Notes about Recipes in this book

• Caramelized onion and Gorgonzola tarts

  • breakthroughc on March 19, 2023

    MY friend made these for our monthly cocktail night and they were delicious,

• Ahi tuna tartare with crispy wontons

  • Pizzacat13 on November 13, 2024

    This has become a go-to appetizer. Amazing and easy. Don't skip the fried won-ton chips, they are mandatory!

• Crudités with a nutty miso dipping sauce

  • rmorse on May 23, 2016

    This dipping sauce is fantastic!

  • Frogcake on May 04, 2017

    Yummy dipping sauce, which is easy to make and quick. Love the complex flavours! Motivates you to eat all your veggies! I am tempted to use the dip as a sauce for soba noodles.

• Potato and fresh rosemary focaccia

  • Frogcake on December 29, 2019

    Very good! Next time I will rice the potato. I kneaded it partly in the food processor. So good with just rosemary and sea salt.

• Rustic tomato tarts

  • BasicStock on August 09, 2019

    This was delicious. Served it for a women's lunch using yellow, green and red heirloom tomatoes. Substituted a mixture of cream cheese/egg/sharp cheddar cheese for the goat's cheese as one friend is goat cheese phobic. Crust was easy to work, and I made one large tart. On the repeat list!

• Marie's rosemary nut crackers

  • averythingcooks on December 08, 2022

    Wow - I am thrilled with the results here! I had to use salted sunflower seeds in place of pumpkin seeds but otherwise stuck to the recipe. I refrigerated the baked loaf over night as suggested and this really did help with the slicing which for me was the toughest part. Getting thin, even slices (top to bottom & side to side) took some slow careful work and did result in some unused chunks (too thick to use, too thin to slice anymore) but it is so worth it. I would recommend checking them at 8 minutes after the flip but that just might be my oven (grrr). These crackers have a great crunchy but still a little chewy texture - lovely with an aged white cheddar.

• Goat cheese and sun-dried tomato terrine

  • averythingcooks on June 23, 2019

    I've made this in the layered terrine form described in the recipe for a beautiful starter to a more formal holiday dinner and as a freer-form platter with chunks of goat cheese and the toppings etc scattered over as a more informal snack. Either version with good crackers has been very popular with guests.

  • breakthroughc on June 11, 2023

    This was absolutely delicious. Easy to make and it is a very impressive looking appetizer. Great combination of flavors. Will make again.

• House salad

  • breakthroughc on June 10, 2023

    I couldn’t stop eating this salad. So good. A great combination of flavors. I did sub grated carrots for the tomatoes and added some sprouts. I really liked the textures in this salad. Will be making again.

• River wraps

  • hbakke on July 11, 2023

    Strange combination of ingredients that weirdly made a tasty wrap with all the different flavors and textures. I think the optional chipotle in adobo is essential for the added spice element. I used orange cauliflower and green cabbage. I would make these again.

• Cool sesame miso noodle salad

  • breakthroughc on July 08, 2023

    I liked this salad. It is simple, cool and refreshing. It is brighter and more acidic than a lot of Asian noodle salads. My husband was less positive preferring the peanut buttery salads. I served it with some very spicy chicken wings so it was nice to have something cool and soothing on the plate. I might make again as my husband will eat any noodle salad even if it isn’t his favorite.

• Arugula salad with Manchego cheese, toasted hazelnuts and quince dressing

  • Nancy402 on July 14, 2025

    This is a very tasty salad. the quince vinaigrette was delicious and really complimented the other ingredients. Went well with paella on a warm summer evening,

• Beef, leek and pot barley soup

  • averythingcooks on December 25, 2020

    This resulted in a really flavourful pot of “winter warm up” soup! The only real deviation was that I had left over roast beef to use so it went in last and the simmer time was certainly cut down as I was not trying to braise short ribs. I cut it in half and still have a big pot of soup.

• Chinese beef and celery noodle soup

  • averythingcooks on February 20, 2021

    This was a great choice to re-purpose some leftover short rib meat (in place of the cooked roast beef called for). I cut it in 1/2 and made it mostly as directed except I held way back on the water (waiting to see how much would be needed - actually not much at all) and used a smaller amt of noodles. I also finished it with peas and some chopped pickled hot peppers. Even with the very short prep / simmer time, I have a pot of delicious noodles & beef in a really rich flavourful broth. I will definitely come back to this one.

• Barley mushroom risotto

  • cadfael on June 09, 2021

    We really like this side

• Marni's roasted corn and feta

  • averythingcooks on September 04, 2024

    Other than skipping the cilantro, I made this as written and we devoured it.

• Roasted red potatoes with pancetta and red peppers

  • averythingcooks on January 22, 2024

    I used large unpeeled red skin potatoes cut into 1" chunks in place of baby potatoes. Based on past results with similar ideas, I started the potatoes 1st, added the peppers (+ some onion) after 10 minutes and then garlic went in for the last 10. Because our plates already included prosciutto (BFC mini Italian frittatas), I skipped the pancetta this time but it would certainly be good here. A repeat idea for sure.

• Wok seared green beans and Japanese eggplant

  • VegasCook37 on July 30, 2025

    7/2025. Quick and easy. Served over TJ Japanese rice Used combo of mint/cilantro for topping. Didn’t add a protein but would be easy to

• Chicken tortilla pie

  • cadfael on June 09, 2021

    I have made this several times. Great do ahead for a casual gathering. Tasty. When it is just the two of us, I freeze the rest.

  • averythingcooks on December 04, 2022

    I easily cut this in 1/2 using 2 chicken breasts, small flour tortillas & a 7" spring form and I made their huevos sauce from WW Cooks with Passion. With cooked beans in my freezer, I added a handful of pinto + black beans to the filling rather than turning them into refried beans. This meant 4 tortillas (rather than 6) layered with the filling and the cheese. I took the advice from the headnote - prep/assemble the day before you plan to cook / eat...and I would do that again. We both loved it and there are 2 wedges leftover for us to "deal with" :) A repeat for sure (both full & 1/2 size).

• Chicken Asiago

  • averythingcooks on July 25, 2024

    I made this by pounding 2 small breasts to 1/4" & using the air fryer. The asiago & herbs give nice flavour but I also added a squirt of Dijon to the egg. Rather than use the tomato sauce & mozzarella suggested here, I went in a summery direction by making the fresh cherry tomato, basil & garlic oil pasta topping (but no pasta) from the same book & spooning it over the hot crispy chicken. A very nice dinner & I can see coming back including making the heartier version presented here.

• Emmy's Marrakesh bowl

  • averythingcooks on February 11, 2024

    I used 1 lb boneless short ribs (1/3 recipe), omitted the dried tarragon & replaced the raisins with chopped dried apricots. I skipped the flour dredge before browning the beef (not a fan) but did season well with S & P (interesting... this is not mentioned). I knew going in that the cook time given (just over an hour?!?) would not result in tender beef and so after a 45 min stove top simmer, I put the pan in a 325 oven for at least 90 minutes (maybe more). I also added frozen diced butternut squash with the other veg. This made a lovely, different flavoured stew that fed 2 for dinner with at least a couple of servings leftover.

• Big red tomato sauce

  • averythingcooks on August 23, 2021

    I cut this back to 1/3 and I did deviate in 2 ways...the tomatoes went into the blender as instructed BUT my habit now is to put lots of basil in the blender at the same time. Also, with heat/humidity warning temperatures right now after I got the sauce to a boil, there was no way it was going to stay on the stove for any longer so into the slow cooker it went. Another handful of fresh basil at the end and I had a good, basic marinara - which is what I was after today.

• Sheri's sole gratin with tomatoes, capers and olives

  • cadfael on June 09, 2021

    My husband who does not care for sole really liked this dish.

• Thai chicken on the barbeque

  • breakthroughc on November 06, 2021

    This is one of my signature dishes that I make the company often. The marinade adds great flavor to the chicken, It is a great entertaining recipe as it marinates overnight and cooks quickly on the grill. I pair it with the herby, peanut noodle salad from River Cottage Vegetables. The recipe makes a lot which is great because the leftovers can be used for more terrific meals of salads or sandwiches. If you own this cookbook and haven’t tried this recipe you should

  • averythingcooks on August 09, 2022

    This made some very tasty chicken thighs even though I could only marinate for around 9 hours and a torrential downpour meant they were oven baked (given as an alternative to the BBQ). I used red curry paste in place of the yellow called for and based on experience/our palates I used only 1/2 the fish sauce. We enjoyed these served beside a pile of garden vegetables blistered in the air fryer but rice would also be a good accompaniment. I'll make these again for sure.

• Summertime pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil and fresh Parmesan

  • averythingcooks on July 25, 2024

    I made the tomato-basil mixture (skipping the pasta) to use as a topper for some crispy asiago chicken cutlets. I prepped it early (as suggested), let it sit/marinate for a few hours & added a drizzle of balsamic just before serving. This will be made again for several uses as the little tomatoes really start pouring out of the garden.

• Dad's lunchbox cookies

  • Frogcake on July 01, 2016

    I love these very buttery oatmeal cookies! I used dried cranberries and omitted the chocolate. Also threw in about one third of a cup of roasted chopped walnuts and some flax. Demerara sugar in place of brown sugar works well too. I didn't have any vanilla so I used maple syrup. A wonderful cottage-by-the-sea kind of cookie to eat with a cup of hot tea on a very foggy day.

• Lime yogurt panna cotta

  • breakthroughc on February 25, 2022

    This is so good! I licked every drop off the whisk and spatula. I love the sweet and tart balance of this dessert. You have to plan ahead to make the yogurt cheese, but a really easy panna cotta recipe. I served in gimlet glasses and ended up with 5 servings, I could have stretched it to six if I had needed to.

• Summer cake with nectarines

  • Frogcake on July 01, 2016

    Ok so I'm in a small ocean side town on Vancouver island with no decent nectarines in sight and limited stock in my cupboard (I.e., no cornmeal). Summer cake --with apples turned out very well, actually extremely delicious!! Definitely a keeper recipe, which is very versatile! It's a very cinnamon-y flavour that my family is very fond of!

• Toad Mountain granola

  • breakthroughc on December 18, 2022

    Really good basis granola. What I love about this recipe is that it uses a cup of applesauce and only 1/2 cup of oil which results in a much lower fat and caloric granola and you will never miss the extra oil. I used pumpkin seeds instead on sesame and doubled the cinnamon. I will play around with the spices, but this may become my go to granola.