• lissabeebe on January 29, 2025

  I cook from this book regularly. I’ve owned it since the year it was published. I own hundreds of cookbooks and this one remains firmly on the “often referenced“ bookshelf. Dorie’s recipes are the gold standard. You can’t go wrong with this cookbook.

• Foodelf on January 13, 2013

  I made Braised Cardamom-Curry Lamb which was a big hit at my house. This is one of those recipes that you may take in several directions. It can be a little spicier (although, the complex flavour hits from the cardamom & curry are lovely), it can be fruitier depending on the type and quantity of apples and/or figs. This one will be added to my favourites.

• Julia on June 06, 2011

  What a gorgeous book and very "cookable". Try the Chicken, Apples and Cream a la Normande, delish on a cool fall eve, pg. 218 or the M. Jacques' Armagnac Chicken pg 204 also delish. I'm looking forward to delving further into this book.

• Breadcrumbs on June 04, 2011

  Rec'd this book as a gift and came to appreciate it when it was selected as Cookbook of the Month on Chowhound. Most of the dishes I tried from this book were terrific and overall, the book exceeded my expectations. Recipes produced beautiful, tasty food that everyone enjoyed. I'd happily recommend this book to anyone looking for a reliable book of tried and true recipes.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Gougères

  • JoanN on February 25, 2011

    One of the best gougeres recipes yet; even better than Zuni.

  • mirage on March 16, 2011

    Light texture. I prefer The French Laundry, I think.

  • smtucker on March 16, 2012

    Please note that this recipe calls for cheese in addition to the mentioned ingredients. Just pulled some out of the freezer (they have been there for at least four months) and they cooked up perfectly!

  • chawkins on March 18, 2013

    Excellent. Light and airy and cheesy. I was trying to minimize the number of dirty bowls so I tried to hand whisk in the pot, as I usually did for my cream puff pate a choux, but this made more dough than my cream puff recipe, after 3 eggs, I had to enlist the help of my husband. Next time, I'll use the alternate method of whisking the eggs in in the stand mixer.

  • stockholm28 on April 20, 2014

    This was the first time I have tried making gougeres. I had no idea that they were so easy. These were excellent. I froze them and they cooked fine. I needed to cook them about five minutes longer than the recipe indicated.

  • Bloominanglophile on October 22, 2015

    I made these to bring to an informal neighborhood meet and greet. They tasted fine, but unfortunately they didn't look too impressive (didn't puff as well as they should have). I think our high altitude is to blame, and I need to do some research on altering recipes that rely solely on eggs as the rising agent. Therefore I won't give the recipe a star rating yet.

  • Yildiz100 on November 25, 2016

    So delicious. Next time I will try with an extra sharp cheddar, or maybe a mixture, to get a tangier taste.

  • Jviney on April 17, 2018

    These blew my mind when I first made them. I studied in Dijon, France in my college years, and one bite of these took me right back. Excellent.

  • stef on December 20, 2018

    Always turns out great. Christmas eve tradition

  • jahqdruh on April 22, 2019

    Scrumptious. Made with extra sharp cheddar, and easier than I thought working with pate a choux would be.

  • kari500 on July 20, 2020

    Easy and delicious. Second time making them, only had skim milk in the house. Still very good.

  • et12 on August 15, 2020

    Easy to make, tasty and impressive; used a smoked cheese

  • jhallen on December 04, 2020

    These were easy to make and tasted good. Not as flavorful as I would have thought.

  • senzler on May 18, 2022

    Never fail impressive app.

• Saint-Germain-des-Prés onion biscuits

  • heather_j6rilu on March 11, 2026

    These are very delicious and easy to make. Almost like a home-made chicken and a biscuit cracker

• Cheeze-it-ish crackers

  • Foodelf on April 13, 2013

    These crackers practically caused a stampede at my office, someone asked me if he could place an order. They are so easy and the result - highly addictive and delicious. I made mine quite small which worked well, but for those who don't like to roll out dough, it could be rolled, tube-like and sliced into discs after chilling. I would be a little more generous with the Aleppo pepper next time. I also reviewed these crackers over at the EYB Cooking from Your Books thread in the Forums.

  • smtucker on December 21, 2013

    Delicious! Used 5 1/8 oz of flour and the suggested 1/8 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper. Agree with Foodelf that more pepper would be a good thing. Gruyere cheese from Costco, not the cave-aged. Baked in 17 minutes. Used a cookie sheet for even browning on parchment. Worked well.

  • stef on November 21, 2015

    I'm having a couple right now with Beaujolais nouveau. Added a little more cayenne pepper as suggested. Making them for new year's eve

  • twoyolks on November 27, 2015

    These were very good and quite reminiscent of cheez-its but even better.

  • sdutton on September 24, 2018

    I only made a half-batch. I wasn't sure we would love these enough to justify using all the somewhat expensive cave-aged Gruyere on crackers. They were so delicious. Making another batch today. I'm beginning to drool just thinking about them.

  • LouiseQuasiChef on December 16, 2018

    These were a success -- and quickly devoured -- at a cocktail party. Others liked them more than me, but maybe because I knew how much butter is in each bite(!) Gruyere made them seductively delicious. Very easy -- rolled into logs (1=1/4" thick) and refrigerated overnight, and sliced 1/4" to bake on silpat for 15 minutes. I used aleppo pepper some some mysterious flavor, and black pepper since I don't have a white pepper mill. The bite of heat is a very good idea to adult-ize the richness.

  • Sleeth on November 26, 2019

    Rich and delicious... we couldn’t stop eating them. The 1 1/4” cookie cutter looked too small, but this turned out to be the perfect size. Followed the recipe using gouda cheese. At first the dough did not come together and was crumbly while kneading it, but it did fine after running it through the food processor a little longer. I was planning to top the crackers with pepper jelly, but these crackers are better nibbled on their own.

  • averythingcooks on December 09, 2019

    I split this into 2 x 1/2 recipes - one with Swiss & the other with extra-old cheddar. I know my Swiss wasn't the best available but I certainly like the cheddar ones more. For me the dough was very dry & I had to dip my hands in ice water (at least a couple of times for the Swiss - it seemed to be the drier cheese) to even have a chance of forming logs. I weighed the cheese but NOT the flour & I really should have cut back on the flour on the 2nd (cheddar) dough. BUT if I try again I will use 135.6 g for the full recipe. They are good but I also make Pioneer Woman cheese crackers that roll out beautifully, bake up flaky crisp & have a great sharp cheddar taste (but I will definitely start adding the Aleppo pepper to them).

  • halfasleep on April 12, 2022

    Good little crackers, though I think the cheese flavour could have been a little stronger? Could have been the cheap Gruyere and Cheddar I used. If I tried this again I'd add a little more cheese (of better quality) and a little more pepper too.

  • hillsboroks on January 30, 2023

    Based on earlier comments I added a little less than 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper and it was just right. The flavor and texture were fabulous. I cut them into 1 1/2” squares to eliminate waste dough and make cutting them faster. They were a hit at a wine tasting gathering with neighbors.

  • LauraMB on August 11, 2023

    Delicious crackers. I made them with gruyere. These have few ingredients and are quick to make. I rolled them into a log and sliced rather than stamping out crackers. I used Aleppo pepper. I would use more pepper next time. I brought these to a cocktail party, where they were a hit. 7/12/24: I made these again with cheddar cheese. Delicious. I added double the amount of Aleppo pepper, but still found it mild. Next time I will use cayenne instead.

  • CordovaBayCook on January 02, 2026

    I make these at Christmas, both for gifting and serving. Easy to make and enjoyed by all. I add a bit of cayenne to give it a bit of a kick.

• Mustard bâtons

  • DianeKirkland on May 30, 2011

    I made these to the point of freezing for my mother (85) for her bridge club and they were a great hit. All she had to do was paint on the egg wash and sprinkle on the poppy seeds and bake. I used Dufour puff pastry which is made with butter.

  • twoyolks on December 01, 2015

    I didn't care for these. The mustard flavor was too strong and sharp and overwhelmed any flavor of the puff pastry.

  • amandabeck on December 26, 2021

    These looked nice at a dinner party. I made both the mustard and the tapenade versions. Despite using extra hot dijon, I wanted more flavor to stand up against the buttery-ness of the puff pastry. Not sure I would necessarily make again, although they were easy and looked nice.

  • kshell on October 28, 2025

    These were easy and fast but didn't wow me. My one guest said she liked it very much dipped in the red pepper party soup from this cookbook, but I prefer something that can stand on its own.

• Sweet and spicy cocktail nuts

  • Yildiz100 on October 05, 2018

    Lovely crunchy texture and baking times perfect. I wasn't really sure what was meant by chili powder here, so I used a blend of paprika, gochujang, and cayenne. Good, but the gochujang as a very vegetal flavor so don't use that next time.

  • stef on December 20, 2018

    A lovely recipe but don't double it. Was very hard to handle

  • gillsil on December 25, 2018

    Made these to take to a Christmas film night and the other 3 guests all asked for the recipe! A very easy recipe which looks and tastes special.

• Lyonnaise garlic and herb cheese (aka Boursin's mama)

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I used homemade ricotta which had already had a long nap in a cheesecloth hammock, so I didn't drain it further. The cheese is simply mixed with chopped shallot and garlic, fresh herbs, a little vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper. My market, which always has it, was out of tarragon. The produce man said everyone was asking for it. So maybe some pop star on the food network is hyping it up. I used fresh chives and parsley, and threw in a small amount of dried tarragon. You could probably use any combination of herbs you like for this. This goes into the refrigerator to mature for a few hours. It comes out great! It's a recipe you could play with a lot, more garlic, cracked pepper, etc. It has a lighter, crisper feel than the boursin you buy in the market. A success here.

• Tzatziki

  • Breadcrumbs on April 03, 2011

    p. 24 - Excellent. Nothing especially unusual in terms of prep though DG does suggest that you finely cube the cucumber vs grating it. The ingredients also are standard w the exception of the 1tbsp of extra virgin olive oil that DG calls for. She suggests you add equal amounts of dill and mint whereas I chose to do a 3:1 ratio of dill to mint. I picked up some wonderful, super-thick Greek yogurt at a fabulous Persian market I discovered during Arabesque month so, no draining required. DG has you mix all ingredients together once the cucumber has drained for 30 mins whereas I prefer to mix all the ingredients except the cucumber together to allow the garlic flavour to develop and then I just stir in the well-drained cucumber right before serving. This was good, as we expected it would be. I’d skip the evoo next time as I didn’t feel it added anything.

• Sardine rillettes

  • Breadcrumbs on April 03, 2011

    p. 25 Quick, delicious and different; we loved this and will definitely make it again! DG calls for 2 x 3.75 oz cans of sardines. I opted to use just one can for our first go at this dish. DG calls for Neufchatel or cream cheese. Since I had Quark, I chose to use that. This is a case where a specific quantity of citrus juice is not specified. DG calls for juice of 2 limes or, 1 lemon or, to taste. I found 2tbsp to be just right. My rillettes were loose, like a dip and it would have been even if another can of sardines had been added. Perhaps this is partially due to the fact that Quark is much looser than cream cheese. I’d whole-heartedly recommend this dish. It’s flavours far exceed the effort it takes to prepare the dish and it’s a different option to serve dinner guests. I served it w grilled pitas and, an assortment of crackers. Saltines were my preferred option in the end. Do try this; it’s wonderful!

  • L.Nightshade on April 13, 2011

    Left the bones in, used neufchatel cheese, juice of one lime only, chives, parsley and dill. I pureed a handful of cornichons with a dash of vodka for sorbet, which was a great accompaniment to the rillettes. A big success, very tasty.

  • RosieB on January 25, 2015

    I made this for a starter with home made foccacia bread. It was easy and delicious. Definately will make again.

  • jenmacgregor18 on April 07, 2015

    This is good with a variety of herbs. It keeps well for quite a few days. In fact it is better after a little bit of time in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to meld. great starter.

  • Lepa on October 26, 2019

    This was a huge hit with my family. I followed the recipe and included 1/4 cup of lemon juice, which added a lovely bright note, and used dill as the herb. We had a couple of cracker options but everyone agreed that saltines were best with this. I was astonished by how much my young children liked this. They ate a whole bowl before guests arrived and I had to make a second! I am going to stock up on sardines and make this regularly. I highly recommend it.

• Salmon rillettes

  • L.Nightshade on January 24, 2012

    Salmon Rillettes on page 26. While the recipe turns out a tasty salmon spread (a combination of fresh and smoked salmon), it was nothing like the rillettes I've had in France. They always had that rich, embrace your tongue feel that only comes from quantities of fat.

  • stef on October 27, 2018

    I always make this for Christmas. Enjoyed by all

  • CordovaBayCook on January 02, 2026

    This comes together easily, is enjoyed by all, and tastes better after a day or so. Great as a pre-dinner Christmas treat!

• Tuna rillettes

  • Bloominanglophile on November 01, 2015

    Per Greenspan's suggestion, I made this spread not as an hors d'oeuvre, but as a sandwich filling for lunches. Very nice with the suggested lettuce and tomato on toast! I used the full amount of cream suggested, but want to try it with crème fraiche next round.

  • Lepa on January 30, 2020

    This is an interesting flavor combination - tuna, curry and creme fraiche?!? At first I wasn't sure what I thought but it's growing on me!

  • kshell on October 28, 2025

    We really enjoyed this and will make again. I needed the higher amount of curry powder and did not find that the flavors intensified with time so I'm glad I was generous.

  • JeffALNY on March 31, 2026

    One of my favorite lunch recipes. Gimme this and a sleeve of Saltines and I’m good to go.

• Dilled gravlax with mustard sauce

  • stef on December 24, 2019

    Made the mustard sauce to go with the salmon fillet we were having. Added a bit of maple syrup. It really complemented the salmon.

• Back-of-the-card cheese and olive bread

  • Delys77 on November 11, 2011

    I made the pesto version in the bonne idee section and it was great. The pesto, sundried tomatoes, and pine nuts made for a very Italian bread that had good flavour and great texture. I actually doubled the recipe and baked in a springform pan to mimic the appearance of a cake.

• Savory cheese and chive bread

  • fprincess on December 10, 2010

    This bread is very tasty, the texture is a little dense but it can easily be cut into nice, thin slices. It was great with tapenade as a spread. The chives were a nice touch and went well with the cheese.

  • ComeUndone on January 13, 2011

    Agree on the dense texture, a quality that I was looking for. I played around with the batter using 1 cup ap flour + 3/4 cup whole wheat bread flour. Replace milk with cream to help tenderize. Used parmigiano reggiano, gruyere, cheddar, chives, toasted walnuts. Love the height of the loaf and the almost flakey crust. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wscwong/5352408330/

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Used cheddar and gruyere and it was great. Fabulous toasted with a little butter.

  • JKDLady on October 22, 2015

    I don't know what it was, but this was just okay. I used sharp cheddar and satori merlot rind cheese. The bread didn't really taste of cheese. I might try this again, but probably not.

  • e_ballad on August 20, 2016

    I'm with JKDLady - it was all right, but no particular wow factor. Used as a side for soup. Cooked true to suggested time.

  • Lepa on January 29, 2020

    This bread is such a nice way to turn a bowl of stew into a meal! I used chedder and intend to mix up the cheeses next time. I found it was best with some butter on it.

  • averythingcooks on May 31, 2022

    This is a lovely quick bread with good flavour & a nice texture that I served (lightly toasted & buttered) beside bowls of chili. This time I used a mix of orange old cheddar & Gruyere topped up with the last of a block of Asiago. I also added a small handful of chopped ham. The 2 of us will have no trouble finishing the loaf (not always the case with baked items) and I will make this again for sure.

  • Lottabooks on September 02, 2025

    We really enjoyed this as part of an end of summer meal. We served it with Irish butter (softened), on a platter as a side to the cantaloupe gazpacho in Cooking in Real Life. This was the first course, followed by a salad trio: David Lebovitz's French grated carrot salad, Love & Lemons strawberry/Little Gem salad, and Cooking in Real Life's Taverna Salad. Then for dessert, fresh blackberries w/ cassis from Diana Henry's Simple. The types of cheeses in this loaf can be played around with. I used grated Gruyere and cubed aged cheddar. I felt the loaf was a little bit too salty - so I'd only use a scant teaspoon of salt if using this cheese combination. This kept a few days and even the last little bit was good toasted with butter for breakfast. I will keep this in mind for a casual appetizer tray.

• Dieter's tartine

  • adrienneyoung on July 17, 2011

    Healthy, probably. But not a standout by any means.

• Pissaladière

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This was absolutely delicious. Not particularly difficult to make but you have to cook the onions much longer than she suggests. I added bit of parsley to give it a bit of color and you went slightly lighter on the anchovies in the last step.

• Provençal olive fougasse

  • Zosia on June 04, 2015

    Great flavour and texture due in part to the overnight rest of the dough in the fridge. The dough was easy to make but so wet that the paddle attachment on my stand mixer was far more effective at kneading it than the dough hook. I used half whole wheat bread flour.

  • ellemef on July 15, 2019

    I make this for fancy picnics - sturdy enough to carry, pretty enough to look great on the blanket/table, fun to share, and absolutely delish.

  • Yildiz100 on April 17, 2024

    Used oil cured olives which were quite salty. If make this again with same olives, cut the amount in half And chop into quarters for even distribution.

• Cheese-topped onion soup

  • PennyG on April 26, 2020

    Oooooo ... this was delicious! This will be my go-to French Onion Soup recipe. The only thing I do differently is cube the bread before topping the soup so when served one doesn’t have to awkwardly cut through the bread with a spoon.

  • Rachaelsb on March 14, 2022

    Amazing. Rich, rich deliciousness…but be prepared. Browning onions takes forever!

  • averythingcooks on November 16, 2023

    We loved this soup even without the cheesy bread topping (which is my ultimate test of an onion soup). I mistakenly added the Cognac right after the wine (instead of putting some in each bowl when serving) and I would probably just do it "my way" again next time. We ate this “naked” as our main with Barefoot Contessa's cauliflower toasts on the side...a perfect bistro style meal. AND I will likely try the cheesy bread topping for today's lunch bowl.

  • Yildiz100 on May 10, 2024

    Cook the onions for 2 hours and 15 minutes and in the end thought they should have been browner! Cooked mainly on 4 (out of 10) on my stove. Next time turn the heat up a bit.

• Asparagus soup

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This soup is based on an asparagus stock instead of chicken stock, as a result the soup has a potent asparagus flavour, but this is a good thing. Quite light and very aromatic because of the various members of the alium family that went into the pot. Overall a very nice celebration of asparagus.

• Cheating-on-winter pea soup

  • L.Nightshade on June 04, 2011

    I used this soup as a sauce for the Cod and Spinach Roulades. This soup looks so bright and pretty as it starts to cook, and it makes a nice sauce for fish!

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Great little soup that is super light with the flavors of lettuce, peas and onions.

  • twoyolks on April 02, 2018

    Much better flavor than I was expecting but not good enough that I'd really want to make it again.

  • Yildiz100 on December 09, 2020

    Made a half recipe. Really nice. Not super exciting but it is easy and nutritious, so I am sure I will make it again whenever I need something light to balance out a rich meal. It looked like a lot of vegetables for the amount of water so I thought it would be too thick, but it was actually a very brothy soup. Liked it best without creme fraiche-did not try bacon. Try adding a little scallion with the onion next time.

• Corn soup

  • averythingcooks on December 23, 2019

    As written, this is a delicious pot of soup! I love the method of steeping the cobs in the milk but yes - for me - I need to use a mix of 2% milk & 5% cream because I never have "whole milk" on site. I also started with a smaller volume of milk (2 cups rather than 3) and a smaller amount of water (actually 1/2 chicken broth & 1/2 water) ..... of course willing to up the liquids if required later (& it wasn't ). After the final purée, it was excellent so now personal preference kicks in....I added an additional big handful of corn and a bunch of chopped roasted red peppers for extra texture, colour and flavour. This is really lovely bowl of soup that I would happily eat at my desk OR serve as a formal dinner party starter.

• Christine's simple party soups: cream-topped red pepper

  • kshell on October 28, 2025

    Love the soup itself. Not convinced that the whipped cream enhances the soup. I served chilled and the cream was whipped fairly firm and it felt like it was in the way? Maybe I'll try a looser whipped cream next time, or I imagine if served hot the whipped cream will semi melt to cover the surface sufficiently to enjoy a bit with each sip. The recipe photo has a dainty little blob that is very at odds with the larger amount the recipe calls for.

• Celery-celery soup

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This soup was very different and quite delicious. All three of the primary flavours stick out in the finished dish, the sweetness of the apple, the slight bitterness of the celery, and the mellow celery flavour of the celery root. Simple and delicious soup.

  • adrienneyoung on October 22, 2011

    On first taste, this soup is good, but not spectacular. I'm going to let it think about it in the fridge for a bit, but for now, at least, the paris mushroom soup seems to me to have the bigger wow factor.

  • adrienneyoung on October 25, 2011

    After sitting for a couple of days, and served with the curried, sauteed apple: SPECTACULAR. Definitely a keeper.

  • aeader on November 02, 2014

    This was a really nice soup with complex flavor from the celery, celery root,and apple. Very creamy even though I did not add any of the dairy (listed as optional). Will definitely make again. Very healthy also. Did not make the curried apples but will next time. I did not taste it the day I made it, as I was in a rush, but we ate it the next day and the flavors melded nicely.

  • angrygreycat on December 15, 2018

    Really delicious soup with a complex flavor. The combination of the celery, celery root and apple gives it many notes. Very creamy without adding any dairy. Definitely would make again.

  • ashallen on April 28, 2020

    I'm always on the look-out for recipes that use up the extra celery that always seems to be lingering in my refrigerator - this is a very nice soup that's easy to pull together. The apples add some sweetness and acidity which make this soup seem less starchy/potato-y than other celeriac soups I've had. My out-of-season apples weren't super-flavorful so it'll be interesting to see how better apples do. I did use a rich homemade chicken stock which probably added a lot of flavor and two sprigs of thyme since I'm a fan. Good both plain and with a bit of sour cream swirled in. I didn't make the optional croutons or curried apples though their textural contrast with the smooth, pureed soup would be nice. Yielded ~10 cups.

• Béatrix's red kuri soup

  • ComeUndone on November 08, 2010

    Great flavour. Using kuri squash is key as the flavour is incomparable. Love the hint of chestnut. http://wscwong.typepad.com/dessert_by_candy/2010/10/immersion-blender-i-miss-you-so.html

  • adrienneyoung on October 26, 2011

    Similar to my experience with celery-celery soup: on first taste, this is unremarkable. Texture is lovely. Utterly silky. But flavour is not at all interesting yet. I'm going to let it think about itself over a day or two and try again. That seems to make a big difference with the Dorie soups I've made so far. And if THAT doesn't work, in go the roasted chestnuts!

  • bching on September 28, 2016

    I like how easy this soup is to make. I wish the flavor was sharper. It will need my usual doctoring--some vinegar, some hot sauce . . .

  • ashallen on November 29, 2019

    After reading this recipe, I was excited to find Red Kuri squash at Whole Foods Market and made this soup. I thought it was fine, but I have another winter squash (butternut) soup recipe I prefer to this one. Flavor was not super squash-y (and I love winter squash) - I think the milk might have blunted its flavor and/or perhaps my squash wasn't very flavorful. Seasoning more heavily and adding a bit of maple syrup helped to bring it forward more. You could definitely taste the leeks, however.

• Paris mushroom soup

  • ComeUndone on January 07, 2011

    Great recipe for a creamy mushroom soup free of dairy. The salad garnish really adds textural interest. http://wscwong.typepad.com/dessert_by_candy/2011/01/paris-mushroom-soup.html

  • Laura on December 27, 2015

    Pg. 72. This soup has been on my To Do list for years and yet somehow I'd never gotten around to it. I finally did and it made a lovely starter for Christmas dinner! I followed the directions exactly and it proved to be a simple, straightforward and relatively quick recipe. It's not the prettiest soup, kind of a dull brown color, but the taste is sublime.

  • FriedDumpling on October 30, 2024

    What a delicious soup. Easy to make, with full bodied mushroomy flavor. I used a variety of mushrooms, water with a little Chicken Better Than Bouillon. With the garnish, I thought it was quite a beautiful presentation too.

  • jenmacgregor18 on October 29, 2019

    This is the ugliest soup in my arsenal; and one of the most delicious. It definitely needs the "salad"--all the sliced mushrooms, chives, parsley and green onions to offset the grey/brown color. The 2nd time I made it, I ran out of white wine (how?)- and used marsala, which made it uglier; but even better tasting. Love it.

  • ksg518 on November 11, 2024

    I agree with the other reviews that this is a wonderful soup, especially with the fresh mushroom "salad". It may not be the prettiest soup but it definitely hits the spot when you crave mushrooms.

  • stef on October 27, 2018

    This soup is a favorite in my house

  • adrienneyoung on June 23, 2012

    This has turned into one of the recipes I cook most from this cookbook, and this cookbook has turned into one I love most so...

  • adrienneyoung on October 16, 2011

    Definitely a keeper for me. Lovely flavour, lovely silky texture. And a great soup for winter, when there aren't that many interesting local veg to play with. Also, as noted below, quite healthy!

  • adrienneyoung on May 07, 2024

    After years and years, I still love this soup more than anything. @jenmacgregor18, thanks! I added Marsala this time and it was terrific!

• Roast chicken for les paresseux

  • HeatherT on January 16, 2011

    Simple, but I love the addition of the bread on the bottom of the pot. A staple weeknight meal.

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This is simple to put together and yields a flavorful peasant style dish. I personally wouldn't bother with the bread as it gets a bit soppy. I put a bit of the roasted garlic in to my pan gravy. The veggies are very nice. With a regular 3 lb chicken this serves 3.

  • lhkelsey on November 25, 2013

    I love this recipe. I add 5 or 6 drumsticks to the pot as well to serve to the kids. Delicious

  • cadfael on October 02, 2021

    I really enjoy this recipe and have repeated it several times. I like a nice flavourful piece pf sourdough or Italian bread underneath - cook's treat.

• Anne Leblanc's pistachio avocado

  • lizwinn on March 08, 2011

    My dad grew up in Spain eating avocadoes with honey. It's really good! So I combined this recipe with his history using my favorite honey for this appliaction: Wedderspoon's Organic Dandelion honey from New Zealand. It was mind blowing with the pistacio oil!

  • DKennedy on November 21, 2013

    Exceptionally good combination.

  • Lepa on August 15, 2021

    We thought this was okay but maybe not a repeat.

• Quinoa, fruit, and nut salad

  • Breadcrumbs on April 05, 2011

    p. 138 - I’d highly recommend this recipe. It comes together in no time and is absolutely delicious. Quinoa is rinsed then added to boiling water that is then turned to a simmer for 15 mins then set aside for another 5. Quinoa is drained and brought to room temp. An assortment of nuts, seeds and dried fruit are measured. I chose sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, dried apples, apricots and raisins. A mix of herbs are chopped. I used basil and flat leaf parsley. A dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, ground ginger is mixed. Everything is tossed together once the quinoa has cooled. DG also suggests that this dish can be topped w some plain yogurt and plated w mixed greens. I thinned out some plain Greek yogurt w some skim milk and stirred in some freshly chopped garlic and we drizzled this over top. I could eat this hot, at room temp or cold for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775860#6439320

  • Laura on May 28, 2011

    Pg. 138. This is a delightful salad, appropriate for any time of year, but especially nice in spring/summer as a light meal. I like that it offers the flexibility to choose a range of dried fruits, nuts and herbs. I made it with dried cherries, cranberries, golden raisins, walnuts, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds. For herbs, I chose parsley and mint. The only change I would make would be to add a lot more mint -- those bites with a hint of mint were the most delicious. I served this over a mix of fresh baby spinach and romaine. We did not add the yogurt, but I think I would next time. And there will be a next time!

  • DKennedy on May 26, 2013

    Loved this recipe. Do not do shortcuts, make exactly as written and you will be rewarded.

• Salade Niçoise

  • Breadcrumbs on April 05, 2011

    p. 125 - While DG goes the traditional route and calls for canned tuna in this recipe, we prefer this salad w grilled or pan seared tuna and that’s what we used in this otherwise fairly classic dish.Prep is straight-forward and, I took full advantage of the fact that a number of steps in this recipe can be done in advance. I usually like to use fresh tarragon to finish this dish but I couldn’t get any at the market so I went w the standard chopped parsley. I coat my tuna in olive oil then crust it w salt, pepper and fennel seeds before grilling. In this case I used a stove-top grill pan. We thoroughly enjoyed our very French dinner and the Vinaigrette was very good as well. Nothing new or extraordinary here, just a good, classic dish. We served this w a warm, crusty baguette. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775860#6442206

  • louie734 on June 07, 2014

    I have to tinker. We made the lettuce-green beans-potatoes-cherry tomatoes-olives-capers-eggs as directed, but mixed up a Dijon/white wine vinaigrette spiked with Penzey's country French dressing mix, and seared a massive tuna steak crusted with pepper & herbes d'Provence. This was more filling than I expected, and a great warm-weather dinner.

  • Laura on September 03, 2012

    Pg. 125. We've had many Nicoise salads but have never made it at home. This was a lovely use of many items from the farmers market: butter lettuce, green beans, tomatoes, shallots, fingerling potatoes, and eggs. It's also a good do-ahead recipe as much of the prep can be done in advance. I made the Everyday Vinaigrette and used a tarragon wine vinegar and also finished the salad with fresh tarragon rather than parsley. Rather than the usual canned tuna, we had tuna medallions in the freezer, so we grilled those for a very short time and served them with the salad. This was a thoroughly enjoyable summer salad that we'd be happy to make again.

  • chawkins on July 18, 2015

    Great salad for a hot summer day. I used romaine hearts rather than butter lettuce, baby bliss potatoes, green beans from the garden and a lemon vinaigrette. Like Laura and Breadcrumbs before me, I also topped the salad with tarragon rather than parsley because tarragon is growing in the garden and parsley is not.

  • mharriman on June 09, 2021

    DG’s classic Salad Nicoise has all the traditional ingredients found in most other Nicoise recipes I’ve made, but it’s always nice to have a guide handy. I had frozen tuna fillets I wanted to thaw and use up, so I grilled those instead of using canned tuna. We liked it but prefer the suggested canned in this recipe, so won’t be grilling tuna for this again. We liked the suggested vinaigrette and would make it to go with many other salads. I Followed chawkins’s photo example of arranging the components. We really liked the visual appeal.

  • wcassity on January 08, 2012

    This is our go-to recipe for Nicoise salad. Very tasty.

• Chicken breast diable

  • Breadcrumbs on April 13, 2011

    p. 217 Quick & delicious, great for a weeknight, what’s not to like about this yummy dish!? I’d hoped to make this w my grainy Dijon but decided against it when I did a taste test and found it to be too strong tasting. It had been in the fridge for about a year now so I decided to toss it and go w my plain (and very fresh) Dijon! Thanks roxlet for the head’s up on the mustard. I upped the ante w the garlic and used 2 (pretty hefty) cloves. My breasts were HUGE so I browned them on the stove and finished them in the oven at 325. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775862#6457907

  • L.Nightshade on April 13, 2011

    Chicken was tender and moist. I thought the sauce was very flavorful, mustardy, of course. I liked it quite a bit for a quick weeknight dinner, and I'd do it again. Just served it with roasted broccoli, couldn't be easier!

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This was so simple and delicious. Very nice tang to the sauce, but be very careful of the salt. This is also very quick, but nice enough for company

  • stef on November 24, 2021

    Nice and quick to make. I used vermouth instead of white wine. The sauce was delicious. Served with roasted potatoes, corn and salad

  • Cappaert on December 28, 2015

    I did half Dijon mustard half grainy stone ground and it was fabulous!

  • averythingcooks on December 17, 2021

    We loved this dish. As others have said - fast and easy with a great sauce. I used a mix of Dijon and grainy mustard and served this with her crumb coated broccoli and some crispy roast potatoes. A delicious recipe that will be repeated.

  • Yildiz100 on November 26, 2016

    Good, but maybe not worth a repeat. I just cant get excited about sauteed chicken dishes. If I change my mind, I will try reducing the mustard a bit and adding a bit more garlic.

  • debakken on May 07, 2025

    Such a simple and delicious meal from boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I use chicken cutlets rather than pounding the full breast. And if you can find an herb-infused mild Dijon mustard, use it. I haven't used grainy, country style mustard (which I love) with this because I like a smoother consistency for the pan sauce.

• Chicken in a pot: the garlic and lemon version

  • Breadcrumbs on April 18, 2011

    p. 206 - This recipe makes an outstandingly moist, perfectly cooked, juicy chicken infused w lemon-herby goodness! The sweet potatoes are such a perfect match for the chicken, I’m so glad I didn’t use white potatoes instead. One of the best chicken dishes we’ve had, ever! I made the recipe just as it was set out in the book with the following exceptions: -I removed the skin from the garlic cloves after reading a few comments online about folks not liking to have to mess w the skins. I’d highly recommend this. The garlic retained its shape and was ready and waiting to be smeared on your dunked bread! -I did not let my raw chicken come to room temperature before browning. Call me crazy but all I’ve read about food safety made this step scream DANGER to me so out of the fridge and into the pan it went! I’d be interested to hear how others handled this -I used pearl onions vs small white Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775862#6477211

  • L.Nightshade on June 04, 2011

    The carrots, sweet potatoes, and garlic cloves were perfectly tender and tasty, and the chicken was moist and flavorful. This is a very simple dish (at least it is without the dough seal), and worked well for a casual dinner. I served the salmon rillette as an appetizer, the spiced squash, fennel, and pear soup as a first course, and Marie-Helene's apple cake for dessert. It was a tasty dinner with a simple country French feel. The preparation of all the dishes allowed plenty of time for visiting and filling wine glasses.

  • Queezle_Sister on November 28, 2012

    This was a great roasted chicken. Even the dough seal really isn't that difficult - and the drama of breaking the seal and discovering the juicy chicken is unbeatable.

  • Sandiegolemons on April 23, 2018

    This was a fun recipe. A once a year recipe and definitely during the cooler months. The preserved lemon makes it. I searched high and low for the preserved lemons and finally found them at Sur La Table. I also used pizza dough from the refrigerated section in the grocery next to the cookies in a tube. I have a large Le Creuset Dutch oven, not sure on the size, but the heavy one and the amount of veggies worked for me. There of course were lots of leftovers, but great. I did peel the garlic but won't next time. I see where it will help differentiate them from the sweet potatoes visually. I had a hard time browning the chicken, I didn’t use two pots and just used the dutch oven to brown the veggies and chicken, didn’t work for whatever reason. Chicken came out fully cooked at 55 minutes. It was fun munching on the pizza dough crust too. 4 1/2 stars from us.

  • stockholm28 on December 15, 2013

    Very good. I saw someone's suggestion to use cheap pizza dough to seal the Dutch Oven and that was a timesaver for me.

  • lmalter on November 28, 2012

    Substitution for preserved lemons: I'd recommend lightly sauteeing for a minute or two a couple of seeded lemon slices in just a touch of light oil with some salt, then putting it in the oven (in the skillet) for ten to twelve minutes in a moderate oven, adding a pinch of salt and a tablespoon or two of water, to prevent the juices from getting too sticky. Then I'd chop it and use it with the pan juices. Preserved lemon has a somewhat more mellow, less acidic quality than fresh lemon, which is why I would not substitute fresh.

  • twoyolks on June 02, 2015

    This was alright. The celery gave the sauce a bitter flavor. There were a lot of vegetables. Instead of making this in multiple pots, I cooked everything in a single dutch oven.

  • JKDLady on October 22, 2015

    This dish was pretty, but there are several changes I would make. I would make the dough an edible one instead of just flour and water. Use salt and perhaps yeast. There are way too many vegetables in this. I cut the number of vegetables in half and that was still a lot. The sauce was good. I'm not sure I would make this again though.

  • chawkins on March 16, 2018

    This was okay to me, but my husband loved it. I agree that there are too much vegetables. I had an eight pound bird, so it did not fit into my largest Dutch oven with all that vegetables. Had to cut the chicken down and saved the back and wings for stock. Cutting the chicken into pieces was an option in the recipe, but the presentation was not as pretty. My thyme was not vigorous enough to be harvested, so had to use dried thyme, and mistakenly put in sage, and then added thyme. Used pearled onions and peeled the garlic cloves. My bread seal did not look as good as her picture, the exposed part was quite burnt.

• Leek and potato soup, smooth or chunky, hot or cold

  • Breadcrumbs on April 27, 2011

    p. 66 - I made the Fennel version of this soup and we really enjoyed it. I'd say the potatoes were the predominant flavour and if I were to make this version again, I'd use 2 fennel bulbs. Tasty and not rich given the use of milk vs cream. K - 7.5

  • stockholm28 on December 24, 2014

    I made the standard version. It was fine, but a bit boring.

  • mharriman on April 26, 2025

    Two of us enjoyed the vicyssoise version of the soup. I was generous with my spices ( thyme, sage) which gave the soup a nice flavor compared to the usual plain potato/ leek flavor. I thought using one potato was skimpy, so I used two and liked the results. I'd definitely make this again- it was one of the better cold potato soup recipes I've made- and I’ve made many as it’s an Easter day tradition at our house.

  • fultre on March 09, 2023

    We enjoyed the standard version of this simple homey soup. Nice with croutons.

  • Delys77 on April 03, 2012

    I made the variation with fennel and it was pretty good. I found that the Milk and broth mixture made for a slightly richer stock which was nice, but I'm not sure it was that much better than straight stock versions of potage parmentier I have tried elsewhere. The fennel isn't a bad touch but you need to go with a very big fennel bulb otherwise the flavour might get lost in the leeks.

• Pumpkin-Gorgonzola flans

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I have been dying to try these flans. I made them for a first course last night, part my first COTM menu where every dish disappointed! The flan is made with 15 ounces of canned pumpkin, 3 eggs and one yolk, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, salt and pepper. The ingredients are whirred in a blender, poured into ramekins and topped with crumbled gorgonzola and toasted walnuts. They are baked in a water bath for 35 or 40 minutes. Too much egg or cream, or too much whirring. Too flan-y (light and mousse-like) to stand up to the gorgonzola and walnut. I'd like to make them again, but make the pumpkin denser, like a savory pumpkin pie. Mr Nightshade suggested that we just mash up a sweet potato and bake it topped it with gorgonzola and walnuts. Oddly, I did like these a little more on day two.

• Mozzarella, tomato, and strawberry salad

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I deviated from the recipe in a couple ways. I could not find pink peppercorns, and I had run out of raspberry vinegar, but I happened to have a small bottle of raspberry puree with red and green peppercorns. I used a very tiny dash of that, which was rather sweet, so I added a tiny dash of red vinegar. Dorie says the dish should be made just before serving, but I tossed the tomatoes and strawberries with the other ingredients, and let the flavors meld for a short time. I love strawberries in salads, but haven't paired them with tomatoes before this. What a stellar combination. These flavors tickle every bud on the tongue map. This one definitely goes in my do again list.

  • britt on June 23, 2011

    I agree. This is good. I did find pink peppercorns and was surprised that they have a subtly rose/floral + peppercorn flavor. I did not use any vinegar as the strawberries were perfectly ripe and flavorful.

  • JoanN on June 20, 2021

    No pink peppercorns. Forgot the basil, although I had some on hand. Used ciliegini because that's what was in the fridge. No nevermind. Still outstanding. Probably didn't hurt have the strawberries have been unusually good this year.

  • DKennedy on September 10, 2012

    Perfect as written.

• Creamy cauliflower soup sans cream

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    Onion, garlic, celery and fresh thyme are sauteed (I used only olive oil, Dorie calls for half butter) and they sweat for 20 minutes. Then cauliflower and chicken stock go in to simmer for another 20 minutes. While the recipe called for six cups of stock, I added only four. When I make pureed soup I start with less liquid. I like a thicker soup, and stock can always be added later if needed. When the cauliflower is soft, the soup is pureed. I used an immersion blender which is said to be less than ideal, but the texture seemed fine. Dorie offers several possible toppings for the soup, I chose a little bit of sour cream and a little bit of caviar. That is another reason I didn't want the soup too thin, I didn't want a plop of caviar to just sink to the bottom of a bowl of liquid. I thought this one had a very nice flavor, and a creamy mouth feel without any cream.

  • Laura on October 27, 2014

    Pg. 68. I made this today for lunch and really liked it. It was good comfort food. It's very simple and quick to prepare and really healthy. I used the full 6 cups of chicken stock and pureed the soup in my Vitamix -- it turned out really thick and creamy. For a topping I drizzled the soup with a bit of walnut oil and that was a really fine addition. I prefer a couple of other cauliflower soups I make (see links below), but this is the simplest and I would gladly make it again. Other cauliflower soups I like even more: http://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/1186282/spicy-cauliflower-soup; http://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/780235/creamy-cauliflower-soup-with-greens

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    She is right, somehow tastes creamy without any cream. Great flavour, very simple to put together and a great use of vegetable you don't often eat. Also very low calorie

  • adrienneyoung on December 09, 2011

    The celery-celery soup is more interesting, I think. That said, if you have a cauliflower about the place, this is a decent use of it. Simple, gentle food.

  • vickster on January 25, 2015

    Very good, thick and creamy soup without any dairy. But next time I am going to only add 4 cups of stock as other person noted so it is thicker and has more cauliflower flavor.

  • TrishaCP on November 27, 2015

    This was perfect comfort food-very flavorful. (I thought the thyme was particularly nice here.) Will probably be a repeat given how low in calories it is. I had a monster cauliflower and needed all of the liquid.

  • Sandiegolemons on November 01, 2018

    We were all fans of this one. Really big fans. Used 6 cups of chicken stock, and thought it was spot on. Used a Vitamix to blend, let it rip. Great with a baguette. Also added creme fraiche and a small dollop of cheap caviar. Great.

  • mharriman on January 10, 2019

    I agree with all the other noters who commented that the soup is very creamy, especially since it’s without the addition of any dairy. My basic Vitamix blender puréed it wonderfully well. I topped our soup with matchstick thin slices of sharp cheddar cheese. I’d like to experiment with other toppings and will do that next time. Served with a baby spinach, dried cranberry, and sunflower seed salad as well as a baguette.

  • Yildiz100 on February 04, 2015

    My cauliflower was huge, so I definitely needed all 6 cups of liquid or it would have been too thick. It's not bad but needs something for some texture. Maybe croutons? I do think this one was better than the Cooks Illustrated version. Less work too! I tried one bowl drizzled with olive oil, and one bowl sprinkled with sharp cheese. I usually love things topped with olive oil but I didn't feel like the flavor worked here. The cheese topping was great though.

  • aeader on October 10, 2014

    Very nice texture and flavor and I liked that it was very healthy (minimal fat and no dairy). Used the immersion blender and that worked fine. Definitely benefits from one of the toppings/add-ons that she suggests. Would make it again. Put half in the freezer for later and haven't taken it out yet, but I expect it to freeze well.

  • mrsmadam on February 19, 2024

    Found this to be very good. For me, six cups of stock provided the perfect consistency. Blending in a Breville on purée left it creamy without the need to sieve. The addition of a drizzle of walnut oil took it to another level.

  • angrygreycat on December 15, 2018

    Made this today and really liked it. The thyme went really nicely with the cauliflower. The soup is very creamy with no added dairy and this makes it lighter as well as tasty. This will be definitely be repeated.

  • ashallen on November 29, 2019

    Agree with the other reviewers that pureeing this in the Vitamix does a great job - it was perfectly smooth. Flavors are gentle. I used homemade chicken stock for half the liquid and would use all chicken stock for additional flavor. We liked it best immediately after making it. The next day (and after freezing) there were new, additional flavors that we didn't care for, perhaps from the sulfur compounds in the cauliflower. Would be good sprinkled with crispy bacon bits.

  • MissKoo on February 13, 2021

    Rave reviews from dinner guests. Served with a dollop of creme fraiche and toasted walnuts. As others have noted, the soup is very creamy, so if serving as a starter it could easily serve 8-10. I didn't think it held up particularly well in the refrigerator. I made it a day ahead and it was fine when served. But by the following evening the leftover soup tasted off to me. If you have a lot of leftovers you may want to freeze them right away; perhaps that would better preserve the flavor. It's very good, but not something I would want to eat too often.

• Tuna-packed piquillo peppers

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I used leftover tuna steaks from the confit instead of canned tuna. I just broke the steak up with a fork and added the other ingredients. I did put this under the broiler to heat up briefly, but I think it would also be good at room temperature. I added a little dab of the preserved lemon/sundried tomato/onion mixture from the tuna confit on the side of the peppers. A nice little tapa dish with strong, compelling flavors, plus those little stuffed peppers are pretty darn cute.

  • Bloominanglophile on January 30, 2021

    I made these awhile back, but haven't forgotten how much I enjoyed them. Will definitely rank up there in my list of favorite tapas!

• Vanilla vegetable salad

  • britt on June 17, 2011

    Good. Not sweet, as I worried it would be, but light and refined. Wish I had tasted a full cross section of the summer squash. Some slices had a funky taste that I didn't detect before serving.

• Cheese soufflé

  • katecooksthebooks on July 19, 2011

    My first souffle and it was amazing. I have made it several times since and serve with a salad for a light meal.

  • louie734 on March 13, 2014

    Got to use all my favorite kitchen toys to make this. I think we cheated ourselves out of some puffiness because I wasn't sure how to judge doneness, so we stuck a spoon in it too early and had to stick it back in the oven. Cook's Illustrated recommends an internal temp of 170 - will use this next time. It was delicious served with some baguette and salad.

• Café-style grated carrot salad

  • louie734 on May 27, 2026

    Favorite carrot salad. Lasts for ages in the fridge, great for meal prep. I always stir in way too much chopped parsley, sometimes nuts or sunflower seeds, sometimes raisins or currants. I love the mustardy dressing, and agree as-written the recipe makes too much. This time I added cooked wheat berries and chickpeas with the full amount of carrots and dressing, making this simple side dish into a proper lunch.

  • vox82 on May 27, 2018

    May 2018. I agree. Easy and delicious. Does not need honey. Makes a lot of dressing. Used all optional ingredients.

  • averythingcooks on July 07, 2020

    I cut this in half and also found that that there was a ton of dressing. I did not add the nuts or currants BUT lately I have been adding a couple of spoonfuls of beet chutney to carrot salads (great use for a jar I was gifted). Also, we like a touch of sweet in tart vinaigrettes so we loved this dressing. I finished this with parsley & chives and it was a great side with crispy potatoes and grilled chicken skewers. I now can't decide if I like this one or David Lebovitz's better.

  • Lepa on April 05, 2020

    I have been trying lots of carrot salads and finally found one my family really liked! I added currants, roasted walnuts and parsley. As others have mentioned, we only needed 1/2 the salad dressing.

  • aeader on March 16, 2014

    So easy and delicious! I used a full pound of carrots but only needed half the dressing so we used the rest on salad greens throughout the week. Next time I will just double the amount of carrots so we have leftovers for lunches.

  • MollyB on May 25, 2023

    Delicious and easy salad, great for potlucks. I've made it many times, and it's always a hit. I'm about to make a big batch to take with me camping for Memorial Day weekend! I usually skip the optional ingredients. It's fine made ahead and is tasty either cold or at room temperature.

  • southerncooker on June 10, 2019

    Delicious and made a nice side on this hot day. I didn't add any of the optional ingredients. If I'd had fresh parsley it would have made a nice addition.

  • Beck001 on November 15, 2025

    Great quick salad. Reminds me of carrot salad that used to be served at Mon Ami in the US. Made late at night - so didn’t have the extras to add but felt like it needed raisins or something so while optional would add something for texture

• Dressy pasta "risotto"

  • acfrey on July 19, 2011

    Great the kids loved it

  • Jviney on April 17, 2018

    This is always really good. I’ve added chicken, shrimp, and made it on its own. A keeper.

  • MaryMaryCulinary on October 17, 2023

    Very rich but delicious.

• Salted butter break-ups

  • Jane on June 25, 2011

    Got to agree with Salt. So delicious, it's hard to stop breaking pieces off. And so pretty too with the glazed hatch design on top.

  • twoyolks on February 08, 2017

    I found this cookie to be good enough to eat but I'd much prefer a sable.

  • Salt on May 24, 2011

    This simple cookie is PERFECTION. It is the quickest, easiest, most delicious butter cookie ever. Always gets tons of rave reviews.

  • Vanessa on August 27, 2011

    Quick. Easy. Awesome. Obvious, in retrospect - like all the really great ideas!

  • Zosia on April 14, 2014

    Rustic but oh-so-good (and easy to make).

• Spur-of-the moment vegetable soup, aka stone soup (the carrot version)

  • Cheri on January 01, 2023

    Loved this! Carrot/Ginger soup by another name. Immune boosting, comforting. Made as written and puréed with immersion blender. Definite repeat.

  • Laura on December 14, 2014

    Pg. 74. This soup had wonderful flavor! For such a simple preparation, the soup was absolutely delicious! I followed the basic recipe, sauteed the vegetables with butter only, used both rosemary and thyme, and pureed the soup until it was totally creamy. I thought the thickness was exactly right and did not feel the need to add more broth. The soup was a lovely shade of orange. I topped it with some minced rosemary and grated parmigiano reggiano -- a drizzle of olive or walnut oil would be nice as well. This soup is so healthy, simple to prepare, and beautiful -- I will be making this again very soon, probably with some of the other suggested vegetables.

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Nice technique for when you have sparse veggies

  • stef on December 03, 2019

    Added a sweet potato and 1/2 brown rice. Cooked in instant pot for 23 minutes, quick release after 10. Delicious soup made quickly with ingredients I had

  • br22 on September 06, 2014

    I really love how light yet flavorful this soup is. Have made it many times and always follow the author's ingredients and technique. Perfectly seasoned.

  • twoyolks on February 25, 2016

    The soup was bland. It didn't take on any of the flavors of the vegetables. I will note that I used vegetable stock in place of chicken stock.

  • chawkins on February 23, 2018

    Such a simple and flavorful soup. I used mostly butter and a bit of olive oil for the saute of the vegetables. Added a pinch each of dried thyme and dried rosemary and a fair amount of chopped ginger. Used two medium size red bliss potatoes that I peeled and pureed the soup with an immersion blender. All ingredients are always available in the crisper of the refrigerator and the pantry. I cooked it in the instant pot, high pressure for 7 minutes and quick release.

• Mashed potatoes

  • Breadcrumbs on April 03, 2011

    p. 355 - I peeled and chopped 2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes and once they’d boiled until tender, I riced them over some butter I melted in the still hot pan. While potatoes boiled I warmed a mixture of milk and cream. I stirred this into the potato and butter mix until a smooth texture was achieved. Since DG mentions that the French refer to mashed potatoes as a puree I opted for a looser mash than I would normally make so in the end, my potatoes really did resemble a puree. I seasoned w some S&P along w a little roasted garlic puree that I’d stirred into the milk. Lots of cream, butter, potatoes - needless to say, these were truly scrumptious and not at all healthy! Go figure! If you want a treat, make these potatoes! We served these along w grilled lamb chops and Tuscan Kale w pine nuts and golden raisins. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775863#6435384

  • swiand on December 04, 2025

    I made the second, manly, version in this recipe. I prefer not to peel the potatoes and used a masher. This was a family pleaser.

• Moules marinière

  • Breadcrumbs on April 03, 2011

    Moules Mariniere – p. 312 This made for a wonderful lunch. I cooked and served w sauvignon blanc. Onion, garlic and shallots are finely diced and sauteed in some butter prior to adding win, herbs (thyme, parsley & a bay leaf in this case) and lemon zest. Simmer the lot for 3 mins before adding the mussels, covering the pot and increasing the heat so the mussels boil until done. 4 mins in my case. I tasted the sauce prior to adding the mussels and it was too acidic for our tastes so I added 3 tbsp of butter. This is a solid dish that won’t lead you astray. If you haven’t tried mussels this way, I’d encourage you to give this a try. Delicious, w the additional butter of course! Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775862#6436085

  • imaluckyducky on December 17, 2024

    3.5 stars and it pains me because I usually love her recipes. This was only alright, made better versions of this type of dish, the flavors are subtle and I ended up with a LOT of liquid from the mussels so it was like a broth vs a sauce. Hoping to use the broth as a base for clam chowder later this week.

• Lemon-grilled chicken breasts

  • Breadcrumbs on April 03, 2011

    Lemon-Grilled Chicken Breasts – p. 137 Nothing ground-breaking but a tasty, solid recipe. DG suggests pounding boneless, skinless breasts to a 1/3 inch thickness however I find that breast meat tends to dry out too easily on the grill so I decided to grill our monster breasts (about 12oz each) as is to preserve as much of their moisture as possible. To DG’s suggested marinade of lemon juice and olive oil I also added some dried oregano and, fresh garlic. Breasts marinated over night and were grilled the following afternoon. This is a fairly basic recipe and prep but since it was in the book, I figured I’d report on it. I did cut into the chicken to give it a taste and it really turned out beautifully. I seasoned w S&P just prior to grilling. Nice subtle lemon flavour, lots of garlic and a little whiff of the Mediterranean w the oregano. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775862#6436263

• Chard-stuffed pork roast

  • Breadcrumbs on April 05, 2011

    p. 276 -Tender, juicy, flavourful and super quick and easy to prepare . . . this is a wonderful recipe, one of my all time COTM favourites. Variations I made to the recipe in the book: I used a large pork tenderloin vs a pork loin roast. I opted for dark raisins as I was able to pick up some locally grown organic ones on the weekend however I soaked them for 30 mins in warm water to plump them up. I replaced the coriander seeds w fennel seeds. We really enjoyed this roast. The stuffing was so delicious and the texture of the chard really held up. The fennel peppercorn crust was so delicious and really gave this an Italian flavour. We adored this dish and would highly recommend it. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775862#6439316

  • chefmichael on January 16, 2021

    This recipe is fabulous. So sorry I didn’t make it sooner. And Dorie is right - the leftovers make awesome sandwiches - like this cubano I made with griddled thin slices of the leftover roast (see picture).

  • imaluckyducky on February 06, 2020

    5 stars! I was surprised by how much I adored the combination of the chard with the pork! The raisins added an occasional and pleasant pop! of gentle sweet flavor to balance the salt and pepper seasoning of the pork. Followed recipe exactly, including cooking times (confirming with meat thermometer), with great success. Will make again!

• Everyday vinaigrette

  • Breadcrumbs on April 05, 2011

    p. 484 - The recipe itself is pretty standard. One part acid to three parts oil along w some Dijon mustard, S&P. In the base recipe DG recommends red or white wine vinegar (I used white). DG does not include shallots, garlic or herbs in her base recipe though her head note certainly acknowledges that you may wish to do so. Since I intended to store leftovers in the fridge, I decided not to add herbs (which I find shorten the shelf life of dressings) but I did add some crushed garlic. I always find that the success of vinaigrettes (like most dishes w very few ingredients) is relative to the quality of ingredients you use. In this case I’d recently purchased a wonderful white wine vinegar at a Niagara winery and I’m guessing that’s why we were especially pleased with this vinaigrette.

  • lils74 on May 19, 2025

    Used this as a template (I made a larger amount, but using the same ratios) and with the mustard and jar shaking method, it emulsified up beautifully and instantly, and it hadn't split even by the next day (today). Great recipe--good on its own and I'm interested in trying her variations too.

• Roasted salmon and lentils

  • Breadcrumbs on April 06, 2011

    p. 300 This happens to be one of my favourite dishes so I looked forward to trying DG’s version. Though this is a simple preparation, the results were delicious. I have no idea what value the first boil and rinsing of the lentils adds but somehow this dish was tastier than our usual salmon and lentils dinner. I’d definitely make this again; we both loved it.

  • TrishaCP on March 17, 2020

    This was a solid dish, but the salmon to me was pretty bland. The lentils were absolutely the star.

  • Yildiz100 on November 29, 2016

    Really delicious recipe that will go into our regular week-night rotation. I soaked the lentils in the morning to try to speed cooking since I would be making this after work, and so I omitted the boil and rinse step. I also omitted the clove. We had three small filets of salmon, not one large piece, so I wasn't really sure how to modify the baking instructions. I did bake at a lower temp of 430. That took longer than expected, and I should have put it in the oven earlier, before the lentils were cooked through. Other than that, we followed the recipe pretty closely. I was skeptical about the amount of broth added to the lentils at the end, but it was the perfect consistency.

• Mussels and chorizo with or without pasta

  • Breadcrumbs on April 09, 2011

    p. 316 - In my view, this dish doesn’t compare to my T&T fave from Epicurious. This is the first dish from AMFT that I won’t recommend. I served this over Fettuccine. The dish was okay for us but not great. One of the things I love about mussels is their liquor and I love how it infuses sauce w it’s flavour. In this case I felt that the tomatoes were overpowering everything else. Perhaps is only 14 oz were added I may have felt differently but this was very much a tomato sauce w chorizo and mussels in it in my view and neither the chorizo or the mussels really had a chance to shine. I also felt the sauce lacked seasoning. The two thyme sprigs were inadequate to deliver any real flavour to the sauce and the mild chorizo was rather lost I felt. It did add some smokiness but was otherwise washed out. We eventually add some chili flakes to our plates and that seemed to help a little bit but this dish was disappointing.

• Potato gratin (Pommes Dauphinois)

  • Breadcrumbs on April 09, 2011

    This is one of those fabulous examples of a dish w so few, but stellar ingredients, that just comes together to blow you away. The lovely crusty cheesy goodness on top was amazing! One of the best potato dishes I’ve ever made! One aspect of the instructions I particularly liked was the peel, slice and assemble aspect. Normally when I’m making a gratin or scalloped potatoes I peel and slice the potatoes, place them in salted water as I go, then dry them before assembling the dish. DG has you peel the potato, slice it and place it in the casserole dish. For planners like me this made me feel as though I was living on the edge -peeling and slicing my spuds while the oven heated but wow, here’s to last minute prep - no extra bowls to wash, no drying potato slices and a HUGE time-savings! I’ll never look back! I made everything according to DG’s instructions except that I simmered the thyme sprigs along w the cream Pictures here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775863#6453040

  • aeader on November 25, 2017

    So delicious - one of our favorites. I slice the potatoes in the food processor so it's quick to assemble. Used half heavy cream and half whole milk. Usually end up baking 5-10 min extra and then letting it rest 10 min out of the oven.

  • smtucker on December 11, 2012

    add: garlic; russet potatoes recommended; no light cream

  • TrishaCP on March 05, 2017

    I used a mix of potatoes and white sweet potatoes for a family dinner, and it was heavenly. I doubled the recipe to feed a crowd, and overestimated the additional milk needed to ensure the potatoes were cooked through by quite a lot. Next time I would limit to the cream, and just cover with foil to make sure the top layer softens. I used dried thyme and rosemary-just enough for light sprinkles on top.

  • louie734 on February 17, 2013

    I love a dish that takes me somewhere - and this took me right back to our apartment rental overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Simple, elegant, just how it should be.

  • LaPomme on March 26, 2011

    Page 360

  • ComeUndone on November 08, 2010

    A quick weeknight version of the classic. Delicious though not the best. http://wscwong.typepad.com/dessert_by_candy/2010/11/pommes-dauphinois.html

  • hbakke on December 01, 2024

    We liked this gratin, but I would use the mandoline (for thinner slices) rather than the food processor next time to slice the potatoes.

  • amandabeck on December 27, 2021

    Another great and delicious recipe from Dorie. I assembled the gratin the night before and then baked it off once my guests arrive (to serve with her pot roast, which I reheated gently on the stovetop). They were delicious, I think the garlic was a little sharp from sitting overnight though so next time I would do it the morning before. Would make again.

  • Lepa on December 01, 2023

    Delicious and rich! It takes a while to bake, start at least 90 minutes before you plan to eat.

  • stef on April 19, 2015

    Baked potatoes for 20 minutes and then added on cheese

  • stockholm28 on December 25, 2017

    These were truly decadent. Garlic infused cream, potatoes, and Gruyere make this a rich and delicious side.

  • Yildiz100 on December 01, 2014

    This turned out perfectly. It did take a little extra time in the oven, about 55 minutes, even though we possibly used fewer potatoes than she indicated. The prep was simple, and the active time was short.

  • nutrica6 on September 09, 2024

    Very rich, perfect potatoes au gratin. Feels like a special treat. It did take 55-60 minutes to bake in a square casserole dish. I used aged cheddar and it turned out great. I like the idea of assembling ahead of time as the prep does take some time!

  • kkmatti on November 08, 2024

    Fantastic version of this dish. Cooked an extra 15 mins after the initial 45. I added a handful of thyme and rosemary on top. The rosemary added a more sophisticated dimension to this dish. I will absolutely make this again.

• Café Salle Pleyel hamburger

  • Breadcrumbs on April 11, 2011

    p. 240 -The burgers come together super-quickly, especially if you have a mini food processor. I used 1 lb of sirloin and 1/2 lb of chuck.I know the term marmalade is used loosely these days but I would not consider this to be a jam or marmalade of any sort. What is produced are seasoned, softened onions. Even w some of the sweetened gherkin water in my mix, the onions never got jammy. At the 60 min mark I called it a day as most of the water had evaporated so I set my onions aside to add to my burger.These burgers smelled fabulous at every stage of the process (raw, on the grill and cooked). They were very flavourful, perfectly cooked (medium for us) but not as juicy as we’d have liked.I’m glad we tried this, the burger was good but not fabulous enough that I’d make it again. That said, it was nice to try something different for a change of pace. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775862#6455831

  • tarae1204 on December 13, 2021

    It’s wonderful to revisit one of your favorite cookbooks of all time and find a gem previously overlooked. Overall, this recipe worked very well, with a couple details notes below. The combination of flavors is sophisticated and delightful. Capers in a hamburger works very well! The thinly sliced dill pickles and Parmesan are amazing. I made these exactly as written except my husband mistakenly subbed cardamom for the coriander powder and the onion marmalade. Made no difference. We did think the cooking times were a little underestimated, but it’s hard to make these 3/4 of an inch thick as they are a little loose. I found mine to be juicy enough. You know it’s a good burger if your kids don’t feel the need to put ketchup on it. I agree with reviewer from 2011 who says the onion marmalade is not really like a marmalade. That is true. It’s fine as it is. I think the onion marmalade part of the recipe is miswritten.

  • LauraMB on February 25, 2024

    This is an excellent burger. I used dried tarragon (1/3 dried as compared to fresh). When making the onion jam, I turned the heat higher, and they cooked in the amount of time stated. However, the long cooking really muted their flavor and the coriander was no longer detectable. Next time I would either sauté or caramelize the onions. The burger recipe is definitely a keeper.

• Garlicky crumb-coated broccoli

  • Breadcrumbs on April 13, 2011

    p. 334 Scrumptious. Simple. Super-quick to make! We loved this side dish. This is easy to pull together, perfect for a weeknight meal. DG notes you can also steam your broccoli in advance if you wish . . . another plus, especially if you were serving it to guests and wanted to minimize your mealtime prep work. I love make-ahead recipes like this and have a separate bookmark for them in EYB now. We really loved this, nothing revolutionary here just some good quality, simple ingredients that come together to make a delicious dish. I can’t wait to make this w locally grown broccoli or even other greens in the summer months. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775863#6457917

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Added a little bit of lemon juice to up the tang. Overall very nice side with good flavour, interesting texture, and healthy.

  • smtucker on November 12, 2016

    Delicious. Used local farm broccoli and garlic. Homemade ciabbata bread crumbs.

  • Yildiz100 on July 04, 2016

    The broccoli caused the crumbs to get soggy for me. Next time I would sautee the broccoli then add crumb mixture once sure any excess moisture is gone.

  • averythingcooks on December 17, 2021

    Six oz of broccoli was enough for the 2 of us and we both really liked it. I steamed the broccoli ahead of time & then finished it quickly in the pan as the last dish for our meal. I also squeezed the zested lemon over the pan at the end as suggested by Delys77. The crumbs stayed crispy & added a ton of flavour. This was delicious beside Dorie's chicken diable recipe & some crispy roast potatoes.

  • nutrica6 on September 09, 2024

    This was easy and delicious. Agree with others about steaming broccoli ahead of time. I left the broccoli in large pieces but next time would cut it down more so it gets crispier and is easier to sauté at the end. Love the lemon flavor, would definitely be good with some of the juice squeezed on at the end.

• Fresh orange pork tenderloin

  • Breadcrumbs on April 13, 2011

    p. 273 -The most time-consuming element in the preparation of this dish it the supreming of two oranges. Unfortunately someone must have stolen my cardamom pods because there were none to be found in my pantry. Ok, so maybe I forgot to replenish my stock when I finished them off the last time. Luckily I did have some ground cardamom that I picked up a couple of weeks ago so that had to suffice tonight. Not sure how much that impacted the outcome of this dish but it was just alright for us. Very, very orangey w a hint of cardamom . . . a little too one note for my taste though K said he was ok with it and would eat it again. Pity, because I won’t be making it. This just didn’t do it for me. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/775862#6464227

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Nothing very interesting about this. The orange, even with the zest, ends up being a little flat and the pork and cardamom are an ok combination but not enough to lift the dish.

  • valbe on March 24, 2024

    My thoughts are similar to the other comments. Something is missing - a bit of paprika or chili ?? garlic??

  • Dannausc on January 23, 2021

    Quick and easy. My wife really liked it. I thought it was fine but not worth a repeat.

  • Sandiegolemons on May 22, 2018

    1 star out of 5 unfortunately. I cooked this first then wondered what other had to say. Do Not Do This Recipe. Most likely one of the worst pork tenderloin recipes I’ve done. I even had the cardamon seed pods in the spice rack. Too bad, she has tons of stellar recipes in her book.

• Cauliflower-bacon gratin

  • Breadcrumbs on April 27, 2011

    p. 362 - Maybe my expectations were set a bit too high for this dish. I loved the idea of it, certainly all the individual ingredients appeal and, in terms of presentation, without a doubt it’s a lovely looking dish. All that said, I liked but didn’t love this dish. K proclaimed this a hit. Not that the cream, bacon and cheese might have had anything to do w that! I followed the recipe as set out in the book and made no modifications at all. In hindsight I’m wondering if I might have preferred it w some onions or scallions. It did seem to liven up w a sprinkling of salt at the table. Not sure I’d make this again.

  • IvyManning on September 06, 2025

    Tasted like scrambled eggs. Not a hit with the family.

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This s better than ina's version since it uses a custard instead of a béchamel. It looks better and tastes better.

  • adrienneyoung on June 28, 2013

    Breadcrumbs is right, I think. A heavy hand with the salt, the pepper and the nutmeg are most helpful. Also, "cauliflower gratin". Starts with cauliflower. Sounds healthy, yes? Not so much. Quiche in disguise, because, really, it's a dinner of cream, eggs and bacon with a smattering of cauliflower to give it a faint whiff of respectability. Still, absolutely worth playing with. Reasonably idiot-proof, and I thought it was yummy!

  • tui on October 13, 2015

    I was disappointed with this recipe. A cauliflower/broccoli gratin is a firm favourite in our house and I thought this might be a change from the usual béchamel sauce and cheese. I made a half recipe - which was still a lot - so that may have affected things, but it seemed very "eggy". Don't think I will make it again. Might keep the idea of adding bacon though.

  • kateastoria on March 27, 2015

    As the others said, it's ok. All the flavour comes from the bacon though, so the dish needs a good quality one and lots of it.

• Chicken, ham, and barley salad

  • Laura on March 04, 2011

    Pg. 383. FYI, I just spent a great deal of time looking for this recipe. It is not listed in the general index or in any of the chapters' tables of contents. I finally found it on page 383 as a sidebar to the recipe on that page -- Lemon barley pilaf. I thought I would share this with all of you, to save you some time!

• Lemon barley pilaf

  • Laura on May 30, 2011

    Pg. 383. We really liked this! It's quite simple and made a nice accompaniment to roast chicken and green beans with lemon. One tip: The recipe calls for 1.75 cups of chicken broth and .5 cup of water to be added to the barley. Not all of the liquid was absorbed, even though the barley was fully cooked. In the future, I would omit the 1/2 cup of water. And I will definitely make this again.

  • Melanie on July 14, 2014

    This was a nice and simple recipe, will definitely make again - very easy to have this simmering away while tending to other things in the kitchen. I used vegetable stock and water and thought there was plenty of flavour in the finished dish. Served with the Ottolenghi chickpea saute for work lunches, holds up well with reheating. (I forgot to check here for comments before making but agree with Laura's comment below, the suggested quantity of liquid is a tad too much)

  • aeader on January 09, 2022

    Echoing the previous reviewers, we found this a very tasty side dish that was simple and easy to prepare. I decreased the liquid to 2 cups total and used all vegetable broth, however that was still too much liquid. Next time I'll use just 1.75 cups. I used grapeseed oil in lieu of butter, and used a whole (small) red pepper instead of 1/2. We liked that the vegetables still had some crunch. Will definitely make this again.

  • Delys77 on February 08, 2016

    I will chime in and say that this is quite good and very easy. Surprisingly I was also worried about the amount of water but I had to let it rest for closer to 15 minutes and by the time I served it was actually just right. On the whole a great, healthy and simple side. The only change I made is I went with olive oil instead of butter.

  • Jane on September 10, 2014

    A flavorful side dish that requires little attention once simmering away. I liked the addition of finely diced carrots and red pepper at the end. I agree with the other 2 notes that there is too much liquid - skip the water.

  • TrishaCP on March 21, 2022

    I saw the helpful notes about not adding all of the liquid called for, but I completely spaced that I had read that advice until after I had already added it. (Sigh.) I removed a bit but overall I agree with Laura and Jane and wouldn’t add the water next time. The flavor was good but the barley was too soft from all the liquid.

• Provençal vegetable soup

  • Laura on October 03, 2013

    Pg. 83. This soup was a perfect choice to use many of the vegetables purchased at the weekend's farmers market. I made a few substitutions: patty pan squash in place of zucchini, frozen corn in place of fresh, purchased pesto and vegetable broth in place of homemade, skipped the pasta and instead increased the amounts of vegetables. I love how healthy this soup is, providing one doesn't overdo the pesto and parmesan. Flavor-wise, it was a bit flat for me. My husband really liked it.

  • stockholm28 on September 07, 2013

    This is a delicious soup, full of summer vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, corn, green beans, etc.). and topped with pesto.

• Vegetable barley soup with the taste of Little India

  • Laura on October 29, 2014

    Pg. 89. This was very good! I made it with vegetable stock and substituted 2 turnips for the parsnip. I thought the spice amounts as written in the recipe were exactly right -- I did not feel the need to increase them. The amount of barley was too little, I think. It barely showed up. In future, I would either increase it, or eliminate it altogether. Addendum: On the day after I made this the barley had absorbed significantly more liquid and was very much present in the soup rather than invisible like the day before. There was still plenty of broth as well. So, in future I would plan to make this the day before I wanted to serve it.

  • ksg518 on April 05, 2021

    I thought this was very blah. I added some better than bouillon which helped a little and finally even some roasted chicken. But it still seemed to be missing something. Not a repeat.

  • Melanie on April 29, 2014

    We thought this was delicious - different from most barley soups. Substituted turnip for the parsnip and upped the spices. We used water (not stock) and used the chilli flakes (optional) which provided a good level of heat.

• Spicy Vietnamese chicken noodle soup

  • Laura on April 28, 2014

    Pg. 98. I modified the preparation a bit in that I poached a whole chicken along with the spices in order to produce the chicken broth. Otherwise, I followed the directions pretty closely. Granting that my chicken broth might not have been as intensely flavored with chicken as a stock that has simmered for hours, it did simmer with all of the aromatics called for. I added the maximum amounts of fish sauce and lime juice. Still, I was underwhelmed by the flavor of the finished soup. Also, if I were to make this again, I think I'd eliminate the noodles and add some shitake mushrooms and some other vegetables. My husband, on the other hand, thought the soup had great flavor and he loved the noodles

  • DKennedy on February 22, 2021

    Delicious. I opted for no noddles and added spinach along with the other veggies.

• Lentil, lemon, and tuna salad

  • Laura on November 13, 2020

    Pg. 140. This was ok, but nothing special. On the positive side, it didn't take too long to make and it made for a light lunch. On the other hand, it was not an attractive dish and did not make good leftovers. I wouldn't make it again.

  • Lepa on February 02, 2020

    This is really easy and delicious. Dorie uses a whole preserved lemon. I just used the skin because my family doesn't love a strong lemon flavor but I think next time I will follow Dorie's lead. We served this, as suggested, with salad greens and cherry tomatoes. I can't wait to have the rest for lunch tomorrow!

• Marie-Hélène's apple cake

  • sideshoes on November 02, 2010

    Baked for about 20 minutes longer than recipe called for. Bread pudding like. Excellent.

  • Avocet on November 07, 2013

    This did need to bake longer than 60 minutes. Perhaps baking it in a 9" pan and cutting the apples in smaller pieces would be a good idea. I'm going to cut back the butter a little next time. Raisins would be a good addition.

  • mfto on January 27, 2012

    p432 I should have baked this longer than 60 minutes. The apples were slightly crunchy but that is not why I will not make this recipe again. I followed the recipe exactly using rum and vanilla and three different apples. I wanted to add cinnamon but decided to see if the flavor was good as written. The cake looked beautiful but there simply was not enough flavor. I hoped it would improve overnight, but no luck. It is possible that my apples were the problem. I do think the juice of a lemon might help perk things up. If you do decide to try the recipe, go to the following link for tips on preparing a springform pan. It works. http://wscwong.typepad.com/dessert_by_candy/2010/10/marie-h%C3%A9l%C3%A8nes-apple-cake.html

  • DKennedy on September 10, 2012

    Love this cake. I've made this more times than any other dessert recipe. I like to brown the butter for more depth of flavor. Also, better when increase the cinnamon ratio and a dash of lemon zest, but only a dash.

  • Jane on October 06, 2014

    I've been meaning to make this for ages, given that it's the most reviewed recipe on EYB. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't take note of what everyone said about cooking it longer - my cake was nicely golden and a cake tester came out clean after 60 minutes so I thought it was good. But when we ate it (at room temperature a few hours later) the center was definitely under-cooked. I will make it again as I liked the flavors and the fact it's more apples than cake. I used 4 different apples as suggested which I think helps the flavor. I served it with cinnamon ice cream from David Lebovitz's Perfect Scoop. Lovely fall dessert.

  • vinochic on December 15, 2011

    As others said, bread pudding like, easy to make, not too sweet. Probably needs more cooking time then recipe states though (I baked for 60 minutes and it was slightly underdone). Nice with creme fraiche!

  • aeader on November 18, 2017

    Very nice light cake, everyone enjoyed it. Would make again.

  • Astrid5555 on September 29, 2012

    Excellent and easy. Needs 15 minutes longer to bake than stated in the recipe. Will make again!

  • Emily Hope on December 03, 2010

    Very simple to make with excellent results--probably wouldn't serve at a dinner party because of its simplicity, but great for brunch/tea.

  • JoannaV on October 19, 2010

    more apples than cake - very good

  • cpauldin on October 20, 2010

    Took about 75 minutes to bake- almost like a bread pudding consistency- extremely quick to throw together with impressive results.

  • Aggie92 on February 02, 2011

    Delicious recipe. Loved it the first day when the cake was just a little crusty. I used honey crisp apples and they were sweet. Next time I will use all Granny Smith or a mix of Granny's and another apple.

  • ComeUndone on November 08, 2010

    Great flavour and tremendously easy. Reminds me of clafouti. http://wscwong.typepad.com/dessert_by_candy/2010/10/marie-h%C3%A9l%C3%A8nes-apple-cake.html

  • HeatherT on January 16, 2011

    Thought I put it together incorrectly because there is just enough batter to coat the apples, but it came out great. Will make again and again.

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I've made this cake twice now, the second time was an experimental version. This recipe is frequently posted online so I won't go into details. The experiment I did with the second cake was making it gluten-free. Since the cake is pretty flour-poor and fruit-rich, I thought I had a good shot of making something edible. I think gluten free flour takes longer to cook than wheat flour. Even after adding additional baking time the cake was a little pudding-like. But very tasty. The cake made with regular flour baked well in the allotted time. I really like that this cake calls for four different types of apples. I used a Braeburn, a Honeycrisp, a Pink Lady, and a Jazz. I had my own little apple tasting as I was chopping, the differences are amazing: sweet, tart, sharp, rich, etc. Mmmm. And you can really taste the different flavors in bites of the cake. Next: I want to try this same cake recipe with fresh peaches.

  • hbakke on March 17, 2024

    Delicious cake! I don't normally love apple desserts, but this was very good. I used a combination of random, mixed apples that had spent too much time in the veg drawer of the fridge. Will repeat.

  • jhallen on November 26, 2020

    This was easy and really good. Mine didn’t need longer the stated cook time, unlike other readers. The batter was done and the apples held some crispness, which I liked. Served with a general dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, which was a perfect complement to the cake.

  • et12 on October 24, 2024

    Loved the apple flavours in this cake, the depth of flavour the vanilla and rum provide and how easy it was to put it all together. Would definitely serve with cream or ice cream next time.

  • amandabeck on February 19, 2024

    A good cake to make for an abundance of apples -- not too sweet, delicious with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream. Next time I'd turn the temperature down and bake it for 30 minutes longer-- top browned too fast and the cake was undercooked (used fancy toaster oven).

  • averythingcooks on December 25, 2019

    So worried about whether it was really cooked through and so relieved to eat such a moist and delicious cake!! I used 4 large apples (granny smith, Spartan, honeycrisp and Macintosh), gave it around 70 minutes and served it on the second day with softly whipped cream flavoured with maple sugar. Rave reviews and a definite make again!

  • anya_sf on January 14, 2022

    Very good. Not too sweet, so we enjoyed it with vanilla ice cream. I had a 9" springform pan, and the cake might have been done in 60 min except some of the apples (I used 4 kinds, as recommended) were a bit firm, so the cake baked 70 min.

  • chawkins on September 11, 2012

    Great dessert for people with diabetes as it is not too sweet with mostly apples and very little batter.

  • meggan on January 14, 2013

    I agree with the other reviewers that this needed to bake for more time. The cake was simple and delicious and I was happy to have something other than the obligatory apple/cinnamon combo.

  • finnsmom64 on December 08, 2019

    This turned out great! Loved the rum in it. It could have used a few more minutes and will be making again.

  • stockholm28 on November 01, 2015

    I like this cake and have made it several times. It is delicious right out of the oven. This cake is more apples than cake. I used a 9 inch springform as I don't have an 8 inch so the cake came out thinner than is shown in the picture. My apples were quite large and the batter just barely coated them so the cake, although done, came out quite wet I really like the rum with apples.

  • Lottabooks on November 21, 2024

    I've made this a few times with rum, but would like to try cognac or Calvados. Hints from Epicurious for a 9 inch springform pan (I follow this formula and it works): 1-1/4 sticks butter, 1 t. vanilla, 1 c. sugar, 1-1/4 t. baking powder, 1 c. flour PLUS 2 T. flour, 3 eggs, 5 apples (a mix - Granny Smiths, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady), pinch of salt. Chop apples in 1/2 inch pieces and toss in lemon juice. Cream butter after melting with sugar; beat in eggs, vanilla and rum, then proceed with dry ingredients. Be sure to coat apples. Lay parchment on bottom of pan, THEN clamp (ensures liquid stays in pan). Added cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, lemon zest, cloves (a little bit of cloves go a long way). Rum flavor intensifies as it sits. Definitely cook longer - with the added ingredients mentioned above, it needed about 15 extra minutes. But a great cake for Thanksgiving - make it the day before and store with loose covering at room temp.

  • Rradishes on March 07, 2022

    Great cake, and like others say it's more apples than batter. But that's makes it healthier, right? :) A great treat with tea, and easy to make.

  • senzler on November 04, 2025

    This was lovely, easy, and quick to put together. I made if for book club and it was a hit. will make this again

  • kshell on October 25, 2024

    I loved this the first time I made it. But times 2 and 3 it was not living up to my memory of the first. I think I'm over baking and the apples might be turning to mush and the cake winds up somehow too wet and a bit greasy? I'll give it another go, another year, and try to pull it out of the oven before the apples start collapsing.

  • breakthroughc on March 08, 2026

    I have made this cake several times with great success. I haven’t had a problem with it being done in 60 minutes, but I may cut my apples a little smaller. I have always used rum, but this time I used bourbon and wow is that an improvement on an already great recipe. I will only use bourbon going forward.

  • elysedc on November 03, 2024

    I tried veganizing this recipe with moderate success (unfortunately can't compare to the regular version yet). Replaced the butter with weight equivalent in oil (slightly less to account for water content in butter) and replaced eggs with applesauce. Given there's so little batter, I thought I'd be ok if it didn't hold together quite so well, but mine also came out somehow too wet and a bit greasy (literally dabbed pockets of grease off the top with a paper towel). Was concerned about underbaking it, but given there are no eggs I probably should have pulled it a bit sooner. Folks, it was...not a looker. That said, it actually tasted delicious. Added ground mahleb to top, added a bit of fresh nutmeg and mesquite to the flour, coated the pan/topped with cinnamon sugar. Replaced alcohol with equal amounts vanilla (2 tbsp) and almond extract (1 tbsp). Going to try this again with original ingredients and hope for more of a crust.

  • Running_with_Wools on December 24, 2023

    I’ve made this frequently and it is so simple and delicious. This time I pushed the limits by using 7 apples and baked it in a 10 inch springform. I increased the sugar, flour, butter and added an egg yolk. I subbed whiskey for rum.

• Jerusalem artichoke soup with parsley coulis

  • adrienneyoung on December 20, 2011

    Ok. Not as good as her celery soup.

• Spiced squash, fennel, and pear soup

  • mjes on September 08, 2021

    I absolutely love this soup. The spicing is perfect for winter squash.

  • sgpinson on October 04, 2022

    Good if you like fennel! That flavor was a bit too strong for me.

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Possibly my new favourite squash soup, the fennel and orange are very nice and the pear is much more subtle than the usual apple.

• Chestnut-pear soup

  • Jehensle on January 28, 2019

    This was surprisingly delicious! I made this because I needed to use up a leftover jar of roasted chestnuts. I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, using 2 leeks as specified, and 2 ripe red pears. I used thyme for the herb. I puréed using the immersion blender for convenience, however, it would probably have been even better had I used the Vitamix to get a smoother consistency. The flavor was slightly sweet, very slightly nutty. The color was not that appetizing, but maybe adding a topping of some sort would overcome that. This would definitely be worth making again.

  • molly17659 on January 19, 2025

    I loved this. It had a very unique (but delicious) flavor. Easy to make, even though I roasted my own chestnuts. Very comforting and slightly and pleasantly sweet

• Orange-scented lentil soup

  • TinyCitiKitchen on July 19, 2023

    Adore this soup. That bit of orange peel puts it over the top

  • ashallen on December 03, 2019

    A very nice lentil soup - the orange and ginger flavors work very well together. As written, the flavors from the clove and coriander are extremely subtle (or maybe I need some fresh spices!). I like their flavor and now use 2 cloves and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of coriander seed. I'll also use up to 3x the amount of orange zest specified. Freezes well.

• Simplest Breton fish soup

  • twoyolks on January 08, 2021

    The broth was on the blander side. And for being a Breton soup, there was very little dairy.

• Roasted peppers

  • PinchOfSalt on July 04, 2022

    Made this using chopped fresh basil as the herb that was scattered over the peppers. A simple, pleasant side dish that presents very well. A good supporting role, but not a star at the table.

• Lime and honey beet salad

  • JKDLady on October 22, 2015

    I loved this, but it was a bit tangy for some of my family members. The combination of cider vinegar and lime juice is strong. I will definitely make this again though.

• Chunky beets and icy red onions

  • nutrica6 on September 09, 2024

    The beets are beautiful and the red onion was not bitter at all after soaking it. I found there was too much onion for the amount of beets but otherwise really enjoyed this. And I like that you can make it ahead of time!

• Couscous salad

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Great technique resulting in a spicy, sweet, and tangy salad.

• Wheat berry and tuna salad

  • doughet on July 25, 2017

    This is a great salad for a light summer dinner for the two of us (with enough left over for lunches the next day). We cooked the wheat berries in the InstantPot (25 min./high pressure) and then hardboiled the eggs in the InstantPot afterward (13 min./low pressure) for an easy and oven-free summer dinner. The crunch and sweetness of the apple is nice with bell pepper and tuna. And this recipe doesn't even create a pile of dirty dishes (unusual for our house)!

• Potato chip tortilla

  • ashallen on October 26, 2019

    I was intrigued by the idea of using potato chips as a shortcut for making a potato tortilla, but this was just OK (rats!). Once cooked in the tortilla, the potato chips had a mealy texture and a flavor vibe that reminded me of baking soda. I used good quality, medium-thickness, organic potato chips - maybe thick-cut chips would have been better? Easy to make. Using a well-seasoned 8-inch cast iron skillet worked well - no sticking and no excessive crust formation. Needed more cooking time than specified in the recipe to set. I don't think I'll make this again...

• Basque potato tortilla

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Used thyme instead of rosemary and left the garlic in. Ended up having to cook the potatoes for closer to 45 minutes. This was a great brunch dish and better than Mark Bittman's already good version from How to Cook Everything.

• Gérard's mustard tart

  • smtucker on September 13, 2018

    I have made the leek and carrot version in the past. [Reviews on Chowhound.] Tonight, I made the Bonne Idea version with the last of the garden tomatoes. I really enjoyed the tartness of the tomato. In the future, I would add some basil or another herb to give a slightly grassy note.

  • Lepa on February 02, 2020

    I made this with tomatoes instead of carrots. Thirty minutes was a bit too long and it browned too much. I would start checking it at 25 minutes next time. Overall the tart was good but not great but I think my inexperience with tart dough was a contributing factor. I'm definitely going to try this again!

  • stef on October 27, 2018

    This is such a unique quiche. I brought it to a potluck. There were 2 other quiches but this one was devoured. Mustard taste is mild

  • Kojak on December 06, 2016

    The name scared me. It shouldn't have--the mustard is subtle. It was divine.

  • Maefleur on June 01, 2021

    This tart is a favorite in our house. I have made both the carrot & leek, and tomato versions and most recently with a variety of veggies I had that needed to be used up. Delicious! Be sure to use a peppy mustard as it mellows when baked.

  • bching on February 27, 2017

    See discussion of this recipe here: https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/the-bakers-apprentice-mustard-tart/?_r=0

• Gorgonzola-apple quiche

  • stef on December 26, 2016

    Made the quiche lorraine which is on the side of page. Page 157. It was very good, nice and fluffy. My pastry was from cooks illustrated using vodka. It's such a good easy one to make

• Quiche maraîchère

  • bching on February 26, 2017

    One of my favorite Dorie Greenspan recipes. As Stockholm 28 notes, it's mostly veggies; there's just enough cheese and custard to bind it together. You can use just about any combination of veggies. I followed the recipe except for one substitution--I used a poblano pepper instead of the red bell pepper called for--and it was delish! Cut all the pieces at once, before the cheese topping firms up. It's messy to cut once it's cool.

  • stockholm28 on May 13, 2014

    Good. This is different from most quiche in that it is mostly vegetables with just a small amount of egg and cream to bind it. The cheese is sprinkled on top near the end.

  • MissKoo on December 12, 2020

    This is one of my favorite go-to quiche recipes. I generally modify the recipe just a bit, using two whole eggs instead of one egg and a yolk, sometimes mixing the cheese with the cream and eggs rather than putting it on the top later, and adding whatever herbs I have handy to the veggies. Great to make ahead and have to grab for breakfast, lunch, or light supper with a salad. Makes a nice bake sale item or gift too, if you're looking to gift something to a friend or neighbor that's savory rather than sweet.

• Spinach and bacon quiche

  • Zosia on May 28, 2016

    The filling was very flavourful and less custardy than many recipes with a high ratio of spinach-bacon to egg mixture. Meat lovers barely noticed the spinach but there was enough going on that the bacon didn't overwhelm the other ingredients. The author's tart crust recipe was easy to make and held up well against the moist filling.

  • PinchOfSalt on July 04, 2022

    Made this for some friends. It was a big hit. Used frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained in a colander, and then squeezed thoroughly to eliminate as much liquid as possible. Took significantly longer than expected to bake in my oven, so perhaps there still was excess liquid? Also, used extra large eggs (the two smallest ones in the carton) instead of large, because that's what I had. In any case, the crust (which did crack during rolling, but no problem to fix that) was nice and flaky and overall the quiche was very well received. Strangely, the bacon did not stand out in the filling. I'd happily make this again.

  • thekitchenchronicles on June 23, 2015

    One of the best quiches I've made. So rich, buttery and flavorful with the baby spinach and bacon. Also great recipe for the tart crust. Could have eaten the whole thing myself. Reviewed on my blog: http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/06/22/tomato-sauce-with-porcini-mushrooms/

  • stef on May 17, 2022

    The crust dough recipe is my goto for tarts. Loved the spinach and bacon combination. Nice with salad and a glass of white wine.

  • Lepa on April 05, 2020

    My family loved this. As others noted, it didn't have as much egg and/or custard as other quiches but that worked well here. I had some problems rolling out the tart crust but think it's because I didn't let it warm up enough after chilling (it kept cracking). I am determined to master crust and pastry during this quarantine so I'll probably make this again soon.

  • Jviney on March 30, 2019

    This was a huge hit. Not too heavy, just perfect flavor. I made the tart dough in the food processor and it was flaky and delicious.

  • Delys77 on January 18, 2022

    The filling in this is just lovely. Nice light custard with tonnes of filling makes for a very tasty quiche. I used turkey bacon and it was still good. Lovely dish.

• Mushroom and shallot quiche

  • bching on September 28, 2016

    I see that I am the third person to rate this quiche at 3 stars--but the first to write a note. This was edible--and I used prime ingredients--freshly foraged wild mushrooms and shiitakes grown on an oak log in my garden, local organic eggs and cream. It should have been much better but something is off in the proportions.

  • MissKoo on September 27, 2021

    I usually love a mushroom quiche. Have made excellent ones from other sources (Julia Child, Naomi Pomeroy's Taste and Technique, and Dorie's mushroom-bacon galette in Everyday Dorie). This was okay but nothing special, and I used significantly more mushrooms than called for. Maybe adding bacon or a lot more gruyere would have upped the flavor profile. The result was just rather meh.

• Tomato-cheese tartlets

  • averythingcooks on September 22, 2022

    These were delicious served as a side with soup for dinner. My piece of puff pastry was smaller than called for - I got 2 x 6" rounds and then 2 x 3" rounds. The method of cooking the puff pastry bases between pieces of parchment & 2 sheet pans worked great and the idea is that you can then approximate the amt of toppings you want. I did make her version of pesto (same book) and then I chose to run the finished tarts under the broiler as suggested. What a lovely way to treat ourselves with tomatoes & basil from the garden.

• Salmon tartare

  • amraub on December 21, 2013

    p. 180

• Crab-avocado "ravioli"

  • blintz on May 07, 2013

    My avocados were much too ripe to slice into the "ravioli" sheets, so I just diced them and placed the crab on top. The crab salad itself is delicious, and due to the lime, a bit ceviche-like in taste. I used fresh raw Maine crab meat.

• Hurry-up-and-wait roast chicken

  • FVarin on September 17, 2012

    Such a simple recipe but chicken was so tasty and moist. Everyone loved it!

  • senzler on May 18, 2022

    One of the moistest roast chickens I have ever made! And tasty too.

• M. Jacques' Armagnac chicken

  • LisaR12 on February 10, 2013

    very easy to make, the chicken came out lovely and moist. I made it with brandy

  • twoyolks on February 13, 2016

    The chicken took a good 20 minutes more to fully cook than the recipe specified and the skin never really browned. This really reminded me of a chicken version of pot roast.

  • stockholm28 on December 15, 2013

    Good and easy.

  • Sandiegolemons on May 24, 2018

    This was OK, and definitley wouldn’t recommend it as a must try. Though if you do have 8 small potatoes, three onions and 8 prunes (optional but is the star here), give it a go. Fall/winter dish. The chicken didn’t brown, or will it with all the liquid from roasting, so put it under a broiler or bust out a torch. Mine also took about 15 to 20 minutes longer to cook and the chicken fat didn’t render out. Good flavor, especially with the prunes but far from magnificent. Not sure I would do again.

  • rootedvinehomestead on January 19, 2022

    I thought this recipe was good and worth repeating. Yes the chicken didn’t brown like a open oven roasted chicken. It is a different type of dish. And it was easy to make. I do have onions and carrots and potatoes and prunes as pantry staples. Chicken was very moist, vegetables were just right not mushy (I would add more carrots), and the sauce was delicious. I did keep it in the oven for 15 more minutes because my chicken was heavier than called for.

  • Delys77 on March 29, 2015

    Also made with brandy. Quite tasty but the chicken didn't brown so I had to take off the lid and broil for a bit.

• Chicken tagine with sweet potatoes and prunes

  • chawkins on December 10, 2013

    Wow, what a wonderful one-pot meal for a wintry night. I served it by itself, without the suggested couscous or quinoa, as I felt the sweet potatoes provided enough carbohydrates. I thought I had prunes but they turned out to be dried cherries, so that was what I used, substituting 3 cherries for each prune called for, Will definitely make this again.

  • mharriman on March 15, 2021

    As others have noted, this is quite good, especially at the end of a cold day, which it was today. We liked the amount of spices- not overpowering and just enough to bring out Moroccan flavors. Served over couscous but think basmati rice might even be better to soak up the au jus. Easy to put together and the simmering time freed up time to make a salad and set the table.

  • adrienneyoung on December 14, 2013

    Ok, but not spectacular. I'm hoping it improves with a little sit in the fridge overnight...

  • mfto on January 27, 2012

    p 212 We loved this tagine made in a clay pot on the gas burner using a difuser as a precaution. Didn't have star anise. Only one star anise point is required. I also forgot the optional toasted chopped walnuts for serving. As Dorie says the resulting liquid in the cooked dish is a jus, not a sauce. It is very, very flavorful and I served with couscous. Dorie also suggests serving with quinoa or rice. Addition: I made this again in spite of the fact that I had no sweet potatoes. Instead I substituted russet potatoes but add a sliced apple for sweetness. The apple was delicious. Think I will add it even if I have sweet potatoes.

  • vickster on December 28, 2015

    We really liked this. Just the right amount of spices. Some Moroccan type recipes have too much cinnamon for my taste, but this was just right. And I love Saffron. Definitely will make again.

• Chicken, apples, and cream à la Normande

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This is close to the Diable recipe that follows in terms of rich and tasty flavour. The sweetness of the apples adds a nice little note.

  • twoyolks on November 17, 2015

    This was good but it seems that it would be better with dark meat over chicken breasts. Also, the apples never softened completely.

  • LisaR12 on May 14, 2015

    I had one and and an half chicken breast left over and didn't know what to do.... This was a simple meal ( quicker than all the cutting and chopping for a stir fry).. The combination of flavours was delicious and is something i will make again

  • stef on March 28, 2015

    This was enjoyed by my family. I used brandy

  • Sandiegolemons on October 14, 2018

    This was OK. Add more apples! Also watch the cooking time on the chicken breasts, our’s were overcooked. Have that thermometer ready. We were hoping to be transported back to Normandy with this recipe but it fell short. I was excited to use our Calvados though, maybe should have doubled that. We also used apples from our tree, they were great...but we wouldn’t do this recipe again.

  • amandabeck on February 19, 2024

    Rich and deceptively easy to make. Chicken was cooked perfectly but I used very large pieces. Needed a bit more salt and perhaps a tiny more acid-- maybe from tarter variety of apples and or some lemon at the end. Served with the spinach as recommended and it was a lovely meal, would make again.

  • ashallen on October 16, 2019

    This dish was easy to pull together and has a very tasty sauce. Brandy worked well. I added the leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme to the sauce, too - very nice. Like Sandiegolemons, our chicken breasts got overcooked and kind of rubbery in spots. I had ignored the recipe's instructions to use room temperature chicken - I'll follow that instruction next time so the chicken cooks more evenly. I also pulled the chicken at 165F but will pull at 160-165F and let carry-over cooking do its magic next time. And I overheated the pan for the initial sear - I'll keep a better eye on that next time!

• Cinnamon-crunch chicken

  • MollyB on January 30, 2019

    Delicious, easy recipe. I wasn't sure about the sweet cookies in a chicken dish, but it worked! They were nice with the tangy creme fraiche. I used Trader Joe's speculoos cookies, and they were perfect. I might adapt this with different flavors in the future; tarragon and chives in place of the speculoos would probably be good.

  • Jviney on October 23, 2023

    This was a good idea, hubby and boys loved it. I used three Biscoff cookies and they nicely balanced the tang of the crème fraiche. Served with rice and broccoli for a lovely dinner.

• Curried chicken, peppers, and peas en papillote

  • MollyB on September 10, 2021

    Very good quick, healthy weeknight recipe. It's a mildly flavored dish, but it works with the sweetness of the peas and peppers. I do recommend using good, fresh curry powder, as it's the only seasoning. I find myself returning to this recipe fairly frequently when I'm not up for a lot of prep work or shopping, since I usually have the ingredients on hand.

  • Foodelf on January 13, 2013

    I was just a little disappointed in this one, but wondered if I had over-filled the parcel. I have another package in the fridge ready to try for lunch, so perhaps that one will work a little better. Despite the curry, I found the flavours just a touch bland - maybe add a little garlic? not sure I'll keep this in the repertoire.

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    This was an extremely easy weeknight meal that made the kitchen smell lovely. It didn't knock our socks off, but Mr. Nightshade said he'd be fine to have it again. I would make it again if all I had in the fridge was chicken breast, peas, onions and peppers. Otherwise, I'd go to an Indian cookbook.

  • ellwell on December 14, 2023

    I agree with the previous comments that it needs fresh, potent curry. It also needs a fair amount of salt. It was an easy meal that can be prepped a little ahead. I would make it again on a weeknight because it was so simple and healthy, but probably not for company.

• Twenty-minute honey-glazed duck breasts

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Be very very careful not to over brown the breast when it is skin side down. In your le creuset I would go with a max of medium heat. Other than that worry the breast was deliciously rare with her cooking times, and the flavour was great. Sweet but not overly so.

  • hillsboroks on April 30, 2015

    This was a excellent easy recipe for duck breast. We used wild mallard duck breasts and just adjusted the cooking time a bit shorter and watched carefully to make sure it was medium rare. We also cooked the two leg-thigh pieces and my husband loved them with the sauce. The sauce is quite flavorful with very little fuss. I used bottled Key Lime juice because I did not have a fresh lime handy and this really gave it a nice lime boost.

  • Zosia on January 27, 2021

    As a previous reviewer noted, med-high heat is too high if using le creuset cookware. I had to turn the breasts over well before the 8 minute mark and as a result, not as much of the fat rendered out as I would have liked. I lowered the heat for the second side and proceeded with the recipe as written. They turned out very well in the end and the sauce was delicious.

  • stef on June 19, 2016

    Followed the recipe timing exactly. The sauce was delicious. Everyone enjoyed it.

• Bistrot Paul Bert pepper steak

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This was better than the Les Halles version as it called for much less pepper and than did the trick. Added a bit of lemon to the sauce to cut the fat a bit, and popped the steaks in the oven for a few minutes to get a better temperature.

  • sarahcooks on March 04, 2012

    This is a pretty straight forward preparation, but since my husband scorched our cupboards by adding the cognac to the pan when it was still too hot, I thought I should add a note saying you should let your pan cool before putting in the alcohol. It wasn't my favorite steak preparation either. I think the cream dulled the flavor a bit, I think I would rather have a plain wine reduction.

  • mharriman on February 27, 2019

    Ho hum. That was my reaction to this recipe. I made a special trip to buy the cognac and was surprised that it barely registered in the flavor of the sauce. I chose to simmer rather than flame the sauce, but don’t think that would change the flavor of the cream sauce That much. My beef deprived husband (we’re trying hard to follow a reduced beef diet), on the other hand, very much enjoyed his steak, although conceded he’d had much better sauces and pepper steaks than the one he was eating. This isn’t a recipe I’ll be repeating. Much better filet mignon recipes in my Cooking Light cookbook.

• My go-to beef daube

  • Emily Hope on October 31, 2012

    This was quite good--had a nice depth of flavor, and the sweetness of the carrots and parsnips balance out the deep flavors of the beef. (Although the parsnips are listed as optional, I wouldn't leave them out, and I probably doubled the quantity to 1 pound.) I reduced the amount of beef by 1 pound (to 2 1/2 pounds), leaving the other quantities the same, and think it could still serve 6. Although the prep isn't complex, it does take a while to sear the beef/cook the onions, plus 2 1/2 hours or so of braising time, so may be better for a weekend meal/work at home day. My only issue was with the amount of sauce left after cooking; although I checked per the recipe at 1 hour in, and the liquid level seemed fine, by the 2 1/2 hour mark there was very little left in the pot, and it was too late to add more. So may need to watch more closely, or add a little more than looks right at the beginning. Served with a fennel/arugula/asian pear salad and mashed potatoes.

  • Delys77 on October 23, 2011

    Pg. 244 Comes together relatively simply and yields tasty results. The parsnip is a nice touch. The only challenge is that the beef does dry out a little which is a common problem with beef during a long stewing. The sauce does compensate for this, my suggestion would be to thicken with beurre manie or a little cornstarch slurry.

  • Leo on December 20, 2025

    This was delicious. I used a bottle of Rioja. Cooked this pretty much as written. My beef was cooked to perfection at 2.5 hours. Surprisingly little liquid left so I chose not to thicken it. I would recommend using really large chunks of good quality beef. Will do again.

  • chawkins on April 05, 2013

    Very good, My piece of beef was only about two pounds, but I kept everything the same. No parsnip which was optional, so I skipped it. No fresh thyme and running late, did not want to go out to the green house for the fresh rosemary, used 1/2 tsp each of dried and a bottle of my husband's home brewed pinot noir. In the oven for 2 1/4 hours and the beef was tender with just enough sauce left in the pan. Will definitely make again.

• Beef cheek daube with carrots and elbow macaroni

  • porterbl1 on January 27, 2011

    I made this with the chuck roast substitution and we adored it. Very flavorful.

  • DKennedy on January 11, 2011

    Beef cheeks leech a gelatinous fat that is very off-putting. Yuk!

• Great pot roast (Boeuf à la mode)

  • Delys77 on October 15, 2012

    Pg. 252 This was my first pot roast and I was a little disappointed. While the sauce was extremely flavourful the meat had essentially dried out. This was ok since there was plenty of sauce to moisten the meat, and the sauce was very good, but I prefer a meal that doesn't rely solely on gravy. I pureed the vegetables into the sauce with the immersion blender and this was a good move, resulting in a slightly thicker sauce that coated the meat very nicely. Overall while this was likely a good pot roast, I suspect I'm not a pot roast person.

  • twoyolks on January 10, 2017

    This grew on me as I ate it. The meat itself picked up a little flavor from the wine and was very tender. The sauce was flavorful but could've used more body and could've used being thickened as it was too thin.

  • amandabeck on December 26, 2021

    I made this for a dinner party. Per Dorie's instructions, I cooked it the previous day and then gently reheated it in the sauce the day of the party. It was tender and delicious with a spoonful of jus which I put out on the table with the gravy boat. Most importantly, it didn't require any fussing once my guests arrived. Served with Dorie's scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, green beans with pancetta and a kale salad.

  • averythingcooks on September 02, 2019

    I am staring down a good sized helping of this and it is delicious. Super easy to prep the overnight treatment yesterday but yes - a bit more labour intensive today. However, I worked away at it this am, it was done by 2 and then I gently reheated it for dinner. I reduced the sauce after removing the fall apart roast and then whizzed it up with the immersion blender into a lovely thick and rich tasting gravy. Oh yes - worth every minute.

  • jahqdruh on April 22, 2019

    This pot roast was among the best I've ever had. Fall apart tender, and the sauce that resulted from the wine and beef broth combo was delicious. Served over hot buttered egg noodles.

  • valente347 on April 22, 2014

    I love this pot roast! I find it takes at least an hour longer to cook than the recipe indicates to get fork tender. However, I live at 3500 ft in a desert climate, so YMMV.

  • LauraMB on December 08, 2023

    Delicious. I used a four-pound chuck roast, which took a total of 2 1/2 hours. As others did, I pureed the vegetables in the jus and slightly reduced it.

  • ellwell on December 26, 2023

    Good pot roast recipe. I prefer vegetables with mine, but this was good over egg noodles with a side salad.

• Short ribs in red wine and port

  • Delys77 on January 02, 2013

    Pg. 254 I modified this recipe a little as I couldn't find any bone in short ribs. I went with the same amount of all the ingredients, but substituted 4 lbs of boneless short ribs for the suggested 9lbs of bone in. I braised for 2 hours, then broiled the pieces I had removed from the sauce for a few minutes at the end. Essentially I skipped the one hour of uncovered braising. The meat was tender, but still held its shape, and was still very juicy. The sauce was delicious (thickened it a little bit) and the two together made for delicious comfort food that was still impressive enough for guests.

  • julie_c3yl67 on February 22, 2026

    This is a lovely recipe! I didn’t have port so I added 1/2 balsamic vinegar, delicious! I also love that these aren’t seared on the stovetop, the oven method really saves on clean up!!

• Hachis Parmentier

  • Delys77 on December 16, 2011

    I went with the ground beef suggestion from bonne idee and this worked out really well. The thyme and garlic add just the right note, plus I added parsley and chives which really brought out the flavor of the meats. I went with just milk for the potatoes and they were just fine. For my Pyrex pan I we t with a recipe and a half and it made a good six servings. Great family comfort food.

  • MollyB on January 30, 2017

    Great winter comfort food. I just made it for the first time from scratch, using cube steak and adding in some of the vegetables leftover from simmering the beef. I topped the potatoes with Manchego instead of Gruyere, as that was what I had on hand, and it worked well. I've previously made the quick bonne idee version with ground beef, and that was really good, too. But the full version has a greater depth of flavor and the texture was a little more interesting; worth doing if you have the time and ingredients. Served it with roasted broccoli, which was a good match.

  • TrishaCP on September 19, 2011

    I made this with lamb stew meat, and lamb merguez sausage, which had just the right note of spicy. I don't think the butter was really needed inside the potatoes, but definitely put some on the top to help with the browning- the browned crust is the best part. I also omitted the cream to no ill effect.

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I used a chuck roast, and Italian mild sausage. I chopped the vegetables and kept them with the meat. I used cave-aged gruyere on top of the riced and creamed potatoes. As blue room states, this dish does require quite a bit of kitchen time when started from scratch. We thought this dish was pretty tasty comfort food. Not something I'd ever serve to guests, but great for family. It would be a handy dish to throw together when you already have something like leftover pot roast, instead of starting the meat from the raw, uncut state. I remembered seeing this online somewhere, plated in rounds. It may be hard to see, but I cut each serving with a large tomato can. Mr Nightshade had three helpings, so I guess that makes it a hit. Definitely a satisfying, wintry supper.

  • Zosia on April 30, 2020

    I made the quick version with ground beef. It was okay but the flavour paled in comparison to the cube steak version. It didn't help that I used particularly tasteless russet potatoes (the last of the 5kg bag, thank goodness!) that no amount of cream and cheese could rescue.

  • Zosia on February 04, 2018

    I've made this many times exactly as written - the recipe really doesn't need any adjustments - but my latest version was made without sausage meat and with sirloin tip roast. Still delicious! A family favourite.

  • chawkins on October 07, 2015

    Did not have an hour and half for boiling the beef, so went with the quick version from the bonne idee using 93% lean ground beef and hot Italian sausage. Also added the onion, carrot and celery that were supposed to boil the beef with in the ground meat mixture together with garlic, thyme and a copious amount of parsley. Also use Jarlsberg instead of suggested Gruyere/Comte/Emmenthal.

  • mrsmadam on January 20, 2025

    I made this per recipe, using 1# of chuck and 1/2# of mild Italian sausage. I used the carrot that was left and added two more small carrots, cut pea size, in the final stage of the meat prep. While this was good we both prefer the more traditional Shepherd's Pie found on Serious Eats (https://www.seriouseats.com/shepherds-pie-beef-lamb-recipe).

  • JKDLady on September 08, 2015

    I made this exactly as written, including using cube steak, which I have never used for. I did not add the bouillon because we like our foods with less salt. I did serve this to company, and they went back for seconds. I would rate this a 5+. I thought the butter and cream in the sauce made it a more special/richer dish. I served this with sautéed Swiss chard. Truly a note worthy meal. Yes, it does take time to make, but it can be made in stages with the final cooking of only 30 minutes. Definitely a winter dish.

  • lissabeebe on January 29, 2025

    This recipe is on regular rotation at my house. I make it whenever I have leftover roast beef. I do add veggies. To keep it moist I make sure there is enough liquid before adding the potato layer— very moist but not soupy. We are dairy free so I make my own dairy-free mashed potatoes (with chicken broth instead of cream) and omit cheese topping. Very flavorful (and popular) even without the dairy.

  • et12 on August 15, 2020

    Best when using a smoked cheese on top

  • Jviney on April 17, 2018

    One of our favourites for sure. It’s a fun dish to serve to guests because they aren’t sure quite what they’re eating...the meat has such an interesting texture and flavour. Highly recommend.

• Next-day beef salad

  • Delys77 on September 29, 2024

    The combination of ingredients is very interesting but quite good. I did dress the arugula which I think is necessary. Overall a great use for left overs and a flavourful change of pace.

• Coconut-lemongrass-braised pork

  • amraub on December 12, 2012

    I was surprised by how subtle the spices in this were. Maybe I cooked it too soon after a month of Indian cooking!

  • ashallen on August 04, 2019

    First time I make a recipe, I usually follow as written. But after reading amraub's note and several blog posts about how mild the flavors were in this dish, I took some steps to amplify flavors. I doubled the amount of all seasonings except the turmeric and lightly toasted the cardamom, coriander + peppercorns before lightly crushing them. I deglazed the pork-searing pan with chicken stock and substituted chicken stock for water. I added 1.25 c finely chopped red onion + 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger along with the coconut milk. Pork was tougher than I prefer after the 30-40 minutes oven-time specified in the recipe - ended up cooking it 2 hours. This also helped to reduce the sauce, making it more flavorful. I stirred in carrots and potatoes that had cooked in a separate covered casserole in the oven along with the pork and let everything meld overnight. Good texture and a flavor level like other curries. Next time, I'll dial back the lemon zest some.

• Navarin printanier

  • Delys77 on February 17, 2026

    I made this with about 1.5 pounds of lamb round as I couldn't find any shoulder. I added a bit more turnip and a bit more potato and about three quarters of the liquid. I also replaced 1 cup of stock with wine. Overall a very nice lamb stew. We especially liked the turnip. Would definitely repeat. Seasoning seemed like it wild he light but the lamb was very flavourful and carried the day. The technique of sautéing the vegetables in butter in advance was also excellent.

  • Globegal on January 05, 2019

    Good flavor, better leftovers. Couldn't find lamb shoulder so used leg of lamb. It was only 2 pounds (instead of 3) which I was the right amount of meat for me

• Braised cardamom-curry lamb

  • MollyB on April 21, 2025

    Great recipe! It takes some time and effort, but all the flavors came together beautifully. I love the pervasive cardamom flavor. My lamb took about 2 hrs to get tender, at which point the apple had broken down into the sauce. I might try simmering the lamb for 30 min first before adding the apples, to keep them more intact. Others in the house liked them broken down and thickening the sauce, and vote to stick with the recipe as written when we make it again.

• Lamb and dried apricot tagine

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    This dish was good, but it fell a bit short for us. I used to cook a lot of North African food, and I love the meat - spice - fruit combinations, but this dish didn't live up to my expectations. The aroma was wonderful while it was cooking, so I think the spice combination was the right one, maybe just not enough. There are a few possible reasons why this dish mildly disappointed. I used canned tomatoes, those plus the broth made it pretty liquid. Perhaps the lamb I finally found wasn't the best quality (Trader Joe's). We ate it pretty much right out of the oven, maybe the flavors improve over time. Again, don't get me wrong, it was good, just not great.

• Almond flounder meunière

  • mfto on January 24, 2012

    This is a rather bland but acceptable fish dish. If you like me require a little more zip, serve with a flavorful or spicy side dish.

  • mharriman on August 20, 2021

    Good rather than great. As mfto noted, this was a rather bland dish even fried in butter. I first ground up slivered almonds but I didn’t like the overly fine outcome, so I then tried processing whole almonds. Much better outcome! Spritzing lots of freshly squeezed lemon juice over the cooked dish helped a lot. This is a good protein choice if you’re not in the mood for a spicy meal. Oven roasted zucchini with labneh went well as an accompaniment.

  • HerBoudoir on November 12, 2014

    Almond crusted fish fried in butter....of course it's really good. Don't skimp on the butter, salt, and pepper.

• Cod and spinach roulades

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    This recipe requires a few separate preparations, so it's rather time consuming. Dorie suggests using the Cheating on Winter Pea Soup, page 59, for a sauce, so I made that and the tomato sauce. The filling is chopped onion and garlic sauteed in butter, baby spinach is added and wilted then chopped. Preserved lemon is also mixed into the filling. I used a bamboo basket over the wok. Dorie says 10 minutes and the mousse will feel springy. Mine didn't feel springy so I went an extra two minutes. They were very slightly overcooked. Rather than fanning the slices, worked better for me to make smaller slices and plate them on end. I liked this quite a bit. The tomato sauce with preserved lemon is very tasty, and it was nice to have two sauces to try. Would be lovely in smaller portions for a first course.

• Mediterranean swordfish with frilly herb salad

  • zorra on September 12, 2015

    Found just what I was searching for in this recipe, easy & enjoyable.

  • Jane on September 10, 2014

    Very easy marinade for the fish and a quick sear in a pan. I skipped the onions in the marinade so the flavors were lemon, capers, piment d'Espelette and rosemary. Classic French marinade. I served it with Lemon barley pilaf and Tomatoes Provencal, two of her suggested side dishes.

  • bwehner on May 03, 2013

    This is my favorite way to make swordfish. The marinade / sauce as well as the herb salad is perfect for the heft of swordfish. Love it!

  • Delys77 on October 12, 2012

    This wasn't a winner for me. The fish is marinated in raw onion, and then sauced with the warmed up marinade. Essentially you are flavouring the fish with raw onion, which for me isn't a good thing.

• Salmon and tomatoes en papillote

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This came together so easily and so quickly with next to no mess to clean up. You can be relatively generous with the seasoning here if you like as the fish takes very well to eat. Cook for 10 minutes, maybe 11.

• Spice-crusted tuna

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This comes together very easily and makes a nice little spice crust. I think you should go lighter on the cooking time, maybe half as long.

• Tuna confit with black olive tapenade and tomato salsa

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I put the tuna in to marinate in the morning, and finished up the dish and the sides after work. The tuna marinates in a mix of preserved lemons, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, spring onions, celery, parsley, thyme, rosemary, fleur de sel, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil to cover. My tuna steaks were arranged to fit exactly into a loaf pan, so I didn't require the full cup of olive oil to cover them. After marinating, the tuna is slow baked (at 225) for an hour, covered in plastic wrap or foil. I didn't do any checking just took it out after an hour, which was perfect. While it was cooking I made the salsa. This was a great dish, we were extremely happy with the flavors. It's a different way to prepare tuna, and I loved the taste of it with the salsa and tapenade. Smaller servings of this dish would also be wonderful for a first course in a multi-course dinner.

• Warm scallop salad with corn, nectarines, and basil

  • Laura on August 08, 2012

    Pg. 320. This recipe screams "Summer on a plate!" Having just returned from the farmers market with ALL of the main ingredients, making this was a no-brainer. It was easy to assemble and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I grilled the scallops, but next time I would prefer a pan-sear. I used sungold cherry tomatoes which were delicious. My biggest quibble was with the corn -- it is not cooked, just tossed with a small amount of a lime/chili dressing. I really would have preferred it cooked, as that brings out more of the sweet corn flavor, so I would do that next time. The star of the show? The grilled nectarines. So delicious. Also, no reason you couldn't sub peaches for the nectarines.

  • chawkins on July 16, 2017

    This was delicious. I used frozen corn, blanched in boiling water and iced down, a large vine-riped tomato cut into chunks and basil from the garden. Had trouble making the coulis because I halved the recipe, the amount for was too small even for the mini processor, probably should have used the blender instead.

• Asparagus and bits of bacon

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Very nice side dish, with great combination of tartness and savouryness.

  • twoyolks on June 16, 2015

    The asparagus flavor is very subdued as its only blanched. The flavors are good but don't really elevate the asparagus.

• Lemon-steamed spinach

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    I think this is a great idea and works quite well, the only challenge is that you definitely need a bit more seasoning than she suggests. I woujjld go with a squirt of actual lemon juice at the end, plus up the salt and pepper.

  • Laura on December 21, 2014

    Pg. 331. Loved this. So simple and quick to prepare and the resulting dish is very tasty. I'll be making this again soon!

  • vickster on December 10, 2016

    I found my new favorite new way to cook spinach. And I used regular sized leaves - not the baby spinach. Very flavorful and easy.

  • MollyB on October 25, 2018

    Love this recipe and have made it many times. It's quick, tasty, easy, and healthy!

  • mrsmadam on October 06, 2019

    I’m not big on cooked greens but this is fabulous.

  • Zosia on March 12, 2015

    This was a delicious way to serve spinach. The lemon flavour was subtle but noticeable. I will definitely make this again.

  • amandabeck on February 19, 2024

    This will be my new go-to way to steam spinach. Had never tossed it with oil and seasoning before steaming but it resulted in well-distributed flavor. Next time would double the zest!

  • Shelmar on September 05, 2019

    Easy, good, but nothing special.

• Pancetta green beans

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    The flavour is pretty good but the challenge is that the flavour of the green beans doesn't really meld with the pancetta which keeps it from being great.

  • amandabeck on December 27, 2021

    Agree with the others, the pancetta was kind of an afterthought here.

  • mharriman on December 10, 2020

    The green beans were tasty sautéed in butter after blanching but I didn’t see much of a benefit of them combined with the pancetta- which was hardly noticeable.

• Spiced butter-glazed carrots

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    I loved these and Spencer quite liked them. The cardamom and ginger gives it a nice Indian flavour, but the butter makes it perfectly French. Great side!

  • amandabeck on December 27, 2021

    Delicious accompaniment to pot roast and scalloped potatoes. I added lots of extra carrots so the spice was subtle but there. Tasted delicious the next day too. Would make again.

  • kpang on April 09, 2012

    Easy and lovely. The children had no complaints about the flavours.

  • chawkins on February 15, 2013

    Very nice, carrots are inherently sweet, no need to glazed it with OJ or honey like most other glazed carrot recipes.

• Corn pancakes

  • Senkimekia on December 16, 2011

    Super fast and quite tasty accompaniment to make when short on time and cupboard ingredients. The variation ideas one could come up with on this are endless.

• Endives, apples, and grapes

  • DKennedy on November 21, 2013

    I quite liked this combination but Dave put it in the do not make again category. It would manke an especially good meal eaten on a porch with a view.

• Crunchy ginger-pickled cucumber

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    Great simple little pickle

  • JKDLady on October 16, 2015

    I really liked this as well, but I needed to add more sugar. It was just too sour with distilled vinegar. I think I would try the seasoned vinegar next time.

• Slow-roasted tomatoes

  • rittingerv on May 23, 2022

    Note that the rosemary is optional and can be replaced with thyme (or not used at all).

  • debbie_kcii31 on April 06, 2026

    I decided to just use the garlic the first time round….it makes a beautiful tomato food!! Yum!!

• Tomatoes Provençal

  • Jane on September 10, 2014

    A lovely way to cook summer tomatoes. Very simple - halved tomatoes topped with olive oil, garlic and herbs then baked. A nice side for meat, poultry or fish.

• Baby bok choy, sugar snaps, and garlic en papillote

  • Laura on March 10, 2016

    Pg. 348. This was a very nice way to cook baby bok choy. Can't say the same for the snap peas -- I think they need to be cooked in a more crisp way. I couldn't find baby white onions, so substituted segmented shallots. Also, I discovered I'd used all of the mint on another recipe, so I substituted some tarragon sprigs. Anyway, we enjoyed the dish and I'd definitely make it again, minus the snap peas.

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This european twist on Bok Choy is nice. Go heavy on the garlic and the orange zest. You forgot the mint, which you definitely should remember next time as it will definitely add complexity. Despite these small things it is a recipe with great bones.

  • Zosia on September 05, 2017

    The flavours were very nice, especially with the orange and mint (which I added after opening the packages) and even the tender-crisp texture of the vegetables was good (I quartered the bok choy so it would cook in the same time as the peas) but their colour was terrible, verging on that overcooked appearance. I won't use this cooking method again but I will serve this combination again.

• Swiss chard pancakes

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I made a miniature version of these. I used a much smaller amount of oil in a non-stick pan. Even so, they absorb quite a bit, and still required blotting on paper towels. I started out doing five to the pan, ended up doing seven and eight. I just used a scant 1/8 cup per pancake. The browning, however, is not as even with less oil in the pan. I pureed some roasted red peppers and chopped up some peppadews, mixed them with a spoonful of sour cream, some lemon zest and a bit of piment d'espelette. Just a little shot of color and spice. I love these! All the tastes come through, fresh and green, and enveloped in the rich tasting batter. I'm kicking myself for only making half a recipe. I wish I had a big stack of them sitting in the fridge.

  • MollyB on December 19, 2013

    This is a great--and flexible--recipe. I've varied the herbs, made it without shallots, swapped out the Swiss chard for kale, and it always turns out well. Even my vegetable-averse 2-yr-old likes them. The pancakes are very good leftover.

  • hsteel on October 30, 2015

    I wasn't in love with these. I have a Vitamix, so I think my chard and herbs got a bit too blitzed so I ended up with a very thin green batter, which turned into very thin, very green pancakes. I think next time I'll just chop up the herbs and chard in the processor and then incorporate them with the batter. I also think I may have under-seasoned. Hard to tell if you don't want to taste the raw batter.

• Brown-sugar squash and Brussels sprouts en papillote

  • twoyolks on March 28, 2016

    I did not care for this at all. The vegetables basically steam and overcook. There isn't any added flavors except for the vegetables nor is there any caramelization. The Brussels sprouts in particular were not appetizing.

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    Brussels sprouts are tossed with butternut squash cubes, chopped peeled apples, olive oil, salt and pepper. They are topped with a little bit of brown sugar and fresh sage leaves, and cooked in aluminum foil. As I see it there were two problems with cooking in packets. It's a much bigger deal to check for doneness when you have to open or slit the foil. And the contents tend to produce liquid and consequently steam themselves. In the 25 minutes written, our vegetables were very overcooked. The sprouts were a greenish grey, the apples were mushy, even the squash was slightly overdone. I did like the flavor combination, I would do it again, roasting the same ingredients in an open dish, so they would brown and caramelize a bit.

• Roasted Jerusalem artichokes with garlic

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    Just a simple roasted vegetable dish: peeled and quartered J. chokes are tossed in olive oil, sliced garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Dorie states sprigs of herbs, which sounds like you should add in whole sprigs, but I took off the leaves and tossed them. This cooks for 35 to 45 minutes at 400. I cooked it at 425 as I had a J.O. chicken dish in the oven at the same time, so it was done in the shorter time. I deviated slightly from the recipe by adding a few quartered radishes into the mix. The vendor at the farmers' market said that roasted radishes where the "latest thing." Who knew? Anyway, it was quite nice, if not earth-shaking. A different use for both J chokes and radishes, which now may be going into some of my regular roasted vegetable dishes.

• Go-with-everything celery root puree

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    This got rave reviews. Be careful not to over process or the potatoes will get gummy but overall this was a perfect side the really does go with everything.

  • Leo on December 20, 2025

    Found this delicious. The potato and onion plus cooking in milk resulted in a light but creamy puree. I've found celeriac puree watery before but this was just right. I used an immersion blender and it worked well.

  • twoyolks on October 15, 2018

    I found the celery flavor to be dominant and a little off putting.

• Pumpkin stuffed with everything good

  • twoyolks on November 09, 2015

    This was good but very very rich.

  • amraub on December 12, 2012

    A great alternative Thanksgiving meal for two.

  • fprincess on January 23, 2013

    I used a relatively small carnival squash from my CSA (2 pounds I think?), and about 1/2 of the stuffing recipe (reducing the relative amount of bread somewhat). The squash did not render any liquid, so the end result was not "bubbly" as she described. For some reason, I expected a softer consistency, almost like a puree. It was soft enough to cut into slices but still maintained some integrity. I thought that it was pretty tasty. Even with a small squash, there was way too much for 2 people. Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/134751-cooking-with-dorie-greenspans-around-my-french-table/page__st__180__p__1906604#entry1906604

  • SenseiHeidi on November 08, 2019

    So yummy! Made with a pie pumpkin. Delicious! Would make a nice lunch with a bowl of soup.

  • et12 on November 02, 2025

    The presentation looked great but I thought the flavours were just ok.

  • molly17659 on January 19, 2025

    I've made this quite a few times. It's always a hit at thanksgiving. My first time, I made as written and we loved it. Every time since, I've changed it up. I recently made it with rice and sausage as one of the variations she suggests and it was amazing. It inspired me to do one stuffed with coconut rice, apple, cinnamon and dried cranberries as a holiday breakfast. It's always fun to serve. The pumpkin itself isn't super flavorful so do season it really really well before you stuff it My only complaint is that since you cook it with the top on, it takes up my whole oven. Since you have to bake for about 1.5 hours, it can be kind of annoying if you are making other dishes for a holiday meal.

• Creamy, cheesy, garlicky rice with spinach

  • TrishaCP on April 03, 2021

    We loved this dish. Easier than risotto for when you are craving creamy rice.

  • Laura on April 07, 2020

    Pg. 380. I made this as a side to some baked pork chops and it was a good combination. I expected to like this more than I did -- it was just ok for me, kind of lacking in flavor and cheesiness. My husband loved it. I used Emmenthal cheese and I think I probably would have liked it better if I'd used Gruyere. On the other hand, you do get a risotto-like dish without all the constant stirring, so that's a plus.

  • Cheri on November 09, 2011

    This was very good. Covered and simmered rice for 25 minutes, it barely absorbed all the liquid, but with the lid off for the last 2-3 minutes, rice was done and ready for cheese, spinich and cream. Yummy. It did stick a bit to my stainless saucepan....a non stick saucepan would probably be a good idea. Overall we really liked this. 1 recipe serves 4 - or 3 if someone is pretty hungry. Also, I used baby spinich which I added to sauted onions/garlic/evoo. That worked well. Used a mix of shredded gruyere and swiss, which melted well.

  • twoyolks on December 16, 2016

    I'm in the minority thinking this was simply alright. There wasn't a lot of flavor to the rice and there wasn't enough cream or cheese to make it either creamy or cheesy.

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2011

    I didn't have the proper cheese so used parm, and I went quite light since mom isn't a huge fan of parm and it was quite nice. I also finished cooking the rice on medium heat to make sure it absorbed all that liquid. Overall the recipe would be great with a bit of tweaking, but it is tweaking that is well worth it. Risotto like without as much effort.

  • JoanN on March 14, 2011

    Terrific vegetarian dinner as well as a side for simply grilled or roasted meat or fish. Good as leftovers, too.

  • averythingcooks on April 14, 2021

    This was a great use for some seldom used Arborio rice. My rice was fully cooked in around 18 minutes and I used a mix of fresh & frozen spinach and some parmesan in addition to Gruyere. I liked it more than T but he is not a huge rice fan to begin with.

  • Lepa on March 30, 2020

    I loved this dish! It was easy to make, comforting and delicious.

  • mrsmadam on December 05, 2012

    This was terrific. My rice was mostly done after 15 minutes and finished covered, off the heat. It did not absorb all the broth (not a lot left) but after finishing the dish up with cheese (Jarlsberg) and the rest of the ingredients it actually made it creamier. My carnivore husband went back for seconds. Great “Meatless Monday” meal.

  • Yildiz100 on November 05, 2021

    From the description I expected something more like a creamy pilaf, but I ended up with something very risotto like. I did modify the technique the tiniest bit: I used frozen spinach that didn't need to be cooked first (reduced the amount but unfortunately have forgotten how much.) I stirred the rice a couple times when cooking, and I didn't wait for ALL of the broth to be absorbed before mixing with the veggies and the cheese, so there was liquid to make the saucy texture of risotto. Final product was very good and easier than traditional risotto. I would definitely make again.

• Long and slow apples

  • okcook on February 02, 2018

    Yes, the plastic wrap melts even with 'microwave safe' wrap. I think maybe parchment paper then the foil?? It took me twenty minutes to clean up the melted wrap and remove the top couple of layers or apple to be sure I got it all.

  • et12 on February 12, 2025

    This was a great way to use up four apples that were almost on the turn and no longer good to eat fresh. Only needed pantry ingredients and some patience. On its own, the apples are ok, but with cream/ice cream, they are excellent. Really good texture.

  • Frogcake on October 27, 2018

    A delicious recipe! (My kitchen smelled like heaven while this was slow-baking!) The orange was a lovely touch -lemon rind would work too. I made a crumble with brown sugar, flour and butter for the top and after the long bake, served it warm with gelato.

  • senzler on May 18, 2022

    Loved this and deluded myself into believing it was quasi healthy

  • nutrica6 on September 09, 2024

    Impressive dessert. I made it for a birthday dinner, served with the whipped cream and speculoos cookies. Could easily serve with ice cream too. I wasn’t very fancy about stacking the apple slices nice and it still turned out beautiful. Used coffee mugs to weigh it down.

• Apple turnovers

  • wcassity on October 13, 2022

    Nice, quick, basic/classic. Not heavy.

• Speculoos

  • porterbl1 on November 07, 2010

    erratum- In the recipe for Speculoos on page 406, one large egg, at room temperature, was mistakenly omitted. Beat it into the butter-sugar mixture.

  • nutrica6 on September 09, 2024

    These are perfect. The spices are lovely and the cookies are a nice mix between soft and crispy. It is important to keep the dough chilled as much as possible.

• Top-secret chocolate mousse

  • Emily Hope on December 03, 2010

    Deep chocolate flavor and not as heavy as many mousses because there isn't any cream in the recipe. A great recipe for a last-minute dessert, though I do like to leave it to chill for a while in the fridge if there's time.

  • Jane on March 15, 2016

    I was in a rush when making this so I maybe added the egg yolks when the chocolate was a bit warm as it became very solid. Though the reviews on bonappetit.com suggest it also seizes when the chocolate is cool. To get it smooth I had to really whisk in the egg whites rather than folding so I lost a lot of the volume (it now served 3 rather than 4). Tasted good but probably not as fluffy as intended.

  • senzler on May 18, 2022

    Very simple mousse. Great for a dinner when you have other complicated recipes.

  • Lepa on February 14, 2020

    This was simple, rich and delicious. It makes four small servings (you only need a couple of spoonfuls)!

• Floating islands (îles flottantes)

  • MollyB on December 26, 2022

    Made this for Christmas and it was great! This recipe's technique of baking the meringues is much easier to make and serve than the poaching method I've tried in the past. My only challenge was that my springform pan wanted to float in the water bath - I ended up using some pie weights between the pan and the foil wrapping to weight it down.

• Blueberry-mascarpone roulade

  • Jane on August 05, 2018

    This was a lovely light summer dessert. The sponge was easy to make and rolled well. It makes a very long roulade which can be an issue when serving. I agree with jzanger that the mascarpone and whipped cream method isn't great. By whipping the cream first until stiff then mixing into the mascarpone it is hard to get the lumps in the cheese out without over-whipping. I liked the blueberry method - the sweetened, softened fruit worked better in the roulade than fresh fruit would have done.

  • jzanger on March 26, 2018

    I would use certain parts of this recipe if I made it again, but I’m surprised to say I have a few issues with a Dorie recipe. The sponge cake was easy to make, the batter filled the pan well, and it had a good texture, but it may have been a bit TOO eggy for my liking. Also it had zero salt in either the cake or the filling. I don’t know why I didn’t add salt to the filling anyway as I always add it to my whipped cream. The blueberry process was brilliant and I will definitely use that again, but the mascarpone whipped cream process was overly complicated and it deflated. I’ve made mascarpone whipped cream for years and I’ve always whipped the cream WITH the mascarpone by first adding a small amount of cream to the cheese until the lumps disappear and then adding the rest of the cream, sugar, extract and salt, and whipping until it’s done. It works every time, requires one less bowl and doesn’t deflate because there’s no need to fold a lumpy mixture into light whipped cream.

  • chawkins on June 11, 2012

    Couple of unusual (to me anyway) techniques: soaking the blueberries in syrup not only plumped them up, but also added a hint of sweetness and mixing the mascarpone into the whipped cream seemed to have stabilized it. The cake itself rolled up well.. All in all, a wonderful dessert. Beware that the untrimmed roulade is 17 inches long, I had to buy a new platter to serve it on since I did not have anything that could hold something that long.

• Poached pear and almond tart

  • TrishaCP on June 21, 2013

    My family loved this recipe, but I would definitely add more almonds to the frangipane if I made this again. I liked the purity of the simply poached pears, but others may enjoy a spiced poaching liquid.

• Black olive tapenade

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I made this tapenade to go with the Tuna Confit (page 305). This is an easy accompaniment that can be thrown together in minutes . Black olives, an anchovy, lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, thyme, piment d'espelette, and olive oil, are thrown into a food processor and blended. Very salty, of course, and a little goes a long way. This would be great on a white fish, chicken, or just on a slice of bread.

• Tart dough

  • smtucker on September 13, 2018

    The perfect path brisée recipe! Not too rich, not too lean. Needs more chilling so plan your time accordingly. Used for Gerard's Mustard Tart, Bonne Idea version with sliced garden tomatoes.

  • abrownb1 on November 23, 2025

    Doubled and followed the food processor instructions. I needed to add a little extra water. I put one in the freezer for another time and par-baked the other for quiche. I did find that waiting until the crust was browning at the edges was too much for the quiche recipe in the book so I'd go lighter next time. I par-baked the crust 24 hours in advance and kept it wrapped in plastic at room temperature until needed. Worked perfectly.

  • rosasharne on March 16, 2026

    My go to quiche dough--I roll it out pretty thin before chilling.

  • stockholm28 on May 13, 2014

    I had a very difficult time rolling out this dough and had to "patch" many spots. It was too dry and I should have added a little more water.

  • Kojak on December 06, 2016

    Used for Gerard's Mustard Tart (p154) and it turned out great.

  • cynthia_oi66aj on February 28, 2026

    Best recipe for a savory tart dough. Comes together quickly in the food processor. I find that patience helps with this. The dough starts out crumbly and dry. I bring it together using fraissage (pressing the crumbs together and out with the heel of the hand). I also chill it overnight, which allows the small amount of liquid to distribute itself evenly through the dough. I roll it out between two sheets of parchment and freeze the dough in the pan lined with foil. And pie weights.

• Vanilla pastry cream

  • L.Nightshade on June 22, 2011

    qianning says on COTM thread: The result was a ridiculously heavy gloppy "cream" more or less the texture of uncooked cream puff dough, dull and heavy.

• Lemon curd

  • Vanessa on September 22, 2012

    Try to find THIS in the index - HA! It is on page 507 in my edition.

  • stef on May 16, 2023

    This is such a quick recipe to make lemon curd. Uses whole eggs. I was afraid I would get little bits of egg white but the curd is nice and clean and has a nice consistency. Definitely a keeper.

  • fultre on March 09, 2023

    Glad I stumbled across this, as Vanessa pointed out, it’s missing in the physical book index. Dorie states it’s a bit less finicky than many curd recipes, because it uses whole eggs rather than yolks, and I found that to be true. I think this will replace my prior go to lemon curd recipe.

• Hot fudge sauce

  • Melanie on July 11, 2014

    Tastes pretty good - I let this cool too much the first time I tried this but I was more impressed the second time, after reheating (I really like that the head notes suggest this will keep for up to 3 weeks). I substituted golden syrup for the light corn syrup.

• Warm caramel sauce

  • Melanie on July 28, 2014

    Easy and delicious caramel sauce. Made a double batch (although I more than doubled the sea salt) to store in fridge for serving with vanilla ice cream. Next time I might cook the base slightly longer before adding the cream as the end result was slightly runnier than expected.

• Curried apples

  • krobbins426 on January 18, 2013

    Gave a light curry flavor, not overwhelming, but a nice complement to the fruit. I added two small sweet onions. We ate this as a side dish rather than in soup.

• Leek and potato soup with fennel

  • Delys77 on April 03, 2012

    I made the variation with fennel and it was pretty good. I found that the Milk and broth mixture made for a slightly richer stock which was nice, but I'm not sure it was that much better than straight stock versions of potage parmentier I have tried elsewhere. The fennel isn't a bad touch but you need to go with a very big fennel bulb otherwise the flavour might get lost in the leeks.

• A more authentic garbure

  • twoyolks on December 11, 2016

    I made this with duck confit and some pork belly (omitting the garlic sausage). I found that the vegetal flavor dominated in the broth. The cabbage completely disintegrated into the broth. I added a little bit of red wine vinegar at the end which helped to round out the flavor in the broth.

  • DKennedy on March 10, 2014

    Made this tonight up to the point of adding the sausage. I really love the way it tastes before adding the sausage, so I will batch test the addition before adding it the rest of the pot. Used boar stew meat for the pork and 2 chicken legs (leftovers) in place of the duck legs.

• Chunky beets and icy red onions with goat cheese and arugula

  • amraub on February 18, 2012

    The dressing is excellent. I've tried it two of the suggested ways: once with goat cheese and once with crumbled blue (omitting the onions). Both were wonderful.

• Onion-herb tortilla

  • Delys77 on June 07, 2012

    This is a variation on the potato and onion tortilla from the same book. It is pretty good but a little simple for my taste. Be careful not to overcook.

• Spaghetti and onions carbonara

  • Breadcrumbs on April 05, 2011

    p. 153 - I simply couldn’t imagine this dish w steamed onions so instead, I melted some butter in a large pan and slowly caramelized the thinly sliced onions then set-aside for later. I also chose to cook the bacon ahead used the bacon fat as a base for the sauce in place of the 1 tbsp butter DG suggests. (this also saved dirtying another pan!!). Though DG mentions that when Michel Richard originally created the dish he intended the onions to replace the spaghetti in an original Carbonara, we took DG’s Bonne Idee from the side-bar and decided it would be tasty over spaghetti. A quick and delicious meal, especially if you prep the bacon and onions ahead. The sweetness of the caramelized onions is what took this dish from good to great in our books.

• Tomato-mustard tart

  • zorra on September 14, 2013

    Terrific picnic fare with late season tomatoes. Really need to pile on the dried beans when pre-baking the shell though, else it shrinks in spite of chilling.

  • cynthia_oi66aj on March 05, 2026

    I was a little concerned by how much mustard there is in the filling. The flavor is definitely present in the finished tart, but it is not aggressive. This tart is super simple - there are no meats or cheese here. I used tarragon, which is my favorite herb, rather than rosemary. The pate brisée is thin, delicate and crumbly.

• Quiche Lorraine

  • abrownb1 on November 23, 2025

    Very good classic French quiche. I made the tart dough from the same book and had to tent the edges to avoid scorching. I may skip par-baking all together next time - apparently it's not common from French home cooks to do so. The filling comes perfectly to the top in a 9" x 1" round tart pan.

  • Running_with_Wools on November 08, 2020

    Simple, perfect, classic quiche. I usually double or triple the filling since this makes a pretty small, flat quiche, and we like it thicker.

  • Rinshin on July 28, 2024

    Versatile and nostalgic. Good proportion of eggs to cream and bake time which produces thinner pie or tart sized quiche. Added cooked spinach, caramelized onion I keep in the freezer, nutmeg and cooked bacon. Photo added

  • stef on December 01, 2023

    Made it again using leftover ham with some leek. Simple to make and so good.

  • stef on January 29, 2019

    Made this but used odds and ends of cheese in fridge. Nice and creamy

• Ricotta-filled zucchini blossoms

  • amraub on June 12, 2012

    Quite a bit of work, but delicious. These came out very light. A good quality ricotta pushes this dish over the top.

  • JKDLady on August 26, 2015

    I agree that these are quite a bit of work, but wow are they good. I will try the shrimp filling the next time I am lucky enough to find squash blossoms.

• Pork à la Normande

  • vickster on December 04, 2016

    Very "gourmet" for little effort. I used 2 large pork steaks.

  • adrienneyoung on June 04, 2024

    I made this exactly as directed, with four grass fed pork cutlets, and was sorely disappointed. First, the cutlets were tough (note to self: use pork medallions from a tenderloin instead to fix that). Second and more important, it was … meh. Bland. With the produce I had (maybe the apple was insipid?) it was boring. Maybe it needed more acid? Crème fraiche? Bit of lemon juice? Dunno. But as is, with what I used, and my modest skills in the kitchen, underwhelming. Surprising, because, you know… Dorie.

• Chicken b'stilla

  • LisaR12 on February 03, 2013

    Very tasty well worth the effort

• Beef on a string (Boeuf à la ficelle)

  • Jviney on April 17, 2018

    This was good and our guests requested the recipe. Made it exactly as written.

• Green-as-spring veal stew

  • twoyolks on May 26, 2015

    Briefly cooking the spinach and herbs (I omitted the arugula) and then pureeing it with the sauce, adds a nice complement to the flavor of the veal. It does make the sauce a somewhat disturbing green color. This was good over egg noodles.

• Veal chops with rosemary butter

  • chawkins on October 21, 2019

    A good dish. Simple and quick, no special ingredients if you have herbs in your garden.

• Lemon rice pilaf

  • et12 on April 08, 2021

    Easy to make and nice alternative to regular rice

• Cola and jam spareribs

  • robdurante on February 10, 2024

    page 280

• Monkfish and double carrots

  • Jviney on January 03, 2021

    Absolutely agree with Genscooking. I didn’t have it in me to juice the carrots so I bought the juice, and I don’t think it added much to the dish. Could not find monkfish so did scallops. The bacon really does add to it.

  • Genscooking on December 30, 2018

    Tasty, but not worth the purchase of the large jug of carrot juice sold in our market. Bacon was good on the scallops. Nice served on bed of steamed spinach. Another non-carrot sauce could do the job.

• Curried mussels

  • kkmatti on October 23, 2023

    I made a batch of these and another batch of the moules mariniere. We both agreed that the curried mussels were hands-down the favorites. Will definitely make these again.

• Scallops with caramel-orange sauce

  • mrsmadam on December 22, 2024

    This was an easy recipe with big payoff for a quick dinner. Served with a green leaf lettuce salad with roasted beets, toasted sesame seeds and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

  • Rradishes on January 08, 2023

    The sauce was good, but very sweet

• Pipérade stir-fry

  • averythingcooks on September 19, 2023

    I usually just serve peppers & red onions like this with balsamic & feta but I wanted to try something different and it was a split decision. T really liked it, and while I definitely prefer balsamic over the red wine vinegar, I did like the use of the piment d'Espelette. I also skipped the green pepper and topped up the other colours.

• Broth-braised potatoes

  • Zosia on March 12, 2015

    This cooking method added lots of flavour to plain boiled potatoes. I used peeled and quartered Yukon Gold potatoes and I think peeling helped them to absorb more flavour.

  • mharriman on February 27, 2019

    I made these to go with the pepper steak in the same cookbook. I thought the potatoes were boring. Husband really liked them...after going to the fridge and slathering them with canola/butter spread! I used fingerling potatoes, unpeeled. The aroma of fresh rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, and garlic in the broth was lovely, but, unfortunately, didn’t transfer to the potatoes.

  • ashallen on September 29, 2019

    If you are fond of boiled potatoes, you will probably enjoy this recipe. Flavors are very gentle. Recipe specifies a mixture of chicken stock + water for cooking potatoes - I used all chicken stock that was a homemade, very rich "brown" stock made with roasted bones. I would make this in the future if I needed a mild carb to balance out a very richly flavored main dish - otherwise this isn't a dish I'll crave eating again. Very easy to pull together.

• French lentils

  • fultre on March 09, 2023

    Tasty lentil preparation, although I’ve never added the cognac.

• Herb-speckled spaetzle

  • Sandiegolemons on January 15, 2019

    Heads Up, LOOK FOR ANOTHER SPAETZLE RECIPE NOW, THIS ONE IS FLAWED. This recipe was never tested before they put it in the book. My kids love Spaetzle but were so disappointed in this recipe. So I did let the “batter” sit for about 20 minutes before going in the water. It did look like ramen in the water. Oh Sit. Add more flour on the next batch. That did help, a bit. Then comes the chicken broth. Oh no, what is she trying to do here? Polenta? This recipe, or more precisely the measurements are off. And the chicken broth. So.....DON’T DO THIS RECIPE, IT’S SEVERELY FLAWED and will make you mad you wasted your time and dinner on it. Or someone, try and go step by step and tell me I messed up somewhere and this is worthy Spaetzle, I will understand.

• Cardamom rice pilaf

  • Dannausc on January 23, 2021

    Fairly easy. Turned out great. Worth a repeat.

• Spice-poached pears

  • Zosia on October 09, 2020

    Excellent with French toast as suggested (and in my morning oatmeal) but would make a lovely dessert as well. Not wanting to use one of my precious vanilla beans for the family breakfast, I added 1 tsp vanilla bean paste to the syrup after it reduced.

• Cocoa sablés

  • verlaj54 on November 16, 2023

    Delicious and lovely texture! We preferred the thinner slices over the thicker slices.

• Honey-spiced madeleines

  • Jviney on April 16, 2018

    Excellent fall recipe. I made these for my husband and some friends while they were doing some landscape work on a raw autumn day... when I took them out, still warm from the oven, they ate them all and asked me to make another batch.

• Classic madeleines

  • thekitchenchronicles on November 03, 2014

    http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2014/01/01/happy-new-year-and-madeleines/#more-18

• Waffles and cream

  • Yildiz100 on August 10, 2021

    Finally a waffle recipe that is crisp and light! Doesnt make much so plan to increase by 50% next time. No butter needed in the iron. When using salted butter dont add any salt.

  • LisaR12 on May 23, 2015

    the heavy cream is for the topping, not for the waffle itself very easy to make and so tasty.....i think i have found my go-to waffle recipe now

  • Bessp on July 21, 2024

    A very nice buttery waffle. Didn't get quite the puffiness I wanted, but I used gluten free flour so that's expected. I put in some chopped bacon as well, which also didn't help the lightness. Quite tasty.

• Crème brûlée

  • MarciK on March 01, 2020

    The recipe has you cooking this at 200 degrees F for 50-60 minutes. Even though I did make mine in a deeper pot than is customary, 200 degrees proved too unreasonable of a temperature to expect it to be done in that time period. I looked up a recipe online, coming upon one by Alton Brown, who bakes his at 325. I turned the oven temperature up, and it took an extra 20-30 minutes to finish.

• Visitandine

  • ashallen on July 07, 2019

    This is a wonderful recipe and my go-to cake when there are too many egg whites stashed in the freezer. It's richer than an angel food cake, moist, flavorful, and works well either plain (especially fresh from the oven) or with various accompaniments - ice cream, creme anglaise, pastry cream, caramel sauce, blackberry sauce, vanilla frosting, etc. It works well with almond extract instead of vanilla or with hazelnut praline powder mixed in. The version I make is ~1.5X the quantity specified in Dorie Greenspan's recipe and bakes in a 11" pyrex pie plate - uses even more egg whites!

• Financiers

  • ashallen on December 02, 2020

    I love financiers (butter!) in general and have tried a few different recipes. Batter prep for this recipe differs from others I've tried in that you lightly cook it on the stovetop and then chill before baking. These had the usual great butter-almond flavor and a lightly crisp exterior which contrasted really nicely with the moist, close-crumbed interior. Texture was less springy than other financiers I've made. Author says to serve the day they're made - after overnight storage the crisp exterior softened away, but they're still moist and delicious. Batter chills 1-72 hours - I did 24. I like that you can make it ahead and bake when ready. I was worried I'd overcooked the batter on the stovetop - author doesn't specify a temperature and I did 135F - but that was fine. I used a standard muffin tin to bake 12 cakes vs the recommended financier molds or mini muffin tin - worked well. My well-chilled batter needed 20-22 minutes to bake.

• Chocolate financiers

  • yassoma on August 18, 2016

    These were really good when they were warm and fresh, but lost their great texture after sitting there for a while. So, I totally recommend it if you need to serve something fast.

• Coconut friands

  • chawkins on February 15, 2013

    Very good. Dorie said they can be made by hand in minutes by whisking ingredients together. I started out with a balloon whisk, but the dough was so stiff, it formed a ball inside the whisk, I had to switch to a Danish dough whisk to finish the job. I may try the stand mixer with the paddle attachment next time.

  • ashallen on August 09, 2022

    These are like a cross between a coconut macaroon and a financier - very buttery and coconut-y! They're a bit bouncy/chewy on the outside but moist and tender inside. Very easy to pull together by hand. I agree with chawkins that the batter is too stiff for a whisk - I switched to a silicone spatula to stir in the coconut and the rest of the ingredients. Using a mini-muffin tin with 24 x 2 tbsp cups to make 24 cakes worked well.

• Caramel-almond custard tart

  • ashallen on November 24, 2019

    We thought this tart was delicious and pretty - the custard layer's slim and melds really nicely with the pastry crust, crust is tender and buttery, and the almonds form a slightly crunchy layer on top. Crust should be well-prebaked before adding custard - it doesn't firm up or brown any more once the custard's added. My tart needed 20-30 minutes in the oven beyond the time specified in the recipe - perhaps my custard was too cold? I used the size pan specified in the recipe, but wasn't able to get all the custard into the pastry shell and baked the extra in a ramekin. I did create some foam while whipping the eggs which made it harder to tell how full the shell was - it also made the top surface less pretty once baked - I'll avoid that next time! I wasn't able to cleanly remove the tart from the pan so we just cut it straight from the pan which worked fine.

• Orange-almond tart

  • Zosia on February 04, 2018

    Loved this variation of the traditional pear-frangipane tart with fresh orange segments in place of the pears. And then there's Dorie's never-fail tart crust which is good enough to eat on its own. Fabulous!

• Sablé Breton cookies

  • twoyolks on December 11, 2022

    These were quite tasty with a good hit of salt.

• Double chocolate and banana tart

  • twoyolks on January 20, 2022

    The chocolate to caramelized banana ratio was tilted too far towards chocolate. In general, it just felt like too much chocolate ganache.

• Gâteau Basque

  • Running_with_Wools on April 27, 2026

    This recipe was selected in my French cookbook club and I’m glad to have had a reason to make it. It’s a recipe I’ve seen for years, but never made. A simple, not-too-sweet buttery shortbread crust with bright cherry jam sandwiched in the middle. We had it for dessert with whipped cream, and I’m looking forward to another piece with some strong coffee in the morning.

  • LauraMB on December 30, 2022

    Excellent. My husband loved it.

• Paris-Brest

  • lils74 on January 19, 2021

    I had never tasted this before, but it was requested by a friend for a birthday, and in all my books this was the only recipe I found for it. I recommend reading the recipe several times to familiarize yourself; "not difficult to make, since, like a bicycle race, it's done in stages" seemed an impossible line but turned out to be true. Note that it also calls for recipes for cream puff dough and vanilla pastry cream (pages 502 and 505 respectively) whose ingredients are not included in this EYB summary page. I underbaked the dough ring, something I didn't realize till too late, and had to redo it--go for the longest bake you can without burning. Other than that, straightforward, especially as I'd made the vanilla cream and praline powder the day before. A dusting of powdered sugar, which I often ignore in recipes, here perfectly covered all my assembly faults, and my French friends said it tasted just as they remembered it. Success!

• Peach Melba

  • Bloominanglophile on September 13, 2013

    I just made this with what might be the last Western Slope peaches of this season. This (to me) is almost the perfect dessert--luscious fruit with a bit of cream. The toasted almonds give it a nice counterpoint crunch. If you make this with medium to large size peaches, you could get away with just serving half a peach per person, and this recipe would serve 8 instead of 4. I would buy extra raspberries in this case.

• Raspberry-cassis ice cream

  • ashallen on January 25, 2020

    Very good - a bit less rich and sweet than my favorite ice cream recipes, but I think that may have allowed the raspberry flavor to shine through more. My frozen raspberries were tart and pretty fresh-tasting (for frozen berries!) and that carried through to the ice cream. Easily scoopable even after full freezing. Texture wasn't perfectly creamy but very good for a fruit ice cream. I deviated from recipe by thawing berries in a strainer set over a bowl longer than I'd planned, so quite a bit of juice drained off. I cooked it down to a syrupy 1-2 tbsp and stirred it into ice cream base with raspberry puree. Since my berries were quite tart, I added an extra 2 tbsp sugar. Recipe doesn't mention yield - I got 1.5+ quarts. This recipe is very similar to one the author published in Bon Appetit in 2006 (also available on Epicurious: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Raspberry-Cassis-Ice-Cream-235175) but differs by calling for a bit less sugar and draining berries after thawing.

• Shallot vinaigrette

  • averythingcooks on December 15, 2021

    Lovely served over greens with various things added in (red onion, grated carrot, chopped red pepper and feta). Absolute repeat.

• Herb vinaigrette

  • mharriman on June 09, 2021

    Made this to go with the salad Nicoise in the same cookbook. Easy and delicious. I used fresh minced tarragon. This is a good recipe to have on hand to use with any green lettuce salad.

• Nut oil vinaigrette

  • Lepa on January 30, 2020

    I made this with hazelnut oil, champagne vinegar and a teaspoon of dijon. It was exceptionally sharp and delicious!

• Basil pesto

  • averythingcooks on September 22, 2022

    This is a good, classic pesto, this time made to top her puff pastry tomato-cheese tartlets (same book) with the rest going into the freezer in 1 tbsp portions. To me, this line from the headnote personifies Dorie's style: "...you can have a basic recipe, but what you really need is a willingness to make adjustments to get the blend you like best". This is one of the reasons why I love her writing / books.

• Ruffly poached eggs

  • JKDLady on December 15, 2015

    I'm not going to rate this recipe yet because I think it takes technique. I used too little plastic wrap. Next time I will use larger pieces. My eggs leaked out when I was tying them. I will also say that while you can prep these ahead of time, unwrapping them and plating them takes time. Maybe I will get faster, but I did six eggs and by the time they were on the table the yolks were overcooked. Like I said, it will take some work, but they are cute.

• Bubble-top brioches

  • yassoma on August 31, 2016

    This was the first brioche recipe I've made that yielded results as expected, so I'll always be attached to it. I suggest it to beginners all the time.

• Sweet tart dough (Pate sablée)

  • cynthia_oi66aj on February 28, 2026

    My go-to tart pastry recipe

• Cream puff dough (Pate à choux)

  • Yildiz100 on July 06, 2022

    Simple and delicious. Works perfectly. Not much more to say. Just omitted the salt when using salted butter.

• Vanilla ice cream

  • Yildiz100 on March 03, 2023

    This is a fantastic vanilla ice cream with the texture of a high quality store brand like Häagen-Dazs. Note that my custard base was very nearly at 170° already after mixing it with the egg yolks so I hardly cooked it at all . It wasn't very thick when I stopped cooking it but it was up to temperature so I decided to stop rather than risk curdling the eggs. I am glad that I did because it worked out perfectly. Made a half recipe to fit in my ice cream maker

• Vichyssoise

  • Chefjames1 on April 03, 2026

    It was good. Needed a little something else. Not very good as leftovers the next day.

• Tomatoes Provençal tian

  • senzler on May 18, 2022

    Great alternative to a ratatouille

• New York Times

  Greenspan just plain loves French food, old and new. And because she’s as companionable a writer as she is a cook, this book is as much fun to read as it is to cook from.

  Full review

• Food52 by Gabrielle Hamilton

  The 2011 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks vs. Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty

  Full review

• Food52 by Soraya Darabi

  The 2011 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks winner vs. A Cook's Journey to Japan

  Full review

• Food52 by Francis Lam

  The 2011 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks winner vs. Darina Allen's Forgotten Skills of Cooking

  Full review

• Fine Cooking

  A native New Yorker, Dorie writes of French cuisine with an insider’s knowledge and an outsider’s matchless zeal. ...she captures the honest, unfussy side of French cuisine...

  Full review

• Chez Pim

  Pim cooks a 3 course dinner in 3 hours. A delicious soup to start, a juicy pork roast for the main course, a surprisingly delicious vegetable on the side, and a lovely apple cake for dessert...

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• Kate Cooks the Books

  I predict that it will become a classic. It will.....be a cookbook today’s children will remember as one of the ones that was out on the countertop often during their childhoods.

  Full review