June 2011
Tuesday evening and the Newtown Bookshop is bustling.
The Bookshop is hosting the monthly meeting of the Literate Epicures of Newtown and we have come out to share our culinary efforts and talk about one of our favorite topics – FOOD! This is a monthly gathering that is open to anyone who is interested in reading, cooking and sharing kitchen ideas, and though we have several regulars, we love to see new faces too. Our hosts at the Newtown Bookshop are very generous in offering a 20% discount to all participants, and everyone finds a book or two to pick up on a cookbook club night. As we assemble in the cookbook corner (where else would we be?) several tables are ready to showcase the delicious offerings of our diverse group. Each month we select a cookbook or two, and the participants each choose a recipe from the selection(s) to make and share with the group along with opinions on whether they liked the recipe and how it was written and if they would recommend the cookbook to others. We have a different volunteer coordinator each month who keeps a running list of the recipes that have been claimed and a count of the attendees and that person is asked to lead the discussion.
As the dishes arrive and little card tents are filled out with the name of the recipe, several participants gather off to the side for a drink. Wine, water and juice are offered and several of us start the night with a quick toast. The books chosen for June are Harvest to Heat Cooking with Americas Best Chefs, Farmers and Artisans and Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All-Occasion Cookbook by Rachael Ray. Everyone grabs a plate and the dishes are served. Our fearless leader for the meeting was Marianne A and she kicked off the festivities and kept the meeting rolling right along.
Marianne made the Herbed Gougère from Harvest to Heat. She chose Manchego for the cheese and though she couldn’t find Spanish Pimentón, we all agreed that the smoked paprika she substituted was excellent. She felt it was a little pricey to use such expensive ingredients, but the results were delicious and absolutely worth it to have a great end result.
The second to comment is Charissa S who made Sundried Tomato and Feta Dip from Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All-Occasion Cookbook . Her thoughts were that is was very simple to pull together, though the ingredients were expensive for a RR dish. We all agreed that it was very tasty and several people commented that the Terra Chips recommended in the book were a great suggestion. She did mention that comparing this book to some of the other resources, she would prefer the magazine or some of the other RR books available.
Next to offer a dish was Tina S who made the Beet and Chèvre Salad from Harvest to Heat. Everyone agreed that it is a beautiful presentation and it was delicious, but Tina felt it was a lot of effort for the result. One particular challenge was that the olive tapenade kept falling off the croutons. She suggested that it might be better to just sprinkle the tapenade over the salad as a topping and we agreed that it sounded like a good idea.
Sharon P made Sesame Noodles from the Rachael Ray cookbook. Though she had never made a RR version, she has made several variations of Sesame Noodles recipes in the past. Her thoughts were the recipe was not saucy enough and the end result was a little bland. The group agreed, and as we discussed the recipe compared to some others, we all agreed that this was one to skip.
The next one up was yours truly who made the Savory Bread Pudding with Cheese and Bacon and Tomato Jam from Harvest to Heat. I admitted that the recipe sounded so delicious I gave it a trial run a couple of weeks before the meeting, and was I ever glad I did! The jam was good, but I felt it might be a little flat so I ad libbed a little fresh ginger into the mix. The first attempt at the bread pudding was a disaster! The liquid to bread ratio was really off and I ended up, even after baking, with a loose gruel mess that had a toasty cheese shell. Also, the fresh farmers cheese was not nearly flavorful enough to stand up in this dish. When I made the recipe for cookbook club, I cut way back on the liquid and substituted a combination of cheddar and gruyere which worked really well with the smoky bacon and tomato jam. Overall, I really liked the Harvest to Heat cookbook, but I would not recommend it for a novice cook.
Sharon J made the Bacon and Egg Mini Quiche from the Rachael Ray cookbook. Her first comment to the group was “I don’t like to cook but I can read and make a basic recipe”. We all agreed that these were a great easy option and far better than the frozen pre-fab ones. Sharon had reserved a few of the little quiches and served them for breakfast the next morning to her most discriminating audience and her kids loved them! She also liked that they were made from fresh ingredients. She said she would definitely make them again as a lunch or brunch option and loved that the recipe was kid and grown-up friendly.
We also had Asparagus and Country Ham Bundles from . She was careful to select a seasonal recipe and since the asparagus had been beautiful that week, it fit the bill. She searched a few places and could not find a true “country ham” so she opted for a Virginia ham from the deli counter, which was a great substitution. It was a lovely presentation and the flavors were fantastic. The citrus dressing was really nice on the ham and asparagus and brought a bright note that really pulled the entire dish together. She did mention there were a lot of steps, but the end result was absolutely worth the effort!
There were two dessert offerings on this night, both were delicious, and both were from the Rachael Ray book. We had a lovely Angel Food Cake with Lemon Curd from Janet A. She thought that is was a great result from all store bought ingredients. The purchased Angel Food cake with a jar of purchased lemon curd that was warmed in the microwave was one of the simplest things she has ever made and when she sliced a few fresh strawberries on for color and flavor the result was spectacular. Debbie W made the White Chocolate Fudge from Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All-Occasion Cookbook and thought it was very easy, very pretty and quite tasty. She mentioned she ad libbed quite a bit with adding the coconut and making a few other substitutions with the nuts and dried fruit, but it is a very forgiving recipe that allows for creativity. She did suggest that it would be excellent at Christmas time made with starlight mints or candy canes.
It was a terrific gathering with lovely people who are very passionate about food and we are all looking forward to the July meeting. Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook: Recipes and Behind-the-Scenes Stories from America's Hottest Chefs by Lee Brian Schrager with Julie Mautner - Foreword by Anthony Bourdain. This month we are cooking with kids! Find a kid, pick a recipe, prepare it together and both of you bring it to the July meeting. We'll be one big, fun group at The Newtown Bookshop. 215.968.2400.
