Cookie Exchange of December 8, 2015

Apologies to everyone for the tardiness of this blog but technology issues arose and I was no match for them.  However, the good news is that there is plenty of time before next Christmas so you can practice these delectable recipes and get ready for the holidays of 2016.

Our table was laden with treats and except for a sugar coma the night was a lovely get-together.

A lovely cherry topped cookie was contributed by Mary Anne who called them Hungarian Cookies.  This is mysterious since there is no paprika in them but they look festive and they taste great so that's all that counts.

I made these fairly tasteless Double Ginger Molasses cookies.  If I made them again, I would add some spices, double the ginger and use brown sugar instead of the white sugar called for in the recipes.  Although this was not a particularly tasty cookie, I get it from a cookbook called "The Flying Brownie."  Except for this cookie, it is a really good cookbook filled with excellent recipes.

 There is nothing better, I think, than a shortbread cookie and Kathy provided us with this wonderful shortbread.  She said it is amazingly easy to make with only 3 ingredients.  Of course one of them is gobs of butter so that explains why it it is so delicious.

The nut crescents were sweet and very nutty (duh).  They were made with ground almonds so they are healthy as well.  

What could be better than chocolate and candy canes?  Donna was kind enough to share these totally tasty cookies with us.  And she said they were easy too.  They are made with brownie mix and Andes mints.  That explains a lot.  Delicious.

Mistletoe cookies have nothing to do with mistletoe but everything to do with tastiness.  Ginny made them from a cookbook we reviewed in 2014.  It is filled with such good recipes.  It is "Christmas Made Easy".  It is made with cake mix and other goodies and just like the title, is very easy.

This cookie has everything, Oatmeal, cranberries and  white chocolate chips. They just sound scumptious and they are.  Find the recipe on the back of the craisin package.

 Black Bottom Minis turned out to be a very different but nevertheless delectable cookies.  Gretta graced us with these family favorite cookies.  The surprise ingredient is vinegar which Gretta says combines with the baking powder to do something in a very good way.

The Pecan Butterballs are pretty descriptive.  The name says it all.  Powdered sugar, butter and pecans combine to make a treat to remember.  It is said to be an Italian cookie.

If you like jelly, you will love these linzer torte type cookies.  Marianne made them and you can see the work that went into them.  All that rolling, cutting out, filling etc.  She says she got the recipe from Annie B but these are way better than Annie B's cookies.

Natalie made these perfectly beautiful ribbon cookies.  She explained how she made them but I was lost after the first 100 steps.  They tasted as good as they looked.

Marlene contributed her family's favorite and called them "S" cookies.  Look carefully and you will see why.  She got the recipe from her mother-in-law.  They are filled with good things like raisins which is probably why they taste so good.

These cookies look they came from a bakery but, no, Cindy brought them to share. They are Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Cookies.  They are piped onto the cookie sheet so they are very fancy.  These came from the Christmas Made Easy cookbook.

Mickee made Snowball cookies.  You can see why this is their name.  She got the recipe from the Land O'Lakes box so, of course, there is a lot of butter and oodles of good taste in them.

Inside these bags are the most delicious Raisin Gingersnaps ever that Donna brought.  They were so good that there were none left for a picture.  

Brenda made traditional Mexican Wedding Cookies.  No wonder they have such lively weddings.  Delicious Cookies.

FINALLY, last but absolutely spectacular is Anne's Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies.  Not only are there cookies but there is filling and then glaze too.  And yes, she did use her thumbs but I know for a fact that she washed her hands after each thumbprint.  Yummy, yummy.

Okay everyone.  I f I left out some cookies or didn't put your names down, it's because I didn't have them.  On Tuesday, put your recipe and your name on the card in front of your food.

Marian

Cookbook Club - November 10, 2015

November 10, 2015

Our cookbook for this month was Wine Bites by Barbara Scott-Goodman. The subtitle of the book is "Simple Morsels that Pair Perfectly with Wine and each recipe is annotated with a suggestion for a type of wine to serve with the food.  Sadly, we did not provide the wine with each recipe but I think it was much safer that way. 

We had a wonderful selection of recipes as follows.

Janet brought the Kielbasa Bites which were hot and delicious.  She said they could not have been easier.  It should be noted that Janet is an excellent cook so for the average person, they may be a tad more difficult.

Anne and Greta both brought the Chocolate Cherry Cookies.  This was a very good thing because they were delicious.  They were both disappointed that the cookies spread as much as they did but they thought this was probably because there was a lot of shortening and butter in the cookies.  It was discovered that the eggs and butter need to be at room temperature to make the item rise.  Alex also shared the hint that refrigerating the dough would prevent the cookies from spreading.  Greta thought the Toll House cookie recipe would be just as good since you could add dried cherries to them.

Both Alex and Cari brought the Creamy Chicken Liver and Date Spread.  Cari said you need to plan ahead to make them because you need to soak the chicken livers in milk because the lactic acid breaks down the liver taste  You also need to chill the chicken livers.  Soaking venison and fish in milk will do the same thing.  Cari soaked hers for a little while but Alex soaked it overnight.  Anyway, it was very tasty.  Not my mother's chopped liver but tasty nevertheless.

I brought the Swiss Chard Mushroom & Chorizo Fritatta.  This looked very pretty and tasted very nice but it took over an hour to chop and grate and chop and grate everything.  The recipe called for the chard to be sauteed and then chopped which is not feasible since the pan is smaller than the chard.  There are plenty of other recipes which taste extremely similar but do not require to amount of work that was entailed for this recipe.

Trisha made the Spicy Chicken Salad and it was very delicious.  The recipe called for discarding the chicken bones and the rest of the ingredients after boiling the chicken and Trisha thought it would be much better to keep it for chicken stock.  This was a very attractive presentation since Trish used endive to serve as a vessel for the salad.  The recipe also called for chopped walnuts which she thought  was strange since it is not a nut used usually in Mexican dishes.  She thought maybe radicchio would be pretty instead of the endive but someone thought it would be too bitter.  Alex thought jicama may be a good choice.

Brenda made the very delicious chicken satay and did all of the preparatory work the night before.  She said the marinade was relatively easy and made it the night before and marinated the chicken and also made the dipping sauce the night before.  She didn't grill the chicken until the day of the meeting and it turned out very well indeed.

Mickee made the delicious blondie bites and was surprised they turned out so well because there was no picture of them.  She used 1/2 cup of nuts even though the recipe called for a 1/2 cup.  She had a little trouble finding the cake flour but did find it and Alex and Greta pointed out, you should not substitute all-purpose flour is the recipe calls for cake flour since cake flour is lighter and airier and helps the recipe rise.

Marlene brought the Spinach, Swiss Chard & Feta pie which looked almost exactly like the Swiss Chard & Mushroom Fritatta.  It was apparently much easier to make since Marlene said the hardest part was taking the stems off of the chard.  This recipe called for boiling the chard first instead of sauteeing it so it seems like the author is very versatile with chard.  Rinsing the chard is challenging.   This was a delicious "bite".

Donna elected to bring the Buttermilk Biscuit Bites which was a good thing because they were so very tasty.  She had half with turkey and half with ham.  The recipe called for a 1 inch scoop and she went up one to the next larger size.  They were the perfect size so take note of this.

Mary Anne brought the fresh fruit with Marscapone Dip for a refreshing and delicious break from the savories.  She said it was super easy to make and used the electric whisk for the dip.  A VERY HANDY TIP:  use pineapple juice to keep the fruit from getting brown.  Who knew???

Cindy was very worried about her recipe of Stilton Stuffed dates with Proscutto since her husband was not very pleased with them.  She needn't have worried.  Even persons who do not like Stilton liked the dates.  She said they were very easy to make.  So much for her husband's taste.

Natalie brought the Cherry Tomato, Corn and Caper Salsa.  Yummy and as she said very easy.  Certainly better than the jars of salsa you buy in the grocery store.

Who doesn't love crab dip?  Well, except for those who don't Arlene provided a very delicious crab dip which as a bonus, she said was very easy.  What a nice treat.

I am usually not a fan of white bean dips but Donna made the Herbed White Bean Spread which was a tasty treat.  She said she added garlic so that may have been the difference.  The croutons were very good too.

 Greta felt so so bad that her cookies were ugly that she also made Chesse Crisps.  She said the hardest part was chilling of the dough which took a little longer than 10 minutes.  Make sure you grease the pan.  She used parchment paper and rolled them like a log and then froze them for an hour.  Make sure you do this because the dough is crumbly.  You can freeze them for when company comes.  Alex says make sure you don't use pre-grated cheese.

February 2013

 

February2013

 

The Literate Epicures met at the Newtown Bookshop to discuss and enjoy recipes from The Canal House Cooking Volume 7 – La Dolce Vita. This tome celebrates the fall harvest and holiday season with Italian recipes, some classic, some reinterpreted Canal House style. My apologies in advance, it seems my phone decided the photos of the dishes were so delicious looking it ate them. I am trying to get my teenage tech wiz to retrieve them from my elusive SD card file, but until then you will have to rely on my pitiful descriptions.

 

We began with a Canal House recipe that is not in this particular cookbook, but one I had been looking for an excuse to make. The Potted Crab and Meyer Lemon recipe originally appeared in a spring 2012 issue of Bon Appetit magazine, but since it was a Canal House recipe I decided to make it as a bonus dish in addition to the Jam Tart that is in La Dolce Vita. This is a dish that everyone enjoyed and I will make again. It was easy to put together, only 4 ingredients, and a fantastic result that was served over toast points. Very rich and lemony it is a perfect started for any time of year.

 

Margy made the Minestrone and she also commented that it was very easy to make. She had difficulty finding Romano beans and ended up substituting green beans which was a great option. She also substituted vegetable stock for the beef stock to make it truly vegetarian. This is a great soup that definitely highlights the wonderful veggies and one could easily substitute veggies of the season.

 

Janet made the Chick Peas with Stewed tomatoes. She also commented on how easy it was to make with readily available ingredients. She did caution that the recipe calls for canned San Marzano tomatoes, and one must check the label to make sure they are the real thing. It seems there may be imposter canned tomatoes labeled San Marzano that aren’t really from Italy, it is worth searching the aisles of the supermarket for the far superior imported ones. This was a delicious dish that appealed to the vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

 

Brenda made the Meatballs with Mint and Parsley. Ground pork, ground veal and “a slab of prosciutto” were the meats that were mixed with ricotta, eggs, parmesan, mint and parsley. The sauce was made by deglazing the pan with white wine and then adding heavy cream. Brenda was a Prosciutto virgin before this recipe, but will definitely be incorporating it in future recipes. She was hesitant about the cookbook, not really sure the recipes were of interest, but she ended p loving the book. We all agreed the meatballs had a lovely texture and flavor and the mint added a nice flavor without being overwhelming.  

 

Gerry made the Stuffed Onion Piedmontese. She also mentioned that they were easy to make with the prosciutto and breadcrumb stuffing and that the same stuffing could be used in other veggies. She was very pleased with the recipe, her family really enjoys onions in all forms and this one didn’t disappoint. A wonderful side dish that will be made again.

 

Marian made the Cheesecake from Rome’s Jewish Quarter. Lemon and zest, cinnamon, only 3 Tbsp of sugar and ricotta combined to make a delicious cheesecake with a slightly different texture than what you may be familiar with. It took lots and lots of bowls and lots and lots of folding, but the end result was worth it! A great way to end an Italian meal.

 

As I mentioned in the beginning, I also made the Jam Tart. The short crust was enhanced with a few tablespoons of white wine and was easy to work with. A good quality jarred jam worked nicely in the short crust, though homemade would have taken it over the top. This was not a complicated recipe, and is an easy way to add a homemade dessert to a weekday meal.

 

Everyone enjoyed the Canal House Cooking Vol 7 cookbook and will go back to it when the mood for Italian strikes.

 

Our next cookbook is Edwardian Cooking: 80 Recipes Inspired by Downton Abbey's Elegant Meals. With the huge popularity of the series, many of us are really excited about cooking from this book for the March meeting. Yours truly has already made 3 recipes from it and they have all been wonderful!

January 2013

Happy New Year! I hope the second week of January finds you rested and recovered from the holidays and ready to explore some new cookbooks and recipes. So many times as January dawns we make promises that revolve around food. Eat less, eat more whole grains, eat no grains, eat only organically grown foods, eat local, eat exotic, etc. I made one resolution. Not one food related resolution, but ONE resolution. I am making a promise to all of you, dear readers, to faithfully blog each and every meeting of The Literate Epicures of Newtown for all of 2013. Hopefully, I don’t let anyone down with that commitment.

 

In keeping with that promise, here is the rundown of last night’s meeting of the Literate Epicures of Newtown.  We decided to hark back to our roots and chose Ina Garten’s  Barefoot Contessa FOOLPROOF.

 

We had some lovely starters to whet the appetite. Marianne made the Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta. The recipe suggests either colorful heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. Marianne was fortunate enough to find colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes! Now January tomatoes are not known for their quality, they often resemble red billiard balls in texture and flavor, but these little gems were delightful. The whipped feta was the perfect foundation to perch a mound of the tomato shallot vinaigrette mixture. Fresh and tasty, we all decided it is a winner.

 

Brenda made the Fig and Fennel Caponata which was an inspired blend of flavors. Big bonuses for this recipe, every ingredient was readily available and it is made on the stovetop – no oven required! She loved that it was so easy and produced such a wonderful dish.

 

Anne made the Caramelized Bacon. She also commented that it was very easy, but had difficulty finding Applewood smoked bacon so she substituted Hardwood smoked bacon. It didn’t matter one bit it was delicious! The brown sugar, nuts, syrup, etc were put into a food processor and ground into a thick paste. She then topped the bacon slices with the syrup mixture and baked it on a foil lined pan. It did take a little longer than written, but the end result was outrageously good and on everyone’s “must make” list.

 

Marian brought the Jalapeno Cheddar Crackers which were a little deceptive. They were wonderful and rich but we decided they are a little closer to a savory shortbread than a true cracker. The recipe calls for 5 oz of grated sharp white cheddar. Marian cautioned that when one is grating the cheese in the food processor, it is against ones best interest to open it before it has come to a complete stop. The canine residents of her home were the lucky recipients of several ounces of freshly grated cheddar as it flew in graceful arcs across her kitchen! After a quick check for more cheddar, she was on her way to making the perfect treat to nibble with cocktails. Another plus to this recipe is that you can make several “rolls” of dough and slice and bake them as needed so you always have fresh goodies to offer unexpected guests.

 

Joanna made the Roasted Beet Salad which was a feast for the eyes as well as a treat for the taste buds. A bed of fresh emerald green arugula topped with the beautiful garnet red beets (she mentioned she had never roasted beets before, and really liked the result) and creamy white goat cheese had the perfect balance of peppery notes, creamy notes and just a hint of sweet from the beets. We all decided that beets are really under-utilized and there should be more recipes and methods for making them.

 

Yours truly made the Isreali Couscous with Tuna and it was quite good. I am not a canned/jarred tuna fan and even I thought the dish had merit. Isreali Couscous is a larger cousin of the couscous we all know and love. In the larger version, it is a little toothier and had a little more substance and held up nicely to the oil cured olives, scallions, roasted peppers, lemon, fresh basil and of course the imported jarred Italian tuna. Very simple to make, it was the perfect choice for me to put together after a hectic day at work.

 

Janet made the Jambalaya and though she was very pleased with the results, she felt there were a lot of ingredients and steps to complete this dish. The chorizo and chicken had to be browned separately; lots of ingredients had to be hand chopped, and there were a LOT of steps! She agreed that it was delicious, but would only make it again for a special occasion – this is not a middle of the week after work type of dish!

 

Toni brought the Sweet Potatoes and was very pleased to let us all know that it was super easy, only 3 ingredients and one of the most delicious sweet potato dishes any of us had ever tasted. Instead of the cloying overly sweet sugar or marshmallow topped things that find their way to our holiday tables, these were bright and light and a really lovely compliment to almost any main dish we could name. Along with the baked and mashed sweet potatoes, there is a little orange juice and just a bit of zest to add that lift to the whole dish. Definitely on the make again list for many of us.

 

After enjoying all the savory offerings, some of us went back for seconds (okay, I know I did and I didn’t keep tabs on anyone else LOL) it was time to try the desserts. Lisa brought the Chocolate Chunk Blondies. Oh myyyyyyyyyyy (I wish I had an audio file of George Takai and his world famous “Oh Myyyyyyyyyyy” to hot link here) they were amazing! They were that perfect balance between cakey and just a tiny bit of brown sugar chewy with massive chunks of awesome chocolate (the recipe called for one of those easily available yellow bags of chunks, Lisa used the upscale super deluxe yummy chocolate and not one complaint!) these are something I must make soon. Or never, since if there was an entire pan of them in my house I would be sorely tempted to eat the whole thing. Definitely a fantastic recipe.

 

Shelly made the Carrot Cake with Ginger Mascarpone frosting. Heavenly! There is no other way to describe the unbelievably moist cake studded with candied ginger and topped with clouds of the ginger infused creamy light frosting. She did mention that there were a lot of steps, but the end result made this a truly spectacular dessert. Like the Jambalaya, it may not be something you can throw together on a whim but it is so good it is worth planning an afternoon around baking to serve this to people you love.

 

Overall we were all pleased with the book, some of the recipes seemed a little intimidating and  involved, but after making them and discussing we all had a much higher opinion and will be reaching for this one a regular basis.

 Click this link to see more about Canal House Cooking Vol 7

The next meeting is Tuesday, February 12 (7:00 PM) at The Newtown Bookstore. We will be cooking from Canal House Cooking Volume N° 7: La Dolce Vita by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer which is also available at The Newtown Bookstore. Hope to see you there!

 

 

Literate Epicures August 2012

We are back at the Newtown Bookshop for meetings! Yes, it is under new ownership and located 2 doors down from the old location, but Kathy is a wonderful hostess and very generous in allowing us to meet there on the second Tuesday of the month. The August cookbook selection was The Best of Americas Test Kitchen 2012 and it was well received by all.  The general consensus was that everyone enjoyed the science and rationale behind the recipes and the explanations of why certain flavors go well together and why certain techniques are needed to obtain the desired results. We began the festivities with a lovely Sangria that Lisa brought.

This is a “go to” recipe from the previous ATK Best of and we are all very thankful that she harked back to the prior book. The sangria was wonderful! Fruity and delightfully sweet without being cloying, it had just the right balance of citrus to wine and was just the right beverage to start the evening.

Marianne made the Artichoke Tart that was gorgeous to look at and tasted even better. She made the variation listed in the book that used sundried tomatoes and we were all glad she did. A food processor was definitely appreciated in the prep of this one and used for all three phases – dough, filling and topping. It was time consuming to make but she would definitely make it again (in stages) with lots of planning.

Debbie decided on the Gazpacho which was the perfect dish to highlight the bounty from her garden. There were lots of ingredients and a lot of chopping. Better than average knife skills are needed for this one to make sure all the lovely bits of veggies are uniformly presented and it must be made in advance to allow the flavors to meld. She loved that it is thickened with a “hearty white bread” and olive oil emulsion and not only did the texture and flavor benefit from this mixture, the soup took on a lovely pastel tomato color that was beautiful with the brilliant colors form the veggies. The croutons she made to top the soup were out of this world. So good in fact, she refused to take any left overs home because she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop eating them.

Colleen made the Panzanella which again was a perfect choice for this time of year when tomatoes are at their best. We all agreed that it was very tasty and the vinaigrette had the perfect balance of velvety smoothness from the olive oil and acidity from the vinegar. A keeper for all summer dinners.

Toni made the Prosciutto Stuffed chicken breasts, and though it was meant to be served as an entrée, it was awesome cut into bite sized pieces and done with toothpicks as an appetizer.  The breasts were butterflied and filled with prosciutto, Fontina, butter and tarragon. She mentioned that it was a fairly easy recipe and the results were outstanding. Definitely different and one must like tarragon (I can’t imagine who doesn’t, but I guess there are a few) it is something I will be serving for late sumer and fall cocktail parties. Really a wonderful dish.

Brenda made Spanakopita and it was terrific! It was quite labor intensive with the layers of Phyllo, butter and grated cheese and the filling from fresh spinach steamed until it just wilts but retains the brilliant emerald green. The addition of Greek yogurt to the more traditional ingredients of lemon, dill and mint was really nice. It was different than the cottage cheese type mixture, but no less delicious.

Margie made the Chickpea Cakes which were unusual and very tasty. The cake mixture called for toasted bread crumbs from a whole wheat white bread (hearty white again anyone?) and seemingly they are quite delicious even before they are mixed into the cakes. Now she did warn me that if I included the next part, she “is a great shot with a .357”! I guess I am taking my life in my hands tying this, but here goes….. She made the crumbs in advance and left them to cool on the counter. When she came down a little later, the plate was almost completely empty except for a few telltale finger streaks that remained in the pitifully few crumbs left on the plate. Seems her DH  decided they were delicious as is, and didn’t wait for the rest of the recipe! Once she made another batch (this time hiding them from Hansel) and mixed them with the chickpea mixture, she discovered that the first few were a little crumbly. She soon got the hang of working with them though and turned out some very tasty treats. She served them with a lovely sauce (as I recall it was similar to a tzatziki) and would definitely make them again.

Janet made the eggplant casserole. Actually, she may have made it two weeks in a row, since she had the wrong date and was all set to go the previous Tuesday! She thought it was a long involved recipe with lots of steps, but the final result was excellent. IT began with slicing the eggplant into thick rounds and painting each one with olive oil. They were then baked until they were golden brown – much less work and more calorie friendly than frying. She opted for fire roasted tomatoes and it was a good choice. The smoky background was really good with the cheesy casserole and homemade crumb topping. Do you sense a theme here? Seems a LOT of the recipes use real bread for the crouton or crumb component and we all agreed they are much tastier than anything that comes out of one of those canisters that have been sitting on the grocery store shelf for ages.

 (I missed a pic of this one - sorry Gerry!)

Gerry opted for the Chicken Riggies – a dish that she remembers having for the first time in Utica, NY. She told a fun back story about arriving in Utica late one night and needed to find something substantial for dinner. At the restaurant she and her family chose, she asked a patron who was just leaving what was the best thing on the menu. Without hesitation he replied, “Chicken Riggies!”. Still unconvinced, when they were seated, she posed the same question to the waitress and got the same response. It was so good, they went back to the same restaurant the following night just so they could order it again. She had tried a few recipes since then, but none came close to the original until now. This recipe naled it and is just as good as her memory of the first time. She was worried it would be too spicy, but the lovely sauce tamed the heat perfectly.

 (I missed this pic too - we were too busy eating!)

Jeanine made the Gingerbread Cake and Maureen added the Mascarpone Mousse topping for it. This is another very involved recipe that required a lot of steps and a lot of dirty bowls, but the final product was amazing. Bright and flavorful from both fresh and ground ginger, it has a lovely base of Stout which gives the cake a richness that is almost indescribable. The Mascarpone Mousse is from a different cookbook and was really great on the wonderfully rich cake. I am a huge ginger fan and this cake really fits the bill with the double dose of ginger and just a hint of other spices.

Yours truly opted for the Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies. Like so many above, I found there were a lot of steps and a lot of bowls, and some odd ingredients (1 TBSP milk – really? Like that is going to affect the outcome in 2 dozen cookies?) but I persevered and made the recipe exactly as written.  I almost couldn’t wait for them to come out of the oven to give them a try. Fortunately, one broke as I was moving it to the cooling rack, so it was the perfect opportunity to give it a quick taste. It was good, but not TDF and certainly not as “lime-y” as I had hoped, and the coconut was good, but again didn’t have as much impact as wanted. The secret to success, Grasshopper, is to WAIT! By the time we met on Tuesday (I had made them the night before) the lime was definitely present and the coconut was noticeable and they really were one of the best sugar cookies I have ever had.

The general consensus was that everything we tasted was good, each dish was well seasoned and delicious. This is a wonderful cookbook for ambitious novice cooks or those with more experience and they are all familiar recipes that have been updated or have a slight twist that makes them just a little unusual.

 The next meeting is at Newtown Bookshop on September 11 at 7:00 PM and the cookbook is Emeril 20-40-60: Fresh Food Fast by Emeril Lagasse. It is available from the Newtown Bookshop or can be special ordered form the same by calling (215) 968-2400

May 2012

The Literate Epicures braved the rainy night to have the opportunity to share their favorite recipes highlighting ARTICHOKES or CHERRIES. There were only a few of us, but we had a terrific time. The evening began with a couple of wonderful artichoke appetizers. I tried to link recipes where I could, I hope it worked.

Marianne brought Steamed Artichokes with Herbed Butter. Definitely delish and will be made again. Perfectly steamed artichoke leaves were served with melted butter that was infused with oregano and a few other herbs. Elegant simplicity at it’s finest.

Brenda had never made artichokes before so this was an adventure for her. Fresh artichokes were quartered, trimmed and steamed and served with a lovely vinaigrette. The recipe is from Williams Sonoma under Artichokes Vinaigrette.

Yours Truly made Artichoke Puffs in Roasted Peppers from Cold Weather Cooking by Sarah Leah Chase. This was a “go to” recipe for a long time at my house, but I hadn’t made it in years. I honestly don’t know why, it is really good and got lots of compliments. It will be making regular appearances again since it was fairly easy and quite good.

Janet brought Pork tenderloin in a Cherry Sauce. The sauce used dried cherries that are reconstituted in port and created a luscious sauce. I can absolutely imagine how delicious it would be over a crispy roast duck as well. I’m so glad she shared the recipe, it will be made again soon.

Liza made a Triple Cherry Cheesecake from Epicurious. She mentioned it is definitely a 2 day recipe (or longer depending on schedule) but is worth every bit of effort. Rich, creamy heavy cheesecake is blanketed with an amazing cherry topping that draws from several cherry flavors. You may want to save this one for special occasions unless your cardiologist is on speed dial.

The next meeting is June 12 at my house and the spotlight ingredients are Spinach and Apricots. No, you don’t have to use both ingredients, pick one that focuses on the ingredient, make the dish to share and bring copies of the recipe. Happy cooking and I can’t wait to see everyone again!

January 2012

A New Year and two new cookbooks! How much fun was it to cook from Lidia’s Italy in America and Time for Dinner. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend, but I have made a few recipes from the book and I know from the photos and reports that it was a great one to pick.

First up is Margy’s Lentil Soup (Pasta e Lenticchie). It was very easy and she decided to switch it up as a vegetarian offering. Omitting the ham could have been a big risk, but she ad libbed a few extra spices and used a flavorful vegetable broth and it was just delicious.

Next was Lisa with the Sausage, Bread and Pepper Frittata (Frittata con Salsiccia e Peperoni) and she also commented on how easy it was to pull together this recipe. She loves the cookbook and will be making a lot of dishes from it for her very fortunate family.

Colleen made the Italian Ice Cream Cake (Cassata). She mentioned that though it was fairly easy, it was really messy!!! (Sorry Lisa, Colleen got the exclamation points this time) She ended up using her hands dipped in water to smooth the ice cream layer, but added they are the most useful tool in the kitchen anyway.  The most time consuming part of the recipe was shelling all the pistachios, since she couldn’t find them already shelled. Seems it was well worth the effort since it got rave reviews!!!

Brenda made the Fusili with Spinach Walnut Pesto (Fusili al Pesto de Noci) and everyone really liked it a lot. She toasted the walnuts to bring out the flavor and used a bag of fresh spinach that she blanched. She allowed that it might work with frozen spinach too. She observed that there seem to be a lot more fried dishes in this particular book, where a lot of Lidia’s other books have very little fried foods.  She really liked the background stories for each section too.

Toni also thought the cookbook was great. She made the Braised Fennel with Sausage (Finocchio Brasato con Salsiccia) and it too got rave reviews. She took the sausage out of the casing and cooked it with the onions and tomato paste, and added the fennel, salt, pepper and a little bit of pepper flakes. From all reports, this was very popular and a lot of people said they would plan to make it at home for their own families.

Sharon made the Almond Pine Nut cookies (Amaretti con Pinoli) and they turned out to be the most expensive cookies she has ever made. Half way through mixing the dough, smoke started seeping out of the motor on her mixer!!!(Hey  Lisa, Sharon got a couple of exclamation points too!!!) Fortunately, she was able to finish mixing them before any further excitement. The recipe called for 1 ½ to 2 cups of pine nuts, which can be a little pricey even with the added expense of a new mixer, and the dough was a little sticky to work with, and the recipe only made 21 cookies, but even with all of those considerations the end result was bliss.

Janet wasn’t sure she was going to make it, she had a prior commitment, but she was a trouper and not only brought wine, she even added great bread with olive oil and a very yummy spice blend from Tastefully Simple to put in the oil. It was absolutely the perfect addition to the other goodies.

Marianne made the Spinach Custard Cups from Time for Dinner, and though she didn’t have enough ramekins, she had a lovely set of matching coffee cups that worked perfectly! Fresh thyme and whole milk with the spinach resulted in a creamy delicious concoction that everyone loved.

Kati made the Crab, Celery salad, and really liked the recipe despite what she felt was a disappointing quality issue with the crab itself. She also opted for cherry tomatoes since there isn’t a decent regular sized tomato to be found in January in our area and felt that this recipe would really sing in August when all the ingredients would be at their peak

All in all, everyone really liked the cookbook and liked not only the recipes that were made, but found many more that they are looking forward to sharing with family and friends. A winner!