Cookery Book Club May - French Brasserie and Delia's Summer Collection

[Pantah630]

Do you know I think it's been a year since we began our Cook Book Club. Feel free to join in, the more the merrier.

This month we have the French Brasserie cookbook, currently only £4.12 on kindle and Delia's Summer Collection, I've had this for years yet rarely cooked from it.

[glorious]

A year! We should cook ourselves a birthday cake 1 goes off to buy kindle book in secret

[Pantah630]

yes please!

[LeonardoAcropolis]

ooo! I've not joined in here since last year, I remember doing the Hairy Bikers Curries, Mexican Food Made Easy and Every Grain of rice.

I have Delia's summer, one of my old faves, but much neglected. I am currently thinking about next week's meal plan so will delve into that and let you all know later what I plan to do

[skinmysunshine]

Have only recently come back to MN after a long hiatus. What happens?

Funnily enough I made the Piedmont Roasted Peppers from Delia's Summer yesterday as really fancied them. Hadn't made them for years. I served them with chicken breast stuffed with home-made tapenade and mozarella, and some borlotti beans. It was delish.

[Pantah630]

Welcome back leonardo I'm still cooking from Curries, EGOR, MME and Jerusalem.

Hi skinmy we pick two books a month and try and cook at least two new recipes from each. If you can recommend any you've cooked before please do.

We also need recommendations for Junes books.
If you search back through Food/Recipes you'll find threads for previous months. Lots of great new recipes to tempt you.

[pregnantpause]

I loved egor and Mexican made easy . I fancy cooking from them now- I'm so impressionable ! The first book we covered - nigella feast - has become one of my favourite books ever, and is certainly my favourite of hers.

[HuevosRancheros]

I'm in the middle of a house move, so all my books are packed away, but I know I have Delia's Summer in there somewhere.
Can definitely recommend the grilled halloumi, seem to remember it was done with capers, coriander and lime? It seemed so new and exotic back then....
Oh, and the warm new potato salad with a really zingy lemon dressing, that was lovely

I seem to remember my Dad saying that she had obviously just discovered coriander and capers, as they were in everything! Suits me!!!

:)

[skinmysunshine]

I have Delai's Summer and happy to do recipes but as I have circa 50 cookbooks getting another one past DH will probably be a No., especially as I've bought Jerusalem, Ottolenghi, Hairy Bikers Asia and Tom Kerridge's Pub Food in the last 3 months!

On Delia I agree with Huevos Rancheros on both the halloumi and the warm potato salad recipes. I also loved the California Grilled Fish one.

Happy to try any other new ones anyone finds.

[Pantah630]

I have Ottelenghi and TK Pub Grub on kindle for exactly the same reason skinmy far! far too many cookbooks. Maybe these two for June, I believe Ottelenghi to be mainly vegetarian so would be good against TK which isn't. We cooked from Jerusalem last summer, I think most of us still are, it was a big hit. Not seen HB Asia yet, was the series good? Another one to look at, their Curries are delicious.

[skinmysunshine]

Ottolenghi has some great non veggie dishes in it. Absolutely amazing seafood salad for one.

HB series was great and there are some brilliant recipes in the book.

I also have, but haven't yet used, Shelina Permaloo's book so would be keen on that one.

Unfortunately Pantah mine and DH's kindle accounts are linked so he will still see what I've bought!

[LeonardoAcropolis]

Over the years I have cooked many from Delia, notably the Chicken Basque, californian fish, the apricot marinade for a bbq and the piedmont roast peppers.

Over the weekend we will have the halloumi with lime and capers and the salmon with saffron cous cous crust and the tomato salad on the opposing page. Never cooked those before, will report back in a few days

[LeonardoAcropolis]

Oh, and I want that French Brasserie book

The kindle is a marvellous invention

Does anyone have Nigella's Summer? I really like that one

[skinmysunshine]

Leonarod I also love Nigella's Summer. I really like the Mauritian Prawn Curry and the Keralan Fish Curry.

[mrspremise]

Za'tar chicken is my favourite from Forever Summer. And the chocolate pavlova.

[HuevosRancheros]

Plenty by Ottolenghi is completely veggie, and absolutely amazing.
I am veggie, but would happily cook so many things from Plenty for devout carnivores! And be sure they would love them.

It will be one of the first ones I search for when I unpack - along with Jerusalem, EGOR, and MME :)

[glorious]

Perhaps we should do Plenty another month then.

I know this is a bit late but just did the Leon cheese and ham muffins, only with spring onion instead of ham, and they are super delicious. It looks like DD has grown out of her egg allergy so we are doing a gradual food challenge and I've made them for the homemade 'cake' stage. One bite for her, the rest for me

[ELR]

I've finally found you all, after that heart bleed thing I haven't logged on for ages but at lady I've done it. Have to admit hardly cooked anything from Aprils books and don't have any of May's but sure I can google Delia's stuff. Amazingly out of all the hundreds of cook books I don't have one Delia book.
I have Nigella forever summer I've cooked a little from it but not loads so def up for that. Any Ottelongi book would suit me too, I'm still cooking from that loads.
As it's been a year, well just over as our first books were in April anyone fancy doing a recap? Maybe just the month and fave recipe from each book. I'll start
April:
Smitten Kitchen- chocolate and pear scones
Nigella Feast- the curries
May:
Jerusalem- Beef meatballs with broadbeans and orzo rice.
Kitchen Diaries- lemon meringue ice cream
June:

• Mexican Food Made Easy- courgette soup
  
• Thirty Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver- steak sandwich
  

July:

• Veg everyday-
  
• Madhur jaffrey any curry book- cardmonm chicken from curry easy
  

August:

• Fuchsia Dunlop Every Grain of Rice- chicken pho
  
• Dan Lepard Short and Sweet- marmalade flapjacks
  

September:

• Tessa Kiros Falling Cloudberries- chicken and olive stew/tagine
  
• any book from the River Cafe books-
  

October:
Supermarket food mag-

• Any blog-
  

November:

• River cottage Fish: nothing
  
• Preserves book: nothing
  

December:

• Nigella Christmas: cranberry and oat cookies
  
• Any other Christmas book
  

January:

• Two Greedy Italians
  
• Nigel Slater Eat/ Jamies GB: nothing from eat and Epic Chicken Salad
  

February:
-Claudia Roden: after all my asking never cooked a thing!

• Rachel Allen: butternut and leek gratin- delish
  

March:

• Hairy Bikers- nothing
  
• Paul Hollywood- Blue cheese and Walnut wholemeal rolls
  

April:

• Leon: frangipane tart
  
• Jewelled Kitchen: courgette and sumac fritters- good
  

Some I've left blank as can't remember or didn't cook stuff. It's been useful to recap for me as I def made more of an effort at first.
Jerusalem has been my all time fave.

[Pantah630]

Welcome back elr

I'm going to cook the Chicken Basque for Sunday lunch tomorrow, after all the recommendations. Have found the flapjack recipe from Leon too so will make them as need to use up some dried nuts and fruits.

Will have a think about my standout recipes and post later. We've just had red braised pork from EGOR, always a winner.

[pregnantpause]

Great idea elr- I will post my highlights tomorrow when sober but I really enjoy the cookbook club, if nothing else I feel justified in my constant buying of more cook books

[HuevosRancheros]

Brilliant idea elr, I will sort through my favourites once I've unpacked my cookbooks. Won't be able to limit myself to one from Jerusalem or EGOR though!!

I have just made an amazing discovery, which you probably already know about, but just in case anyone doesn't.......

I was googling the courgette and sumac fritters from Jewelled Kitchen, as that sounded my kind of thing, and discovered that the whole of Jewelled Kitchen is on Google Books! Free!!

[pregnantpause]

I have tried to confine myself to one favourite per book, but there are many there that I could give lists of favourites tbh.

April 2013 nigella feast- Tunisian meatballs and cous cous
Smitten kitchen- Marsala chicken

May2013- Jerusalem- sweet spiced chicken with freekah ( that I could never have made without tiger sending me freekah and other ingredients, to this day one of the most generous things that anyone has dove for me- I was genuinely touched)
Kitchen diaries- the pumpkin laksa

June- Jamie 30 mins- the chicken pie and minted peas is a family favourite
Mexican made simple- some amazing recipes but the first to come to mind for both me and dh is the chipotle butter sweet corn - a sued dish, but a lovely one.

July - veg - the squash fold overs and the carrot and broad bean risotto
Curry easy- the kerela style chicken curry and the kerela fish curry.

August- every grain- the red braised pork, I've only made it the once and dh still talks about it.

September- cloudberries- the youvesti- lamb and tomato orzo, it's easy and my children love it.
River cafe- I cooked loads from these books, and the recipes are amazing, but the first to come to mind is the olive oil and Parmesan mash- my go to posh meal mash recipe

Oct- I didn't do October cooking sorry

November- fish- the fried fish and pea purée is lovely and I've made it with so many different dish now. Really has converted me to fish.

December- nigella- miniature mince pies- I'll never go back to big uns
Hairy bikers Christmas- the mulled wine, couldn't imagine Christmas, no, December, without it

January- greedy Italians- the chicken dumpling soup, and the gnocchi
Eat- the bacon and bean mash- perfectly frugal food for the end of the month
Jamie's gb- I had to check the book for this one as all that came to mind were the numerous fails I had, but I liked the speedy butter beans according to my notes .

Feb- Rachel Allen ( my now favourite weekday cook book) the lentil soup but so many more delicious family recipes
Claidia- my book didn't arrive until the month had ended so unfortunately nothing, but the book is lovely

March- hairy diet- the salmon with sticky ginger

April- Leon- the herby meatballs stuffed with cream cheese
Jewelled kitchen- I love this book, the mandean duck and nutty rice was fabulous.

[glorious]

Mmm think I'll be doing the raspberry creme brulee from French brasserie for DH's birthday later in the month. In fact perhaps I'll do the full three courses from there.

[skinmysunshine]

Although I've only just joined just wanted to alert people to the two salmon dishes in Curry Easy as they are wonderful . Think one is mustardy and the other cream and Tom

In Jerusalem I really like the veg dishes, especially the chermoula aubergines and the cauli and hazelnut salad. Also there is a pannacotta and poached pear dessert which is my dinner party dessert of the moment. And the filo and pistachio cigars are delicious

[ELR]

Reading back through peoples faves has made me think "ooh yes that was fab too!" It's also jogged my memory of things I wanted to cook but didn't, I've made a note and I'm going to do them one at a time until I've got through them all!
Didn't know about the jewelled kitchen being free, I bought that book too!!

[Pantah630]

MNHQ have offered us ten free copies of their new cookbook, Top Bananas!, if we'd cook from as one of our books in June. The first ten to reply to this post will be contacted by HQ for addresses. Posting this here, rather than a separate post, so that those that have been partaking in Cook Book Club get first dibs


Chicken Basque and Halloumi with capers and lime were delicious and went down well, two more to add to the arsenal of family dinners.