Fancy Feast: It’s Not Just for Felines, Anymore

So, ah, Fancy Feast, the well-known cat food brand from Purina, has released Petite Feast. It’s a cookbook for humans, “inspired by the Petites cat food line of elevated flavor options and the small plate trend,” that will “allow cat owners to take part in the dining experience with their cats.”

The illustrated collection contains 12 recipes, it’s available online for free, and it’s … well, it’s pretty damned good, actually.

No, srsly.

It doesn’t hurt – from anyone’s perspective – that the recipes were carefully crafted by Fancy Feast's in-house chef, Amanda Hassner, along with guest additions from James Beard Award nominee Jerrelle Guy and that thespian baker Josh Snyder.

It doesn’t hurt – from your reporter’s perspective – which is to say, from the perspective of a man who, when he was but a lad, was a card-carrying member of the Morris the Cat fan club – that it has to do with cats.

Okay?

I mean: Fuck you, dog people.

At cafes and gastropubs and casual restaurants across the country, probably across the world – and, eventually, on Mars, after Elon and Grimes move there with their kid X Æ A-XII and their Rottweiler √(−1) – it’s all about the dog-friendly patio or whatever, isn’t it?

There’s always some big goofy “Doggos Are Totally Welcome Here” sign at these places, heartily encouraging attendance by even the least behaved, most incontinent of canines … while our beloved feline companions have to remain confined at home, attending to their relentless chores of 1) napping like they’ve already been dead for a week, 2) shredding any curtains or upholstery softer than, say, vibranium, and 3) emitting enough pelt in an hour to provide wigs for an entire herd of woolly mammoths and whichever Eighties hair band is currently planning a reunion tour.

But now, at long last, the tables are turned!

Now you and your favorite cat(s) can enjoy complementary meals together, right in the comfort of your own home, using recipes from the new Petite Feast cookbook.

Yes, the link to it was offered at the very beginning of this post, so you can grab the whole thing for yourself; but we’ll share our favorite recipe from the book right here:

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Salmon Cannellini Cakes with Lime Cilantro Remoulade

INGREDIENTS

For the remoulade:

1 small shallot, minced
Zest and juice from one lime
1 tablespoon pepperoncini, minced
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

For the salmon cakes:

Six-ounce salmon filet
1 cup cooked or canned cannellini beans
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh-ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

For the remoulade:

Combine shallot, lime zest and juice, and pepperoncini in a bowl. Let sit 15 minutes while you prepare the salmon cakes. Right before serving, stir in the mayonnaise and cilantro.

For the salmon cakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a cutting board, run a knife through the salmon filet until it’s coarsely ground. In a bowl, mash the beans with a fork or potato masher or, what the hell, use your hands.

Add the fish, Dijon mustard, salt, and some pepper to the beans and stir until fully combined.

Form that combination into small cakes (approx 4-6) and place on a greased sheet pan.

Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes or until the cakes have an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Serve cakes with remoulade. Garnish with a slice of lime.