Calgary cookbook author Julie Van Rosendaal grew up making recipes and eating from the Best of Bridge cookbooks.
The popular series was created in Calgary by a group of fun, food-loving women in the 1970s and went on to sell more than four million copies. Van Rosendaal grew up in the same neighbourhood, and went to school with their children.
But time passes and, as the original group grew older, they wanted to find a successor.
They turned to Van Rosendaal to see if she’d be interested. She jumped at the opportunity and, in turn, she approached two of her closest culinary-minded friends, Sue Duncan and Elizabeth Chorney-Booth, to see if they’d help out, too.
“The original Best of Bridge cookbooks were written by actual friends,” says Van Rosendaal. “I wanted to carry on that tradition.”
That new generation — Van Rosendaal, Duncan and Chorney-Booth — have recently released their first title, Best of Bridge: The Family Slow Cooker (Robert Rose, $29.95.) The book is in stores now and features 225 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert. Everything can be cooked in one of the popular countertop electric appliances.
For many of us, including Van Rosendaal, Duncan and Chorney-Booth, a slow cooker is an affordable and easy way to cook, especially during the week.
“It’s a great tool for people who don’t have a lot of cooking skills — you just throw stuff in a pot and press the button,” Van Rosendaal says. “And it’s economical, too. You can cook cheap cuts of meat and use up food that would otherwise go to waste.”
But, she notes, the handy, portable appliance is also an easy way to expand your kitchen’s output. She’s made all kinds of dishes in her slow cooker: lasagna (“delicious,” she says), jams and chutneys, even fancy desserts and cakes.
“Those spoon cakes, the ones that are really saucy on the bottom, they are so good,” Van Rosendaal says. “And we really liked using them for pots de crème — you just stack the ramekins and put it on a low gentle temperature. It works really well.”
While the trio owned slow cookers and had used them for years, none had ever developed recipes for the popular appliances before. To ensure success, they tested the recipes on a variety of models, from older-model slow cookers to the newer high-tech versions.
“It made us really aware that different slow cookers from different eras tend to have some variance as far as cooking times go,” says Chorney-Booth. “Slow cookers don’t seem to die. They’re a pretty hardy little appliance.”
And, for that matter, so is their friendship. Like the original Best of Bridge women, the new group were friends first, long before they decided to work on a cookbook together.
Originally from Calgary, Duncan now calls the Okanagan Valley home, but she and Van Rosendaal have been best friends since junior high. “She’s the best cook I know,” Van Rosendaal says.
And of course, Van Rosendaal — the glue that brought the trio together — is no stranger to Calgary food lovers. A CBC Radio food columnist, she often writes for the Calgary Herald’s Swerve magazine and her popular blog, Dinner with Julie (dinnerwithjulie.com). She’s also the author of nine cookbooks, including this new Best of Bridge title.
Also based in Calgary, Chorney-Booth is a blogger and freelance writer for a variety of local publications, including the Herald. “And she’s a Best of Bridge super-fan,” says Van Rosendaal.
That’s a good thing because the trio is already hard at work on a second Best of Bridge cookbook, Sunday Suppers, scheduled for release in Fall 2017.
Just like the other Best of Bridge titles, it will be about good food made easy.
“Part of the Best of Bridge appeal is that they’re all real life friends and real life cooks. If they can do it, you can, too,” Van Rosendaal notes. “We plan to carry on that tradition.”
RECIPES
Braised Lamb Shanks with Red Wine and Rosemary
“This is total comfort food and is easy to make, especially in the slow cooker,” says Julie Van Rosendaal. “It’s also very impressive when you serve it on mashed potatoes. Everyone thinks you’re a superhero.” This recipe is excerpted from the new Best of Bridge: The Family Slow Cooker, in stores now.
4 lamb shanks (each about 1 lb/500g)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 to 3 cups (500 to 750 mL) ready-to-use chicken stock or beef broth, divided
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) whole or diced tomatoes, with juice
2 cups (500 mL) dry red wine or beer (or more stock)
3 Tbsp (45 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
Pat lamb shanks dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy skillet, heat a generous drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Brown shanks on all sides, working in batches if necessary so that the pan isn’t crowded.
Place garlic, celery, carrots and onion in a 6-quart slow cooker. Place browned shanks on top.
Add some of the stock to the skillet and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour into slow cooker. Add tomatoes, wine and vinegar and enough of the remaining stock so that the liquid comes halfway up the shanks. Tuck in rosemary sprigs. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until lamb is very tender.
If you like, pull out the shanks, skim any excess fat from the surface with a spoon and puree the sauce right in the slow cooker with an immersion blender. Otherwise leave it chunky (still removing any excess fat.) Season with salt and pepper if it needs it. Discard rosemary. Serve shanks drizzled with sauce. Serves 4.
Tip: If you’d like to stretch this meal out a little, add ½ cup (125 mL) dried green lentils to the slow cooker with the vegetables. When the dish is cooked, transfer the lamb shanks to a plate until cool enough to handle. Then remove the meat from the bones. Return the meat to the slow cooker after skimming off the excess fat. Serve over mashed potatoes. Serves 6.
Braised Lamb Shanks, from Best of Bridge.
Coffee Pots de Crème
“A pot de crème is like an unbrûléed crème brûlée — essentially a gently baked creamy pudding,” according to the Best of Bridge team. This recipe is excerpted from the new Best of Bridge: The Family Slow Cooker, in stores now.
1 cup (250 mL) heavy or whipping (35%) cream
1 cup (250 mL) half-and-half (10%) cream
1 tbsp (15 mL) instant espresso or coffee granules
½ cup (125 mL) sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
In a small saucepan, stir together heavy cream, half-and-half and espresso; heat over medium heat until steaming. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Whisking constantly, gradually pour the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture. Once blended, divide the mixture among 4 to 6 ramekins or small ovenproof coffee or tea cups. Place in 6-quart slow cooker (you may have to stack a couple on top of the first layer, letting them sit on the rims of the bottom ramekins) and carefully pour in enough water to go halfway up the sides of the bottom ramekins. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours or until set but still jiggly. Let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day. Serves 4 to 6.
Tips: Keep in mind that the cooking time is only an estimate. It’s a good idea to check on the pots de crème after 2 hours of cooking, or even earlier if you know your slow cooker runs particularly hot.
Resist the temptation to lift the lid and peek at the pots de crème. Slow cooker pros say each time you take the lid off it shaves off about 20 minutes of cooking time, as all that warm steam escapes and the heat must accumulate again.
Coffee Pots De Creme from Best of Bridge.
