Talk about a meet cute! Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (you may know him from Modern Family) was invited to a dinner party that sounded like it would be awkward. He didn’t really want to go, but he did, sitting at the far end of the table so he could sneak out if he wanted to. There was one other empty chair at the table, and just as the dinner was about to get started, Julie Tanous slid into that chair. Ignoring everyone else in the room, the two of them started talking food, and they haven’t stopped yet.
Like all the best recipe developers, Julie and Jesse take inspiration from all the diverse parts of their lives to find new flavor combinations or a new twist to an old favorite. Jesse brings the recipes he learned growing up in Mew Mexico, and Julie brings her Southern roots to classic family classics as well as California cuisine, recipes from the heritage of their spouses, and just plain good taste. They realized they both love to read cookbooks and experiment in the kitchen, so the started getting together to cook and eventually started a blog. Now they’re taking their favorite recipes and offering them in Food Between Friends.
Starting with brunch (because what’s better for getting together with friends than brunch?), there are recipes for Blue Cornmeal Pancakes with Blueberry Butter, Deep-Dish Chorizo Quiche, Sweet & Sticky Cardamom Rolls, and Apple-Cheddar Drop Biscuits.
From there we roll into the number one ingredient of weeknight dinners everywhere in America—chicken. There is a Southern recipe for Fried Chicken and a recipe for Chicken & Dumplings that Jesse came up with during quarantine. Julie offers her mother’s tips for the best roasted chicken in her recipe Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner, and there’s an easy Chicken & Asparagus Sheet Pan Dinner. There are also recipes for Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Pie, Grilled Chicken & Romaine with Alabama White BBQ Sauce, Garlicky Sorghum Chicken Stir-Fry, and Baked Chicken Tenders with Buttermilk Ranch.
There are recipes for beef and other meats—Camping Chili, Grilled Skirt Steak with Pineapple Salsa, Molasses & Coffee Pork Chops with Wilted Radicchio, Ribeye Steak with Chipotle Lime Butter, and Lamb Chops with Sweet-and-Sour Rhubarb. Then things get a little fishy with recipes for seafood: Crispy-Skin Salmon with Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Crab Linguine with Herbed Bread Crumbs, Seafood Gumbo, and Citrus Baked Fish with Watercress Pesto.
Interested in going meatless? Try the Asparagus & Leek Galette, Pop’s Pinto Beans & Cheddar Cornbread, Coconut Curry with Crispy Tofu, Shepherd’s Pie, or the Gram’s Corn Chowder. Need sides for all these? Try the Caramelized Green Beans, Hatch Green Chili Mac & Cheese, Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Sorghum Butter & Crispy Cracklins, Fried Green Tomato Salad with Buttermilk Vinaigrette, or Grilled Cabbage Coleslaw.
There are desserts like Gas Station Cherry Hand Pies, Fudge Brownies with Spicy Peanut Butter Swirl, Freezer Mint Cookies, and a Double-Crust Rosemary Peach Pie with Jesse’s Go-To Piecrust. And there’s a whole chapter on Starters, Drinks, and Dranks, which includes Albuquerque Hush Puppies, Firecracker Chex Mix, Basil & Mint Watermelon Agua Fresca (with Tequila), Southern Sweet Tea (with Bourbon), and Cherry Limeade (with Vodka).
One of my favorite things about this cookbook is the mini chapters. There is one only about tacos, Julie has one on biscuits (what Southerner doesn’t have their own biscuit rules?), there is one on butters, and Jesse has one on Sopapillas. I love Sopapillas, and I am so happy to see them get their due here.
I do have some reluctance to try some of these recipes. I can’t eat a lot of spicy food, so I would have to cut way back on some of the seasonings and peppers here. But the way that Julie and Jesse share these recipes with us like they’re good friends and just want us to have fun with cooking, I don’t think they’d have a problem with that. There is a relaxed enthusiasm to these pages that is so welcoming and warm, I feel like they just want us to cook food that we will eat and enjoy, and if things go wrong, just order a pizza and try something else tomorrow. Food Between Friends all about family, fun, friendship, and flavor, so you can enjoy the stories, experiment with the recipes, and feed those you love.
A copy of Food Between Friends was provided by Clarkson Potter through their Cookbook Ambassador program, with many thanks.
