I will start off by saying that I'd never visited I am a Food Blog before receiving my copy of this book. And now, I'm a wee bit hooked. Stephanie has amazing style and photos, and her food and drinks are inventive and fun while still be totally approachable (for example, her Filet 'O Fish and Fries Burger—love). Her cookbook follows suit.
When I mentioned her blog being approachable, the book is even more so. She still displays plenty of creativity in her food, but chose to go with "basic", unintimidating titles. For example, the recipe that I'm sharing today—Dijon Mushrooms. Totally unassuming. Or another recipe that high on my "to try" list, Maple-glazed Duck. Nothing scary about that. Flipping through the book, you'll see other names like Coddled Eggs, Seafood Pappardelle, Spaghetti and Meaballs, Baked Mac & Cheese; recipes that even an inexperienced cook probably wouldn't shy away from. And they shouldn't. Some of them are more involved than others, but none of them require formal culinary training to be successful.
For those that eat with their eyes (um, everybody), there's plenty to fill you up since every recipe has a beautiful, undistracting photo to accompany it. In short, this cookbook would be right at home on the working bookshelf of cooks, from beginning to experienced. These Dijon Mushrooms are a sample of what you'll get when you cook from the pages—or should I say these Oven-Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic, Lemon & Dijon are an example of what you'll get when you cook from the pages.
Dijon Mushrooms
Oven-roasted mushrooms with lemon, garlic, and dijon (best served on hot, toasted bread).
by Stephanie Le from Easy Gourmet: Awesome Recipes Anyone Can Cook, printed with permission of Page St. Publishing
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Keywords: roast side snack vegetarian soy-free nut-free mushrooms mustard garlic
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 1 pound (450 g) mushrooms (button or crimini)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (15 g) chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dijon mustard
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
- toasted bread
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F (235°C).
Clean, trim, and halve or quarter the mushrooms if they are large. Toss the mushrooms, garlic, and shallots with the oil and place in an ovenproof dish. Dot with the butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and deeply browned, about 25 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, and dijon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Enjoy immediately with crusty bread, if desired. Believe me, you desire it - it's the perfect combination. I toasted this Polenta Bread, topped it with the mushrooms, and didn't want to stop eating.
"Everyone's definition of good food is different, but one thing holds true across the table: sharing a meal brings people together." -Stephanie Le
Easy Gourmet: AWESOME RECIPES anyone CAN COOK
author: Stephanie Le
publisher: Page Street
photos: yes
soft cover: 240 pages
chapters/sections (pretty straightforward): Breakfast | Pasta & Rice | Meats | Seafood | Vegetables | Soups & Stews | Sandwiches | Snacks | Desserts
(a few of the many) recipes destined for my kitchen: Pulled Pork Pancakes, Bone Marrow Pasta, Sesame Noodle Salad, Scallop Fried Rice, Maple-Glazed Duck, Curry Chicken Pot Pie, Miso Eggplant, Salmon Dill Chowder, Calamari & Bacon, Chai Tea Ice Box Cake, Lemon Meringue S'mores
about the author: Stephanie Le is the creator of I am a Food Blog, a food blog dedicated to dishes inspired by her favorite restaurants. Stephanie's blog was named Top Cooking Blog by Saveur magazine and her recipes have been featured on BonAppetit.com, FoodandWine.com, TheKitchn.com and Food52.com, to name a few. She lives in Vancouver, Canada.
GIVEAWAY
Easy Gourmet is available for preorder at Amazon for 37% off the cover price for a limited time, so now would be a great time to head over and secure a copy—but how would you like to winning a copy first? Page Street Publishing has generously offered up a copy to one of my readers. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post answering this question:
What is YOUR definition of good food?
This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only. Submissions will be accepted through 11:59 pm ET on Friday, September 5, 2014. One winner will be chosen via random draw and notified via email within 48 hours of the close of this contest, and given 24 hours in which to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, a new winner will be chosen. All entries will be verified (if the mandatory comment is not received, yet the box is checked, all entries by that person will be voided).
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions stated in this post are my own.
