• Breadcrumbs on May 27, 2012

  First off, big thanks to the EYB member who indexed this book as it held immediate appeal as I first flipped through it in the book store. I've since flagged almost all the recipes as "must-try"! I've also heard great things about author's restaurant. I'm looking forward to reading of EYB members experiences with this book. I made my first recipe today, the Mini Buffalo Chicken Balls and though the recipe sounded wonderful, it didn't come together as expected per the instructions as the mixture was far too wet and required adjustments. More about that in the recipe review though.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Classic beef meatballs

  • Cheri on January 06, 2013

    These were ok, but not preferred to my tried and true meatball recipe. I omitted the pepper flakes, and found these to be a bit bland. Prefer parm to the ricotta for flavor. Did appreciate the method used here, baking in a pyrex instead of cookie sheet. I would repeat, if I needed to use up some ricotta. These needed 30-32 minutes in my preheated 400 deg. oven. They are a bit fragile.

  • hirsheys on March 18, 2017

    I like these a lot, though not for spaghetti - they make great sandwich meatballs. I think it's the fennel seed - they feel more like sausage.

  • bwhip on December 05, 2020

    We really enjoyed these. Nice and tender, flavorful without being overpowering. We made meatball sandwiches with the classic tomato sauce recipe from the same book, and also served with their Arugula and Apple salad.

• Mini Buffalo chicken balls

  • Breadcrumbs on May 28, 2012

    p. 9 - I honestly couldn’t wait to make this recipe and I made a special trip to a local poultry farmer to get my ground chicken this weekend. Not sure whether my freshly ground chicken was more moist than the norm (it didn’t seem to be) or, whether there may be an issue with this recipe as my mixture was far too wet to form meatballs once all the required ingredients were incorporated. I compensated by adding more breadcrumbs until the mixture was firm enough to hold its shape. Even then, the meatballs did settle on the tray and ended up w flat bottoms. Fortunately this had no detrimental effect on their flavour though as these were wonderful. They tasted just like mild Buffalo wings. We served w some additional Franks and, some blue cheese dip alongside. Yum and I loved that these were a twist on an old favourite. This would make for great party food. Superbowl weekend perhaps? Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/848094#7367320

  • PatFB on February 24, 2022

    I add blue cheese directly in the meatball mix and use sriracha instead of Buffalo wing sauce. Family favorite.

  • CaraGulati on February 13, 2025

    Killer recipe. I added grated carrot instead of celery. Used Franks Buffalo Wing sauce. And accidentally used more butter than the recipe called for. Excellent. This will be at the next party!

• Chicken meatballs

  • tmitra on December 02, 2016

    The version of this recipe that I found online (http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/meatball-shop-chicken-meatballs-article-1.451036) recommends roasting the meatballs for 14 minutes, which worked for me. I would halve the salt next time (1 tablespoon?!), but otherwise, I liked these.

• Fightin' Irish balls

  • twoyolks on March 20, 2016

    These taste exactly like corned beef and cabbage in meatball form (light on the cabbage flavor).

• Viva la Mexico balls

  • twoyolks on March 30, 2016

    These were fine meatballs. The chiles don't really get soft enough and aren't in small enough pieces to really give a chile flavor to the meatballs.

• Jerk chicken balls

  • Breadcrumbs on September 08, 2012

    p. 30 We’re big fans of jerk chicken so needless to say this dish held immediate appeal. This is really a chicken and pork meatball, despite being named otherwise as the recipe calls for 1 lb of each. The recipe comes together in no time with limited chopping require. I only used one Scotch bonnet pepper (the book calls for 2 habanero peppers) and we found the meatballs to be just right. I think 2 would have been too overpowering for our tastes. Even as you stir in the spices and herbs this smells like jerk so it was no surprise that the finished meatballs tasted great and pretty authentic. We liked them on their own and also w a little Jamaican Pick-a-peppa sauce on the side. I’d definitely make them again and I think they’d make for perfect party food. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/866162#7574892

• Steak 'n' bacon cheddar balls

  • Ishie1013 on March 10, 2025

    Hard to know how to rate this because it came together really well but the recipe misses a pretty key step, that of adding the onion and bacon mixture back. I found a similar recipe online, so after you saute it, work the onion bacon mixture back into the meatballs. I did serve it with an egg as suggested, and it was wonderful. Also, it's not listed here, but eggs are also in this recipe as a binder.

• Drunken pork balls

  • stephen_x8p439 on April 27, 2026

    These were very tender and smelled delicious, but I felt the rosemary and sage were very overpowering. There is a lot in the recipe. If I had to do it again I’d hold back on those a little

• Tandoori lamb balls

  • ChrysOrtega on March 29, 2026

    I will make these again, but using beef and pan frying vs oven

• Thai balls

  • danilouis on July 06, 2012

    chop shrimp small. peanut sauce separates. mix in small amt. of water.

• Braised Swiss chard with pesto and lemon

  • EmilyR on September 18, 2018

    Loved this one... I used my own homemade pesto with preserved lemons, pine nuts, kale, spinach, and cheddar parm. Kids even enjoyed it!

• Kabocha squash salad

  • sheepishjen on April 19, 2017

    I really liked this. At first I was hesitant about cooking the squash in boiling water with sugar and salt, since I thought it would be too soft. Not at all. And the salt and sugar made it taste a bit caramelized, which was unexpected, given the cooking method. Don't need all that sherry vinaigrette, though. Can easily halve the recipe for that.