One of my favorite things to do with Justin is watch him cook. As for myself, I can easily burn a boxed cake or brownie mix, but Justin seems to have a knack for bringing ingredients together in an almost scientific way. By looking at a recipe, he has a good idea not only of what is involved in making the item but also what it will taste like and how he should alter it based on what he has available to him in the pantry or fridge. Perhaps one day, after watching him cook for so long, the skill will seep into me…
Meanwhile, as an effort to continue to watch my home's master chef grow, I'm quite fond of breaking free of our typical cooking by suggesting we try new recipes from cookbooks and pinterest. The majority of the time I have no idea what the recipe I'm suggesting will taste like or how well it has been tested; I usually base my decision on ingredients that I am familiar with and, of course, the picture.
When Justin and I picked out Seven Spoons together, we spent a few days just looking at cookbook reviews, "reading" the first few pages of the books on Amazon and attempting to make judgements based on that knowledge. After a few days of searching and reading, ultimately I made the decision to try Tara O'Brady's Seven Spoons. The good reviews on Amazon and lovely pictures certainly helped in making the decision, but ultimately I was swayed by her blog and my desire to support others in the blogging community. After all, you can never tell how good a book will be until you are holding in your hands and experimenting with it in the kitchen…
About two weeks ago, Seven Spoons arrived on my front door stoop. I'd like to say we jumped right into making recipes, but that would be a lie. We had already made plans to go to Asheville, NC that weekend and then north Georgia the following. With Justin's hectic work schedule, last night was our first experience using the book.
Early in the book, the authoress sets up her reader for making something bigger than the simple recipes she has inside. She talks about what it was like to grow up in a household where dinner parties are the norm and cooking is an important part of character building and how all of that changed when she married someone with an entirely different taste palate than herself. As with most good cookbooks and stories, she discusses the growth and transformation that altered her cooking and more reflected her household after marriage. She then goes into discussing ingredients, how she chooses what she does and what she keeps in stock before delving into over 80 recipes that she wishes to be "as useful on special occasions as it [is] in the day-to-day."
Recipes in the book include "Breakfast, Lunch, Soups, Snacks and Starters, then Suppers, Vegetables and Sides, followed by Treats, Sweets and Sips, and a chapter of Staples." A few of my favorites include Flat Potatoes, A Pot of Braised Vegetables, Fuss Free Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs, Caramel Apple Pie, and An Uncomplicated Cheesecake. Her recipes often include a few obscure ingredients that will need to be obtained in odd locations. For example, a few recipes call for specific cheeses, yogurts, and salts which can be bought for relatively cheap at a local farmer's market or more expensively at Whole Foods, Sur La Table, or William Sonoma. It also should be noted that the majority of her recipes offer up an Eastern Indian or even Greek vibe with a bit of Vietnamese thrown in there too. These recipes are (most likely) not the ones your grandmother has been cooking for years and years; more likely, these recipes are ones that will invoke a taste for new cultures and foods that perhaps you've never had. Or at least that was certainly the case with me…
Justin and I began our venture into Tara Brady's Seven Spoons last night with one of her more simple recipes: Twangy Blueberry Sauce. I wanted something fast and easy that I wouldn't necessarily need Justin for. It started out simple. We gathered the ingredients and measured them out one-by-one. Then, we put the blueberries on the stove and set the temperature. Waiting, adding ingredients, taking the recipe one step at a time and being careful as we went while stirring occasionally. Then, finally, to my surprise, within only 30-ish minutes or so, it was done! We scooped the delicious sauce out of the pan and placed it on angel food cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream! Yum!!
I'm always hesitant to add recipes without the author's permission, but the twangy blueberry sauce recipe has been shared here, if you are interested. Like The Vanilla Bean Blog, we too altered the recipe by adding a pinch of salt (but not the extra teaspoon of vanilla that she includes). I could easily see using this thick sauce as a topping for waffles, crepes, or even as a delicious pie filling. As it seems, and just as Tara O'Brady envisioned, the possibilities are nearly endless with what you can do with it!
From what this first taste of Seven Spoons has indicated, we can't wait to try more!
To find out more about Seven Spoons, check out Tara O' Brady's blog. She provides many of the recipes from her book there, so that you can essentially try before you buy!
However, if you are already convinced that this book is a must-have, click here to purchase it on Amazon!
Had you heard of Tara O'Brady and Seven Spoons before? Will you be buying her book or trying one of her fantastic recipes in the future?
* I received a copy of Seven Spoons for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
** Quotes are from Tara Brady's book and blog.
