The smitten kitchen cookbook project!
I’ve been itching for a new cooking project, and the idea of cooking through an entire cookbook crossed my mind. After surveying my cookbook collection, I decided on the smitten kitchen cookbook – because both smittenkitchen.com and Deb Perelman’s accompanying cookbook are glorious.
I’ve already made a few things from the book, and they have all been delicious, so I am pretty excited to try out everything else!
I’m not going to put a time limit on this project, because I don’t want it to become stressful – this is just for fun. I’ll try to document here as much as possible with a photo, and I don’t plan on including recipes. If you want the recipes, you should buy the book!
Already made before the start of this project:
- Leisurely pizza dough — will try again, didn’t come out well the first time due to old yeast
- Slow cooker black bean ragout
- Tomato-glazed meatloaves with brown butter mashed potatoes — only made the meatloaves, so will make again to make the potatoes as well
- Buttered popcorn cookies
- Gooey cinnamon squares
- Chocolate silk pie
- S’more layer cake
- Apple cider caramels
The List
Breakfast
- Peach and sour cream pancakes
- Cinnamon toast french toast
- Gingerbread spice dutch baby
- Plum poppy seed muffins
- Whole wheat raspberry ricotta scones
- Chocolate chip brioche pretzels
- Almond date breakfast bars
- Apricot breakfast crisp
- Big cluster maple granola (completed)
- Maple bacon biscuits
- Big breakfast latkes (completed)
- Greens, eggs, and hollandaise
- Baked ranchero eggs with blistered jack cheese and lime crema (completed)
- Potato frittata with feta and scallions
- New York breakfast casserole
- Fig, olive oil, and sea salt challah
- Cheddar swirl breakfast buns
Salads
- Vinegar slaw with cucumbers and dill (completed)
- Zucchini ribbons with almond pesto
- Fingerlings vinaigrette with sieved eggs and pickled celery
- Iceberg stack with blue cheese and radishes
- Tomato scallions shortcakes with whipped goat cheese
- Kale salad with cherries and pecans (completed)
- Sugar snap salad with miso dressing
- Broccoli slaw (completed)
- Cranberry bean salad with walnuts and feta
- Roasted baby roots with sherry-shallot vinaigrette
- Honey and harissa farro salad (completed)
Sandwiches, tarts, and pizzas
- Avocado tartine with cucumber and sesame seeds
- Chicken and egg salad toasts with lemon aioli and fennel (completed)
- Emmentaler on rye with sweet and sour red onions
- Ratatouille sub
- Broccoli rabe panini with mozzarella
- Wild mushroom tart
- Butternut squash and caramelized onion galette (completed)
- Pizza dough – rushed and leisurely (completed)
- Everyday margarita pizza
- Shaved asparagus pizza (completed)
- Eggplant and three cheese calzone (completed)
The main dish: vegetarian
- Gnocchi in tomato broth
- Sweet peas and shells alfredo
- Linguine with cauliflower pesto
- Heart-stuffed shells in lemon ricotta bechamel
- Leek fritters with garlic and lemon (completed)
- Sweet potato blintzes with farmer’s cheese
- Corn risotto-stuffed poblanos
- Spaghetti squash and black bean tacos with queso fresco
- Roasted eggplant with yogurt-tahini sauce and cumin-crisped chickpeas — may not make this, since neither me nor my husband like eggplant
- Wild rice gratin with kale, caramelized onions, and baby swiss
- Mushroom bourguignon
The main dish: seafood, poultry, and meat
- Vermouth mussels with tarragon oven fries
- Seared halibut and gazpacho salsa with tomato vinaigrette
- Pancetta, white bean, and swiss chard pot pies
- Sesame-spiced turkey meatballs and smashed chickpea salad
- Mustard milanese with an arugula fennel salad
- Flat roasted chicken with tiny potatoes
- Harvest roast chicken with grapes, olives, and rosemary
- Pork chops with cider, horseradish, and dill
- Balsamic and beer-braised short ribs with parsnip puree
- Sweet and sour holiday brisket and roasted fingerling and carrot coins
- Tomato-glazed meatloaves with brown butter mashed potatoes
- Pistachio masala lamb chops with cucumber mint raita
Cookies
- Rhubarb hamantaschen
- Salted brown butter crispy treats (completed)
- Chocolate peanut butter cookies
- Cranberry crumb bars with mulling spices
- Brownie roll-out cookies
- Chocolate raspberry rugelach
Pies and tarts
- Whole lemon bars
- Butterscotch banana tarte tatin
- Marbled pumpkin gingersnap tart
- All butter, really flaky pie dough
- Almond and sweet cherry galette
- Deepest dish apple pie
- Peach dumplings with bourbon hard sauce
Cakes
- Mom’s apple cake
- Grapefruit olive oil pound cake
- Blueberry cornmeal butter cake
- Olive oil ricotta cake with concord grape coulis
- Tiny but intense chocolate cake
- Golden sheet cake with berry buttercream
- Chocolate hazelnut crepe cake
- Red wine velvet cake with whipped mascarpone
Puddings and candy
- Strawberry cheesecake fools
- White chocolate pudding with blackberry curd
- Tres leches rice pudding
- Coffee toffee
Party snacks and drinks
- Spicy brittled peanuts
- Pumpernickel grissini with horseradish creme fraiche dip
- Smoky deviled eggs with crisped jamon and crushed marconas
- Blue cheese and black pepper gougeres
- Rosemary gruyere and sea salt crisps
- Baked potato crisps with the works
- French onion toasts
- Broiled clams with chorizo breadcrumbs
- Spritzy ginger lemonade
- Muddle puddle battle
