It is Gwyneth Paltrow Week!

     So after an extended Easter break, we are back with an exciting new cookbook!!  This week we tested Gwyneth Paltrow’s new book “My Father’s Daughter.”  Now Gwyneth has been everywhere these days, TV (Glee - one our favorite shows), movies and even making an album (she recently signed with Atlantic Records).  So of course the natural next thing to do is write a cookbook!  Her theory on food and cooking is interesting.  She started cooking with her father, and after he was diagnosed with throat cancer she started investigating the food that we put in our bodies.  Since then she has tried to feed herself and her family primarily organic and healthy foods.  For our dinner we decided to make four recipes: Gazpacho, Chicken with Dumplings, Fried Rice with Kale and Scallions, and Blueberry Pavlova.

The Book:

My Father’s Daugher

The Author:

Gwyneth Paltrow

The Menu:

Gazpacho – Page 62

Chicken & Dumplings – Page 159

Fried Rice with Kale & Scallions – Page 198

Blueberry Pavlova – Page 258

The Undertaking:

     Now Gazpacho is an interesting concept.  Essentially, it is cold tomato soup which isn’t something I was excited about.  I love soup and I love tomatoes, but cold tomato soup?  Isn’t that a V8?  So imagine my surprise when I tasted it and loved it!!  It was tasty, refreshing and the perfect summer time lunch.  Amber was in charge of making this item.  She said the most labor intensive part was the peeling of the tomatoes (which did take quite some time, so prepare yourself).

     Our main course was the Chicken and Dumplings, with a side of Fried Rice with Kale and scallions.  To begin, we want to point out that due to Gwyneth’s stance on organic meat, we decided to splurge and buy organic chickens. We discovered that they are $13 each compared to the $9 for a regular one. Now I believe that if you can buy organic or local meat, it is a great option.  Now in these times of financial strain it is not always a viable one, so it is an individual decision.

The first step to making our main course was breaking down the chicken into pieces.  Now, I watch allot of Food Network and have seen it done on plenty of shows, I have also done it a few times myself...but Amber was a chicken butchering virgin, so this was a great learning experience for her.  The most important thing when separating chicken is to have a sharp knife and to know where the pieces are meant to be separated.

     Also, the recipe called for stock, which we made from another recipe in the book (it was ridiculously easy and fast to make).  I may never buy stock from a store again!  Really!  It was THAT easy!!

      This meal had a few steps, but mostly it was a straight forward, one pot meal with simple ingredients that you can find anywhere!  It does need a few hours to cook but the result is fall-off-the-bone chicken with amazing flavor.

          The fried rice was exciting because both Amber and I were excited to eat Kale (and to trick our kids into eating Kale)!  Brown rice is a staple in my house and my kids love it, but “green bits” in their food isn’t always well received. The preparation of this side was very simple.  All we had to do was make the rice, chop the veggies and toss altogether along with a little bit of olive oil and soy sauce.  Voila!

The best endings are always sweet ones, so our dessert was well worth the wait. The Pavlova, which seems to essentially be a fancy word for meringues, where easy to prepare. A few quick steps in the mixer and into the oven where they cook low and slow for about an hour. We then topped the marshmallow-y puffs with plain blueberries and a little whip cream...they were gorgeous!

The Judgment:
Gazpacho:
"Surprisingly good…Refreshing” – Amber’s Man

“High garlic taste but grows with you with every bite” – Helen’s Bob

“Interesting but I am not a soup fan in general” - Stuart

The Gazpacho got an average score of 3.3 out of 5.

Main course:
“The side and main complement each other so well…it reminds me of a thanksgiving dinner only lighter and tastier! A new family favourite comfort food” – Amber’s Man

“Tasty and tender chicken, robust and filling…The rice was a bit of an Asian persuasion, nice…” – Helen’s Bob

“Delicious” – Stuart

The Chicken & Dumplings got an average score of 4.1 out of 5.
The Kale & Scallions got an average score of 3.9 out of 5.

Blueberry Pavlova:
All our judges felt the same way….Light and Delicious!!!
The Blueberry Pavlova got an average score of 4.3 out of 5.

The Kids Vote:

Gazpacho:Unanimous vote:  “Did not like it at all!!!” (just picture their puckered little faces and shaking heads! Hee hee hee).

Chicken & Dumplings and the Fried Rice with Kale & Scallions: Abbegail and Samantha: They liked it except Abbegail didn’t like the green stuff (the Kale).

Jaxon and Seth: Seth really like the dumplings and Jaxon liked the chicken … both ate a little rice and thought it was ok. 

Emmersyn and Carter:  Emmersyn gave the chicken a 10!  This was not a surprise, because she is a meat lover!!! The Dumplings got infinitity so that speaks for itself!!  Carter ate the chicken too but neither one cared for the rice.
Blueberry Pavlova: Unanimous vote: “Can we have some more?”  (as they do each blog dinner night!!!)

What did we think?
Amber: “The gazpacho was a little too garlicky, but (with less garlic) it would be a nice summer soup.”…“The chicken was juicy and the broth was really yummy.  I would have liked the dish to have more veggies in it.  It would have felt like a complete meal with some potatoes.”…“The rice was super tasty.  I loved the addition of kale!”…
“The pavlova was really tasty…I love Meringue!”
Helen: 
“The gazpacho was great & refreshing. Surprisingly, you could really taste the cucumber but it has a bit too much garlic.”…“The chicken was really tasty. I loved the flavor of the thyme in the dish!  I also thought the main dish needed more veggies.  I would add more the next time I make it.”…“The rice was good but a little greasy for me (I would use less oil in this recipe).”
“The dessert was delicious and was just the right amount of sweet…Yummy!”


     In addition to these recipes I made the Fish Taco recipe (Pg. 165) which included a great guacamole recipe that was the simplest and yummiest I have ever had!!  The fish was too oily but if it was grilled, with the same fillings, it would be awesome!  I also made the Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Spices [(Pg. 200) which includes maple syrup in the ingredient list].  Both the Fish Tacos and the Roasted Sweet Potatoes were extremely well received in my house!


     Overall we enjoyed this book.  We especially like her message about cooking with kids and eating healthy, natural foods… most of the time!  The only downfall is that she does not eat red meat and the book is filled mostly with fish and seafood recipes (in the main course section).  So if you are a die hard Alberta beef eater, maybe this would be a good option for the other nights of the week!!


     See you next time, when we see what a "Desperate Housewife" knows about cooking, with Eva Longoria’s new book “Eva’s Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends”… have a great week!