Chocolate and other food groups

How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Food by Nigella Lawson First of all, I have to say this - this woman is nuts! She may be a great cook and a very nice person, I don't know, but honestly, she is nuts. This book, in case you couldn't tell right away, is about baking. She sets it up in several categories: cakes, cookies, bread, pies, Christmas, etc. The pictures are wonderful. But the writing? Wow. It's hard to tell you just how bad it is. So here's an example. "Coconut Macaroons. These are a very English kind of macaroon, the sort you always used to see displayed in bakers' shops alongside the madeleines (those sponge castles dipped in luminous strawberry jam and dredged in throat-catching grated coconut, and so very different from those that inflamed the memory of Marcel Proust). The difference with coconut macaroons is that you need neither to be ironic or self-consciously retro-cool to enjoy them." What? I have SO many problems...

Either raspberry, blueberry, or sweetened cottage cheese/cream cheese mixture would be good in this. I used raspberry. I also cut it into two loaves, as it was too big for my baking sheet. Raspberry Danish Coffee Cake Dough: 3 1/2 c. flour 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 2 pkgs. yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.) 2/3 c. warm water 6 Tb. butter, softened 1 large egg Filling: 2 c. raspberry (or blueberry) jam Combine 1 c. flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Beat in water and butter. Beat for 2 minutes more. Add egg and 3/4 c. flour; beat 2 minutes. Add remaining flour. On lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball. Place dough in large greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface; cover, and let rest 15 minutes. Grease a large baking sheet. On lightly floured surface, roll dough out into large rectangle. Spread jam down the center of the dough, leaving 3 inch border on all sides. Use a pastry wheel to cut d...

Not the nasty thing in the TV dinner! Alton's Salisbury Steak 4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks Flour Salt and pepper 3 Tb. butter 2 Tb. canola oil 1/2 medium onion, sliced at an angle 2 Tb. minced garlic 1/2 lb. brown mushrooms, sliced 3/4 c. broth or juice 1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 Tb. dijon mustard 3/4 c. stock Preheat oven to 275. Lightly season steaks and flour with salt and pepper, then dredge steaks in flour and shake off excess. Add 1 Tb. each of butter and oil to hot saute pan. Brown the steaks, 2 at a time, adding more butter and oil if needed, about 4 minutes a side. Remove the steaks to a plate. Pour off any grease from pan and add remaining butter. Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan and saute until nicely caramelized, then deglaze the pan with the broth. Mix in remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Return the steaks to the pan, cover, and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Serves 4

Alton's Chicken Piccata 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half salt and pepper Flour 2 Tb. oil 3 b. butter 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 6 scallions, chopped 1/3 to 1/2 c. broth Juice of 1 large lemon 1 Tb. capers, rinsed and lightly crushed 2 Tb. chopped parsley 1 lemon, sliced thinly Place chicken breasts between plastic wrap and pound until 1/4 inch thick. Season chicken with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, and shake off excess. In heavy skillet, heat oil and 2 Tb. butter. When oil is hot, add chicken and cook, turning only once, until brown on both sides. Remove chicken to plate and set aside. Pour off remaining grease, then add remaining Tb. butter. Add onion and saute until transparent. Add garlic and scallions and saute 1 more minute. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of flour over vegetables and toss to combine. Deglaze pan with broth and lemon juice. Add capers and toss to combine. Return chicken to pan, cover, and reduce heat to low, simmering until chicken is cooked...

Also from his cookbook, I'm Just Here for the Food. Savory Savoy Wraps 8 large Savoy cabbage leaves 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled 1 c. peeled apple slices 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 c. finely diced potatoes Salt and pepper Lightly blanch cabbage leaves by immersing them in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, then immerse in ice water to cool. Drain and pat dry with a towel. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except cabbage leaves and season with salt and pepper. Lay out a cabbage leaf, inside down, and make a small pile of filling in the center. Roll into a tight package. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling, placing the rolls in a steamer basket, seam side down. Put enough water in a pot to come almost to the bottom of the steamer and bring to a boil. Put the lid on the pot slightly askew to allow steam to escape. Steam for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 appetizers.

Alton Brown's Chicksicles 1 Tb. coriander seeds 2 tsp. cumin seeds 1/2 tsp. curry powder 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. sugar 1/2 c. peanuts 2 Tb. sesame oil 2 Tb. vegetable oil 2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes Toast the coriander and cumin seeds over high heat. When the seeds just start to smoke, remove from heat and let cool. Then grind seeds, and combine with other spices and sugar. Chop the peanuts in a food processor. Add spices and process them too. Add the oils and process to form a paste. Rub the past onto chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Thread the chicken onto skewers. Heat the broiler and cook, turning often until paste is dark and chicken is cooked through.

I am a big fan of Alton Brown's show on The Food Network, Good Eats. So I looked forward to reading his cookbook. But I have to admit this is not what I expected. The book is organized by cooking method, which seems a little strange to begin with. Then there are no pictures of any of the recipes. There are fun little sidenotes, and interesting tips, but the recipes are constructed in a rather strange way. Still, I did find a few recipes and note a few tips I plan to try. Here's the most basic one, and yet, the easiest to try! A Perfect Baked Potato Preheat oven to 350. Wash and dry potato. Poke holes in it with a fork. Then rub lightly the entire potato with a little canola oil. This makes a crunchy skin on the potato. Sprinkle the outside with salt. Place the potato directly on the rack in the oven. Cook for about 1 hour. I haven't tried it yet, but since I love baked potatoes, I will try it soon!