Notes about Recipes in this book

• Butternut squash with balsamic and chile panko crumbs

  • jumali on December 21, 2011

    I thought this dish was quite unappetizing. The flavor combination just seemed off, and the vinegar and cheese completely overwhelmed the squash. I definitely won't be making this again.

• Cumin and citrus roasted carrots

  • DKennedy on January 04, 2014

    This is an outstanding side dish.

  • DKennedy on November 25, 2023

    Made this for T-giving '23 but skipped the boiling step. I regret this choice for future reference. The sauce can be made the day before.

• Grilled salmon with cherry tomato barbecue sauce

  • TrishaCP on August 22, 2018

    I made the barbecue sauce from the book (excluding the liquid smoke), and it paired really well with the cherry tomatoes and salmon. We served with grilled corn, which also worked well with the flavors from the sauce.

  • wcassity on September 14, 2019

    Very tasty spicy sauce. I didn’t use blender. Made 1/2 the sauce recipe, otherwise made as-is. Good use of summer cherry tomatoes.

  • cassiemcgannon on November 15, 2012

    One of my go-to dishes when I have friends over for dinner. I've substituted chicken thigh fillets or tofu for the salmon, depending on what's available.

  • Rinshin on August 13, 2018

    Made with Trader Joe's bbq sauce plus bit of soy sauce for homemade and regular tomatoes, cut in cherry tomato sizes, for cherry tomatoes. I pan cooked the salmon instead of grilling. This recipe is surprisingly good for minimal effort. Salmon definitely stands up to bbq sauce well unlike more mild tasting white fish.

• Barbecue sauce

  • TrishaCP on August 22, 2018

    This is a great BBQ sauce with salmon.

  • cassiemcgannon on November 15, 2012

    This is sweet and smoky. Goes well on chicken or salmon, and I really like dipping cornbread into it. Freezes well.

• Pork chops with cherry mustard

  • EdM on July 16, 2018

    Sauce is excellent, pork is good - can be easily overcooked. Broiler can work if not grilling, flip as in recipe. 7 minutes max if boneless. Cherry mustard sauce enough for 8~10 servings; it can be made a day ahead, and extra can be frozen.

  • Dannausc on May 24, 2020

    Relatively easy. It makes quite a bit of the sauce. Good.

• Grilled chicken salad with apples and Roquefort

  • wcassity on January 31, 2015

    One of our favorite salads ever.

  • julesamomof2 on December 10, 2018

    Restaurant worthy. It does ask for 4 different types of salad greens, and it is worth it, but I did have leftover greens. I skipped the candied pecans for plain toasted pecans. The dressing is wonderful.

• Cod with roasted tomatoes and summer squash

  • wcassity on July 21, 2014

    Tasty. Light, summery. The chile added a nice subtle kick. With all of the oven pre-heating and roasting, took an hour to cook.

  • bwhip on September 10, 2017

    Wow, was this ever great. Found some excellent fresh Icelandic cod at Whole Foods, and had beautiful fresh tomatoes from our garden. Roasting the tomatoes and squash really brought out the sweetness, and the whole dish just melted in our mouths. Wonderful.

• Pan-roasted green beans with golden almonds

  • bwehner on February 11, 2012

    Multiple steps that can be done in advance. Pan fry beans & re-heat almonds when you're ready to serve.

• Sweet and sour cabbage

  • cassiemcgannon on August 03, 2012

    This was delicious, and made a fabulous side dish for the suggested duck. I substituted olive oil for the duck fat as I had vegetarians at the table, and it was still great. I'm not sure how well this fits in the 'Quick/easy' category though - it takes over an hour to cook.

• Soy-syrup roasted duck

  • cassiemcgannon on August 03, 2012

    Really, really good - will definitely make again. It did take significantly longer to cook than the recipe suggested though (despite having a duck of the suggested size). I'm not sure how well this fits in the 'Quick/easy' category - it takes well over an hour to cook with frequent attention, and requires you to know how to truss and then carve a duck. Worth the effort, though!

• Buttered asparagus with lemon and Parmesan

  • MmeFleiss on June 15, 2017

    Simple but delicious side dish. Definitely use the best butter you have.

• Open-faced crab sandwich

  • MmeFleiss on July 07, 2017

    Easy and delicious, although the three of us who ate it could have gone for more. This would only serve four if you serve it with something heavy.

• Shrimp salad with Champagne beurre blanc

  • bwhip on January 28, 2018

    Really excellent. Pretty quick and easy to prepare, and makes for an absolutely delicious, light meal. My wife said she wants it many times during the summer!

• Slow-cooked salmon in miso-yuzu broth

  • sosayi on January 23, 2018

    Incredibly delicious broth! The yuzu (I subbed seville orange juice) and dill were infused into the miso broth, and that with the chopped and fresh ginger, scallions and chile made for a delicious bowl with the salmon. I skipped the tofu, basil and tomato additions, and probably would again in the future as it seemed like overkill. Served with sticky rice (recommeded), sweet potatoes with miso-tahini sauce and citrus-sesame seed dressed kale.

  • Dannausc on May 24, 2020

    Fine, but not as good as I had hoped.

• Brandied cherry Manhattan

  • sosayi on January 26, 2018

    Delicious! Rye whiskey, Carpano antico, brandied cherry “juice” and homemade brandied cherries. Simple and perfect.

• Swiss chard braised in shiitake butter

  • Dannausc on May 23, 2020

    Fairly quick and easy. Pretty decent.

• Parmesan-crusted summer squash

  • Dannausc on August 22, 2021

    Super simple and easy. Pretty decent. Worth a repeat.

• Crisp savory roast chicken

  • Dannausc on May 24, 2020

    Quite tasty!

• Crudités with anchovy dip

  • Dannausc on July 03, 2020

    It was good but thin. It didn’t really emulsify.

• Rosemary popcorn

  • Dannausc on May 24, 2020

    Good but not my favorite popcorn topping. I plan to try the suggestion for Korean Chile powder next time instead of the rosemary.

• Beets with yogurt and chervil

  • Dannausc on July 03, 2020

    Good and easy.

• Marja's mac 'n' cheese

  • Dannausc on May 24, 2020

    Quite easy. Good but really rich and heavy.

• Sausage and kale pizza

  • Dannausc on May 23, 2020

    Quite good.

• Lemony shaved summer squash and pecorino on arugula

  • Dannausc on May 24, 2020

    I used baby beet greens in place of the arugula. It was quite good and fairly easy. Definitely worth a repeat.

• Quinoa with spinach, goat cheese, and sautéed shiitakes

  • Dannausc on May 24, 2020

    Quick and easy. I liked it quite a bit. Light yet satisfying.

• Pizza dough

  • Dannausc on May 23, 2020

    Quite good though hard to shape.

• Butter-blanched mustard greens

  • Dannausc on May 23, 2020

    Fairly quick and easy. Good. The mustard oil makes it sing.

• Greg's blueberry crumble cake

  • Dannausc on May 23, 2020

    Fairly easy. It seemed like there wasn’t enough batter, but it turned out fine. The crumb was a little loose and a tad too salty — and I love salt.

• Los Angeles Times

  This is a terrific book, full of exactly the kinds of recipes I want from a master chef...there are creative, practical dishes that are well within the technical grasp of almost any cook.

  Full review