• DKennedy on August 03, 2015

  A Homemade Life recommends the following recipes: Roasted Applesauce, p. 12; Raised Waffles, p. 29, Moro's Warm Squash and Chickpea Salad, p. 70, Diana Kennedy's dead simple carnitas, p. 120 and Marie Helene's Apple Cake, p. 221. Have it out from the library right now and it will be added to my shelf pretty soon. I have already made 5 things from it, and have only had it on loan for 3 days. Great for weeknight fare or for a kid going off to college. Hard to justify the shelf space since many of the recipes are duplicates of recipes I own in their original books.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Bar nuts [Union Square Café]

  • louie734 on July 24, 2024

    I forgot about this recipe! The BEST balance of savory and sweet, with the rosemary it's a showstopper.

  • Kjohns101 on February 07, 2018

    This is one of those classic recipes. I’ve been making it for years from the original cookbook. It’s a great holiday treat with drinks. The rosemary makes the house smell great. And it tastes great too! Always get requests for the recipe.

  • stockholm28 on February 07, 2016

    These are outstanding. I used a 1 pound bag of raw mixed nuts from Trader Joes and added 4 oz of unsalted peanuts. The nuts are roasted for 10 minutes and then tossed with a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, salt, cayenne, and fresh rosemary. I served them as nibbles before a dinner that I hosted. While they were fabulous on the day made, they were still delicious on the next day. I took the leftovers into the office the next day and several of my coworkers asked for the recipe.

  • Barb_N on December 24, 2016

    Delicious and easy. I started with less than half the cayenne then adjusted the seasonings after mixing everthing together.

  • clcorbi on December 18, 2016

    These are delicious! I used only a pound of nuts, but kept all the seasoning proportions the same except for the salt, which I decreased by half a teaspoon. When the warmed butter mixture first hit the nuts, the rosemary smell was overwhelming, which made me scared these would taste like potpurri. Not so! I know the cookbook says to serve these warm, but I found them to be the most tasty and balanced once they cooled down.

• Chicken thighs with lemon [Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer]

  • tmatthey on October 28, 2015

    Crispy skin delivered! The technique is simplicity itself.

  • DKennedy on October 27, 2015

    A complete and utter success. Used the chantal dutch oven and used the same technique to first make thighs, then moved on to wings and legs, emptying pot of grease in between batches.

  • Astrid5555 on April 13, 2015

    Delicious chicken thighs with the crispiest skin I have made so far. The only issue I had is that it took much closer to 1 hour for the meat to be cooked through than the 45 minutes stated in the recipe.

  • Delys77 on September 07, 2021

    Perfect as written. Lovely thighs with crisp skin and a great little sauce. My chicken did render a huge amount of fat so I didn't drizzle over the chicken, instead I skimmed some of the fat and then gathered the lemon with a touch of the dripping and drizzled this over.

  • chawkins on July 22, 2018

    Somewhat of a failure for me, I went by some of the comments on food52 and covered the pan to avoid grease splatter; so the thighs were stewing in its own juice instead of frying in its own grease, I also trim all the fat off the thighs before frying. I left the pan open once I recognized the problem and let the juice evaporate, however, the skin mostly stuck to the pan, what stayed on were really crispy though.

  • stockholm28 on February 28, 2016

    This technique produces a wonderful, crispy chicken skin and a very moist chicken thigh. I used a cast iron pan which worked perfectly. I will definitely use this technique again.

  • Zosia on December 08, 2015

    I agree with the other reviewers: the method worked perfectly in delivering crisp skin and tender meat.

  • mharriman on December 28, 2018

    My husband and I loved the crispiness and slightly grilled flavor of this chicken. I used my LeCreuset cast iron pan and they cooked as described in the directions. They had beautiful color and coats! Prior to cooking, I spent an embarrassing amount of time looking for preserved lemons. No luck there. They were listed on two stores’ websites as in stock but alas there were none to be found at either. My regular grocers didn’t have them. I ended up using lemon zest, a bit of salt, as well as dried and minced lemon peel from the spice section of a gourmet food store. The chicken was delicious but I’ve now ordered preserved lemons so I can see what it’s actually supposed to taste like! Served with a green salad and stove top grilled zucchini. Update 11/11/20: served with Black Bean,Corn , red bell pepper, and quinoa salad from 365 Days of Salad/ Williams Sonoma. Excellent wine pairing- sauvignon Blanc for the chicken as well as salad.

  • rionafaith on April 02, 2020

    Nice simple way to cook crispy-skinned chicken thighs. They took more time than indicated to really brown, and I should maybe have had the flame even lower after flipping, as I burned some of the preserved lemon bits. I'll use this method again.

  • ChelseaP on May 21, 2021

    Excellent recipe.

• Whole roasted cauliflower with whipped goat cheese [Alon Shaya]

  • tmatthey on February 18, 2018

    I agree with mirage in that this was not a "quick to make" way of roasting cauliflower nor a cheap one (the two possibilities I think she might have been implying when saying "(it) was (not) worth it." But, my dinner party raved about the cauliflower tonight: It looked gorgeous, it tasted better and it disappeared 100% despite a lot of competing veggie sides. I used the full 1 T of red pepper suggested in the "booze broth." The cheese mixture was yummy, too but I had quite a lot leftover.

  • mirage on May 30, 2016

    I didn't think doing the cauliflower that way was worth it - next time I'll just roast it normally. But the goat cheese was fabulous!

  • babyfork on October 07, 2019

    We had this years ago at the Demonica restaurant in New Orleans (when Alon Shaya was the chef there) and it was amazing. Finally got around to trying it at home, and while it's not quite as amazing, it was still delicious. The whipped goat cheese is so good. I added a bit too much feta, so it was a little on the salty side, so next time I'll watch that. The first time I made this I made the poaching liquid according to the recipe. The second time, I used homemade chicken broth instead of the wine and added some fresh thyme. I don't think it makes a huge difference. I like this poach and roast method and while it might take a bit more time, it's not difficult.

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    This wasn't really worth the effort for me. The cauliflower was nicely flavored but wasn't even the best roasted cauliflower I've made, and the oil splattering out of the cauliflower as it roasted made a huge mess in my oven and made my apartment building fire alarm go off. When we finally sat down for dinner, we were both very hungry and underwhelmed. I did really like the whipped goat cheese and thought it paired nicely but it wasn't enough to save the dish.

• Broccoli cooked forever [Roy Finamore]

  • tmatthey on October 09, 2015

    UGLY. Oily. Yet I liked - or loved - it every time we ate it (or the leftovers thereof). Best use was with a baked potato (second use). Worst use was as a veggie side on its own some (first use). It still was yum but the recipe which I tried to follow anally (because that is who I am) was too oily for a stand alone, for me. I will def make again, with the intent of using pasta/potato/bread to sop up the oil the first serving and then use the remainders as the side dish. The marriage of flavors - brocc, oil, garlic, anchovies, etc ... that part really rocks.

  • Melanie on April 27, 2015

    The title of this one caught my eye - the broccoli is blanched before being cooked for two hours in olive oil flavoured with chillies, garlic and anchovies. I served this on pasta for dinner and don't think that I would have enjoyed it if simply served with bread but the flavour was really lovely. I thought that there was too much oil left in the pan at the end of cooking so will consider reducing the quantity next time.

  • CynthiasCooking on February 20, 2021

    I like my broccoli crisp - he likes his "flexible". We both loved this.

  • Frogcake on April 01, 2016

    This is an incredibly delicious way to use broccoli. Yumm. I've stirred this into pasta like pesto and I've used this to flavour soups. Will make this again for sure.

  • dzant on April 04, 2020

    i loved this!!!

  • Melyinoz on March 19, 2023

    Reduced the amount of oil based on another’s suggestion here, but this meant the broccoli did not confit, but rather fried lightly in oil. After 45 min my broccoli was soft and deeply brown and I stopped cooking it to avoid burning it. I took a small bit to taste how it had turned out, and ended up eating a bowl - it was delicious. I did drain the broccoli on some paper towel before eating as I was worried about the still substantial amount of oil it cooked in. I felt very full after eating this and that feeling lasted a long time, which I imagine speaks to the amount of oil I consumed.

  • ChelseaP on May 21, 2021

    Made exactly to the recipe and everyone gobbled it up. Served it mixed in with orecchiette pasta.

• Orange & almond cake [Claudia Roden]

  • Jane on June 09, 2017

    I love this recipe and make it a lot. Anyone who has it asks for the recipe. It is very moist and is really a pudding cake so if you like your cakes dry this isn't one for you. I'll carry on using Claudia's original recipe though - a bit more sugar and almonds, cover the oranges when boiling rather than in "a little water" and for 90 minutes rather than 2 hours, and bake at 375 rather than 400.

  • Melanie on August 16, 2015

    This cake is perfect. Not too rich but full of flavour. Microwave the oranges instead of boiling for two hours.

  • chawkins on December 12, 2022

    Great cake. I cooked my oranges in the instant pot with 1/4 C of water for 30 minutes with natural release. I used the volume measure for the almond flour and the sugar which turned out to be 214 gms and 213 gms respectively, since my oranges were on the samll side, I left those be and baked the cake at 375F for 50 minutes. Probably should have check for doneness at around 45 minutes.

  • dyand on December 13, 2020

    Baked at 375. Was surprised how 'runny' the batter was. A very interesting cake, different but good.

  • macfadden on March 17, 2017

    I am clearly in the minority here--this recipe has many five star ratings on the NY Times' website--but I found this cake insipid and mushy. I will refrain from rating because I used almond meal rather than grinding my own almonds, and I suspect that may have been the cause of my texture troubles, but it doesn't explain why the recipe doesn't call for any salt when it so clearly needs it.

  • louisewint on January 22, 2021

    I pressure cook my oranges and put extra portions in the freezer, so I can make this cake on a whim. I buy ground almonds. I think I've made this about 10 times already, I love it. Some versions of this recipe online have orange blossom water added, I do this sometimes and enjoy it.

  • celesteprevost on November 19, 2020

    Very nice texture, but if you dislike a hint of bitterness this may not be for you. Excellent with ice cream. I also cooked the oranges under pressure for 30 mins.

• Chocolate muscovado banana cake [Nigel Slater]

  • Jane on April 15, 2020

    A lovely banana bread - very moist, not overly sweet. I couldn’t get muscovado sugar so used dark brown.

  • Kjohns101 on February 07, 2018

    This didn’t really wow me like I hoped. My company loved it however and finished it off in a few days.

  • Astrid5555 on March 04, 2017

    A little bit too grown-up tasting for the kids, maybe because of the 70% chocolate I used, but the adults enjoyed it very much. Reduced the sugar to 200g, still sweet enough. As Zosia mentioned subtle banana flavor that is not overwhelmed by the chocolate. The loaf was done 5 minutes earlier than indicated in the recipe.

  • Melanie on August 21, 2015

    This was pretty good but I'm not convinced that it's the best banana chocolate bread. I preferred this on the first day or two.

  • twoyolks on April 24, 2017

    The linked recipe omits the amount of chocolate (100 g). This was a moist quick bread with a subtle banana flavor. It's not particularly sweet. Overall, it's well balanced but not superlative.

  • Zosia on May 13, 2015

    Moist and buttery loaf with a soft crumb and excellent banana flavour that isn't overwhelmed by the chocolate. I recommend weighing the bananas as my 3 medium came up 80g short. Fortunately, I had a stash in the freezer to make up the balance. The loaf took 20 minutes longer to bake in my oven (to reach internal temp of 200F).

  • clcorbi on October 23, 2017

    Really nice. I didn't have muscovado sugar, so I substituted brown sugar and stirred in an extra tablespoon of molasses. This isn't my favorite banana bread I've ever had, but it was definitely tasty and low-effort. I will also note I had to bake this for at least 10 extra minutes before it was set all the way through.

  • ethedens on November 27, 2022

    I am very grumpy when it comes to most recipes (using a bowl just to beat the eggs a little before they go into the main batter? Unacceptable) so I was maybe hoping that the recipe would not be super great so I wouldn't have to make it again. Unfortunately, it's absolutely delicious. I was skeptical of the lack of salt, but it tasted perfect (I did use salted butter). I will admit I made a couple of changes to the recipe: I used turbinado sugar instead of muscovado and chocolate chips instead of the chocolate chunks. Additionally, it was still raw in the center at 50 minutes (the suggested cooking time) and it took about another 30 under foil before it was done. Despite the challenges, it was tasty enough that this might be my new go-to banana bread.

  • snoozermoose on December 10, 2021

    Not the best banana bread out there. The texture of the bread was a little dense and sticky, and it was overall not sweet enough for our taste. We didn't like the dark chocolate either--this is a recipe that needs semisweet. I still prefer Joanne Chang's banana bread from Flour which is my genius recipe for banana bread!

• Roasted Brussels sprouts with fish sauce vinaigrette [David Chang]

  • wester on November 11, 2022

    Not wild about this. Nice flavors but the sprouts got quite lost in it.

  • stockholm28 on December 09, 2015

    This one is a real keeper for me. Maybe it is even (dare I say it) genius. The fish sauce vinaigrette is comprised of fish sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, lime, sugar, garlic, bird's eye chili, cilantro stems, and mint. Sweet, spicy, salty, umami, yummy. I used a bit more lime than the recipe called for just because I like more lime. The sprouts are roasted and tossed in the vinaigrette. The recipe is simple. The hardest part was getting the brussels sprouts in the pan cut side down.

  • peaceoutdesign on October 13, 2022

    As the recipe says just toss at the end or they absorb to much taste.

  • Zosia on March 11, 2016

    The recipe is also delicious made with soy sauce for a vegetarian version.

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    My favorite way to prepare brussels sprouts. The fish sauce vinaigrette is delightful but a bit intense if you don't like fish sauce (I happen to love it but some friends are not a fan). Pretty easy to whip up as a memorable side dish.

• Brisket of beef [Nach Waxman]

  • JoanN on January 24, 2016

    Certainly easy, but I thought the flavor pretty insipid. Not worth repeating.

• Baked brown rice [Alton Brown]

  • Gio on December 02, 2015

    Pg. 59. Not quick but certainly easy and the outcome is a well-flavored side dish of nutty, slightly chewy brown rice. We used clarified butter instead of plain unsalted, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Ordinarily I would have used chicken broth as the cooking liquid but here we used water. Ultimately a good side dish with a healthy tasty grain that's worth a redo.

  • TrishaCP on January 06, 2023

    This technique worked really well and I will definitely use it again.

  • bernalgirl on February 29, 2024

    This truly is a genius recipe. It takes longer than my rice cooker but the resulting fluffy brown basmati rice is worth it.

  • FJT on February 11, 2020

    This worked quite well. I did slightly less than the recipe states: half a box of brown basmati (250g) with 520ml water, some ghee and salt for 50 minutes at 190C and next time I would add a smidge more water. Very easy way to cook brown rice.

  • michalow on August 30, 2018

    Perfect every time.

  • stockholm28 on January 16, 2016

    Excellent technique. The rice was nutty and a bit chewy.

  • Zosia on December 10, 2015

    Too late I realized I didn't have enough medium grain rice to make this so used long grain brown rice instead. It still worked but the rice was done a bit sooner, after 50 minutes. I omitted the salt and used low-sodium chicken broth in place of water. I'll definitely use this method again.

  • rionafaith on April 18, 2020

    This takes an hour to cook but has a really nice result. Chewy with some nice crispy bits at the very corners. I used a pyrex dish that has a matching lid instead of covering with foil and it was a tight enough fit to work well.

  • Cfoley12000 on February 24, 2022

    I found this to be dry and would add more water next time. It’s a nice concept.

• Tomato sauce with butter & onion [Marcella Hazan]

  • Gio on December 08, 2015

    We've cooked this version of pasta sauce several times in the past, the first being not exactly a failure but not exactly something we were expecting though we ought to have. It does take a bit of getting used to though because it's contrary to sauces many of us have learned. However, it's surprising what a fresh tomatoey sauce the ratio creates. The first time we cooked rigatoni and that just didn't suit the sauce at all. Ravioli the second time, thanks to a discussion with Maureen B. Fant, made all the difference. It's been the ravioli ever since. Last night it was ricotta ravioli. I do not toss the ravioli. Just ladle the sauce over the ravioli when plating. I only use this sauce for ravioli

  • cespitler on August 27, 2017

    Great, quick sauce that shows off fresh tomatoes. 3lbs of romas out of the garden, which will be paired with fresh pasta tomorrow.

  • Astrid5555 on April 18, 2015

    I have been meaning to try this recipe for some time now, and with the book out I finally managed to do so. There have not been so many positive comments from the whole family for a simple dish like this one in ages. On top, if you use canned tomatoes as I did, there is actually no work involved. Just break up the canned tomatoes, add the butter and the onion and let it simmer for 45 minutes, done. This will be our new "OMG it's dinner time already and we completely forgot to go shopping" dish from now on.

  • FJT on June 18, 2020

    Keep forgetting how wonderful this is. Now summer is here I intend to make a huge batch of this sauce and freeze some for winter.

  • Melanie on August 21, 2015

    Easy and delicious. Used canned tomatoes as in the middle of winter, this was great for a mid week meal.

  • jenmacgregor18 on August 01, 2022

    I used 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and increased the butter and onion accordingly. It's very hands-off. And this went well with the Rao's meatballs. B hates tomato sauce, and she thought this was good. So, it's a keeper.

  • Foodycat on March 21, 2019

    It's delicious, but I think I might take Jecca's note and blend the onion in at the end next time. Probably add a clove of garlic too.

  • jecca on March 18, 2016

    I use an immersion blender to blend in the softened onion at the end, and then add enough salt to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and the sweetness of the onions.

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    Brilliant, easy and one of the best sauces I make. We eat this constantly and enjoy it every time. I usually blend in one half of the onion and also put fresh basil on top.

  • Frogcake on May 16, 2016

    Yum. I've made this a dozen times now as it is my go-to recipe for using very ripe tomatoes off the vine. I also use it as a simple, fresh tasting soup served with home made bread.

  • cnorton on February 23, 2019

    A no-fuss family favorite! Works great with fresh tomatoes or canned in winter. Great-tasting, vegetarian and (perhaps best of all), you can read a book while it makes your house smell awesome.

  • Greydenn on May 24, 2020

    Simple and yummy

  • ethedens on December 05, 2022

    I really enjoyed this, but my household had more lukewarm feelings. I think you have to like tomato to really enjoy it. And it may be blasphemy, but a pinch of red pepper flakes would be a welcome addition.

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    A classic for a reason. Turns out the easiest tomato sauce you'll make is also one of the best.

• Warm squash & chickpea salad with tahini [Moro]

  • ellabee on February 08, 2016

    Easy, delicious, nutritious. Will make again for sure. Makes enough dressing for two batches, and dressing keeps well in fridge for a week. Can substitute parsley for cilantro. Squash cooled completely while I wrestled with emulsifying the new jar of tahini. Make sure red onion pieces are small (soaked in vinegared ice water, they still were more biting than average). Second and third outings: subbed scallions for lack of red onion, otherwise as written. Addictive and vegan. [spiral notebook p. 74]

  • aberne on May 13, 2019

    One of my favorite winter salads. Lovely for entertaining.

  • stockholm28 on November 22, 2020

    This made a healthy vegetarian main dish and was a good way to use winter squash for someone who is not very fond of squash. I used koginut squash.

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    This is one of my favorite salads. I can easily eat the whole bowl, standing at the counter, before I even get to the table. Absolutely stunning and addictive.

  • tennyogirl on October 03, 2018

    very enjoyable, would make again

• Balsamic glazed beets & greens [Peter Berley]

  • lorloff on May 21, 2017

    These were delicious. We had beautiful beets and their greens from the organic farmers market and I was staying with a friend who did not like beets. These were fantastic and he loved them. I added two cloves of garlic and we used dried tarragon instead of the fresh because we did not have fresh. A great dish that I will make again also saves time because most of the cooking time is unattended and you do not have to peel the beets.

• Marie-Hélène's apple cake [Dorie Greenspan]

  • Kjohns101 on February 07, 2018

    I didn’t love this cake the first day but it tasted better after it sat for a day or two. Somehow the flavors were more pronounced.

  • DKennedy on October 27, 2015

    A really wonderful, easy cake to prepare. See original recipe in AMFT for modifications.

  • Astrid5555 on May 02, 2015

    This cake has been a family favorite for years. Whenever we need a quick dessert this is our go to option. Nothing better and more comforting than this custardy apple cake!

  • Lepa on October 28, 2019

    This is a reliable, easy and delicious cake. I also feel like it's fairly healthy because it's full of apples! I made it for a dinner party last night and it was well received. We often serve it with barely sweetened whipped cream.

  • Frogcake on October 27, 2019

    This is truly a great cake! I have been known to sprinkle cinnamon on top and serve it with warm caramel sauce. It’s quick and easy to prepare for company.

  • 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.

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    Do not leave out the rum! I did (like a dummy), and the cake was bland and flavorless. I don't like alcohol in my cakes so I'll probably pass on repeating this one. The cake itself baked beautifully although it was very moist from all of the apples, almost too much so.

• Grilled pork burgers [Suzanne Goin]

  • MollyB on February 20, 2018

    I made these without the aioli or romesco sauce, and they did not turn out very well. I didn't even finish mine. I used some pretty smoky artisan bacon, and maybe that threw off the balance of flavors? I also used homemade chorizo. I'm not sure what was off, but something in the combination of meats didn't work for us. I might try again sometime with milder bacon and the romesco sauce, as I've had friends make these and highly recommend the recipe.

  • Zosia on May 24, 2015

    Fantastic juicy and flavourful burger with the romesco topping adding a wonderful smoky flavour. The aioli was somewhat lost so I don't think I'll make that again and the cheese, too, wasn't noticeable. I used only half the oil for the romesco, enough to make it a loose but spreadable consistency, and made 8 burgers.

  • sosayi on July 17, 2017

    Pretty much agree with all of Zosia's comments now that I see them! Easily makes 8 burgers, not 6. Absolutely delicious, and very glad I have a few extra burgers in the freezer (uncooked, we only needed 4) for a future meal. I didn't make the aioli. Regular mayonnaise worked fine, as the flavor was hidden under deliciousness that was the Romesco sauce. You could leave that and the Manchego off, most likely, and it would still be incredible.

• English porridge [April Bloomfield]

  • MollyB on March 01, 2022

    Delicious recipe! I like it way better than either straight steel-cut oats or rolled oats. Using Diamond Crystal salt, 1/2-tsp works to my family's tastes.

  • TrishaCP on January 22, 2022

    I used 2/3 of the Maldon salt, and it was really salty to me. My husband wouldn’t even eat it, and he loves oatmeal. The technique of combining steel cut and regular rolled oats is great though.

  • aberne on May 13, 2019

    Nice. The regular oats add the creaminess that steel cuts were missing. My new regular oatmeal.

  • Wlow on February 12, 2024

    3/2016 Delicious — T+N liked too

  • stockholm28 on April 16, 2016

    I've never loved oatmeal; it is just something that I tolerate from time to time. The only way I generally eat oatmeal is if I have lots of toppings to disguise the mush. This porridge was delicious. I thought it would be too salty. It wasn't because the sugar really balanced it out. It reminded me of an oatmeal cookie. I think April has converted me to a porridge fan. Definitely a keeper and the only way I will make oatmeal in the future.

  • damazinah on August 09, 2015

    cut salt by half

  • rionafaith on April 05, 2020

    Really nice creamy oatmeal. Made half recipe for one large serving.

  • Jviney on April 18, 2018

    Salt in oatmeal is such a personal preference thing...this is perfect to me. Exactly how my grandfather used to make it. Try it before you adjust salt.

  • snoozermoose on December 10, 2021

    This was absolutely delicious. I love oatmeal, and that extra bit of salt really took this over the top. The texture with the two oats was also lovely.

  • Cfoley12000 on February 15, 2022

    I make this all the time and love the texture. Salt is a VERY important ingredient in making oatmeal taste good in my opinion. I make a double batch of this to portion it out for the week and really like the thicker texture that it sets up to once fully cooled compared to when it finishes simmering.

• Watermelon, mint & cider vinegar tonic [Louisa Shafia]

  • DKennedy on October 27, 2015

    In the fridge infusing right now.

• "Use a spoon" chopped salad [Michel Nischan]

  • DKennedy on October 27, 2015

    The pickled veggies needed for this recipe are in the fridge right now, pickling.

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 26, 2018

    I agree with bwhip. Used 4 oz goat cheese. I reduced the amount of pickled veg went in & amount of vinegar & it was still too vinegary. I ended up picking out about 1/2 of the pickled veg and it was then manageable. Otherwise, it's good. I loved the chopped salad with these veg. Next time: don't pickle carrots, celery , bell pepper - just chop & add in, use a normal ratio vinaigrette, dress the salad - and then add in the pickled veg, to taste - maybe just a spoonful or 2. Maybe just store bought peperoncini ,

  • bwhip on August 01, 2018

    Really good salad, though quite vinegary. When putting it together, using the abundance of freshly pickled carrots, celery, and red pepper, I knew that they would already be bringing a good bit of vinegar to the salad. Then, the recipe called for the dressing to be another 1/4 cup of the vinegar the veggies were pickled in, with just 3 tablespoons of olive oil. That ratio seemed really vinegar-centric to me, so I reversed the ratio on that and still found the end result too heavy on the vinegar. I just used a 4 oz package of goat cheese, rather than the 1 1/2 cups called for, and that seemed about right.

  • Livmichelle on June 30, 2017

    The salad was too vinegary for us and too heavy on the goat cheese. Love the chopped salad idea and the pickled veggies.

• Roasted carrot & avocado salad with crunchy seeds [ABC Kitchen]

  • DKennedy on October 27, 2015

    This is a very good salad for the effort required, though it is a bit one dimensional compared to the Jean George roasted carrot recipe. Still, would make again. It is very pretty on a plate, especially when using tricolored carrots.

  • mharriman on January 01, 2019

    I used tri- colored carrots and they do make a festive presentation! I made the marinade and peeled and cut the carrots ahead of cooking time and that cut down the time and coordination needed while I was preparing my main entree. The flavors are very unusual, interesting, and tasty. I skipped the creme fraiche. The salad is worth the effort if you have lots of time. Made it for New Year’s Eve.

• Pumpkin pie [Meta Given]

  • TrishaCP on November 27, 2015

    This really did make a great pumpkin pie. I blind-baked a crust since I was using a glass pie plate-I was happy with that decision. Doing so, and because I heated the custard before adding to the pie, I only needed 20 minutes of baking-I then turned off the oven and let the pie remain in the oven for another 5 minutes. The texture was perfect with no cracks. The filling tasted like the best pumpkin pie- it was not overwhelmed by spices (though I did add a few scrapes of nutmeg, since I love it.) If you don't already have a tried and true recipe for pumpkin pie, give this a go.

  • abrownb1 on February 02, 2024

    The best pumpkin pie! The caramelization of the pumpkin takes it to the next level and the filling is light and silky.

  • twoyolks on October 31, 2016

    This might be the best pumpkin pie I've made. The filling has a lot of pumpkin flavor. The spices complement the pumpkin without becoming the centerpiece of the pie. The texture of the filling is also lighter and airier than other pumpkin pies. It took mine about 15 minutes longer to bake than the recipe specified (I did not blind bake the crust). It might have been because the milk, eggs, and cream were cold when I mixed them with the pumpkin.

  • julesamomof2 on December 27, 2019

    This was a wonderful pie. One of my guests actually proclaimed it the best pumpkin pie ever. It's so much lighter and creamier than other pumpkin pies and the method and timing works perfectly using a metal pie pan.

  • Rradishes on November 14, 2023

    Great pumpkin pie! we liked it best slightly warm. The filling is flavorful, luscious, and smooth. Definitely will be our go to pumpkin pie recipe. Very simple to make.

  • mamacrumbcake on November 24, 2018

    My daughter said, “This is better than the Costco pumpkin pie.” The filling is very creamy and plush and the spices are just right. It baked up beautifully without cracking, according to the written recipe time. It is also very easy to make.

  • sosayi on November 27, 2018

    I made this again for Thanksgiving and did blind-bake the crust (a GF cashew-ginger one) this year. I fully chilled the par-baked crust and the filling cooked perfectly in exactly the stated time. I'll definitely do it that way going forward. Also subbed garam masala for the listed spices and loved that little tweak.

  • sosayi on November 23, 2017

    Loved this pumpkin pie. I did not blind bake and found that I also needed an extra 10-15 minutes in the oven for the custard to set. The top edge of my crust was perfectly browned, but I’d prefer the bottom to be more cooked. Next time I’d either bake on a heated pizza stone/steel or par-bake and then cover the crust edges once they were browned enough. I also added a few gratings of nutmeg and substituted lactose free half and half for the cream/milk. Worked great! Will make again for sure.

  • skvalentine on November 27, 2023

    The perfect pumpkin pie!

• Poached scrambled eggs [Daniel Patterson]

  • Astrid5555 on April 19, 2015

    Interesting technique that works. Needs some accompaniment like hot sauce or at least some olive oil to not taste bland.

  • hirsheys on January 20, 2019

    Very fluffy and soft eggs. They come out wet, though, so be sure to dry carefully. These aren't necessarily better than normal eggs, but worth trying.

• Potato scallion cakes (Fritterra) [Bert Greene]

  • Astrid5555 on January 08, 2017

    Excellent way of using up some leftover potato mash. I made a big mistake though when after boiling the scallions I thought it would be quicker to use the food processor instead of cutting them by hand. I ended up with scallion mash which made my potato mash mixture even more liquid. However, I was still able to fry some patties and everybody liked them a lot. Inspired by the picture in the book I served the little cakes with fried eggs for dinner. Will make again and follow the recipe next time.

• Purple plum torte [Marian Burros]

  • Astrid5555 on October 05, 2015

    This is probably the quickest plum cake ever to make! Cream butter and sugar, dump in all the other ingredients, mix, top with plums and into the oven it goes! From start to finish in under an hour, since my cake was ready already after 30 minutes. Delicious!

  • bernalgirl on July 14, 2022

    An annual favorite, great with plums or any stone fruit. Although a stand made xer makes creaming the butter easier, this is a painless recipe for a foolproof cake. I add 3/4 t French four-spice when using plums.

  • stockholm28 on September 15, 2018

    I see why this is so popular. It is really simple and makes a very nice plum cake. I used Italian prune plums. It seemed like a really small amount of batter, but it rose nicely around the plums. I will make this again when plums are in season.

  • Tinala523 on June 22, 2024

    Used regular plums, would use Italian next time, but it's what I had. Lovely cake and perfect for breakfast the next day!

  • stef on August 24, 2019

    Indeed a very quick recipe. I sort of eyeballed it to increase to a 10' springform and it turned out beautifully. Luckily I wrote it out

  • Frogcake on September 22, 2018

    Excellent plum cake and not fussy to make. I used three large summer plums, sliced and cardamom in-place of cinnamon. Also sprinkled brown sugar on top instead of turbinado. I adapted the recipe for what ingredients I had on hand. Delicious warm with Madagascar vanilla gelato. Will be making this again.

  • GiselleMarie on October 23, 2023

    A friend shared this recipe with me after it was a huge hit at a dinner party. Instead of regular flour, he substituted Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour one-for-one. Although I don’t eat gluten free, many of my friends do, so I make my own gluten-free flour mix and it also turned out perfectly. I used ordinary plums in place of the Italian prune plums and this cake was still delicious! I don’t own an 8-inch springform pan, but a 9-inch pan worked very well and the batter rose enough that it was a perfect thickness. This is a very forgiving recipe!

  • Livmichelle on June 28, 2017

    Made this with plums from our tree. Super easy, still tart the plums need lots of sugar and very good with ice cream!

  • hbakke on September 10, 2020

    A good cake. I may have put too much fruit on top because it took considerably longer to bake than what is recommended. The only thing I would change would be to add the cinnamon sugar mix before placing the plums on top. The dried cinnamon bits on top of the plums after baking were somewhat unappealing.

• Cauliflower soup [Paul Bertolli]

  • adrienneyoung on September 01, 2017

    Extremely simple. Needs careful salting. Could be a good foil for some simple adds: a drizzle of hazelnut oil. Or a bit of crumbled blue cheese.

  • Laraaline on June 01, 2015

    This soup was perfect and incredibly delicious. I didn't add the last H20 at the end, as the soup seemed already to be at the right consistency and thickness.

  • athayer on July 24, 2021

    Good but not great. I agree with the comment that this needs careful salting...actually, for me (perhaps my palate is over stimulated), seemed like it needed a lot of salting. Probably would not make again as I like more bold flavors

  • louisewint on January 22, 2021

    I didn't find this watery and followed the recipe exactly. It's delicious and clean tasting. Agree that it needs enough salt to make it sing.

  • dzant on February 19, 2021

    absolutely delicious. followed exactly and sprinkled with dukkah before eating.

  • Greydenn on May 24, 2020

    Meh. A bit watery. I may have needed to go heavier on the Califlower

• Mushroom Bourguignon [Deb Perelman]

  • bernalgirl on February 06, 2024

    Such a luscious result for so little work. I used portobello and lion’s mane mushrooms and beef broth. I also diverged from the recipe sequencing for ease and more intense flavors: I added the flour and tomato paste at the sauté stage, then added the wine and reduced. I enjoyed this over polenta.

  • stockholm28 on December 07, 2015

    This was very good in a comfort food kind of way, but I thought it was missing a little something ... not sure what though. I have a beef in red wine stew recipe that I really like and it adds a little soy sauce at the end, so I might try that in the future. I also thought the red wine didn't really come through as much as I'd like. I used half portobellos, half creminis. I served this over egg noodles and liked the dollop of sour cream to make it like a stroganoff. All in all, it is a good cold weather dish and I will probably make it again.

  • pattyatbryce on August 21, 2024

    Good, but like others, I felt it missed something. A bit more complexity to the sauce would be welcome - maybe a touch of soy or Worcestershire.

  • etcjm on January 08, 2023

    Really enjoyed by all. Wanted to cook this when we family came to visit who are vegetarian. They cook more asian style food so wanted to do something 'homely' For me it hit all the notes. Took longer than expected though, which at Christmas isn't a problem. Served with creamy cheesy polenta and the last of the christmas veg.

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    I agree with stockholm28. I do feel like this is missing something--for me it's the meat. But this is a perfectly good dish to serve a vegetarian. I didn't like it with egg noodles and found myself much preferring it on its own with some nice crusty bread on the side.

• Olive oil & maple granola [Nekisia Davis]

  • bernalgirl on June 17, 2022

    There’s no better way to have breakfast on deck for house guests from all time zones than this granola, to which I add coarsely chopped cashews and walnuts in place of sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup of sesame seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cardamom, cinnamon, and mesquite (from Burlap & Barrel, also absolutely delicious in baked goods). I also cut the brown sugar by half. It’s unbelievably good with plain yogurt and blueberries.

  • Melanie on August 21, 2015

    Great flavour with a mix of sweet and savoury notes. Very rich, not one for everyday eating.

  • michalow on April 01, 2018

    Nice crunch, good flavor. Very, very sweet.

  • CynthiasCooking on February 20, 2021

    Used 1/3 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup maple sugar, no brown sugar. Delish.

  • stockholm28 on January 02, 2016

    Excellent granola. Olive oil and maple syrup give it a unique taste. It keeps well.

  • cjross on October 19, 2018

    Delicious. Have made this a couple times. I like leaving out the brown sugar entirely.

  • julesamomof2 on February 05, 2018

    This recipe made me realize I really don't like brown sugar in my granola recipes. Way too sweet. I do like the olive oil/maple syrup combination a lot-- I just don't think that much sugar in my breakfast is a good thing.

  • Lepa on December 25, 2016

    We love this and have been making it regularly to eat with plain yogurt. Take my advice and stir it right before taking it out of the oven (or right after) or it will harden into one large bar that sticks to the pan and is exceedingly difficult to remove. We were using meat hammers and butter knives to remove it last night! This hasn't happened before so I don't think it's a problem with the recipe, just a problem in execution that you should keep in mind.

  • Frogcake on May 11, 2016

    I love this granola recipe. I make it once a week for my family. They often eat it "wear coast style", topped with a scoop of probiotic plain yoghurt and fresh fruit.

  • etcjm on October 09, 2020

    Good way to use up ends of packets of nuts and seeds. Adapt how you like it. Made to eat with yoghurt as I'm afraid I'm a porridge person on a morning. Was worried at the strong smell of the oil when cooking but it's all good. Can be pricey to make but I've bought expensive gluten free granola and it never quite cuts it.

  • Cfoley12000 on February 15, 2022

    We love the combination of olive oil, sweetness, and salt in this recipe. Olive oil is definitely the special ingredient. We reduce the richness by upping the oats and reducing the nuts/seeds. The big toasted flakes of unsweetened coconut are also amazing.

• Garlic green beans [Penelope Casas]

  • bernalgirl on April 05, 2023

    An easy and flavorful technique for green beans

  • clcorbi on August 02, 2017

    These are easy and fairly tasty. I enjoyed the buttery flavor, but I prefer my green beans with a bit more crunch, and with this stewing technique they of course became quite soft. Still, the garlic butter flavor was very nice. I will note that you do need to mince the garlic, not just crush it per the instructions. The photo shows bits of minced garlic mixed in with the green beans, which works to distribute the garlicky flavor throughout.

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    I thought this was very nice. I grew up eating green beans made like this (but Chinese) so these tasted very comforting. The recipe was easy enough that my husband made it without complaint. If you hate crunchy blanched green beans, this is the dish for you.

• Spiced braised lentils & tomatoes with toasted coconut [Melissa Clark]

  • Melanie on April 27, 2015

    Delicious - this dish has lovely layered flavours due to the way the dish is cooked, and it is so easy to make! Possibly too much tomato flavour for my partner, but I thought it was great as the coriander and yoghurt helps offset the richness of the lentils.

  • stockholm28 on December 02, 2015

    This was certainly a weeknight friendly dish and it also a very flavorful vegetarian main. Each bowl is topped with 2 tsps of butter. I thought about omitting the butter, but it definitely added a little something something. The dish tasted richer and smoother. Yes, everything is better with butter. I don't think I've ever "braised" lentils before and this certainly had great depth of flavor. Is it genius? Not so sure, but I liked the dish. This also appears on p 275 of Melissa Clark's "Cook This Now".

  • billcranecos on September 08, 2020

    Very good. The toasted coconut adds a next texture on top of the seasoned lentils.

• Roasted applesauce [Judy Rodgers]

  • Melanie on June 14, 2015

    This applesauce is great! Incredibly simple but delicious served as a compote with breakfast, made two weeks in a row. The second time I made this I cooked it for longer at lower temperature and the apples were more caramelised.

  • hirsheys on January 20, 2019

    Perfectly okay, but I prefer my own method (stovetop, with a little butter and maple syrup). Roasting doesn't do much, and the cider vinegar is a little weird.

  • stockholm28 on December 27, 2015

    This is a really delicious applesauce. The roasting really brings out the flavor of the apples. It is like apple pie filling.

  • annmartina on December 21, 2017

    I was a little short on apples so added a Bosc pear, which was a good addition. Used Haralson, golden delicious and honey crisp. Don't shy away from adding about a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar, tasting as you add.

• Green lentil salad [Patricia Wells]

  • Melanie on June 14, 2015

    This salad is delicious. Very easy to make, simple flavours, but not too plain.

  • Lepa on February 05, 2018

    This was too plain for me. It might be nice with other dishes but on it's own, we thought it was not particularly interesting. We had a huge bowl of leftovers and I doubt they will be eaten.

• No-knead bread [Jim Lahey]

  • aberne on May 13, 2019

    One third whole wheat flour, two thirds white makes for a more "rustic" loaf.

  • stockholm28 on December 13, 2015

    I know I am late to the party on this, but this recipe is truly genius. I've made bread recipes with a long rise before, but I have never gotten bread with such a crisp crust. Cooking in the dutch oven is a brilliant idea. This recipe was easy; the most difficult step was gettig the risen dough off the towel and into the hot Dutch oven.

  • swegener on May 15, 2015

    The bread really stuck to the cloth--even with the flour--may try cornmeal next time.

  • Lepa on March 08, 2019

    I finally made this bread and it was fantastic. The crumb was the best I've ever achieved and the crust was charred and delicious. My loaf was a bit too flat but I might try Frogcake's suggestion of folding it next time to see if that makes a difference. I think this bread could benefit from a bit more salt. Next time I will use 1.5 teaspoons. Overall, this loaf wasn't a beauty but it was so, so good.

  • Frogcake on April 01, 2016

    I've been baking bread this way for several years now. So easy, so delicious. I hardly ever buy bread from the grocery store.

  • Frogcake on May 11, 2016

    I always fold the dough several times, turning it; then turn it into a bowl lined with parchment. Then once it has rested, I lift the parchment with dough into the pre heated Dutch oven. This really simplifies the dough transfer into the Dutch oven.

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    The first time I made this bread, it was perfect. Nice thick crusty artisan bread. The second time I made it, it never rose all that much and became more like a chubby flatbread. Not sure what I did wrong (I'm terrible at bread), but I'm sure it was not Jim Lahey's fault.

• Simplest roast chicken [Barbara Kafka]

  • Delys77 on September 28, 2021

    Not a bad little recipe, but it did take a bit longer than stipulated. The chicken was about 4lbs so should have taken 40 minutes but it was closer to 47 minutes. The skin was very nice but I do think that the breast was a bit over by the time the legs were done, which isn't an uncommon problem, but this recipe doesn't do anything to solve that. It is very easy to put together though.

• Radicchio salad with Manchego vinaigrette [Toro Bravo]

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 26, 2018

    I omitted the honey, and halved the balsamic, as I didn't want it too sweet. added 1 T of dijon. just put white onion into salad, instead of soaking in vinegar. didn't bother soaking radicchio. The shredded manchego did cover everything. :) very good salad.

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    I love raddichio and bitter flavors but for some reason this vinaigrette emphasized the bitterness instead of taming/balancing it out. We were disappointed, as it sounded so good.

  • lesliec on November 06, 2016

    I really liked this salad. Soaking the radicchio in cold water definitely helps ease the bitterness. The dressing and manchego complemented the radicchio well. I would not hesitate to make this again.

• Fried eggs with wine vinegar [Roger Vergé]

  • jenmacgregor18 on July 15, 2021

    This was very good. The vinegar balanced out the yolks, olive oil & butter. But I usually do a hit of vinegary green Cholula which has the same effect, plus a little heat and I'll probably stick with that. This was nice for a change of pace though.

• Touch-of-grace biscuits [Shirley Corriher]

  • jenmacgregor18 on July 16, 2022

    Quick & easy. I loved that I didn't have to roll them out and clean up a mess on my counter. They didn't rise particularly high. But they are crispy on the edges that were against the pan and so tender we couldn't split the biscuits. very good. I used White Lily flour.

  • stockholm28 on January 02, 2016

    These were very moist and tender biscuits. They were best right out of the oven.

  • leilx on February 11, 2021

    Delicious. They worked best for me with white Lilly flour. They never did finish baking with unbleached all purpose.

• Meatballs [Rao's]

  • jenmacgregor18 on August 01, 2022

    These are so tender that they don't really hold their shape well. Mine flattened out to mini hamburgers. They also ended up a bit too salty, but had a good flavor otherwise. I found frying them in batches messy and annoying. I think that I will use the technique, but maybe cut back on the water by half and then bake them all off in the oven instead on foil-lined sheets.

  • Zosia on July 21, 2017

    The ingredients were familiar but the proportions were a surprise, especially the 2 cups each of breadcrumbs and water. The meatballs turned out perfectly, incredibly moist and tender with a great meaty flavour. Uncooked, they were very soft and fragile and though I normally brown meatballs under the broiler, I thought these needed the crust that can only be achieved with frying to prevent them from disintegrating in the sauce so that's what I did (quite messy because of the high water content) and they stayed intact.

  • AndieEats on April 28, 2021

    VERY tender meatballs, and I didn’t even end up using all of the water called for. Turns out we prefer a more toothsome meatball, so while I will not be making this specific recipe again, it’s technique will be applied to our regular meatball recipe to loosen up the texture just a touch. These do freeze quite well, and worked beautifully in a meatball and orzo dish a month or two later.

• Cranberry sauce [Daniel Humm]

  • twoyolks on November 24, 2017

    This was fine. I much prefer a cooked sauce.

  • mamacrumbcake on December 02, 2020

    My new favorite cranberry sauce. It has a fresh, bright cranberry flavor with the fragrance of orange peel, and a good balance of sweet and tart. Because it is not cooked, it doesn’t have that cooked sugar, jammy taste you find in other cranberry sauces. The texture is more like a relish.

  • pattyatbryce on December 02, 2019

    So easy and one less thing on the stove for Thanksgiving. A bit sweet, may want to start with less sugar.

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    Refreshing is a good description for this, but I prefer a more traditional cooked sauce.

• Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies [Kim Boyce]

  • twoyolks on January 29, 2018

    These cookies are huge. I'd much prefer a smaller cookie. They have a little bit of nutty flavor from the whole wheat flour. I miss the browned butter flavor from other chocolate chip cookies I've made.

  • Kelli_L on February 24, 2024

    I added some dried cherries and the cookies were delicious

  • macfadden on March 30, 2017

    Don't be deterred by the mysterious cold butter instructions; it works fine. The dough looks dry at first but it all works out. My only modification is to leave the dough in the fridge overnight, which improves cookies generally and whole wheat ones in particular. I took them out of the oven when they were browned around the edges but very soft in the middle, and this produced a delicious, chewy cookie. Resident tester said there was no reason to go back to chocolate chip cookies made with all-purpose flour.

  • clcorbi on December 11, 2016

    Made for our Christmas cookie tray--this is my second time making these cookies, we really enjoy them. The recipe as written makes a HUGE amount of cookies, so I halved it this time. I love how chewy and substantial these are, and the subtle nutty flavor from the whole wheat flour. A definite favorite.

  • Livmichelle on May 06, 2020

    Great! I’m loving whole wheat, didn’t have dark brown sugar, next time

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    These are wonderful cookies! The nuttiness and texture from the whole wheat is really a treat. This makes a bunch of cookies so we froze half, and they were excellent quick desserts for the next few months.

• Pasta with yogurt & caramelized onions [Diane Kochilas]

  • hirsheys on January 18, 2019

    Eh. Fine. Not really worth it. Pretty rich and not my favorite.

  • sosayi on April 24, 2018

    This pasta is so, so easy to make and absolutely delicious. We've made it a number of times and love it in all its variations. Cook pasta (they call for fresh, but I've successfully substituted dried and dried WW, as well) and toss it with yogurt (they say to drain the yogurt or use greek, but totally not necessary) and add caramelized onions with coarsely grated pecorino/kefalotyri cheese (I've used cacio di roma, too) and salt and pepper And you're done. You can add hearty greens or other mix-ins, if you want, and it's also great.

• Potato soup with fried almonds [Anya Von Bremzen]

  • Bloominanglophile on December 29, 2022

    This recipe caught my eye, as I have a Christmas ham to use up. It fit the bill on this cold, snowy evening! The saffron, almonds and sherry vinegar give this soup a different twist. I really enjoyed it (my husband less so--but he doesn't like saffron). Next time I will use an even smaller pinch of this spice. I will also fill out the leftovers with a bit more ham so we can have a decent-sized bowl for lunch tomorrow. I served just a generic arugula salad on the side.

  • Lepa on July 01, 2019

    This is a delicious, interesting soup and I plan to make it again soon. I especially love the instruction to insert the tip of a knife into the potatoes to produce irregular chunks. I will be using this technique for all soups going forward!!

  • sosayi on December 07, 2017

    I just finished my leftovers of this soup for lunch, and I'm already sad. Absolutely the best potato soup I've ever made/had, no question. Mine looked very similar to the photo above, but slightly creamier, as I mashed up my potato pieces a bit more at the end. So much flavor, though, from such simple ingredients. I loved the almond/garlic/sherry vinegar garnish, and the body of the soup was so complex. I'm dreaming of this.

• Gratin of zucchini, rice & onions with cheese [Julia Child]

  • Yildiz100 on May 23, 2020

    Pretty good. I think it needs a bit more cheese on top for perfect browning and better flavor. I baked it in the skillet I prepped it in instead of a separate, buttered dish. No problems with sticking. Used my largest (12 inch? ) skillet.

  • julesamomof2 on January 10, 2023

    I used 2 medium sized zucchini (did not weigh) and really it needed twice that for the ratio of zucchini to rice to be my preference. And boy, was this a pain to make on a weeknight, what with boiling 1/2 cup of rice first and assembly etc. It was good, but not worth the effort or calories. Best to save for company/special occasion.

  • ellwell on September 08, 2022

    I made this for the second time because it was so delicious the first time. When I came home from vacation I had a zucchini the size of an infant, so I thought this recipe would be a good use for it. It came out fine, but lacking in the flavor you would get from regulation-sized zukes. If you make it, use the medium sized zucchini to get the most out of the recipe.

• Romaine hearts with Caesar salad dressing [Frankies Spuntino]

  • Yildiz100 on March 23, 2018

    Very good balance of flavors-best shortcut caesar dressing I have found so far, but it calls for too much water which makes the dressing too thin. I had to add a bit of Kewpie mayo and extra cheese to thicken the dressing. Next time cut the water down to two tbspoons and see if anything else is needed. Salt well. I would like to make a half recipe but then it would be too little for my blender and I think blending the dressing (and the way that affects the garlic) is important here.

  • Yildiz100 on September 09, 2018

    After making this several times I have learned that it is best if you don't reduce the water. Thicken a bit with cheese if necessary, and it thickens after it chills. Also, you can actually make a half recipe in a blender - it makes just enough.

  • Lepa on January 09, 2022

    This is a really nice Ceasar salad to make at home. It skips the eggs and uses mayo. We loved this!

  • pattyatbryce on February 25, 2022

    Very good and super easy compared to a normal Caesar. Watch the step of adding water, mine ended up thin.

• Onion carbonara [Michel Richard]

  • CynthiasCooking on January 28, 2021

    This was a hit at our house. Served it as a side.

• Carnitas [Diana Kennedy]

  • PinchOfSalt on May 23, 2016

    I made this with some locally-raised pork. It was perfect! The braising phase took longer than expected, but I made up for that by shortening the crisping phase. This is definitely a "genius" recipe.

  • Zosia on December 08, 2015

    The technique worked perfectly and the amount of salt was just right for 1.8kg meat.

• Classic guacamole [Roberto Santibañez]

  • amoule on July 04, 2016

    IMPORTANT NOTE: There is far too much salt in this as written. Instead of 1/2 Tablespoon of salt, try just 1/2 teaspoon. Otherwise, very good.

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    The whole family LOVES this guacamole recipe.

  • hlange on February 04, 2024

    Sensational guac. Just perfect

• Ratatouille [Alice Waters]

  • Wlow on September 02, 2024

    Very good but we ate it all and didn’t have any leftovers! Ah well. Had a little trouble with eggplant bits sticking to pan and scorching.

• Spiced red wine (Ypocras) [Anne Willan]

  • stockholm28 on December 13, 2015

    This is very sweet and the spices are anything but subtle. It contains a whole cup of brown sugar. The spices include ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground mace, grains of paradise. Although I liked this, it won't replace my favorite Swedish glögg recipe.

• Spicy tomato soup [Barbara Lynch]

  • stockholm28 on December 06, 2015

    This is a perfectly acceptable tomato soup, but adding red pepper flakes to what is a very basic tomato soup does not raise the soup to a genius level in my opinion. My red pepper flakes were very fresh and the resulting soup definitely had some kick. I did strain the soup and I think this helped. Mostly seeds were left in the strainer. Straining gave it a soup "mouth-feel" rather than a sauce "mouth-feel". I froze the leftovers in 1 cup portions so will be eating this again this winter.

  • averythingcooks on January 04, 2018

    I was actually surprised at the heat added by the red pepper flakes (echoing the kick comment from the previous reviewer). I like the very smooth texture of this soup after straining but I will admit up front that I did finish by adding some 5% cream and an additional spoonful of basil pesto even though I did use more fresh basil than called for in the prep stage. This is not better than my gold standard Whitewater Cooks tomato soup BUT it was prepped in a fraction of the time and I will be sipping it from a mug as the very cold weather in central Ontario continues.

• Grilled cheese sandwiches [Gabrielle Hamilton]

  • stockholm28 on December 06, 2015

    I'd read about using mayo in lieu of butter to make grilled cheese but was a skeptic. I thought I'd miss the butter flavor and mayo and cheese didn't really appeal to me. There is really no mayo flavor in the resulting sandwich and this does produce a really nice crust. I used Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, Jewish Rye bread from the bakery that sells at my local farmer's market, and Hellman's mayonnaise. Great sandwich. I was surprised by the amount of oil left in the pan after I cooked the grilled cheese. If you don't make mayo regularly, you forget that it is mostly oil. I'd use this technique again. This was a very good sandwich and would be a great technique if you were making grilled cheese for a crowd because the mayo is easier to work with than melted butter and it browns more evenly.

  • Zosia on March 01, 2016

    This method also works perfectly with fat reduced (50%) mayo.

• Rosemary-brined buttermilk fried chicken [Michael Ruhlman]

  • peaceoutdesign on March 15, 2021

    I think that the brining made a huge difference in tenderness and a bit of a difference in taste. I was not as impressed with the shaggy and airy nature of the crust. I used only thighs and finished this in the oven at 350F once they reached the color I wanted but still needed to reach 165F internally. All in all, I would make it again but research how to make the crust even better.

• Perfect pan-seared steaks [J. Kenji López-Alt]

  • peaceoutdesign on September 09, 2020

    Just prefer steak cooked on the grill.

  • mharriman on March 18, 2020

    Delicious and very easy to cook. I really liked the method of salting the steak 40 minutes beforehand. I chose a cast iron skillet, which worked well, and turned my one pound steak (cut in half for two people after cooking) every 20 seconds. The butter added a wonderful flavor. I sprinkled dried herbs since I’m not buying fresh at the moment. Served with a garden salad and baked acorn squash. A midweek treat during these worrying times.

  • clcorbi on February 13, 2017

    Made for our early Valentine's Day dinner--I have never actually cooked a steak before, and so was very excited to try this method out. We used a fairly thick steak--about 1.5"--and salted it for 3 hours before cooking. I don't own a meat thermometer, so I sort of had to wing the cook time. I ended up flipping the steak for 7 minutes (Kenji suggests 6-12), before adding the butter, thyme and 1 sliced shallot and cooking for the additional 2 minutes. The shallot immediately caramelized in the intensely hot pan, and between that and the thyme, the kitchen could not have smelled more delicious. After the extra 2 minutes I pulled the steak onto a plate, drizzled it with the shallot/butter/thyme drippings, and tented it for about 5 minutes before cutting. Happily, the steak was a perfect medium-rare, cooked exactly to our liking. It was perfectly seasoned and the caramelized shallots were absolutely scrumptious--I'd almost want to throw in more next time, they were such a treat. Delicious!

  • averythingcooks on April 07, 2019

    A couple of beautiful (& thick!) strip loins prompted a try at this constant turn / butter & aromatic baste method. We opted to use the cast iron skillet on the bbq to keep the inevitable smoke out of the house. The suggested timing was very close and we used smashed whole garlic cloves and thyme sprigs in the butter. Delicious results!

• Crispy-skinned fish [Eric Ripert]

  • bching on December 31, 2018

    Truly a genius recipe. The black cod filet I cooked this way was so delicious, tasting like the sea with black cod's silky texture in perfect contrast to the crispy skin. It took a little longer in the oven than the recipe indicated but this was still a super simple preparation with excellent results. Be sure to heat the oven up as your first step.

  • mharriman on November 30, 2019

    Excellent. We loved this recipe. I used two 6 oz. sockeye salmon fillets and they were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. One of the better fish recipes I’ve tried. I did use self rising flour instead on Wondra, since that’s what I had on hand. I also put the fish into a 350 degree oven instead of 400 because I was finishing roasting my cauliflower at that temp. I just roasted the fish 90 seconds longer and they were perfect. Will definitely repeat.

  • pattyatbryce on September 09, 2021

    Works every time!

• Kale salad [Northern Spy Food Co.]

  • ksg518 on March 03, 2017

    This is a good kale salad. We used butternut squash. Thinly slicing the kale means you don't need to massage it.

  • sosayi on April 24, 2018

    Great kale salad, with loads of flavor and very filling. I love the mix of cheddar, almonds and squash (we also used butternut). Easy and always a crowd pleaser.

  • amandabeck on September 10, 2024

    It's a pretty basic Lacinato kale salad, prepared as most using this type of kale are. It's fine.

• Red salad [Fergus Henderson]

  • ksg518 on July 19, 2016

    This is a wonderful summer salad! Some of the reviews on the Food 52 website complain that it's not very flavorful and I agree that it's very mild. Perhaps next time I'll add another beet. But it is a very refreshing salad for a hot summer day that won't overpower anything else you're serving.

• Kale panini [Andrea Reusing]

  • ksg518 on July 26, 2016

    When your CSA gives you kale for six weeks in a row, you need new recipes. I thought this was very good. The peppers provide a great zing to combat the heaviness of the kale and the feta. Note that the linked recipe calls for mild peppers but the version in the book provides for pickling your own peppers. We pickled some small sweet peppers but purchasing them would obviously work too. A hardy bread is a must here.

  • Lepa on August 31, 2017

    I enjoyed this. I used hot peppers. FWIW, I made one large sandwich with one bunch of kale. It had a lot of greens on it, but it's hard to imagine that two bunches would really make four sandwiches.

• Pasta with let-my-eggplant-go-free! puree [Francis Lam]

  • mharriman on December 01, 2019

    Delicious. This recipe took an hour from the start (salting and resting eggplant) to finish (adding sliced basil and chopped tomatoes). Even though I had completely read the recipe through before going to the grocer’s, I forgot about slicing the eggplant and instead cut them into 1/2 inch pieces, and then salted and rested. The end product was probably more salty than intended- still very good. My husband’s verdict was ‘hearty and especially good on a cold rainy night.’ A nice way, too, to eat vegan. This one’s a keeper!

• Cauliflower steaks [Dan Barber]

  • mharriman on November 30, 2019

    Wonderful flavor and textures. I loved the juxtaposition of the roasted cauliflower with the cauliflower purée. Although categorized as a meatless main, I made it as a side to go with the crispy fish in the same cookbook. I used 1/2 cup of half n half and 1/2 cup of 2 percent milk since I didn’t have whole milk. That worked well. Makes A Lot of purée- twice much purée as needed or that we wanted to eat in one meal. But Will definitely repeat this recipe.

• Salt-baked herbed salmon with red onion-caper vinaigrette [Cory Schreiber]

  • tarae1204 on March 16, 2021

    This is the best salmon recipe I know, perfect for a small dinner party because it’s delicious, easy and scaled for a small group. Whoever tries it always asks for the recipe.

  • Lepa on December 24, 2017

    This was a huge hit with my family. My son, who usually doesn't like salmon, loved it, especially with the vinaigrette, because it had "so much flavor"! I was skeptical about the vinaigrette but it really makes this dish!

  • Frogcake on June 05, 2016

    This technique has changed the way I cook salmon. It is unbelievable how moist and flavourful the fish is when it is salt-baked. I have made this several times and agree that the skin is too salty to eat if the salt is finer. However my family tends not to eat the skin anyway. I also tried baking a whole fish on a bed of salt with a salt blanket. Muy Bueno! Wonderful technique! The vinaigrette is also very flavourful.

  • ellwell on September 28, 2022

    WOW- this was divine! The onion sauce makes it so don’t skimp! We made it for a dinner party and everyone really raved about it and asked for the onion sauce recipe.

• Chickpea stew with saffron, yogurt & garlic [Heidi Swanson]

  • Pamelarm on September 28, 2016

    Agree with Lepa on this... I added potatoes, which added some substance. Tasty, but not amazing.

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    Genius? Not really. A satisfying meal? Yes. On the repeat list? Not sure.

  • sosayi on December 17, 2017

    Unlike the other reviews, we actually loved this soup. Incredibly quick to make, based mostly on pantry ingredients (for us, at least) with loads of flavor. We did use homemade turkey stock in place of vegetable stock or water, so perhaps that helped? A thinner soup, but perfect for dunking bread into and even the tiny tot ate it. He wanted noodles in his, so perhaps we'll add that next time. I'd also be curious how this does pureed. I could see it being quite delicious.

  • AndieEats on April 28, 2021

    We... liked this enough. There was an earthiness that we weren’t prepared for alongside the creamy brightness, and needed something like bread or potatoes to beef it up. Easy enough to throw together using mostly pantry ingredients. Not sure if we’d make it again.

• Wild & white rice salad [Viana La Place & Evan Kleiman]

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    This was good but terrible as a leftover, when the flavors all blended together and became muddy and unappealing.

• Deviled eggs [Virginia Willis]

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    This is my favorite recipe in this book. The fluffy filling and tarragon put over the top. AMAZING.

• Currant cottage cheese pancakes [Deborah Madison]

  • Lepa on February 28, 2021

    These are almost like the eastern European pancakes I grew up eating. I made them with ricotta because that's what I had. I served them, as suggested, with powdered sugar, lemon and sour cream but the rest of my family preferred to eat them with syrup. Not sure why this recipe isn't getting more love, as it's so good!

• Red wine vinaigrette [Molly Wizenberg & Brandon Pettit]

  • Lepa on December 25, 2021

    I always paged past this recipe and never tried it until now but I may have a new favorite vinaigrette. This is simple and delicious if you like a really sharp, mustardy vinaigrette!

  • averythingcooks on April 26, 2022

    Interesting...the red wine is there to make up for "imperfections in your vinegar"....not sure about that BUT this very favourful & assertive vinaigrette was the perfect on a steak salad. A little extra sweet will help tame a overly powerful mustard if needed. I would make this again for sure, perhaps playing around with the mustard choice. An added plus - it will keep in the fridge "indefinitely".

• Strawberry shortcakes [James Beard]

  • Lepa on June 14, 2020

    This was delicious and the biscuits were the most tender I have ever baked. This was a delicious treat! It made 11 biscuits using the 2.5 inch cutter and next time I'd probably cut them larger so they could be cut in half like the recipe (and picture) suggests. As it was, I just served everyone with two tiny little biscuits.

• Dense chocolate loaf cake [Nigella Lawson]

  • Lepa on July 22, 2016

    I thought this was too simple and sweet. I wanted something with more depth/flavor. That didn't keep me from eating it but not sure I'll make it again.

  • clcorbi on July 26, 2017

    I have never tried the recipe as written; both times I've made it, I've substituted coffee for water, and substituted some of the flour for extra cocoa powder. Oh, and I've also made this with brown sugar rather than white. With those changes, this cake is excellent; it isn't the most chocolatey cake you'll ever eat, but it's delicious with whipped cream and is very moist.

  • Jviney on December 02, 2019

    While I always seem to find myself wishing this recipe makes a richer chocolate cake, I have taken to adding a slice of cream cheese on top per the recipe suggestions...and it is delicious.

  • FoodCOmar on August 10, 2018

    Loved this cake, a simple cake bursting with flavour. Served it with cream and fresh strawberries. My new favourite.

• Dry-brined turkey (a.k.a.the Judy bird) [Russ Parsons]

  • Frogcake on May 11, 2016

    Yes!!! I learned about this technique from the Zuni cookbook and everyone always asks me for my recipe! I grew up eating leather-dry turkey - I knew there had to be a better way! This is a fab recipe, no fail with moist juicy meat and the crispest skin you've ever tasted. Try making it with Judy's bread salad, using champagne vinegar. Having eaten the real thing at Zuni I am proud to say that my version is not that much different! Thank you, Judy!

• Ginger fried rice [Jean-Georges Vongerichten & Mark Bittman]

  • Frogcake on May 16, 2016

    This is another family favourite in this book. So easy and so delicious. Great way to use up a big nub of ginger. We love the taste combination of fried garlic and ginger pieces. I often serve this with a big stack of chopped baby bok Choy.

  • Ecngreg5 on August 04, 2020

    I didn’t like the leeks with this, but would rather just have green onions. Frying the garlic and ginger did not go well for me, either. They just wouldn’t crisp up.

  • Brandmk on November 07, 2023

    Very good! Would definitely make again Ran short on peanut oil - used canola as substitute

• Raised waffles [Marion Cunningham]

  • Livmichelle on June 28, 2017

    didn't turn out that great. Need to try with new Belgian style waffle maker

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    I loved these. They have a rich, buttery, yeasty flavor, and all the work happens overnight while you're sleeping. My husband however thought they were too buttery. Heartbreaking really...

• Black pepper tofu [Yotam Ottolenghi]

  • Livmichelle on June 28, 2017

    cooked this from the plenty cookbook, very very very good! can hold back on the butter

• Sweet corn & black raspberry ice cream [Jeni Britton Bauer]

  • Livmichelle on June 30, 2017

    Wow! I was not expecting a strong corn flavor m, different and good. The sauce was too thick I didn't cook it to 220 but close

• Shrimp grits [Edna Lewis & Scott Peacock]

  • pattyatbryce on September 22, 2019

    I could eat the shrimp paste on anything or I could make these grits with anything. Together = magic.

  • KarinOttilie on January 24, 2018

    The shrimp paste itself is a magic, creamy, delicious spread that I could eat by the bowlful. Super easy, super tasty, super genius.

• Spicy sauce

  • BeckyLeJ on December 09, 2017

    I love that this was, as described, a sauce I could make with things I had in hand, I also love that it’s flexible in that you can use any pickled peppers - which means I can vary the flavor and heat a bit with each new batch. It’s paired with poached eggs in the book, but I made mine to go with cheesy soft scrambled eggs, which was also a nice pairing for the sauce.

• Basic hummus [Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi]

  • etcjm on June 20, 2020

    Worked a treat, Makes a lot which won't be eaten so as per previous advice on Food 52 I will freeze some in small batches and refresh with lemon when defrosted. Unfortunately I might need to put some into a supermarket tub so my daughter eats it - for some reason she has this thing against home made hummus! Makes a few pots to wash up though. Nice a light mix with a sufficient garlic hit.

• Chocolate mousse [Hervé This]

  • calguire on February 15, 2024

    I was skeptical about the technique but it came out perfect. Delicious.

• Yogurt with toasted quinoa, dates & almonds [Amanda Hesser}

  • skvalentine on April 15, 2023

    Really delicious! I used white quinoa because that's what I had. I liked the crunchy contrast with the chewy dates and sour yogurt. Will make this again!

• Crepes [Kenny Shopshin]

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    With all due respect to Kenny Shopsin (RIP), these are not crepes. They are too thick and sturdy to be called that. They are however pretty tasty for the amount of effort involved, and are a decent quick breakfast with some Nutella and strawberries.

• New classic coconut macaroons [Alice Medrich]

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    This is my favorite way to use up leftover egg whites in my fridge! I don't normally love coconut macaroons but these are top-notch.

• Chocolate-topped coconut macaroons [Alice Medrich]

  • snoozermoose on December 11, 2021

    These are very good but I like the ones without chocolate more! And I never say that about desserts. The chocolate distracts from the caramelized sugar and coconut chip flavor going on.

• Caramelized white chocolate [Valrhona]

  • Cfoley12000 on February 22, 2022

    This was INSANELY good! We’re huge fans of dulce de leche and that’s what this sauce tasted like. Super fun to add refined coconut oil to make “magic shell”. We used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips and they never smoothed out as they caramelized, but I added the coconut oil as directed and also strained it and that helped. I’ll try melting bar chocolate next time.

• Food52

  Picked for Food52's December 2017 Cookbook Club.

  Full review

• Everyday Annie

  This book is full of incredibly doable recipes, things that you want to make and can, right this instant! Most of the recipes are quite simple with short ingredient lists.

  Full review

• San Francisco Chronicle

  Best Cookbooks of 2015: ...she’s collected recipes that she believes will make you change how you cook simply because the new way is better, easier or more interesting...

  Full review