‘Best of Bridge’ is must have for fans of slow cooker
I admit it, I put off reviewing this one—until the cold weather put me in the mood for a stew, one of the crock pots star performers. The best of Bridge women have written more than a dozen cookbooks, combining the knowledge and wisdom of some of Canada's best cooks! The three Calgary residents who are authors of this book are new to the Best of Bridge series. These three have impressive credentials. Elizabeth Chorney-Booth and Julie Van Rosendaal are noted bloggers and or food journalists, Duncan, the third does not yet boast blog or columns but worked hard with the other two to produce modern recipes for the that now venerable kitchen machine, the slow cooker.
Model and features are something they leave to your discretion (although they do provide some points to consider in the introduction). The main reason to purchase this book is for the bundle of great new recipes for a kitchen appliance that might seem tired and old-fashioned.
The jointly written introduction states: "What might have tasted just right in 1978 (when slow cookers first became really popular) may feel mushy and drained of flavor to a new millennium palate."
Most of the recipes in this book call for less cooking time than the eight-hour standard of the early days. They note that the eight-hour standard presumed the cook was a t work for the day. The intro states, "Today we can set our slow cookers to start while we are away and cook for less time so as not to drain all of the flavor from our dish."
They further note that making a stew is a wonderful thing for family cooking since you enjoy it once and since stews freeze well (as with chili and soup) since those foods, when cooked are already broken down, the consistence will not change when the food is thawed. The trio does advise readers to freeze in small containers so that the food will defrost faster and they remind us to label all containers.
I like the way this series approaches recipes—always practical and with an eye to our budget.
Most ingredients are ones we have on hand. Yes, the book contains many stew recipes, and some lovely dessert options. These include the coffee pots de crème (recipe below), side dishes like savory spinach and cheddar bread pudding and a maple pecan snack mix. Any one of these would make a great addition to a holiday table spread or even a company dinner, two occasions for which I have never (before this book) considered using a slow cooker recipe. Using the crock-pot to make the pots de crème makes the serving of this little gem of a dessert a lot easier than doing it in the traditional way. If you don’t have the fancy little specialty pots, you can use custard cups.
If you have a slow cooker, this book will give you renewed reason to use it. A fine addition to the cookbook library!
Coffee Pots de Crème
Serves 4-6
From the authors: A pot de crème is essentially a gently baked creamy pudding. The cute part about coffee pots de crème in particular is that you can cook them in little mugs, like the vintage Pyrex ones you bought for a dollar each at a garage sale or thrift shop, then eat your über-creamy coffee with a spoon.
Ingredients
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 cup half-and-half (10%) cream
1 tbsp instant espresso or coffee granules
1⁄2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
Method
In a small saucepan, stir together heavy cream, half-and-half and espresso; heat over medium heat until steaming. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Whisking constantly, gradually pour the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture. Once blended, divide the mixture among 4 to 6 ramekins or small ovenproof coffee or tea cups. Place in 6-quart slow cooker (you may have to stack a couple on top of the first layer, letting them sit on the rims of the bottom ramekins) and carefully pour in enough water to go halfway up the sides of the bottom ramekins. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours or until set but still jiggly. Let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 1day.
Tips from the authors: 1.Keep in mind that the cooking time is only an estimate. It’s a good idea to check on the pots de crème after 2 hours of cooking, or even earlier if you know your slow cooker runs particularly hot.
2. Resist the temptation to lift the lid and peek at the pots de crème. Slow cooker pros say each time you take the lid off it shaves off about 20 minutes of cooking time, as all that warm steam escapes and the heat must accumulate again.
At A Glance
Title | Best of Bridge: The Family Slow Cooker 225 All New recipes
Author | Elizabeth Chorney-Booth, Sue Duncan and Julie Van Rosendaal
Publisher | Robert Rose Press
Cost | $29.95
This story was originally published November 22, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "‘Best of Bridge’ is must have for fans of slow cooker."