PPLD's Cookbook & Recipe Blog - LibGuides at Poughkeepsie Public Library District

Boarding Now In Session…

January 18, 2024. Updated March 13, 2024.

by Bridget O’Donnell

This month, PPLD’s What’s Cooking Blog piggybacks off December 2023’s "Edible Gift Ideas" by serving that very same quince jelly, quince paste, and apple butter in a lavish holiday spread. Two months in the making provided ample time to do moderate research, reorganize copious notes, and cultivate ideas. It goes without saying that my time and effort influenced numerous trips to the store and to our cabinets. As a reward, some of those tasteful contributions festively shared our table on what is referred to as a platter or board. Using an array of cutlery, we properly brought in the new year with cheeses, charcuterie (pronounced: shaar-KOO-tuh-ree), hot oven-roasted ingredients, condiments, and literally handfuls of accompaniments that served as vehicles to nourish the body.

Title of Cookbook: The Art of the Board: Fun & Fancy Snack Boards, Recipes & Ideas For Entertaining All Year

Author of Cookbook: Olivia Carney

What prompted you to check out this cookbook?

I wanted to share the paste, jelly and butter that I made with friends and family for the holidays. One of the recipes that I referenced in December's blog entry suggested pairing quince paste with Manchego, a nutty flavored Spanish cheese. So why not build a board? Boards can offer a variety of charcuterie (dried or cured meats), cheeses and accompaniments, which would be perfect because I had other condiments to pair. Of course, I needed to know more.

…While in the midst of researching boards, and completely on a whim, I checked out The Dizzy Cook. Coincidentally, it included a migraine-safe cheese board that piqued my curiosity. (I’m always interested to learn about diet therapy and healing foods.) Tangentially, a new awareness of this sensitivity gave me something else to consider as I worked through a pile of library books.

What did you like about this cookbook?

Descriptions used to summarize the flavor profiles for dried/cured meats and categories, or families of cheese are accessible to beginners.
The pairing guide in the appendix happened to list quince paste and apple butter. Those were two of the ingredients I wanted to introduce to anyone who was willing to try them, including myself.
The presentations are beautifully photographed.
The author stresses borrowing ideas or ingredients from other recipes to create something individual to the event and/or taste preferences of the host and their guests, a sentiment I was completely on board with since I was planning to do that anyway.

What didn’t you like about this cookbook?

My eyes, eagerness and utilitarian vision were all bigger than my stomach; I wanted to try (almost) everything. Despite having a few things already in the house, I was overzealous at the store but justified the expensive shopping list as a gracious gift for the holidays. This was my first board, after all.

To be completely honest, I have no idea how many ounces of cheese or meat I bought or served. I definitely didn’t serve everything I bought! (hahah…) The two boards I presented were intended to be appetizers and a meal for three people. As a flexible rule, I tried to provide at least three small servings of each ingredient. To encourage experimenting, I introduced our meal with the announcement that there was more of everything in the kitchen.

Portions really depend on how much you and your guests eat but …

One book suggested 3 oz of cheese and 3 oz of meat per person.
Another resource advised 2-4 oz of cheese per person and provided the following equation that I’m sure I didn’t follow: three friends = 2-3 cheeses weighing 6 oz total.
One result from a google search recommended the 3-3-3-3 rule - three meats, three cheeses, three starches, and three accompaniments, which might have been helpful if I saw it before I went shopping. For my next board, I’ll try to rein it in (maybe limit the ingredients to what would be available from a particular region).

"With malice towards none," it was a pleasant surprise to find that I had more than enough for the two boards pictured, two to-go gift tins with accompanying snack bags, a day of morning and afternoon snacks to graze on with coworkers in the office, a few plated dinners and, to complement a belated baby gift, a small snack for the parents.

Favorite recipes (that you tried from the cookbook/website):

My boards encouraged grazing and were a mix of the following:

C’est Charcuterie (pg. 41),
A Board Built for Two (pg. 45),
Harry & David Gift Basket Board (pg. 122),
Christmas Cheese! (pg. 129),
Ring In the New Year (pg. 134).

Although it’s not the focal point of this post, I also appreciated seeing recipes for homemade condiments. Making your own ensures that you know what ingredients were used and allows you to reduce the amount if it isn’t something you eat often.

Did you alter the recipe or make any substitutions?

Most of my notes were gleaned from six books and two online resources. Everything was sourced from local grocery stores and based on availability. Aside from what was recommended to accompany quince paste, quince jelly, and apple butter, I collected a variety of nubs and wedges to represent each cheese family. For sensitive and less experimental eaters I bought a few safe ingredients like mozzarella, cheddar, and muenster. Based on the suggested pairings from my notes I selected two different variety packages of pre-sliced cured meats and then randomly selected hard salami. In general, the other ingredients, some listed below, were either personal preference, chosen randomly, or suggested pairings. Note: the list below doesn’t include everything I bought, and as I mentioned earlier, everything I bought wasn’t included on the two boards highlighted in this post.

Graze: Inspiration For Small Plates and Meandering Meals by Suzanne Lenzer was more advanced than I felt I needed to be but I did borrow the idea of including hot food. Since this was an edible gift I wanted the dinner ingredients on our boards to be special, so I called the butcher to ask about availability and placed an order. Thankfully, I had a full day to roast (my first!) duck, new potatoes, and red beets. These ingredients were reheated before serving and presented in small dishes on one board.

Food pictured on our boards (as spelled on the original packages):

Meats: Italian Dry Salami, Peppered Salame, Calabrese Salame, Milano Salami, Prosciutto, Uncured Genoa Salami, Uncured Soppressata.	Baby Sour Cornichons	Pomegranate Seeds	Water Crackers
Cheeses: London Fog Humbolt, Goat Milk Chevre, Fontina, Manchego, White Stilton with Cranberries, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Aged Cheddar.	Green Olives Stuffed with Gorgonzola	Dried Apricots	Sea Salt and Pepper Crackers
Clockwise: Cherry Jelly, Whole Grain Mustard, Quince Jelly, Quince Paste, Apple Butter	Green Castelvetrano Olives	Dark Chocolate	Everything Crackers
Honey w/Comb	Grape Tomatoes	Milk Chocolate	Everything Bagel Crisps
Salmon Roe	Pear	Mixed Nuts	Naan Bread
Herring	Grapes	Roasted Red Beets	Ciabatta Demi Baguette
Artichoke Hearts	Blueberries	Roasted Red Potatoes	Rosemary Olive Oil Demi Baguette
Gerkin	Blackberries	Roasted Duck

Would you recommend this cookbook/recipe?

Yes. Boards wouldn’t be my go-to every week, but they’re versatile. Also take a look at Boards: Stylish Spreads For Casual Gatherings by America’s Test Kitchen. You might be surprised to see how fun they can be. Enjoy them at any event with whatever you like. Avoid a bored board by trying one new ingredient each time. 😉

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year, whatever your holiday resolutions may be!

References:

Books -

Around the Board: Boards, Platters, Plates / by Emily Delaney.

The Art of the Board: Fun & Fancy Snack Boards, Recipes & Ideas For Entertaining All Year / by Olivia Carney.

Boards: Stylish Spreads For Casual Gatherings / by America’s Test Kitchen (Firm).

Boards and Spreads: Shareable, Simple Arrangements For Every Meal / by Yasmin Fahr.

Cheese, Illustrated: Notes, Pairings, and Boards / Rory Stamp.

The Dizzy Cook: Managing Migraine With More Than 90 Comforting Recipes and Lifestyle Tips / by Alicia Wolf.

A Field Guide to Cheese: How to Select, Enjoy, and Pair the World’s Best Cheeses / by Tristan Sicard.

Graze: Inspiration For Small Plates and Meandering Meals / by Suzanne Lenzer.

Platters and Boards: Beautiful, Casual Spreads for Every Occasion / by Shelly Westerhausen.

Websites -

Johnson, Laura. “Reinventing Your Charcuterie Board.” Coton-Colors, 4 October 2023, https://coton-colors.com/blogs/toast-the-blog/reinventing-your-charcuterie-board#:~:text=No%20matter%20the%20style%20of,fruit%2C%20nuts%2C%20or%20veggies.

Miquel, Julien. “How to Pronounce Charcuterie? (CORRECTLY).” YouTube, 5 March 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHQeZb0v7J4. Accessed 13 March 2024. - (01:09 minute video)

National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. “Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address.” National Park Service (NPS), 18 April 2020, https://www.nps.gov/linc/learn/historyculture/lincoln-second-inaugural.htm.

Quick Subject/Concept links to the Discover (formerly, Vega) Online Library catalog:

Board, Cook* - (Results narrowed down by Concepts: Adult, Entertaining, Cooking, Food presentation, Cooking & Food, Snack foods, Appetizers, Quick and easy cooking)

Diet Therapy

…Time Management - (Results narrowed down by Concepts: Adult, Time management, Stress management, Self Help, Strategic planning, Success, Personal Success)

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Sugar. Oh, honey, honey

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Because our numbers are borderline and we're more or less asymptomatic, I feel there's a little less urgency to reinvent the wheel. We’re not going to throw away everything we already have containing starch, carbohydrates or sugar. but we will be more conscious about how often (and how much) we consume them. We will also try to be more aware of what we buy in the future. Working in our favor, we’ve already cut out most foods with processed sugar. Our meals are balanced and plant forward--especially during the CSA vegetable season which, for us, covers most of the year. (During this period I don't get many colds; Popeye may have been on to something.) Moving forward, we can look for more foods that have a lower glycemic index, like strawberries, but to be fair we will still occasionally have gelato or full fat ice cream. Hopefully our efforts are enough to curb pre-diabetes and collectively lower our cholesterol without medication. 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Using 1 cup of fresh strawberries I revisited the strawberry-rhubarb pairing (suggested in PPLD's What’s Cooking Blog for “All-Season Mocktails, Spritzers, Syrups and Shrubs”) and made a "Naturally Sweet Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote.” -- Add less honey for a lower sugar version, which I did, or substitute agave for a vegetarian/vegan version. Canning & Preserving has another recipe on page 57 that you might also want to try. ....Serve over angel food cake with whipped cream (as shown in the photo at the top of this post), over pancakes or waffles, ice cream or gelato, on toast with or without your choice of nut butter, in parfait or yogurt with or without granola... You get the idea. Whatever you decide to put it on, Enjoy!! If you can tolerate a little more sugar you might consider giving the following recipe a try. One of our Librarians, Kayleigh H. found a recipe for this street food on TikTok then created a batch in our staff kitchen for a Teen program. It may not be low-sugar per se but it is made with fruit, strawberries work well. Tanghulu is probably a little healthier than some of the snacks sold at the convenience store, too. Title of cookbook/website: Aubrey's Kitchen Author of Recipe: Aubrey ... What prompted you to check out this recipe? Checked out the recipe because of videos on TikTok. What did you like about this recipe? This recipe was really easy to make! All you need is sugar and water in a 2:1 ratio and fruit. History: Tanghulu is a popular northern Chinese street food traditionally made with hawthorn fruit, but you can use strawberries, grapes, blueberries, clementines- whatever fruit you desire, but fruit with an enclosed skin works best. What didn’t you like about this recipe? [Nothing] Favorite recipes (that you tried from the cookbook/website): Tanghulu! Did you alter the recipe or make any substitutions? Nope! Would you recommend this cookbook? Yes. References: Books - American Heart Association Healthy Fats, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook: Delicious Recipes to Help Reduce Bad Fats and Lower Your Cholesterol. Canning & Preserving: 80+ Simple, Small-Batch Recipes / Good Housekeeping. Cholesterol: the Essential Guide / Sara Kirkham. The Dash Diet Action Plan: Proven to Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol without Medication / Marla Heller. Diabetes & Heart Healthy Cookbook: More than 160 Delicious Recipes for Everything from Snacks to Desserts / American Heart Association. Eating For Lower Cholesterol: A Balanced Approach to Heart Health with Recipes Everyone Will Love / Catherine Jones with Elaine Trujillo. The Fiber Fueled Cookbook: Inspiring Plant-Based Recipes to Turbocharge Your Health / Will Bulsiewicz, recipes by Alexandra Caspero. The Glycemic Load Diet Cookbook: 150 Recipes to Help You Lose Weight and Reverse Insulin Resistance / Rob Thompson & Dana Carpender. The Great Cholesterol Myth. Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease--and the Statin-Free Plan That Will / Johnny Bowden. Perfect Cholesterol In Just Three Weeks (Without Drugs!): The Answer to High Cholesterol / Dr. David M. Vitko. Websites - “The Archies - Sugar Sugar.” YouTube, 14 Feb. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcLObPhKdDk. Aubry. “Tanghulu.” Aubrey’s Kitchen, 10 Sept. 2020, aubreyskitchen.com/tanghulu/. “Cholesterol - Search Results.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, search.nih.gov/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&affiliate=nhlbi_nhlbi_prod&query=cholesterol&commit=Search. Accessed 5 July 2024. “Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).” Poughkeepsie Farm Project, www.farmproject.org/csa. Accessed 5 July 2024. Goldman, Rena, et al. “The Recommended Cholesterol Levels By Age.” Healthline, Healthline Media, www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol/levels-by-age#adults. Accessed 5 July 2024. Hartnett, Kayleigh. “Tanghulu.” Canva, https://www.canva.com/design/DAGHfDtWWNM/N9WC_HcJ8_BQuMKenjDVSA/edit. Accessed 5 July 2024. - Link to sheets w/recipe and instructions Hoskins, Mike, and Stacy Sampson. “Blood Sugar Level Chart Based on Age.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 24 Mar. 2023, www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/blood-sugar-levels-chart-by-age#glucose-by-age. Johnston, Gordon. “The Next Full Moon Is the Strawberry Moon - NASA Science.” NASA, 13 June 2024, science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/the-next-full-moon-is-the-strawberry-moon-2/. Mansour, Donna. “Naturally Sweetened Strawberry Rhubarb Compote.” Whole Food Bellies, 4 June 2019, www.wholefoodbellies.com/strawberry-rhubarb-compote/. Quick Subject/Concept links to the Discover Online Library catalog: Canning and preserving Cholesterol Natural Sugar* - (Results narrowed by Format: Book; Literary Form: Non-fiction; Concepts: Nutrition, Cooking (Natural foods), Sugar-free diet, Desserts, Baking, Reducing diets, Detoxification (Health)) Sugar-Free Diet ...

Pastel de Tres Leches

Pastel de Tres Leches y... May 10, 2024. by Bridget O’Donnell Last May PPLD's What’s Cooking Blog offered belated holiday blessings with Mexican-Inspired Fish Tacos, Two-ways. As suggested in that post, there’s no need to limit the celebration to a single recipe. In addition to fish tacos made any number of ways, there’s enough traditional fare to observe Cinco de Mayo until the next holiday. Enjoy tamales, chalupas, enchiladas, taquitos, guacamole, salsa [verde], carnitas, empanadas, street corn, fajitas and burritos, to list a few(!). Burritos used to be a regular part of my diet and, as I continued working on this blog entry the more I tried to remember the last time I had one, the bigger my craving got. Boil, mash and season your own refried beans to regulate the amount of salt (and cumin). Or, for a quick plant-forward lunch packed with fiber, protein, essential vitamins and minerals, opt for a can of organic low-sodium refried beans. …Reheat the beans then add a few small scoops to a street sized taco wrap with a shredded cheese blend and un poquito de salsa. Estimated assembly time: minutes and, dos burritos were filling enough to get me through the day without feeling like I had to take a siesta. Helping to maintain balance between savory and sweet, this month una usuaria de la biblioteca suggested a recipe for “Pastel de Tres Leches con Chocolate” or "Three Milks Cake with Chocolate." This popular Mexican dessert is a light sponge cake that's been soaked in a mixture of three milks - sweetened condensed milk, whole milk or heavy cream and evaporated milk. It also happens to be another dish traditionally served during holidays like Christmas, birthday parties and... Cinco de Mayo(!). Title of cookbook: Los Mejores Postres Paso A Paso Author of Recipe: Kiwilimón What prompted you to check out this recipe? A library patron submitted this dulce recipe suggestion and photograph to my coworker after being introduced to the What’s Cooking Blog. What did you like about this recipe? The cookbook is still checked out so I haven’t actually seen this recipe but, it must have been mucho bien. Gracias, I love seeing other perspectives from la cocina! What didn’t you like about this recipe? Based on a few recipes that I found online, Pastel de Tres Leches may have more sugar than I can tolerate without feeling like I have to jog a 5K or half marathon. Maybe I can repurpose some of my leftover refried beans into a "Korean Chapssaltteok" or "Chinese Sticky Rice Cake." Food fusion? Favorite recipes (that you tried from the cookbook/website): Pastel de Tres Leches con Chocolate. Did you alter the recipe or make any substitutions? You could say I altered the recipe, that I turned it into a simple bean burrito (hahah…) but, I’d definitely try a small bite of el pastel. Would you recommend this cookbook? Based on the excerpts shown in Amazon's listing, this cookbook looks muy tasteful. The photos are hermosas and the text gives me practice translating Spanish because an English edition doesn’t seem to be available. Guess which one is for dessert? Pastel de Tres Leches con Chocolate References: Books - Los Mejores Postres Paso A Paso / Kiwilimón. Websites - Clark, Julie. “Chocolate Tres Leches Cake.” The Best Cake Recipes, 4 June 2023, https://thebestcakerecipes.com/chocolate-tres-leches-cake/. Esposito, Shaylyn. “What to Really Eat on Cinco de Mayo: Put Down the Margaritas and Tacos, and Pick Up a Chalupa.” Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Institution, 3 May 2013, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/what-to-really-eat-on-cinco-de-mayo-50767054/. Linares, Krista. “Are Refried Beans Healthy? Latina Dietitian Explains the Benefits.” Nutritionconsabor.com, 23 April 2024, https://nutritionconsabor.com/refried-beans-healthy/#:~:text=Refried%20beans%20are%20a%20nutrient%20rich%20food!,healthy%20diet%20with%20minimal%20problem.. Lowder, Camille. “51 Mexican-Inspired Party Ideas Perfect For Cinco de Mayo: Let’s Party (Respectfully! No Sombreros Allowed).” Delish.Com, 4 April 2024, https://www.delish.com/holiday-recipes/cinco-de-mayo/g652/mexican-party-menu-recipes/. Orozco-Moore, Isabel. “Chocolate Tres Leches Cake.” Isabel Eats, 18 April 2024, https://www.isabeleats.com/chocolate-tres-leches-cake/. Orozco-Moore, Isabel. “42 Cinco de Mayo Recipes.” Isabel Eats, 22 April 2024, https://www.isabeleats.com/cinco-de-mayo-recipes/. Quick Subject/Concept links to the Discover Online Library catalog: Cook* - (Results narrowed down by Literary Form: Non-fiction; Language: Spanish) ...

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