Gourmet slow cooking isn’t a paradox. Think of some of the most impressive meals you’ve been served, from borscht and lobster bisque to beef bourguignon and coq au vin. Maybe add in a cheesecake or crème brulée for dessert when you plan your next dinner party.
Now imagine that they came from a slow cooker. Yes, all of them.
Slow cooking is back, and it can be as gourmet as you want it to be.
A year of slow cooking?
Author and Stephanie O’Dea perfected all of those recipes in 365 days on her blog A Year of Slow Cooking — making at least one new dish a day — then wrote Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking and the upcoming More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: 200 Brand New Recipes for Slow Cooker Meals on a Budget.
Although one of the best ways to make a tough cut of meat melt in your mouth remains slow cooking, today’s recipes go far beyond Swedish meatballs and stew.
Almost any ethnic food can lend itself to slow cooking, from Indian and Asian to French and Italian, O’Dea says. During her year of slow cooking, she called it “Fake Out, Take Out,” presenting her family with Korean ribs, lamb tagines, butter chicken, and even falafel. “Because I had the challenge to use it every day, it wouldn’t have been healthy to eat stew and pot roast every night,” O’Dea says.
Slow cooker successes
O’Dea learned that the steam generated by slow cooking is the perfect way to set custard and that restaurant quality tomato soup can go from the slow cooker to a dinner party. In cooler weather, even bargain vino can be stellar mulled wine in the slow cooker with some cinnamon and orange slices, she says. “There is no easier way to cook from scratch than to throw it all in and push a button,” O’Dea adds.
Get started tonight! Successful slow cooking starts with a few easy tips:
Slow cookers work best if 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Newer programmable models switch to a warming mode when the time is up, meaning you always arrive home to a tasty dinner.
Slow cookers can either serve up standard holiday dishes (including a small turkey) or keep them warm when your kitchen is at capacity.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
(Serves 2)
1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong coffee
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned puréed pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, and a tiny pinch of ground ginger
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Whipped cream (optional garnish)
2 cinnamon sticks (optional garnish)
Pour coffee/espresso and milk into a 2-quart slow cooker. Whisk in pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Whisk again. Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon.
Recipe courtesy of Stephanie O’Dea. Find her online at stephanieodea.com.
Gourmet Slow Cooking — Really!
By Anne Marie Apollo-Noel
Gourmet slow cooking isn’t a paradox. Think of some of the most impressive meals you’ve been served, from borscht and lobster bisque to beef bourguignon and coq au vin. Maybe add in a cheesecake or crème brulée for dessert when you plan your next dinner party.
Now imagine that they came from a slow cooker. Yes, all of them.
Slow cooking is back, and it can be as gourmet as you want it to be.
A year of slow cooking?
Author and Stephanie O’Dea perfected all of those recipes in 365 days on her blog A Year of Slow Cooking — making at least one new dish a day — then wrote Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking and the upcoming More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: 200 Brand New Recipes for Slow Cooker Meals on a Budget.
Although one of the best ways to make a tough cut of meat melt in your mouth remains slow cooking, today’s recipes go far beyond Swedish meatballs and stew.
Almost any ethnic food can lend itself to slow cooking, from Indian and Asian to French and Italian, O’Dea says. During her year of slow cooking, she called it “Fake Out, Take Out,” presenting her family with Korean ribs, lamb tagines, butter chicken, and even falafel. “Because I had the challenge to use it every day, it wouldn’t have been healthy to eat stew and pot roast every night,” O’Dea says.
Slow cooker successes
O’Dea learned that the steam generated by slow cooking is the perfect way to set custard and that restaurant quality tomato soup can go from the slow cooker to a dinner party. In cooler weather, even bargain vino can be stellar mulled wine in the slow cooker with some cinnamon and orange slices, she says. “There is no easier way to cook from scratch than to throw it all in and push a button,” O’Dea adds.
Get started tonight! Successful slow cooking starts with a few easy tips:
Pumpkin Spice Latte
(Serves 2)
1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong coffee
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned puréed pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, and a tiny pinch of ground ginger
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Whipped cream (optional garnish)
2 cinnamon sticks (optional garnish)
Pour coffee/espresso and milk into a 2-quart slow cooker. Whisk in pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Whisk again. Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon.
Recipe courtesy of Stephanie O’Dea. Find her online at stephanieodea.com.