Notes about Recipes in this book

• Roasted butternut squash with browned butter and hazelnuts

  • jumali on December 23, 2013

    Very disappointing. In half of the suggested roasting time my squash became overcooked and mushy. Too much butter made the dish greasy.

  • Alro9 on January 15, 2014

    The cooking time was much too long. In about 20-25 minutes (at the recommended oven temperature) the squash was colouring all over. So that definitely needs adjustng. However the spreading out of the squash in slices- I tend to roast it cubed normally - and the the combination of it with the hazelnuts is a good one. A further modifcation is too much butter in this receipe - use oil for the roasting and butter still with the hazelnuts, but I'd suggest, halving the amount.

• Carrot-ginger soup

  • debkellie on April 10, 2014

    My husband made this for dinner last night: a beautiful soup. Great colour & flavour. He used "naked" ginger (from Buderim) which doesn't have the crystallized coating, and juicing carrots. It was a tad on the sweet side, so maybe need to adjust the cider vinegar to get perfect balance. But the ginger and the carrot flavours were both pronounced. Definitely worth a go.

• Sautéed corn with bacon and leeks

  • jenmacgregor18 on June 04, 2015

    The entire family loved this. Although, what's not to love? Tastes great reheated as well. I'll have to keep this one in mind for potlucks.

• Fresh strawberry mousse

  • twoyolks on June 12, 2015

    The mousse had a very good, pronounced strawberry flavor. However, the texture was not as light and airy as I would like for a mousse. It was also a lot of work (and strawberries!) for not a lot of dessert.

  • robinelizabethleslie on July 05, 2014

    Seriously, an excellent recipe. Literally bursting with strawberry flavour! Straightforward, cool, creamy, and pink! Perfect summer dessert.

• Garlic-lime grilled pork tenderloin steaks

  • twoyolks on April 14, 2014

    The technique for cutting the pork tenderloin into steaks worked very well. The lime from the marinade overpowered the flavor of the pork completely. The accompanying sauce completely masked the flavor of the meat. This would be better with a bit less lime added to it.

• Easy sandwich bread

  • twoyolks on February 05, 2015

    This was very quick (for bread) and quite good. The flavor is a bit reminiscent of a store bought honey wheat bread (but better).

  • emiliang on October 23, 2014

    A delicious quick sandwich bread. About 2 hours from start to finish. I thought that the taste was not going to be very developed, but I was pleasantly surprised.

• Fusilli with ricotta and spinach

  • goodfruit on June 12, 2014

    This was good, I omitted the cayenne, garlic and nutmeg and added 3 TBL dukkah made from "My Paris Kitchen."

• Eggplant involtini

  • robinelizabethleslie on July 05, 2014

    This recipe stood up to its claim to be a simplified, pared down version of eggplant involtini. It was pretty easy to put together, light, and REALLY tasty. It does not skimp on flavor! Worthy of the homegrown eggplants we made it with.

• Rice and lentils with crispy onions (Mujadarra)

  • wittwoman on December 27, 2015

    Unbelievable flavor and aroma. Time consuming to make and dirties a lot of dishes, but worth it. Doubling crispy onions recipe in same pot will just saute them rather than making them crispy.

• French apple tart

  • wittwoman on November 23, 2015

    My favorite apple dessert. For some reason (the crust), I find it less intimidating than a traditional apple pie. The pastry crust is a snap to make and turns out buttery and crisp. The apple filling is simple and it sings. The shingled apple slices on top are flat out gorgeous. The soft texture of apples juxtaposed with the crumbly crust is terrific. Definitely a "wow" dessert. It takes a few hours to put together. Wish it could last another day or two so I could make it ahead. Reheats as a scrumptious and indulgent breakfast.

• Lemon pudding cakes

  • ashallen on March 27, 2022

    These came out wonderfully, which was especially nice given that I'd been avoiding pudding cakes ever since making a terrible chocolate one many years ago. Cake layer was light and tender and pudding layer was smooth and creamy. Wonderful lemon flavor. I didn't make the optional blueberry compote but they were still delicious and moist without it. I was a bit short on lemon juice (~1 tbsp) and topped off with store-bought orange juice. I used ramekins labeled "8 oz" which have a capacity more like 7 oz when measured. The batter nearly filled them completely so I was glad they were a bit bigger vs. smaller than what was called for in the recipe. Not a difficult recipe, but it does dirty a fair number of dishes for the yield. Leftovers kept well over several days.

• Rice and pasta pilaf

  • ashallen on September 15, 2019

    This is a great, dependable recipe that is part of the standard rotation at my house. I usually use basmati rice and orzo and often add additional parsley, depending on what's in rest of the meal and how much I have sitting around (anywhere up to 1/2 c total). Recipe calls for cooking onions only until softened, but I like the flavor that comes from cooking them slowly until they're golden. Using homemade chicken stock (particularly a darker one made with roasted bones and juices) increases the flavor even more. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Rice and pasta pilaf with golden raisins and almonds

  • ashallen on October 05, 2019

    This is a great pilaf recipe and one of several variations on a Cook's Illustrated base recipe. Great texture that's both loose and moist and wonderful flavor combination. Recipe calls for 1 tsp ground cardamom which I found to be too heavy-handed - I'll try substituting some smashed whole cardamom pods (perhaps 5-10) instead when I make it in the future. I usually use orzo instead of broken vermicelli/spaghetti as specified in the recipe. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Pasta frittata with sausage and hot peppers

  • ashallen on October 26, 2019

    Very good! Great flavors and a nice creamy texture. Pretty easy to make (though flipping the frittata requires some care) and doesn't dirty lots of dishes. We substitute chopped up roasted red bell peppers for the hot peppers - works very well. Sausage quality is important since it features prominently in the dish. This dish is substantial - I've sometimes cut back on the sausage quantity for a lighter version. Recipe calls for cooking sausage until fat renders (i.e., half-cooked), but I like to cook it until it's browned for extra flavor. Extra parsley is great too (up to 5 tbsp)! Original recipe calls for adding 3 tbsp vegetable oil to cook pasta - final dish seemed greasy to me when I used this much, so I now aim for 2 tbsp of sausage fat + oil when cooking the pasta. Leftovers keep for at least a couple of days and are great for breakfast. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/ Magazine.]

• Garlic-Parmesan mashed potatoes

  • ashallen on September 28, 2019

    Great potatoes - well-balanced flavors. Garlic flavor is delicious without overpowering the other flavors. I did, however, sauté all of the garlic paste vs. reserving some raw paste to stir into the potatoes at the end as specified in the recipe. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Hot chocolate mix

  • ashallen on September 15, 2019

    I've made this mix to have on hand for multiple winters now. It makes a delicious cup of hot chocolate, comes together easily, and keeps well for months in a cool kitchen. I use King Arthur's Bensdorp cocoa powder, Callebaut unsweetened chocolate, and, since I have a huge sweet tooth, about twice the sugar called for in the original recipe. I use some heavy cream as well as milk when making a cup of the hot chocolate. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Pasta alla Norcina

  • Rebeccajwj on April 26, 2022

    My family really enjoyed this! The taste of the ground mushrooms can be rather intense so it’s very important to adjust the lemon juice to brighten it enough to overcome that. With the proper balance it’s definitely one of the best pasta recipes.