Today we’re back in the kitchen with my weekly Marley Spoon subscription box. If you’d like to try it out yourself, use the coupon code COOKSMART for $30 off.
My meal plan is for a weekly delivery of 2 meals (2 portions each), which costs $48.
Savory Leek & Cabbage Tart with Cheese and Arugula Salad
I’ve never made a savory tart with puff pastry so I had to give this one a try.
Our usual fresh ingredients:
The recipe isn’t too difficult but it does have quite a few steps – mostly involving the pastry.
First you prep the pastry by rolling it out and scoring the edges.
Then you spread Dijon mustard over it and sprinkle it with grated Parmesan, then par-bake it.
While that goes down you clean the leeks and cabbage, chop them up and give them a sauté.
Next you spread the leek cabbage mixture over the tart and bake.
While that goes down you cut up the brie and make the arugula salad.
After the tart is finished you top it with the cheese and let it melt.
When all is said and done, you have this gorgeousness:
Taste: Love!
This box arrived right before Easter weekend so I thought I’d make this as part of my contribution to dinner. It was tasty, light and perfectly suited for Spring. The richness of the brie paired perfectly with the light pastry and roasted veggies. The arugula salad was simple and a nice compliment. This is definitely one of my favorite Marley Spoon recipes.
Portion Size: Huge
Good for Entertaining?: Absolutely. I would definitely make this again. It’s perfect for a ladies who lunch type of event – like a garden party, tea, baby or bridal shower. I’d serve this alongside a fancy chicken salad with a spiked fruity iced tea. Dessert would include fruit salad and adorable petite fours.
Lamb & Spicy Sweet Potatoes with Lime Yogurt
I love lamb and Marley Spoon always sends amazing meat so this one was a no brainer.
More fresh ingredients:
So the first step is to cut up the sweet potatoes, toss them with olive oil, crushed red pepper and salt, then roast them. This endeavor makes me realize that I need to sharpen my knives posthaste. Once I butcher, uh, cut the potatoes and get them in the oven, I move on to making the yogurt sauce.
It combines cilantro, lime zest and juice, plus salt & pepper.
We sear the steak and finish it off with some scallions.
Then we slice up the steak, pile it on the plate over some yogurt sauce and drape the scallions on the side. Then we have this:
Taste: Great with a few tweaks
I really liked the flavor of the yogurt sauce and the lamb. Marley spoon included 3 packets of crushed red pepper which seems like a mistake. I only used two packets, but that was still overpowering. I like spicy foods, but I don’t think the red pepper flake works in this case. I’d use a finer spice that can more evenly coat the potatoes. The scallions taste good but are slightly awkward to eat.
Portion Size: Good
Good for Entertaining?: Yes for a dinner party menu but with a few small tweaks. I’d season the sweet potatoes with chipotle powder, smoked paprika and the tiniest bit of cinnamon. I’d also slice the scallions at least in half before serving. For this menu, I’d serve some fig & blue cheese tarts with honey as a starter and red wine sangria as the cocktail. Dessert would feature cinnamon and I’d probably go with an fresh apple cake topped with cinnamon frosting.
OVERALL
Verdict: Love!
Both these recipes were tasty and while the tart had a few steps they were straightforward. I felt like I got some great new culinary ideas from this box which one of my goals for this subscription. This one was definitely a win!
Have you ever tried a fresh meal subscription service? If so, what did you think?
THE BACKSTORY
Marley Spoon creates delicious, easy to follow recipes.
They deliver fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and you select your recipes from their changing weekly menu.
They are dedicated to sourcing organic and sustainable whenever possible. Building relationships with environmentally aware farms and producers ensures that the highest quality ingredients arrive at your door each week.
Using trusted delivery partners, your Marley Spoon boxes come insulated and chilled, staying cool for 30 hours! After delivery, all the ingredients are guaranteed to stay fresh for up to 4 days – allowing you to decide when to cook.
Marley’s Spoon donates any leftover ingredients to City Harvest. City Harvest exists to end hunger in communities throughout New York City through food rescue and distribution, education, and other practical, innovative solutions.
Each week you’ll automatically receive great dishes, but as a flexible subscription, you can skip a week or pause your subscription anytime. You can also change delivery frequency, recipes, and the number of portions you’d like to receive.
Marley’ Spoon delivers to the mid Atlantic and New England regions: most of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.
Monthly Cost:
Varies by number of servings and number of meals.
Check here for the configuration of your choice
COUPON CODE: COOKSMART
Lisa Preziosi 