But there are definitely some not-wrong ways. Sam Sabol invites us into her latest cookbook party.
Sam Sabol’s cookbook club, Cookbooking in Brooklyn (@cookbookinginbrooklyn) has made its culinary way through 15 cookbooks. She captures the story and the dish of each new and old “cook-booker” with a Fujifilm Instax camera as a way to help others discover how cooking can fit into their lives.
Sam: "I’ve always loved throwing dinner parties and cooking for friends but it wasn’t until I attended a culinary program at the Natural Gourmet Center that I became enamored with cooking with friends. As a non-native New Yorker, I know how difficult it can be to find your people in a big city—opening my Brooklyn apartment to others has tied together a motley crew of home-cooks (and created some delicious food in the meantime).
This month, I selected Family by Hetty McKinnon. Hetty is a vegetable sorceress and her Chinese heritage, Australian roots, and love of travel influence the dishes that she shares in this new book. Here’s what we cooked up this time..."
The Nosh Before the Feast
An assortment of dips, crudites, cheeses, nuts, finger foods, inspired by the cookbook. These help people feel at home and act as the second center of socialization (aka get people to leave the kitchen so whoever’s cooking has room).
The Drinks
Some cookbooks include drink recipes or wine pairings. Other times, we get creative. This time, @laurendurden made gazoz—a delicious Israeli version of homemade soda—inspired by Hetty’s love of produce and seasonality.
The Salads
Hetty is known for her inventive salads and use of produce, so we made three of her salad dishes, including a mung bean vermicelli slaw, prepared by @harrisonaheart, a sushi rice salad, prepared by @manmanmejia, and sweet potatoes covered in black lentils, olives, and a spicy cilantro sauce, prepared by @chloelist and @patriciahoward.
The Main
Some dishes can be more of a team effort like the gozleme from Hetty’s cookbook. As per her suggestion, we filled these Turkish flatbreads with two fillings: kale, halloumi and mint in one batch, and oyster mushrooms and soft goat cheese in another.
Wondering what book Sam and co. are cooking from next? Check out @cookinginbrooklyn.