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'A Homemade Life - Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table'Recipes by Molly Wizenberg
Simon & Schuster -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon
Molly Wizenberg, the woman behind award-winning blog Orangette, has become a literary heroine of the food blogosphere, with a writing voice suffused with a clear-eyed intelligence about -- and tender affection for -- food. Her fans adore her simple and complicated recipes alike, since they come with a side of her lush but earthbound prose: "Lately, I've been thinking a lot about cake. This is not an unusual condition for me, but it happens particularly often when I'm feeling frazzled or tired or harried, right around the same time that I start listening to the easy listening station on the car radio and feeling genuinely soothed by it."
Since Molly (whose old-timey photos we also admire) just announced a break from blogging to help her husband start his new restaurant, those seeking a fix could do worse than her new book, 'A Homemade Life.' A memoir shot through with recipes, it tells how she fell in love via her blog (with a New Yorker, and she lives in Seattle, but we won't go there), chronicles the food-loving life of her late father, and has all the hallmarks of a bang-up cooking memoir.
See what we tested, whether you should buy it, and Molly's incredible French toast recipe after the jump.
Takeaway tips: More a memoir-with-recipes than a Technical Cookbook, this book doesn't have photos, and is intended for lazy evening or porchside reading, perhaps with some sort of fizzy beverage in hand. Warning: when you read about the first tarte tatin Molly tasted in Paris your hand might creep towards the laptop to start clicking for plane fares.
We tested: Scottish Scones with Lemon and Ginger and Burg's French Toast.
Ok, we screwed up these scones. They were dry, and we were on a conference call while trying to knead the dough, and that's no way to cook, so we are going to give them another go. There's delicious crystallized ginger in there! How can that be wrong? And this writer is not known for her baking skills: she's a savory cook.
That said, the beautifully crisp-edged French toast we made had us peacocking around our kitchen for a full 24 hours. It was among the best French toast we have ever eaten. It's Molly's father's recipe, and he swore by the canola oil (no lie) the toast is fried in. Some French toast arrives on your plate in the diner looking as though it had just backpacked across America. A fork cuts right through it; it is limp and exhausted. This French toast talks back. This is Whatchu Talkin' Bout Willis French toast. It needs both a fork and a knife, and the hit of nutmeg and vanilla in the batter matches beautifully with the best maple syrup you can get your hands on.
Worth the investment: Yes. In fact, here's that French toast recipe, reprinted with Molly's permission, so you can sample it yourself this Memorial Day weekend.
Burg's French Toast
Yield: 6-8 slices, serving 2 or 3.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Mild-tasting vegetable oil, such as canola
6 to 8 slices bread (a bias-cut country French loaf, or challah, preferably), about 3/4- to 1-inch-thick
Pure maple syrup, for serving
Directions:
Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or an 8-inch square Pyrex dish. Whisk the eggs to break up the yolks. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, salt and nutmeg and whisk to blend.
Place a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, over low to medium heat, and add a generous amount of oil, enough to completely cover the bottom of the skillet.
Two or three at a time, add the bread slices to the egg mixture in the bowl, allowing them to rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. They should feel heavy and thoroughly saturated, but they shouldn't be falling apart. When the oil is hot, place the slices in the skillet. They should sizzle a bit, and the oil should bubble lightly around the edges of the bread. Cook until the underside of each slice is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the bread, and cook until the second side is golden, another 2 minutes or so. Remove the bread from the skillet to a plate lined with a paper towel, allow to rest for 30 seconds or so, and serve immediately -- with maple syrup, of course.
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5-22-2009 @8:35PM allen said... this recipe is very similar to one I use. However, the french toast is deep fried in the canola oil after the slices have been cut into 1" strips. The they are served topped with a sprinkling of cinnemon, and a generous dose of confections sugar. Also served with the best maple syrup or berry syrup of your choice.
Reply
5-26-2009 @7:57PM DC365 said... So far from this book I have tried Burg's potato salad, and Brandon's chana masala. Both BIG hits. I busted out the 'tato salad for Memorial Day BBQ, and it was gone in about a minute. Then again, how can you go wrong with 2 c. mayo and 1 c. ranch?
Reply
5-29-2009 @11:04AM Slashfood Editor said... Allen: Whoa, deep-fried french toast! Whoa! Sounds amazing.
DC365: That's great to know that Burg's potato salad is as good as it sounded, and I agree, can't go wrong with those proportions.
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