Where Cooking Begins: Week Two
Ladies and gentleman, HER (my new cutting board)
You know you’re an adult when you get this excited about a new cutting board. #ThisIs30. But for real, she’s such a beauty. I’m over here massaging her with natural food-grade beeswax in the same way a middle-aged man caresses the bumper of a 1966 Chevy El Camino during a mid-life crisis. *flashback to me Googling “classic car midlife crisis”* I don’t know cars, but you get it.
A John Boos is, like, the Bentley of cutting boards (another car reference!!) and I have a sick disease where I must own the very best of everything. If I spy it in Gordan Ramsey's kitchen, you better believe I'm scouring the internet for the same thing. I've had this board on my wishlist for a long time, so when I found one for a reasonable price, I snatched it up immediately. And now it’s the centerpiece of my little kitchen!
October Cookbook #1: Where Cooking Begins: Uncomplicated Recipes to Make You a Great Cook by Carla Lalli Music
The grilled asparagus with smoky-spicy bread crumbs (pg. 111) may have smoked up my entire apartment, but at least it tasted good. The grilled asparagus was pretty straightforward, but the spicy croutons were a nice touch! They would be great tossed into a salad.
I feel like I make scallops from every cookbook, but here I am again with the seared scallops with hazelnuts and chives (pg. 183)! I added extra hazelnuts because I love a crunch. Nothing much to report, just a simple scallop dish.
Yes, I went out and bought a glass pie dish specifically for the coffee crème caramel (pg. 246). Sure, I could have used the many pans I already have but I wanted mine to look like Carla’s. Sue me!! The coffee smell that this recipe produces is heavenly. I got pretty nervous halfway through when the color was off from the photo, but my theory is to always see the recipe through to the end. As long as it tastes good, it’s a success. If you want to try this recipe, I do recommend following along the YouTube video here! (Also, disregard the hour and a half cook time and start with 50 minutes.)
One of Carla’s most popular BA recipes is the white pesto pasta, so it felt appropriate to sneak it in this month. It’s kind of like fettucini alfredo, but make it fashion. 💃🏻 This recipe is not in the book, but you can find it here on Bon Appetit’s website.
Also, shout out to @lanibakes for selling these amazing treat boxes! If you live in Denver, give her a follow and keep your eyes peeled for her next box. 👀
Thanks for reading, sweeties! 🍎
I laughed out loud at the car reference. I was like, "How did she even know to put this???" LOL!