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.

[Pantah630]

They were very nice and not too much of a faff to do, I'll do again but up the potato quantity without upping the oil/butter amounts, maybe some extra stock.

Will try his sautéed pots next I think.

[ELR]

Hi all, googled and there are loads of Delia recipes online. I'm really tempted by the french brasserie sounds like all the sort of stuff I cook week to week but with a little more flair!
Looking forward to the mn cookbook, has anyone had an email yet?
So this weekend I'm doing the chicken basque does the orange taste really come through? As not very keen on oranges in food, could I sub for lemons, or would that ruin it? I'm also going to make the hazelnut shortbreads with summeruits.

[HuevosRancheros]

Right, I've dug Delia out of the box, and a quick flick through has reminded me that the best 'chutney' ever is in there - probably better for later in the year when everyone has a glut of cucumbers - the Sweet Pickled Cucumber Slices on p199. So so simple, and very quick to make, but tastes amazing, I could eat loads of it, great with cheese and biscuits :)
My mum has annotated the recipe to say "remove seeds and skin"

The book brings back memories, I remember staring longingly at the picture of the millefeuille, also the fruity jelly terrine. Never made them!

[Pantah630]

I fancy having a go at the jelly, she uses granules, does anyone know what the equivalent amount if gelatine sheets is?

Will try the chutney later on, or if I get to the Middle East shop, they sell lots of the small Syrian cucumbers, that taste like the cucumbers I remember from childhood when we only got them in the summer.

[Pantah630]

elr the oranges don't add any flavour that I noticed! just taste nice having soaked up some of the juices. I think lemons would add to the flavour, not necessarily in a bad way it would make it more Moroccan tagine :)

[glorious]

sign me up for chicken basque then, that's online

Also planning the pork confit and accompaniments from brasserie. Those fondant potatoes sound lovely.

[HuevosRancheros]

More time for flicking through...... the Roasted Tomato Soup (p14) is lovely, well worth the time, changed the way I make tomato soup :)

Though I realise now that I was 17 when this book came out, so I doubt I made much tomato soup beforehand

[HuevosRancheros]

Oven roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary.....old hat now, but back in the day it was exotic! And is still good :)

[Chewbecca]

Hello there, I regularly read this thread but never contribute but Delia's Summer is possibly my most used ever cookbook so I feel I have to make some recommendations!
-Piedmont Roast Peppers are a good veggie starter but DH thinks they're dull
-Roast tomato soup is my 'go to' at the end of summer but be careful with the Tom purée, can taste metallic
-love love love the 'asparagus under wraps'

• pesto rice salad is made for at least two bbqs every summer without fail & is one one DS's favourite dishes, I always make sure I have enough for his lunchbox next day
  
• oven roasted pots have become a staple here, another fave of DS
  
• I enjoy the spiced lamb and cashew kebabs on the BBQ
  
• also the halloumi kebabs for a veggie BBQ main
  
• roasted veg cous cous salad is most of my most frequently prepared summer salads
  
• aChicken Basque has also become a regular here, I love it. I skip the oranges.
  
• finally, desserts, we love the summer fruit terrine, looks great, all prepare in advance, nice and light
  
• I also enjoy the vanilla cream terrine, which is so simple and rather like a pannacotta but simpler. I like it with raspberry sauce rather than black currant.
  

That's enough for now, I look forward to hearing how people get on with it!

[Pantah630]

Welcome chewbacca thanks for the recommendations. Looks like we'll be trying the pesto rice salad after reading that.

[skinmysunshine]

Chewbecca great tips, I'll definitely try some of those. DH and I love the Piedmont Roasted peppers!

[pregnantpause]

Chew baca- you've sold me on the rice salad, and the kebabs. As soon as it's sunny the BBQ will be out in a Delia inspired garden party (even if it's cold I don't care- as long as it's not raining)
I'm making delias strawberry cheesecake ice cream today. Custard is cooling now.

[glorious]

Chicken basque tonight. It was easy family food and tasty, though we felt it could have come together more. I can see why it would be a standby dish if you grew up with it. I like the method - we make the Jerusalem chicken with green cardamom and onion rice a fair bit.

DD enjoyed it a lot, as evidenced by chorizo fingerprints all over her head photo won't load but you can probably imagine (she's 15mo)

Couldn't get pork belly so will have to do that next weekend

[madamecake]

We had chicken basque at the weekend too. Agree it was very tasty, but didn't stand out much from other chicken and chorizo dishes I make, even with the oranges and olives.

Didn't make a dessert from French brasserie in the end, although I did make chocolate bread and butter pudding from Delia's winter collection (didn't fancy anything from the Summer book and it felt pretty wintery up here in Cumbria).
It was divine and luckily I have some left in the fridge for tonight! The recipe's online if anyone's interested.

[CatherineHMumsnet]

Sorry - I miscounted, as Pantah630 had asked for one too. So books will be going out to

Pantah630
LeonardoAcropolis
pregnantpause
spiderbabymum
ELR
HuevosRancheros
skinmysunshine
DandelionGilver
Glorious
madamecake

I'll be DM-ing you to get your address details. Can't wait to hear what you think of it.

And if you weren't lucky enough to get a free one - you can buy Top Bananas! in around 400 Tesco stores right now - or order it here on Amazon.

[ScienceRocks]

[ScienceRocks]

[CatherineHMumsnet]

ScienceRocks - have PMd you.

[glorious]

science if your pm doesn't sort things out then I can send you mine after a couple of weeks?

[ScienceRocks]

glorious thank you, but I think there will be no need

People are being very kind to me today

[HuevosRancheros]

Yay :)

[Pantah630]

science I do hope that's a happy PM, if not I'm happy to share custody of mine with you too!

[ScienceRocks]

'Twas happy, Pantah, fear not. But thank you for the offer

[LeonardoAcropolis]

Riiight... made the Onion soup with croutons from French Brasserie last weekend, DELICIOUS. I used stock, as per the footnote, as I have a freezer full of chicken stock after poaching a chicken for Almond Mole from Mexican Food Made Easy. It was very simple to make, I will be having it again tomorrow too! I used comte cheese as per the recipe but I beleive emmental or gruyere (sp?) would also work.

Last night we had Salmon with Avocado creme fraiche from Delia, again, very nice. We ate the salmon warm, rather than cold which is what the recipe suggests. The sauce wS brilliant, beautiful pale green with a garlicy hint.

Tonight we are having the veg lasagne, will report back tomorrow!

[HuevosRancheros]

I am making Delia's frijolemole for lunch today, mostly because the name made me laugh when I first read it 20 years ago (juvenile) and it still makes me smile (still fairly juvenile )
I like saying it over and over

I am using tinned chickpeas as cooking dried ones is too much of a faff right now, and the ones I get are so lovely and soft. I thought frijolemole was supposed to be made with white beans.... cannellini maybe, or butter beans? Anyway, I shall obey St Delia