Cook the Books 2013 - Wrapping up with Homemade Pantry

The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making by Alana Chernila was the perfect choice to close out our amazing year of Cook the Books 2013 Cookbook Challenge. I'm not sure how an entire year, or 12 cookbooks for that matter, have gone by already, but here we are.

As much as I appreciated learning so many new things in the kitchen, I came to most value reading other participants' posts. Along with intros, recaps, and more from our fearless leaders: Meg of Grow & Resist and Brigg of Ohbriggsy!. Each month, each post revealed different approaches, which recipes appealed, which ones flopped — literal food for thought. They also gave me personal insight into my fellow cooks; making this communal project influence me in the best of ways. New friends, new perspectives, lots of good food!

And, I think I am going to use Angela and J.K.'s  idea of cooking through cookbooks we already own in the coming year. This will be the perfect way to continue the method, while either weeding out my overflowing cookbook library, or discovering new favorites already on the shelves.

Usually I recap the recipes in the order I made them during the month, but this go around I am going to lead off with the ones I liked best.

Beef Stew
This was nice and hearty with simple but satisfying flavors. I used fancy beef which may seem contrary to stew tradition, but it sure made for tender chunks of tasty beef. I think the key steps here are the drying of the beef (tip of the hat to Julia), and crusting the pieces in the paprika-spiced flour mix before browning. I went with 1/3 red wine and 2/3 beef broth which is the right balance in my opinion.

Cereal Bars (Car Snack 1) 
These turned out great! Not only were they super easy to make, they last well in the fridge and make for a perfect snack on the go. They were also excellent impromptu gifts, requiring just the addition of parchment paper wrapping and a bow. I didn't have enough sliced almonds on hand, so toasted some pumpkin seeds to make up the difference which I liked a lot, and would probably go half/half on next time. Any mix of dried fruits will do, but the mix of coconut, apricot, cherries, cranberries and a little bit of mango was a winner. I also recommend sprinkling a layer of Maldon salt over the top before you put them in the fridge to set. Yum!

Chocolate Pudding 
Previous posts have revealed my love of pudding, so I won't rhapsodize again here. A dramatic cooking mishap unfortunately intervened in my pudding making this time though...I dropped my iPhone into boiling milk, sugar and corn starch. Miraculously, my phone survived! My pudding on the other hand got a bit overcooked, so it set more firmly than I would have liked. Still, this pudding I liked a lot.

Peanut Butter
So easy! Why have I not made my own peanut butter before?!? That is the beauty of a book like this. Per the nut butter recipe, I started with raw peanuts and roasted them lightly. Perhaps not enough, as this had a very unroasted, raw nut flavor. Which was nice, and rather unusual, but I'd go for a bit more time in the oven for my tastebuds next time. Also, I recently scored some spiced peanut butter at the food swap, and see myself definitely experimenting with some chile pepper enhancements down the line.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
This is another great use for extra buttermilk. I am not the biggest ranch dressing fan honestly, but the boyfriend is. I reduced the amount of mayo, and used some sour cream instead, which lightened it considerably and made it much more to my liking. I imagine using plain yogurt would work great too. This was awesome on a smoked trout salad.

Potato Leek Soup
A straightforward soup, which always pleases me. Even more so with the addition of bacon! I also used less milk than called for, since overly creamy soups are not my thing. A solid soup recipe to have on hand.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
This was my least favorite recipe/result. The roasted garlic flavor overwhelmed, though I did wing it a bit on proportions, so maybe that was my fault...

Fruit Gelatins: Black Currant and Peach 
I'm cheating a bit here, as I actually made these for the October food swap. But, since they are from this book, I'm including them with full disclosure. Choose your juice flavor wisely — I recommend a clear juice (not something thick like nectar), and something you really like the flavor of as that is basically what these will taste like. Actually, I wonder what you might use to give these a little bit of a flavor boost? Some kind of extract or booze or infusion might be just the thing to make these magnificent.

Many of the staples in this book I have made, or make regularly already, but my biggest regrets this month are not getting to the Toaster Pastries or the Fig Bars. Alas. But, I am inspired for an awesome yogurt flavor I will post on in the new year. Which is literally upon us! Farewell 2013...you delivered a lot of good cooking and good times.

Cooking The Breakfast Book, Chapter 7: Buttermilk Baked Eggs

I adore eggs. I like them all ways, any time. Especially soft boiled, or poached, or in what I call "egg things" and most others call egg-in-a-hole. I also recently started a new job and have been trying to eat breakfast before I leave the house in the morning, which is far from easy for this night owl. But, this is my kind of recipe, and it makes breakfast extra easy. I made these Buttermilk Baked Eggs yesterday before work even.

The things I like best about this dish are the following: (a) it's an effortless way to fancy up a favorite dish, (b) it's an ideal use for that leftover buttermilk you inevitably end up with from some baking project or another, (c) aside from super simple prep, it's mostly cooking time, so this is a breakfast that you can make quickly and while doing other things, and (d) the buttermilk makes this humble dish surprisingly luscious and creamy. Thumbs up for eggs transformed.

Buttermilk Baked Eggs
Serves 2
Adapted from from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham  

2 slices sandwich bread
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly toast the bread slices, and cut a hole in the center of each one using a 1½-inch circular cutter (or a small glass). Butter the bottom of an ovenproof dish and place the toast in it. 

Break the egg directly over the center, so that the yolk fills the hole. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then spoon 1/4 cup of buttermilk over each egg and bread slice.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Clamoring for more eggs? Of course you are! Find them among our society of Cook the Bookers: 

Rachel from Ode to Goodness

Natasha from Non-Reactive Pan

Emily from The Bon Appétit Diaries

Claudie from The Bohemian Kitchen

Sammy from Rêve du Jour

Butter - Cook It! 2012: March Resolution + Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Shrimp Recipe

Sweet, fresh butter

It is the simplest of foods that sometimes bring the most joy. If I would have known before now that 1 cup of heavy cream and a hand mixer could produce the sweetest, softest, freshest butter...well it would've been trouble. Butter would undoubtedly be slathered on everything. 

Thanks to month three of Grow It Can It Cook It's Cook It! 2012 kitchen resolutions, that is just what happened. Oh well, consider it a celebration of spring. Fresh cream turned into fresh butter eaten on fresh bread in the sunshine — what could be better? 


There are a few modern variations of technique for making your own butter. You can use a jar, or you can use either a stand mixer or hand mixer. I went the hand mixer route, and followed the steps described here, but for ingredients I just used 1 cup of Strauss Family Creamery heavy whipping cream. After all the buttermilk was extracted, the butter was so sweet and delicious tasting I debated whether to add salt at all. Finally I went with 1/4 tsp kosher salt (mostly b/c the bf prefers salted butter), but you could easily skip it or add more to taste.

Cream and a hand mixer is all it took

I started out on low to minimize splattering

After about 5 minutes, I turned up the speed to medium

Kept it on medium for about 5 minutes

Once it started to thicken up, I switched to high speed

At the beginnings of butter, I switched back to medium speed

Slowly you'll start to see moisture appearing

Pour off the buttermilk as it begins to separate

It looks like runny scrambled eggs at this stage, right?

Becoming creamier

Looks like butter!

Keep adding very cold water & mixing until water is clear

Once done, knead it together like dough with your hands

Ta-da!

The final yield: a ball of butter & half a cup of buttermilk

First things first, I spread it on fresh olive bread

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”  - James Beard

Recipe for Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Shrimp

Since I had produced half a cup of buttermilk from this whole process, mashed potatoes seemed like just the thing. Topped with garlic shrimp it was the perfect easy, fast dinner.

1 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 Tb butter

Salt

Pepper
20-24 shrimp (choose quantity depending on size of shrimp; you can use fresh or frozen — either cooked or uncooked — just adjust cooking times accordingly)
1-2 Tb olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, diced
Lemon zest 
Italian parsley for garnish
Sriracha or other hot sauce (optional)

Ready to mash

Whether to peel or not peel your potatoes when mashing them is a entirely personal preference, but I tend to not peel them if using thin-skinned, waxy potatoes like Yukon gold. Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes and add to a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook for 15-20 minutes until soft, but before they start to disintegrate at the edges.

Light and fluffy

About 5 minutes before the potatoes are done, warm the buttermilk and butter on low heat.

Then heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat, add diced garlic and lemon zest and cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook until done, approximately 3-5 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the warm pot. Add buttermilk/butter mixture and use a potato ricer to combine. If a little dry, add 2-3 tablespoons more of buttermilk if you have it on hand, or use regular milk. Add pepper and salt.

Top a bowl of mashed potatoes with the garlicky shrimp and garnish with parsley and hot sauce to taste. Eat immediately.

Serves 2, with generous mashed potato leftovers

Super easy dinner is served