The Keys to Good Cooking

A few weeks ago, I posted about a new cookbook by the esteemed Harold McGee. The Keys to Good Cooking is much more than a cookbook; it's a guide, a companion, a troubleshooter, a friend. If you've ever asked Why? or How? in the kitchen, than this book will be your kitchen goddess. With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, I need it more than ever. There's a subsection on oven roasting, advice on rubbing the bird with butter, tips about obtaining crisp skin and moist meat. Armed with information, I think I'll be making a masterpiece turkey this year. And if I err (which I'm destined to do), I'll head back to the book for troubleshooting. And we're not just talking turkey either, folks. There's a whole section on pies and pastries (not to mention vegetables, breads, sauces, eggs, etc). Want to avoid a soggy crust under your pumpkin pie? McGee says to use a pastry crust made with egg. Yes, sir! They say there are no dumb questions, and the advice in the book ranges from obvious to brilliant-but always accessible. It's a lovely stoveside companion for both a beginning cook or an accomplished chef. I'm relieved to have it in my turkey-day arsenal.
Let's start talking about Thanksgiving tomorrow. See you then.
PS I was not paid or compensated in anyway for this review, other than receiving a copy of the book. As always, my opinionated opinions belong to bossy old me.

Keys to Good Cooking

Recipes make assumptions. My dad taught me that to assume makes an-uh, never mind. Cookbooks make assumptions that the people reading them actually know what they're doing. I do it all the time when I write my recipes. I presuppose that you all know your way around the kitchen fairly well and you know not to put a lid on your green vegetables when they're cooking and how to look for fudgy crumbs on you are toothpick when your testing your brownies. Where do beginners go to learn these things? And where do experienced cooks look for handy tips about the best ways to choose and use ingredients? I'm really excited about a new book that releases in October. It's called the Keys to Good Cooking by Harold McGee. I haven't read the whole book yet, but I've been lucky enough to browse through some of the general info and tips. It is wonderful. The book covers the gamut of foods, from soup to nuts. I love the idea of having one reliable book for good information and factoids that will help me improve as a shopper and cook. I'm planning to give a few out for wedding shower presents this spring. I'll be posting a full review of the book in November, as part of a book tour for TLC book tours. Until then, I'm reading up on advice on how to perfectly cook different cuts of meat, how to pick out fruits, and how to preserve the life of fresh herbs. You can preorder the book on Amazon right here. I used the book's advice just tonight when I was deciding when to take out my meatloaves. Thanks, Mr. McGee!
I'll be back with some fun ideas for Labor Day BBQs. See you soon.

The Laws of Harmony and Tartest Lemon Pie

Today is an especially, especially special Tuesday. Tuesdays are always especially special, thanks to my weekly baking club, Tuesdays with Dorie. This week we've made tartest lemon pie, which is very much like a lemon bar in pie form with the added economy of using every bit of that lovely citrus fruit. (Except for that little green Sunkist tattoo that I sliced off.)Pucker up for yummy and click over here for the recipe. But what makes today especially, especially special is that I'm reviewing a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and found myself unable to put down. A few weeks ago, I received a copy of The Laws of Harmony by Judith Ryan Hendricks.It's one of those books that when you read the first page, you feel that you've gained access into a fully developed story. I think women authors are particularly adept at this thorough immersion. (Think Anne Tyler and Kate Jacobs.) This is the kind of story that is thoroughly engaging because of its richness of simple truths about perception, reality, self-discovery and acceptance. Thirty-something Sunny Cooper seems like she is on the verge of having the recipe for life come out just perfect: a gorgeous fiance, supportive best friend, success in her career, and a buttery Spanish pie in the oven to boot. But she can't ditch that sinking feeling that everything that seems perfect might actually be out of harmony. The rapid unraveling of Sunny's life creates a mysterious plotline full of suspense and intrigue, but more importantly, an immediate need for Sunny to finally understand what getting it together is really all about. Like all great books, you won't want to put this one down until you see Sunny through her journey. And when you finish, you'll wish you had a sequel right next to you.
Hendricks is one of those authors that has one foot in the library and the other in the bakery; her book is as crammed full of delectable writing as it is with luscious food descriptions, so please don't read hungry or you very soon will be tempted to nibble at the salty pages. Hendricks understands the symbolic nature of food-the preparing, the eating, the sharing, the serving. Sunny's gobbling of "giant, still warm chocolate chip cookies: with "caramelized edges and gooey chunks of chocolate" underscore the importance of cozy belonging, mothering, and home. You'll be ravenous when you're done reading, not just for Judith's food, but also for her other books. I've already ordered her other bestseller Bread Alone. This time I'll arm myself with something extravagently delicious before I dig in and read.

Click on over to learn more about Judith Hendricks or to get your own copy of The Laws of Harmony.

Next Up: Southwestern Tossed Salad

P.S. I still haven't forgotten those jelly donuts, but after scouting recipes that call for 2/3 a cup of butter(!!!) for the dough that is eventually going to be fried, I'm waiting till I have loads of company to split up the indulgence. That should happen next weekend.

Cookie Bookie: Dark Chocolate Dipped Pumpkin Biscotti

Cookie Bookie Week

Click here to see yesterday's cookie on Serious Eats...

With the cooling weather, there's just nothing better than a comfortable chair, a glowing fireplace, a cookie and a spooky story. Every day this week, I'm sharing a cookie and a few of my favorite October reads.... Today's Book: The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton

Although Wharton is better known for novels like The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence, her short ghost stories are equally brilliant. These aren't modern-day slash em' up scary tales, just intelligent vignettes of imperfect people during their most frightening moments. Her inspiration for these tales came from an overwhelming childhood fear....

When Edith was nine years old, she became ill with typhoid fever. During her long process of recovery, books became her favorite bedside companions. A playmate loaned her an eerie book about robbers and ghosts. Edith was so upset by the book that she slept with the lights on for the next eight years. In fact, until she was twenty seven years old, she was unable to sleep in a room that contained even a reference to ghosts, even burning books from her own library. Finally, with her childhood fears conquered, she tackled the writing of spooky stories herself, made all the better by her intimate understanding of irrational fear.
My favorite of her ghost stories is All Hollow's Eve. A lonely widow inherits a stately mansion and two terse servants. During her first weekend, she sprains her ankle on a patch of ice and is confined to her bed. She wakes in the middle of the night in pain and rings for her maid. When no one comes, she realizes that the electricity in the house is dead. She limps down to the servant's quarters, but the rooms are empty. A voice, calm and low, is heard from somewhere in the pitch-black house. Should she go and see who it is? Would you????
I won't spoil the tale, but I hope you'll find out for yourself.... In the meantime, here's a cookie, doing double duty as your Bookie treat and as my assignment for Tuesdays with Dorie. It's a crunchy pumpkin biscotti, dipped in frighteningly delicious dark chocolate. Some things, like cookies and ghost stories, are much better in the dark....
Money Saving Tips: Since these cookies use only a small amount of pumpkin puree, you can freeze the extra in zip top baggies for extra use. I used chocolate chips for dipping to save even more.
Dark Chocolate Dipped Pumpkin Biscotti
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
Estimated Cost: $2.50 for 20
Notes: Pumpkin seeds would be perfect for sprinkling on top of the chocolate. I used what I had-chopped salted peanuts.
1 cup all purpose flour (I used half whole wheat), plus more
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
generous pinch of salt
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon each ginger and cinnamon
3 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted, for dipping
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet. In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, powder, salt, cornmeal, ginger and cinnamon. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in pumpkin puree and egg. Gently mix in flour mixture until just combined; dough will be sticky. Using a generous amount of flour on hands, shape dough into a log, about 1 and 1/2 inches wide and 15 inches long. Bake log for 15 minutes. Cool biscotti for 20 minutes. Gently slice biscotti into 3/4 inch thick slices with a serrated knife. Place on cookie sheet, laying down. Bake for another 15 minutes or until firm. When biscotti are cool, dip in melted chocolate. Sprinkle chocolate with nuts, if desired. Coming Tomorrow:
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