BG Cookbook Club - March 2020
March marked our inaugural Cookbook Club venture and we began with Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat. In my opinion, this is a great beginners book because science, theory, and technique are all taught here. Also, the book is 100% illustrated and the absence of beautifully staged, perfectly lighted, and expertly arranged meals (found in most cookbooks) allows new cooks to experiment without pressure. The “my dish didn’t look like it should” is no longer a concern!
It seems that most of our participants tried at least one chicken recipe from the book…this could be attributable to either a) everyone loves chicken; or b) many of us struggle with new ways to make poultry delicious and flavorful; or even c) that’s all we had in the fridge! Read below for some of the successes encountered.
Book Title: Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
Recipe: The Avocado Salad Matrix, pg. 222, 242
Taste: 5/5 (the fresher the ingredients, the better!)
Difficulty: 1/5
Would Make it Again: 5/5
This “recipe” allows for much individual riffing, as Samin’s book encourages you to do. We have been making ours over and over again with Cara Cara oranges and Hass avocados with plenty of good quality olive oil and flaky sea salt. My 13 month old loves it! -Beatrice K.
Recipe: Steamy Sauté: Garlicky Green Beans, pg.261
Taste: 4.5/5
Difficulty: 1/5
Would Make it Again: 5/5
Super simple, quick side perfect for many meals. I halved the recipe but used the full ½ cup of water and in my opinion it wasn’t enough. Use more water to prevent scorching your pan, especially when cooking on electric (like this reviewer). The finishing pool of olive oil and flash sauté of garlic was perfect and made the beans extra tasty. .5 point deducted for taste only due to feedback from a green bean purist that prefers plain beans. Simple butter without garlic may satisfy that particular crowd. -Shannon B.
Recipe: Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken, pg. 340***
Taste: 4/5
Difficulty: 1/5
Would Make It Again: 5/5
Really liked her method of treating buttermilk like a brine. I used whole chicken leg/ thighs instead of whole bird. Easy to prep day before and stick in oven after busy day. Legs needed 40 minutes total. Great brown skin, and crazy moist. Only change I would make next time is to add more salt before baking - but we like things on the salty side! -Kelly W.
Recipe: Finger-Lickin Pan Fried Chicken, pg. 328-9
Taste: 4.5/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Would Make it Again: 5/5
I liked her method of a semi-deep shallow fry. I used canola oil instead of the called-for ghee because I didn’t want to go to the store 😉 You get the crispy-ness of fried chicken with a simple cutlet that doesn’t require the foresight of marinating chicken 24 hours in advance. (As many fried chicken recipes call for). We served with mashed potatoes and homemade honey mustard. -Kate B.
Recipe: Spicy Fried Chicken, pg. 320
Taste: 4/5
Difficulty: 4/5
Would Make It Again: 2/5
I LOVE fried chicken and I like it spicy too, like Nashville Hot. This recipe promised to be similar as it was a Memphis restaurant copy-cat so I was excited to try. It was for sure spicy with a brush-on glaze applied post-frying and the chicken was tender. But I really prefer another Nashville Hot Fried Chicken that I make regularly which is why I gave it 2/5 for doing again. The difficulty level is owing to the challenge of keeping the oil at proper temperature. -Ruth B.
Recipe: Beef Ragu, pg. 297-8
Taste: 3/5
Difficulty: 4/5
Would Make It Again: 2/5
This ragu was labor intensive and time consuming and I couldn’t justify the flatness of the end result with the time it called for standing over the stove. This one was a miss for me. -Kate B.
Recipe: Light and Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, pg. 392-3
Taste: 5/5 (even though I burned the bottoms!)
Difficulty: 4/5
Would Make It Again: 5/5
I am constantly in search of lovely, fluffy biscuits. These were stunning, creamy, so yummy, though falling short of perfect due to the baker’s error! I was busy with other elements of the meal and forgot to rotate the pans, hence the burned bottoms. But I am already itching to try them again. -Ruth B.
Recipe: Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding, pg. 416-7
Taste: 4/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Would Make It Again: 4/5
Judging by the empty bowls of my dinner guests, this recipe was a hit. I’m not much of a pudding person but I am a sucker for dark chocolate. This was a decadent treat that managed to feel like a light dessert because it’s simply a bowl of fluffy chocolate. -Ruth B.
***This recipe was tried and submitted with reviews by 3 of our members, making it the most popular dish from the book. If you have cooked from Salt Fat Acid Heat, I would love to hear any and all comments; it’s never too late to submit a recipe review.
So that was fun-let’s do it again-join us for next month’s session! We’re all home a lot these days, why not try your hand at some new recipes or even take up cooking? Maybe you’ve never had the time/inclination/desire but it’s never too late to dust off the old stove. April’s book is also a perfect starter cookbook with simple and comforting recipes and gorgeous photography. Don’t be intimidated by the artful plates—follow my one-two criteria to qualify for a successful dish: 1) was it tasty? 2) did he/she/they/I clean his/her/their/my plate?
April’s BG Cookbook of the Month
Half Baked Harvest Super Simple
by Tieghan Gerard
You can order it here (hardback or kindle versions available!) and if you decide to join in, send me an email (ruth@butterfieldgourmet.com) to receive reminders and updates. Grab an apron, let’s get cookin’!
