America's Best Lost Recipes 1: Brooklyn Cheese Puffs and Amish Pickled Beets and Eggs

I am a huge fan of Cook's Illustrated and their brands, America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country. Recently I happened on their cookbook, "America's Best Lost Recipes: 121 Kitchen-Tested Heirloom Recipes Too Good to Forget," and I knew I had to buy it. In this day and age, when almost every cookbook seems to include the words "Just 3 ingredients" or "15 Minute Meals" in the title, the idea of cooking food from back when people actually cooked is very appealing to me. And if the the book doesn't grab you philosophically, the recipes - along with charming stories and delectable photos - inside definitely will.

Some of the recipes you'll find inside:

• Amish Pickled Beets and Eggs
• Grandpa Cooley's Angry Deviled Eggs (called this because Grandpa Cooley hated kids, including his own grandkids, so he loaded the Deviled Eggs with horseradish)
• Poor Boy Stroganoff
• Mile High Bologna Pie
• Fluffies and Bops (variations of pancakes)
• Naked Ladies with Their Legs Crossed (Spiced Crullers)
• Monkey Bread
• Caramel Biscuits (biscuits baked in a caramel sauce)
• Joe Froggers (Salty, chewy, molasses rum cookies)

An added bonus of cooking from this book is that many of the recipes came from depression-era days when pantries were stocked with the most basic staples and not much else. I found that most of the things I wanted to try called for ingredients I already keep on hand.

My daughter loves cheese and so "Brooklyn Cheese Puffs" was the first recipe I tried. I don't exactly know how to describe them... The words FANTASTICALLY DELICIOUS come to mind when you pop one of these chewy, cheesy balls into your mouth while it is still piping hot, fresh from the oven. Thanks to the ricotta and a minimal amount of flour, they are not so much 'biscuit-like' but rather just a little bit chewy. And salty. And cheesy. MMMMM...

We ate them along with our dinner of spaghetti and meatballs and crudite, but they would make a yummy hor d'oeuvre or appetizer as well.

My second choice was something I made for purely selfish reasons: "Amish Pickled Beets and Eggs." Selfish since I am the only one in the house that eats beets. This recipe starts with canned beets and couldn't be easier. You jazz up the beet juice with some sugar, cider vinegar, bay leaves and cloves and then let the eggs sit for 1-2 days. The result is a surprisingly zippy, yummy, flavorful pickled egg.

Busy Mom Modifications and Tips

• Both these dishes were super easy to make, although you have to plan some in advance. The Cheese Puffs have to sit in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking and the pickled eggs should sit for 24 -48 hours in order for the marinade to fully penetrate
• There is a benefit to freezing the cheese puff dough before you bake them. While it extends the cooking time if you are planning on eating them at the same time you make them, it is a blessing if you like to stock your freezer with homemade "convenience" items like I do. They are perfect for parties, unexpected guests, or a quick snack.

The Results

• The cheese puffs were delicious and both kids gobbled them down.
• I really like the pickled eggs, as does The Geek, who is also a beet-lover.

Ratings

• Difficulty: Both are easy
• Time to prepare:
  
  • About an hour for the cheese puffs, including freezer and baking time.
  • Fifteen minutes plus 1-2 days pickling time for the eggs
• Prognosis: I will be making both these dishes again

My Shopping List

• Sharp cheddar cheese and ricotta
• Canned beets