Notes about Recipes in this book

• Uova al forno

  • wcassity on November 21, 2018

    super tasty. used Parm, ate with baguette.

• Buckwheat crêpe (Breton galette)

  • pennyvr on December 29, 2014

    The buckwheat mix is quite simple to make, and turned out nicely. We varied the fillings and toppings. We made large crepes (approx. 20cm diameter) and we only got 6 instead of 12.

• Carrot spoon breads

  • DKennedy on January 29, 2017

    P. 37 We made this as part of our 3rd Cook the Book menu. I have been dying to try this forever. The taste was fantastic but I think it could have been moister. Amy and Susan said it was undercooked when the original time elapsed, so It could be that we overcooked it or the fact that we made it ahead of time but next time I would error by undercooking it next time.

• Orange and Campari marmalade

  • DKennedy on March 14, 2017

    Thanks to my good friend Amy sharing her blood orange crop with me, I was able to make this delicious marmalade today. I did not have Campari, so I substituted Orange Bitters in it's place, which is supposed to be an acceptable alternative. I tasted Amy's absolutely delicious marmalade on Sunday, so I'll be in a position to compare the two and will report back.

• Beurre composé

  • DKennedy on September 23, 2016

    This is even better than it sounds. Served as part of our high tea menu, and the leftovers are in the freezer, easily scooped off to serve with a freshly made scone.

• Buttermilk waffles

  • DKennedy on September 12, 2014

    Wow! Made the batter today for tomorrow's breakfast. Just ate a tester and it was perfect in every way. Per the recipe, can hold up to 3 days in fridge. I made a tester waffle and it was spectacular. Modifications: subbed out the all p. flour for Bette's (gf) four bean flour mix and added 1/2 t. xanthan gum. Added a dash of vanilla, almond extract and maple flavoring to the batter. Used mostly grass fed butter and just filled up the rest of the measuring cup with canola cuz I didn't have enough. Did stick to the iron the first time, I used more oil the following morning and they came out delicious and beautiful! Used for breakfast sandwiches with sunny side up eggs, black forest ham, and lots of maple syrup.

• Toasted oatmeal brûlée

  • DKennedy on August 16, 2014

    Roasting the dry oats before cooking gives the oatmeal a nutty flavor. This dish can be made up to a week in advance. The grocery shopping for this recipe is the most daunting part. Other than the learning curve, this is a pretty straight forward recipe. I toasted up 2 c. of oats then added this to 4 c. already boiling water which had 1 t. course salt in it. When the oats hit the pot, the entire thing boiled over. Next time, take it off the heat before adding the oats to the water. When cooked, transferred to my chantal round dish which was the perfect size. Mixed in the golden raisins, nuts (I used toasted sunflower seeds, pepitas, pecans, walnuts and ground hemp. I forgot the flax seeds altogether. Put this back into the 425 degree oven for 13 1/2 minutes. Brûlée 4-6 inches from heat source and serve with warmed heavy cream.

• Croque-monsieur

  • KevinSeattle on May 20, 2022

    This is the best Croque I have ever made, and I’ve made a lot. It’s pretty straight-forward, and the instructions for assembling the croque are very clear. I recommend using picks to hold it together for serving.

• Croque-madame

  • MmeFleiss on December 28, 2016

    A household favorite!

• Roast chicken salad and haricots verts with mustard vinaigrette

  • DKennedy on March 09, 2015

    P. 80. Made this for dinner tonight using a rotisserie chicken and baby lettuce mix. The chicken, harcot vert, potatoes, endive and radishes all play their parts, balancing the bitter, crunchy, creamy, and tangy elements. We all loved it. An easy and satisfying weekday meal.

  • dosojosazules on June 29, 2025

    Also used a rotisserie chicken to save some prep time. Red butter lettuce was hearty enough to stand up to the thick vinaigrette. Loved each bite

• Endive and radicchio salad with pears, pomegranate, walnuts, and Roquefort

  • DKennedy on September 12, 2014

    I didn't love this one.

• Baked figs

  • DKennedy on February 22, 2016

    P. 112 I made these last night for a wine tasting party. They were simple to prepare and very well received. Just another shining example of why I turn to this book again and again. I used a muscat for the wine and did not press them down.

• Ciambottini

  • DKennedy on January 29, 2017

    We made this as part of our 3rd Cook the Book menu. It was easy to put together and really pretty in the bowl. The salami, cheese and pickled veggies make for a perfect balance of flavors. Great.

• Rosemary potato chips

  • DKennedy on January 29, 2017

    P. 131 Part of our Cook the Book 3rd menu. These were way too much work but they were absolutely delicious.

• Marinated olives with orange zest and red chili

  • DKennedy on January 29, 2017

    P. 133 We made these as part of our third Cook the Book menu. It was relatively easy to put together and everyone really liked it.

• Apple and cheese fricos

  • DKennedy on January 29, 2017

    We made these spectacularly delicious treats as part of our 3rd Cook the Book Menu. A few things to note about this recipe: (1) the Montassio cheese is hard to source here in Los Angeles, I found it at the Beverly Hills Cheese shop. (2) The recipe calls for 1 1/2 c. grated Montassio for 4 fricos. We doubled the recipe and I bought a pound of Montassio cheese - I had a little more than a 1/4 left so next time I think 3/4 lb for 8 would suffice. The bill was $60 for this cheese - but I did buy two other tiny items, so likely $45 per pound. (3) The cheese stuck miserably to the pan so next time definitely use a non stick and make sure the pan is well /heated before proceeding. Serve it with a white burgundy.

• Oxtail marmalade

  • DKennedy on January 29, 2017

    P 138 Susan made this ahead of time as part of our 3rd Cook the Book menu. You truly get the sense that is a is marmalade, and the syrupy orange scent hangs on your palate after you take a bite - in a good way. Susan served this with a heavy Burgundy and with pieces of Lodge bread to go alongside. A distinctive and memorable dish, which would be hard to eat more than a few bites at once because it is so rich. but it was very delicious and worth making. This is a perfect bar or cocktail bite, because you would only want a bite or two, and then maybe a few olives to be satisfied.

• Slow-roasted fennel in bitter orange vinaigrette

  • KevinSeattle on May 16, 2020

    The slow-roasted fennel in Buvette is superb. The flavor of the fennel is not buried under the flavorful sauce, which is not as sweet as you might think. What set this apart is that the dish can be served hot or cold and it scales amazingly well for a large dinner party. I always try to serve it with some of the orange peel, too, as a garnish. It’s not difficult and it impresses guests immediately.

• Lentils with kale and shallots

  • okcook on November 11, 2015

    So simple yet so comforting and really delicious. It is really important to cook the lentils long enough. I think mine were on the stove top for about two hours and I had to add extra water.

• Ratatouille

  • DKennedy on September 12, 2014

    This recipe was an unexpected surprise. Very easy to prepare, made just enough for a couple of servings, and the results were wonderful. The herbs de provence married well with the other flavors in this dish. I ate it as shown in the picture. Modification: I omitted the zucchini.

  • okcook on February 11, 2022

    A delicious side dish and so easy.

• Risotto with Meyer lemon

  • FlowerGold on February 11, 2025

    Very good! Using water made for a lighter risotto. The Meyer lemon added a fresh note. Definitely a redo.

• Risotto with green apples, sage, and Fontina

  • DKennedy on October 10, 2014

    Made this for dinner tonight and it was really quite wonderful. The apples and the fontina really complimented each other in this dish.

• Meatballs

  • DKennedy on January 29, 2017

    We made these as part of our 3rd Cook the Book menu. Susan bought the mortadella needed for this recipe from A Cut Above, and then ground it fresh right before assembling the meat mixture. The accompanying tomato sauce (p. 269) and the meatballs come together easily. In my opinion, this was the showstopper of the evening. The mortadella, pine nuts and currants make for a delicious but unidentifiable taste profile. I can't wait to eat the leftovers. Our meatballs were very soft so falling apart was a concern, but I think a few minutes in the fridge should firm them up.

  • DKennedy on February 14, 2017

    Part one of two: Made these for a second time with some tweaks. First of all, the tomato sauce comes together in a snap and really you need to double the recipe. Secondly, the meatballs require a lot of mis en plas advance prep that would make putting these together much less of a production if done ahead of time or in a different order. Thirdly, the first time we made these, we used fresh bread from Lodge bakery that Susan put thru a food mill. She also milled the mortadella. This time I chopped the mortadella by hand and used GF sliced bread as my fresh bread cumb mix. It made quite a difference in the consistency of the meatballs. The first batch was very wet (and very tasty) and my batch was very dry, and really too much filler to meat (IMO) so I doubled the veal, pork and beef. This fixed things perfectly so from now on, double all the meat except for the mortadella if I am using GF breadcrumbs.

  • DKennedy on February 14, 2017

    Part two of two:Fourth, I halved the amount of currants used (& subbed dried cherries, minced). Really any dried tart berry would work, such as cran, cherry or currant. I also coarsely chopped the pine nuts. In terms of changing the order of steps: (1) Grind up the bread in food processor, set aside, in same bowl, chop up parm needed for recipe and to top dish, set aside, in same bowl, coarsely chop pine nuts, set aside. Chop up mortadella. Set aside. Chop up onions and garlic in food processor, stopping before it gets to fine. Set aside. (2) In medium brown pine nuts, set aside. To same pan, saute aromatics, set aside. Use that pan to brown meatballs when they are ready. Proceed with the other steps of the recipe as instructed. Makes 36 meatballs with these modifications. Brown in a mixture of olive, canola and avocado oils.

  • DKennedy on February 14, 2017

    Freezing: You can make the meatballs up to the point of rolling in flour - put the sheet pan in the freezer til hard then transfer to a freezing bag. Cook from frozen state. Fantastic.

• Choucroute garnie

  • DKennedy on September 12, 2014

    A dish I would ordinarily have skipped if not for the photo. I made it using 1 lb. pork belly and 5 TJ's brand bratwurst. The finished dish was very nice, but I enjoyed the leftovers a lot more than the original dish. Keepers: the rub used on the pork belly. The crispy pork belly was outstanding right out of the frying pan, less so once it was braised. Next time I would serve the crispy pork belly and brats with spicy mustard and a good quality sauerkraut, but I would not braise the sauerkraut, I'd leave it cold and crunchy. Made for excellent sandwiches.

• Rabbit à la moutarde

  • DKennedy on March 10, 2015

    Made this for dinner tonight. Subbed in organic chicken pack in place of the rabbit. Bought it at TJs, two breasts and four legs came to just under $11.00. Followed the instructions except only used 2 T. grainy mustard instead of 3 and added a little olive oil to the butter to minimizing burning. Made ahead to the point of adding the meat back to the pan. Will heat tonight for 30 minutes instead of 20. The meat took quite a bit longer to cook through than 30 minutes after warming through, perhaps those times need to be adjusted for chicken. Good but the chicken was tough by the time it was cooked through. Need to work on my technique if I make it again.

  • okcook on February 11, 2022

    I bought a rabbit for this recipe. About 3 to 3.5 lbs. extremely lean so I afraid to over cook it. It was a young rabbit so no long cooking required to make it tender. All in all an easy dish except determining when to stop cooking the meat. I found the sauce quite rich so next time I would use less cream and more stock. It was delicious.

• Grilled oysters with shallots

  • DKennedy on January 29, 2017

    P. 211 Susan made these as part of our 3rd Cook the Book Menu. She grilled them on the bbq, then added the sauce and reheated them in a tray. They were delicious but I still prefer raw oysters.

• Flourless chocolate cake

  • DKennedy on January 29, 2017

    P. 232 Amy made this ahead of time as part of our 3rd Cook the Book menu. The flavor of the cake and the crust was amazing, but the center was undercooked. She said she had to cook it way longer than the recipe specified. Watch the timing on this cake when you make it in the future.

  • SACarlson on May 14, 2018

    Agree on the timing point. I think that there was a type-o in the book. I've seen this recipe re-printed online that gave a baking time of at least 40 minutes.

• Peaches roasted in Amaretto

  • jessncanfield on June 25, 2015

    Super easy and delicious recipe, perfect for ripe summer peaches. Started the peaches face down on the stove top and then flipped them over before placing under the broiler. Served with vanilla gelato and everyone loved it!

• Basil pesto

  • Laurel21 on July 30, 2021

    I used walnuts instead of pine nuts

• Tomato sauce

  • DKennedy on February 03, 2017

    We made this as part of our 3rd Cook the Book Menu, and served it with meatballs. It is a simple sauce but it takes on the flavors of the meatballs so it becomes thick and unctuous and utterly delicious. I am lucky because Susan sent me home with a bag of leftover raw meatballs and I just whipped up a batch of the sauce so, between browning the meatballs and simmering the sauce, we will be having a heavenly dinner tonight with a minimal expenditure of effort. Make extras - you will want some for the freezer!

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