Recipe Weekend: The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook by Tiffany La Forge

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge,from Callisto Press, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own.

Today's cookbook review is a blast to the past!

Synopsis:

Classic cast iron cooking for 21st century tastes.

This isn’t your grandmother’s cast iron cookbook. For the next generation of home cooks, The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook serves up fresh and healthy recipes that reinvent the possibilities of cast iron cooking.

Spring Green Shakshuka, Falafel Burgers with Mint Yogurt, Turmeric Seafood Paella, and more― these original recipes show you what you can do with the modern and improved cast irons. Plus, with handy labels for 5-ingredient, 30-minute, and 1 hour (or less) recipes, you’ll discover how deliciously convenient cast iron cooking can be.

The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook includes:

• Cast Iron Cooking Today―Get the latest on top brands and the learn everything you need to know before you choose your pan.
• Tender Loving Care―Learn how to care for and clean your cast iron to get the most out of its staying power.
• Recipes for Every Taste―Serve up a wide range of recipes that include updated comfort food classics, international flavors, plus plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and grain-free options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert!

Give tradition a fresh new taste with The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook.

Review:

When Miss grace and I went up to Tennessee the last time we stopped at Cast Lodge outlet and she was pretty entranced by just how much the line has grown beyond the dutch oven pot and frying pan we have! So if that line has grown, why shouldn't HOW we cook with our treasured pieces of cast iron?

This is a really good, all around recipe book, containing some really delicious recipes.And for those who love to tinker with flavor, many are easy to to alter to your favorite flavors. Don't like pumpkin in your cinnamon rolls? Add apple or jam instead, easy peasy! These recipes remind me very much of the ones my grandmother and aunties used to make, only they seem a lot simpler! I'm all for saving time, when the recipes taste this great!  Do yourself a favor and buy 2 of these books, 1 for you and 1 for mom!

Recipe:

SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE WITH WALNUT STREUSEL

This Sour Cream Coffee Cake with a walnut streusel is easy to make, tender, and has double the streusel!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE COFFEE CAKE

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

¾ cups sour cream

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¾ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

FOR THE STREUSEL

½ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup  finely chopped walnuts

Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS 

TO MAKE THE COFFEE CAKE 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

 2. Using a hand-held or standing mixer, beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the sour cream, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla. 

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter in two additions and mix until just incorporated, taking care not to over-mix. 

4. Grease a 10” skillet or baking pan very well with baking spray or butter. 

 5. Spread half of the coffee cake batter on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half the streusel evenly on top. Spread the other half of the batter on top of the streusel and evenly spread out. Top with the remaining streusel. 

6. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the streusel is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. 

  TO MAKE THE STREUSEL 

1. Mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. 

 2. Using a pastry cutter or large fork, cut in the cold butter pieces until it resembles small, pea-sized pieces. 

3. Stir in the walnuts and a pinch of salt and combine. The streusel should clump together when you press it

About the Author:

TIFFANY LA FORGE is a professional chef, recipe developer, and food writer who runs the blog Parsnips and Pastries. Her blog centers on her passion―creating seasonal, balanced, and approachable recipes meant to be shared with others. Her writing and recipes have been featured on Healthline, Elle, BuzzFeed, and more. When she’s not in the kitchen, Tiffany enjoys yoga, traveling, gardening, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.