Ruth Reichl's My Kitchen Year

Part journal, part cookbook, "My Kitchen Year" is so much more than a collection of recipes. With this book, Ms Reichl gives us glimpses of the journey she took at the age of 61 following the closure of Gourmet Magazine, where she had been editor in chief for 10 years.

The book is wonderful in most ways, providing sage advice on cooking and life, and offering up comforting and technically correct recipes.  Reichl shares wisdom like this:

• "And I still believe, to the core of my being, that when you pay attention, cooking becomes a kind of meditation."
• "...when you cook for people, they feel cared for."
• "...the secret to life is finding joy in ordinary things." and
• "To me recipes are conversations, not lectures; they are a beginning, not an end."

We thoroughly enjoyed this book and almost every recipe we tested worked as written. What we absolutely hated was the binding is horrible and makes keeping the book open to cook from impossible.  We also disliked the design direction that had the pages separate the list of ingredients into "shopping list" and "staples" -- stylistically interesting, but ultimately annoying.

The book is divided into 4 sections based on the seasons--which also correspond to her 'healing' year coming to terms with the death of Gourmet. I personally remember exactly where I was and how I cried to hear that my favourite magazine had folded.

FALL
Chicken Liver Pate p6

Silky and delicious--if you are into that sort of thing.

Steak Sandwich p10
How can you go wrong with steak, bread, salt. Mmmm.

Cider Braised Pork Shoulder p14

Pork shoulders being rather large, this is definitely something you want to prepare for a crowd. It's the dish that lives on and on if there are just two of you in the house.

Spicy Tuscan Kale p17

I loved the addition of anchovy and home made breadcrumbs which elevated kale to a wonderful side dish. Truth be told, I ate this for lunch on it's own...raising it beyond "side dish" status.

Nectarine Gallette p19

Not sure how this got into the FALL section. Where we are from, nectarines are more of a summer fruit. At any rate...we did have other issues with this recipe and found the directions faulty in that the dough cracked for us after taking it out of the fridge.

Gluten-Free Egg-Wrapped Dumplings from Yangshuo p20

Finicky as dumplings are, this was a delicious recipe and well worth the trouble.

Spicy Koren Rice Sticks with Shrimp and Vegetables p23

Rice Sticks with spicy sauce made of gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) is street food in Seoul. Walk down any street at 1am and you'll find dozens of food stall selling these unique and spicy rice sticks. At once sweet, spicy, chewy and addictive this recipe comes the closest I've tried to recapturing Seoul.

Easy Bolognese p28

True to her advice, this recipe is more of an idea than a roadmap, but it is simple and tasty and I will certainly use this technique again.  This is the first example I had of ideas embedded into the recipe, with additional add-on ingredients like carrots and basil.  While you get a shopping list, it's alway

best to read the whole recipe before going to the store!

Butternut Squash Soup p32

Again, simple and straightforward but lovely.  Originally surprised to use water rather than stock, the soup has plenty of depth. I think the key is to use waxy potatoes, another useful technique learned.

Apple Crisp p37

This is a basic, easy crisp recipe. It was tasty but suffered as a result of my use of less interesting apples.  I'd make it again but I think crisp doesn't really need a recipe.

Pumpkin Pancakes p52

Fantastic.  These pancakes are a new addition to our repertoire, adding pumpkin and the fluffy eggwhite technique.  Great cold for kids' snack.  Loved by all. We also tried the batter in a waffle maker and it worked perfectly.

Congee p54

This recipe make A LOT of congee, which didn't all get eaten in our house before I felt it time to dispose of.  I liked the technique, and it makes a comforting warm palate for the recommended or other addins.  I'd make it again but reduce the volume.

The Cake that Cures Everything p63

Yes. Trust us. It does. It also makes a HUGE cake so we tried it in 4 cake pans instead of the massive sheet pan she calls for. We iced two cakes and used immediately, and froze the other two cakes. Months later, they were as fresh and moist as the day they were made. The frosting she recommends on p64 had cream cheese in it and has become the icing of choice in my household.

Broccoli Rabe Bruchetta p66

Meh...Not bad when served warm, but as soon as it cooled off, it was really rather flavourless. Won't make this again.

Sriracha Shrimp over Coconut Rice p69

This fast and wonderful dish is fantastically flavourful--and since it comes together so quickly, makes a great week night supper.

Potatoes Au Gratin p74

Lots of cream, lots of Gruyer--lots of love for these potatoes.

Roast Chicken with Potatoes p76

Lots of prep here what with lifting the skin away from the breast and sliding fat underneath the skin. But it works-

WINTER
Applesauce p90
So easy and wonderful--with the added benefit of making your house smell like heaven.

Gingered Applesauce Cake p93

This is an excellent moist cake.  I did not make the glaze and suspect it does not need it.  I am considering adding carrots or raisins or nuts next time, following the advice of recipe as the beginning of a conversation.  Love it.

Roasted Strawberries with Ice Cream p105

What a great way to maximize flavour out of out of season berries. We did find the amount of butter a bit excessive--easily reduce by 1/2.

Beef, Wine & Onion Stew p111

What could be better on a cold winter's night? So comforting. I loved the freedom Ruth offers in this recipe--take as many onions as you wish, cut the carrots in whatever size you want to eat...

Banana Bread p113

I found this to be more cake than bread, using butter, buttermilk and lots of sugar.  It was too sweet for me.  The recipe worked, just not to my taste.

Food Cart Curry Chicken p118

This recipe is super easy and it is good, but not great.  Solid but I have enough curry recipes. :)

Thai-American Noodles p124

Another favourite.  This recipe had wonderful flavour and was easy to put together.  We will for sure make it again!

Jim Lahey's No-Kneed Bread p130

We loved this technique and the resulting crusty yet moist loaf of bread. Just try to keep this around for more than a few hours...impossible.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara p141

Nothing earth shattering here-standard carbonara recipe...but damn it's good!

Grilled Chicken p180

Great technique and my first brining experience.  I liked the idea of tossing in vinaigrette after grilling which accomplished a fabulous and familiar taste I've never managed to accomplish myself before.  A super easy recipe with a very tasty outcome.

French Fries p203

Not the best fries we've ever  made. In fact-we love David Leibowitz's much better.

Three Day Short Ribs p214

Yes this technically takes three days. But-most of that time you are just letting them rest. If you have the time, it really is an amazing dish. So rich and comforting. Why not pair it with Jim Lahey's No-Kneed Bread from p130....hey-you'r home anyway and the bread would be the perfect vehicle to sop up all the gravy from these yummy ribs.

Blue Cheese Dressing p214

Okay I'd call this recipe a fail.  Perhaps the blue cheese I used, although the recipe has no real instructions or an indication of what to use the dressing on.  I didn't love it and won't make it again.  Mostly, meh.

Crispy, Lemony Baby Yukons p251

Excellent technique, taste and texture.  Loved the idea of parboiling in stock and lemon, then roasting.

Easy Vietnamese Carmelized Pork p262

This recipe was tasty but the technique did not really work for my.  The pork didn't ever get crispy, perhaps because my wok is nonstick. But the flavours of this dish were great.

Painless Pasta for Three p276

Don't try to make this in the winter...this is a recipe that truly depends of the bouty of summer harvested tomatoes. When they are in season, and it's hot outside, all you need to do is quickly boil up some pasta, thus minimally heating up your kitchen, and toss in all the rest of the yummy ingredients. So fresh and delicious.