Notes about Recipes in this book

• Buttermilk biscuits [Erika Council]

  • skvalentine on November 11, 2021

    These had a great flavor but I had trouble with the dough-- it was very wet and hard to work with. The bottoms of the biscuits burned before the tops were done. I will give them another try though!

  • jdstone on July 10, 2023

    They were genuinely delicious, and my cookbook club loved them, but the dough was so wet and frustrating to work with that I'm not sure if I'll make them again any time soon. I would say these fall under the 'tender' category of biscuits rather than flaky.

  • meichal_yfc8fy on January 26, 2026

    These didn’t rise very well for me, I inadvertently sealed the edges, but they are delicious and had beautiful lamination! I would keep trying until I get them right.

• Vegan sweet potato coconut biscuits [Erika Council]

  • rmardel on April 01, 2022

    Fabulous dairy-free biscuits. They were light, flaky with nice layers and a slightly spice-forward complexity that danced on the line between sweet and savory. I did not make them vegan however. I cooked what appeared to me to be a rather large sweet potato, but after baking, chilling and mashing I only had a scant 3/4 cup. I didn't want to add that much more coconut milk, and looking at the recipe, I decided it was low on fat compared to traditional biscuit recipes, so I opted to add 4 tablespoons of fat. It could have been crisco, but I don't keep it on hand; it could have been coconut oil, but I would have to chill it first. I opted for lard, making my biscuits distinctinctly non-vegan, but my needs are only for dairy-free biscuits, not specifically vegan biscuits. The biscuits were savory and yet also reminiscent of the sweetness of spice cake without being overtly dessert-like.

• Somali lamb stew [Hawa Hassan]

  • bernalgirl on March 23, 2022

    A solid and flavorful stew. The only change I made was to add the equivalent of a can of simply cooked Rancho Gordo white limas and to use the bean broth in place of two cups of the water.

• Avocado and mango salad with spicy pickled carrots and rof dressing [Pierre Thiam]

  • rmardel on March 06, 2022

    I honestly didn't know what top expect with this one but I love avocados and mangos, so figured "why not?". It actually turned out to be a delicious salad. I felt the salad was best tossed together rather than arranged, allowing one to enjoy the ways the components maintained their own integrity while playing together quite harmoniously in each bite. There are many steps, but the carrots can actually be made in advance and the recipe states they will keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Prepping the carrots ahead would be useful. The heat of the parsley, scallion, habanero dressing plays nicely with the sweetness of the mango. The carrots are also sweet/hot but delicious, with a bit of a caramelized flavor, but that may have just been due to the Asian palm sugar which was the only kind of brown sugar I had in the house. The avocado adds a nice creaminess, and actually softens the punch of the pepper (I used habanero)

  • bernalgirl on March 23, 2022

    What a wonderful juxtaposition of flavors and textures! I made this as more of a chopped salad for family dinner, and we absolutely loved it. The rof dressing made extra and I think it would make a wonderful dressing for a cabbage slaw. This salad is a new favorite.

  • mekral on March 15, 2023

    It worked quite nicely. The vinaggrette came a bit too thick, but taste was absolutely fine.

• Bajan fish cakes [Sarah Kirnon]

  • bernalgirl on March 19, 2022

    These are absolutely excellent! I did not use salt fish, I have a pantry full of sustainable canned fish and used a combination of water-packed boneless, skinless sardines and oil-packed mackerel fillets. For herbs, I added thyme, Burlap & Barrel Caribbean bay leaf, and chopped cilantro. Mine cooked in four minutes. The dipping sauce is fantastic, although 2T of Tabasco packs more heat than I anticipated. I served these with a root vegetable slaw in a pickled onion vinaigrette. I rarely deep fry but I will happily make these again. They taste like a Caribbean vacation.

• Creamy grits with jalapeño-seared maitake mushrooms and sautéed chard [Rahanna Bisseret Martinez]

  • rmardel on March 11, 2022

    Very satisfying combination. The marinade for the mushrooms was very mild and could have used either a hotter Chile or two jalapenos; it came across as more herby than spicy. My jalapeno was very young and mild however, all I could find in the market this time of year. The combination of the seared mushrooms, the steam-sauteed chard leaves, and the pickled chard stems is delicious however. Although this worked well with soft creamy grits, I think it would have been better had the grits been cooked in advance, chilled and then fried or baked to form a crispy crust with a soft interior. But that is a minor quibble.

• Jollof rice with beans [JJ Johnson]

  • Sbilinski on January 31, 2022

    Absolutely delicious!

  • bernalgirl on March 04, 2022

    Black Food Jollof Rice with Beans, p. 77: My family declared this tasty despite some issues with the recipe. I tried to stay as close to the recipe as possible, which meant resisting the urge to add more spices or vegetables, although I added chicken per the options in the head notes and Rancho Gordo Domingo Rojo beans instead of adzuki. The tomato sauce ingredients didn’t sound like nearly enough to make two cups so I doubled it and had only a scant 6 oz. remaining. The rice instructions called for jasmine rice, unrinsed, cooked covered on medium for 35-40 minutes, which struck me as a recipe for mushy but burnt rice. I rinsed the rice once, brought the mixture to a simmer and covered as directed, but only cooked it on medium until it smelled toasty, then turned it down to medium low, cooking it with the lid on for a total of 25 minutes. This resulted in a nice crust and fully cooked rice.

  • Dannausc on October 02, 2022

    I stirred shrimp and andouille sausage into it. Tasty and filling. Worth a repeat.

• Dirty South hot tamales with cilantro sauce [Bryant Terry]

  • Skamper on July 23, 2022

    I made the cilantro sauce for takeout tamales and it was very good. next time I might add slightly less water.

• Doubles [Isaiah Martinez]

  • dany_du23o5 on January 19, 2026

    Too much butternut squash for my personal preference, but everything was delicious regardless.

• My summer getaway [Kristina Gill]

  • chezmaryb on May 26, 2022

    Delicious! And not too strong which is nice.

• Lentil, okra and coconut stew [Nina Compton]

  • Dannausc on October 02, 2022

    Fairly quick and easy. Pretty decent. Worth a repeat.

• Cocoa-orange fish [Nicole Taylor]

  • rmardel on April 15, 2022

    This was simple and excellent. I used light brown palm sugar instead of maple sugar, and a combination of two types of red Chile flakes. I also added slightly more Chile; the heat was not overwhelming. The fish was moist and flavorful without being overpowered by the seasoning. Will make again.

  • TrishaCP on January 11, 2023

    I used this rub on black cod, and it was really delicious. The cocoa powder as promised was earthy rather than sweet tasting. I used cobanero chiles and I really liked the heat it brought.

• I love NY pink and gold cookies [Lani Halliday]

  • tplsfbay on January 09, 2024

    Recipe here: https://tastecooking.com/recipes/i-love-ny-pink-and-gold-cookies/

• Sweet potato grits [Kia Damon]

  • SheilaS on March 12, 2022

    I had my doubts about sweet potatoes in grits but this was excellent and could be served at any meal, depending on what you serve with it. I added crumbled Gorgonzola and toasted walnuts to my bowl.

• Charred red cabbage with spiced tomato relish [Gregory Gourdet]

  • bernalgirl on March 15, 2022

    My sun dried tomatoes were very dried so the relish took longer than expected but the relish is wonderfully complex. I roast green cabbage wedges often but hadn’t cooked red cabbage this way. I prefer the green and will make again. Note that the relish makes a lot, even using it generously I have plenty left over. So far, it’s good on cheese toast and stirred into a bowl of quinoa and heirloom beans

• Vegetarian gumbo [Omar Tate]

  • meichal_yfc8fy on January 26, 2026

    I didn’t have all the ingredients but it still came out great.

• Fresh peach cobbler with nutmeg sauce [Edna Lewis]

  • adia_i0eqzj on June 03, 2026

    I swapped the lard for butter (we like butter crust) and I really enjoyed it. It needs some more spices. But the sauce was REALLY nice. The peaches I used were white and super juicy so I added a couple tablespoons of flour to the sugar. I can’t wait to make this again.