smitten kitchen – Hillary Weller

Wild rice gratin from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: Unfortunately, this week was a little slow food-wise, as I’ve been trying to fight off a cold, but I consider this gratin noteworthy. Another selection from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, it’s brimming with hearty ingredients: wild rice, kale, sweet onion, and cheese (I subbed in gruyère instead of swiss), plus a breadcrumb topping. Next time, I would caramelize the onions a while longer, for maximum sweetness, and make sure I had enough kale to stand up to the grains and aromatics. Still, this first version was cozy and flavorful, just the kind of dish you want to be pulling out of the oven in the winter.

The details: Check out the Smitten Kitchen blog, and buy the cookbook on Amazon.

2012 Best Bite #27: Popcorn cookies and deviled eggs, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.

Why it’s a Best Bite: These were the first two recipes I made from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, the October debut from one of the very best food bloggers out there, Deb Perelman of SmittenKitchen.com. Her superbly written blog is my go-to when I don’t know what to cook, and she’s taught me the virtues of brown butter and fritters, among other delicious lessons. I made the deviled eggs for a holiday party, and loved the Spanish twist of smoked paprika and marcona almonds (though I admit that I used the bacon I had on hand instead of fancy Spanish ham). And while they may sound strange at first, the popcorn cookies made such a satisfying salty-sweet snack, especially from underbaking a little to leave the dough chewy. I was fortunate enough to meet Deb at a book signing and tell her in person how much I adored these cookies and her work.

The details: Check out the Smitten Kitchen blog, and buy the cookbook on Amazon.