Another month in the books! When I first flipped through Everyone’s Table, I was worried that these dishes were going to be way outside my comfort zone. There were ingredients I had never used, techniques that were new to me and flavor profiles that I was worried I wouldn’t like. (Deep inside, I’m still a picky eater. But I’m TRYING!) I’m happily surprised at my success rate for the 27 recipes I made this month. There were some hiccups – *cough* cacao caramel *cough* – but I’m happy to say there are plenty of these recipes I will reach for again.
Overall, my favorite recipe of the month was the Haitian Pineapple-Upside Down Cake. It’s beautiful, impressive but not nearly as difficult as it looks – and it tasted like the best dang pineapple-upside down cake I have ever had.
UPDATE 8/1/2021 - Gregory commented on my Instagram post!! Excuse me while I fangirl for a moment.
You should buy this cookbook if…
You want to impress your family with a Top Chef-worthy dish.
You want to improve your technique and explore new flavors.
You want to trick someone into eating a delicious meal that is grain- and dairy-free.
July Cookbook: Everyone’s Table by Gregory Gourdet
Gregory really comes through with the refreshing beverages in this book! This week I tried the hibiscus cooler with spiced syrup and lime (pg. 338). The spiced syrup gave it a very ~*fall*~ vibe. It’s not my favorite out of the three drinks I’ve made this month, but still refreshing. It could be better with bourbon in it…
Just reading the words seared tuna with blistered tomatoes and tarragon-mustard vinaigrette (pg. 173) made my mouth water. I think I slightly overcooked the tuna because it didn’t have the bright red middle, but it could also be because I got these steaks from the frozen section at Safeway. (Not to sound like a grocery store snob, but I am.) I loved the vinaigrette, so even if the tuna was overcooked, it didn’t bother me much.
It’s certainly not the season for hot chocolate (it is 99°F as I’m writing this), but I couldn’t pass up trying the Haitian hot chocolate (pg. 348)! I waited until the sun was completely down, moved the fan directly in front of me, then pretended to be chilly.
Bringing it back to summer, I made shaved coconut with summer fruit (pg. 356) for a guilt-free dessert. It called for a jalapeno, which I’m sure would add a great spicy contrast, but I forgot to buy one so I just rolled without it. As you can see from the photo, it’s beautiful. (#nofilter vibes.) The shaved coconut underneath was soo refreshing – just frozen coconut milk, coconut water and lime juice. I actually preferred it without all the fruit on top!
And of course, I had to end the month with a bang! Over the weekend, I made the chocolate and nut-butter tart with sea salt and chipotle (pg. 383). I started by making the sunflower nut butter (pg. 319) for the filling, but then I must have gotten tangled up in some witchcraft because just as the butter was starting to get smooth, the oils separated and I could not get it to cooperate. It was so insane!
So after I spent a good hour trying to clean the dried-Play-Doh-looking globs out of my Vitamix, I tried again. I used up all of my sunflower seeds the first go-around, so I had to go with store-bought peanut butter for the second try. The rest of the recipe – the crust and ganache topping – came together quickly and without a hitch. This tart turned out beautiful, especially with the flecks of red from the chipotle powder. You don’t need me to tell you that peanut butter and chocolate taste great together, do you?
In other news…
I made these zucchini gruyere scones from two of my baking favs.
I had a great dinner at Safta, which is one of those restaurants where you complain about how small the portions are but you still end up being full carrying out leftovers.
Lizzo, I love you, but a carrot is not a hot dog.
Thanks for reading, sweeties! 🍎