Kate Cooks The Books
Kate Sheehan
Like you, I have a “real” job that has nothing to do with food and a more than full-time child so I cook in my so-called free time. Fortunately for all of us, cooking is my golf and I don’t mind spending hours doing it in order to help find the cookbooks worth having.
Caramelized Onion Dip
Please see Part 1 of my thrilling archeological excavation of two beloved and thought-to-be-lost-forever appetizer recipes. Q: Kate, American leads the world in onion dip production, why are you putting another recipe out there? A: Because it’s better than what…
Artichoke and Spinach Relish with Walnuts
Friends, if you’ve ever lost a recipe you truly loved you will understand my excitement today. For I have recovered two of my favorite appetizer recipes thanks to other bloggers (and some dodgy sites that may now be harvesting my data or something idk). These were…
Cherry Pie
Cherry pie is my favorite pie I don’t even have to think about it. Last week I managed to hit the farmer’s market at the exact right moment to get the tart cherries I needed for this recipe and therefore achieved pie nirvana and am now deceased. I did not…
French Summer Sandwiches with Zucchini and Olive Tapenade
I’m going to assume we’ve all had it up to our masks hearing about Covid cooking. Sourdough starter, banana bread, air-frying, everyone’s done it, blogged about it, made a Tik-Tok, and written a New York Times think piece. Whatever you’re going…
Baci di Dama (Italian Hazelnut Cookies)
If Milano cookies had babies they would be these impish little bundles. Actually it would have to be a Milano and a bag of hazelnuts and I’m not sure how that would work but love is love, I don’t judge. Cookies really don’t get any cuter and in…
Quinoa Salad With Chicken, Almonds and Avocado
You didn’t think I ate cake all the time did you? We all know how that ends. It’s all about balance, which is a palatable way of saying: sometimes you have to eat healthy things. But healthy does not have to mean penance or deprivation. There are…
Lemon Shortcakes with Gingered Blueberries
I had two worries as I made this recipe. First, that the crystallized ginger would be too harsh but it was absolutely perfect, adding a judicious bit of brightness and contrast to all the sweet lusciousness. Second, the shortcake dough was so flaky as I…
Browned Butter Blondies
Remember when it seemed like people were throwing browned butter in everything? Suddenly it was bringing new life to old favorites like Rice Krispie Treats, Mexican Wedding Cookies, and every butter-based sauce imaginable. And this is not just a theory, I have…
Crispy Skillet Turkey Burgers
Dead simple, four ingredients, shockingly delicious. As the recipe says the panko keeps the turkey from becoming dense and acquiring that yoga-mat texture turkey burgers sometimes have; the mayo keeps it moist throughout; and the cheese works its usual magic. …
Italian Chicken Soup with Parmesan Dumplings
I had you at “parmesan dumplings,” didn’t I? You’re not wrong, they are amazing. I felt the urge to make soup even though we are experiencing freakishly warm temperatures in Chicago lately. Like, 55 and sunny. In Chicago. The place…
Italian Sausage and Mushroom Ragu with Pappardelle
At first glance there is nothing new about this sauce from Milk Street Kitchen. Heat fat, saute aromatics, add veggies, deglaze, add some other stuff, simmer while the pasta boils. And yet. I don’t know if it’s the cinnamon, or the way the…
Caponata
I cannot begin to tell you how hard I fell for this. As promised it’s sweet and sour but also luscious without being unctuous. I followed the advice in the comments section and sauteed cubed eggplant in the same pan before adding the other ingredients, no need…
Peach-Blueberry Crisp
Tomatoes get the lion’s share of attention this time of year, and rightly so, but let’s not forget how insanely delicious blueberries and peaches are right now. I’ve been a tad obsessed with blueberries in particular, eating half a pint every…
Pasta alla Genovese
It seems almost impossible not to make pesto in the summer when bouquets of basil are everywhere, screaming “pulverize me and toss me with fettuccine!” Before you know it we will be back to the tiny, pricey little boxes of the stuff so let’s get on…
Pork-Fennel Burger
As delightful as grilling is (and short-lived for those of us who live in colder climes) there might come a point in the season when you feel like you’ve done it all. You’ve ventured beyond hamburgers, brats and steaks to beer-can chicken, peaches,…
Deep Dish Pizza
I don’t know why I keep trying to replicate Lou Malnati’s pizza; I live in Chicago so I am never more than about 60 minutes away from eating the real thing. But I do. Perhaps because even when it doesn’t quite get there what you’re probably…
Central Mexican Guacamole and Chili-Pineapple Margarita
Oh guacamole. You are so embedded into American food culture that we have formed strong, chili-like opinions about the best, the most authentic and the most worthy recipes. Because we need more stuff to fight about. According to Milk Street, the version out of…
Tahini Swirl Brownies
For anyone familiar with Halvah, adding tahini to brownies is a no-brainer, in fact, what took us so long??? And if Halvah is good enough for Suleiman the Magnificent who are we to question it? For those unfamiliar, it brilliantly transforms what can be a…
Crisp Smashed Potatoes with Fried Onions and Parsley
A Sunday afternoon impulse abetted by the presence of leftover baby potatoes on their last legs as well as an abundance of duck fat from the cassoulet soiree. The only ingredient I did not have was parsley and I wish I did because it would have provided much-needed…
Cassoulet
Earlier this year, Melissa Clark published The New Essentials of French Cooking in the New York Times and I took it as a personal challenge from Melissa to me. To which I said, out loud in my home, like a boss “game on Melissa. Game on.” And why not start…
Israeli Couscous with Lemon, Mint, Peas, Feta and Pickled Shallots
There’s something about Israeli couscous that I’m infatuated with. I don’t know if it’s the toothsome, pasta-like texture, the neutral palette that makes it the perfect canvas for any ingredient, or the versatility. Perhaps it just reminds me…
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street
I always give Cook’s Illustrated credit for teaching me how to cook and it will always be my go-to for classic American dishes like fried chicken, chocolate cupcakes, pancakes, burgers, roast turkey and countless other things I cannot live without. But Milk…
Basic Challah and Za’atar Monkey Bread with Garlic and Onion Labneh
Just like pictures of myself, I’m only going to post the most flattering one of my challah. You know, thinner, younger and generally more attractive than it actually is: But I admit that it was a little wonky looking. Turns out braiding thick, heavy, sticky…
Hummus and Pita
It’s not difficult to understand the crazy popularity of hummus. Easy to make (with ingredients found almost anywhere), vaguely healthy, cheap, and versatile. But like many popular things, it has strayed very far from authenticity. People have added all…