A Gourmande’s Resolution

I’m going to visit my cookbook collection more often this year!

Okay, I’m a bit slow getting going, but I showed up, didn’t I? I resolved this year to not only cook 1 new recipe each week, but then also to post those recipes here for all to see. I may have some that I’m not going to make again, but I figure that information might be valuable for fellow readers to know, too! So, I have made my recipes but I’ve just managed to get them all written down, hence this mish-mash of a post to get caught up. Will you indulge me?

The first week it was grey, with no sun. I mean not a single ray since the calendar page flipped to 2016! For a Prairie girl such as myself, this was tortuous. If I couldn’t have blue skies, I needed a bit of brightness on the dinner table. Thankfully, my Saveur magazine came to the rescue with pictures and a lovely article on winter salads. (sorry, no link, as issue #180 isn’t online yet.) I added my own twists, and reduced the dressing quantity as I still had leftovers even making half, and voilà! Winter Herb Salad with Fruit If I do say so myself, it was truly wonderful. The flavours of the herbs came through well, and the pomegranate and apple were just the thing to brighten my day. We had it with some sautéed snapper that had an Asian rub – a perfect Monday meal!

The second week has still been grey, with the exception of 5 minutes of sunshine I caught one morning while walking the dogs. We were talking about a trip to New Orleans in the fall, and of course my online research strayed easily when I saw native recipes. I knew about King Cake from my time in France, but when I saw the recipe from New Orleans, I realized it was a completely different animal. Instead of puff pastry, this was a sort of brioche dough. Well, what better occupation for a home body on a grey winter day than a yeast dough? Away I went with New Orleans King Cake.

Granted, one probably doesn’t need a stuffed brioche right after the holiday season, especially when preparing to be fit and trim for a beach holiday (Jamaica looms on the horizon, only two weeks from now.) But, it’s for a good cause, right? I can tell you it was worth the sacrifice. This is a great Sunday recipe. Your man will love you when it comes out of the oven about half time :)

I’ve just signed up for the #PulsePledge too, since it’s the Year of the Pulse. No, not as in staying alive and keeping your heart beating, although that will be a part of it. This is about legumes – chickpeas, lentils, beans and the like. The idea is to cook one recipe a week for 10 weeks using some kind of pulse. I may include my pulse recipe next week, alongside an entrée recipe (pork, I think).

I hope these posts will help those cooks who are always looking for ideas, day after day. I hope it will help me to stay organized, cooking and writing more this year. I look forward to staying in touch!