Forum

Well, Margaret, there's 1,756 online recipes using eggplant in the EYB library : so at least you have options. Lucky you!

My favorite eggplant reduction scheme, when they're coming fast and furious, is roasting whole on the grill.  They collapse gratifyingly. Once cool enough, scrape out the pulp and refrigerate (or freeze).  Then you have a lot of options -- various "caviars", baba ghanouj, Indian dishes that fry them with chiles and spices...

In Japan, eggplant is eaten a lot.  The two most popular are perhaps the easiest.  Just grill whole until skin blisters.  Peel and serve hot with grated ginger and soy sauce.  Nothing more.  Another method is grilled as above, peel, and marinate in mentsuyu (noodle bloth).  Serve with shredded long onion and ginger.  Great with Nihonshu or chilled sake of good quality such as junmai ginjo. 

Originally Posted by: Margaretsmall

Really chuffed to see that the book I indexed, 'Turkish Flavours' is one of this weeks featured books. A nice book, based on a great cafe at Yamba, a seaside resort on the NSW north coast. Neat. Margaret

Just made one of the recipes that appears online: sevtaps Turkish chicken - defintely worth doing again. I used a tagine (3rd use in as many years!). even my husband agrees it was delightful  - thanks Margaret!

So happy to hear people are trying some of the featured recipes! I do try to feature any newly member- or pro-indexed book that is recent enough to have sample recipes reprinted (legitimately) online. The older a book is the, the less likely I am to find links. But if you index a book and I can find samples, you'll likely see it in one of the round-ups!

Baked Gnocchi w/Arugula & Cherry Tomatoes - I came very close to not making this dish as it seemed way too simplistic but I'm very glad I stopped dithering and prepared it.

This is the perfect meal for mid-week that I've come across in ages - a real dark horse.  Picking up a container of arugula and the cheese is all that's necessary - the rest are pantry ingredients and I'll certainly ensure I have a couple of cans of cherry tomatoes and some gnocchi on hand in future.  It does need to be a can of tomatoes (rather than fresh) to generate enough sauce for the dish.

It was delicious as is, but I would probably throw in a generous handfull of chopped, fresh parsley - maybe some chives next time around. 

I don't really see it as a company dish, but it could be part of a buffet - potluck offering.  Notwithstanding, it's a tasty and easy mid-week-dinner at home.

For Ellabee and others interested in cooking with cauliflower, have you tried Julia Child's recipe for cauliflower and watercress soup?  This is one of the most delicious soups which makes an elegant starter or, made with hot milk and served with a crusty brioche to soak in the soup, a hearty component to a meal.  I love that the watercress and cauliflower flavors marry so well, although have also made it with cilantro when watercress is not available.  People who don't like cauliflower (like my father in law) may love this soup as they don't recognize the main ingredient!

Thanks so much, MWFhome.  It's on page 13 of my mother's copy of MAFC Vol. 2, and I've bookmarked it under my 'i.cauliflower' Bookmark. The local foods store is loaded down with greens right now, so I'll see if watercress is among them -- if so, I'll seek out more cauliflower.

For forum readers who don't have a Julia Child cookbook that includes it, there are other versions with online recipes, but the couple I've checked so far (Martha Stewart and Skinny Taste) are both pureed, where the Child version leaves the cauliflower florets and cress leaves intact. 

Off to the grocery now or I'd search a little further. Thanks again!

The Julia Child cauliflower and watercress soup is pureed, too; missed it on first read.

Got watercress, but no cauliflower at any of my three grocery stops.  May try a half recipe with potatoes, just to use up the cress while it's fresh; I'll do a salad with the rest, with some goat cheese from a local farm.  They just started selling it in the last year, and it's especially wonderful right now (spring grass).

Hi Ellabee,

You do puree the Julia Child soup.  That's why the ingredient which my father in law liked, but didn't know he liked, was not recognized.  I keep the puree very coarse, and lumpy, so the crunch of the greens comes through, and garnish it with fresh watercress.

Glad you found the book.  It's had imitators, but there's only one original!

MWF home

I made Quiche maraichere from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan, using Dorie's Tart Pastry recipe. 

"When you see the word maraîchère, you know market-fresh produce is in the mix. Here it’s in a quiche packed to the brim with celery, leeks, carrots, and little squares of red pepper. It’s an unusual quiche in that it’s got lots more vegetables than custard and the cheese is on top of it, not inside."

There is a simplicity to the this preparation that I didn't mess around with.  Although it was really hard not to throw in a couple of additions like parsley or thyme, maybe a little proscuitto, perhaps some asparagus - I did resist the tempation and the result was great. 

My quiche preference is a more custard-heavy version with the cheese incorprated in the filling rather than on top, but there's certainly room in the repetoire for this tasty little gem and each bite was packed with punchy flavour - in fact rather more flavour than I expected from this combination of vegetables.

I really liked the pastry, just a little crisp and baked perfectly - like Julia Child, I have a dislike of "soggy bottoms".

Last night I prepared Stacked Side of Salmon which was fantastic.  If you'd like to wow your guests with a lovely presentation as well as a delicious salmon dish, look no further.

It was easy and fun to put together, lots of mandoline use; the trick is to slice the vegetables very thinly and not to pile on too many layers or they'll steam rather than roast.

I made the dish when I got home from work with very little fuss and was delighted with the results - so pretty, especially with the purple potatoes.

I paired it w/an arugula salad/pinenuts/green onions, dressed w/a light, lemony vinaigrette & croutons & a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

I had lots of sliced vegetables left so I layered them in a small gratin dish and roasted them in the same oven as the salmon - I think they're destined for a frittata.

This photo of this dish is so beautiful!  It looks like the epitome of spring and delicious too.  I save it to my Bookshelf and can hardly wait to give this a try.  Thank you for finding and sharing such a great recipe.

I can't say enough about the http://www.eatyourbooks....ies-with-orange-and-sour">Berries with orange and sour cream recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook More than 1000 Recipes edited by Ruth Reichel. Even though I didn't have any sour cream, and made it with some substitutions, it was out of this world, a great way to celebrate Memorial Day and summer.  When strawberries are freshest, it could be made with all strawberries, using this biscuit anytime you want to make a berry shortcake.  (See note I posted to the recipe posted today.)

Thanks for the heads-up, MWFHome! That's one of the books in the local library, and I'm there regularly.  Have made a note to myself to check it out next week.  Local berries just now picking up speed...

Have fun with this book, Ellabee!  I notice that there are several other berry desserts in this cookbook that have 5-star ratings.  A number of the comments in the daily reviews these days are critical of orange flavoring added to recipes.  I love to use fruity liqueurs in lieu of sugar, or with reduced sugar on fruit (e.g., Calvados or applejack with apples, Grand Marnier or Cointreau with strawberries, mixed berries, and apricots or oranges).  In my experience, liqueurs work better than flavoring oils when mixed with fresh or cooked fruit such as a glaze or a poached fruit dish.  In dough the zests are important and don't overpower.  Another example is the lemon zest in the Coconut and macadamia nut banana bread Enjoy!  I use this book a lot as a modern reference cookbook (side by side with my old Joy of Cooking.)

PS I meant to add this comment to the "Cooking with your Books" forum rather than creating a separate topic for berry shortcake.  Not sure  if it matters, or how to fix this.