Jamie Martin – Page 26 – Simply Delicious: The Cookbook Project

11-25: Best Ever Sole Au Gratin

Jamie Martin Group 11: Fish & Seafood, Section 2: Main Courses June 27, 2016July 7, 2020all-purpose flour, au gratin, black pepper, butter, cheese, chicken bouillon, chicken broth, chopped, cooked shrimp, creamy, dinner, egg yolks, eggs, fairly easy, fairly expensive, fish, fish bouillon, fish stock, grated, lunch, mashed potatoes, melted, mushrooms, pared, Parmesan, revisited, roux, Rozie house, salt, sautéed, seafood, shrimp, sole, stuffed, twice-baked, vegetables, whipping cream, white wine, yellow onions

This recipe is already setting high expectations with the title 11-25: Best Ever Sole Au Gratin, and I’m not here to completely dash those hopes. This is a pretty decent fish recipe, as those go (I’m usually wary of home-cooked fish recipes), but it’s nothing spectacular, despite Simply Delicious’ assertions. 🐟

This one gets fancy with the piping bag and tips for the potatoes. I still haven’t replaced my piping/pastry bag set-up since it all failed during the making of 17-52: Apricot Macaroons for the holidays last year (2015). Since I’ve yet to replace it, I’ll have to get creative again.

6-43: Cheesy Chicken Cutlets

Jamie Martin Group 06: Poultry & Game, Section 2: Main Courses June 25, 2016June 18, 2020basil, boneless, breasts, butter, canola oil, cheese, chicken, chiffonade, coated, dinner, dried herbs, easy, eggs, fried, fried chicken, gluten-free, grated, herbs and spices, iceberg lettuce, inexpensive, Italian seasoning, lettuce, lukewarm, lunch, marinated, melted, olive oil, oregano, pan-fried, Parmesan, radicchio, red wine vinegar, salads, salt, Silpat, skinless, tomatoes, untested, vegetables, white wine vinegar

Here’s yet another boneless/skinless chicken breast recipe born of the health-conscious 1980s. We ate a LOT of chicken breast when I was growing up, so I’m surprised my mom never busted 6-43: Cheesy Chicken Cutlets out for yet another version.

I’m sorry, but it’s ALWAYS seemed just a bit morbid to dip chicken in egg. I realize it’s often a big part of one of my favorite things (fried chicken), but it still always nags. I’ll leave it there–you do the math if you want to. 🐣

17-33: Coconut Coffee Rolls

Jamie Martin Group 17: Baked Goods, Section 3: Desserts & Baked Goods June 24, 2016September 13, 2020all-purpose flour, baked goods, breakfast, butter, coconut, coffee, creamy, dessert, dough, egg-free, fairly hard, fairly inexpensive, favorites, gift ideas, granulated sugar, grated, icing, kneaded, melted, milk, muffins, party food, proofed, salt, snacks, untested, vegetarian, yeast

Here’s some easy breakfast or snack rolls to make that can get super addictive. 17-33: Coconut Coffee Rolls don’t necessarily need to be consumed with coffee if that’s not your bag, but they do pair nicely for a morning pick-me-up. 🌴☕️

I’ve made coconut rolls before, but they were somewhat different (17-67: Coconut Crescents) and I used those as part of my 2015 holiday gifts. Most of these rolls didn’t even make it out of the house–usually I try to distribute the majority of the baked good products of this project to my friends and family to avoid eating all of it ourselves.

1-4: Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Jamie Martin Group 01: Hot & Cold Appetizers, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters June 23, 2016December 24, 2019appetizers, basil, broiled, butter, Cheddar, cheese, cooked chicken, dinner, easy, egg-free, French, fried, Gruyère, inexpensive, lunch, melted, pan-fried, panini, parsley, party food, salt, sandwiches, smoked ham, snacks, tarragon, tomatoes, untested, waffle iron, white bread, yellow mustard

Hope you’ve been enjoying my husband/co-writer Adam’s posts–he’s having fun writing them. I’m a bit behind on my own posting, so this is one I “cooked” a while ago. 1-4: Ham and Cheese Sandwich is exactly what it sounds like, hence the quotations around “cooked”–it’s basically a grilled cheese with ham in it.

As in 2-24: Parisian-Mushroom Salad, this is a French recipe somewhat simplified–the running theme throughout much of Simply Delicious. The croque monsieur is indeed a well-known French recipe, and lots of different takes on it exist out there.

2-24: Parisian Ham-Mushroom Salad

Jamie Martin Group 02: Salads, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters June 10, 2016July 8, 2020appetizers, black pepper, Cheddar, cheese, chopped, Dijon mustard, dinner, dressing, easy, egg-free, French, garlic, Gruyère, ham, herbs and spices, iceberg lettuce, inexpensive, julienned, lettuce, lunch, marinated, minced, mushrooms, olive oil, paprika, party food, red wine vinegar, salads, salt, side dish, sweet peas, tomatoes, untested, vegetables

It’s been a while since we’ve done a salad. This recipe, 2-24: Parisian Ham-Mushroom Salad sounded fancy, and I had found myself with mushrooms, ham, and lettuce. Simply Delicious leans heavily on French cuisine, so it’s not surprising to see them attempt a French salad. But is this an actual French dish, or just something made up for Americans (like the classic “Chinese” example, General Tso’s chicken)?

I Googled a bit to see if there was an actual ham & mushroom salad that was a known part of French cuisine, and I actually was able to track down a somewhat similar recipe from Raymond Blanc, a well-renowned French chef. He published a Gruyere, ham, & mushroom salad recipe in a few of his cookbooks, noting that it came from his French hometown near the Franche-Comté region (not near Paris).

17-4: Cinnamon Rolls

Jamie Martin Group 17: Baked Goods, Section 3: Desserts & Baked Goods June 9, 2016August 23, 2020all-purpose flour, American, baked goods, breakfast, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, dessert, dried spices, egg wash, eggs, filling, gift ideas, glazed, granulated sugar, grated, kneaded, melted, milk, Mother's Day, parchment paper, party food, pastry, proofed, rolls, salt, Silpat, snacks, untested, vegetarian, whole wheat flour, yeast

I realize it’s now June, but here’s a recipe I made for Mother’s Day this year, at the request of my very own mother. What can I say…it takes a while to actually sit down and write these things sometimes. We were doing brunch at their house this year, and she wanted us to bring cinnamon rolls, so I solved two problems at once by making 17-4: Cinnamon Rolls.

This particular recipe doesn’t include an icing/glaze with it, but if you want one (as I knew my mom would), I used this recipe from food.com and it works just fine. Let’s be honest–the ones in their picture are probably NOT what you pictured when you thought of cinnamon rolls. Whether you’re thinking of their picture or mine, this recipe (with a few tweaks) will probably suit your needs.

6-11: Chinese Duck

Jamie Martin Group 06: Poultry & Game, Section 2: Main Courses May 31, 2016June 17, 2020Asian, black pepper, bone-in, brown sugar, cast-iron, chicken bouillon, chicken broth, Chinese, Chinese/dark soy sauce, dairy-free, deglazed, dinner, duck, Dutch oven, egg-free, fairly easy, fairly expensive, garlic, ginger, granulated sugar, grated, herbs and spices, honey, lemons, minced, pan-fried, parsley, simmered, soy sauce, untested

Here’s a first for me: I’ve never attempted to break down a duck before this recipe, 6-11: Chinese Duck. I’ve cooked with duck a handful of times, but this is definitely the most involved with it that I’ve ever gotten. There’s one more duck recipe in this book, so expect a return sometime in the future.

I found myself with a duck after my husband took a trip past a local butcher a few weeks ago, so I decided to take a stab at one of the two recipes in the book. I assumed this would be similar to the Chinese dish Peking duck, and in true Simply Delicious style, it doesn’t quite come as close as recipes today can get you.

14-25: Crêpes with Fruity Filling

Jamie Martin Group 14: Hot Desserts, Section 3: Desserts & Baked Goods May 30, 2016July 30, 2020all-purpose flour, bananas, boysenberries, breakfast, brown sugar, butter, cherries, crème fraîche, crêpes, dessert, eggs, fairly easy, French, fruit, granulated sugar, half-and-half, hot desserts, inexpensive, lukewarm, lunch, melted, milk, omelette, pineapple, powdered sugar, raspberries, salt, sour cream, strawberries, stuffed, untested, whipped

14-25: Crêpes with Fruity Filling is only the second recipe I’ve covered for Group 14: Hot Desserts, but it’s the third total crêpe recipe that I’ve tried from the book (the others being 5-22: Crêpes with Chicken and 5-24: Meat-Filled Crêpes) so far. Those two previous recipes were savory–this one is sweet.

This recipe is suggested for dessert, but I think you could have it for breakfast (or even lunch) if you wanted. If you don’t like the fruit they suggest, you can substitute your own or whatever is local/in season. 🍒🍍🍓

10-14: Lamb on Skewers

Jamie Martin Group 10: Lamb & Veal, Section 2: Main Courses May 29, 2016July 6, 2020appetizers, barbecue, basil, blender, boneless, broiled, celery, chicken, chilled, chopped, cubed, dairy-free, dinner, dried herbs, easy, egg-free, fairly inexpensive, food processor, garlic, gluten-free, Greek, green bell peppers, grilled, herbs and spices, hors d'oeuvres, kebabs, lamb, leg of lamb, lunch, marinated, mushrooms, olive oil, party food, pork, red bell peppers, rice, shallots, skewered, tomatoes, untested, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, white wine, yellow onions

Lamb and veal were not big in my house growing up, but I’ll eat a bit of lamb every so often these days. I’ve only covered one other lamb recipe so far–10-12: Basil-Baked Lamb. This recipe, 10-14: Lamb on Skewers, actually was made in tandem with that one, since my cut of boneless leg of lamb was too large for that recipe. These skewers can be made with pork, chicken, or just veggies–making them great for a party or event where you have a lot of different dietary preferences.

Making skewers/kebabs is a really good way to use up an extra (or oddly shaped/not pretty) cut of meat, as well as a way to make tough cuts of meat easier to eat. Another benefit: those who have a difficult time eating large pieces of meat (like old people and little kids) might have an easier time with smaller pieces (be careful of choking, though). One more benefit: you cook your vegetables at the same time as your meat–add some rice and you’ve got the whole meal.

5-6: Cheese Soufflé

Jamie Martin Group 05: Eggs & Cheese, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters May 28, 2016April 29, 2020all-purpose flour, appetizers, Béchamel sauce, black pepper, breakfast, butter, Cheddar, cheese, cornstarch, creamy, dinner, egg whites, egg yolks, eggs, fairly easy, French, Gouda, grated, Gruyère, inexpensive, Jarlsberg, lunch, melted, milk, Monterey Jack, party food, salt, shredded, side dish, soufflés, stand mixer, untested, vegetarian, whipped

Soufflés are one of the stereotypical fancy foods–a harried chef attempting to keep one from falling due to its delicate, temperamental nature used to be a common comedy trope.

The two most common variations are the dessert version (like a chocolate one) and the savory version (like this recipe, 5-6: Cheese Soufflé). I’ve covered one savory soufflé dish already from this book: 4-11: Potato Soufflé with Onions.

This would be a good recipe to add some green onions or chives to–I think it would add some nice color to the soufflé without weighing it down. Simply Delicious shows this recipe in individual ramekins, but I’m going to make it all in one big soufflé dish–I have to justify its existence in my cabinet.