Double whammy! Cook the Books meets Tasting Jerusalem

I love serendipity, and this month it struck with the convergence of two communal cooking groups. Cook the Books 2013 with Meg of Grow & Resist and Briggs of Ohbriggsy! focuses on a different cookbook each month, and Tasting Jerusalem with Beth (@omgyummy) and Serene (@fringefood) selects a different ingredient each month from a single book. So September brings Jerusalem and pomegranate molasses to the spotlight.

Plenty is a favorite cookbook (though I'm nowhere near vegetarian), so I bought Jerusalem when it came out. While I admit I don't turn to it as often, I have been inspired by the flavors and recipes over the past few months. Choice dishes I've made have included Roasted Cauliflower Salad (p 62), Baharat spiced grilled eggplant over Mejadra (p 120), Baharat eggs over Mejadra, preserved lemons (p 203), and Lamb Meatballs with Currants, Yogurt & Herbs (p 199).

On the menu this month:

Cardamom rice pudding with pistachios & rose water (p 270) - As previously confessed in my Cook the Books Gran Cocina Latina post, I adore rice pudding. And rose flavored things. Especially the combination of cardamom and rose (see my french toast and meringue posts). As usual I made some of my recipe reading mistakes (long grain rice instead of short grain) and some substitutions (half & half instead of heavy cream, and a little extra milk with some sugar instead of condensed milk), so my version was no doubt a little less rich than Ottolenghi and Tamimi's...but it still looked and tasted gorgeous! The overnight liquid soaking part felt a little fussy to me; I wonder if there might be a way to impart the flavor of the spices without that step. Also, my sister gave me one of her rugosa rose bushes, which produces amazing blooms and rose petal jelly! The petals went into this dish too.

Shakshuka (p 66) - Me and Tunisian cuisine both have a passionate love affair with eggs. The recipe states it's a seasonal summer variation, and using all fresh farmers market produce and eggs really emphasized this point. The fresh flavors of the peppers and tomatoes shone through, and the harissa brings some spicy depth without overwhelming. Over the moon with this satisfying dish despite my less than perfect presentation. I halved the recipe and used only whole eggs (not whole eggs + yolks), so found it was a little tight in my pan and swirling the whites was just a bad idea for me. There will be a next time, so I'm sure this is a practice makes perfect kind of thing.

Wheat berries & Swiss chard with pomegranate molasses (p 100) - This dish was a strange one for me. First of all, though I should have had a sense of it from the cooking time (all together over 80 minutes), but I wasn't expecting it to be so stew-like. Served up with poached salmon on the first night, it was really tasty. Though the BF liked it less than me. True, I may have been a little heavy-handed with the pomegranate molasses, so it was pretty tangy, but to my palate a nice combination of textures and flavors. A couple days later we had some leftovers, and it had become much less pleasant tasting; bitter and strong. I did skip serving it with the suggested greek yogurt both times, so maybe that would have helped mellow out the strong flavors. I would maybe make this again, and fiddle with the ingredients and proportions in order to make it more savory, with just a hint of sweet, and less dominant sharpness.

One of the really fun things about immersing yourself in a single cookbook each month—or for longer!—is to investigate and savor different ingredients. I love going out to the various ethnic grocers in our neighborhood (rarely do I need to go further) and buying things I usually only look at or wonder about. And I frequently discover new ways to use a familiar ingredient too. At home in my own kitchen, I feel like I journey the world through food. And the exploration is made that much more interesting with good company. I can't wait to see what everyone else, from both cooking communities, cooked up this month!

And for the record (the second time), I WILL make the Chocolate Krantz Cake one of these days...

Note: My trusty old Canon PowerShot SD650 is on its last legs, and I recently crossed over to the dark side and now have an iPhone. I'm trying out all iPhone photos for the blog. and though I haven't spent any time exploring more than basic functionality, so far...I'm not convinced. Tips, thoughts and camera recommendations are all welcome.

Cook the Books 2013 - Gran Cocina Latina brings rice pudding, hibiscus cocktails and smoky soup

July has been mostly freezing in San Francisco. So I chose two warming recipes and something for cocktails from this month's Cook the Books selection, Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by Marisel E. Presilla.

This book is seriously impressive, an 800-page tome packed with authentic recipes from throughout Latin America.

And paging through it was a particular joy for me, because it brought alive so many memories and flavors of past experiences in various countries. While living in Mexico, I perfected one of my favorite dishes, Huachinango a la Veracruza (p 626), and I ate the Taquitos de Carnitas "Al Paraíso" in Pátzcuaro (p 394) many times! While traveling in Peru I savored Causa Limeña and Papas a la Huancaína, and even visited the International Potato Center (CIP) detailed on page 201. I watched hearts of palm being harvested in the jungles of Brazil, and then ate them in salads similar to the Hearts of Palm and Mango Salad (551). And mofongo (p 188) was the first typical Puerto Rican dish I had on my first visit. I could go on...

But as much as this book evoked vivid memories for me, I didn't get much time in the kitchen to cook from it. And while some of the recipes I read through closely seemed overly complicated to me, with just three recipes actually used, I feel unable to give it a reliable review overall. In my opinion this seems like a good book for a cook looking to expand their Latin American repertoire, rather than someone looking for a cookbook to start out with.

Here's where it took me:

Hibiscus Syrup (a staple in Mexico, and still one of my favorite agua frescas)

Doesn't get much easier than making a syrup, and this one is very tasty. The end result is not super sweet and has nice layers of flavor from the orange peel and spices, so it is great for cocktails. We made hibiscus lime margaritas, and because of its gorgeous color, floated it in prosecco. Thumbs up for both! With the remaining syrup I plan to try to recreate a tamarind, hibiscus, rose water cooler that I love from a restaurant in Eugene. Perfect summertime sip, if we ever get that around here!

Smoky Pureed Pumpkin & Cacao Soup (this one just captured my imagination, and taste buds)

This produced a rather strange but not entirely displeasing soup. It was way too thin, but I used kabocha squash instead of pumpkin—which the book did list as an alternative—but I wonder if it just didn't thicken up enough with the squash I used. I also used plain yogurt instead of Mexican crema, and didn't use manchego cheese or other listed garnishes. Maybe these things would have all made this soup amazing. Anyhow, it was a very concentrated flavor. If you don't make the accompanying cacao-chile balls (I didn't), I suggest serving with quesadillas to dip in for bites.

Peruvian Rice Pudding with Brown Sugar and Coconut (excelente!)

Rice pudding is one of my favorite things, but weirdly, I never make it myself. There were two delicious sounding recipes in this book, but I went with the less creamy one since I'm still trying to clear out lingering head cold congestion. This rice pudding is unusual in the fact that it uses no cream or milk at all, just rice cooked in water, and a syrup made with brown sugar, coconut, raisins, pecans and spices. It's easy to make and very very satisfying. I brought this to a cold afternoon potluck, where it was a hit, and would readily make it again.

OK, now I'm ready for some sunshine! It can't come soon enough, since our cookbook for August is Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery!