I have to admit, I had never heard of Sanford D’Amato before reading his memoir, Good Stock: Life on a Low Simmer. Regardless, I found his memoir to be very interesting. D’Amato takes the reader through his childhood in Milwaukee, training at the Culinary Institute of America, and his challenges and successes thereafter which eventually led to the opening of his restaurant, Sanford. He also included 80 recipes which woven into the stories, and places at the end of each chapter.
Before talking about the recipes I tried, I wanted to recall a couple lines from his text that I, and I am sure many others, can relate to:
“It’s a shame that the first time we try foods, we don’t always have the perfectly prepared versions; many folks go through their lives hating certain foods for no other reason than that they were prepared incorrectly.” – Talking about his experience with sweetbreads, which I have never had myself but I definitely experienced this phenomenon with other foods. This list covers things such a meringue, meatloaf (wasn’t prepared incorrectly in the past, just different), red snapper, etc.
“I found out that with forethought, ingenuity, and organization, you don’t need all that extra space to create good food.” – Talking about his mini kitchen while living in NYC. His was probably smaller than mine, but I definitely applied those skills to pull off some creative and/or large meals. People sometimes cannot believe that I have a food blog after seeing the small size of my kitchen.
“Anyone who has ever seen a professional cook eat knows that the word savor is not in their vocabularies. Cooks usually eat at a frantic pace in large, voluminous bites, as time is always at a premium.” – I am by no means a professional, but I definitely have difficulty savoring my food. As a child I was always the last one done eating at the dinner table, preventing my other siblings from being excused. But then college happened and I had to woof down my food in between classes, and it has stuck ever since. You would think that with an exceptionally delicious meal or dessert I would slow down to savor but it’s the exact opposite, I want to stuff another forkful/spoonful into my face after barely swallowing the previous bite.
On to the recipes! The first I tried was the Lemon Curd Meringues which I opted to make with Meyer lemons. This was my first experience with homemade meringue on top of a dessert and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. In the past the meringues I made at home were crispy but this was fluffy like whipped cream with a slightly crisp exterior from the broiler. Great topped for lemon curd!
The other recipe I tried was his Black Bean Chili with Cheddar Cheese Toast. I’ve never made a chili that wasn’t my dad’s recipe, but this recipe was relatively similar using chunks of beef and beans, using black instead pinto beans, serrano instead of a bell pepper and a little bit of bacon. With a side of toast covered in melty cheddar cheese it was a success and a fun variation of chili from what I normally make.
Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary copy from Agate Publishing, Inc.. I was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
One year ago: Overnight, Slow Cooker Eggnog Cranberry Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Three years ago: Stuffed Green Peppers
