Cooks Books

bluestem – the cookbook

Bittman, Mark. The food matters cookbook : 500 revolutionary recipes for better living. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010.

One of the best meals I’ve ever enjoyed was a 5-course dream of a dinner at chefs Colby and Megan Garrelts’ Westport restaurant bluestem.  Each course built on the next to create a memorable experience. These talented chefs have written a wonderful new cookbook that conjures the same feeling I had eating at their restaurant. 

bluestem – the cookbook is a mix of stunning recipes that gives equal weight to Colby’s talent with savory and Megan’s talent with sweets. This cookbook is not for the faint of heart or for a beginning cook. Combining interesting ingredients, bluestem – the cookbook presents seasonal recipes and showcases ingredients in a fresh way.  Most recipes have multiple steps and some combine ingredients that may be hard to find, but many use items from local farms and farmers.  The Garrelts have designed the cookbook to flow from recipes for amuse-bouches to petits fours including hot and cold, water and land.

Please check out bluestem – the cookbook for inspiration in the kitchen and bluestem the restaurant for local dining inspiration.

Photo Caption: Garrelts, Colby and Garrelts, Megan. bluestem : the cookbook. Kansas City, Mo: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011.


Cauliflower fritters, sauce gribiche
Serves 6

     Sauce gribiche
½ cup Aioli
½ tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Champagne vinegar
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
1 & ½ tsp chopped cornichons
1 tsp chopped capers
½ tsp chopped fresh chervil
½ tsp chopped fresh tarragon
½ tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper

     Cauliflower fritters
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup plus ½ tsp cornstarch
1 large egg
½ cup ice cubes
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp Champagne
6 large cauliflower florets
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Make the sauce gribiche:  Combine the aioli, mustard, vinegar, egg, cornichons, and capers in a small bowl.  Stir in the chervil, tarragon, and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover the sauce gribiche and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible.

Make the fritters:  Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a countertop fryer or deep skillet to 350°F.  Line a plate with paper towels.
Combine the flour, cornstarch, egg, ice cubes, and Champagne in a large bowl.  Mix until there are no more lumps of flour.

Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter to coat.  Drop the battered florets into the hot oil and fry until the batter becomes puffy and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.  Drain the cauliflower fritters on the prepared plate.  Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the sauce gribiche.

Banana-pineapple tea cake
Makes 20 petits fours

½ cup diced fresh pineapple or 8 oz canned crushed pineapple, drained well
2 Tbsp vanilla rum or vanilla brandy (optional)
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 very ripe bananas, peeled
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
¾ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped (optional)
1 Tbsp turbinado sugar

If you are using rum or brandy, soak the pineapple in the liquor overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Butter 20 petits fours molds.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until you have a chunky puree.  Stir in the butter, egg, and vanilla extract and mix well.
Fold half of the dry ingredients into the banana mixture, stirring just to combine between additions.  Don’t overmix. Fold in the walnuts at the very end.
Divide the batter among the petits fours molds, leaving a little room at the top for the  pineapple topping.  Drain the pineapple well.  Dot the top of each filled petit four mold with ¼ teaspoon pineapple.  Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the tea cakes.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. 
They should dome slightly and take on a golden-brown color.  Let the tea cakes cool on a wire rack.  Stored in an airtight container, they will keep for 2 days.

Orecchiette, pattypan squash, brown butter, sage
Serves 4

12 ounces orecchiette
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
12 ounces pattypan squash, cut into ¼ inch slices
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
4 ounces cherry tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Bring a large stockpot of water to a rolling boil over high heat.  Heavily salt the water, stirring to dissolve salt.  Cook the pasta until just short of tender – you will cook the pasta a little more with the brown butter and squash.  Drain the pasta, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water, and set the pasta aside, keeping it warm.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over high heat in a medium sauté pan.  Add the squash and sauté until the slices develop a toasty, golden surface, about 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook just to warm through.  Add the pasta and the remaining butter and lower the heat to medium.  Continue to cook the pasta and vegetables until the butter begins to brown and gives off a nutty aroma, about 2 minutes.  Add the sage and tomatoes and stir to warm through.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the pasta and vegetables among 4 bowls and serve immediately.