Cookbook Club Results & Reminder #11: Four Flatbreads on the Grill (Patreon)

Hi Cookbook Club members,

It's Erin, Community & Content Manager, with your regularly scheduled reminder to try out this month's recipe variations for grilled flatbreads. And if you don't have access to a grill and are planning to test these recipes in a different way, please let us know where you end up—it's valuable feedback for us to have!

Unlike some of the other recipe variations we've shared, these grilled flatbreads are not necessarily your pantry staple–based, grab-and-go meals. It requires prep and special ingredients and equipment, so we want to make sure it's worth your time. With that in mind, let's dive into the results.

The Report

This month, our variations had a wide swath of ingredient options, from the simple za’atar and labneh combo to the multi-layered pancetta, grilled onions, Gruyère version. This means there wasn't much trouble finding the required ingredients for any individual dish. This also means there was less testing across multiple variations—which is just fine! Variability and choice in the kitchen matters, and the most popular dishes from this month tells us something about this community's instinct for what will taste best. If you have a guess for which recipe came out as the most popular, leave it in the comments below!

While ingredients were easy to come by, some required kitchen gadgets proved elusive. Notably, the grill. Just like with previous on-the-grill recipe tests, we continue to be grateful for the flexibility and creativity of this club. Marin Y. made theirs with a stovetop grill and reports achieving a soft and crisp dough (just as we would want!) and Dave H. used a "big, frighteningly hot cast iron pan" and ended up with this beauty:

This blueprint technique makes big promises of being a kitchen hack that will produce a flatbread with feeling, flavor, and char akin to a wood-fired pizza. Naturally, with big promises like this, we want to see big results and make sure your satisfaction meets the mark. Luckily, across the feedback there was only one vote for a dish turning out worse than they expected. There was also a high report rate of being ready to make this dish again, either with the variations we provided and with your own flavor combinations. If you have any ideas for the types of flavor profiles you'll be working with, let us know!

As always, you Frienjis are in sync. Where discontent did appear—in the flavor components for some of the dishes—the feedback is remarkably consistent. There were multiple votes for the tomato, mozzarella, and basil variation having too little savoriness, saltiness, and aroma, and multiple votes for the pancetta, onions, and Gruyère version having too much saltiness and aroma. That tells us these dishes are a few small tweaks away from being the best versions of themselves that they can be.

Show Us Your Dish!

Chris O., whose dish is seen above, went for an "unwrapped wrap" style and opted for eggplant, onion, mushroom, and cherry tomato as their veg of choice.

Chris M. produced this beauty on a gas grill. It took a bit longer, but it was worth the wait!

Two of Robert H.'s dishes side by side in all their charred beauty!

Dave was dedicated to this flatbread, going to four grocery stores to secure the required za'atar. He also recommends sprinkling it on popcorn!

Stay Tuned...

Next month, we'll be celebrating one year of the Cookbook Club with our twelfth recipe to try out in your test kitchens. We've been thinking long and hard about how to make the Cookbook Club a richer and more joyful experience, and as Kenji continues on the march towards cookbook publication, he'll be revisiting earlier recipes and incorporating your feedback and advice. Stay tuned for an official club update soon!

Until then, keep cookin', Cookbook Club!

— Erin & The Cookbook Club Team