Notes about Recipes in this book

• Thin-crust pizza

  • ashallen on January 19, 2020

    Excellent recipe for homemade pizza! I grew up on New Haven pizza and can be pretty picky. This recipe surprised me - I wasn't expecting to make this good a pizza with a regular oven + baking stone. Crust was nicely chewy with a moist interior, crisp exterior, and great dough bubbles on the rim. I only did a 1-day cold-ferment with the dough this time and will try the 3-day next time. Used King Arthur's organic bread flour which we've also enjoyed in other breads. Good quantity of sauce and cheese relative to crust, though my husband preferred a bit more sauce (+ a whole tin of anchovies!) on his pie. [Cross-post for 2011 & 2013 Annual Edition/2011 & 2013 Magazine/Science of Good Cooking/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

  • vegwithtastebuds on March 01, 2023

    The thin crust white pizza sauce and cheese toppings are stellar. Used with a Semolina dough from Beth Hensperger and the combo was delish

• Nut-crusted chicken cutlets with lemon and thyme

  • ashallen on December 20, 2020

    I thought these were very good and my husband loved them. As advertised in the recipe headnotes, the breading has nice crunch, the chicken is moist, and the whole package is nicely seasoned. My cutlets were on the high end of the range called for in the recipe (8 oz) and took 10-20 minutes longer than the time specified in the recipe to hit 160F. There was more than enough flour, crumbs, and egg mixture to coat my large cutlets, so next time I'll try using just 2/3 of the breading ingredients called for. Another note for next time is to avoid spearing the cutlet through the top side when taking its temperature - doing so created a chicken juice upwelling on top of the cutlet, resulting in a soggy patch in the breading. Next time I'll sneak in from the side.

• Spaghetti with lemon and olive oil (Al limone)

  • mama_c on April 12, 2015

    Great recipe. Use any combination of greens, Greek cheeses, labne, onions, garlic, herbs (parsley, mint), eggs, nutmeg. 10 sheets bottom, 8 sheets top, with some hard cheeses sprinkled between last few layers. Sesame seeds on top.

  • TaffyDeb on June 09, 2018

    Very refreshing and great for a warm late Spring-early Summer evening. Would hold up to some addition of peas and red pepper flakes. Perfect proportions for two, the addition of a salad may be necessary if one has been gardening all day.

• Classic gingerbread cake

  • louie734 on March 10, 2014

    Ran out of molasses while making this, so used sorghum syrup for about half the quantity. The cake is truly spicy, and the first one I've made that wasn't so damp that the middle sunk. It's really quite lean, only 1/3 c oil. Served with homemade applesauce rescued from the freezer.

• Peruvian roast chicken with garlic and lime

  • chawkins on October 24, 2012

    Never had Peruvian chicken before, so don't know if this tastes authentic or not. But it is very flavorful even though I only marinated for the minimum amount of time. I did not roast the chicken on a beer can, instead I spatchcocked it and cooked it on the grill

• Baked sole fillets with herbs and bread crumbs

  • emiliang on June 03, 2013

    Made this with frozen flounder from Target and came out EXCEPTIONAL. The rolling technique kept the fish from drying out while sealing in the garlic and herb flavors. Use an instant thermometer, as indicated in the recipe, to determine when the interior is cooked through.

• Sautéed snow peas with ginger, garlic, and scallion

  • ashallen on July 02, 2022

    Very nice basic recipe - straightforward, flavorful, and preserves some of the snow peas' crunch. Easily adjusted to suit preference for more/less garlic, ginger, pepper, etc. Made a 2/3 batch. I used a carbon steel wok instead of the non-stick skillet specified in the recipe. Instructions are optimized for a skillet vs. a wok. Dish still turned out fine in the wok with a few on-the-fly adjustments, but next time I'll try cooking ingredients in the order I usually see for wok-optimized recipes (sizzle aromatics a bit in oil first, then add main ingredient) and see how that goes.

• Fresh strawberry pie

  • mfto on December 30, 2011

    Absolutely the best fresh strawberry pie. A real crowd pleaser.

• Baked pie shell

  • mfto on December 30, 2011

    This is a "sure thing" pie shell using vodka. I make this to go with their Fresh Strawberry Pie. Both recipes are great

• French-style pot-roasted pork loin

  • ashallen on November 04, 2019

    This came out pretty well but not great for me. Unfortunately, I didn't watch the internal temperature closely enough and it went past 140F. The pork loin seemed a bit dry and I'm assuming the higher internal temperature was the cause. Next time I'll watch more carefully! [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Weeknight roast chicken

  • mfto on September 04, 2011

    I have made this several times using around a 3 lb free range chicken with the tarragon pan sauce. I roasted the chicken in my castiron skillet. Easy and good

• Tarragon-lemon pan sauce

  • mfto on September 04, 2011

    I grow tarragon in my garden and fresh tarragon is perfect with chicken. Dried tarragon is not a good substitute IMHO. This is an easy pan sauce.

• Butternut squash soup

  • ashallen on December 04, 2019

    This is a great butternut squash soup and my favorite of the three Cook's Illustrated butternut squash soup recipes I've tried to date. Full-flavored, clear squash flavor, and savory vs. creamy/sweet/pumpkin pie-like. I did not make the suggested fried leeks accompaniment. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Lentil salad with hazelnuts and goat cheese

  • ellabee on April 11, 2014

    Simmered green lentils per usual instead of using CI's hour in the oven; replaced parsley with mint. Nice lunch, and have dressed lentils in fridge for another go. For this and other lentil salads, have reverted to soaking them overnight like other beans before cooking, to avoid unevenly cooked results.

• Cranberry-pecan muffins

  • emiliang on January 06, 2013

    Substituted hazelnut flour for the pecan meal. Much more convenient and I think a better pairing with cranberries. These were the best muffins I've ever baked: delicate crumb with a nutty-tangy flavor.

• Roasted Brussels sprouts

  • ashallen on December 12, 2019

    This is my husband's favorite way to eat Brussels sprouts (I'm not a fan - more for him!). The sprouts both cook through and get caramelized on the outside. My husband likes them to be more tender than they get to be if I follow the recipe, so I now do the under-foil cooking stage at 450F for a longer period of time than specified in the recipe, then remove the foil and turn up the temperature for the last stage. Making a half-batch in an aluminum 9x13 pan has worked well. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Farmhouse vegetable and barley soup

  • ashallen on November 29, 2019

    This was OK - flavors were mild and inoffensive. But overall it was too bland, too starchy, and too beige for us! I used a rich homemade chicken stock. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Ragu alla Bolognese

  • Pastfw on January 02, 2021

    My families favorite bolognese. I leave out the chicken livers. Sometimes I may replace ground veal with extra beef or pork. It is still wonderful. Don’t leave out the mortadella!