Any excuse to shoot food and anything related to it, I’m in. So here are a few of my ongoing projects that keep me hungry and happy. First off, I have recently consumed a ton of cookbooks. I have never understood people who collect cookbooks before, but now I do. Not only are pretty to look at, they contain a collection of the author’s food memories, stories of travel, and a celebration of personal history. It’s exhilarating to cook from a well-edited, well-tested cookbook, and I intend to discover as many as I can, as much as my budget and my camera would allow me. Come and join me! I don’t bite and I love to hear new recommendations.
Baking “Dessert Person” by Claire Saffitz
My third attempt at cooking cover to cover, this time it’s Claire Saffitz’s famous baking book, “Dessert Person.” This means more sweets and carbohydrates for the next few weeks. So far I have baked about six recipes since I got my copy. I love how detailed Claire’s instructions are. She has included an extensive list of recipes, featuring not only sweets but savory goods too. So far the ingredients list seems manageable for a Filipino pantry. I’m excited how this one will go!
Cooking “No-Recipe Recipes” by Sam Sifton
Another attempt to cook cover to cover, this time with Sam Sifton’s new cookbook titled “No-Recipe Recipes.” As the title suggests, this is quite an unconventional cookbook. There are no specific measurements for the ingredients, and Sifton is encouraging the homecook to improvise and get back to simply having fun in the kitchen. The recipes look doable and the ingredients are not as complicated. Excited to let loose and get cookin’.
Cooking “Dining In” by Alison Roman
Attempting to cook as many recipes (not all since I couldn’t possibly get hold of all the ingredients) as I could from Alison Roman’s first cookbook “Dining In.” This project is inspired by this website. I love the idea of rating recipes by emojis! And since this quarantine life has all forced us to make shit from scratch, I’ve been surprised by how much I enjoy cooking and baking new recipes, not to mention a newfound enthusiasm for photography. So why not embark on this Julie/Julia project and practice all these hobbies in one dizzying effort to survive this tough year.
Joanne Aika 