Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens

CanCan, 16 May 2010,
Categories: Eating, Reviews

Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens is a cookbook. If you are like me, you are probably in disbelief; how did someone know my living situation?

As I read Jennifer Schaertl’s account of her various crappy kitchens in her life, I realized that yeah, I came into my own as a cook in crappy kitchens as well.

I cooked over a fire in Belize with no electricity or running water for 3 months. I learned to make dang good gingerbread, and tortillas from scratch, even though my eyes would be irritated for days from the fire smoke.

Then I lived in China, where I had 2 gas burners and a toaster oven. Yet that was the year I mastered my Thai curry skills and I still managed to bake up a storm in that toaster oven.

Except it took like 3 hours to bake an entire recipe of cookie dough, since I could only fit about 6 in the oven at a time.

Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens is a cookbook, but it also gives advice for stocking your small pantry, which cooking tools are "must-have" and which ones you can do without in your crowded space, and various ways to make do with what you have on hand.

Witty recipe categories have everything from party food to low-fuss meals: “A”-Game Appetizers, Toss Everything but These Salads, Dignified One-Pot Creations, Artful Accompaniments, Saucy Sauces, and Desserts to Die For.

If your kitchen is tiny or has ancient appliances, you can still work wonders with the advice in Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens.

Sample recipe!

Fig and Lavender Honey Yogurt Pie

Summertime begs for cool, no-bake desserts, and this is one of the best, with no mixer or special equipment required.

Serves 10 to 12

1-1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 pinch sea salt

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

3 tablespoons cold water

1 cup Greek-style yogurt

1/2 cup lavender honey

1-1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

12 purple mission figs, quartered lengthwise

1. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, oats, brown sugar, and salt until moistened. Press into the bottom of a 6-inch spring form pan and half way up the sides, packing it tightly with your fingertips so it is even and compacted.

2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small sauté pan and let soften for two minutes. Whisk together the yogurt and honey in a medium-size bowl. Set the small sauté pan over the lowest flame possible while stirring constantly, just until it melts. Whisk the melted gelatin into the yogurt mixture until smooth.

3. Whip the heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture, taking care not to deflate the cream. Now fold the last of the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture. Gently spoon the mixture into the prepared spring form pan, then cover the pan with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until completely set, at least 6 hours and up to one day.

4. Hold a small knife under hot tap water, and then run it along the sides of the pie to help release it from the pan. Open the spring, and slice the pie into wedges.

Serve each slice on a dessert plate. Place two pieces of fig fig on top of each slice, and scatter a few fig pieces on the plate. Serve ice cold.

Swap It: You can substitute low-fat “Greek-style” yogurt in this recipe with fantastic results. It has a thicker, creamier consistency than regular yogurt because it has been strained to remove the excess liquid.

Recipe from Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Jennifer Schaertl

To join the monthly mailing list for the "The Crappy Little Newsletter," visit www.crappylittlekitchens.com.

I received a copy of this book to review.

Snake Repellent Giveaway »