The yearly hunt for the perfect gift to say “I love you” to Mom can be a bit daunting. With a little help from the kitchen, here are three ways to say “thank you for feeding me” (more tenderly, “thank you for taking care of me”) to the mom-chef in your life.
“Love &Lemons” is aptly named. Scrounging around for what we can get little ones to eat while also fueling ourselves can be like making lemonade from lemons. This is a cookbook at its simplest. It has attractive photography and sweet design. The recipes aren’t too challenging and come arranged by author Jeanine Donofrio’s favorite veggies or fruit — artichokes, berries, mushrooms and others. Avery, $35.
“Let’s Cook”: Getting kids into the kitchen is a powerful step toward teaching them variety in eating. The “Let’s Cook” series from Quarry Books use cute artwork and simple but authentic recipes to urge kid-chefs to help out at the stove. The bilingual series includes “Let’s Cook French” from Claudine Pepin and her father, Jacques Pepin, “Let’s Cook Italian” and “Let’s Cook Spanish.” Quarry Books, $21.99.
“How to Jug a Hare”: Don’t want Mom to feel she needs to spend all her free time cooking? “How to Jug a Hare” from Sarah Rainey and Bee Wilson gives her a break with quality writing from culinary contributors past and present for UK newspaper, The Telegraph. There are recipes, but this is one book meant to be read with a bottle of red or Mom’s favorite sangria. Aurum Press, $28.99
Erin Pride is a home cook who loves cookbooks and writes about them on her blog, edibleshelf.com. Follow Erin on Twitter and Instagram @edibleshelf.
Grilled leeks with mint pesto
Mint Pesto
½ cup pistachios
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup peas (blanched 1 minute if fresh; thawed if frozen)
1 cup loosely packed fresh mint
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 medium to large leeks
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Make the mint pesto: In a small food processor, combine the pistachios, garlic, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Pulse until combined. Add the lemon juice, peas, and mint, and pulse again. With the blade running, drizzle in the olive oil and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Trim and discard the tough dark green ends from the leeks. Trim the roots hairs, leaving the base of the root intact so the leeks don’t fall apart on the grill. Slice each leek in half lengthwise and rinse thoroughly to remove dirt and sand.
Prepare a large pot of salted boiling water and a large bowl of ice water. Drop the leeks into the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove and immediately immerse in the ice water to stop the cooking process. Keep in the ice water long enough to cool completely, about 15 seconds. Drain and place on paper towels to dry.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Drizzle the leeks with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Grill until charred on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and brush with the mint pesto.
Serves 4.
Reprinted from The Love &Lemons Cookbook by permission of Avery Books.
Heavenly cake
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened for 1 hour
1¼ cups sugar
1 lemon
8 eggs
5¼ ounces potato starch or corn starch
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white flour
Butter, for the mold
Powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 340 degrees.
In a bowl, beat together the butter and sugar, until fluffy.
Add the lemon zest and 8 egg yolks (keep 3 egg whites aside, save the rest for another use), one at a time. (Don’t add the next yolk until the previous one has been fully incorporated.) Add the potato starch or flakes and flour. Mix together well.
In another bowl, beat the 3 egg whites with an electric mixer. Add them to the mixture, folding them gently from the bottom up.
Butter an 11-inch diameter, high-sided cake pan and pour in the batter. Bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. Serve the cake in slices, dusted with powdered sugar.
Serves 8. Preparation time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 40 minutes.
Used with permission of Quarry Books, an imprint of Quarto Publishing
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