• Julia on June 06, 2011

  A gorgeous book that I don't find particularily approachable or relate to locally for cooking here in the midwest.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Herb gougères [Elizabeth Prueitt]

  • CGNE on October 18, 2011

    Too much liquid...collapsed. Didn't work. Sally LaRhette

  • sallylarhette on October 18, 2011

    The gougere recipe is correct according to the author,whom I contacted. She graciously returned my message and said it was corrrect. In another book, her same recipe had less cheese and a littleless licquid. Even after three days in the refrigerator, I could not obtain much puff. It could be in her kitchen, her stoves and pans, the paste dried out a lot quicker than usual in a home kitchen.

• Flint corn polenta cakes with heirloom tomato salsa [Greg Higgins]

  • CGNE on September 11, 2011

    Altered the recipe a little but overall loved this dish. The polenta does need the prescribed time to chill otherwise it's hard to saute the cakes without them falling apart.

  • CGNE on October 04, 2011

    This is a fabulous starter course -- my son says it gets a 10 (out of 10)! With the last of the heirloom tomatoes and all the various peppers in the market, it turned out to be a beautifully colorful, crunchy and tasty salsa. I followed the polenta recipe, but in my 8 x 8 pan, the cake was only 1/2" thick. It was delicious, but would be better 3/4" thick as the recipe states. Note that the polenta needs to chill for 3 hours -- mine was solid enough to cut and saute in nice squares. Linda

• Dandelion tart with sheep's milk ricotta and grappa-soaked golden raisins [Naomi Pomeroy]

  • CGNE on October 16, 2011

    I couldn't find sheep milk ricotta and substituted sheep milk yogurt. I made this twice -- with and without the pancetta (for a vegetarian). I also decreased the amount of butter in the pastry the 2nd time. Turned out great either way. Both versions were delicious as a 1st course and friends and family said this is a "keeper". Linda Sultan

• Burrata with speck, peas, and mint [Nancy Silverton]

  • CGNE on October 04, 2011

    Hi All--I would like to make this salad for our pot luck. I live two blocks from Formaggio (in Cambridge) and I know I can get good speck and burata. It's the wrong season for fresh peas so I thought I would use pea tendrils instead. There is a farmer in Westport, MA who grows pea tendrils in a greenhouse. They are absolutely delicious and taste of peas and have a substantial quality but are tender, I think they would be a great substitute. I can get some the previous weekend. We have mint in our garden. See you all soon. Judy Kramer

• Chopped salad with corn vinaigrette and frico cheese crisps [Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson]

  • jen_psw6bm on April 07, 2026

    Frico crisps were awesome. Loved the whole salad. Will say that it was very vinagery so I added a little bit of honey.

• Chilled tomato soup with aged feta and olives [Daniel Boulud]

  • CGNE on March 16, 2012

    Tomato Soup, being a steady favorite, I found this recipe to be wonderful. The best ingredients available , is easier on the cook! five stars sally larhette

• Chilled cucumber-yogurt soup with candied fennel and lemon gelée [Michael Psilakis]

  • CGNE on August 26, 2011

    Not clear why half of the cucumbers are left unpeeled! Anybody have a guess?

• Braised short ribs with red wine [David Shea]

  • kbrooks on April 28, 2025

    Takes time and effort. The result is well worth it! Very flavorful and hearty. Says serves 6,but really serves 4.

• Pork osso buco with wild mushrooms and almond piccata [Peter Hoffman]

  • meggan on October 02, 2020

    I used instantpot for the initial stages. Unfortunately I did not cook the mushrooms enough at the end. Husband said it was "too rich" but he is weird.

• Roasted lamb loin with yogurt eggplant purée and merguez sausage [Jason Franey]

  • CGNE on October 16, 2011

    This is an incredibly sophisticated meal and we loved the flavors. I didn't make the merquez sausages -- didn't have the time. It might be a nice addition, but the lamb cooked this way with the double purees was outstanding. We thought the leftover eggplant puree makes a great appetizer served on crackers and is much lighter than baba ganoush. A+ recipe. Linda Sultan

• Bison pastrami "hash" with fingerling potatoes, fried eggs, and grilled bread [Michael Paley]

  • kbrooks on April 28, 2025

    Made this with beef pastrami as bison was unavailable. Used 4 cups of pastrami instead of 3 for a better ratio of meat to potatoes. Brown the potatoes really well before adding the rest of the ingredients. Didn't have pickled ramps,but made the pickled onions recipe in the Zuni Cafe Cookbook and that worked well. This is an outstanding dish!

• Chicken pot pie [Derek Wagner]

  • CGNE on October 02, 2011

    More like a stew than a pot pie. It was tasty, but I make something similiar that is better. The amounts in the recipe are a bit off- 1 carrot and 1 potato for a dish that serves 6? 2c peas and 6 shallots? Also, using chicken with bones in a pot pie? I 'lightened' the recipe with good results- Can replace heavy cream with light or half and half (increase cornstarch to 2 Tb). I increase the carrots (4), reduced the peas (1c), more mushrooms, add celery (2-3), I used 3 large shallots (but would use pearl onions next time). I used boneless skinless breasts (4 lg)- who wants bones in their pot pie?! Enough for 6- with my changes nutrition is 355c/serving w/o biscuit. For biscuits you can reduce butter to 5Tb, omit salt if using salted butter. No need to roll out the biscuits, can make 'drop' biscuits instead. Nutrition for 6 large biscuits is 250c with changes.

• Sautéed shrimp and hazelnut romesco [Vitaly Paley]

  • CGNE on October 04, 2011

    This is super simple and absolutely delicious! I've made romesco sauce before with almonds -- this is by far a more delicious recipe and against the simple sauteed shrimp, it's a winner! Everyone would love this dish. Linda

• Crème fraîche galette with heirloom tomatoes [Naomi Pomeroy]

  • tracyfox on November 08, 2012

    Super simple way to showcase your best heirloom tomatoes. Creme fraiche dough is very tender, but the recipe was just as good with a standard butter-flour crust. Manchego was an excellent choice, but so was asiago and so was gruyere. Made this several times over the summer.

• Sweet potato gnocchi with braised plums and crumbly blue cheese [Eric Warnstedt]

  • tracyfox on November 08, 2012

    Unusual recipe. Directions for the sweet potato gnocchi were perfect and using a food mill, turned out perfectly. The rich, almost sweet plum sauce paired well with the blue cheese and gnocchi. In our opinion, this was better in a very small portion. Served on its own with a salad it was a bit over the top. Liked it much better paired with rosemary roast chicken and a very simple salad of arugula and walnuts.

• Tacos with greens and seared onions [Rick Bayless]

  • tracyfox on November 08, 2012

    Really great alternative to meat-filled tacos. Tried this once wtih lamb's quarters and once with baby Red Russian kale. Both times I used fresh oysters instead of shitakes but I think either mushroom would work well. Simple tomatillo sauce is the perfect accompaniment.

• Roasted beets with mint [Bill Taibe]

  • kbrooks on May 02, 2026

    The flavors just don't work for us.

• Sweet corn sformato [Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson]

  • CGNE on September 11, 2011

    Delicious and a very rich. Definitely needs the cheese sauce for flavor. Used 3 ears of corn instead of 2. Would make this again.

  • kbrooks on April 28, 2025

    Like CGNE I used 3 ears of corn. Very rich and very good. Grana padano or parmesan reggiano cheese would also work.

• Brussels sprouts with brown butter, bacon, and sage [Brain Lewis]

  • kbrooks on April 28, 2025

    Delicious. Added a touch of maple syrup.

• Sweet potatoes with corn, Swiss chard, and caramelized onions [Rick Bayless]

  • CGNE on October 16, 2011

    This is a very hearty dish -- seems like a good cold weather "stew" or a great side dish. The guajillo peppers are delicious and next time I'll double the amount to give even more flavor. Super healthy meal. Linda Sultan

• Braised new potatoes with mustard and leeks [Paul Virant]

  • meggan on October 28, 2024

    My potatoes tool much longer to cook through than the 10 minutes. Might be better to finish in the oven.

• Goat cheese and chive hash browns [Gale Gand]

  • kbrooks on April 28, 2025

    Not a keeper.

• Strawberry cheesecake with balsamic-roasted strawberries [Johnny Iuzzini]

  • CGNE on October 09, 2011

    Good flavor, nice crust. Because it is a 'no bake' cheesecake the texture is a bit gelatinous- it is not a traditional heavy dense cheesecake. The roasted balsamic strawberries are a nice touch. Instructions need to be altered: Make the crust first, while it is chilling make the filling. If the cream cheese mixture doesn't become smooth blend in the food processor. Bring the crust up only halfway, not to the top- trim if necessary. I'd use an 8" pan next time. Everyone liked it.

• Goat cheese panna cotta with caramelized figs [Gale Gand]

  • CGNE on October 16, 2011

    Delicious, delicious, delicious. This was incredibly easy to make and the results are outstanding. I used slightly less heavy cream and a little more buttermilk to lighten it up. The goat cheese is very subtle -- it tastes heavenly. I didn't have individual ramekins, so I made it in a souffle dish and scooped servings onto plates. Not as pretty, but with the figs on top, it was still very visually appealing. Linda Sultan

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