Oh, Happy Day!  Dorie’s new cookbook has finally arrived!  I picked up my copy of Around My French Table last week and was in love before I got past the dust cover. The book is filled with over three hundred of Dorie’s favorite recipes, culled from her time spent in Paris. It’s the kind of unfussy, homey food that you’d find in any French home cook’s kitchen.   In true Dorie style, the recipes are very readable, with clear and detailed instructions accompanied by entertaining stories and suggestions for creative tweaks.  And, the photographs are perfectly droolworthy – food porn at its best!

Of course, no new Dorie Greenspan cookbook would be complete without a large group of adoring fans waiting in the wings to cook their way through it.  There probably aren’t many who haven’t heard of the wildly popular baking group Tuesdays with Dorie.  For almost three years, this dedicated group of bloggers has been baking one recipe per week, in tandem, from Dorie’s classic tome, Baking: From My Home to Yours.  And now, TWD’s fearless leader, Laurie Woodward has done it again by creating French Fridays with Dorie.  That’s right.  Each Friday, a new group of Dorie devotees will be cooking a new recipe à la française from Around My French Table.

The great part about FFwD is that the rules have been relaxed.  All you need to do in order to join is buy a copy of the book and cook along whenever you can.  Not having a participation requirement is kind of liberating, and will make it easier for more people to join in.  I’m all for that!  The group currently has over seven hundred members signed up.  Seven Hundred!!! This is gonna be very interesting!

Dorie has always been a huge supporter of TWD, and she is doing no less for FFwD.  In fact, she was kind enough to select all of the recipes for this inaugural month herself, including today’s pick, Gougères.

Think of gougères as a kind of savory cream puff without the filling.  They’re made with the same kind of pastry dough, called pâte à choux .  The difference between them is that gougères are not sweet.  They typically contain cheese and sometimes, herbs.  Gougères are meant to start a meal, while cream puffs usually finish it.

Dorie’s gougères recipe very easy and virtually foolproof.  I whipped up these cheesy little puffs of deliciousness with three other dishes cooking, a house full of teenagers and a very curious puppy underfoot.  And, they turned out perfectly!  If I can do it – you can too.

I’m really excited about being a part of FFwD, and I plan to participate as often as I can.  While, we’ve been asked not to publish the recipes, you can find them all in Around My French Table.  And, don’t forget to stop by the FFwD site to see what the rest of the group has done with Dorie’s gougères.

À bientôt!

Many moons ago, I got an email from fellow food blogger, Nick Evans of Macheesmo, asking if I would be interested in participating in a project he was working on called 55 Knives. He explained that 55 Knives would be a compilation of stories, recipes and tips from 55 food bloggers from around the Internet in the form of an eBook. He wanted to know if I would be one of the fifty-five featured bloggers.  I was flattered…and intrigued.  So, I said yes.

In case you’re wondering, an eBook is a downloadable book that you can store on your computer and view at your leisure.  Once you buy it, it’s yours.  You can read it from your computer, print it out and generally use it like you would any other book. It’s searchable and has lots of live, clickable links as well.  You can even download it to your Kindle! Pretty nifty, huh?

Anyway, the book has been out for a month already and believe it or not,  I’m just now getting around to telling you about it. Between magazine deadlines, car accidents, new puppies, missing mojos, cruises and things I won’t bore you with here, this is the first time I’ve had the chance to write about it.  Sigh… I’m always late to the party.  But, just because it’s taken me a while to write about 55 Knives, don’t even think for a minute that it isn’t a great read. It is – especially if you’re a foodie.

55 Knives is full of entertaining musings and terrific recipes from some of your favorite food bloggers, including Lydia from The Perfect Pantry, Kristen from Dine & Dish, Lori from The Recipe Girl, Peter from Kalofagas and many, many more. Each author has woven their own personal story around the recipes they’ve shared, some sentimental and poignant, and some downright funny.  Nick has worked extremely hard for almost a year putting 55 Knives together, and he has done a fantastic job!

My chapter is about my childhood memories of my grandparents and includes my grandmother’s recipe for pasta e fagioli.   Here’s a sneak peek of my dish:

So, are you intrigued too? If so, I have good news for you. You, dear readers, can have a copy of 55 Knives for your very own by clicking on the button below.  The book costs $19.00 which is a steal considering all of the information you’ll have access to. Plus, you’ll have 55 great new recipes to check out just in time for your Fourth of July festivities.  And, if you order here, you’ll be supporting both Macheesmo and SGCC.

So, what are you waiting for?  Grab yourself a copy of 55 Knives today.  You’ll laugh. You’ll cry.  And, you’ll get very, very hungry!

A few months back, I received an email from a friend of mine asking if I would be willing to chat about my blogging experiences with a friend of hers.  This friend already had a food blog and was thinking about making some changes.  Of course, I said I would be happy to do it.  Imagine my surprise when that friend of a friend turned out to be Lael Hazan, wife of celebrated cookbook author Giuliano Hazan and daughter-in-law of the legendary Marcella Hazan!   We made a date to meet for coffee and became fast friends.  Lael is a lovely  person and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know her. She not only works beside her husband in their cooking school near Verona Italy, but she also teaches her own cooking classes, writes for several publications, blogs, hosts her own radio show and somehow manages to raise two adorable daughters as well.  Whew!  I get exhausted just thinking about it!

After Lael and I met, I went out and picked up a copy of Giuliano’s new book, Thirty Minute Pasta.  It’s a carbohydrate lovers dream, filled with one hundred quick and easy pasta recipes, ranging from soups and vegetarian dishes to classic meat and seafood preparations.  The recipes are straightforward and concise, leaving little room for error, which means anyone can be successful with them.  And, the photos are totally droolworthy!

One of my favorite recipes so far is for this Rigatoni with a Roasted Veal Sauce.  It’s a very simple dish that is designed to emulate the flavors of a classic pan-roasted veal rolled with pancetta and sage.  Instead of a veal roast that requires a long cooking time, this recipe calls for ground veal which can be cooked in minutes.  Brilliant!

The first thing you do is sauté some garlic, diced pancetta and fresh sage in butter. (Oh yes, I said butter!  You can put that EVOO away!)   Even though they’re not in the original recipe, I added some diced onions as well.  I just really like onions in my pasta sauce.

Next, add the ground veal and cook it until there’s no more pink left.

I also added some sliced mushrooms to the sauce because I had some in the fridge that were about to pass their prime.  I didn’t want to be responsible for a mushroomicide!

Then, add some juicy, ripe, diced tomatoes and simmer.  I used canned San Marzano tomatoes this time because the fresh tomatoes around here kind of suck right now.

Look at that gorgeous sauce! Don’t you want to just dive right into it?  If you don’t, you should.  It was amazing!  (By the way, have I mentioned how much I love that Scanpan skillet?  It’s the only pan I’ve ever found that gives me an actual crust on fish or meat on my crappy electric stove!)

Ah!  Pasta perfection!

And, in case you were wondering, I am not channeling Pioneer Woman with all of these process pictures.   I have the darkest kitchen in the world, and could never get bright, well-focused shots with my old point and shoot (kitchen) camera.   I rarely ever bring my DSLR into the kitchen because I’m always worried about splattering food on it and ruining it.  So, I recently bought a new point and shoot camera that has an awesome low light setting and I’m kind of going a little crazy with it.  Don’t worry.  I’m sure the novelty will wear off soon.

In the meantime, get yourself a copy of Thirty Minute Pasta so that you too can make fabulous meals like this!   Buy copies for your family and friends too.   The Holidays are coming and this book would make a great gift!

Rigatoni with a Roast Veal Sauce
adapted from Thirty Minute Pasta

I’ve given you the original recipe for this dish without my modifications.  If you’d like to also add diced onions and sliced mushrooms, do so in Step 3.  I added the onions first and sautéed them for about 4 minutes before I added the pancetta, sage and mushrooms.  As I noted above, I also used 1 pound of canned San Marzano tomatoes in this dish.  I was able to find the cans that are already diced.  If you can’t, use an equivalent amount of peeled whole tomatoes and chop them up yourself.  Just make sure to strain out the seeds before you add them to the sauce.

Ingredients:

2 medium whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 ounce pancetta, diced in a 1/8-inch dice
1 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
10-12 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
3/4 pound ground veal
Salt to taste
1 pound rigatoni pasta

Directions:

1.  Fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts of water.  Bring to a boil.

2.  Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.  When butter begins to melt, add garlic cloves.  Sauté until lightly browned and remove.

3.  Add the pancetta and sage to the skillet and sauté briefly until pancetta loses its raw color, about 2 minutes.  Add the ground veal and salt and cook, stirring often, until veal begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes.

4.  Add the tomatoes and season with more salt, if needed.  Continue cooking over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10-12 minutes.

5.  While the sauce is simmering, cook the rigatoni according to the package directions.  Drain well and toss with the sauce.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Enjoy!

I’m a bad blogger buddy!  Jaden Hair’s lovely new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, has been on the shelves for three weeks and I’ve yet to post about it.  Jaden was the first food blogger I ever met way back before SGCC was even a thought in my head.  She lives about 15 miles away from me, so when I stumbled upon her blog a few years ago, I immediately emailed her to introduce myself.  Jaden was kind enough to invite me to attend one of her cooking classes that just happened to also be a taping for a television feature on her.  I didn’t think twice before accepting!  I had a blast!  Plus, I got to be on TV!  That was when the blogging bug really bit me.  A few months later, with Jaden as a major inspiration, I decided to try blogging for myself – and SGCC was born.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Jaden’s recipes – and I’ve tried a whole lot of them.  When she announced that she was writing a cookbook, I was thrilled for her!  I was even more thrilled to be among her many recipe testers for the book.  During that time, I tried out some awesome recipes and it drove me crazy that I couldn’t share any of them with you, because…well, you know…because they were top secret, hush-hush recipes for the cookbook!  I wish now that I had taken photographs of some of those wonderful dishes I made.  

A few weeks ago, Mini SGCC was feeling under the weather, so I whipped out the cookbook and made some Quick Vietnamese Chicken Pho for her.  The next day, I tried Jaden’s recipe for Banh Mi.  Both were excellent.  I’d planned to post about them both in depth, but then my United Airlines fiasco happened and I was too preoccupied with that to take pictures.  By the time I got around to it, all I found were the empty Tupperware containers in the garage fridge!

One of my favorite “Steamy Kitchen” recipes is Jaden’s slow-cooked salmon. In the book it’s been transformed into Tea Smoked Salmon, but the original method is explained there as well.  I’ve made this dish about a dozen times so far, and it is one of my favorite ways to prepare salmon.  The fish is baked on a bed of onions and sliced oranges in a very low oven for about 30 minutes. I also like to add sliced fennel and fresh tarragon sprigs too.   The result is a soft, lush, melt-in-your-mouth salmon that retains its gorgeous color and texture.

I decided to try the recipe again the other night and played around with the presentation a little.  Since our temperatures around here are still hovering up in the high 80’s, I dressed some of my salmon up for a day at the beach.  The rest got dolled up for a swanky cocktail party coiffed with some crème fraiche and fresh dill.  Either way, they were both delicious!  I always try to find fresh, wild salmon, which is healthier and tastier than the farm-raised kind. But, this recipe works well with that too.

I’ve got lots more of my Steamy Kitchen faves still to share, but all in good time!

And, if you haven’t already bought your copy of The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, what the heck are you waiting for?  It’s a beautiful book for the pictures alone!  And it’s chock full of terrific recipes too.  You can find it at all of the major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Borders. And, please don’t forget your local independent book stores.  Remember, they are often your friends and neighbors who are struggling to compete with the big guys.  To find indie booksellers in your area, you can go to Indie Bound.

Slow Cooked Salmon
adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook

4 (8 ounce) salmon fillets
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 navel oranges, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 large or 2 small fresh fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
3-4 sprigs fresh tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
Assorted garnishes such as crème fraiche, sliced oranges or fresh herbs

Directions:

Preheat to 250F.  Lightly brush salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Grab a baking pan big enough to hold all fillets in single layer. Make a bed on the pan by layering the onions, fennel and two of the sliced oranges. Place the salmon fillets on the bed and tuck in the tarragon sprigs.

Bake for 30 minutes. (If you’re cooking more than 4 fillets, just add another 2 minutes per additional filet.) To test for doneness, stick a sharp paring knife in, if it goes in and out, its done.

Top with whatever finishing herbs, spices or ingredients you’ve chosen. After cooking, the salmon is going to look almost exactly the same as when you first put it in. Don’t worry, after 30 minutes in the oven it is cooked.

Dress up your salmon however you like.

Serves 4.

About a month ago, I received an email from Beth Lipton asking me if I would be interested in reviewing her newly published cookbook.  Beth Lipton?  Do I know a Beth Lipton?  And then, I remembered.  Beth Lipton is one of our very own sweet and talented food bloggers, CookiePie, and as you’ve probably already guessed, has just released a brand new cookbook called “You Made That Dessert?”.  Many of us food bloggers write using various noms de plume or pseudonyms, if you will.  So, when I realized that Beth and CookiePie were one and the same, I was excited to have the opportunity to check out her book and am delighted to now share it with you!

In addition to being a successful food blogger and a trained pastry chef, Beth is also the food editor of All You magazine, which reaches approximately 3.5 million readers per month.  You Made That Dessert? is a really lovely baking book containing over 100 simple-yet-sophisticated desserts for the undomestic diva.  It’s aimed at the savvy, modern woman who wants to learn how to make fabulous desserts for any occasion without driving herself crazy in the process.  With straightforward, easy to follow recipes, clear and concise instructions and of course, beautiful photographs, Beth has achieved just that!  There are sections on cakes, cookies and bars, custards and puddings, pies, candies and even one on “Emergency Desserts”, as well as detailed narratives on tools, ingredients and the “How Tos” of putting them all together.  Though the book is primarily geared towards beginning bakers, there is much there to inspire the more experienced baker as well.

I had a difficult time deciding which of Beth’s recipes to try first, but I finally settled on her Lime-Glazed Citrus Tea Cakes. They are light, bright, citrusy loaf cakes drizzled with a zesty, sweet-tart glaze made with fresh lime juice.  Anyone who follows this blog knows that I’m a sucker for fruity desserts, especially those made with lemons, limes or oranges.  These tea cakes combine all three!  Instant citrus heaven!  The recipe makes two cakes so you can keep one for yourself and share the other.  Or, you can be like me and keep them both for yourself, because believe it or not, these cakes taste even better the second day you make them!

Since I was doing a review, I followed the recipe exactly.  The only tweak I made was to bake half the batter in a muffin pan, (in case I did later decide to share).   Both the muffin and loaf versions turned out beautifully.   I can tell you for certain that I will definitely be trying out some more of the recipes in this book and I hope that you will too!

Enjoy!

Here is some more buzz about You Made That Dessert?:

Cookie and Cream Cheesecake Bars at The Recipe Girl

Sour Cream Coffee Cake at Two Peas and Their Pod

Cappuccino Biscotti at The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes at Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

You Made That Dessert? at Baking Bites

Coconut Rice Pudding at Eat Me, Delicious

Banana Snack Cake with Rich Caramel Frosting at Cookie Baker Lynn