Reba Cooks #19

Cookbook Club is back!!

Wanna join my club?

It's 1pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The doorbell rings and one after another, people march in with covered dishes. Within minutes, a veritable all-you can-eat-buffet is set out on the table. Blistered green bean and tomato salad sits next to a platter of roasted beets with smoked whitefish, sour cream and dill. Individual savory tomato hand pies are pulled from the oven and set down piping hot. Pies and desserts start to take up their own corner of the table. Strawberry Pistachio Crumbles, Sour Cherry Bourbon Pie, a plate of rhubarb blondies squeezes in. Wine bottles are opened, water is poured, music is on, people are chatting. A cookbook stands propped up in the corner and people are vying for overhead instagram shots of the table. Someone stands on a chair. "Don't forget the hashtag!"

Welcome to Cookbook Club.

In 2018, local Indy food bloggers A Couple Cooks were looking for a fun way to celebrate the release of their cookbook Pretty Simple Cooking. They asked that their followers sign up to host a gathering and cook-the-book. Everyone would cook a recipe (or two) from their new cookbook, and on the same night at the same time, we would all sit down and have a mega-dinner-party across the country. I was quick to sign up. I'm always looking for an excuse for a dinner party, and in the dark days of February there's not much more that sounds better to me than just that. I expected a fun dinner with friends, but was so surprised at how fun it was to cook recipes from the same book.

We got together, sat down and it was only natural to go around the table, introduce yourself and what you made-- and what you thought of it. It was easy conversation. Like the world's best icebreaker, any tension or awkwardness at the table by those who maybe didn't know the others was gone. Everyone made something, so everyone had an opinion, a story to tell, a tip to pass along. Everyone was invested and excited.

Already a cookbook collector, I was inspired to start the cookbook club about a month after the Couple Cooks Dinner Party. I posted on a whim to Instagram, tagged a bunch of people I barely knew and went from there. The first gathering was small, but nevertheless we persisted! A Facebook Group was created, a hashtag was born. We moved it to "once a season" instead of once every other month-- a much more palatable cadence. Soon, we were up and running and it was a success. We met 5 times total over the span of a year before 2020 hit and, like so many other things, it screeched to a stop. A few attempts to get together virtually fizzled out and so the cookbook club has remained dormant, until now.

I’m so thrilled to share that Edible Indy has partnered with me to bring back one of my favorite things: The Cookbook Club!

Kicking off this November, we are once again gathering on a Sunday afternoon to cook the book as part of the Edible Indy | Cookbook Club.

On top of the general enjoyment of making new friends as adults (something nobody likes doing), the return on investment of attending cookbook club is high. Rarely do we have or make time to host 10+ of our friends over for a multi-course meal, but at Cookbook Club, you just bring 1 recipe and join in. It's collaborative entertaining at its finest. Recipes you might have skipped over as you made your selection are tried, loved and revisited. Cuisines you maybe never have experimented with are attempted and enjoyed. On top of that, you can try recipes that other's were willing to take on that you just didn't have the time to do. That long slow 8 hour braise that you skipped right over when making your selection because WHO HAS THE TIME? Well guess what-- someone did and it's on the table right over there. You're introduced to new people, a new way of cooking, of thinking, problem solving, investigation, research and maybe just a whole new viewpoint, just from one afternoon sitting around a table.

Logistics

How Often Do you Meet?

After some trial and error and the realization that schedules aren't getting any LESS busy, we settled on once a season (sounds better than quarterly). At each meeting we pick the next TWO dates which has helped with scheduling in advance. Those who are in attendance have input into the next couple of times, we find someone to host, and then we share with the rest of the group.

How are you communicating?

As much as I don't love the machine that is Facebook, it turns out it's a nice way of organizing a group. Pick a couple of admins, and either create events within the group for each gathering, or use an invite platform to link through.

How do you pick a book?

You can go about this in a few different ways. You can have a running list that you draw out of a hat when the time comes, or you can tailor the book to the season. For example, an August meeting meant peak-produce, and so we cooked from TWO books. Ruffage, by Abra Berens, which focuses on fresh seasonal vegetables and the Sister Pie Cookbook out of Detroit, where we poured all of that fruity summer goodness into various pies and treats. For our January meeting, seeing as how we live in the Midwest and aren't exactly drowning in fresh off the vine tomatoes-- we opted for a Brunch cookbook. I like a hybrid approach of keeping a running list of books we want to try and narrowing it down from there into if it fits best into a season.

How do you keep track of recipes?

After we pick the book, whoever owns said book transfers the table of contents into a Google Sheet which is shared with the Facebook group. Everyone selects a recipe and then said owner(s) of the book sends a picture of the page to them. It's not really technical, but it works. Also-- libraries!

Cooking!

How many recipes do you pick?

Our first gathering with more than a few people, we all got very excited and cooked 2 recipes each. That was a LOT of food. Since then (with the exception of the time we did two books), we encourage everyone to pick one recipe and stick to it. Keeping with that, never double the recipe. There will be plenty.

What about dietary concerns?

Keep in mind as you select and make your recipe if there is anyone in the group with any strong food aversions or allergies. Before you eat, make sure that you any of the big allergy players (nuts, dairy, eggs etc.) are announced when you go around and tell everyone what you brought. As the group grows, you'll learn who hates cilantro or who really prefers to avoid anchovies. Keeping any sort of sauces on the side for serving is also a good tip.

What if the food isn't hot?

Think about Thanksgiving. Most of the food you eat isn't exactly piping out of the oven. Food is served at room temperature, and if there's a dish that begs to be served straight out of the oven, it's a good one for the host/ess to select. Occasionally a warm up in the oven might be warranted but don't stress over it. Oh, and bring your own serving utensils!

What about drinks?

Sometimes a cookbook will have a little section in it for specialty cocktails or recommendations, in which case I would say that qualifies you for making a second recipe-- but most of the time the host provides water and a few bottles of wine. Other than that it's typically BYOB.

Hosting!

Where does everyone sit??

First and foremost, Cookbook Club should be pretty casual. Don’t fret over having a full sized table to host the group. There's no shame in setting up a card table or two, perching on couch arms or even sitting on the floor. Most people end up standing in the kitchen at some point too so hey why not eat there??

What if I don't have enough plates?

Again, this goes back to the chair situation. Not everyone is equipped to host 12+ people at their house. You know who is? CHINET. Bring out the paper plates and the "crystalware" wine glasses and the disposable silverware. Sure it's not the most environmentally friendly decision but do what you need to do. The main point of the club is to get together and share the food you all made, no matter if the plate is fine china or paper.

Most importantly, this group is about getting people who love food together. To discuss, discover, laugh, compliment, eat, drink, meet new people and try new things. It's probably the best thing I've started, I’m so thrilled to bring it back, and I cannot recommend it enough. If you’re interested in joining us — check out the Facebook Group for upcoming events!