Cookbook Club Roundup - March 5th, 2016

Cookbook Club RoundUp! 

Our Cookbook Club members didn't disappoint with a wonderful selection of "Soup and Salad" dishes and recipes at this week's meeting. Here's what was shared:

Orange Blossom Special (a fruit soup), from Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread Cookbook, by Crescent Dragonwagon.

(Kubbeh) Hamustaahatar, a soup, from Jerusalem: A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.

Ezogelin Corbasi - Spicy Lentil and Bulgur Soup, shared from a cooking class taken at 'Cooking Alaturka', in Istanbul, Turkey.

Curried Zucchini Soup, from The Essential New York Times Cookbook, by Amanda Hesser.

Beets, Apples and Ginger with Clementine Vinaigrette, from Cooking for Mr. Latte, by Amanda Hesser.

Here are some recipes that were shared:

Endive and Watercress Salad with Walnuts and Roquefort Cheese

2 endive
1 bunch watercress
1 firm Bosc pear
6-8 cherry tomatoes
½ cup walnut pieces
½ cup Roquefort, crumbled
Extra virgin olive oil,
Balsamic vinegar

Core and slice endive thinly. Core and slice pear thinly. Wash and stem watercress.  Slice cherry tomatoes in half.

Make vinaigrette, using ½ olive oil and ½ balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Toss endive, pear and watercress with vinaigrette.  Pile on shallow bowl and surround with cherry tomato halves. Sprinkle with walnuts and Roquefort cheese. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Honey Grapefruit with Banana Salad      

Prep: 5 minutes. Yield: 3 servings (serving size: 1 cup) 

1 (24-ounce) jar refrigerated red grapefruit sections (about 2 cups) 
1 cup sliced banana (about 1) 
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint 
1 tablespoon honey 

Drain grapefruit sections, reserving 1/4 cup juice.

Combine grapefruit sections, juice, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. 

Toss gently to coat. Serve immediately, or cover and chill.

German Potato Salad

4 potatoes
4 slices of bacon
1 tablespoon of flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped green onions
salt and pepper to taste

Boil large pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes; cook until tender but still firm about 15 minutes, drain cool and chop.

Place bacon in a large deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Reserve bacon fat.  

Add flour, sugar, water and vinegar to the skillet and cook in reserved bacon fat over medium heat until it is thick.

Add bacon, potatoes and green onions to skillet and stir until coated. Cook until heated and season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm.

For more information on our Cookbook Club, and to register, please email Barbara Davis at bdavis@nrpl.org or call (914) 632-8254.

Cookbook Club Roundup - February 20th, 2016

Cookbook Club RoundUp! 

Members of our brand new Cookbook Club brought some delightful dishes and recipes to this week's gathering. Here's a sampling:

Caviar Pie, from Mother’s Club of New Rochelle 1987 Cookbook.

Chipotle & Rosemary Spiced Nuts, from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa, How Easy Is That? Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips.
           
Turkey and Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin, adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook.

Zahatar Cherry Tomatoes Crostini, from Rose Water and Orange Blossoms: Fresh & Classic Recipes from my Lebanese Kitchen, Maureen Abood.

Marcella Hazan’s Famous Tomato Sauce, originally appeared in Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. 

Some members shared their own recipes too, these included Dill Pickles; Sauerkraut; Spinach, Cheese & Veggies Quiche; and Gougeres. 

What, you may ask, is a gougere?

Choux pastry, or pâte à choux, is used to make sweet profiteroles. When cheese is added for a savory dish, they are called gougeres. These mini-pastries should be crisp and golden on the outside and light and fluffy within.

Gougeres – Cheese Puffs

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup Gruyere or Parmesan Cheese, finely grated

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup flour

4 large eggs

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the butter and water in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the flour and salt, all at one time.

Stir rapidly and continuously with a wooden spoon as the mixture comes together. Cook for up to three minutes, or until the mixture forms a smooth ball.

Take the pan off the heat and allow it cool for a few minutes. Beat the eggs. Add them to the warm dough one at a time, beating thoroughly to incorporate. Mix in the grated cheese.

Using a teaspoon, place spoonfuls of the mixture on to a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving room between each spoonful for the pastry to puff up. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 325 degrees for another 20 minutes, or until the pastries are cooked through and golden.

Gougeres can be made a few hours ahead of time and reheated before serving.