Cookbooks Archives - Page 3 of 3

“The Good Stuff Cookbook” – Spike Mendelsohn’s Burger Bling for the Backyard

Jordan Wright, June 2010

Keeping it real: Spike with his new cookbook - photo by Jordan Wright

Last Monday morning I watched Spike Mendelsohn on ABC’s Good Morning America from the luxury of my bed. He was doing a food demo on the sidewalks of New York with fellow Greek, George Stephanopoulos. Spike’s a down-to-earth real deal guy who’s greatest appeal is, that no matter how famous he has become, he will still shake your hand, look you in the eye and flip your burger. Then he’ll stick around to make sure you liked it.

Five days earlier I spoke with him at The Good Stuff Eatery, his restaurant on Capitol Hill, along with a small group from the press, gathered for the launch of “The Good Stuff Cookbook”. Surrounded by baskets of his Farmhouse Bacon Cheeseburgers, crunchy tender Village Fries, and tall frosty Toasted Marshmallow milkshakes, he is humbled as usual by the attention lavished on him. I’ve always been impressed with Spike, his work ethic and his accessibility. He is naturally giving and open. I’ve watched him jump from behind a searing grill at the Capitol Skyline Hotel pool on the hottest day of summer to hand off a burger and fries to a passing guest. He wants to please everyone.

His new books were stacked for signing on a small table. A word bubble floated aimlessly over my head, “Can a cookbook with hamburger recipes really captivate jaded foodies in a fresh and creative way?” The answer would hang in the air until I returned home.

He begins as most authors do, with acknowledgements of agents’ guidance and chefs’ inspiration. But it is in his warm descriptions of family, and the integral part they have played in his culinary career, that tell of Spike, the man. “The restaurant is the epitome of family,” he avows. His sincerity is palpable.

There is a tender tribute to sister and co-author, Micheline, to whom he writes “To say I could never have done this book without you, is like calling the sky blue.” His grandfather, “Papou, whose love was like an heirloom passed down,” and grandmother, “Zas” who started his love of food and people since the day he first washed dishes in the family’s restaurants, are showered with his adoration and respect. They taught him well. He has become a man who believes in inclusivity, a generous ambassador of his food knowledge and philosophy. Nobody is surprised at this.

Farmhouse cheeseburger wraps - photo by Jordan Wright.

Farmhouse bacon cheeseburger - photo by Jordan Wright.

If you’ve ever eaten in his lines-out-the-door Good Stuff Eatery you know that he has reached people by serving honest, homey, un-pretentious food…albeit with an original twist. There are no less than eleven different takes on mayonnaise in the book, from Chipotle to Pomegranate and my personal favorite, Old Bay.

From long-time New Yorker pal and grill partner, Brian, he gets Big B’s Baked Beans. Uncle D’s Chili and Cheddar Burger is a thankful nod to Great Uncle Denny. On the lighter side there are Grilled Watermelon, Yuzu and Feta Salad and Fried Goat Cheese, Dried Cranberry and Almond Wedge Salad…where the Greek influence shines brightly.

The restaurant’s recipe for their popular Village Fries speckled with fresh chopped rosemary and thyme is given here along with the “Michelle Burger”. Hers features ground turkey mixed with mango chutney, green apples and chipotle chiles and served on a multi-grain bun. The “Prez Obama Burger”, pays tribute with a juicy beef burger, applewood-smoked bacon and crumbled blue cheese topped with Horseradish Mayonnaise and Red Onion Marmalade. The Obamas love this place!

Southerners will relish his take on fried chicken in his recipe for Fried Chicken Burger with Smoked Bacon, Gingered Honey Mustard, and Sauteed Collard Greens. It’s a Sunday-go-to-meetin’ supper-on-a-bun.

There are plenty of useful tips throughout the book. Two pages of photos plus directions on cutting perfect onion petals…one of his signature items. It’s his delicious rendition of onion rings that keeps the batter tight to the onion, while the onion petal itself retains its integrity, still meltingly tender and fully cooked. I’ve always wondered how this was done.

Village fries from The Good Stuff Cookbook - photo by Jordan Wright.

Rivetingly lush photographs by Joel Shymanski, capture the intimacy of the moment between the arrival of the hot, smoking, gooey, oozing, herbed, slathered dish and the split second before you pop it in your expectant and salivating mouth. The images taken so close up, you might want to eat the page before you read the recipe.

Many of the dessert recipes are perfect for on-the-go entertaining. Cherry-Apricot Jam Blondies and Vietnamese Coffee Brownies speak directly to the popular “pick-up sweets” geared towards picnics and grill-outs. Imagine Cardamom and Caramel Popcorn on the lawn at your next Wolf Trap concert. Yes, it’s trendy, but oh so cute.

I’m saving the best for last when I tell you that the scrumptious milkshakes, floats and malts served in the restaurant are revealed to the reader. Twenty-two glorious pages of creamy, mouth-watering ice cream treats to freeze your brain. Hallelujah! This stuff is so good it should be illegal. Sign a waiver to yourself before you try it at home. “Plan a party”, Spike entreats his readers. There’s plenty of the “Good Stuff” to go around.

From The Good Stuff Cookbook (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Here’s a recipe for Spike’s all-around burger sauce:

Good Stuff Sauce
makes about 2 cups

2 cups Homemade Basic Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Add the mayonnaise, ketchup, molasses, vinegar, and salt to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

For questions or comments on this story contact [email protected] or visit www.WhiskandQuill.com.

“Good To The Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours” by Kim Boyce – with a Foreword by Nancy Silverton

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Healthy Baking, But Were Afraid to Try

Book Review
Jordan Wright
May 2010

Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole Grain Flours by Kim Boyce

It should come as no surprise, when the topic is about healthful foods, green lifestyles and fine wines…California will lead the way. So when I read author Kim Boyce’s bio, and noticed her background was carved from a career as a pastry chef at LA’s famous Spago and Campanile restaurants, I knew that “Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours” was going to be a groundbreaking cookbook by a hands-on expert in baking.

In her book, Boyce tackles a subject where most bakers fear to tread…that of baking with whole grains. For anyone who has ever tried substituting whole wheat flour into a recipe that calls for white flour, the experience is deflating at best. The final product, whether loaf or crust, will no doubt emerge so tough and dense as to be edible by only the most virtuous among us.

But Boyce shows us not only how to incorporate more nutritious grains and flours like whole wheat, but also a wide spectrum of other flavorful grains like kamut, spelt, amaranth, oat, corn, buckwheat, rye, quinoa, barley and the malty Ethiopian grain “teff”, usually employed in a recipe for that nation’s spongy “injera” flatbread.

Using a novel approach she bakes the unique “teff” into Date Nut Bread, that once ubiquitous throwback that hasn’t been seen in stores in decades. I still harbor fond memories of the sweet, dense bread made into sandwiches filled with cream cheese and homemade preserves. Because she includes a handful of tempting recipes for jams and compotes in the back of the book…perhaps I’ll make her Rhubarb Hibiscus Compote to slather on my bread while the jewel-hued stalks are still in season.

Though the history of each grain is explored in these pages, there is no mention of the increased nutritive value the various grains contribute to our diet. Yet Boyce’s knowledge of the quirks and foibles of home baking and her friendly storytelling before each recipe, gently guide and inspire the reader with an invitation to share in her whole grain epiphany.

Plumbing the intimate relationship with baker and recipe are photographer Quentin Bacon’s evocative pictures that take us into an old-fashioned kitchen. His reverence for simple glass jars filled with Poppy Seed Wafers made with buckwheat flour; well-worn muffin tins filled to the brim with Ginger Peach Muffins made with oat flour; and wooden cutting boards that form a platform for Olive Oil Cake. A lush picture of Boyce’s Quinoa and Beet pancake batter bubbling off in a glistening cast-iron skillet, convinces the reader that here are simple recipes that anyone can master.

You’ll also find instructional pictures of kneading, rolling out and forming biscuits and pie dough, helpful to the neophyte baker, and the book abounds with informative tips from an experienced chef that has made all the mistakes for us and is willing to acknowledge the ofttimes humbling process.

You may want to try Fig and Nut Muesli made with quinoa, flax seeds and Black Mission figs, or rustic Apple Boysenberry Tarts made with rye flour and seasonal fruits. I’ll think I’ll serve the Corn and Blueberry Cookies in July when the berries are at their peak.

Here’s a delicious recipe to try as a Mother’s Day breakfast-in-bed treat.

Honey Amaranth Waffles
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, for the waffle iron
Dry mix:
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Wet mix:
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
2 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Finish:
Greek yogurt, optional

1. Turn the waffle iron to its highest setting. Even if you don’t usually heat it this high, these waffles come out best when cooked at high heat. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back into the bowl any bits of grain or other ingredients that may remain in the sifter.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Using a spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently combine. The batter will begin to bubble and swell as the baking soda begins to react with the buttermilk.

3. Brush the waffle iron generously with butter; this is the key to a crisp crust. Use a ladle or measuring cup to scoop 1/2 cup batter onto the spaces of the iron. Promptly close, and listen for the iron to sigh as the batter begins to cook. The smell wafting from the iron starts out like a freshly kneaded loaf of bread, then becomes toasty. Remove the waffle when the indicator light shows that it is done, or when a quick peek shows that it’s turned a dark golden-brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the hot waffle with a fork, and repeat with the remaining batter.

4. The waffles are best eaten right off the griddle, with a bit of butter, a drizzle of honey, or a hearty spoonful of Greek yogurt, as desired.

For questions or comments on this article contact [email protected]

Jose Andres, Made in Spain

Jose Andres addresses his fans

By Jordan Wright

Legions of foodies and adoring fans of award-winning chef Jose Andres converged on Café Atlantico to celebrate the launch of his latest cookbook, “Made in Spain – Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen.”

Written with his friend of many years, Richard Wolffe, Newsweek’s White House correspondent and MSNBC political analyst, it covers the authentic culinary traditions of the major provinces of Spain. It is a paean to Andres’ gastronomic roots and reflects his deep and abiding love of all things from Spain and is part of his PBS series of the same name.

Tantalizing morsels plucked from the book’s recipes emerged from the open kitchen….Malaguenas cold almond and garlic soup, his wife, Patricia’s Andalusian gazpacho, chicken wing confit with green olive puree, “spherification” of yogurt with Spanish clementines and Cava Mimosas with clementine “air.” Continue reading Jose Andres, Made in Spain