Post Punk Kitchen Forum

A few libraries ordered these, and my co-worker processed them. (grr. they never show them to me, I was so surprised when I saw this on the shelf!)

It's a squarish paperback, and this is for the elegant cook. Just by my quick overview this is something you would pull out if you had A: a fancy, dancy dinner, B: a date or C: you really want to show people what vegan food could be.

for me, I don't think I'd want it, but the butternut gnocci was there, so yay! and there was a lot of moreish desserts.

I got a sample copy in the mail yesterday. SO pretty. I agree, the recipes look pretty fancy.

today I made the Dark Rye Bread with Toasted Hazelnuts. It was easy to make and is super, super delicious. I love it.

I think I'm going to buy this book. It will be great for anniversary meals and fancy dinner parties with omnis! Wish I could see the recipes before I buy though.

Wow! I somehow missed the Dark Rye Bread with Toasted Hazelnuts when I first flipped through the book. It looks really good. Did you make your bread with spelt or wheat flour? If you used wheat, did you use whole wheat or all purpose flour?

I think I'll be most often using this book when I want to put on a creatively impressive dinner for company. I imagine that folks that typically attend supper clubs are looking to experience innovative, over the top dishes that they would not make at home or even often see offered in restaurants. A lot of the recipes in this book reflect that likely reality. Especially the dinner recipes, I think.

Still, the more time I spend looking over this newly arrived book, the more things I see that I'll be able to incorporate into my weekday cooking. For instance, her VSS Pantry chapter has lots of good looking staple recipes. One thing is for sure, I am looking forward to spending some time (and in some cases, challenging myself) with these recipes. Everything really does look phenomenal.

Weaver, I used all-purpose flour, and for the dark rye - I used half dark rye flour and half pumpernickle flour, since that's what I had. Man, that bread is GOOD. I had a piece of it toasted this morning with marmalade, it was just fantastic.


Also, since I got my copy as a review, I'll be trying out 4-5 recipes and so I'll be able to give some feedback here in the next couple of weeks.

My copy came over the weekend and it was fun to flip through. I like that the recipes are heavy on veggies and other whole foods. It will be a while before I have the time to make a fancy dinner, so I look forward to seeing what everyone else cooks.

This sold me on this book! I was looking for a rye bread recipe for my mum a couple of weeks ago and all of mine needed a sourdough starter. Super excited to have an easier recipe, I think this might be the first thing I make too.

Let me know what you think! I love it. I made a 1.5 batch, kept two small loaves for us (sliced and frozen), and one loaf to my parents. I've been having two pieces of toast in the morning, with marmalade. So delicious!

I just got this and love how it looks so far. It reminds me of a smaller version of the Millennium books, but with a few fewer components on each dish, and hopefully fewer mistakes.

You've expressed my sentiments, exactly! I ended up getting rid of both of my Millennium books because of the errors they contain. I enjoy occasionally tackling challenging recipes but want to feel confident that they have been properly tested and will work. I am really hoping that SSC fills the niche I originally hoped the Millennium cookbooks would fill.

well, let's hope so. there was a mistake in the rye bread recipe though - it called for one packet, or 2.25 ounces of rapid rise yeast (I'm pretty sure she meant 2.25 teaspoons - 2.25 ounces would be a LOT of yeast).

Is there a shortbread recipe in there? I had a twix she made with spelt shortbread that was so good. I'd love that recipe!

She includes a recipe for Graham Shortcakes with Fresh Berries, Hazelnut Ice Cream & Vanilla Cashew Cream, but, as far as I can see, not a recipe for shortbread.

Uh Oh...I understand how the word "ounce" was inadvertently used instead of "teaspoon", but that the measurement was also listed as "65 grams" is a little scary. I am glad I read your post! I picked up some rye flour today and hope to make this bread tomorrow. I am pretty sure the mistake would have been glaringly obvious to me, but, thanks to your heads up, I won't be trying to figure it out as I go.

This book is kinda amazing. Although - defo made for fancy dinners. Anyone else miss some character? I was expecting more hidden/backstories regarding how to run a secret supper club.

Tried the smoked oil - very nice!

My whole review is on my blog: http://www.wingedsnail99.blogspot.ca/20 ... upper.html

Great review, winged snail! The write up for the book includes the following:
"With her focus on menu-planning and simple, seasonal ingredients, she offers readers all the tools they need to create healthy, sumptuous meals, whether it's a dish for a potluck, a romantic dinner for two, or a celebration for twenty.
As well, Mérida offers fantastic tips and insight on how to create your own vegan secret supper club at home."

This lead me to think that there would be practical info on running a supper club . It also sounded like the book would showcase an assortment of differently themed full menus instead of solely providing stand alone recipes. The "practical info" is that she begins cooking for her dinners several days in advance. There is no such thing as a menu for "a romantic dinner for two" or "a celebration for twenty". Still, even though the book isn't exactly what I thought I'd be getting, as long as the recipes have been properly tested and work, I'll be good!

Why isn't my copy here yet?! I preordered it ages ago.

I guess it will be all the sweeter when it does show up.

I just received a copy! It's so pretty.

That was my impression, which prompted me to rethink and order it. Oh well it's on it's way now, I'm sure I'll still get some use out of it.

It's here, my initial glance through very posh, I doubt I'd cook like this once a year now. Horizons, prepare to be broadened!

Because of the limited materials available where I live, I had to make the Dark Hazelnut Rye Bread using regular rye flour (in place of dark rye) and toasted walnuts (in place of hazelnuts). Even with the changes, the resulting bread is truly awesome! Another thing I did differently was to incorporate the nuts after punching down the dough following the first rise rather than to include them at the outset as the recipe directs. I have never seen "lumps" added to yeasted bread dough during the initial knead before so I opted to go with the process I know.

Hey All!
I finally posted a review on my blog of this book:
http://veganeatsandtreats.blogspot.com/ ... upper.html

In case you don't want to click over, I made the Wild Rice Dumplings with Pumpkin Lemongrass Curry and the Juniper tofu and Cashew Cheese plate.
I must say, both dinners were really fantastic!
The recipes did take some time, but they weren't actually complicated at all. There were no surprises, and everything came together as promised. So, that's pretty much 3 for 3 now, and makes me even more excited to keep exploring the book. That Pumpkin Lemongrass Curry sauce all on its own is super fast and totally amazing. Creamy and delicious. Try it!!!

Thanks for sharing your review. I marked the rice dumplings as the first recipe I want to try out of this book, but I can't find lemongrass in any of my regular shopping spots.