How to follow a recipe + pre-dinner snacks 🥂
Saturday special edition!
Hi friends,
Although you’ve probably got your Thanksgiving menu figured out already (head here if not!), there is one category people tend to overlook, one I believe to be paramount: what I affectionately call the Pre-Game phase.
These are the little snacks out for people to nibble on while they sip their first drinks and wait for the main meal to be ready. In my book, this means dips and crudités, and/or crostini. I personally think it’s crucial to have something nibble-able on standby, in case someone gets hangry before the table’s ready. (Ahem, that’s me. I’m the hangry one.)
But before we get into Pre-Game options (below), there’s something else I want to share ahead of the biggest cooking day of the year: my tips for following a recipe.
It may seem superflous to the seasoned cooks among you, but to those new to cooking from written recipes (especially for such a high-pressure occasion), these might help you get the best results possible.
Read it top to bottom. Before you do anything, read through the ingredients and method in their entirety so you know exactly what to expect. You’ll also be able to note any long wait times (40 minutes of simmering, 2 hours of chilling in the fridge, etc.) and plan accordingly.
Notice how ingredients are called for. “1 cup chopped walnuts,” for instance, means 1 cup measured out after the walnuts have been chopped. “1 cup walnuts, chopped” (notice the comma!) means you should measure out 1 cup of nuts first, then chop them. Depending on the ingredient, this can make a huge difference.
Use the right measuring tools. Individual measuring cups are designed for dry ingredients (flour, rice, nuts, etc.), while a glass measuring cup is meant for liquids (milk, broth, oil, etc.) Reaching for a Pyrex cup to measure something like flour, for example, won’t give you as accurate of a measurement. For best results, get a digital scale.
Get your ingredients ready. I like to get everything I need for a recipe out on the counter before getting started. There’s nothing more annoying that needing one tablespoon of vinegar right now, but having to rummage through the entire pantry in a frenzy first. Or worse yet, realizing you’ve run out of said vinegar.
Look for indicators. “Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.” Instead of setting a 5-minute timer for this step, the golden brown color (the indicator in this case) is what you should be watching for. Your stove, skillet, specific ingredients, etc. affect how long something will need to be cooked, so the suggested time is more of a ballpark. It may actually take you 3 or 8 minutes to get to golden brown, and that’s perfectly fine.
Last but not least, my best advice for getting yourself organized for a day of cooking is to make a prep list - just like you would if you were a pro chef/caterer. I wrote a whole issue on the topic last year, and even shared my template to help you make your first list!
Caramelized Onion Crostini
I’ve made this snack for nearly every party I’ve ever hosted dating all the way back to high school. (I must’ve gotten the idea from someone on the Food Network, but can’t remember who.) Back then, I used goat cheese for the creamy element. These days, I use cashew “ricotta”.
Lemon-Garlic Cannellini Dip
This earthy dip is way better than whatever you can buy at the store (looking at you, sad tub of hummus) and takes all of 10 minutes to prepare.
Tuscan Beans on Toast
Canned white beans are simmered in a tomato-y, garlicky broth, then piled on crisped bread. (Inspired by a snack we had at a Tuscan vineyard!)
Muhammara
A classic Middle Eastern dip made primarily with pantry staples - roasted red peppers, walnuts, breadcrumbs. Typically, a drizzle of pomegranate molasses balances the tang of the marinated peppers; I use reduced balsamic vinegar instead as a more pedestrian option.