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Books That Cook

Get the kids into the kitchen

By ELLEN FOLKMAN
Published February 14, 2007

TITLE: Simply In Season Children's Cookbook by Mark Beach and Julie Kauffman (Herald Press, $21.99; 80 pages).

GENERALLY SPEAKING: Many nutrition experts believe that if kids learn to cook, they'll eat better. Simply In Season takes this idea one step further: Grow it, cook it and eat it. This cookbook is organized by what's in season and includes growing tips and lots of fun trivia. Florida's growing season is different from that in many parts of the country, so you'll need to adjust your thinking . . . or just go to the market and buy the ingredients.

SAMPLE RECIPES: Tater soup, pumpkin minis, squash mash, confetti salad, corny cornbread, Granny apple rice and secret chocolate cake.

FOR: The whole family, including grandparents, uncles, aunts and anyone who wants to help a child learn to cook.

ABOUT THE RECIPES: Designed for kids ages 6 to 12, with adult supervision.

- - -

TITLE: The Heaven on Seven Cookbook: Where It's Mardi Gras All the Time! by Jimmy Bannos and John DeMers (Ten Speed Press, $18.95; 150 pages).

GENERALLY SPEAKING: Who would think that a guy from Chicago could cook Cajun? Jimmy Bannos started experimenting with Louisiana cooking and ended up transforming his coffee shop into a Cajun restaurant. The recipes, he claims, are the next best thing to actually being in Louisiana.

FOR: Those who enjoy Cajun and Creole cooking.

SAMPLE RECIPES: Seared halibut with roasted tomato and tortilla sauce, linguine with jerk shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo, fried peach pie, Cajun coleslaw, fried catfish with tartar sauce, fried oyster po-boy.

WORK, WORK, WORK: The ingredient lists to most recipes are long. A lot of preparation is involved, and many recipes require a puree or seasoning that is somewhere else in the cookbook and must be prepared before making the dish.

SKILL LEVEL: This cookbook is best suited to home cooks with moderate skills or better; it is not a good starter cookbook.

- - -

TITLE: Meatloaf by Maryana Vollstedt (Chronicle Books, $14.95; 108 pages).

GENERALLY SPEAKING: Meatloaf paired with mashed potatoes might be the ultimate in comfort food. Just about everyone has a favorite meatloaf recipe, but if you're thinking about updating yours or finding a new one, this new cookbook provides lots of choices.

SAMPLE RECIPES: Beef and Portobello meatloaf, meatloaf on the grill, Spanish meatloaf, frosted meatloaf and Greek stuffed meatloaf.

FOR: Adventurous meatloaf lovers. Your grandmother might cringe at some of the recipes, but the variety is refreshing. Not all the recipes are baked in a loaf pan, so if you're a fan of more crispness, you'll love these techniques.

Ellen Folkman's cookbook review column appears monthly.

Side dish

Corny Cornbread

2 cups cornmeal

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs

2 cups milk, yogurt or combination

2 cups corn

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Combine cornmeal, honey, salt and baking soda in large mixing bowl. Crack eggs into small bowl. Beat well. Add eggs to large mixing bowl.

- Add milk and corn and mix well.

- Pour mixture into greased 3-quart casserole dish or mini bread pans.

- Bake in preheated oven 40 minutes. (Toothpick inserted in center should come out clean.) Cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 8.

Source: Simply In Season Children's Cookbook by Mark Beach and Julie Kauffman (Herald Press, $21.99)

Entree

Cheesy Meatloaf

1 pound ground beef

3/4 pound ground pork sausage

3/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to sprinkle on tomatoes

1 cup packed shredded Cheddar cheese

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or Gorgonzola

1/2 cup chopped green onions, including some tender green tops

1 medium tomato, sliced and drained for topping

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the cheeses, green onions, tomato slices and parsley, and mix well. Spread half of the meat mixture in a lightly sprayed or oiled 8-by-8 inch glass baking dish or pan.

- Layer on the Cheddar cheese, leaving a 1-inch border to help prevent the filling from oozing out. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan, all of the blue cheese and the green onions.

- Add the remaining meat mixture on top, and press firmly around the sides to seal. Bake for 50 minutes.

- Arrange tomato slices attractively on top, overlapping slightly if necessary. Sprinkle generously with pepper, the remaining Parmesan cheese and the parsley.

- Bake until the tomatoes are slightly browned and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand in the pan 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares to serve.

Serves 6 to 8.

Source: Meatloaf by Maryana Vollstedt (Chronicle Books, $14.95)

Dessert

Fried Peach Pie

Sweet pie dough:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 pound frozen peaches, thawed, or 2 cups sliced fresh peaches

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup peach jam or preserves

Pinch of ground cayenne

Pinch of ground white pepper

Vegetable oil for deep frying

- To prepare the pie dough, beat together 8 tablespoons butter, sugar and salt for 3 minutes on medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer.

- Add the egg and beat for 30 seconds. Add the flour and water and beat for 15 seconds.

- Turn off the machine, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat again for 10 seconds. Scoop up the dough with your hands, and form it into a 1-inch-thick disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

- Melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat in a medium-sized saute pan.

- Saute the peaches and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.

- Add the jam or preserves, cayenne and white pepper; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 16-by-11 inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out six 5 1/4 inch circles. Place the circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper. Fill the lower half of each circle with about 1/4 cup of the cooked peaches. Fold the top half of the dough over the filling and crimp the edges securely with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

- Heat 2 1/2 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees in a heavy 4-quart saucepan. Fry pies 2 or 3 at a time until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all the pies are fried. Serve with ice cream.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: The Heaven on Seven Cookbook: Where It's Mardi Gras All the Time! by Jimmy Bannos and John DeMers (Ten Speed Press, $18.95; 150 pages).

[Last modified February 13, 2007, 11:08:19]