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.

huevos you've managed to pick one of the recipes I haven't done! Curious to hear how it is and if I should try it. I made a white bean dip on the weekend which was a bit dull but I loved the pitta chips I made to go with it. Basically, cut a pitta into 8 triangles, toss in oil, s&p and oregano, bake at 180fan for 8 mins. They were lovely.
leonardo I also have made the salmon with avocado creme fraiche & liked it, though it didn't become a regular.
How was the veggie lasagne? I have made that quite a few times but I am off lasagne at the moment because my local store only sells own brand lasagne that is horrid and spoils the dish. I need to stock up on better quality lasagne when I venture further afield. Have you tried Delia's spinach and 3 cheese veggie lasagne? It is really good and goes down v well with veggie friends, although is quite a faff to make.

Chewbacca I don't think it will be a regular here either, our favourite creme fraiche sauce for salmon contains fineky chopped watercress.

We arehaving lasagne tonight, if you're put off using lasagne why not use a layer of penne or macaroni instead, like a pastitsio? Is that three cheese and spinich lasagne in one of Delias books? Sounds good

Or a rolled out leek as per the hairy dieters?

I'm cheating and not using either book tonight but making the ginger salmon hairy dieters dish that people have mentioned. I've substituted orange for lemon as DH hates oranges in savoury food.

this is Delia's other veggie lasagne, spinach and ricotta I mentioned. This one uses fresh lasagne sheets which are nice and soft.
I haven't removed other pasta bake type dishes from our 'menus', only lasagne itself whilst I locate some decent dried stuff!
Funnily enough I was perusing the HB diet book today and considering the leeks, have you tried? I don't like the look of the corn flour in the sauce, would rather have a proper sauce. I'm not that mad for the HB salmon dish, but I do love this bbc good food salmon recipe which is pretty healthy too.

We've had HB salmon tonight too, it's quick and easy on a Cub night, if you marinade it early.

I got some cucumbers so will have a go at the sweet pickled cucumber slices this week. Am working all week, do you think it will be ok to leave the slices and onion to drain all day, instead of just 3 hours?

mmm sold on the onion soup leonardo, might pop that on DH's birthday menu

Pantah, I'm sure leaving the cucumbers and onions to drain for longer will be fine :)

Well, I'm not sold on her frijolemole :(
It's just odd. The seasonings for guacamole - lime, coriander, chilli, onion, but the texture of hummus. I like both, but not sure the combination worked. I couldn't actually taste the chickpeas, like you can in hummus. Also, sauteing the onions made them sweet, which I didn't really like. And aestetically, it's not the best.

I am currently marinading my lunch - the avocado and mozzarella. But already have my doubts. Foolishly followed the recipe blindly, which called for a level teaspoon of salt to make a paste with the garlic for the dressing. The saltiest thing I have ever tasted!! Tried to rectify it by diluting it and not using too much on the salad. We'll see!

I'm thinking of doing the frying pan pizza for the kids' tea tomorrow, I've never actually made one before. Anyone recommend or advise against?

I haven't tried the leeks but intend to and I would probably do a normal sauce. I tend to use substitutes for pasta and rice anyway - so would use courgettes for spaghetti and cauliflower for rice so this is a nice new one.

Tried the lasagne last nice, very nice. It would have been nicer if I didn't have to blitz the aubergine and courgette into oblivion for the sauce, otherwise my DC wouldn't have eaten it.

Cooked the French Onion soup again today, oh it is so nice! Oh! The smell when the winey stock hits the sweetly sauteeing onions being ahead of myself, I made the 3 minute sponge pudding, recipe taken from one of the threads about Oh Bananas. It was good, ideal for quick lunch but not if you are trying to impress It was a small pudding but very sweet so a little goes a long way. The sponge needs vanilla.

huevos I used to love making frying pan pizza when I was about 15 but haven't seen the Delia recipe. Gourmet it aint though! not sure I'd make it now but would be a blast!

I cooked from Delia Summer this weekend, but forgot to write it up on here!

I made the tomato, basil and mozzarella salad as a starter. Vv easy to make and delicious. I didn't bother skinning the tomatoes as it's a job I loathe and no one seemed to mind.

For pudding we had the poached peaches in Marsala, which were really good and a great dinner party dish as you make them in advance. I committed the cardinal sin of not reading the recipe in advance so my peaches only marinaded for six hours rather than the specified 24. Still tasted lovely though.

florence on a similar theme to that starter I do buffalo mozzarella, pear, basil, chilli & olive oil. Always goes down a storm

Sounds lush

I know glorious, it's hardly in the same culinary league as French Brasserie!
But, it is something new to try, and I fancied being able to make a pizza in 15 minutes for the kids' tea...... They are not fussy and do not appreciate my efforts when I do smitten kitchen's 24 pizza dough!!

Will report back :)

Ooh, my Top Bananas! book has arrived! :)

Hello can I join you please? I already have the Delia book and have many times made the halloumi with capers and lime (delish) and the salmon steaks with avocado and creme fraiche (also wonderful) but rarely done anything else. I've just bought the French Brasserie book and am planning to do the steaks with herb butter tonight...and reading your comments will try the French Onion soup this weekend! I love this idea you have of cooking from a couple of books, I have so many that I end up not looking at them and doing old favourites!

Top Bananas! has just arrived. Thank you so much. I'll definitely be doing some for writing up in June.

Apart from that I'll join in when I can. We're just about to put the house on the market and all of my cookery books have been packed away in boxes to make the kitchen look bigger so I'll have to do what I can.

Do you start a new thread each month with the books you'll be using?

You're welcome harrogatemum the steaks were lovely! Also planning to do the French onion soup this week.

Let me know when you've all got your copies of Top Bananas! and I'll start a new thread....are we doing Nigellas Summer with it?

oh is it time for new ones already!!? I have nigella's book but not the Top Bananas one. Is it good (those that have already got it?!)

Top Bananas has arrived, thank you Mumsnet!

And yes please to Nigella's Summer book in June.

Top bananas is here, and I really like- I wouldn't have bought it ( sorry mumsnet) but I would have been wrong. I'm really looking forward to it.

I haven't done half as much as usual this month- the sun keeps luring me out if the kitchen and into the garden . I'll definitely get some recipes under my belt this weekend though. BBQ on Sunday , and I'm itching to try the numerous kebabs if Delia plus the rice salad.

In Nigella's Summer I love the Mauritian Prawn Curry and the Keralan Fish Curry. Hope Top Bananas is here when I get home tonight

new June thread here for those too impatient to wait, me included

Don't forget to keep posting your May recipes here too

Quick question: what are people serving the salmon with avocado and creme fraiche with?

skinmysunshine We had new potatoes dressed with olive oil and broccoli. Lovely.