The Cookbook Junkies

Citrus by Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson is a gorgeous little book with “sweet and savory sun-kissed recipes”. With recipes like Farmhouse Ricotta with Persian Lime Oil, Homemade Lemon Pappardelle, Burnt Sugar Meyer Lemon Tart, and Orange Blossom Macarons it has become one of my favorites to turn to for citrus inspiration. The photos are gorgeous and the recipes are tempting.

Being a citrus lover, this book was a must have for me. All citrus flavors are covered – grapefruit, kumquats, lemon, lime, orange, tangerine and more. Kumquat Butter, Tangerine Sticky Ribs (to die for), and Clementine Curd — I want it all now.

 

The New Sugar & Spice by Samantha Seneviratne truly is the recipe for bolder baking. I am a fan of baking books that include savory recipes and unique and exotic combinations and this cookbook delivers on both.

Ricotta Cheesecake with Bourbon-Raisin Jam, Banana Fritters, Pistachio and Chocolate Butter Cake (cover recipe) and Buttery Shortbread with Coffee and Cardamom are a few of the recipes I’m tempted by.

I love how the book is organized by flavors Peppercorn & Chile, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove & Cardamom, Vanilla, Ginger and Savory Herbs & Spices — all my favorites! Black Pepper, Dark Chocolate, and Sour Cherry Bread – I mean really what is not to love?

Random Number Generator picked #63 – congratulations Rona!

Thanks to Ten Speed Press I have a copy of each of these books for one lucky reader. Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite exotic spice is or your favorite citrus flavor. The giveaway is open to US addresses only and a random winner will be chosen on September 30th.  Good luck!

Special thanks to Ten Speed for the review copies of these books.

Heather Atwood’s new book is a wonderful tribute to the cuisine of coastal Massachusetts. The Sicilian, Portuguese, Finnish, and Irish cultures are rooted deep in the coastal towns and many recipes touch on these cultures. 175 gorgeous recipes and beautiful photographs await us In Cod We Trust.

The book is broken down in regions – South Coast, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod and so forth. Heather’s narrative on each region is lovely, informative and feels like you are on a little getaway while you read them.

Portuguese Codfish Cakes with Garlic and Fresh Herbs, Bolos Levedos (a lightly sweet, egg-rich pancake of sorts), Cavacas (Glazed Portuguese Popovers) and Queijadas de Leite (Milk Tarts) are just a few recipes from the South Coast region that I have tabbed to make.

Mermaid Farm Milk Ricotta and Lemon Muffins are going to be made this weekend to serve along with our breakfast. They look as incredible as the Beach Banana Bread Brownies sound. Thankfully, I had some ripening bananas on the counter and made the brownies this afternoon. Incredibly delicious. Recipe shared below.

 

Other recipes that stand out to me are Morning Glory Farm’s Corn and Wild Mushroom Risotto, Nantucket Wonders (a type of donut), Chilled Fresh Corn and Coconut Soup, Tamarind, Walnut and Fresh Ginger Cake, Edward Gorey’s Eggnog Muffins, Cape Cod Pork Chops and Cornmeal and Wild Blueberry Dumplings. Truthfully, every recipe looks delicious.

There are gorgeous seafood recipes in the book as well and it truly is a cookbook with a variety of exciting new recipes to try.

Beach Banana Bread Brownies

For the bars:

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons of salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

2 cups all purpose flour

For the frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons of milk

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan.

To make the bars:

In a large bowl, or standing mixer, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter and eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter and eggs mixture, and blend for 1 minute. Stir in walnuts.

Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

(Note: I whisked the ingredients together – first wet, then added dry. It took 20 minutes for them to get golden brown for me.)

To make frosting:

Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Let the butter turn a delicate brown, then remove from heat immediately.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting). Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the cake is still warm).

Pack in an attractive tin with parchment paper between the layers.

Random Number Generator picked comment #1 — Christine Murphy – you won!

GIVEAWAY: I have an extra copy of this fantastic book to send one of you. Open to US addresses only. To enter leave a comment here telling me if you have ever visited Massachusetts. A random winner will be chosen on September 28th. Good luck!

Thanks to Heather and Globe Pequot for the review copy and for allowing me to share a recipe here.

I’ve been a fan of Mediterranean Living for a few years now and love their 7 Day Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan that is available as a free download on their site here. Mediterranean Living even wrote about The Cookbook Junkies here!

Foods of Crete written by Koula Barydakis and Bill Bradley, R.D. is a cookbook containing 110 traditional recipes from the Island of Crete. Crete has the lowest rates of heart disease and the highest longevity rates in the world – they must be doing something right. The recipes, using fresh ingredients, are simple and delicious.

I pulled this information from the Mediterranean Living site on how this cookbook came about:  “On a two month research trip to the Mediterranean island of Crete, Bill Bradley, Registered Dietitian, lecturer, and founder of Mediterranean Living discovered many of the longevity secrets that make Crete one of the healthiest places in the world. Bill traveled into mountainous villages to interview people living vibrant lives well into their 90’s, in order to learn their daily and lifelong habits. While in Crete, Bill met Koula Barydakis, a Cretan chef who had been cooking in various Greek restaurants for most of her life. Together, they wrote “Foods of Crete: Traditional Recipes from the Healthiest People in the World”.  The book contains 110 delicious and easy-to-make recipes, passed down through generations of Koula’s family. Favorites include: Zucchini Fritters; Tzatziki; White Bean Soup; Tomatoes with Feta Cheese; Grape Leaves; Egg Noodles with Walnuts and Basil; Salmon with Yogurt and Rosemary; Lamb in Wine Sauce; and Chicken, Egg, and Lemon Soup. The recipes are organized into sections for meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans.”

Christine of Mediterranean Living is a good friend and we exchange packages frequently.  Recently, I was gifted with olive oil soap and olive oil. The soap is great. Denver is dry and this soap has done wonders for my skin. My husband has even taken to using the soap and loves it.

Today, I broke open the Crete Extra Virgin Olive Oil and it was incredibly delicious, light and refreshing. First up, we had some with fresh bread and enjoyed it.

Next, I used the olive oil to fry up the Zucchini Fritters from the book – and the fritters were crisp, light and delicious. My 11 year old loved the fritters, I ate so many I had to share them with my neighbors to avoid eating them all. They are a great appetizer or would be great served along with a salad for a meal.

SPECIAL PROMOTION:  My friends at Mediterranean Living are offering my readers a special promotion – usually the cookbook and oil are $71 including shipping but using this link the total would be $55 with free shipping. That is a wonderful savings. The olive oil is delicious and a whopping three liter tin and the cookbook is wonderful!

Thanks to Mediterranean Living for sharing the recipe for these amazing fritters with us.

Zucchini Fritters

(can be frozen uncooked)

5 medium zucchinis, grated

1/2 tablespoon of salt

4 eggs

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup feta cheese, grated

3-4 cups of bread crumbs

1 cup onion, grated

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Olive oil for frying (about 1 cup)

1. Place grated zucchini in a colander. Add 1/2 tablespoon of salt, mix and let drain for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, squeeze out extra liquid with hands. (Note: I used a tea towel after squeezing with hands to get more water out.)

2. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, 2 eggs, cheeses, 1 cup of bread crumbs, onion, mint, parsley and pepper. Mix well. Add more bread crumbs until mixture can be formed into balls.

3. Beat 2 eggs in a small bowl.

4. In another bowl, add 1 cup of bread crumbs.

5. Heat one cup of olive oil in a frying pan.

6. Form balls of zucchini mixture, dip each ball in egg, then bread crumbs, then fry. (Note: I fried about a minute on each side — kept flipping the balls until all sides were nice and browned.

7. Drain on paper towels.

To freeze fritters:

Form into patties and put uncooked fritters onto a lightly floured tray. Leave them in freezer for a day and then put them in a plastic bag for long term storage. To cook: Defrost for 20 minutes and then fry them in olive oil.

My notes: I sprinkled a little crumbled feta, parsley and mint on top to serve and I made a dipping sauce with some inspiration from my friend, Jean. The dipping sauce:  5.3 oz. of Greek yogurt (I used one Chobani container), sprinkle of mint, parsley, touch of honey, lime zest and the juice of half a lime. It was tart and delicious. I had halved the fritter recipe so this sauce was plenty for that amount. If you make the entire recipe – you would probably double this sauce.

GIVEAWAY:

Random Number Generator chose Renee Joslyn #21 – congratulations – Renee send your email address to icywit@gmail.com.

Mediterranean Living is generously giving one of you a copy of Foods of Crete as well as some of their fantastic Crete Extra Virgin Olive Oil (they will provide a coupon code that will allow you to order both products with free shipping.) The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and will run through September 27th. To enter leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite Mediterranean dish is. For a second chance, visit Mediterranean Living’s Facebook page (like it and you’ll receive great recipes and information) and leave a second comment telling me you visited.