Weeknights with Giada!

Weeknights with Giada
Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner
by Giada De Laurentiis
Hardcover, 240 pages
Also available as an eBook 

Another beautiful book from The Food Network's darling, Giada De Laurentiis! In this cookbook, Giada kicks off her heels and gets comfy with quick and easy family cooking. The recipes are indeed simple, relying on a good mix of fresh ingredients and pantry staples to get a family-friendly meal on the table with little fuss.

This book follows in her style of beautifully presented and photographed recipes, but takes into account how busy families can be these days. The ability to get good food on the table quickly and with ease is important to everyone these days. Sure, we like to take our time when we have it, but many nights we just don't have the time or energy.

Weeknights with Giada delivers on its promise of quick and simple recipes to revamp dinner - busy nights don't have to mean take-out - especially when you can make tastier food at home!

This weekend we tried out Giada's Chicken with Tarragon and White Wine - Deliciously tangy and deeply satisfying - and easy!

I paired the chicken with a simple salad and Giada's Carrot and Yam Purée, what a great alternative to mashed potatoes! Good for the body too. These will both be on regular rotation for us from now on.

And to top those off... I baked up her Apricot Oat Bars -a soft and delicious dessert, halfway between a granola bar and a cookie. I might just eat them all myself.

Photo courtesy Amy Neunsinger, Weeknights with Giada

Giada invites you to try out her Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce from her new book, Weeknights with Giada!

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce

For all the salmon lovers, like me, this one’s for you. The salmon cakes can be prepared in an easy three-step process and served at room temperature. I use crushed saltine crackers instead of bread crumbs in the filling and to coat the salmon cakes because they keep their crunch and actually become crunchier as they cook.

Serves 4 to 6

Salmon cakes
1 (14.75-ounce) can boneless, skinless pink salmon, drained
1 large egg, beaten
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh chives
26 saltine crackers, crushed (1 1⁄2 cups)
1/2  cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup mayonnaise, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Sauce
1/2 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salmon cakes: Using a fork, flake the salmon into ½-inch pieces into a medium bowl. Add the egg, chives, 1/2 cup of the crushed crackers, the corn, mayonnaise, mustard, capers, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix gently until just combined. Form into 10 patties, each about ¾ inch thick (if the mixture is too dry to form into patties, add extra mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon at a time). Carefully coat the patties in the remaining crushed crackers and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil and butter together over medium heat. Add the salmon patties and cook for 7 to 8 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy. Drain the patties on paper towels.

For the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Arrange the salmon cakes on a platter and serve the sauce alongside.

Excerpted from Weeknights with Giada by Giada De Laurentiis Copyright © 2012 by Giada De Laurentiis. Photographs copyright © 2012 by Amy Neunsinger. Excerpted by permission of Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Limoncello Cheesecake Squares

There are two universal facts about cheesecake:
#1 - everybody loves cheesecake
#2 - no matter how much they love it, nobody has enough room for a whole slice of it after a big dinner.

That's why these cheesecake squares are such a great idea! You can have one if your are fairly full, and a few if you are really in the mood for cheesecake. Hey - we're not judging. I myself happen to like these cheesecake squares first thing in the morning, right out of the fridge. They're handy like that.

The cheesecake turned out smooth and perfect, no cracking or sinking or any other potential cheesecake pitfalls. And the limoncello? Inspired! I love the light lemony flavour with the subtle kick of the booziness. Perfect for when you are having friends over.

Limoncello Cheesecake Squares
For Cookbook Sundays #7
Giada De Laurentiis, Giada's Family Dinners
Also available on FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

    Nonstick cooking spray
    8 ounces purchased biscotti
    6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
    3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
    1 (12-ounce) container fresh whole milk ricotta, drained, at room temperature
    2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
    1¼ cups sugar
    ½ cup limoncello liqueur*, store bought or homemade, recipe follows
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    4 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.

Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the limoncello, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, and pulse just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the baking pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold).

Transfer the cake to a rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into squares and serve.

*Limoncello liqueur can be found at most liquor stores and in the liquor department of some specialty markets. If limoncello liqueur is unavailable at stores near you, use the following recipe to make your own limoncello liqueur.

Limoncello:

    10 lemons
    1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
    3 1/2 cups water
    2 1/2 cups sugar

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.

Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.

Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

Makes: 7 cups

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