There was a time when Sonja and Alex Overhiser thought of cooking as just one of many daily chores—necessary but utilitarian on par, say, with laundry or taking out the trash. But then they discovered that cooking could be fun when done together, first just the two of them and now with the addition of their young children.
This realization started an evolution where sourcing ingredients and preparing meals went from drudgery to companionship and then morphing into developing recipes and what became their vocation with the success of their International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) award-winning blog, A Couple Cooks. Now they also have their very popular social media sites including Instagram with its 108,000 followers and Pinterest (96,000 followers). Recently, the two have released their second cookbook, a beautiful glossy tome titled A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together (Chronicle Books 2004; $40).
“This collection is for any pair sharing the kitchen, whether you’re newlyweds, partners, couples with kids, empty nesters, family members, or friends,” the Overhisers write in their book. “The recipes span all of life’s occasions, from a dinner date to an artisan bread baking project to a big table of friends and family. Each one is designed for two cooks, by two cooks.”
For them, cooking isn’t just a way to get food on the table, it’s a process to be savored and enjoyed, a way to create memories while working together chopping vegetables, stirring pots of sauce, assembling casseroles, or just waiting for bread dough to rise.
Their recipes span numerous occasions with chapter titles such as Mornings, Drinks, Sweets, Sides, Gatherings, and Just for Two. The first chapter of the book, Everyday Dinners, features four-serving recipes that were created to be used repeatedly, making them perfect for busy times. And write the Overhisers, if you’re a two-person household, you’re in luck because the extra leftovers can be used for lunch or another dinner.
The photos that accompany each recipe are lush and the dishes themselves easy to make. But to help readers who aren’t familiar with spending time together in the kitchen, they also suggest ten recipes that are perfect for beginners including Salmon Piccata, Banana Baked Oatmeal with Maple Tahini Drizzle, Warm Goat Cheese with Jam, and Glazed Applesauce Spice Cake.
There are suggestions for wine pairings, storage, assigning cooking roles, and building the perfect meal. Each recipe also notes whether it meets certain dietary requirements such as gluten-free, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan. Also, helpfully, the recipes are often adaptable as the authors explain how to tinker with such dishes as their Lemony Orzo Skillet with Chickpeas & Broccoli which can become vegan by omitting the Parmesan shavings and using their Lemon Tahini Sauce instead.
User tips show how to plan a dinner party, setting up a bar cart, essential kitchen gear, growing fresh herbs, styling attractive table settings, and even planning a date night in.
In keeping with the Overhiser’s emphasis on user-friendly, they show how to increase the serving size of recipes expanding their recipe for Chocolate Ganache Tart for Two to one that can be served as a party dish and, if vegan friends are coming over, how to substitute coconut milk for the heavy cream and dairy-free dark chocolate for regular dark chocolate.
Note, even though this book is designed to be used by two, it can also be used by just one person as well without any fuss or big changes.
Blistered Green Bean Almondine
Our secret to green beans: blister them in the broiler instead of the stovetop or the oven. It’s fast and easy and adds a charred finish to the tender beans. Even better, they maintain their brilliant bright green color.
Combine the tender, charred beans with nutty toasted almonds, butter, and garlic, and it’s enough to make this side dish take over as star of the plate. Nutmeg adds a floral complexity as a finishing touch—don’t leave it out!
SERVES 4
- 1 lb [455 g] green beans, trimmed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup [25 g] sliced almonds
- 1 Tbsp salted butter
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- Freshly grated whole nutmeg, or 1 pinch ground nutmeg (see Tips)
Heat the broiler to high heat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add the green beans, olive oil, and kosher salt and toss with your hands until evenly coated. Spread the beans into a single layer.
Broil, removing the pan from the oven and stirring every few minutes, until all the beans are tender and charred, 7 to 12 minutes. Check often, since each broiler is different (see Tips).
In a large dry skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds until they start to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and turn off the heat. In the same skillet with no heat, melt the butter, then add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute (the residual heat from the pan cooks the garlic).
Return the toasted almonds to the skillet with the garlic butter, add the broiled green beans, and toss to combine. Finish with a few grates of nutmeg from a whole nutmeg. Taste and add more salt if desired. Serve immediately.
Tips
All broilers work differently; some may cook much faster than others. The first time you make this recipe, check early and often.
Use a microplane grater to add a hint of fresh grated nutmeg to add a unique, heightened element. Otherwise, ground nutmeg works as a substitute.
Haricots verts or French green beans also work here. Since they are thinner, cut the cooking time by half and cook until browned.
For Vegan
Substitute olive oil for the butter.
Storage
Leftovers will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 days; reheat in a skillet before serving.
Sweet Heat Salmon
SERVES 2
One taste of this thick, glossy sauce and you’ll want to drizzle it on everything. This quick salmon is great for spicing up date night— although we make it on the regular because it’s just that good. Stir up the sauce, pop the salmon in the broiler for 10 minutes, then brush with more of that luscious glaze before serving.
If you can handle the heat, feel free to add more hot sauce; this recipe comes out mildly spicy as written.
- Two 6 oz [170 g] salmon fillets, skin on, about 1½ in [4 cm] thick
- 2 Tbsp salted butter
- ½ Tbsp Louisiana- or picante-style hot sauce (such as Valentina, Cholula, Tabasco, or Frank’s) (see Tips)
- ½ Tbsp sriracha
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ tsp soy sauce or tamari
- Minced chives, or green onion tops, for garnishing
Allow the salmon to come to room temperature, about 20 minutes (see Tips).
In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then stir in the hot sauce, sriracha, honey, and soy sauce. Taste and add additional hot sauce if desired. Pour half of the sauce into a small bowl.
Preheat the broiler to high.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly oil it. Put the salmon on the foil skin side down and sprinkle it with several pinches of kosher salt. Brush the top and sides of the salmon with half of the glaze.
Broil the salmon until just tender and pink at the center, 7 to 10 minutes (thinner salmon will need only 4 to 5 minutes). The internal temperature should reach at least 125°F to 130°F [50°C to 55°C] when measured with a food thermometer at the thickest point.
Remove from the oven and brush with the reserved half of the glaze. Garnish with chives and serve.
Tips
This recipe has a mild-to-medium heat level; increase the hot sauce to your liking to make a spicier dish. Keep in mind that the final dish will taste less spicy than a taste of the sauce directly from a spoon.
It’s important to bring the salmon to room temperature for even cooking in the broiler. If the fish is too cold, it can blacken on the outside without fully cooking through on the inside.
Repurpose this dish as a salmon salad:
Flake the cooked salmon and use it to top chopped romaine with tomatoes, croutons, and Creamy Parmesan Dressing.
Wine Pairing
A dry Riesling is the perfect match for this dish. Its crisp acidity and subtle minerality balance the spicy sweetness of the sauce. For a nonalcoholic pairing, try a zero-proof Riesling (we like Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Riesling).
Cooking Together
Make a side dish together while the salmon comes to room temperature, then one of you can whip up the sauce while the other prepares and broils the salmon.
For Gluten-Free
Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
For Dairy-Free
Use vegan or dairy-free butter.
Storage
Leftovers will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
Excerpted from A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together by Sonja Overhiser and Alex Overhiser, © 2024. Published by Chronicle Books. Photographs © Shelly Westerhausen Worcel.
For more information, follow the Overhisers at @acouplecooks and acouplecooks.com.
