smitten kitchen cookbook project

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