I have a habit of looking up menus online before I go out to eat, partly out of boredom but mostly because it makes me look forward to the meal. Over the weekend, I was browsing a menu when I saw “Urfa pepper flakes” listed as an ingredient. Out of curiosity, I Googled it and stumbled across a great new website. The Gourmet Project is a blog that follows one woman, Teena, as she cooks her way through every recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook- an anthology of more than 1,000 recipes from Gourmet Magazine. Teena began the blog in 2006 and has completed 1,013 recipes to date, with more than 250 to go. Readers can browse her creations by date, name, or Teena’s rating of the final product. Although the blog didn’t tell me what Urfa pepper flakes are (according to The Spice Specialist, they’re “small, dark flakes of Urfa chili pepper from Turkey with a fantastic sweet, slightly smoky flavor,”) it did lead me to a few recipes that I can’t wait to try when I get back home. Here are just a few, with Teena’s rating in parentheses (click photos for original source and copyright information.)
1. Challah French Toast (A-)
My favorite place to go for Sunday brunch has a Challah French Toast that I’ve always wanted to try.
2. Watermelon, Tomato, and Feta Salad (A-)
This is a kind of odd combination of flavors but it sounds refreshing and delicious.
3. Baked Four-Cheese Farfalle (A-)
Okay, so this is actually a picture of baked macaroni (not farfalle) and cheese, but it’s essentially the same idea. Cheese? Good. Carbs? Good. Together, they’re glorious.
4. Crabmeat, Apple, and Mango Salad on Cumin Apple Chip (A-)
I recently had a sushi roll with lobster and mango that was absolutely amazing, and this salad reminded me of it.
5. Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake (B+)
Mmm…toasted coconut and pecans in a dulce de leche base, dark chocolate cake, and chocolate ganache. Teena didn’t list a recipe for this, but the Gourmet recipe can be found here.
KC&CO,
Bessie
