Weekend Cooking: 2 Cookbooks for Your Kitchen Library

I've been fortunate enough to be part of the Voracious Ambassadors program for a couple of years now, which means I receive review copies of many of the cookbooks published by the Voracious imprint of Little, Brown. Their cookbooks are always as informative as they are useful and pretty to look at. Today I talk about two cookbooks that came out this fall.

First up is Zoe Adjonyoh's Zoe's Ghana Kitchen, which is subtitled "An Introduction to New African Cuisine--from Ghana with Love." I didn't know much about Ghanaian cooking or food flavors, so I was excited to get a chance to learn. One of the big takeaways for me is that most of the dishes include a healthy dose of heat from a variety of chilies. I also spotted quite a few ingredients that were introduced into everyday Ghanaian dishes after contact and trade with Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In addition, many of the indigenous spices are used both in cooking and for medicinal purposes.

Adjonyoh provides a guide to all of the major spices, herbs, grains, fruits, vegetables, and so on used in the recipes in the cookbook, including information about responsible sourcing and a map of regional dishes and flavorings. Because I live in a small town, I would have to buy at least some of the spices and herbs via mail order and wonder if I could find all of the fresh ingredients.

For me, Zoe's Ghana Kitchen is more of a book to read through than cook from, not only because I don't live in an area with a lot of specialty stores but also because a number of the recipes include one to three subrecipes, which always brings out my lazy side. On the other hand, I was drawn to several of the spice mixes (Jollof Dry Spice Mix, for example, to make grilled or broiled chicken) and sauces. I've also marked Pineapple and Ginger chutney to try over the winter. In the beverage and snack chapter, I flagged a mango smoothie and have already made the Spiced Cashews (recipe to follow), which we ate in record time, they were so good. Other recipes are a beef stew, spicy beans (delicious), roasted stuffed sweet potatoes, and a variety of salads.

Adjonyoh rounds out her book with personal stories and other features (including a playlist!), information about each recipe, cooking tips, and photographs. All of the recipes are doable in a non-Ghanaian kitchen and would brighten up anyone's menu.

Recommendation: Zoe Adjonyoh's Zoe's Ghana Kitchen is for cooks who want to learn about new flavors and new ingredients and for those of us who want to support the African food revolution. Anyone looking for a starting point for sub-Saharan cooking could start here. If you're feeling less than ambitious, then check this book out from the library to broaden your culinary knowledge. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free cooks will find recipes and ideas for new dishes.

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If you've been around for any amount of time, you already know how much I love to make homemade pizza. So when I saw that Voracious had a new pizza cookbook coming out, I knew I had to take a look. The Joy of Pizza by Dan Richer is an all-in-one resource for, as the subtitle says, "Everything You Need to Know" about making pizza.

The book starts out with all kinds of solid information, starting with preparation advice and ending with cutting and eating the baked pie. There are detailed checklists for evaluating your finished pizza and choosing your toppings. You'll also find informative guides to everything associated with the dough (flours, glutens, fermentation, sourdough) and toppings (sauce, oil, cheese, meats). Richer even provides a useful graphic for successfully combining pizza toppings based on each ingredient's characteristics, like heat, crisp, rich, and acid.

At the heart of The Joy of Pizza is the chapter on techniques. For example, Richer explains every step of creating the crust, from making sourdough starter through to shaping of the dough before baking. Then comes tips on how to build a pizza and, of course, bake it. If your pizza didn't come out quite the way you were envisioning, then check out the troubleshooting and evaluation guides (many come with QR codes for more information).

I'm particularly interested in the section about the masonry ovens, because over the years Mr. BFR has considered building us a wood-fired pizza and bread oven. And just in case he's changed his mind, I'm glad to see the section on using a variety of other kinds of high-temperature ovens (electric, gas, wood).

The recipe chapter contains useful graphics (flow charts, formulas, and so on) plus delicious ideas for all kinds of pizzas, from simple tomato and basil to the more unusual (corn pizza, hazelnut pizza) to a variety of common combos (mushrooms, pepperoni, bianca). At the end of The Joy of Pizza are lists of resources: where to buy ingredients, equipment, and ovens and QR codes that take you to a library of instructional videos and PDFs.

Recommendation: The Joy of Pizza by Dan Richer is perfect for anyone who wants to truly understand every step of making a high-quality pizza at home. Though the recipes look fantastic, the draw for this cookbook is that it's an encyclopedia of techniques, equipment, basics, and ingredients. If you're a pizza lover, you'll want to take a look at this cookbook.

Spiced Cashews
From Zoe's Ghana Kitchen

• 400g (14oz) raw or roasted cashew nuts
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Mix all the ingredients except the salt together in a bowl, then spread out on a baking tray and roast for 12-15 minutes until the nuts are crisp and lightly browned, giving the tray a shake halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Leave to cool, then store in an airtight container. Use within a month. [BFR's comment: they won't last that long!]

Note: The scans and recipe are used in the context of a review; all rights remain with the original copyright holders. Note too that any loss of image quality is entirely my fault.

Shared with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker)

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Weekend Cooking: 2021 Christmas with Southern Living

Every year the editors of Southern Living magazine publish a beautiful hardcover book full of decorating ideas, menus, recipes, count-down calendars, and checklists to help make your holiday season run smoothly. Though the focus is clearly on Christmas, the menus and recipes could work throughout the holiday season, from Thanksgiving to New Years.

I've been a huge fan of Southern Living recipes for years, so my favorite part of 2021 Christmas with Southern Living is the entertaining section, and today I'll be reviewing the cookbook and recipes. Thanks so much to Abrams and the Abrams Dinner Party for the review copy of this beautiful book.

The book 2021 Christmas includes menus for a Thanksgiving feast, a holiday breakfast, an informal winter dinner, and (of course) Christmas dinner plus a meal that incorporates that dinner's leftovers. The book also provides recipes for sides, salads, and cold-weather mains, and ends with sweet treats of all kinds that you can serve at home or give as gifts.

I cooked quite a few recipes from this book and had great success each time. I love the look of the Shaved Radish Toasts, and they are incredibly delicious; in fact, it was hard to stop eating them! The Orchard Mule was refreshing and the perfect cocktail to go with (even if I don't own copper mule mugs). Note that we upped the vodka percentage the next night. By the way, Southern Living notes that the drink makes a good mocktail as well. (See the recipe below.)

I've marked several of the bread recipes to try this winter, including Cloverleaf Sichuan-Scallion Buns and Christmas Morning Orange Rolls. I'm notoriously bad at making biscuits, so I was surprised that the Honey-Buttermilk Biscuits were winners. I'm definitely making them again.

For a main meal, I made Stovetop Black Beans with Chorizo, which was spicy and warming. The Chicken Thighs with Parsnips and Oranges was easy and full of flavor. I served the chicken over a bed of mashed sweet potatoes to round out the fall flavors. The Saffron Veal Stew (I used beef) was so, so good. I served it over wide egg noodles, though rice or even mashed potatoes would work too.

I'm looking forward to trying some of the dessert and cookie recipes as we get into the holiday season. My neighbors and friends always appreciate home-baked goodies. I'm sure I'll turn to 2021 Christmas for cocktails and nibbles inspiration for cozy winter evenings with friends.

Recommendation: For those of you who love new ideas for Christmas decor and help organizing for the holiday season, 2021 Christmas with Southern Living has your back. If Christmas isn't your thing, you should check this book out of the library for solid recipes that will serve you well all winter. Vegetarians will find suitable dishes, though vegans should look before buying.

Orchard Mule
Serves 1

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 3 tablespoons (1.5 oz) vodka
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) apple cider
• 1/3 cup (4 oz) ginger beer
• Apple slice
• Rosemary sprig

Combine the lemon juice, vodka, cider, and ginger beer in an ice-filled copper mug. Stir. Garnish with an apple slice and a rosemary sprig for stirring.

Make it a mocktail: Increase the amount of apple cider and ginger beer to replace the vodka.

Note: Recipe used with permission; all rights remain with the original copyright holder. The photos are my own.

Shared with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker)

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Weekend Cooking: Peace, Love, and Pasta by Scott Conant

I've often commented on the fact that restaurant chefs have trouble translating their recipes for the home cook, even for ambitious and skilled home cooks. Scott Conant's Peace, Love, and Pasta is an exception to that statement. Everything I've made from this cookbook has been both easy and successful. Thanks so much for Abrams Books and the Abrams Dinner Party for the review copy.

Because Italian flavors and dishes make up the foundation of Conant's cooking, this cookbook provides recipes for pasta dinners, vegetable risotto, polenta recipes, frittata, and the like. Conant, however, is not one-dimensional, and he's included a variety of other dishes such as salads, clam chowder, braised short ribs, lobster rolls, roasted meats, and good old family favorites like chicken cutlet sandwiches and a pretty killer grilled cheese.

Stepping away from his American and Italian roots, Conant shares a handful of Turkish recipes he learned from his in-laws. I haven't made any of these yet, but I grew up in an area with a large Middle Eastern community and I can't wait to try them.

I marked a ton of recipes to make, and I suspect Peace, Love, and Pasta will not be leaving my kitchen anytime soon. Conant's melted tomato sauce (recipe to follow) is likely to be one of my go-to sauces in winter, when the only fresh tomatoes that have any flavor are the cherry or grape ones.

Here are just a few of the recipes I marked or have already made (see my scans for some of the finished dishes): spinach soup with chicken meatballs, pasta e fagioli, romaine hearts with Dijon-shallot vinaigrette, pasta pomodoro, maccheroni with polpettine and Neapolitan tomato sauce, escarole and beans, rosemary lentils, cast-iron skillet chicken with fingerling potatoes, stuffed grape leaves, and hazelnut and brown butter cake.

One of things I noticed most about Conant's recipes is this: he knows how to create big, unforgettable flavor from surprisingly few ingredients. Here are two examples. The romaine salad is basically lettuce, homemade croutons, pickled red onions, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a simple vinaigrette. But somehow, those few elements, in the proportions Conant recommends, together make an outstanding salad. Another surprise was the rosemary lentils recipe, which also uses only a few ingredients. Nonetheless, this was one of the hit dishes among the Abram Dinner Party reviewers. I think it's the caramelized shallots that makes all the difference. This dish can be served as a side or can be turned into a soup by adding broth.

Note that some dishes can take quite a bit of time, especially if you start with dried beans or make your own ravioli, for example. On the other hand, you'll have good success even if using canned beans or store-bought fresh pasta. The headnotes for the recipes include tips on ingredients, variations, and suggested substitutions as well as personal stories and memories from Conant.

Recommendations: Scott Conant's Peace, Love, and Pasta is an inspiring cookbook suitable for most home cooks, especially those looking for new ways to make and serve familiar dishes. Vegetarians will find a number of dishes to suit their needs (as is or with minor variations), but vegans should look before buying.

The following recipe was easy to make and amazingly flavorful. In the cookbook, Conant uses it on chicken cutlets and with ravioli. We ate it with tortellini, but I think it'd also be good for meatball or sausage sandwiches and for any other pasta.

Melted Baby Tomato Sauce
Makes about 3 1/2 cups (840 ml)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 cups (580 g) mixed cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

In a saute pan, heat the oil slightly over low heat. Add the garlic slices, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Before the garlic has taken on any color, add the cherry tomatoes to the pan, turn the heat up to medium-high, season with a pinch of salt, and continue to saute as the tomatoes release their juices. Once the juices and the pectin from the tomatoes have combined with the oil and have started to form a nice sauce (8 to 10 minutes), stir in the basil. Remove from heat and adjust the seasoning with salt. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days, until ready to use.

Note: The recipe is shared in the context of a review; all rights remain with the original copyright holder. The photos are my own.

Shared with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker)

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Weekend Cooking: Nailed It! A Family Cookbook by the creators of the Netflix show with Heather MacLean

Today I'm launching my first Abrams Dinner Party cookbook of the season, and it's a fun one. Remember back in 2018 when I reviewed the Netflix series Nailed It!? I became a fan starting right from season 1, episode 1. Little did I know then that the creators of the show, along with Heather MacLean, would write a cookbook based on the series.

For those of you who don't know, Nailed It! is a baking contest show which challenges contestants to recreate beautifully decorated cakes and fun and fanciful desserts. These everyday, nonprofessional bakers do their best to work with fondant, modeling chocolate, food dyes, buttercreams, and rice cereal bars to produce both tasty and eye-appealing showcase treats. The results are often hilarious, and the contestants all seem to have a good sense of humor.

The cookbook Nailed It!, which I received as part of the Abrams Dinner Party program, contains more than thirty recipes, from elegant wedding cakes to super-fun cupcakes, most of which were used on the series. Each recipe includes episode notes, decorating and baking tips, and photographs. That would make this a fan-favorite cookbook all in and of itself.

But Nailed It! A Family Cookbook goes a few steps farther. You'll find detailed information on all the different decorating ingredients with tips on how to work with them, where to buy them, and how to color them. You can read interviews with the show's head judge (Torres), some of the guest judges, and our favorite associate director "Wessssssss!!!"--who always seems game for whatever antic is needed.

My favorite parts of the book are the tips: what to do if you can't find an ingredient or don't have the right equipment, how to save fondant that got too sticky, and how to make fluffy buttercream, for example. There are also shortcut suggestions (like buying the doughnuts instead of making them for the polar bear cuties).

If you and your friends and family are feeling adventurous, be sure to look at the end of the Nailed It! cookbook, where you'll find advice for creating your own decorating party. You can make it a challenge or a collaborative event, and the authors even provide tips for virtual parties. If you're going for a contest, don't miss the competition rules, suggestions for awards, and ideas for amping up the fun. Scan the chart of recipes to pick the right one for your party guests (including kids).

One of the Abrams Dinner Party members recreated the Late-Night Pancake Art, and another made the hot chocolate (recipe to follow).

I'm recommending the Nailed It! cookbook for fans of the show as well as anyone who wants to significantly up their decorating game--or just wants to have some fun with their family on a weekend afternoon. If you're not feeling up to working with fondant, check this one out from the library so you can read the interviews and learn more about the Netflix series.

What follows is Jacques Torres's hot chocolate recipe. I've had his Frozen Hot Chocolate in New York but haven't yet tried his hot version. I'm definitely making this over the winter holidays; it'd be perfect for a night by the fire listening to holiday music.

Jacques's Legendary Hot Chocolate
Makes 4 cups
From season 1 (Holiday)

• 3 cups (720 ml) whole milk
• 6 ounces (170 g) Jacques Torres 60% dark chocolate discs (or your favorite brand)
  
• 1/2 cup (65 g) dry milk powder
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Whipped cream or marshmallows for topping

In a medium pot over medium-high, bring the milk to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium.

Add the chocolate, whisking vigorously until it is completely melted.

Add the milk powder and cornstarch. Continue to whisk until everything is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and thick.

Divide the hot chocolate among four mugs. Top with a large dollop of whipped cream or marshmallows.

Note: Recipe and photos are shared in the context of review; all rights remain with the original copyright holder.

Shared with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker)

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