gourmet, unbound

A Delicious August

I hope all of you are enjoying your gardens and grills, vivid tomatoes and sugar-sweet corn. (And maybe a relaxing beachside vacation?)

Looking at these dishes that you found in old August issues of Gourmet, it seems like it will be a delicious August, indeed.

Both Pages, Pucks and Pantry and The Mango Lassie made tasty deviled chicken for dinner
(Deviled Chicken Drumsticks, 2008)

The Reluctant Blogger (Prosciutto, Peach and Goat Cheese Pizza, 2000)

Taste as You Go (Quinoa with Corn, Scallions, and Mint, 2006)

Lady Gouda (Greek Orzo Salad, 2008)

Cook with Claire cooked up a Potato, Corn and Leek Frittata (2006) and also a raspberry tart from 1995.

Veggicurious made Skillet Potatoes with Olives and Lemon (2007) and also Marinated Eggplant with Mint and Fresh Goat Cheese 2004.

a sweltering July roundup

Well, we're well into the summer with heat and humidity that make most folks shun the kitchen. Not this brave bunch, however! They sent us their July Gourmet recipes, because nothing can keep them away from their kitchens! Take a look - I think they should get serious points just for persistence!

A low-carbon footprint dish - a lovely, fruit salad!

Merry Gourmet (Fruit Salad with Mint Sugar, 2004)

A beautiful provencal salad to cool you off!

Brooks Cooks (Provencal Salad, 2007)

A few other amazing entries!

Pages, Pucks, and Pantry (Balsamic Zucchini, 2004)

Healthier Kitchen (Fig Salad and Fresh Tomato Pasta, 1998 )

Mango Lassie (Ratatouille, 1967)

The Reluctant Blogger (Korean-Style Grilled Flank Steak, 2007)

We hope to see you back in August undeterred by heat with some fabulous finds from the August Gourmet archives!

A June Recipe Roundup

We're deep into June, now, which is a lovely thing in the kitchen. The produce is exciting, ripe and flavorful, but it's not too hot to spend a few minutes by the stove. What's cooking from our stacks of old Gourmets? Some seriously good stuff.

Merry Gourmet (Blackberry Buttermilk Cake, 2009)

Looks luscious, right?

How about these baked eggs for an easy brunch?

Pages, Pucks and Pantry (Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms, 2004)

Or French Toast showered in blueberry syrup...

L Brooks Cooks (Baked Blueberry-Pecan French Toast with Blueberry Syrup, 1999)

Check out these other June contributions, too!

The Mango Lassie (Potato Salad with Olives and Peppers, 2007)

Healthier Kitchen (Soba Noodles with Pea Shoots, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Leeks, 1994)
and she also made these Mango Sours from June 2004!

Lady Gouda (Buttermilk Biscuits, 2005)

The Cookie Scoop (Praline Ice Cream Sandwiches, 2006)

The Reluctant Blogger (Hainanese Chicken Rice, 2000)

The Taste Space (Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp, 1999)

So, what's cooking for July?

And into May

Hi all,

Here are a few May recipes...And now all I can think about is biscuits and strawberry-rhubarb shortcake. Thanks a lot...No, really, thanks for submitting! Check out the links and spread the word!

Merry Gourmet (Rosemary Cream Drop Biscuits, 2001)

The Cookie Scoop (Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcakes, 1992)

Cook with Claire (Tomato and Caramelized Onion Tart, 1995)

Healthier Kitchen (Pasta with Asparagus Lemon Sauce, 2000)

The Reluctant Blogger (Fettuccine with Morels, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese, 1992)

Lady Gouda (Quinoa with Mango and Curried Yogurt, 2003)

L Brooks Cooks (Savory Parmesan Pain Perdu with Poached Egg & Greens, 2009)

Pages, Pucks and Pantry (Strawberry Milkshake, 2008)

Mango Lassie (Moroccan-Style Mussels, 2006)

Doable and Delicious (Cauliflower Souffle with Brown Butter, 2008)

A Shower of April Recipes

Hi folks, sorry this one's a little late--been a busy month for us already! Here are a few great recipes from April Gourmets past. I know what I'll be cooking soon...

 Soup Addict (Cheddar Dill Biscuits, 2005)
 

 The Mango Lassie (Shrimp Scampi Pasta, 2006)
 

One recipe proved popular--sounds tasty!

Eat Live Travel Write (Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies, 2004)

Lady Gouda (Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies, 2004)

More good stuff from April...

Doable and Delicious (Asparagus Ravioli in Parmesan Broth, 2008)

Gourmet, All the Way (Pasta Primavera, 2003)

Pretty Girls Use Knives (Lemon Olive-Oil Cake, 2006)

Reluctantly Blogging (Pierogi, 2004)

Pages, Pucks, and Pantry (Capellini with Shrimp and Creamy Tomato Sauce, 2008)

The Cookie Scoop (Lime Curd and Toasted Almond Tart, 1996)

March, in recipes

Doable and Delicious (Tiny Potato Dumplings with Tomato, Onion and Pancetta Sauce, 2003)

 

Small Tastes (Linguine with Brussels Sprouts Barigoule, 2009)


Mango Lassie (Chicken with Black Pepper Maple Sauce, 2006)

But wait...there's more!

Soup Addict (Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup and Roasted Tomato Soup, 1993)

Eat. Live. Travel. Write. (Biscotti Quadrati al Miele e alle Noci, 2003)

Hungry Bruno (Oven Poached Fish in Olive Oil, 2000)

Cook with Claire (Bubble and Squeak, 2005)

Pithy and Cleaver (Chicken in Riesling, 2008)

The Reluctant Blogger (Country Rhubarb Cake, 2004)

The Cookie Scoop (Maple Sugar Ragamuffins, 2006)

Lady Gouda (Vietnamese Sticky Chicken and Pickled Vegetables, 2005)

Pretty Girls Use Knives (Cheddar Jalapeno Bread, 2007)

Veggie Virginia (Caramelized Onion Pizza with Mushrooms, 2006)

Healthier Kitchen (Chicken in Riesling, 2008 and Kir royale sorbet, 1994)

Thanks to all who contributed! Want to get involved? Check out our guidelines in the sidebar. We're eager to see what your favorite April recipes!

Silky Leeks with Lemon, Thyme, and Burrata

When I set about making this recipe, I didn't expect to be seduced. I wanted something simple and vegetable-based for dinner, but I didn't think it would be sexy.

I underestimated this recipe. These leeks are luscious, braised just a few minutes in good homemade stock (and, of course, a little butter.) A sprinkle of fresh thyme and lemon zest, coarsely ground pepper, and sea salt bring the flavors forward.

Of course, this could work as a side dish under baked chicken thighs or a chunk of artic char, but on a weeknight during this already-busy month, a gooey spoonful of burrata cheese and a drizzle of olive oil is just the ticket. It's a creamy, silky, heavenly dinner with a chunk of baguette and a glass of white wine.

Depending on how tender you like your leeks, you might want to leave these braising away a little longer than instructed in the recipe—after you've cooked them uncovered as instructed, cover and braise them for 8 minutes or so, checking to see if they've softened to your liking. Even if it takes ten or twelve, it's a ridiculously easy dish.

The original recipe is here. Be sure to add leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and top with a scoop of burrata and a drizzle of olive oil.

February recipes

Hi all, it's February! Here's our roundup of February recipes from Gourmet magazines past. Hope you enjoy!

The Mango Lassi (Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream, 2003)

Couldn't Be Parve (Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread, 2000)

Healthier Kitchen (Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Spiced Pine Nuts, 2008)

Eat Travel Write (Lemony Mushrom Risotto, 2001)

Pages, Pucks and Pantry (Beer Braised Beef and Onions, 2009)

Hummingbird Appetite (Cocoa Cake, 2003)

Taste As You Go (Ginger and Garlic Broccoli with Brown Rice, 1995)

Small Tastes (Braised Turnips with Poppy Seed Bread Crumbs, and Fennel and Carrot Slaw with Olive Dressing, both from 2008)

Doable & Delicious (Butternut Squash Galette, 2009)

Cozy Delicious (Bruschetta with White Beans and Walnuts, 1999)

The Reluctant Blogger (Cracked Wheat Rolls, 2009)

Veggie Curious (Mushroom Tortellini in Mushroom Broth)

Hungry Bruno (Pasta with Parsley Sauce, 1993)

Lady Gouda (Kale & Potato Spanish Tortilla, 2003)

Pretty Girls Use Knives (Roast Chicken with Mashed Potato Stuffing and Root Vegetables, 1994)

Umami Girl (Frisée Salad with Lardons and Poached Eggs, 1999)

The Gourmet Project (Sauternes-Soaked Genoise with Candied Kumquats, 2004)

Soup Addict (Hot Browns, 1990)

The Cookie Scoop (Streusel Sour Cream Coffeecakes, 2002)

Veggie Virginia (Biscuits, 1999)

Gourmet Traveler (Gyoza, 2006)

Sweet Amandine (Mulled Cider, 1993)

Note to contributors: In coming months, please remember to send us a photo so we can include it in our roundup.

broccoli with orecchiette

There are nights when I am happy to putter around in the kitchen and take my time in preparing dinner. And then there are nights when you get home at 7pm, only to have to get on conference calls at 8pm with a mere hour in between. Yes, there is always take out, and I happen to live in a city that's very take-out friendly. But sometimes, sometimes I wish for a home-cooked meal that is simple, good and takes not-so-long to make. I know - I'm asking for a lot here. And yet - such things do exist. This recipe here is proof. Truth be told, I was a bit anxious about this month's post. I saw my workflow a mile away - saw the evening calls almost every evening, saw everything else on my roster and thoughts to myself, "Whatever will I write about? What time, if any, will I have to cook?" And then it dawned on me that some of you might be stuck in a similar predicament - facing the workload of a new year that makes it tough to get yourself into a kitchen. And when I read through this recipe, I felt like I had a winner on my hands. Well, I was right and I was wrong. I thought this was going to be a fine, suitable week-day meal. It was better than that. It was, in fact, so good, that I helped myself to a second bowl. I had promised a container to my running partner, and she was in serious danger in not getting any lunch tomorrow. Lucky for her - I'm a considerate soul. My notes here (since we now just link to the recipe - sorry, folks) should help you out. First of all, I added pancetta because I wanted a little meat in there tonight. Secondly, the recipe tells you to cook all that broccoli medley covered until the water evaporates. This made no sense to me and I uncovered the saute pan to actually let the water evaporate. It worked beautifully. So now, on these busy nights, there's nothing that stands between you and your dinner. So, what are you waiting for? Get thee into the kitchen!
Recipe here.

Cheddar Scallion Drop Biscuits

I've been obsessed with biscuits for a long time. There's something magical about them, turning flour and butter into something hot and pillowy, rich and light. One of my favorite brunch places always has a long line, but you can buy a biscuit from the counter to eat while you wait outside, and that almost makes the line bearable, even at 10am on a frigid January morning.

These drop biscuits are a snap to make—cut the butter into the dry ingredients, mix in good strong cheddar (I used half asiago and half orange extra-sharp) and sliced scallions, fold in the buttermilk and pop them in the oven. It takes only a few minutes. Watch them carefully in the oven, though—though the original recipe says they cook in 18-20 minutes, mine were done by 14 or so.

We served these with pulled-chicken barbecue, but they'd also be nice for lunch with a salad and a little salami, or served alongside a vegetable soup or chili. I bet they'd be good with Gruyere or Comté inside instead of cheddar, too. 

I'm still on the lookout for the pillowy biscuits of my dreams, but I'm happy to eat these in the meantime.

Get the recipe here.