by Nici on May 18, 2011
The most recent cookbook from the Moosewood Collective, Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health, is so freakin’ delicious you’ll forget all about the health bit. I recently served up the Curried Red Lentil Burgers alongside the Mango Slaw. It was a fantastic meal. That slaw is so wonderful, it’s my pick for potluck picnics. It’s a little heavy on the prep time–I made a double batch for a group get-together and it took about hour and twenty minutes–but it’s the perfect summertime side. There’s no mayonnaise; instead you have delicious mango, contrasting mint, and a refreshing lime juice dressing. I loved it and all my friends loved it, too. The burgers were also quite good: They tasted wonderfully of curry, ginger, cinnamon, and garlic. And the lentil and brown rice mixture held together so we didn’t get that squished-burger-out-the sides effect. I’m definitely looking forward to everything else that this health-conscious but flavor-dominated cookbook has to offer.
-- Nici
by Nici on April 6, 2011
I discovered Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax last fall when I needed a good a good recipe to help me make pumpkin pie completely from scratch. Our cookbook guru, S.B., recommended this book for it’s “Best-Ever Pumpkin Pie” recipe, and it sure lived up to its name. I roasted pumpkins and made pie crust for the first time ever and wowed the family. Even without a rolling pin (thank goodness for empty wine bottles!), I was amazed by how easy the whole process was.
The Stevenot Vineyards Tempranillo makes an excellent rolling pin. It's also a super delicious wine.
After that success I tried out the apple pie recipe–another success. Apparently my pie pan was on the small end of the spectrum–or perhaps the apples I chose were on the large end of the spectrum–but I ended up with extra filling that I baked up into a wonderful apple crisp. I even had enough that I brought some to work and had all my co-workers raving about it as well!
Now that it’s spring, I think I’ll make “The World’s Best Lemon Tart.” And summer might bring “Southern-Style Peach and Raspberry Cobbler.” Really, there’s no shortage of delicious recipes to try.
Classic Home Desserts is super helpful, easy to follow, and full of great tidbits of information. It’s not overly complicated or fancy, so it’s perfect for the home baker. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to increase their baking repertoire or wanting to impress their family on special occasions.
-- Nici
