Friends, where to begin?
I spent last Sunday's rainy drive home from my sister's house pouring through new cookbooks, namely Deb Perelman's latest: Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics For Your Forever Files.
Immediately upon returning home, I made a recipe from the book, broccoli rabe with broken burrata, which hit the spot, not only because I was craving vegetables after a few days of feasting on pie and punch, but also because it was so delicious, perfectly garlicky and a little spicy, the bitterness of the greens all rounded out by the dollops of creamy burrata melting into every bite.
I could eat those greens every night for dinner, and I thought for sure that would be the recipe from the book I would share with you all, because I went on to make it several more times throughout the week, but then I made the simple black bean chili, which we all loved.
I loved the method, too, which calls for broiling peppers, onions, and garlic, coarsely puréeing them, sautéing them briefly, then adding the remaining ingredients. It came together in no time but tasted far more complex than a simple weeknight chili.
I know you all would love it, but then, my friends, I made the better-than-classic pound cake.
My son was at the table doing math homework when the loaf was cool enough to slice into and upon taking a bite, he threw his head back, eyes closed, and slumped in his chair. Completely overwhelmed by the deliciousness, he finally uttered: It's so good, Mom.
When the girls heard the mmmms coming from the kitchen, they emerged from their various corners to partake in the action and quickly concluded it was the best cake they had ever tasted. In the intro to the recipe, Deb says she wants this to be "the last pound cake recipe you'll ever need." She succeeded.
But Friends! Can I tell you the best part? It's made in one bowl! The recipe calls for melted butter and although you may be tempted to beat the butter with the sugar until it's light and fluffy, Deb strongly discourages that move, which will result in a much less rich crumb. We don't want that.
What we do want is a cake that gets better by the day, which this one does, or, I should say, allegedly does — the cake has never lasted more than one day in our house, so I can't speak to its keeping abilities, but Deb likes it even better on days two and three, so don't be afraid to make it ahead of time if you're expecting company this holiday season.
| Better-Than-Classic Pound Cake |
Smitten Kitchen Keepers: Such a good one. In addition to the dishes I mentioned above, I also made the charred salt and vinegar cabbage, which Ben and I loved. I'm still getting together a gift guide for the holidays, but in the meantime, I don't think anyone would be sad about receiving Deb's latest book, which is proving to be filled with treasures, from the writing to the recipes. If you are a fan of Deb's, you've likely already added this one to your library, but if you haven't: What are you waiting for?! Treat yourself.
5 More Homemade Gift-Giving Ideas
As noted above, I am still trying to get out a holiday gift guide, but between The World Cup (😢 USA ) and the many recently released cookbooks and the pizza book I should be working on, I am having a hard time focusing. In the meantime, here are five homemade gift ideas:
One-Bowl Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake
Easy, Boozy Rum Balls (No Bake!)
5-Ingredient Classic Shortbread
Chewy Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Dorie Greenspan's Vanilla Bean Sables
Pizza Book Progress
Working on a one-hour pizza dough recipe, and ...
... perhaps some variation of the above-mentioned broccoli rabe with broken burrata from Smitten Kitchen Keepers (pictured below). I made it once with escarole when I couldn't find broccoli rabe, and it was delicious, which made me think it might be a nice template for everyone to have in their back pocket: garlicky greens +pepper flakes + some sort of acid + burrata ... yum:
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