Successful Celebration

Trying out a new cookbook is sort of like test driving a car. You have to get a feel for the ingredients, the amount of seasonings called for, and the accuracy of the prep/cooking times. So tonight's culinary adventure actually began last Sunday when I purchased a new book while on vacation. I spent several days studying the artfully arranged food and reading each recipe in detail before choosing a variety of dishes to begin my relationship with the book. Our dinner menu - belatedly in honor of Father's Day - included onion soup, salmon picatta with parsleyed pasta, and an upscale version of s'mores that put the original to shame.

These lovely recipes all came from Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals which appeals to me on several levels: the recipes feature a few fresh ingredients, the prep and cooking times are short, the photography is taste-tempting, and they fit into the healthier fare the guys and I are trying to eat. One thing this doesn't seem to be is a diet book, of which I have my share. Glancing at the shelves in my office I see recipe collections from Weight Watchers, Butter Busters, low-carb diets, and sugar-free/fat-free desserts. However, none of those books has the appeal of my new one. Perhaps it is the glossy photography of each dish which makes it easy to picture the food on your own plate that makes this one special. More than likely, though, it is the idea that a few fresh ingredients can produce something flavorful and healthy as opposed to something that makes you feel like you're eating the cardboard packaging the food came in. This cookbook advocates the use of real butter, extra-virgin olive oil, and feta cheese - ingredients not usually associated with "healthy" (a.k.a. diet) food, thus this seems the perfect recipe collection for a family trying to eat better food rather than trying to lose weight. (Of course, if Jeff and I lose a little weight along the way that is an added bonus, but not the main prize.)

So, tonight's dishes were delicious and easy. We started with onion soup which required a couple of sweet onions thinly sliced and cooked for about 15 minutes over medium-high heat in a little bit of vegetable oil. (Don't use olive oil for this since the prolonged heat will make it burn.) The recipe called for a few sprigs of thyme pulled out before serving, but I substituted some freshly chopped herbs from my garden (parsley, rosemary, and garlic chives) which I added when the onions were about halfway through the cooking time. After caramelizing the onions, I added two cans of fat free beef broth and simmered until everything we were ready to eat. I bought the low-sodium broth and added just a touch of sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. (I tend to not like as much salt as many people, so having control over it makes me happy.)

I prepared the main course while the soup simmered and kept the fish warm in the oven until serving time. The recipe called for snapper, which was horrendously priced this week, so I substituted wild-caught salmon fillets with excellent results. I seasoned the fish liberally with sea salt and black pepper before cooking it in a little olive oil (over medium heat) in a large skillet for about four minutes on each side. As the fillets finished, I put them in a baking dish and popped them in a low oven to stay warm while I made the sauce by deglazing the pan with white wine and the juice of one large lemon. As the wine simmered, I added some fresh parsley from the garden along with some well-drained capers. To complement the fish we had angel hair pasta tossed with a little olive oil, seasoned bread crumbs, more parsley, a little sea salt, and black pepper. I plated a small stack of pasta next to each fish fillet glistening with a couple of spoonfuls of the lemon-caper sauce, which added a nice brightness to the rich salmon. It looked just like the picture in the book, and everyone cleaned their plates!

We ended the meal with coffee, tea, and fancied up biscuits. Using Pepperidge Farms Bordeaux sugar cookies as a base, I buttered on a little hazelnut spread, sprinkled on some chopped dried apricots and three or four mini marshmallows before topping with another cookie. These went into the microwave for about 30 seconds (just long enough to melt the marshmallows) for a grown up version of the campfire treat. I can tell you, the delicate cookies and hazelnut spread made this decadent while the apricots added a surprising twist of tangy chewiness. This is so simple, yet so good. (I can't believe no one has thought of this before! It makes we wonder what else can be done to s'mores.)

By the end of dinner, everyone was sated and happy, thus making my first outing with this new cookbook a definitive success. These are foods everyone can enjoy and feel good about eating, too.