Smitten Kitchen

I am a library addict to the tenth degree; I love utilizing my library for as many reasons as I can. One of my favorite things to do is check out cookbooks and then try a few of the recipes to see if the author taste in cooking is compatible with mine. If our tastes are compatible, then I go out and buy the cookbook; therefore, I do not end up cookbooks that I dislike the food. My latest cookbook adventure has been with the cookbook, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook,  by Deb Perelman. The author comes across as a no-nonsense cook making her teeny tiny New York kitchen work magic for herself and those seeking delicious recipes without using fancy equipment that requires an instruction manual. One of the major things that I have learned from the author is the importance of using a digital scale for cooking…here’s why: A cup of flour, packed different ways, can clock in anywhere from 115 to 200 grams; therefore, you could end up with almost double the flour the recipe’s writer intended in your recipe. Therefore, the author of this cookbook puts measurements in grams; therefore, you know exactly the amount that is suppose to go into the recipe….GENIUS I know! The other thing that I have learned is the ease an immersion blender is compared to a food processer or blender when mixing items. The author got started with blogging and the recipes in this cookbook through my experience have been  nothing short of deliciousness.

Below is the progress I have made with making/baking recipes from the cookbook with comments so far. I will most likely have another blog posting in the future with other recipes from this cookbook because they are sooooo scrumptious!

Peach and Sour Cream Pancakes

This is a picture of the pancakes cooking in the skillet. I ended up putting 2 tsps of vanilla extract.

 Green, eggs, and Hollandaise

This is the recipe in it's completion. The english muffin was toasted in the oven and it was so much better than being cooked in a toaster. The fruit are plum and blackberries.

This is before the Hollandaise sauce was poured over the meal. I kept the leftover Hollandaise sauce for 3 days after originally making it. It kept it's flavor but the butter definitely began to separate each time it was microwaved.

This are the eggs and greens before placed in the oven to bake.

 Cheddar Swirl Breakfast Buns

These rolls were still soft enough three days later without being microwaved.

 Big Breakfast Latkes

This is the complete recipe. I cooked the egg with black pepper and chives.

This is the Latkes after being fried and kept warm in the oven.

 Whole-Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones

After being taken out of the oven. The recipe recommended cutting the scones into squares but I actually own a scone pan so that's why mine are triangular.

Scones are always a bitter sweet cooking experience. In my opinion they are only tasty the day they are made, and technically just out of the oven.  In the past, even a day after initially the scones have been baked I think they get dryer than a biscuit. I do not know if this recipe has those same results because I took them to a potluck; therefore, I did not try a day-old scone.

 Plum Poppy Seed Muffins

This is a muffin cut into two so you can see the inside. Each subsequent day after being baked these muffins got softer and more moist. They were still delicious 4 days later.

Fresh out of the oven.

Getting ready to go in the oven.

 Roasted Fingerling and Carrot Coins

So few ingredients go into this recipe and these vegetables were so delicious. The carrots were still good as leftovers; I did not care for the potatoes left-over.

This is my first time cooking with Fingerling Potatoes, and they are finger-licking-good! The purple ones were definitely my favorite and I devoured them, and did not have any as leftovers.

 Maya's Sweet and Sour Holiday Brisket

This is the brisket after being cooked in the crockpot and with the sauce poured over it. The brisket was delicious straight after being cooked in the crockpot; however, it absorb more flavor after sitting in the refrigerator overnight.

The brisket fresh out of the crockpot. You can really see how tender the meat is; no knife was needed only a fork.

 Leisurely Pizza Dough

There are two recipes (leisurely and then rushed) for pizza dough in this cookbook. This one is the leisurely pizza dough; which, basically means it sat in the refrigerator overnight. I couldn't taste a difference when compared to the rushed pizza dough. I then followed the recipe for the Everyday margarita Pizza. 

This is the Leisurely Everyday Margarita Pizza fresh out of the oven without the basil on it.

 Rushed Pizza Dough

This was the first time that I made a pizza out of the cookbook.  Even though the recipe for the Everyday Margarita Pizza indicated that you should put the basil on after it is cooked; I put some one before and that's why some of the leaves look blackish. I recommend following the recipe and putting the basil leaves on after the pizza is cooked.

Rushed Everyday Margarita Pizza before going into the oven.