Cook The Books - June

Well, I did it.  A while month without cooking any new recipes from my Annabel Langbein books.  Here's what I made.

Week One:
It was Queen's Birthday Weekend, so I took advantage of having the house to myself and tried some new recipes.

• Confetti Cookies from Smitten Kitchen.  A little bit faffy to make, but they are certainly delicious.  I got just under four dozen.  Next time I make them, I'd make the dough in two batches in my food processor then combine in a large mixing bowl.
• I was recently  given a few of limes, so decided to make a Key Lime Pie  as a treat for dessert- this recipe is one of those ones glued into my recipe notebooks.  I know it's from Cuisine Magazine and about ten years old.  

Verdict:The Cookies are yummy, and I think they would make a great holiday activity for children of all ages.  The Key Lime Pie was delicious, rather rich, not overly sweet, but I certainly didn't need a bigger slice.

Week Two:
While these recipes are not from one of the cookbooks in my collection,  for once I actually cooked from a book I had taken out of the library.  Joanne Weir's Kitchen Gypsy is a beautiful book full of gorgeous photos, anecdotes about her life, travels and cooking.  The Rhubarb Crostata recipe grabbed my attention as soon as I saw the photo.  I mixed up the pastry in food processor, and I would definitely advise cooking it on a baking tray with sides and lining it with baking paper. The Raisin Oatmeal Cookies made about four dozen, more than enough to last the week for morning and afternoon tea treats in school and work lunchboxes.

Verdict:  Miss B, Mr J and I actually had dessert before dinner, the day I made this, while it was still warm from the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.  This recipe is definitely a keeper, in fact the book may even be added to my collection.  While my cookies did not seem to spread as much as the ones in the book, they were still delicious.

Week Three:
I had a pile of lamb neck chops in the freezer, that I didn't know what to do with.  While leafing through that recipe filled notebook of mine, I came across a Crock Pot Moroccan Lamb shank Tagine recipe.  I figured I could substitute the chops for the shanks.  I cut most of the excess fat off from the chops before browning them, so my tagine wasn't to fatty, and doubled the rest of the ingredients so I could freeze a meal a way. My house smelled delicious while this gently cooked in the crock pot.  I served it with couscous and a dollop of greek yoghurt.

Verdict: Yes I would definitely make this again, and with neck chops too. A warming and filling winter meal.

Week Four: The Scout celebrated a birthday this week, so I had the perfect occasion to try out a new dessert recipe, however he asked for an old favourite - White Chocolate and Raspberry Shortcake.
So not really a new recipe this week, but one I haven't made for a while.

Verdict: This is always a hit with my family, and really I don't know why I don't make it more often, it is relatively quick and easy to make, always thoroughly enjoyed and really hard to stop at just one piece.

July brings two weeks school holidays, so that means no work for me and maybe a slightly more enjoyable relaxed approach to cooking.