“As the first grassroots cookbook to emerge from social media, The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook features competition-tested recipes from foodie-favorite Web site Foodista.com. The site’s goal is to build the world’s largest high-quality online cooking encyclopedia that offers followers everything from recipes to cooking instructions. Foodista.com bloggers worldwide were invited to submit their favorite blog posts, recipes, and photos to compete for a spot inside this cookbook. Winning entries were selected from all over the globe and include recipes such as Smoked Salmon and Mascarpone Calzone, Spiced Wine-Poached Persimmon, Prosciutto-Wrapped Broccolini with Basil Crisps, and Snickerdoodle Ice Cream.”
C&B&R Featured Cooks Chris & Karen, the peche
If you were to look in our browser bookmarks, you would find it filled with links to recipes from blogs across the web. We cook almost exclusively from other people’s recipes, and our bounty of links to recipes is our own personal treasure chest of food, overflowing with food we love and food we know we will love. We covet our links, considering them our stock of ammunition against boredom and sad food.
This book is like a giant cannonball of tastiness, hurtling toward your kitchen, demanding you make them. You want to make this food.
What’s so inspiring about this collection, divided by course, is the variety of viewpoints coming from the contributing food bloggers. Most exciting for us going through the recipes was realizing we hadn’t heard of 75% of the contributing bloggers, and we know a lot of food bloggers (at least their sites and their food). This book reminded us that the world of food blogging is a powerhouse of innovation and creativity. And really good food.
We tried three different recipes, things we would never think to make if we weren’t reviewing the book, and we loved each one of them. Full-on love. Another reminder to move outside of our culinary comfort zone and taste the world. And now, we have 100 blogs we want to get to know even better.
The first recipe we made was Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Caramelized Onion and Apple Confit from Lynda Balslev at Tastefood. This is full-on happiness with deep, rich flavors. We would make this again for a weekend dinner when guests are coming over and there’s a chill in the air. We served it with celery root puree, and that added another level of flavor. Garlic mashed potatoes would be perfect, too, as suggested on Tastefood. [Editors' Note: Recipe given below.]
Next up was Luscious Thai Chicken Pineapple Curry from Nancy at Spicie Foodie. Wow. Just wow. This was so much fun to make, and the lineup of ingredients made our mouths water was we lined them up before we started cooking. We had most of the ingredients on hand, so this was so simple to throw together at the last minute. A good sign–we were sad when the bowl was empty. We’ll make a double recipe next time.
Photo Credit: Karen Thornton
Photo Credit: Karen Thornton
Last was a real treat from Brittan Heller at The Suitcase Chef. [Editors' Note: The recipe for this treat can be found here.]
We will be working our way through the rest of this book. Happily.
Featured Recipe: Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Caramelized Onion and Apple Confit
Lynda Balslev writes:
One of the best things about cold weather is cooking and eating comfort food. Comfort food warms us, feeding our soul and palate. It’s rich, rustic, and innately appealing, reminding us of home, lit fires, baking bread, and beloved recipes we grew up eating. It also reflects the season, taking fresh, economical ingredients and slow-cooking them with rich, satisfying results.
Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Caramelized Onion and Apple Confit is a perfect fall dish that lands squarely in the comfort food category in my book. Pork shoulder slowly braises in apple cider and a confit of onions and apples until it is falling-apart tender. The cider and natural juices from the meat create a sweet and savory sauce. I fortify it with Calvados brandy and finish it with Dijon mustard, adding depth and sharpness to this hearty dish. As with most one-pot meals, it’s meant to be eaten family-style and is easily doubled to feed a crowd. Prepare yourself: the pork will cook in the oven for several hours and fill your home with its delicious aroma. In the meantime, light a fire in the fireplace, grab that book you’ve been meaning to read, and curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea.
Photo credit: Lynda Balslev
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Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Caramelized Onion and Apple Confit
Serves 4
- 2½ pounds tied boneless pork shoulder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Calvados brandy
- 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Pat the pork dry and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven with a lid. Brown the pork on all sides, turning with tongs, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a plate.
Pour off excess fat from the pot. Add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
Add the Calvados and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the apple, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Return the pork to the pot, nestling it down in the onions. Add the cider and chicken stock. Cover the pot and place in the oven.
Reduce the heat to 325°F. Braise until the meat is very tender, 2½ to 3 hours.
Transfer the pork to a cutting board and remove the strings.
Boil the onion and apples until thickened and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Stir in the mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cut the pork into serving pieces and arrange on a platter or individual serving plates. Spoon the onion and apple confit over and around the meat.
—Lynda Balslev, TasteFood
© 2010 Foodista
—From Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook, edited by Sheri L. Wetherell, Barnaby Dorfman, and Colin M. Saunders (Andrews McMeel Publishing)
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