So this was a complicated experience. I liked what I was eating and I liked the preps—they were just in that right zone between too many steps or too many competing flavors and being just a bit too dull or simple. But I’m not sure my co-eaters loved anything. I ended up thinking this would be the book to use at a dinner party with friends who I knew would like the flavor profiles involved and not to use for Tuesday night dinners.
The “waffled” french toast with apples and pistachio had an interesting approach that I liked a lot. First off, it just asks you to grate the apple straight up into the egg dip, along with ground pistachios, which made me feel enormous benevolence towards the recipe—I really hate peeling apples and other fruits. Sometimes their skin does spoil a mouthfeel or taste, but when it shouldn’t be a problem, I’ll often ignore an instruction to peel. I really liked the result, but my co-eaters both said, “Tastes like a ginger snap cookie rather than french toast”, which I think was the cardamom and brown sugar flavor. My response was, “Yeah, and that’s great!” but I don’t think that was the general feeling in the room.
Of the three things we had at dinner, the fritters were the one that I’d probably adjust on a second go-round.
They fried very nicely, I liked the basic texture and flavor—the sort of rough look with whole cashews and fresh corn kernels popping out of the fry. But I think they absolutely need some kind of dip or drizzle. I made them too big, but even smaller, being able to dip them into two sauces—maybe a yogurt-cucumber dip and something like a thick, sweet tomato achaar—would have helped a lot.
My eggplant-hating household looked at me with annoyance and dread at the bruschetta, I think suddenly realizing that I actually planted the damn things this year in the garden. (Little nice eggplants rather than honking huge size-of-a-baby-head ones.) But the take from one eater who patiently soldiered through one seemed odd to me. On one hand, a great heat from the fresh green chiles out of the garden, but also “a very sour taste”. I did not taste anything sour myself and I can’t figure out where that take is coming from. I did not make the very good apple-cilantro chutney that Shivakumar calls for as a topping, just sticking to a yellow tomato, some red onion and some chopped cilantro. I thought it was really very good, and I didn’t really taste the eggplant very strongly. However, I did realize I completely screwed up one thing, which is that it should have had paneer cheese on it and I had some in the fridge. I know I would have liked it; the taste of the paneer might have tamed whatever it is my co-eaters were picking up. The upshot is that I’d cook it again for that hypothetical party, at any rate.
The chicken meatballs, as I expected, were the compensatory dish that got my family through the meal at least somewhat full. I thought they were good. It’s a bit hard to get really round shapes with most minced meat, at least for me—I usually end up with something that looks more like a patty for a slider and this was no exception. The flavor was good and they held their integrity well. There’s nothing I hate more than a meatball recipe that doesn’t bind or that crumbles on frying, these had really good structural coherence due to bread soaked in cream and an egg. The dash of soy sauce at the end of the cooking was great, though it almost made me wonder if there was a stickier glaze that I could have put on them. (Shivakumar has another meatball recipe more like that, with a plum sauce.)
I don’t think I’m going to make the rice pudding—everybody’s pretty full. Maybe later this week. But I did realize that maybe my hesitation about using the book was just an accurate gauge of my usual audience at the family table. I may keep it in reserve for the right social occasion, but I’ll keep it. If it makes me interested and happy to work with it, I can maybe fiddle with what it has to offer even for a regular meal hereabouts.
VERDICT: It stays on the shelf.
I would straight up eat any and all of this, Tim! I love eggplant. So…invite me?