Notes about Recipes in this book

• Triple-play barbecued chicken

  • Aggie92 on May 19, 2016

    Good basic barbecue chicken recipe. Ran out of smoked paprika so I had to use half smoked and half sweet paprika in the rub. I only grilled 4 chicken thighs and it was just barely enough rub. I did like the sauce, especially the hint of lemon. It is mild and not too sweet but it does lack a bit of complexity. Soaked my hickory chips for 30 minutes as indicated in the recipe and just barely got any smoke flavor in the chicken. Next time I won't bother to soak and will use the hickory chips from the beginning of grilling instead of adding them after 10 minutes.

• Marinated portabello mushrooms with Asiago

  • Aggie92 on July 14, 2015

    Excellent marinade for the mushrooms. I wound up marinating them for closer to an hour, since the husband decided it was time to mow the lawn just as I was starting to get dinner prepped. The mushrooms were a little over-marinated but still delicious. Skipped the cheese and breadcrumb topping, in the interest of saving a few calories.

• Garlic-crusted rib-eye steaks with grilled broccolini

  • EdM on May 04, 2017

    Steaks 4 stars, grilled broccolini 3 stars. Steaks wet garlic rub can be parsley, thyme, or combo.

• Tandoori chicken breasts with mango-mint chutney

  • FJT on July 02, 2022

    I didn’t make the chutney as I didn’t have any mangoes, just the chicken. Left it to marinade for about 5 hours. Very tasty and the chicken breasts didn’t dry out on the barbecue. Will make again, possibly even with the chutney!

• Jerk chicken skewers with honey-lime cream

  • Delys77 on July 04, 2012

    Pg 143 This dish has a lot of potential. I wasn't able to find any scotch bonnet so I went with serrano (2) and the result was a little tame. I think the recipe inclues the lime cream to tame the heat of the chicken but since it wasn't super spicy I found the lime cream a little too sweet due to the honey in it. I would try to use scotch bonnet next time, and should those not be available I would go with 4 serrano. Also, even with the heat I would cut back the honey in the cream a little. The technique of cutting the chicken in strips made for a very nice presentation. Great bbq dish!

• Cider-simmered brats with apples and onions

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Great little hot dog with nice apple flavour from the simmering liquid and a nice mustard based sauce. The brats are really brought out by the simmer and then grill technique.

• California burgers with guacamole mayonnaise

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The guacamole mayo is very tasty but go a little easier on the lime. The poblanos are a very nice addition to the patties. Great little burger but maybe butter your buns.

• Brie and shallot Parisian burgers

  • Delys77 on July 09, 2012

    Pg. 38 Shallots, BBQ, cheese, and beef, how can you go wrong. The inside out cheese method worked great, yielding a juicy yet creamy amd rich stuffed party. All this with a very modest amount of brie (I used Camembert). The shallots and mustard make for a great topping, especially with a little mayo added. My only modification was to season a little more heavily.

• Sirloin steak paillards

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Overall the flavour isn't bad but the recipe is a bit muddled. I don't really see the advantage of flattening the strip steak in less you are seriously pressed for cooking time. It is thin enough that you seriously risk over cooking while just searing the outside. The sauce is flavorful but I added pepper and a little milk yo thin. I think the Brie is lst on this as it really doesn't add much and gets overpowered by the sauce. Finally you grilled the onion as raw onion was just unappealing. You might be able to get some ideas from this recipe but as is it is a flawed recipe.

• Rib-eye steaks with espresso-chilli rub

  • Delys77 on July 14, 2012

    Pg 53 We generally like our steaks closer to rare, which in the case of a boneless rib eye should take about 4 to 5 minutes total. the rub is pretty good but I do find the crust on the steak a tiny bit gritty. Overall pretty good but not a likely repeat.

• Rib-eye steaks with pan-roasted chilli salsa

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The rub is so simple and great and the salsa has a fabulous smokie flavour. If you can't find the chili you can leave it out.

• Porterhouse steaks with red wine-shallot butter

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This was good but the proportions for the butter are a bit off as there isn't enough acid in this one. Use julias or bourdains version.

• Skirt steaks with red potatoes and feta

  • Delys77 on July 22, 2012

    Pg 56 The potatoes were the standout here. I used a cast iron pan and the high heat browned and melted the cheese all over the crispy potatoes, really tasty with a touch of bright freshness from the parsley. The steak rub was nice and simple and yielded pretty good results on a flank steak, but my challenge was that I'm grilling on charcoal and because of the long cook on the potatoes my steak didn't sear as well as I would have liked because my fire had burned down some. Might do to be more careful of this in the future. Also as with any finely sliced steak it is very important to heat your plates as the steak will cool very quickly. Served with grilled asparagus which cooked while the steak rested.

• Carne asada with black bean and avocado salsa

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    I ended up using flank steak instead of skirt steak, so it took a little longer to cook but was very very good. Great flavour on the steak and the salsa. Served with the green rice from rebar, but you could go with a veg instead. very nice

• Sesame-ginger flank steak with asparagus and gomashio

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    If you have the time to marinade this is a simple to assemble but flavorful recipe. The sesame Gomashio is interesting but it isn't really the highlight of the recipe. Keep a bit of the marinade aside to use as a sauce to pass at table.

• Lamb souvlaki with cucumber-yogurt sauce

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Forgot to make the tzatziki so it is tough to rate this recipe but overall the lamb and veg were good, with a great little marinade. Try and buy or cut the lamb to avoid sinew.

• Lamb chops in Uzbek marinade

  • Delys77 on August 06, 2013

    These were delicious. The marinade is lovely, make sure you go with the full 5 hours though as you need it. The 8 minutes for the 1.5 inch chops was good for medium rare. I was worried they would overcook but they didn't. Also, once you have removed from the marinade salt them for a bit while they come to room temperature.

• Korean beef barbecue

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The marinade for these was delicious but overall the dish is just good since the texture of the ribs leaves something to be desired.

• Roasted peppers, grilled onions, and feta cheese salad

  • Delys77 on August 26, 2014

    This was a great salad. I went with cashews as a substitute and these worked just fine. I thought the vinaigrette paired very well with the peppery arugula and the sweet onion/roasted pepper. All of it accented with the briny feta. Lovely!

• Lemon broccoli

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This is ok but you need to up the lemon a bit. Not convinced by the smokiness of the bacon

• Vegetable sandwiches with sun-dried tomato spread

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The sun dried tomato sauce is great, cuts through the super flavour of the grilled veggies. Be careful not too over grill.

• Persian chicken kabobs

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Great flavour from the onion, oregano, and lemon, but nothing about this is particularly Persian. It is essentially a variation on souvlaki

• Chicken and vegetable quesadillas with guacamole

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The stuffing is excellent but you used corn tortillas and they were a bit dry. With large flower tortillas it would be better. Also you could do everything on the grill but maybe do the actual final cooking with the tortilla in the Forman.

• Nutmeg chicken under a cast-iron frying pan

  • Delys77 on September 10, 2012

    A very interesting technique. I believe the process is referred to as spatchcocking, and it was my first time doing so. Getting the breast bone out required a little more fiddling than the book suggests but it wasn't too difficult once I used my knife. I did cut back on the nutmeg a little (about 2 tsp) and I still think it was a little too much. The flavour was nice, but the nutmeg verged on the overpowering. I might try this technique with other flavourings such as a pesto, or perhaps herbs and sundried tomatoes. Overall a good technique

• Juicy prawns with roasted chilli and avocado sauce

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Absolutely delcious sauce with the richness of the avocado and the smoke of the roasted chiles, just great.

• Ginger and lime-glazed corn on the cob

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The glaze is too subdued, you would need to double the lime and ginger and cut the chicken stock. Also the texture was very mealy, not sure if this was the corn or the technique. The roasted corn in the quesadilla from this book was good so it might be worthwhile to try again, or look for variations.

• Marinated baby pak choi and shiitakes

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The marinade is very nice but ends up getting a bit lost on the Bok choy. Another issue is that by the time the centre is cooked through the leaves are burnt.

• Asian rub

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This isn't bad but doesn't necessarily add much to the steak. Maybe on pork.

• Pork fillets with smoked paprika rouille

  • vhague on April 07, 2014

    This was excellent. The rouille gave a very good, smoky flavor to the meat without being too overpowering. It is a "little" spicy but very manageable. I had to add nearly 1/4 c of chicken broth to thin out the sauce, and be careful as the sauce recipe makes approximately 2 cups.

• Oak-smoked boneless rib roast with Shiraz sauce

  • TrumpPix on September 06, 2014

    Prime Rib page 91 very good