Notes about Recipes in this site

• Jaffa cake macarons

  • Jane on June 17, 2019

    These were one of the most complicated desserts I have ever made, with 4 elements and requiring 4 new ingredients I had never worked with before (glucose, citric acid, pectin jaune and mandarin puree). But they were so worth it (and I learned a lot in the process). Not being a professional chef I could not find pectin jaune or mandarin puree in small sizes but Pomona pectin and tangerine juice worked just as well. I did the traditional Jaffa cake hatch on top rather than brushing with glitter. They were a wonderful combo of sweet crisp/gooey macaron, tart orange jelly, rich orange chocolate ganache and crisp chocolate topping. People at the party I served them at said they were Jaffa cakes x 100. Very satisfying project.

• Sweetcorn fritters with slow roasted tomatoes and smashed avocado

  • Jane on July 29, 2018

    With corn and zucchini to use up this was a great brunch choice. I always have slow roasted tomatoes in the freezer so that made this a much more manageable recipe. I used smoked paprika and found it rather dominated so next time I will either use less or use regular paprika.

• Purple aloo

  • lorloff on September 20, 2020

    This recipe was multilayered and really delicious. I made it with all purple potatoes instead of a mix of white and purple and it saved one step. Well worth the effort. The onion masala is really great. Will make again.

• Thai-style haddock in a bag

  • blintz on December 12, 2014

    This was a relatively easy weeknight meal. I used twice as much fish as called for. Subtle, refreshing flavors in the fish packages, especially the pak choi. I used parchment, but next time, I'll follow directions and also use a layer of foil. (Lots of the delicious sauce ended up on the baking sheet. )

• Chilli chicken pasta with red pesto sauce

  • FJT on September 07, 2018

    I thought this was nice enough, but my husband really liked it. Guess I'll be making it again, but if I do I'll be adding some fresh chilli to give it more of a kick.

• Baked leeks and smoked salmon with cheese sauce

  • FJT on February 14, 2019

    This was perfectly fine, but I'm not sure it was the best use of some very expensive smoked salmon. I've been meaning to make this recipe for such a long time, so it feels like a bit of a let down.

• Potato Dauphinoise

  • FJT on August 11, 2019

    I love dauphinoise potatoes and usually make it without a recipe, but for some reason I bookmarked this and decided to give it a try. There is way too much milk which makes the liquid very thin ... and then there was way too much liquid overall for the amount of potatoes, which was clear as I was assembling the dish so I didn't use all of it. However, when you press the dauphinoise the liquid all comes out and over the edge of the dish and pressing it didn't seem to do much for the dish anyway. Very messy and not as tasty as my usual. Definitely not one to be repeated.

• Flapjacks

  • FJT on May 16, 2020

    Nice flapjacks and a trip down memory lane. I didn’t make the icing because none of my childhood memories include icing!

• Pomegranate-glazed chicken thighs with red quinoa salad

  • FJT on August 12, 2017

    Really tasty! The quinoa salad was good; the chicken was excellent. I made a few substitutions based on what I had in stock: white quinoa, spring onions and almonds. This recipe might almost have persuaded my husband that quinoa isn't so bad!

• Chicken tikka masala

  • FJT on October 29, 2017

    This turned out to be a lovely dish and worth the effort of making a marinade and 2 sauces. I don't have space in my spice cupboard for yet another jar, so I didn't buy Kashmiri chilli powder and substituted a medium heat chilli powder from my stock. I have to say that when I tasted the sauces I really couldn't tell that they had chilli in them at all; the chilli taste was drowned out by the tomatoes, so I added a hefty squirt of sriracha and that saved the day. We really enjoyed this and I'd make it again.

  • FJT on October 29, 2017

    Really not sure how this recipe was categorised as 'quick and easy'; whilst it's definitely not hard to make, it is not quick. The recipe states it takes 1 hour 45 minutes plus minimum 4 hours to marinade the chicken.

• Scotch pancakes - drop scones

  • FJT on July 15, 2019

    I made this with a gluten-free flour mix which I usually use to replace plain flour by weight without any issues. The batter, when made as written, was like cement!! I let it down with a lot more milk and proceeded without any further issues, but I am doubtful that the amount of extra milk I had to use can be explained solely by the difference in the flour otherwise I would never be able to successfully make cakes!! Tasted ok.

• Barbecued hispi cabbage with miso butter and goma dressing

  • FJT on June 06, 2021

    This was ok; we really liked the miso butter. It took a lot longer to cook than stated

• Roasted plum and almond financiers

  • veronicafrance on December 24, 2016

    Just made these as I had some left-over egg whites. Delicious, crispy on the outside and squishy within. A couple of changes: no plums in December so I used some of my home-made cherry conserve. And I made them in mini muffin moulds, yielding 18 rather than 9. Traditionally financiers are small, and muffin tins seemed too big. These are just the right size for serving with after-dinner coffee, or as accompaniment to another dessert.

• Lamb and rice tagine with dried cherries

  • veronicafrance on October 14, 2018

    This was acceptable but I wouldn't make it again. I was attracted by a one-pot dish as it was getting late, but it's not normal to put rice _in_ a tagine. I didn't have brown rice, so I put in long-grain for less time than specified. I also cut down the liquid drastically, and the end result was very soupy and didn't look attractive (but the soup did taste nice!).

• Apple and chicory risotto

  • veronicafrance on March 23, 2017

    This was unusual and very good. The idea of topping the risotto with raw vegetables works really well, and while I've done this before I'd never have thought of adding vinaigrette. Very delicious, I will make it again. Note: the quantity of dressing is absolutely ridiculous -- it makes about 400 ml, i.e. close to a pint. You can easily halve it. I didn't measure the ingredients for it because that's not how I roll, I just started with the honey, mustard, reduced apple juice, and a little of the vinegar, and then aded oil and vinegar till I thought it tasted right. I didn't have any cider vinegar, so I used a locally produced spiced vinegar which worked really well. Also I don't load my risottos with butter and cheese any more; I use quark instead. This may sound odd, but it works really well: creamy with a slight cheesy flavour. I did add parmesan shavings too.

• Porridge with maple bananas and Greek yoghurt

  • Bloominanglophile on November 17, 2016

    Just made this for breakfast. It is similar to a Martha Stewart recipe that I make now and then. The amount of oats and liquid are different (I bake and prefer to weigh out my ingredients, but as far as porridge is concerned, 1/2 cup of oats to 1 cup water is just easier to deal with for a single serving), as well as the addition of milk, cinnamon and yoghurt. It is good, but I think I would sprinkle about half the amount of cinnamon on the porridge after it has cooked and use less maple syrup. Like the addition of the Greek yogurt--a little added protein for staying power!

  • adewar on February 26, 2016

    Delicious, a really special breakfast. the Greek yogurt works well to cut the sweetness of the maple bananas

• Low-fat fish stew

  • chawkins on April 08, 2015

    Quick, easy and light meal. Okay but nothing spectacular. Helped me use up my fennel bulb.

• Smoked salmon and leek quiche

  • paulnjackson on June 03, 2019

    Also works well with poached salmon flakes replacing the smoked salmon. If doing this you need to add more than the specified pinch of salt - say half a teaspoon.

• Tomato, caramelised onion and Le Gruyère AOP tart

  • Rinshin on August 15, 2019

    Excellent taste. I did not remove the tomato skin and that worked out fine. Caramelized onion and tomato taste and texture were perfectly balanced and melded together. I broiled the top for additional 5 min with sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top. Best to cover and protect the rim to prevent burning. Little more work to make than my other favorite tomato tart from Suzie Middleton but I like both very much. Great dish to bring to parties and get-togethers since it tastes fine at room temperature although it is better lightly heated. Photo added.

• Black garlic and chipotle roast beef with beef dripping carrots

  • joneshayley on December 12, 2020

    Lovely recipe - the crust is delicious and the smoky sweet notes of the black garlic paprika and orange paste really comes through in the finished joint

• Green olive and herb Welsh cakes

  • joneshayley on June 07, 2021

    This is such an unusual but delicious take on welsh cakes. The olives, caper and cheese keep the cakes moist, and give a delicious flavour. With cheese and chutney for a picnic they are delicious

• Salad of duck breast with orange, pine kernels and dandelion

  • joneshayley on December 28, 2019

    Christmas Day starter - easy to prep in advance and delicious, I didn’t think the orange peel was good to eat but added a nice colour and aroma

• Soy and beetroot marinated salmon with fennel pollen cream

  • joneshayley on February 08, 2020

    Made the fish element - absolutely delicious, a real winner.

• Cheesy chicken casserole

  • mharriman on January 22, 2021

    This was easy to put together even though it took three pans, a bowl for mixing, and a casserole dish (clean up detail). The result was okay but bland and certainly not cheesy as indicated in the recipe title. The amount of broth and milk compared to the creme Fraiche and Parmesan made the mixture soupy rather than creamy. Probably won’t repeat.

• Baked cod with tomato sauce

  • mharriman on March 01, 2021

    Good with modifications. I made half a recipe with two cod fillets. The 400g (14.5 oz can) of tomatoes with olives and capers didn’t cover my two fillets as required and they don’t produce a sauce, so, I added a 1/2 cup of marinara sauce before popping my Dutch oven into the oven. The directions don’t specify the size of the cod fillets nor do they explain what to do with the whole garlic cloves after baking (doesn’t indicate discarding). We also thought the brown rice was an odd accompaniment with the Italian tomato sauce. I’d pair this with a penne or orecchiette pasta next time. This recipe has very basic directions that would be better with more detail. In the end, a good, easy to put together and cook weeknight meal. Nothing special but tasty enough to repeat with noted changes.

• Portland crab rosti with land cress and chives

  • mharriman on October 29, 2019

    Good. Easy to prepare and cook. The potato cakes were a lot easier to make than I thought they would be. I made the recipe as an entree for two of us. Changes: I used two 8 oz. containers of cooked Phillips lump meat crab instead of starting with whole brown crabs. I ended up using only 12 oz. I think this would make a great starter when entertaining during the summer months.

• Asparagus and cucumber salad

  • mharriman on May 24, 2020

    I didn’t use the exact designated types of produce so this isn’t a pure review of the recipe. We liked this as a change from the traditional tossed lettuce salad. I served mine on plates instead of bowls and they made an attractive presentation. My substitutions were regular garden variety style radishes instead of French Breakfast ones and scallions instead of spring onions. I didn’t have chervil but did have fresh chives. The olive oil with a splash of lemon was a good light dressing for a lighter salad. I served mine bumped up to green leaf lettuce and can see how the individual components could be prepared ahead of time and easily assembled at a potluck or picnic.

• Roasted cod with Champagne and honey

  • mharriman on November 09, 2017

    This is one sweet recipe. The champagne ingredient enticed me. My husband and I liked it but would reduce the mirin and other sweet ingredients next time. The number of sugary items for four servings is a bit overwhelming: 5 ounces of mirin, nearly 7 ounces of champagne, honey glaze, and goji berries. We wanted our greens as a salad, so I sautéed shredded zucchini and placed it under the cod,instead of salad greens, and that worked well. A green veggie is definitely needed to offset the sweet sauced cod. We sipped some of the remaining champagne with our entree, making the meal over the top too sweet!

• Chengdu street tofu

  • Foodycat on April 23, 2018

    I've been lucky enough to have this a couple of times in Andrew Wong's restaurant, and I am convinced that it's the dish that could turn tofu-naysayers. The tofu I had wasn't as divinely custardy as the one he serves in the restaurant, but it's still an excellent dish.

• Pickled wild garlic buds

  • Foodycat on April 22, 2020

    I used white peppercorns because I didn't have pink, and white wine vinegar. Really nice - the pickle isn't so sharp that it overwhelms the delicate garlic flavour of the buds.

• Burmese green tomato salad (Khayan chin thi thoke)

  • Foodycat on October 15, 2020

    A really tasty use for green or underripe tomatoes. Very useful at this time of year! I served it with a couple of dishes from MiMi's book Mandalay.

• Burmese garlic oil noodles (Si chet khao swe)

  • Foodycat on February 18, 2020

    Delicious! And much less of a fiddle than I thought from the initial read of the recipe. Flavoursome noodles with moist chicken and a crunchy garnish, with a gentle broth on the side. I'm not sure that it really serves 4 though, unless they are for very delicate appetites.

• Burmese mutton puffs (Seik-thar puff)

  • Foodycat on February 01, 2020

    Very tasty! I used finely chopped venison and made larger puffs.

• Seared scallops with salsify, blood orange and brown shrimp

  • Foodycat on April 08, 2016

    The beurre blanc recipe is fantastic. I added cod loins to make it a main course, but left out the salsify because it's a bear to prepare. Next time, I'd use samphire instead of the monk's beard, because that was also a bear to prepare and didn't have much flavour.

• Grilled fillets of sea bass with herb risotto, roasted cherry tomatoes and pesto

  • Rollasons on August 22, 2014

    VG. I would increase the quantity of rice to 200g for 4 and scale up the other risotto ingredients accordingly. Serve with grilled crispy pancetta.

  • Agaillard on June 16, 2019

    Just made this :) Pretty, tasty, healthy! Definitely a winner. Good advice for the pancetta!

• Kurnik chicken pie

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on April 29, 2021

    Made half of the recipe, that was enough for four persons. Very nice, quite a lot of work though.

• Pear and anise Tatin, Poire Williams Chantilly, and hazlenut praline

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on January 02, 2021

    Only made the Tatin part of this dessert. Amount of butter and sugar seems an awful lot, reduced to 160 g each. Still a fair layer in the pan. Looked beautiful and tasted delicious. Really something for a fancy dinner. Made A caramel sauce of the Tatin caramel, just added 100 ml of double cream and stirred until caramel and butter were dissolved.

• Tricolore penne and cauliflower cheese with hazelnuts

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on October 31, 2017

    It looks a bit bland when you don't have tricolore penne available, but the taste is awesomely delicious! Comfort food +++. I made half the cheese sauce, and used light cheese instead of cheddar, it was more than enough for the flavour (but less calories). Definitely making this again.

• Vegetarian lasagne

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on January 21, 2021

    Either we did something horribly wrong with the recipe or the outcome was just not our idea of a lasagne.

• Feuillete of poached quails’ eggs with Hollandaise sauce

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on June 01, 2020

    Only made the hollandaise sauce to accompany white asparagus. It was delicious and very simple to make.

• Saag paneer

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on August 10, 2017

    Beautiful dish, a little too little cumin.

• Pan-roasted cod loin with pea and asparagus risotto

  • saarwouters on March 10, 2019

    Wonderful dish that feels like spring. Recipe works very well.

• Spicy tomato soup with basil oil

  • Agaillard on July 08, 2021

    A lot of faff I thought for a tomato soup that didn't convinve me of its exceptional character - I found it not worth it. The basil oil was nice on its own, with a touch of salt to exalt the basil flavours, but was lost on the spiciness of the soup. Other than that; the tomato concassée added a nice texture and the overall look was pretty; and it still was pleasant to eat - will not make again, or maybe just the basil oil on its own.

• Caramelised Jerusalem artichoke soup, with burnt pear and walnut

  • Agaillard on December 04, 2019

    Very disappointing, very bland, very liquid texture. Thankfully the salted pears and granola saved it to some extent, but I will not make again. It seems as though the chef has just randomly picked a few fashionable, vaguely original ingredients, add a non dairy this and non dairy that, and threw Thermomix in the mix (ordered recipe?). Nevertheless the result is definitely not up to par.

• Turnip, bacon and Gruyère gratin

  • Agaillard on March 27, 2020

    Portions as indicated are very small - I made in individual portions dividing proportions only by 3 (recipe indicates it's for 6) for a decent sized portion. I subbed lardons by cubes of smoked duck magret as this is (oddly enough) what I had but I think that added a welcome slightly stronger and more complex flavour. I also used creme fraiche as this is also what I had rather than double cream, which was annoying as the creme fraiche curdled (but is otherwise so good!). That being said, it was tasty and I really enjoyed eating it.

• Pork, apple and cider stew with cheddar dumplings

  • Agaillard on March 26, 2017

    That was very strange for me : I had never done or seen dumplings before, and the small balls growing in the stew were very odd to me, the texture, the shape a bit like round shaped soft bread,... Past the first surprise element, this was quite good, not extraordinary but good and tasty. I think I would have liked it better as a sausage stew and might try that, but I think I might like to try a dumpling recipe in a restaurant, to have something to compare it with!

• Spinach, lemon and garlic penne rigate with torn burrata

  • Agaillard on July 04, 2020

    That was a nice and pleasant dish which I served as a main. I found the egg yolk and olive oil sauce quite clever, but in the end couldn't really tell the difference. Maybe because I omitted the lemon zest (forgot)? Also note to self to be more generous with the seasoning. I was disappointed by my burrata, otherwise, and I think that would definitely up the dish. Will make again.

• Iced cucumber soup with feta cheese crumble

  • Agaillard on April 01, 2020

    Just made with the following substitutions : replaced mint with basil, feta with crumbly goat cheese, and added some yogurt when I mixed it. I think it was a very simple recipe, almost so simple as to not to really warrant a recipe except for the decoration and additions. So a bit disappointing for that, but it was a nice and healthy dish nonetheless. Will probably make again due to it being soooo easy.

• Courgette, cheddar and basil quick breads

  • Agaillard on November 15, 2019

    This is super easy to make and was delicious! I cooked slightly bigger loaves than the author - my disposable moulds were foil ones about the size of a paperback. I cooked for 50 minutes because I was time bound, but this was impeccable, the knife came back completely clean and the texture was perfect, not mushy at all, despite the author's warning, moist on the inside and crusty on the outside. I used the three eggs as directed, and I replaced the (missing) buttermilk with a mix of 125ml yogurt and rest with milk). I served it warm and sliced (either oven warm or toasted), with a favorite dip/spread of sour cream + dijon mustard + toasted cumin seeds. Yummy! Will make again...

• Venison Bolognese fritters with Parmesan

  • Agaillard on October 09, 2016

    I have attempted this twice - everything goes well up to step 6. The meat and vegetable sauce is divine. However after chilling, I can't reach a meatball friendly texture. The first time, I tried anyway, and ended up with very lousy shape "kind of" fritters. The second time, today, I just decided to transform this into a hachis parmentier/sheperd's pie with lovely creamy, mashed potatoes and parmesan on top. Will keep on trying though, if they come through they should be really good! Will try maybe add an egg to the meat mixture as a liaison agent.

• Starfish cakes

  • Agaillard on May 21, 2020

    Nice and tasty way to use salmon leftovers! I didn't have shapes and my mixture was too liquid to hold off the shape without it, so I put it in muffin cases and this gave lovely looking salmon mini cakes :) Will definitely make again, that was super good and super quick...

• Baked eggs, minced lamb and peas

  • Agaillard on December 17, 2017

    I chose this recipes as I was trying to eat the contents of my fridge before the Christmas holidays without buying more! I was quite happy, this was flavourful and comforting, although I did let it cook a bit more than expected as my eggs were a bit past date so, I wanted the whites to settle. I am not sure if that is why, but it looked nothing like in the picture (at all). I might make again if I have the ingrédients at hand again, and maybe try to stick to the cooking times mentioned in the recipe to see if that improves it.

• Braised duck leg, braised red cabbage, green peppercorn sauce, caramelised apples

  • Agaillard on March 26, 2021

    I made this with confit duck so started at step 3- this is nice and an original way to cook red cabbage... although almost exactly the same as a traditional Alsacian recipe called "chou rouge a l'alsacienne", frequently served as a side with a duck dish. I somehow couldn't reach desired color on the sauce which was whiteish. Overall disappointing even if confit duck is always very nice to eat!

• Puy lentils with Dijon mustard vinaigrette

  • Agaillard on October 01, 2016

    Note that the recipe doesn't call for bacon and lardon, it calls for a whole piece of unsmoked bacon which you first boil with the lentils, then cut into lardons, then fry until crispy. I suppose you could also buy lardons or cut the bacon and fry directly, but that would remove some of the bacon taste from sipping into the stew.

• Cheese bread (Pão de queijo)

  • RoniB on November 25, 2015

    These can be frozen but taste at their best when served hot from the oven, or at least within a few hours.

• Spiced roast plum and almond French toast

  • raybun on September 25, 2016

    This was delicious! A decedent autumn breakfast that's easy and quick to prepare while everybody is getting up. I adapted it for three people and subbed butter for the sunflower oil. Thanks EYB for bringing this recipe to my attention!

• Slow-braised ham hock in yellow bean sauce, white pepper and five-spice

  • EskieF on September 03, 2020

    Awful - far too salty with a ham hock. Use a pork (non-salted) hock instead, as the braising sauce is salty. The dish made as specified, with a ham hock (ham hock understood as salted pork hock) was inedible.

• Tenderstem® broccoli with black garlic, poppy seeds and olive dressing

  • mjes on May 06, 2018

    I chose to make this recipe specifically for the dressing with its black garlic-pomegranate molasses-muscat vinegar base. I lacked muscat vinegar so I substituted a white wine vinegar. The dressing is a bit sweet for my taste, so next time I will pull back a bit on the pomegranate molasses. I used broccolini as I generally do for salads. The completed salad was enjoyed by all but without "must repeat" raves. Note: I just learned that broccollini "is a hybrid; first created in 1993, it's a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli."

• Cured mackerel, fermented gooseberries, elderflower

  • mjes on June 14, 2018

    This recipe requires a lot of planning ahead and a bit of scrambling for ingredients. Think make yogurt - drain to obtain whey - find gooseberries a bit out of season - ferment for seven days . . . This results are very good and I'm glad I tried it just to see if I could pull it off. But it would take a very special occasion for me to repeat. I might feel differently if the fishmonger wasn't 20 miles away to the west, the gooseberry source nearly 50 miles to the east...

• Hummus

  • fairyduff on April 14, 2021

    Brilliant. Easy. Better than the bought stuff. Cheaper too.

• Sweet tahini rolls (Kubez el tahineh)

  • Livia on August 06, 2020

    Divine!

• Strawberry cheesecake Oreo parfait pots

  • wkhull on June 23, 2021

    Would double the strawberries next time. Used Oreo dark chocolate thins and strawberry-rhubarb jam.

• Butter-steamed lemon sole, English garden pesto, asparagus and pea salad

  • juliesw17 on April 03, 2021

    Excellent method for cooking delicate fish

• Irish beef steak, thyme and onion pie with celeriac mash

  • chezlarios on December 19, 2020

    Easy to make and tasty!