow fry and serve immediately – but turned out beautifully. The slightly decadent mustard cream sauce served with it was the perfect mix of rich and tangy. And Diana’s recommendations for side dishes of tiny boiled new potatoes and braised cabbage were essential elements for the final plate. With a frosty glass of Belgian beer it made for a very satisfying Saturday lunch… and an even more satisfying post-bar-hopping midnight snack that evening.

Recipe Shortlist:  Cumin and Turmeric Roast Chicken with Smashed Avocado and Corn Cakes; Thai Chicken Burgers with Asian Slaw; Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice; Chicken Forestiere; Jamaican Chicken Curry with Sweet Love Apples and Rum; Indonesian Roast Spiced Chicken with Mango and Tomato Salad; West African Chicken and Peanut Stew; Chicken Legs in Pinot Noir with Sour Cherries and Parsnip Puree; Chicken, Aspragus, Fava Bean, and Radish Salad with Dill and Mint Dressing; Chicken, Leek, and Hard Cider Pie with Sharp Cheddar and Hazelnut Crisp

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Katie at the Kitchen Door in the box on the right, on Feedly or Bloglovin‘, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Google+. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of A Bird in the Hand from Mitchell Beazley, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Rye Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Sauce

Recipe from A Bird in the Hand. Serves 4.

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thights
• flour
• sea salt and pepper
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 3/4 c. rye bread crumbs
• 2 TBS peanut or canola oil
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 TBS butter
• 4 shallots, peeled and minced
• 3 1/2 TBS white wine vinegar
• 2/3 c. dry white wine
• 3/4 c. heavy cream
• 2 TBS Dijon mustard

1. Put the chicken thighs between 2 sheets of parchment paper or saran wrap and use a rolling pin or meat mallet to pound them until they have an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Place some flour in a large shallow bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place the beaten eggs in a second bowl, and the bread crumbs in a third bowl. Dredge the chicken first in the flour, then in the egg, then into the rye crumbs. Set them on a nonstick cookie sheet as they are ready.
2. Heat the peanut or canola oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Let the oil heat up for at least 1 minute before adding the chicken. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side, until the coating is golden brown and the chicken is fully cooked through (juices run clear when sliced in the center). Immediately upon removing from the heat, season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
3. While you are frying the chicken, make the mustard sauce. In a medium pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the vinegar, turn up the heat, and reduce the liquid to about 1 TBS. Add the white wine and simmer to reduce by half, then add the cream, mustard, and salt and pepper and heat through. Remove from the heat.
4. Serve the chicken immediately with the sauce on the side. Good accompaniments are braised red cabbage, pickles, and boiled new potatoes.

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The Book: Although I somehow missed Sprouted Kitchen’s eponymous first book (so many cookbooks, so little time!), after the rave reviews I saw for it all over my favorite blogs, I wasn’t about to make the same mistake with their newest book, Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon. If you’re not familiar with Sara and Hugh’s lovely blog, please take a few minutes to go check it out – it’s full of warmth, love, and healthy, wholesome meals. In their newest book, which is a seamless continuation of their blog, they take the somewhat trendy idea of “bounty bowls” (see also “earth bowl,” “broth bowl,” etc… even Panera now sells “broth bowls” of quinoa, lentils, and kale, although to be honest, I’m not sure how a broth bowl is different from soup) and explore it to the fullest. They’ve managed to turn everything from breakfast (cabbage, fennel, and apple slaw with smoked salmon) to dessert (key lime eton mess) into a “bowl” meal. Perhaps the best description of what qualifies as a “bowl” is that it should be a hearty but healthy mixture of grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, eggs, lean meats, and flavorful sauces, served together in a big bowl but with each element maintaining it’s own flavors and integrity. The recipes that Sara and Hugh have included are not particularly innovative or particularly classic – what they are is well-loved, tried and true meals that a family that loves to cook and eat has come to rely on. I love that the recipes are healthy without being restrictive – they won’t deny you eggs, a little cheese, or a few spoonfuls of maple syrup. They are also simple – nothing in this book should overwhelm you, even if you’re a tentative cook. Everything is simple to prepare, simple to serve, and simple to eat, the sort of food you’d happily whip up and pack for a picnic, but with smart, bright flavors throughout.

The Food: In my last post, I lamented my recent (poor) eating habits, driven largely by my nutty travel schedule (I have another week-long trip starting tomorrow, and I’m planning to be a lot more diligent about what goes into my body this time!). Coming home to a copy of Bowl + Spoon waiting for me in the mail was exactly what I needed – it’s full of inspiration for healthy, nourishing, and simple meals to fuel you through a busy day. The first recipe I turned to was the Tahini Kale Slaw and Roasted Tamari Portobello Bowl, because it was exactly to my tastes without even a small tweak (although I did skip the carrots as Trevor is allergic). The base of the bowl is a hearty scoop of brown rice, which is then topped with a raw kale slaw dressed in a sweet and savory tahini and citrus sauce. The crowning elements are sesame and soy roasted portobello mushrooms, and perfectly ripe avocado. The beauty of this recipe, besides that it’s filling, healthy, and super simple to prepare, is that each element has a distinct flavor – they don’t run together and end up tasting like a stirfry. I made this two nights in a row, and my body and tastebuds were both grateful.

Recipe Shortlist: Burrata with Figs and Crostini; Golden Quinoa and Butternut Breakfast Bowl; Caribbean Bowl with Jerk-Seasoned White Fish and Tropical Fruit Salsa; Lentil and Rice Bowls with Summer Vegetable Kebabs; Curried Sweet Potato Soup with Crispy Lentils; Lentil and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers over Goat Cheese Butternut Mash; Coconut Sorbet with Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce; Key Lime Eton Mess

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Katie at the Kitchen Door in the box on the right, on Feedly or Bloglovin‘, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Google+. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon from Ten Speed Press, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Tahini Kale Slaw and Roasted Tamari Portobello Bowl

Recipe from Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon. Serves 2.

For the Tahini Citrus Miso Dressing:

• 1/2 c. tahini
• 2 TBS white or yellow miso
• 2 TBS honey
• 1 TBS toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp Sriracha or hot sauce
• 1 TBS rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 c. orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon juice, to taste

1. In a mixing bowl or mason jar, whisk together the tahini, miso, honey, sesame oil, Sriracha, vinegar, and orange juice until smooth and evenly combined. Thin with water or lemon juice, 1 TBS at a time, if needed. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. The dressing will keep, covered, in the fridge for two weeks.

For the Tahini Kale Slaw and Roasted Tamari Portobello Bowl:

• 2 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
• 2 TBS toasted sesame oil
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 TBS tamari or soy sauce
• 1 bunch lacinato (tuscan) kale, central stems removed
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1/2 c. sunflower sprouts or microgreens
• 1 c. cooked brown rice
• 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
• 1/3 c. roasted and salted sunflower seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a small roasting pan with tinfoil and place the portobello mushrooms in it. Rub both sides with the sesame oil and with sea salt and black pepper. Place them gill side up on the roasting pan and drizzle with the soy sauce. Roast until soft and collapsing, about 15-18 minutes. Remove from the pan and thinly slice.
2. While the mushrooms are roasting, prepare the kale slaw. Finely chop the kale into slivers, then toss with the carrot and scallions. Dress with the tahini citrus dressing to taste, rubbing the dressing into the kale to help tenderize it. Add the sprouts to the salad just before serving.
3. To assemble the bowls, divide the brown rice between two bowls. Top with a generous portion of the kale slow, 1 of the sliced portobellos, and half the cubed avocado. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve.

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The Book: Every season I receive a handful of cookbooks in the mail that weren’t previously on my radar. I don’t review everything that comes across my doorstep, but every once in a while I get a surprise gem that I never would have thought to look at otherwise. This fall, Duck & Waffle, the cookbook from the trendy London restaurant of the same name, was that unexpected treasure. Right away you can tell that this book is exceptionally creative: “Dossants” – croissants stuffed with amaretto donut cream? PB&J turned into french toast? Spicy ox-cheek filled doughnuts? I am so in. This book is packed with comfort food recipes but with fancy ingredients and flavors – so basically, right up my alley. As you might have guessed, this is not food for when you’re craving something light. In fact, the chef and author Daniel Doherty writes in his recipes for Grilled Cheese with Ox Cheek, “as always, feel free to add one of the magical three: bacon, more cheese, or hot sauce.” Words to live by. The breakfast and brunch chapter is where this book really shines, but there are some inspired dinner and dessert picks as well. Whatever time of day it is, flipping through Duck & Waffle is going to make you hungry.

The Food: If a book has a recipe for something called “hangover hash,” how can you not make it? Whether or not you’ve had a bit too much to drink the night before, is there anything more appealing than a skillet full of potatoes, sausage, eggs, and cheese set in front of you on a lazy weekend morning? I’d argue there isn’t, unless of course you sweeten the pot with a piping hot mocha and a bowl of fresh berries on the side. This hash would shine at any respectable brunch restaurant – it’s got potatoes, caramelized onions, an incredible tangy sauce of red peppers and tomato, chorizo, egg, and of course, a healthy handful of grated gruyere cheese. Both the caramelized onions and the peperonata take a long time to prepare, slowly sweating over low heat, but the pay-off is well worth the wait. The peperonata in particular is a flavor powerhouse – Doherty writes that he is never without a jar in his fridge, and I may have to follow suit. I will say that if you were actually hungover, making this would be altogether too daunting, at least as far as I can tell from my experience with hangovers and cooking. But if you’re planning ahead, then you’ll make the caramelized onions, peperonata, and boiled potatoes in advance, and the morning of all you’ll have to do is put everything in a skillet, put it in the oven, then lie back down and wait 25 minutes for it to be done. And once you’ve tried the basic recipe, it’s easy to riff on – I made my second batch with a fat spoonful of ricotta on top, and next time I think I’ll replace the caramelized onions with sauteed mushrooms.

Recipe Shortlist: Smoked Haddock with Hash Browns and English Mustard Cream; Toasted PB&J with Banana and Berries; Smoky Mutton Sloppy Joe with Crispy Lamb’s Breast; Steamed Clams with Guanciale and Lardo-Parsley Crumb; Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnuts with Apricot Jam; Duck and Waffle with Mustard Maple Syrup; Rabbit Agnoli with Sage Brown Butter; Polenta Chips with Truffled Pecorino Dip

Like what you just read? Subscribe to Katie at the Kitchen Door in the box on the right, on Feedly or Bloglovin‘, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Google+. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Duck & Waffle from Mitchell Beazley, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Hangover Hash

Recipe adapted slightly from Duck & Waffle. Serves 2.

• 3 TBS olive oil, divided
• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 new potatoes or 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
• One 4 1/2 inch long cooked, smoked chorizo or andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1/2 c. peperonata, recipe below
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c. shredded Gruyere cheese, or a mix of Gruyere and Gouda
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place 2 TBS of the olive oil in a large skillet and heat over low heat. Add the sliced onions and bay leaf and toss to coat with the olive oil. Cook the onions over low heat until golden brown and caramelized all over, stirring every 3-5 minutes – this should take 40 minutes to 1 hour. If your onions are browning on the outside inside of turning golden, turn down the heat. Remove the bay leaf and season onions to taste with salt.
2. Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Add to a saucepan and cover with cold water. Salt the water, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, then drain.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the cooked potatoes and the sliced sausage between two 6 inch cast iron skillets. Drizzle with the remaining 1 TBS of olive oil. Bake the potatoes and sausage for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir in the caramelized onions and peperonata. Bake for another 10 minutes, then crack one egg over each skillet and cover with grated cheese. Bake until egg white is cooked through, about another 8-10 minutes, then remove from the oven and serve immediately. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Peperonata

Recipe adapted slightly from Duck & Waffle. Makes about 4 cups.

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 4 large red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into strips 1/4 inch thick
• 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• One 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 TBS dark brown sugar
• 4 TBS red wine vinegar

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the peppers, onions, and garlic. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers and onions are soft, about 20-25 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, brown sugar, and red wine vinegar and stir to evenly mix. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, until it has a semi-thick sauce consistency. Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme stems, and store in a jar in the fridge.

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The Book: Anyone familiar with Seattle’s restaurant scene will have heard of Renee Erickson’s four establishments – Boat Street Cafe, The Walrus and The Carpenter (an oyster bar and seafood spot), The Whale Wins (where the menu is centered around a massive wood-fired oven), and Barnacle (an aperitivo bar for drinks and tapas). Riding the wave of her success in the restaurant world, Renee has just released a cookbook, A Boat, A Whale, & A Walrus, that documents the evolution of her career and cooking style. The book, which is organized into seasonal menus such as a 4th of July crab feast and an autumnal Normandy dinner, is a lovely ode to simple meals designed to share with friends and family. Something about the book feels unhurried to me, perhaps because the structure is fluid and Renee meanders from a lengthy description of smoked salmon to a series of short-and-sweet “winter ingredients” recipes to a profile of her butcher to a short list of favorite holiday wines, all within a few pages of one another. Adding to the unhurried effect is the soft feel of the design, from the thick off-white paper to the muted, soft-focus images. The food is not fancy or overdone, but simple and refined – recipes to make at home and share, like a mushroom and leek strata for a winter brunch or a pot of manila clams, served with wine, creme fraiche, and herbs, as the centerpiece to a spring dinner. Some of the best recipes are hidden away on the seasonal ingredients pages, which feature short paragraph-style recipes for a handful of ingredients: in spring, favas (grilled whole favas over ricotta with honey), nettles (slow-braised nettle soup), and sorrel (salmon with sorrel cream sauce); in fall, brussels sprouts (brussels sprout carbonara with cayenne), eggplant (pickled baby eggplant), and radicchio (radicchio and comte tart). Of course, the fishing and foraging vibe of the Pacific Northwest comes through strongly, and mussels, salmon, clams, crab, mushrooms, and hearty greens all receive their due.

The Food: I’ve bounced all over the place trying to decide what recipe I wanted to make for you from this book. First it was the Celery Root and Celery Leaf Salad with Pomegranate and Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, but then after I purchased the ingredients Trevor told me he’s allergic to raw celery root, so that ship sailed. I toyed with the idea of making the Martinis with Anchovy-Stuffed Olives and Preserved Lemon for New Year’s Eve, but I’m really just not a gin person (although that recipe Trevor would absolutely love, so maybe I’ll make him one some night soon). Same goes for the Pickled Mussel Toasts with Garlic Aioli – sounds delicious if you eat mussels, which I don’t. I flipped through the pages of the book countless times, hemming and hawing. In the end, the recipe that called to me the most was this Molasses Spice Cake with Candied Orange Peel. Yes, it’s 100% a perfect Christmas recipe. And yes, Christmas Day has already passed. But we have a lot more cold winter mornings ahead of us and this cake is just as appropriate for January or February as it is for December. Besides, Christmas technically lasts until January 6th, so we’re having spice cake.

This cake is a rustic, bundt-pan affair. It’s dark and spicy, flavored with espresso, molasses, mustard, and black pepper, then glazed with orange juice and topped with candied orange peel. Trevor described it as elemental and I think that word is a good fit. It must be served with a healthy dollop of whipped cream, for the contrast of the cream’s sweet lightness to the cake’s spice and density. The only tricky parts about making it are adding a full cup of coffee to a butter-based butter without it separating (just go slowly) and perhaps candying the orange peel, although really that’s rather straightforward too. Even if you’ve put away your flour and sugar for this year, bookmark this one for the next time you need a cake that’s rich and wintry.

Recipe Shortlist: Celery Root and Leaf Salad with Poppy Seeds, Walnuts, and Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette; Pickled Mussel Toasts with Garlic Aioli; Lacinato Kale Gratin; Mussels in Cider with Dijon, Creme Fraiche, and Tarragon; Parsnip Soup with Leeks, Apples, and Walnut Oil; Grilled Whole Favas over Ricotta with Honey and Lime; Crab Melts with Tarragon Mayo and Cheddar; Harissa-Rubbed Roasted Lamb

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy of A Boat, A Whale, & A Walrus from Sasquatch Books, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Molasses Spice Cake with Candied Orange Peel

Recipe from A Boat, A Whale, & A Walrus. Serves 10-12.

• 2 1/2 c. AP flour, sifted
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1TBS ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 10 TBS butter, softened, plus more for the pan
• 3/4 c. plus 1 c. sugar, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. molasses
• 4 shots espresso, cooled, plus whole milk to equal 1 c. liquid total
• 2 organic navel oranges, washed on the outside
• freshly whipped cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Thoroughly butter and flour a bundt pan, tapping out any extra flour. I find it easiest to use a tablespoon of melted butter and a pastry  brush to brush the butter into all the nooks of the pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnnamon, mustard and pepper until evenly combined. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl or a stand mixer, beat the softened butter until pale and fluffy. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar and beat vigorously until sugar is fully incorporated, at least 1 minute. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing between additions. Beat in the molasses until it is fully incorporated. Slowly drizzle in the espresso and milk mixture, mixing the batter the whole time. If the batter begins to separate, stop the addition of the coffee and add a little bit of the flour mixture to the batter to help work the butter back into the batter, then continue mixing in the coffee.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the flour and stir until just incorporated. Batter should be fairly smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack.
5. To make the candied oranges, use a vegetable peeler to cut the peel from the oranges, being careful to remove only the orange peel and not the white pith underneath. Cut the peel into strips 1/4 inch wide, then place the peel in a small saucepan and cover with water. Boil the peel for 5 minutes, then drain. Squeeze the juice from the oranges into a cup, adding water to equal 1 cup of liquid. Add the orange juice and the remaining 1 cup of sugar to the saucepan with the orange peel. Bring to a simmer over low heat, and simmer until peel is shiny and almost translucent, about 10 minutes. Don’t turn the heat up too high or the liquid may boil over. Remove the candied peel with a spoon and let dry on a piece of parchment paper. Use the orange syrup in which you candied the peel to glaze the cake: brush the glaze on the cake while the cake is still warm, letting the cake dry for 2-3 minutes after each coat of glaze. Do this until all the glaze has been used and the cake is shiny. Serve the cake with the candied orange peel and freshly whipped cream.

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The Book: Mexico: The Cookbook is the latest in Phaidon’s line of beautiful, country-specific recipe compendiums. I reviewed Thailand: The Cookbook earlier this year, and was excited to see that a Peruvian book will be released in the spring. All of these books offer a very different experience than most of the cookbooks being released today. They’re short on prose – no recipe headnotes or historical sidebars – and while the pictures that are included are lovely, they’re not the focus of the books. What these books lack in personality, however, they make up for with sheer thoroughness – Mexico clocks in at over 600 recipes. That volume of recipes means that there will definitely be something new and different to try for everyone who picks up this book. Besides the comprehensiveness, the biggest draw of these books for me is the authenticity – each recipe is tied to a specific region of the country and uses very traditional ingredients and techniques. In the kitchen, that translates to authentic home-style dishes and a deeper understanding of how different cooking techniques can truly open up new flavors. I was a little frustrated with the quality of editing in this book. While I’m sure it’s a massive project to edit a book with 600+ recipes in it, I tried four different recipes for this post and all of them had issues with clarity of instruction and ingredients, to the point of listing ingredients that are never used, and, the opposite, calling for ingredients that aren’t listed. Confident cooks will be fine adapting as they go, but just a warning to those who get frustrated by a lack of clarity in recipes. Other than that, I’m excited to have added this book to my shelf, and I’m sure it will be one of my primary references for Mexican home-cooking.

The Food: The team behind Mexico: The Cookbook, has joined forces with the folks at Casa Noble tequila to promote a great cookbook and a great tequila in one shot (no pun intended). Casa Noble offers crystal, anejo, and reposado tequilas, in addition to single-barrel versions of their anejo and reposado. All the tequilas are produced using traditional methods, and aged in French white oak to create a complexity of flavor that elevates the drink above most lower-end brands. Since tequila is my drink of choice most any night, I was eager to try a new brand and do a little boozy cooking. Although tequila tasting is definitely not an art I’ve mastered, I did take a few little sips (not shots, I promise!) of the reposado without anything to distract from the tequila itself – it’s very smooth, and I picked up a certain fruitiness while Trevor got mostly vanilla. The tasting notes also mention chocolate, citrus, and butter, but I don’t think my tequila palate is advanced enough to pick up on those.

There are about a dozen recipes in this book that call for tequila, including an amazing-sounding recipe for shrimp marinated in sangria and tequila then served in mole sauce, and a tequila-based drink I’d never heard of before, the lagartija. But the recipe that was calling my name the strongest last weekend was the Slow-Cooked Pork in Tequila. It’s a fairly simple recipe, calling for pork butt and ribs to be cooked slowly on the stove-top in a chili sauce, then finished up with a quick simmer in tequila. The book recommends serving it with “Pot Beans” and rice, so I made both those recipes as well. And even though it may not be traditional, I decided to make a Michoacan Avocado Salsa to serve with the pork and rice and beans, for a little punch of brightness and color. The combination of the four dishes? Phenomenal. I’m not exaggerating. It was everything I crave in good Mexican food – a little heat, a rich sauce, a certain heartiness, and brightness from the salsa. It tasted like something I could have eaten for dinner in a hole-in-the-wall family restaurant, cooked by a little old abuela. I was particularly enamored with the beans, which could not have been simpler but were incredibly creamy and flavorful. This meal left me so excited to keep cooking from this book – loving four out of four recipes is a pretty good hit rate.

The Giveaway: Casa Noble and Phaidon have generously offered to give away an additional copy of Mexico: The Cookbook, to one Katie at the Kitchen Door reader. To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below, telling me about your favorite cooking/eating experience involving either tequila or authentic Mexican cuisine (or both!). By entering the giveaway, you are agreeing to the official rules:

• No purchase necessary
• Void where prohibited
• One entry per household, and only entries addressing the question above will be considered!
• The sponsors of this giveaway are Phaidon and Casa Noble.
• The estimated retail value of the book is $50
• The odds of winning will depend on the number of entries received
• This contest is only open to U.S. Citizens over the age of 18
• The contest will open today, December 10th, 2014 at posting time, and will close at 11PM EST on Friday, December 19th, 2014
• One winner will be selected randomly and contacted via email (so please leave an accurate email address!). If I do not hear from the winner within 48 hours, the winner forfeits their prize and an alternate winner will be chosen.
• I will post the winner here by Friday, January 2nd, 2015

Recipe Shortlist: Duck in Green Pumpkin Seed Sauce; Short Ribs in Chili and Coffee Sauce; Lamb in Cider Sauce; Goat Stew; Green Chile Soup with Corn; Divorced Eggs; Tuna with Chipotle Crust; Plantain-Stuffed Chiles; Corn Cake with Eggnog Sauce; Mexican Bloody Mary; Caramel Gelatin with Drunken Sauce

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Mexico: The Cookbook, a bottle of tequila, and reimbursement for ingredients from Casa Noble and Phaidon. I was not otherwise compensated for this review and all opinions are honest and my own.

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Slow-Cooked Pork in Tequila

Recipe adapted from Mexico: The Cookbook. Serves 6.

Note: I’ve written the recipe as we’ve made it, which used significantly less chiles than the original, which called for 200g. I’ve also included some other notes and clarifications that aren’t in the original.

• 50g mixed dried chiles (preferably a mix of cascabel, ancho, and jalapeno)
• 3 TBS of canola oil, duck fat, or lard
• 1 1/2 lb. pork butt, diced into 1 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 lb. pork ribs, meat cut from bones and diced into 1 inch cubes
• sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 large white onion, cut into chunks
• 4 TBS tequila
• white rice, to serve
• prepared pinto beans, to serve
• Michoacan Avocado Salsa, to serve (recipe below)

1. Boil a pot of water and pour about 3 cups of boiling water over the chiles in a heatproof bowl. Let steep until chiles are soft and water is a deep red, about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil or fat in a large saucepan. Add the pork butt and pork rib meat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and turning frequently until evenly browned. Season with salt.
3. Place the chiles, the chile soaking water, the cumin seeds, oregano, garlic, and onion into a blender and blend on high until smooth. Strain into a bowl, then add the sauce to the pork. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender and has absorbed most of the sauce. If the sauce begins to look dry at any point, add water.
4. Add the tequila to the pan and continue to simmer, without the lid, for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with rice, beans, and avocado salsa.

Michoacan Avocado Salsa

Recipe adapted from Mexico: The Cookbook. Makes about 1 cup.

• 3 tomatillos, papery husks and stems removed
• 3 serrano chiles
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
• 2 TBS finely chopped cilantro
• sea salt, to taste

1. Remove the seeds from 2 of the chiles and the stems from all 3. Put the tomatillos and chiles into a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatillos and the chiles to a food processor. Add the garlic to the food processor and process until combined. Add the avocado flesh to the food processor and process until smooth. Stir in the cilantro and season to taste with salt.

The post Book Club: Mexico: The Cookbook // Slow-Cooked Pork in Tequila, and a Giveaway! appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

The Book: As I’ve told you in the past, I’m a sucker for good Southern food. Although I’m a New England girl through and through in most other aspects, the four years I spent in North Carolina were very formative for me in terms of learning to truly appreciate good food. Because of this, new Southern cookbooks get pride of place on my cookbook radar, and Heritage, the new cookbook from Sean Brock, was no exception. Hailing from “the part of Western Virginia that should have been Kentucky,” but receiving his culinary education in South Carolina, Brock makes food that has Southern roots both deep and wide. There’s a strong sense of purpose in the pages of Heritage – to embrace local food not only for its ethics and flavor, but for its history and story. I love how much narrative Brock has included in this book; it really helps me feel engrossed in the food’s history and culture. A strong emphasis on understanding your ingredients, where they came from, and how they can vary – for example, chicken is not just chicken, but poussin, broiler, fryer, roaster, or stew hen, depending on its age, and a different preparation is appropriate for each bird – completes the local, ethical, Southern vibe. The recipes skew more toward restaurant food than home-cooking, with multiple components and appliances required for many (the carefully composed plating of the photographed dishes will tip you off to this right off the bat). This isn’t a negative for an adventurous cook, but I do wish there were a few more homestyle dishes that would be easy to make and serve on a casual weeknight. Organized by source of food – the garden, the mill, the creek, the pasture- there is a great variety of recipe type, with a whole chapter dedicated to preserving (The Larder) and another one to cocktails and bar snacks (The Public House). Between the extensive narrative and the diverse recipes, most readers will find plenty to hold their interest in Heritage.

The Food: Trevor and I are big fans of cooking with rabbit, but we’ve had trouble finding recipes that really allow it to shine. This Russian Rabbit and Mushroom Pie is our favorite, but we were less impressed with the Rabbit Cacciatore from Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey. Sean includes a couple of rabbit recipes in Heritage, so we decided to give the Rabbit Stew with Black Pepper Dumplings a go. It’s similar to a rabbit stew we enjoyed at Alden & Harlow a few weeks back, and also one of the more straightforward recipes in the book. The stew is made by making a broth from the rabbit, then removing and shredding the rabbit meat, while thickening the broth with a roux. The dumplings (which are really biscuits) are formed and baked separately, then tossed in the stew for the last few minutes of cooking, which gives you more control over their size, shape and level of doneness. I have mixed feelings about the end result – the stew was certainly tasty, and even more so as leftovers the next day, but I’m not sure it was tasty enough to warrant the use of a rabbit in place of a less pricey chicken. This could have something to do with the quality of our rabbit, of course – there’s not a ton of choice for rabbit meat near us. I think it’s a recipe that I’d like to try again with some of my own tweaks, but a good starting point.

Recipe Shortlist: Low Country Hoppin’ John; Corn Goat Cheese Soup with Shrimp and Brown-Butter Chanterelles; Green Garlic Bisque with Herbed Buttermilk and Fried Green Tomato Croutons; Cracklin’ Cornbread; Charred Beef Short Ribs with Glazed Carrots and Black Truffle Puree; Rabbit Andouille with Braised Peppers and Lady Pea Gravy; Rhubarb Buckle with Poppy-Seed Buttermilk Ice Cream

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Heritage free of charge from Artisan, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Rabbit Stew with Black Pepper Dumplings

Recipe adapted slightly from Heritage. Serves 6.

For the dumplings:

• 1 lb. (3 1/3 c.) pastry flour, sifted and chilled in freezer
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 TBS freshly ground black pepper
• 8 TBS unsalted butter, frozen
• 1 1/2 c. ice cold whole-milk buttermilk

For the stew:

• 1 large rabbit (2-3 pounds)
• 4 c. small dice white onions
• 2 c. medium dice celery
• 2 c. medium dice carrots
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 TBS unsalted butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 TBS soy sauce
• 1 TBS hot sauce
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. To make the dumplings: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the chilled flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper. Whisk to combine. Grate the frozen butter over the medium holes of a box grater, and immediately place the cold grated butter into the flour mixture. Use the tips of your fingers to toss the butter with the flour and incorporate just until the texture resembles coarse sand (a few bigger “pebbles” are fine). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Roll the dough out into a circle about 1/2 inch thick, and use a very small pastry cutter to cut small round dumplings (about 1/2 inch to 1 inch in diameter – we used the bottom of an espresso cup as a cutter). Place the dumplings on the baking sheet and bake just until they start to dry, about 9-10 minutes. You don’t want the dumplings to brown at all, as they should finish baking in the stew. Set the dumplings aside at room temperature.
2. To prepare the stew: Remove the giblets from the rabbit. Place the rabbit in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, skimming any scum from the top of the pot. Once simmering vigorously, add half of the onions, half of the celery, half of the carrots, the thyme, and the bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until broth is golden and rabbit meat pulls away easily from bone, about 1 hour to 90 minutes.
3. Remove the rabbit from the pot and let cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, discarding the solids left behind. Rinse the pot and return to the stove. Add the butter and melt over medium heat, then add the other half of the onions. Saute, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the celery and saute another 2 minutes, then add the carrots and saute until tender, another 8 minutes. Add the flour to the pot and stir so it absorbs the fat. Continue to stir the roux constantly until the flour coating the vegetables is no longer white but a light golden color, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth 1 cup at a time, allowing to thicken slightly between additions. Once all the broth is added, bring to a simmer and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
4. While the broth is simmering, remove the rabbit meat from the rabbit and shred into bite-sized pieces, discarding the bones, skin, and tendons. 5 minutes before serving, add the shredded rabbit, hot sauce, soy sauce, and dumplings to the stew and simmer until the dumplings are soft and the rabbit is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

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The Book: In some ways, blogger Mimi Thorisson’s life is incredibly frustrating to observe from afar – a country house in France, seven beautiful children, days spent foraging for mushrooms in the woods or shopping at open air markets and then cooking veritable feasts in a giant old kitchen. Add to that a chateau to be renovated as an inn and restaurant, a TV show, a lovely new cookbook, and you would think that more people would envy her to the point of hatred – but I think it must be impossible to hate Mimi, whose writing and stories clearly show that she is a smart, loving woman who has worked quite hard to be where she is. All this is a long-winded way of saying that when I opened her new book, A Kitchen in France, it was not with jealousy but with joy at her success and excitement at discovering more lovely little glimpses into her countryside life.

The book is very much an extension of the blog, with the same look and feel and type of food (although I do wish that more of Mimi’s thoughtful long-form prose would have made it into the book). All her recipes and stories have a bit of a fairytale aura about them: long treks through the woods, basket on her arm, searching for cepes and late nights around old wooden tables with winemakers discussing the day’s harvest. You will find some recipe repeats from her blog, but the newly included dishes are more than enough reason to pick up a copy. I would love to have Mimi cook for me one day – she cooks big, unapologetic meals that celebrate flavor and richness and decadence. They are not meals for a single person or a quick workday lunch eaten at your desk, they are meals that are meant to be shared with family, friends, and strangers, meals that are meant to be cooked slowly and lingered over at the table. Even her “summer” dishes have a wonderfully cozy, homey feel to them – dishes like duck breasts grilled over grape vines and the mustard-roasted poussins featured here. It makes me think that Médoc must be a little bit like Maine, where a warm and hearty dinner at the end of a long day spent outdoors feels appropriate no matter what the season. It’s a particularly good book to have on hand as we head into the holiday season, when the focus on eating and sharing good food is strongest. And I very much agree with Mimi’s representation of “good” food. Her recipes are refreshingly free of modern food and health classifications – no gluten-free, vegan, or low-fat designations to be found. And yet, every recipe feels wholesome and nourishing, simply because it is made from ingredients found just down the road, or in the woods, and cooked lovingly at home. Mimi’s food – and this book – is all about flavor, nourishment, and gathering around the table, as it should be.

The Food: Something about the luxurious presentation of Mimi’s food had me imagining that it would be fairly complicated to prepare. But as I flipped through the recipes trying to choose one for this post, I realized that most of the recipes are actually quite simple – I could cook many of them without even making a trip to the grocery store. This recipe for mustard-roasted poussins is no exception, as the only additions I made to my list were creme fraiche and the chicken itself.

I have a confession to make at this point: this was the first time I’ve ever roasted a chicken. I know. Five years as a food blogger, making things like rabbit pie and homemade parathas and venison ragu, but I’ve never done a simple roast chicken. We did roast a duck last year as part of the Captain Morgan challenge, but I think Trevor did most of the duck handling while I focused on the stuffing. To be honest, I still get a little squeamish working with big pieces of meat. I don’t know if it comes from my long past vegetarian childhood or just being out of my comfort zone. With a bit of guidance from Mimi, however, I turned out a succulent chicken, flavored with a generous amount of mustard and creme fraiche, a handful of baby potatoes tucked neatly underneath to catch the goodness of the drippings. Although it only took 15 minutes of effort to prepare, lifting the lid to reveal the chicken to Trevor was quite satisfying, in a very domestic way. The reward to effort ratio on this recipe is high, making it an easy decision to add it to our dinner rotation.

Recipe Shortlist: Fava Bean Soup with Pancetta and Croutons; Langoustines with Armagnac; Pistachio Sabayon with Strawberries and Meringues; Squab Pie with Foie Gras and Armagnac; Pork Cheek Ravioli with Cepes; Calvados and Creme Fraiche Apple Tart; Roquefort and Walnut Gougeres; Roasted Sausages with Red Wine and Fennel; Butternut Squash Gratin; Oxtail-Macaroni Gratin

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy of A Kitchen in France from Clarkson Potter, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Mustard Roasted Poussins

Recipe from A Kitchen in France. Serves 4.

Note: Poussins as small as 1 1/2 pounds can be tricky to find in the US. We used a young, Kosher chicken that was 3 pounds with great results. A 3-pound chicken provided a generous meal for 2 of us.

• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c. creme fraiche
• 4 TBS unsalted butter, at room temperature
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• Four 1 1/2 pound poussins or guinea hens
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil for drizzling
• 2 lbs. small new potatoes, scrubbed and halved

1. In a medium bowl, combine the mustard, creme fraiche, butter, lemon, garlic, and nutmeg and mix until thoroughly combined. Wash the poussins (chickens) inside and out and pat dry. Rub the mustard mixture on the chickens inside and out, then season generously with salt and pepper. Place in a dish or bowl and let marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the halved new potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, season generously with salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until potatoes are partially tender but still hold their shape firmly. Drain the potatoes.
3. Put the poussins in individual baking dishes or one large roasting pan. Scatter the potatoes around the poussins, then drizzle everything with olive oil. Roast until the poussins are golden and cooked through (the juices should run clear, not pink, when pricked with a knife, and the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh and breast should be greater than 165°F). If the birds are getting too dark, cover with foil.
4. Serve 1 poussin per chicken with a side of potatoes.

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The Book: When Hillary Davis reached out to me about reviewing her newest book, French Comfort Food, it was the middle of summer, and the days when I’d be craving French Onion Soup and Coq au Vin seemed almost too distant to imagine. Now that we’ve seemingly catapulted from fall straight into mid-winter (Snow? On Novemebr 2nd? The worst) though, French comfort food seems like exactly the sort of thing I want to be pulling out of my oven, and I’m glad to have a copy of this book to turn to. These are classic recipes – nothing fancy or convoluted here. Many of them will be familiar to the average American cook: cheese souffles, leek and potato soup, croque madames, bouef bourguinon. For many, these are the dishes that first come to mind when we think of French cooking – in a way, the dishes feel almost retro, meals that would have been a hit in upscale restaurants during the 80s. But of course, they have all been timeless classics in France for centuries. For classic bistro food that will stick to your ribs without complicated preparations or expensive ingredients, this book is a great resource.

The Food: The first recipe I made from French Comfort Food was a vegetarian shepherd’s pie that used a ratatouille sauce instead of ground beef as the flavor base. I made it mostly because it was a time when our fridge was overflowing with tomatoes and eggplants and it seemed as good a way as any to use some up. I added the ground beef back in, used our freshly harvested potatoes, and didn’t skimp on the cheese. It turned out great – we ate half in the first day, and froze the second half for a rainy day. I was planning on featuring a different recipe for this post, because shepherd’s pie just isn’t that French, and I’d already made it so I thought I should branch out. But then, last weekend turned out to be that rainy day, and the reheated leftovers were so good that I knew I had to share the recipe with you. So here it is: not particularly French, not particularly vegetarian, but definitely comfort food. Make a big batch while there are still eggplants and peppers hanging out at the markets and be sure to freeze some for that unknown future time when you’ll really need it. I do have to note – while I usually try to stick to the letter on recipes when doing book reviews, I took all kinds of liberties with this one to suit my tastes. I’m telling you this so that you know that it’s a forgiving recipe, so feel free to adjust a bit here and there. That said, the brilliance of this recipe – using a meaty vegetarian ratatouille sauce as the base instead of beef – is all Hillary’s.

Recipe Shortlist: Ramekins of Salmon, Wine and Shallots; Caramelized Onion and Roquefort Clafoutis; French Rolled Omelet with Cherry Tomatoes and Parmesan; Perigord Garlic and Chicken Soup; Normandy Pork Chops with Apple Brandy Cream Sauce; Gascony Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovies and Garlic

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy of French Comfort Food from Gibbs Smith, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Ratatouille Shepherd’s Pie

Adapted from French Comfort Food. Serves 6-8.

• 3 TBS olive oil
• 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, stem and seed removed
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 medium eggplant, stem removed, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of chopped canned tomatoes, or 3 small fresh tomatoes, cored and cubed
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• 2 TBS flour
• 6 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 TBS butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere or sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute, stirring frequently, until soft and fragrant, about 6-8 minutes. Add the bell pepper, leaves from the rosemary and thyme, carrot, and eggplant and saute until beginning to soften, another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the tomato paste and flour together in a small bowl, then stir into the ratatouille mixture until fully incorporated. Let sauce cook until eggplant is tender, about 20 minutes.
2. While the sauce is cooking, place the quartered potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Season generously with salt, then bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes, then drain potatoes. Add butter and milk to potatoes and mash or blend potatoes until very smooth but still stiff enough to hold their shape, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more milk if you’d like the potatoes to be smoother. Stir 1 cup of the grated cheese into the potatoes and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly oil a 9×13 casserole dish. Spoon the sauce evenly over the bottom of the dish. Wipe out the saute pan and return to medium heat, then add the ground beef to the pan. Cook until browned all over, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the grease from the pan, then spoon the cooked beef evenly on top of the sauce. Next, spread the mashed potato mixture evenly over the top of the beef, using a spatula to smooth it out to meet all the edges. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top of the casserole, then place the casserole dish on a baking sheet (to catch any bubble ups) and place in the oven. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

The post Book Club: French Comfort Food // Ratatouille Shepherd’s Pie appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

The Book: Like many, I’m a long time fan of Green Kitchen Stories, the wonderfully vibrant blog written by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl. David and Luise are masters of inspired, healthy cooking, making fruits and vegetables shine in new ways with every post. I loved their first book, Vegetarian Everyday, which was released in the states last year (you can see my full write up here), and it quickly became a go-to book for me when I needed something fast and healthy, as evidenced by this baked pistachio falafel, these savory corn muffins and this baked blackberry oatmeal. When they announced that they were writing a second book, this one based on their travels around the world, I immediately knew I had to have a copy. And Green Kitchen Travels, now safely nestled into my cookbook shelf, does not disappoint.

This is one well-traveled family: together with their four year old daughter, Elsa, they have been everywhere from Spain to Mexico to Morocco to Thailand, picking up new flavors and inspiration in every corner of the globe. The recipes they’ve included to mark their travels are not meant to be recreations of authentic local dishes, but instead are healthy recipes in the unique GKS style influenced by the flavors, ingredients, and techniques they’ve found around the world. It’s fusion at its finest – adopting whatever works from each cuisine and blending it with an existing style to create something balanced and new. I was particularly taken by the chapter dedicated to soups: Vietnamese pho and Indian dal and Italian ribollita all in the same few pages! Of course, the pictures are stunning, as anyone who reads their blog already knows. The travel theme just gives the couple the green light to add to their colorful collection of food pictures with jawdropping landscapes from around the world, market scenes dripping with color and life, and of course, their adorable daughter in exotic locales worldwide. I do love the feeling that in a way, this book is a love letter to Elsa, as you see and hear her influence on their journeys and cooking style throughout the pages – this book is very much a family affair.

The Food: The day I left for my recent trip to Malaysia, I felt like cooking just because. Knowing that I wouldn’t be around to eat whatever I made, I flipped through the pages of Green Kitchen Travels looking for something that I could leave behind for Trevor. I quickly settled on this light Italian cake, which felt like the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon espresso on a warm fall day. The cake is gluten-free, made from a combination of polenta and almond flour, and uses only honey as a sweetener, so you can cut yourself a big slice without too much guilt. I’ve had hit or miss results with “healthy” cakes, and in particular cakes made with ricotta, but this one was very good. It was moist and not overly crumbly, with a delicate flavor of lemons, almonds, and honey. It’s not very sweet, so while I’m not sure I’d serve it for dessert, it’s the perfect thing for an afternoon break or an indulgent breakfast.

Recipe Shortlist: Mexican Breakfast Salad; Rye and Chocolate Croissants; Halloumi Veggie Burgers; Sweet Vietnamese Cucumber Salad; Harira Soup (Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and Dates); Baked Eggplant Rolls; Berber Tagine; Sweet Potato and Eggplant Moussaka; Turmeric Lassi

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Green Kitchen Travels from Hardie Grant, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Ricotta and Polenta Almond Cake (Torta di Ricotta e Polenta)

Recipe from Green Kitchen Travels. Serves 8.

• 1/2 c.(100g) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. clear honey
• finely grated zest of three small lemons
• 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 c. (5 oz) almond flour, or whole almonds, ground into flour in food processor
• 1 c. (4 1/2 oz) fine ground polenta
• 1 c. (9 oz) ricotta, preferably creamy
• 1/2 c. flaked almonds
• powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the base of an 8 inch springform tin with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place the butter, half of the honey, the lemon zest, and the vanilla extract in a large bowl and beat until creamy, using an electric mixer if you have one. Add the egg yolks and continue to beat until fully incorporated and creamy. Add the almond flour, polenta, and ricotta and fold everything together using a spatula.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Still beating, drizzle in the remaining honey and continue to beat the egg whites until medium peaks hold and the honey is fully blended in. Gently fold the egg whites into the rest of the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly over the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from the tin. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

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