Notes about Recipes in this book

• Pan-seared chicken breasts

  • ashallen on August 03, 2019

    Excellent recipe - these are the best pan-cooked boneless chicken breasts I've ever made. The flavor reminded me a bit of the excellent bone-in sautéed chicken pieces recipe from Julia Child's The Way to Cook and the meat stayed moist(!). It was good to have the digital thermometer handy to be able to follow the cooking temperature guidance in the recipe - my cooking times at each step ended up being longer than those noted in the recipe. Also, like a lot of recipes for pan-seared meat, there was spatter - I cooked it outside on the grill side burner to take care of that. Leftovers kept well. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Spicy Mexican shredded pork tostadas (Tinga)

  • Miquette on January 12, 2013

    These are soooo good that we've been making them about once a month! Friends request that we invite them over specifically for tinga tacos. I replace the water with beef broth for the braise. Make sure you use good-quality chipotle powder!

• Beef Stroganoff

  • ashallen on October 12, 2019

    Tender beef morsels in a deliciously creamy sauce - this was great. I did make the effort to track down the bavette/flap meat cut specified as the first choice for the recipe - it was available only from a specialty butcher in my area. On the positive side, the meat was really high-quality and so delicious after the initial searing that I felt bit bad eating it with the creamy sauce which mellowed the beef flavor!! Overall the sauce had good flavor - I did find the tomato paste to be a bit distracting in terms of both flavor and color (made the sauce kind of pink) - I'll try leaving it out/cutting down the quantity next time. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/ Magazine/ Science of Good Cooking/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Creamy leek-potato soup

  • mfto on June 26, 2011

    This is very good but a light soup so would be best as a first course.

• Chewy brownies

  • aileent1 on January 31, 2020

    My kids say these are the best brownies they've ever eaten.

• Classic bread pudding

  • ashallen on February 24, 2021

    Excellent recipe. Crispy-sugary on top and soft and custardy below. I really liked how it didn't have any of the "eggy" flavor I've sometimes gotten from bread puddings made with whole eggs. Made a half-batch in an 8-inch square Pyrex dish and it needed 5-10 minutes less than the stated baking time for a full-size pudding. I overcooked it a bit (got up to 180F in center) but that didn't seem to harm it at all. Used a homemade challah we love - that probably helped with the deliciousness factor. It's rich and flavorful on its own, so it was great even without the suggested sauce or whipped cream.

• Pecan bread pudding with bourbon and orange

  • ashallen on February 15, 2021

    I love this basic bread pudding recipe. It comes out lightly crispy on top and soft and custardy below. Since it uses only egg yolks, there's no "eggy" flavor as I've sometimes gotten from recipes using whole eggs. I used a homemade challah that we love and I think that boosts the deliciousness factor. Making a half batch in an 8x8-inch Pyrex dish worked well and required the same baking time as a full batch. While the orange and pecan flavors in this version were nice, they were also a bit tannic (maybe it was my pecans?). I like the "rum raisin" version better, but this is a nice option for those who like a less-sweet pudding.

• Rum raisin bread pudding with cinnamon

  • ashallen on January 23, 2021

    Really delicious. Maybe my expectations for bread pudding were too low, but this one launched me into a blissful reverie after eating a chunk warm from the oven. Crispy-sugary on top and soft and custardy below. I really liked how it didn't have any of the "eggy" flavor I've sometimes gotten from bread puddings made with whole eggs. Made a half-batch in an 8-inch square Pyrex dish. Used a homemade challah we love - that probably helped with the deliciousness factor. Rum would have been great but we were out - I subbed cognac and that worked fine. It's pretty rich and sweet on its own, so it was great even without the suggested sauce or whipped cream.