COOKBOOK-OBSESSED? JOIN THE CLUB
Potluck brunch group shares book opinions and dishes
When you leaf through a new cookbook, do you sometimes wish you could taste the recipes, not just look at the photos, so you know which ones are worth making? Would you like insider advice on which cookbooks are worth buying? Would you admit to being cookbook obsessed?
If any of the above apply, you can join a new club.
The Urban Element, a stylish place on Parkdale Avenue that offers cooking classes and all sorts of food-centric events, has started a new monthly Brunch Cookbook Club.
“We wanted to infuse a bit more community into what we do here,” says Urban Element co-owner Carley Schelck. “I think people are interested in being more involved, interactive.”
While Schelck says she thinks “cookbooks are a bit of dying breed” she also readily admits to having a serious obsession.
“I love pulling cookbooks out at night, dreaming over them, getting into the author’s headspace.”
About a half-dozen similarly obsessed cooks attended the first meeting June 7, discussing the insights and food philosophy of Montreal chef, blogger and mother-ofthree Aimée Wimbush-Bourque and getting a substantial taste of her recipes, with eight dishes prepared by participants, plus one each by Schelck and Urban Element chef Tara Rajan.
For starters, the Urban Element is choosing the book to be discussed each month, with a mix of classics and new cookbooks, such as Wimbush-Bourque’s Brown Eggs and Jam Jars, published in February. But Schelck says she is open to mixing up the format, perhaps inviting participants to each bring their favourite cookbook one month.
Brigitte Goulard, a keen cook, had already tried six recipes from Wimbush-Bourque’s book when she came to the meeting. She recommended several recipes — “the Radish Chive Butter on Cumin Crostini was fantastic” — but was disappointed by one or two others.
The discussion was lively, everyone said they learned something, and most dishes were considered worth making again. Perhaps typically, the cooks were most critical of the dishes they made themselves.
“It might taste OK, but this Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding looked like mud when I made it according the directions,” said Goulard. “You soak the croissants too long.”
Patricia Wilson, an experienced cook who leans toward classic French cooking, thought her Cheesy Butternut Squash Penne was dull, but several other participants pointed out that WimbushBourque’s blog is aimed at young families and it would be a good way to get small children to eat squash.
We’re sharing two recipes from the book that everyone agreed were great, plus a bonus easy seasonal preserve that Rajan shared with the group.
Urban Element chef Tara Rajan demonstrated how to make this quick and delicious preserve — halfway between a jam and marmalade — noting that while the recipe is not from Brown Eggs and Jam Jars, it is in the spirit of the book. Author Aimée Wimbush-Bourque grew up in the Yukon without electricity, running water or telephone service, yet she and her sister made baked goods for their local farmers’ market and her family always put away plenty of preserves. Her blog and new book focus on how to bring homesteading habits into the city (she now lives with her husband and three young children in suburban Montreal). “Start small, start seasonal,” says Rajan. Makes: About 5 small jars Preparation time: About 30 minutes
1 cup (250 mL) fresh orange juice 5 cups (1.25 L) chopped rhubarb Peel of half an orange, white pith removed and finely julienned 6 cups (1.5 L) sugar 1 packet (50 to 57 g, depending on the brand) pectin
1. Sterilize about 5 small jam jars and lids and rings in boiling water. Keep them warm in the oven (to prevent cracking when you fill with the hot jam).
2. Combine orange juice, rhubarb, orange peel and sugar in a stainless steel or other non-reactive pot. Bring to a rolling boil and let boil for about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in pectin and let boil for a further 2 minutes.
4. Pour hot mixture (it will be quite runny) into prepared jars. Top with lids, and screw rings to finger tight.
5. Using a canning rack, lower jars into boiling water. Allow water to return to a boil; boil for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave jars in the hot water for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat. Once cooled, rings can be removed from jars because lids will have formed a seal.