'Long Nights and Log Fires: Warming Comfort Food for Family and Friends'
Commissioning Editor Julia Charles
Photography by Ryland Peters & Small Ryland Peters & Small -- 2009 Buy it on Amazon
"When the cold wind blows and the snow piles up outside, where better to be than at the heart of a warm kitchen, enjoying the aromas of good home cooking wafting from the oven?" ponders the intro to the supremely satisfying "Long Nights and Log Fires" cookbook.
Crafting a comprehensive repertoire to all things comfort food, the gratifying collection dishes up everything from "soups and snacks," "sides and salads" to "one-pot wonders," "bakes and desserts" and even heart-warming drinks, including Mocha Maple Coffee and Mexican Chocolate with Vanilla Cream. Using a bevy of autumnal ingredients -- relying on fresh produce, flavorful herbs and spices and a comforting dairy element -- this cookbook features everything sweet, spicy and savory to satisfy palates on cold nights.
See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
'The Yellow Door: Our Story, Our Recipes'
By Simon Dougan
Photographs by Cliona O'Flaherty Blackstaff Press -- 2008 Buy it on Amazon
After four years in London, "hungry young chef" Simon Dougan returned to his hometown of Gilford, Northern Ireland, and took what he considered a temporary position at pub-fare restaurant Sarah's Moon. At a time when local cuisine prized prawn cocktails as "one of the smartest dishes on any menu," and boiled eggs were a regular staple, Dougan preceded the gastropubs of today, seeking to serve more polished dishes, with an emphasis on heightened flavors, fresh ingredients and a cooked-to-order standard.
"The one thing we always remembered was only to use the freshest and best ingredients," Dougan writes. "This is still at the core of the business, and just as important now as it ever was." This notably warm cookbook imparts Dougan's heartfelt approach to refined home cooking with a fabulous collection of recipes.
See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
Soup cravings tend to set in when the weather turns just cool enough that the tips of your nose and fingers get chilled, which is right about now in many parts of the country. And when that happens, there's really nothing more satisfying than wrapping cold hands around a warm cup of soup (except maybe slurping it).
This butternut squash and apple soup, topped off with a dollop of creme fraîche, incorporates the best of the savory and sweet flavors of the season. Whether or not it's to die for, you'll have to decide for yourself, but it sure is nice to look at.
This time of year, one of the most delicious seasonal foods to grill is winter squash. Butternut, acorn and sugar pumpkin all benefit from the smokiness and caramelized flavors that the grill imparts.
And there are so many ingredients that complement winter squash -- from sage and thyme to sweeter flavors like orange, maple and bourbon. Even sausage and bacon are perfect matches for this fall favorite.
Grilled winter squash make a nice addition to everything from risotto to salads and can be a great side to serve with roasted meats or as a main vegetarian dish. Some of my favorite cheeses -- like goat, blue cheese and feta -- round out the smoky sweetness for melt-in-your-mouth flavor.
'Cooking With Pumpkins and Squash' By Brian Glover Photography by Peter Cassidy Ryland Peteres & Small -- 2008 Buy it on Amazon
Despite early fall's T-shirt weather and last-summer's-hurrah barbecues, Brian Glover's "Cooking With Pumpkins and Squash" beckoned. Although it largely consists of hot autumn colors and warming recipes, this exquisite cold-weather cookbook could not sit one week in the kitchen before we cracked.
We blame Glover's seductive prose: "Some flavors stand out as having a real affinity with squashes and pumpkins of all shapes and sizes; their nutty sweetness works well with salty tastes such as goat cheese, feta and olives..." His understanding of squash's potential as an adaptable base -- to be spiked with other bold ingredients and not merely to be devoured on its own -- intrigued us.
Though many niche cookbooks devoted to a particular ingredient can be characterized as too centric toward their subject, "Cooking With Pumpkins and Squash" reveals refreshingly complex recipes with unexpected flavors. "Light bites" recipes like Grilled Zucchini, Halloumi and Fava Beans with Tomato and Mint Dressing expertly showcase and complement the light, springy flavor of summer squash, while heartier entrées like the Pumpkin Risotto with Pancetta and Sage suit the rich, silky texture of pumpkin and butternut squash.
See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
At the first hint of a chill in the air this past October, I seized the opportunity to cook that month's Bon Appétit cover recipe: Texas Beef Brisket Chili, a beyond-hearty stew of melt-y beef, earthy dried chilies, and, surprisingly to me, butternut squash. The mild sweetness of the squash resonated beautifully with the spicy and fruity (due to the dried chilies) components of the dish and also gripped the gravy nicely. I'd found a new carnivorous delight.
More recently, though, I discovered that the carnivorous part was, if welcome to a meat-lover like me, incidental to the success of the chili. Planning for the arrival of houseguests, one of whom is a vegetarian, I wanted something that could simmer in the slow-cooker while I visited with my friends. I thought of this chili, tossing the bacon and brisket and subbing in a mix of red and black beans. I also threw in a couple of julienned red bell peppers, which I browned with the onion to give the dish a bit more depth.
Success! The squash got tender before the beans did, but the squash still held its shape just fine. I now believe that butternut squash could jazz up any favorite chili recipe. Try it with yours!
While I can't really try this exact recipe for myself, since it includes nuts, I was completely charmed by the above recipe for Stuffed Quail with Pancetta, Butternut, and Leeks with Pistachio Pesto Sauce -- led by Executive Chef David McMillan. It not only looks and sound delicious, but there's also a lot of great tips and techniques inside the 11-minute video.
It outlines how to prep the stuffing, the ingredients (butternut squash and garlic), plus all the finer points of those tiny quail and how to whip up a single-serving pesto with a mortar and pestle.
The best recipes and videos are the ones that give you more information than merely a simple recipe -- extra tips, food intricacies, cooking techniques -- and this flick definitely delivers.
One of the best and most successful dishes I have ever made was Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Bisque, courtesy of Epicurious and Bon Appetit. It ripped me, and subsequently many others, out of the halls of squash dislike because rather than relying on the over-used habits of squash with sweetness, this soup revels in rich and savory flavors. To this day, it's the best squash soup I've ever had, and it's one that can be made with absolute ease.
With the chill in the air, and the last days of summer falling away in the blink of an eye, it's time to start thinking of fall foods. Squash are starting to overtake the stores in a pile of shapes and colors, and with that comes the big conundrum: When you're not just baking a butternut squash to eat, how in the heck should you remove the skin and seeds?
Marisa offered a long blanching option back in February, and now here's another technique, if waiting for the squash to cool doesn't sound appealing. Above, Roni at GreenLiteBItes shares her butternut chopping system. This allows for great, uniform strips for fries, but should work just as well for soup chunks and other uses.
Good luck, and if you have any other cutting techniques, share them below!
I am going to have "butternut reduction" stuck in my head all day. I don't want to be singing alone, so I had to share this video with all of you. It's called "Akon Calls T-Pain" and it's brought to you by Super Deluxe.
I haven't been posting many recipes lately, mostly because I've been in something of dry spell when it comes to cooking. However, I haven't been staying totally out of the kitchen. Last weekend I made a pot of butternut and carrot soup that ended up being really tasty and the perfect thing to eat for lunch all week long (one of the wonderful things about this new job of mine is that it's only a block and a half from my apartment, so I can run home for lunch).
I admit that when it comes to this soup, I "cheat" a little bit. What I mean by that is that I use a pack of pre-peeled and chopped butternut squash from Trader Joe's (I've also seen it at Whole Foods). Then all I have to do is roughly chop an onion, saute it quickly in a little olive oil, toss in three or four chunks carrots, pile in the prepared squash and cover it with water or stock (I typically use one box of stock and then make up the difference with water). Then it just gently simmers until the veggies are tender. I recently acquired a far more powerful immersion blender, and it has made my blended soup far smoother than they used to be.
You might be wondering about seasoning with this soup. I actually change it up each time I make it. Sometimes I'll grate a little ginger in, or go with a spoonful of curry. This last time I used a bit of fresh thyme and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It might sound a little untraditional, but it was delicious. I also happened to have about a quarter cup of cream in my fridge and I added that in as well for a little extra smoothness. But you should feel free to make this soup your own.
On more than one occasion, I've let a butternut squash go bad because I couldn't muster up the energy required in order to peel it. I find myself lazily turning to the pre-peeled and chunked bags of squash that you can get at Trader Joe's instead. Sadly, they are often a little bit slimy or mushy, which doesn't make me feel real comfortable about their freshness level.
Over at the Epi-Log, Lauren Salkeld wrote a post about her own battles peeling butternut squash. In that piece, she offers one of the best tips I've ever heard for butternut squash peeling and it's one so simple that I can't believe it never occurred to me. She suggests that you cook your squash in a pot of water on the stove for 3-4 minutes until the skin is soft enough to peel away. This technique does have some downsides, including the fact that you have to wait until it is cool enough to handle, but is so many light-years away from the finger damaging wrestling matches I've had in the past. I can't wait to get my hands on another butternut squash now!
Every week I take a look in my fridge and see what may have slipped into the back and been forgotten. To me leftovers don't just mean the remains of a cooked meal, but also any uncooked items that are 'left over' from other recipes. Then I try to come up with a recipe using up most of the secret ingredients. It makes me feel like an Iron Chef to whip up something tasty from my forgotten foods.
This week I found two butternut squashes, three apples, a few garlic cloves, and some carrots. There was also half a bottle of decent chardonnay that some visitors had left last weekend which had started to go flat tasting. All in all these looked like the perfect ingredients to make a rich and creamy, mid-winter soup.
This recipe can be made vegetarian by replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth or water, and the butter can be replaced with vegetable oil or omitted completely, although it does improve the soup dramatically. Feel free to change any ingredients that you want.
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