Chefs We Love
June 12, 2023
Recipes From Deb Perelman’s Cookbook Smitten Kitchen Keepers
It’s been 17 years since the launch of her popular food blog, Smitten Kitchen, and her two bestselling cookbooks are now essential reading for home cooks. And yet, Deb Perelman is still on her quest for the best version of the dish she knows we want to eat. She calls it “the one.” You know, the ultimate recipe for a favorite dish that’s as simple as it can be, never fails, and tastes sublime.
Her new book, Smitten Kitchen Keepers, follows The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and Smitten Kitchen Every Day and, to the delight of her legions of readers, follows the same no-nonsense approach as her blog. Much like the lead character in the movie Julie & Julia, Deb launched her blog from her tiny New York kitchen in 2006. Nearly two decades and millions of followers later (her husband being one of her first followers), the beloved cook and author is considered by many to be in the same league as Ina Garten. Her recipes work. Her food is beautiful to look at, and her method is straightforward and as streamlined as it can be.
This third book is partly inspired by her 13-year-old son, who wanted to know which of her recipes he’d be able to make. She started creating a “forever file” of her best fuss-free dishes. “It’s nice to have recipes that are both amazing to eat and that we don’t hate making,” says Deb. “If you need to use every dish in your house for a recipe and you have to go to four grocery stores to get the right ingredients, you’ll never make it again.”
Five years were spent putting it all together. “I try my best to get all of the kinks out of a recipe so that it works for you the first time — even if you have no cooking experience,” she says. For the Carrot Tarte Tatin, that meant making hundreds of apple tartes tatin over the years but, still, the recipe wasn’t quite right. After multiple iterations, she swapped the apples for carrots and voilà!
Deb reads every comment on her blog and adjusts recipes accordingly. “The more I read comments and digest them, the better the recipes get,” she says. Comments are what led her to try making ricotta gnocchi (instead of using potato), for her Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with Pistachio Pesto recipe. It’s now one of her favorite dishes in the book.
Inspiration also comes from living in New York City. At Barbuto, one of her favorite restaurants, she noticed that the gnocchi was pan-fried, which led to her doing the same. And her Ginger Garlic Chicken Noodle Soup was influenced by NYC’s love of Chinese takeout. Deb says this book was the one she was always meant to write. “Every year, I’m getting better at developing recipes that are a balance of what people are looking for and the effort they’re willing to make.”
Scroll down to see six of Deb’s keeper recipes!
Deepest Dish Broccoli Cheddar Quiche
“I wanted to create a quiche that was a hearty main dish to feed a crowd, be a centerpiece and use classic flavours.”
Get the recipe here.
Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with Pistachio Pesto
“I let the gnocchi warm up in the pan and become rich, browned, crispy cheese nuggets that are complemented by the sharp sauce to balance everything out.”
Get the recipe here.
Sour Cream and Flaky Cheddar Biscuits
“The biscuit base is my favorite: it’s tender inside, never dry, has crisp corners, and I love the way you get these nice bits of cheddar flakes around the pan that you’ll definitely not want to leave behind.”
Get the recipe here.
Leek and Brie Galette
“Rather than sautéing the leeks, I roasted them in chunks. Then, I created a rich, gooey, luxurious element by using brie.”
Get the recipe here.
Carrot Tarte Tatin
“You cook the carrots in olive oil or butter, balsamic, thyme, garlic and a little bit of honey until they’re glazed — it’s everything that makes carrots good, basically.”
Get the recipe here.
Ginger Garlic Chicken Noodle Soup
“This recipe only takes 25 minutes. It’s great when you don’t want the traditional flavor of chicken noodle soup and are craving Chinese food.”
Get the recipe here.
Pick up your copy of Deb Perelman’s newest cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers, here.
Deb Perelman
Recipes from Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics for Your Forever Files. ©2022 by Deb Perelman. Photography ©2022 by Deb Perelman. Book Design by Cassandra J. Pappas. Jacket Photography by Deb Perelman. Food Styling by Barrett Washburne. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved