• klinthal on December 04, 2016

  While the recipes look very artistic and intriguing, after taking DAYS to prepare an entire meal from the book, I was just disappointed. Not one recipe was worth all the effort. This book will go on the bottom of the pile.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Sweet pea falafel, charred corn, and pink chile mayo

  • peaceoutdesign on December 19, 2020

    pg 38. I used crimson lentils instead of the peas. The flavor and texture were good. In the recipe it has you grind the cumin but not the coriander, I suggest grinding both after toasting.

• California grass-fed beef with spinach, Parmesan, lemon, and olive oil

  • peaceoutdesign on December 21, 2020

    pg 46. Basic and good. I bought hangar steak from a local butcher shop instead of a flatiron and the taste was amazing. The lemon added to the spinach (and the beef) but though I love roasted garlic and didn't feel it added that much.

• Roasted cauliflower with anchovy, capers, and fresh thyme

  • peaceoutdesign on December 16, 2020

    pg 90. Use more garlic for the garlic chips

• Key lime pie

  • peaceoutdesign on February 21, 2021

    Lots of work for barely okay. Stick with a traditional key lime pie rather than a deconstructed pie that isn't close to the original. The parsley was the only thing that I think added something, more freshness and a brighter green color.

• Tangle of raw vegetables with smoky eggplant, vadouvan, and lemon-yogurt dressing

  • wester on July 21, 2013

    I used this as inspiration rather than following it to the letter. I fried the eggplant like I usually do and added the vadouvan halfway and the sesame oil in the end. I halved the amount of vadouvan and sesame oil, and this was plenty. A nice change from other ways to flavor eggplant. I used the vegetables I had: cucumber, celery and cauliflower. I did not use the bath of yogurt given in the recipe, two or three tablespoons was enough. This made a nice fresh summery salad. There was not much synergy between the two components. Maybe this would have been better if I had used some of the sweeter vegetables in the recipe, the carrot and/or the squash. Two good recipes that I will make again, but not necessarily together.

• Kale salad with apple, walnuts, and roasted grape vinaigrette

  • peaceoutdesign on June 18, 2014

    pg 159 . The walnuts would have easily burnt if left in the same amount of time as the apples. I would also recommend turning the apples once during the cooking. To make the vinaigrette, I pureed the raw grapes and then added to the vinegar and lemon, straining before I added to the baked honey goo. I used a goat milk gouda rather then blue cheese only because that was all I had. Overall a great new way to serve kale.

  • Christinalego on May 06, 2020

    04/2020 I made a version of this. Roasting the apple slices was a wonderful idea.

• Herb-roasted pork loin with bananas, charred onion, and herb aioli

  • nicolepellegrini on January 25, 2020

    Didn't even need the herb aioli (ok, I forgot it was there in the fridge). The pork was juicy and delicious with just the herb coating, caramelized bananas and onions. No leftovers. Served with some oven-roasted cauliflower. Would absolutely make again.

  • Arishell on June 14, 2025

    I thought the dish was fantastic. The herb aioli took it to another level. I think the next time I make this I need to keep in mind I need definitely want less ripe bananas. I think the ones I had were a bit too ripe so they didn’t hold up as well even though I loved the sweetness with the pork. The herbs left in the pan imo the sage had the best flavor. Definitely watch cooking times. My loin cooked a lot faster than what the recipe listed.

• Seared scallops, tomato-chile jam, fresh peas, and bacon

  • peaceoutdesign on December 18, 2020

    pg 206. Very good and pretty easy. I think that you have to brown the tomatoes paste to get the rich dark color of the jam shown in the picture. I used roasted bell pepper instead of the Jimmy Nardellos.

• Zucchini, pickled cherries, ricotta, and basil with pan-roasted pork chop

  • nicolepellegrini on October 03, 2022

    Another knockout yet extremely easy dish from Tyler. I made pickled figs instead of cherries as that's what I have in abundance right now. Husband loved it as much as I did. Would absolutely make again.

• Zucchini ricotta fritters with grapefruit aioli, pine nuts, and basil

  • peaceoutdesign on December 19, 2020

    pg 233. Great, I give the zucchini 5 stars. The grapefruit aioli was barely a one star. It tasted better with pink chile mayo from the falafel recipe. I added some grapefruit zest to the ricotta and I think that this added to the recipe. Tyler also has another version with ricotta and crab filling in his "Stirring the Pot" book.