CLK Recipe Book

Sick of your crappy little kitchen? So was Jennifer Schaertl, so she decided to write a book about making gourmet meals in her crappy little kitchen. Take that linoleum! Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens is Schaertl’s cookbook debut, and she does a great job bringing helpful tips to the reader with space-saving techniques and recipes for the millions of kitchen impaired out there.

We’ve all lived in a place that had a crappy little kitchen (a CLK), you might still live in a place with a CLK actually (I do). Well, it doesn’t matter, and it’s no longer an excuse for not cooking (so there!). Chef Schaertl thinks that “cooking in a crappy little kitchen builds character and personality – two attributes of downright delicious gourmet meals.” Though I wouldn’t mind a professional kitchen personally, I understand where she’s coming from.

Schaertl’s book addresses myths about gourmet cooking and shows home cooks how to make delectable meals despite a lack of counter space or high-tech appliances; her book offers practical tips that help to make the most of any crappy little kitchen.

Recipes cover everything needed to create a number of different delicious meals. Some of the highlights include:

–          Scallops Ceviche

–          Wassup! Wasabi Chicken Salad

–          Snake-Charmin’ Moroccan Lamb Chops

–          Barbequeless Barbequed Salmon

–          The-Morning-After Pasta Frittata

–          Butternutty Squash Bread Pudding

–          Coconut Poached Pears with Burgundy Sauce

The book is packed with color photos and interactive sidebars; it reads almost more like a guidebook than a traditional cookbook . This is not just recipes, but practical how-to’s, like how to enhance the functionality of your space, how to double the function of utensils to eliminate clutter, how to ingredient swap (replacing hard-to-find, gourmet ingredients with everyday items).

Whatever your kitchen situation, Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens shows home cooks how to work wonders and create fantastic meals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Schaertl met her first crappy little kitchen when she moved to New York and found the perfect brownstone apartment in Brooklyn. She studied culinary arts at El Centro in Dallas, where she received a technical education about cooking, food style, and preparation, as well as Old World knowledge about recipes and techniques. Jennifer worked as a chef in some of Dallas’ top restaurants, including Savory, Taste, and The Grape, and even as a pastry chef at Suze,  all the while creating and documenting her own recipes both for her restaurant menus and her family gatherings. A native of Texas, Jennifer Schaertl now lives in Dallas working as an Executive Chef at the North Central Surgical Center. She has already completed the pilot episode of the television series Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens. To view this episode and join her monthly mailing list “The Crappy Little Newsletter,” visit www.crappylittlekitchens.com.

A few recipes directly from the book, gratis… if you like, try the whole book.

-bryan

My Big Fat Greek Salad

The colorful fresh veggies in this recipe make the presentation beautiful on its own, and its mixture of flavors and textures makes it impressive for the most discerning guests.

Serves 8

1 T Dijon mustard
1 t minced anchovy (1 or 2)
1/4 c fresh oregano
1/4 c sherry vinegar
1 c extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 c diced English cucumber
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 c diced red onion
1/4 c chopped kalamata olives
3 T crumbled feta cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 c thinly sliced romaine lettuce (use your bread knife to make thin slices from a head of romaine)
4 slices sourdough bread, toasted

In your blender, pulse the mustard, anchovy, and oregano until mixed. Add the sherry vinegar and pulse until well combined. While blending at medium speed, drizzle in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss the cucumber, tomato, onion, olives, feta cheese, and romaine with 1/2 cup of the dressing. Taste the salad to see if it needs more dressing, salt, or pepper.

Mound the salad in a large serving bowl. Cut the toasted bread into wedges, tuck the wedges around, and garnish it with more crumbled feta. For individual portions, hold the toasted bread wedge in the center of each small plate, and pile the salad high around it. This makes each plate look like a sailboat. You could also serve individual salad portions in margarita or martini glasses with the toast jutting out like a sail.

Store the leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can toss the leftover salad as well as the dressing with some pasta for a great Greek pasta salad.

Oh Lamby Boy!

This shepherd’s pie recipe is high on the wow factor. The presentation is outstanding, and no one will know how easy this one-pot wonder is to prepare!

Serves 8

1/4 c olive oil
4 lamb shanks, 1/2 lb each
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 c all purpose flour
2 c large dice yellow onion
1 c, peeled and cut in one-inch lengths on the bias, carrots
1 c, cut in one-inch lengths on the bias, celery
4 T unsalted butter
1/4 c chopped garlic
2 T chopped fresh thyme
2 T chopped fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves (preferably fresh, but can substitute dried in equal portion)
4 c vegetable stock
3 lbs small Yukon gold potatoes, halved
1/4 c chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 400°. Put your Dutch oven on the burner, heat to medium-high heat, and add the olive oil.

Season the lamb shanks heavily with salt and pepper; don’t worry about over-seasoning. Dust them lightly with flour.

When the olive oil begins to smoke slightly, use your tongs to lay the lamb shanks on their sides into the oil without overcrowding them. Let them brown for about a minute, and then turn them slightly to begin browning the next section. Once they are brown on all sides, remove them from the pan. Repeat this for all the shanks.

Reduce the heat in the pan to medium, and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Move them around in the pan using a heat-resistant spatula to help cook them evenly. When they have begun to soften and caramelize slightly after about 10 minutes, add the butter and allow it to melt. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf and allow this to cook together for 1 minute.

Add the stock and bring it to a boil. Turn off the burner, arrange the 4 shanks in the middle of the pan and surround with the potatoes. Sprinkle a pinch more salt and black pepper over the potatoes. Cover the pan and put it in the oven for about 3-1/2 hours. When the meat peels away from the bone, the lamb is ready! Present this right in the roasting pan. Garnish with lots of chopped parsley, and place it in the center of the table.

How to Cut on the Bias:

“On the bias” means cutting on a slight angle. Lay the vegetable horizontally on the cutting board and, with your non-knife-wielding hand, hold it down close to the end where you’ll begin cutting. Curl your fingers so that the tips are tucked under and the knuckles point outward—in the chef world, this is called the “claw grip.” Hold the blade of your chef’s knife against the vegetable at a 45-degree angle. Begin slicing slowly toward your holding hand, making sure to keep your fingers tucked in. Reposition your “claw grip” to make sure it doesn’t wind up a few fingers too short!

Chefology:

LAMB SHANK – Cut from the arm of shoulder, lamb shank contains the leg bone and part of the round shoulder bone and is covered by a thin layer of fat and fell (a paper-like covering). Lamb shank is usually prepared by braising or by cooking in liquid.

Fig and Lavender Honey Yogurt Pie

Summertime begs for cool, no-bake desserts, and this is one of the best, with no mixer or special equipment required.

Serves 10 to 12

1 1/3 c graham cracker crumbs
5 T unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c quick cooking oats
3 T light brown sugar
1 pinch sea salt
1 T unflavored gelatin
3 T cold water
1 c Greek-style yogurt
1/2 c lavender honey
1 1/2 c heavy cream, chilled
12 purple mission figs, quartered lengthwise

Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, oats, brown sugar, and salt until moistened. Press into the bottom of a 6-inch spring form pan and half way up the sides, packing it tightly with your fingertips so it is even and compacted.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small sauté pan and let soften for two minutes. Whisk together the yogurt and honey in a medium-size bowl. Set the small sauté pan over the lowest flame possible while stirring constantly, just until it melts. Whisk the melted gelatin into the yogurt mixture until smooth.

Whip the heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture, taking care not to deflate the cream. Now fold the last of the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture. Gently spoon the mixture into the prepared spring form pan, then cover the pan with plastic wrap,and refrigerate it until completely set, at least 6 hours and up toone day.

Hold a small knife under hot tap water, and then run it along the sides of the pie to help release it from the pan. Open the spring, and slice the pie into wedges. Serve each slice on a dessert plate. Place two pieces   of fig fig on top of each slice, and scatter a few fig pieces on the plate. Serve ice cold.

Swap It:

You can substitute low-fat “Greek-style” yogurt in this recipe with fantastic results. It has a thicker, creamier consistency than regular yogurt because it has been strained to remove the excess liquid.