• karen_qnl5ds on March 29, 2026

  If you are interested in how American cooking has developed, this is the book for you. I’m loving reading recipes from the 1800s to today. It’s not a recipe book, per se, although I have gleaned some great recipes from it. I got it for Xmas, and I still look at it weekly. I’m a cookbook fanatic, and this is the best cookbook I’ve received in years.

• AndieEats on January 15, 2022

  Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes (p.686) - Made a half batch as a way to use up some leftover buttermilk, making about 3 large pancakes. These were great - crisp top side and fluffy interior. Didn't use the oven as it was all immediately served. Definitely our favourite pancake recipe so far.

• Lepa on November 14, 2021

  Perfect Pancakes (page 686)- Our whole family decided these will be our house pancakes going forward (and replace our favorite Smitten Kitchen recipe). They are delicious and have the perfect texture. We added blueberries. We didn't use the oven method as we cook them on a griddle and serve all at once so we don't need to keep them warm.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lemon syrup

  • patience_d5a35z on May 07, 2026

    I made this and it was still too pulpy for me, even though I thought I strained it well. It had good flavor and it made a lot.

• Claret cup

  • lholtzman on September 20, 2020

    Just like a sangria. Good as an early fall drink with apple cake.

• Raspberry vinegar

  • GardenFresh on August 30, 2011

    See also Nigel Slater's version at http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/28/nigel-slater-raspberry-vinegar.

• Sazerac

  • twoyolks on May 17, 2016

    This is a nice cocktail with the sugar and bitters complimenting the rye well. I think I went a little heavy on the Peychaud's bitters as the result was a bit too strongly cherry for my taste.

• Wine lemonade

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This really is a summer drink meant to be had in small quantities. The lemon and wine is a nice combination but it is quite sweet and isn't something you would normally have very much of.

• Nicky Finn

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Very strong given the fact that it is all liquor with a bit of lemon juice, but very nice in flavour. Something you sip slowly and only have one of.

• Bloody Mary

  • damazinah on December 21, 2015

    Very good Bloody Mary. You can also use V8 (regular or spicy), but may want to add a dash of salt to counteract the slight sweetness. I've also made it with lime juice in place of lemon, and I usually add a celery stick.

• Gin Rickey

  • twoyolks on April 24, 2017

    Unsurprisingly, given the ingredients, this tastes like a gin and tonic without the complexity of the tonic.

• Swedish glögg

  • Yildiz100 on November 24, 2018

    Just awful, nothing like Swedish glögg, and way more difficult than necessary.

  • lholtzman on January 01, 2021

    I thought this would be significantly sweeter. I’m not sure why. I didn’t hate it, but I wouldn’t make this again. I’m not sure what Swedish Glögg should taste like, but I would be curious to try to see if I did something wrong. It wasn’t too difficult a recipe.

• Sangria

  • twoyolks on April 19, 2016

    This is my favorite sangria recipe that I've made. There's a lot of fruit flavor that comes through in the sangria without overpowering the wine flavor. This uses a lot of fruit. Combined with the liquid, it filled my pitcher completely without any ice or club soda.

• Hot buttered rum

  • britt on December 02, 2012

    This was just what I was looking for: a warming winter drink. I worried that this would be harsh with rum and spices, but it was not. A bit like eggnog but with less dairy. Sugar in the Raw packets hold about a tsp sugar each.

  • stockholm28 on December 07, 2014

    Suspect this is a standard recipe. Nevertheless, it is a nice winter drink.

• Ginger lemonade

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p26. Tasted nice and refreshing! I reduced the sugar to 1/4C and made four drinks from the recipe.

• Kir royale 38

  • twoyolks on March 25, 2021

    I made this with cheap prosecco and Cointreau and it was still good. The orange flavor really goes well with the sparkling wine.

• Hot chocolate

  • twoyolks on December 27, 2016

    This was a bit fussy to make and didn't seem all that much better than a hot chocolate mix. The chocolate flavor wasn't all that strong. The whipped cream melted into the hot chocolate.

• Martini

  • lholtzman on October 11, 2020

    Very, very strong. Make sure you use good gin as that is what this drink mostly consists of.

• Cranberry liqueur

  • lholtzman on December 15, 2020

    This is an immediate cocktail (after the seeping). I think this would make an excellent homemade gift.

• Ginger daiquiri

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 36

• Saketini

  • britt on March 12, 2011

    Made with Hendrick's gin and nondescript sake. Light floral flavor. Quite taken with it.

• Billionaire cocktail

  • Delys77 on March 17, 2012

    Pg. 40 I'm not a whiskey person but this was very good. Go very easy on these as they are powerful but quite nice. I used cassis as a substitute and it worked very well. The balance between sweet and alcohol works very well.

  • lholtzman on October 14, 2020

    I thought it was better with only 1/2 tbsp of simple syrup.

• Delft blue cocktail

  • lholtzman on October 22, 2020

    I halved the recipe, but was only able to get enough blueberry syrup for 1 cocktail. Make more syrup than you think you’ll need.

• The Normandy

  • twoyolks on November 27, 2015

    This was very good and makes a very good Thanksgiving cocktail. It has a flavor reminiscent of apple cider.

• Blender eggnog

  • britt on December 02, 2012

    This is simple to prepare, and surprisingly good. I am very much a fan of the drinks section of this cookbook. The recipe warns that a full batch won't fit in an average size blender; however, the recipe easily fits in my Vitamix. We liked the nog better well chilled. I used Sailor Jerry spiced rum and Paul Masson brandy.

• To sugar or crystallize pop-corn

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p51. So amazing. Best caramel popcorn that I've ever made. Let the caramel mixture get nice and golden brown before stirring the popcorn through.

• Salted and deviled almonds

  • caitmcg on November 11, 2018

    One of the oldest recipes in the book. Easy, delicious, especially served warm. Used suggested variations roasting in oven, olive oil instead of butter, half sweet smoked paprika and half cayenne.

• Eggs suffragette

  • Jviney on August 14, 2021

    These were amped up deviled eggs. Easy to make and I was short on time so skipped the step of pressing the yolk mixture through a sieve. The anchovies brought a strong flavor but not unpleasant- I’ll make them again.

• Florentine dip

  • Breadcrumbs on February 02, 2011

    p. 58 - uses 3oz cream cheese and 1 cup sour cream

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This has a sort of ranch dip quality to it. It is tasty and easy to make in the food processor.

• Scotch eggs

  • Breadcrumbs on February 02, 2011

    p. 62 - NB this recipe is deep fried...

• Marina Anagnostou's spinach triangles (spanakopetes)

  • lholtzman on May 03, 2020

    These freeze very well.

• Julia Harrison Adams's pimento cheese spread

  • hirsheys on June 29, 2019

    Delicious. I like the scallions/garlic in this - gives this a nice kick. Half a recipe was plenty. (I used all sharp cheddar, rather than extra sharp + mild mixed together). This is definitely one of my favorite versions so far, though I don't know that I'm ready to say that it wins definitively yet.

  • Jviney on February 24, 2020

    I love how different pimento recipes can be from one another. My old favorite from the Gourmet cookbook is basic compared to this recipe. I would next time reduce the green onions by half, they added a strange crunch that I don’t expect in pimento cheese. Note: it makes a lot!

• Guacamole tostadas

  • Breadcrumbs on February 02, 2011

    p. 67

  • PrincessK on February 06, 2011

    p. 67 works fine with canned beans, but you need to add water about 1/4 cup

  • Melanie on January 01, 2012

    Loved this. I made it to share with friends at a BBQ and it was a big hit. I roughly doubled the recipe and was glad I did. Instead of using dried beans I simmered the onion and garlic in some water until cooked and then stirred in tinned black beans. Simmered for 2 min before pulsing in food processor with spices etc. I also reduced the chilli and butter and cut the olives out completely. Also - I deseeded the tomatoes before chopping, reduced the cheese and halved the spring onions.

• Sophie Grigson's Parmesan cake

  • Breadcrumbs on January 16, 2011

    Note: Hesser suggests serving this like Yorkshires

  • caitmcg on November 11, 2018

    This was delicious served warm as an appetizer, hitting the same cheesy notes as gougères but simpler to make, and would be great next to soup or a main-dish salad.

• Feta spread

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p71. Loved this feta and capsicum spread! I used dried chilli flakes and didn't worry about cooking the garlic. I simply roughly chopped the dip (away on holidays) and it worked well but probably would be better in a food processor.

• Vietnamese spring rolls

  • DKennedy on March 06, 2015

    P. 74 Good use for leftover roasted pork. The dipping sauce is fish sauce based, an interesting variation from many I've seen.

• Nicole Kaplan's gougères

  • PrincessK on February 02, 2011

    p.76 apple says simple. And you could use Freezer bag snipped to pipe them. The dough can be made in 15 min or so, you could make in the afternoon and refrigerate before a dinner party.

  • Salt on May 24, 2011

    Easy, easy and very delicious. Have also made with goat cheese. These are a winner.

  • twoyolks on September 09, 2012

    I only ended up with about 14 gougeres when I made a half recipe.

• Cheese straws

  • bloncosky on February 11, 2012

    The straws are cool but you can also just make regular "cheez-it" crackers from this recipe. They are way better than the store bought ones. I always substitute 1/4 cup or more of good Parmesan for the cheddar. Also, if you want to save the crackers for another day you will need to add 1/4 tsp baking soda so they will stay crispy. Otherwise you need to eat them when they are fresh.

  • twoyolks on November 29, 2019

    The cheese straws have a good bite from the red pepper flakes that goes well with the cheddar cheese.

• Smoked mackerel on toasts

  • Breadcrumbs on January 16, 2011

    p. 80 - Hesser suggests Smoked Trout as an alternative to Mackerel

• Buckwheat blini with crème fraîche and caviar

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    p. 81

  • feucht22 on January 29, 2012

    Batter was very thick. Russian husband didn't recognize these as 'blini'.

• Spiced pecans

  • twoyolks on November 29, 2019

    Nice but not a particularly great spiced nut recipe.

• Cheese ball with cumin, mint, and pistachios

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p85. Somehow cheese tastes fresh and healthy! Instead of goat cheese I upped both the cream cheese and pecorino cheese. Made a huge ball of cheese! Can probably make two smaller balls instead.

• Fried chickpeas

  • feucht22 on January 30, 2012

    The chickpeas really pop! Be liberal with the paprika if using the sweet variety.

• The best spinach dip, with chipotle and lime

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Delicious and nuanced spinach dip

• Pan con tomate

  • Breadcrumbs on February 13, 2011

    p. 91 - Chapter 2 - I love tomatoes and bread so of course this dish appealed. We’ve had variations of this in the past but it also seemed like the perfect accompaniment to Lidia Bastianich’s Swiss Chard and Scallion Frittata which was also on today’s brunch menu. Hesser does note the garlic should be submissive but ours was quite bold so K said he’d use a lighter hand next time. I actually enjoyed the boldness but I LOVE garlic. I’d never tire of eating this dish and would recommend it in a heartbeat.

  • Frogcake on July 22, 2018

    A fantastic brunch for us with a light touch on the garlic. Embellished with a slice of gravlax and a poached egg on each toast. Perfect!

• Ricotta crostini with fresh thyme and dried oregano

  • twoyolks on July 08, 2016

    A nicely flavored ricotta spread for toasted bread.

• Potato, ham, and piquillo pepper croquetas

  • feucht22 on January 30, 2012

    Makes for fantastic leftovers. (We only had a few leftover. Don't anticipate there being many left on the serving platter!)

• Olive oil-tuna spread with lemon and oregano

  • feucht22 on January 30, 2012

    Pg 95. Didn't use a food processor, rather -- mashed together with a fork. Makes great work nosh.

• Pickled shrimp

  • PrincessK on February 04, 2011

    pg 14, calls for 3 lbs shrimp and 14 bay leaves

  • mfto on December 26, 2011

    p 95 I made this as part of my Christmas dinner menu. Because I expected a range of ages and tastes, I at first used only 3 tesp of red pepper flakes. After sitting overnight in the refrigerator, I tasted and there seemed to be no heat at all. I added more pepper flakes but think the fresh hot pepper would be better. Also I felt it needed salt and I added a few splashes of fish sauce but still later added a little more salt. One guest raved about the shrimp. She also liked the lemon and onion. Everyone else had a taste but avoided a second taste. I am not going to rate because I don't feel I can accurately judge.

  • anniemac on December 30, 2015

    I have made this a number of times and it has always disappeared quickly. I also add a bit more hot pepper.

• Málaga gazpacho

  • Yildiz100 on June 13, 2014

    A tasty non-recipe. It was a little too thick. Start with 3/4 cup water next time.

• Mulligatawny soup

  • PrincessK on February 12, 2011

    pg 113 chicken may need longer than 20 mins

  • Queezle_Sister on January 05, 2014

    Twenty minutes gave me chicken that was 165 degrees inside. This Craig Claiborne recipe produced a delicious and complex broth - with a beautiful golden hue. Not a "5" because it only appealed to the adults. The two teenagers felt that there was a terrible bitter flavor. Not sure, but maybe the turmeric? DH loved it, though, and I felt that it had a very good flavor. We rated it 4 (out of 5).

• Tomato soup 2

  • Linda513 on February 15, 2011

    p. 114 Needs fresh tomatoes, make in the summer

  • Delys77 on December 29, 2014

    Pg. 114 I made this with some lovely canned San Marzano's and it was delicious. I went with about half the recommended butter though. As it is written it would be too rich, with half the butter it is plenty I thought. The slurry will clump up, but when I put in the immersion blender everything smoothed out.

• Flemish chicken soup (Waterzooi)

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    I thought this was a great soup. Basic chicken soup with a very rich homey twist. The liaison of egg yolks and cream makes for a great flavour. You did put a good deal more broth than they suggested and it made for a better balance of meat to soup. Great dinner soup.

  • twoyolks on January 08, 2016

    The chicken was mostly bland. The sauce mostly tasted of cream and lemon. The sauce never thickened more than a small amount for me.

• Scotch broth

  • Delys77 on November 20, 2011

    Pg 116 This is definitely a great comfort food type of soup. I used lamb shanks as I couldn't get chops and it worked very well. Super flavourful soup with a nice thick consistency. Can make this into a meal with the addition f soe nice bread and a salad.

  • meggan on December 29, 2016

    Great soup - I replaced the turnips with potatoes and used pear barley which only takes about 30 minutes to cook and does not need to soak. I also used leftover lamb from Christmas so it did not need to cook either. These shortcuts make this an easy to throw together recipe for a weeknight.

• Garden minestrone

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    I was a bit doubtful of the method given that there was no water, but the result is quite good. The simple, earthy, and sweet flavours of the veggies and beans really come together to make for a lovely flavour. The only this is that it is more of a veggie stew than a soup.

• Cream of carrot soup

  • PrincessK on February 17, 2011

    page 119

• Greek lentil soup (Faki)

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    (pg. 121) Pretty good lentil soup for a meatless, water based soup. While it did take non-active time, it was super quick to put together. Soak the green lentils in warm water for an hour (I did use the le Puy lentils despite Hesser's instructions to use regular green lentils). Then, boil the water with lentils and add chopped onions, garlic, celery, and canned tomatoes. Simmer with the lid on for an hour. Then add herbs (bay leaf, sprigs of parsley and either mint, basil or oregano), salt and pepper, and a couple of T of olive oil. I used dried oregano. Cover and simmer for another 1.5 hours. Stir in red wine vinegar. Not as good as Marcella's but it is healthier and still tasty.

  • Yildiz100 on August 09, 2015

    This was good but very similar to other lentil dishes I make, so I am not sure if we will repeat it. My three year old loved it so maybe we'll make it occasionally.

• Fish soup with vegetables (Soupe de poisson jardinière)

  • TrishaCP on August 18, 2012

    Many ingredients and lots of chopping but big payoff in flavor. The anise liqueur is a must (I used herbsaint).

• Sicilian mushroom soup (Zuppa di funghi Siciliana)

  • Apolloprob on November 07, 2016

    P 127

• Pumpkin-black bean soup

  • Laura on February 19, 2011

    This recipe is nearly identical to one that was published in Gourmet in 1996 and which I've made numerous times since then. If this is anywhere near as good, it's a winner!

  • krobbins426 on February 16, 2012

    Came out great. Nice texture - it was almost creamy.

• Black bean soup with salsa and jalapeño corn-bread muffins

  • bloncosky on February 13, 2012

    Canned beans can be substituted in this recipe, if this is the case you only need 4 cups (1qt) or so of chicken stock. Andouille sausage can be used instead of the bacon and (2) cups of corn can be added to change up the recipe.

  • bloncosky on February 13, 2012

    One note about the corn-bread muffins, they need some sugar 2-4 tbs to make them good. Otherwise it is a fine cornbread recipe.

  • chefmichael on November 13, 2017

    Made this yesterday and it's a very good, high flavor dish, albeit with a fair bit of chopping prep to reach small dice. That said I did run into a problem that I've encountered before: after 2.5+ hours of boiling the beans at the recipe stated med-high heat, my beans were not fully tender. I also ended up having to add another ~6 cups of water to keep enough liquid in the pot to even hope to get the beans cooked to tender. I think I know why this happens. The chicken broth I used (like many I am sure) contains salt. I do not know why, nor do I wish to debate whether this is scientifically true or not, but I have read and encountered several times in the past recipes like this where my beans never get fully tender if cooked with salt early in the process. To work around this you might consider starting with some kind of no-salt broth or stock.

  • KennethJames on November 13, 2019

    Mark Bittman addresses cooking dried beans quickly (if not overnight) in his new book: Dinner For Everyone https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/188181/dinner-for-everyone-100-iconic on page 82. I have tried his method several times and the results are excellent.

• Speedy fish stew with orange and fennel [Marian Burros]

  • PrincessK on February 13, 2011

    Pg. 133 Sautee onion and garlic until onion has softened. Add white wine, crushed canned tomatoes, tomato paste, orange zest, fennel seeds, dried thyme, bay leaf and S & P. Cover pot. Cook 10 mins. Slice white fish fillets or steaks (haddock is good) into 2" pieces, add. Cook for a few minutes just until fish is done.

  • TrishaCP on April 08, 2012

    A lovely dish- the orange zest really makes it sing. Bump up the fennel seeds to a teaspoon if you are a fan of that flavor- the 1/2 teaspoon worked for my husband, who is only iffy with fennel, but I love it and could have used more.

  • Laura on October 08, 2016

    Pg. 133. A Marian Burros recipe published in the NYT in 1991, so an oldie, but a goodie. The sauce is redolent of the orange zest and fennel seeds (I used a full tsp of fennel) and conjures up the Mediterranean. The recipe is very simple and takes no time to prep and cook. I used Barramundi for the fish. My only issue with the dish is that I found the sauce to be a little too thick -- I might cut back on the tomato paste next time.

  • caitmcg on November 11, 2018

    Quick, easy, and delicious. I add some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.

• Butternut squash and cider soup

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p.136

  • Delys77 on January 21, 2013

    Pg. 136 This was a total fail as written. About half the liquid in the dish is apple cider, plus there is half an apple as garnish, all together making this soup far far too sweet. I ended up having to go out and buy another squash, which I diced and then simmered in the finished soup, then reblended. After tasting it was much better, but I still added a bit of cayenne to give it a different dimension. With the additional stock to thin, the doubled squash, and the cayenne it was good.

• Turkish split-pea soup with mint and paprika

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 140 It comes together pretty easily. Soak split peas overnight. Saute onion then add broth, peas, carrot, bay leaf and cook until soft. Then add spinach and paprika. Wilt the spinach and then puree. Season with s and p and then serve with greek yogurt, mint and additional paprika. This was tasty and quite healthy. Tastes even better the third day. More virtuous than delicious.

• Winter borscht

  • krobbins426 on June 30, 2011

    Takes a long time, but came out fantastic!

  • wcassity on January 01, 2012

    I make this once every winter - amazing. Sweet and rich.

• Creamy farro and chickpea soup

  • Linda513 on February 15, 2011

    p, 143 Really good, rich and thick. Next time used canned chickpeas instead of dried to save time.

  • TrishaCP on April 08, 2012

    A delicious winner of a soup from Paula Wolfert. This is comfort food at its best- a delicious way to use farro. I used canned chickpeas and would again.

  • NancyCucina on March 03, 2026

    This recipe needs some work. I added mushrooms, carrots, garlic and Aleppo pepper. I also increased the pancetta to 2oz, or 1/2 of the usual pkg of 4oz. Added fresh spinach at the end. I used a hand blender to emulsify the cooked chickpeas before adding them to the soup.My husband and I felt like the flavor was good ( not great) but the appearance made it unappetizing. It looks like oatmeal, has the texture of oatmeal or porridge. We ate it again for lunch and decided not to keep the remaining leftovers.

• Hanoi beef soup (Pho bo)

  • smtucker on February 13, 2011

    Delicious. Boiled bones for 3 minutes, drained, then proceed with recipe.

• Clear steamed chicken soup with ginger

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Very rich and flavourful and mindlessly simple. The ginger and green onion really come through and the fragrance and flavour of the Shao Xing wine is perfect.

• Roasted squash soup with cumin

  • smtucker on October 23, 2011

    next time, roast squash in cubes for longer to concentrate flavors. squash seeds were too woody, substitute sunflower seeds or garlic croutons. quarter cup of cream was plenty. Some sauteed shallots might be a nice addition. First course soup- perfect before a heavier meal.

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The vinegar and cayenne give the soup a nice complexity. Go easy on the cumin and to Kenny's taste don't bother with the seed garnish.

• Basic corn chowder

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    I added the bacon but not the cream. Overall the consistancy is a bit thin and the colour is odd due to the milk

• Cauliflower soup with cremini mushrooms and walnut oil

  • Delys77 on March 12, 2012

    Pg 149 This is a cross between cream of mushroom mad cream of cauliflower. Overall the result is relatively subtle but there are some very nice nuances, especially from the mushrooms. Overall I would say this is a nice soup with a touch of richness from the cream and some food flavours. I don't think the walnut oil does a whole lot, it is perceptible but I'm not sure it is really worth it.

• Watermelon gazpacho

  • DKennedy on July 17, 2015

    Absolutely awful.

• Carrot and fennel soup

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    page 151-152

  • DKennedy on February 15, 2011

    Very nice soup. the orange juice really makes it come together.

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This is a pretty good soup, especially considering it is water based. The sour cream and the orange are nice edition, but it does need to sit a bit as the flavour is flat if you eat it straight out of the gate. Could be a bit more orangey.

  • feucht22 on January 30, 2012

    Be light with the OJ right away and add more to taste. Could benefit from using vegetable stock vs. water.

• Laotian catfish soup

  • PrincessK on February 09, 2011

    p. 154 Chop or dice catfish, garlic cloves, Thai bird chilies, lemongrass, shallots, ginger and basil. Mix peanut butter with some of the coconut milk, then set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet. Saute garlic, chilis, lime leaves, lemongrass and shallots. Add chicken broth, fish sauce, lime juice and ginger then bring to a slow simmer. Add peanut butter mixture, then fish and remaining coconut milk. Simmer until the fish is cooked through. Garnish with chopped basil and cilantro. Serve with jasmine rice.

  • caitmcg on November 11, 2018

    Super flavor, thanks to all the aromatics. I coarsely chop and throw in the processor to save labor. Instead of serving with rice, I make this a one-dish meal by adding sliced fresh shiitakes and chunks of potato or rice noodles to simmer with the broth and coconut milk, and stir in baby spinach leaves to wilt at the end with the fish.

  • tekobo on December 09, 2020

    Should’ve sliced the lemongrass thinner. Kept getting stuck in my teeth. Otherwise a good soup.

• Butternut squash soup with brown butter

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Very complicated but very delicious. Best butternut soup yet.

  • lholtzman on November 17, 2019

    I completely agree with Delys77. This recipe takes a lot of time and preparation, but if you want a truly luxurious and special butternut squash soup, this is the recipe to make.

• Oyster chowder

  • meggan on November 06, 2013

    Very simple recipe that lets the oyster shine through as it is lighter than most chowders and gets its thickness from the potatoes. I would consider pureeing the potatoes with an immersion blender in the future.

• Red lentil soup with lemon

  • L.Nightshade on March 13, 2011

    A very easy and attractive soup. After a few minutes prep, cooking time is only one half hour. The red lentils and carrots make it a pretty color, sparked by the cilantro and a dusting of chili powder. The sweetness of the carrots is balanced with the tartness of lemon juice and the earthiness of cumin. A shot of color and flavor for a winter day. Tried it in the slow cooker, not very successfully.

  • PinchOfSalt on March 14, 2015

    Made this using Aleppo pepper in place of the chili powder. Very tasty and satisfying - a definite winner. Don't forget to add the cilantro at the end and to add enough lemon juice. They are essential. This is an easy recipe that cooks in no time once you have done the modest amount of prep work. A keeper, for sure!

  • PinchOfSalt on March 26, 2015

    Made this again. 1 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper in place of the chili powder was perfect. All of the juice from a small lemon was good, a bit more might have been better. Yum!

  • nyb34 on March 06, 2017

    Delicious! I've made it twice in the last month, each time adding chopped kale at the end to make it a bit hardier. Will repeat again and again!

  • TrishaCP on January 19, 2019

    This recipe had been on my to do list forever, and it didn’t disappoint. I had it once with mint, and once with cilantro, and while both were good, I really loved the pop of mint with the lentils. I didn’t bother to purée my soup.

• Salade à la Romaine

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p.171 maybe more lemon juice, less onion juice

• Caesar salad 1

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    Per JoanN, not the best technique, though fine flavorwise.

• Raw spinach salad

  • smtucker on February 13, 2011

    Excellent salad. Particularly enjoy using shallots and Champagne vinegar, but rice wine vinegar also works.

• Green goddess salad

  • LittleTex on October 07, 2020

    Not my favorite green goddess recipe, but a simple version if you're in a hurry. Recipe calls for way too many anchovies (six!).

• Italian salad

  • caitmcg on November 11, 2018

    Great wintertime fennel salad. Substituted Greek yogurt for mayo, used walnut option to keep it vegetarian.

• Spicy orange salad Moroccan-style

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 181, could use more olives perhaps

  • unrealmeal on March 13, 2011

    I adored this recipe. As the intro says, oranges and olives are a revelation. I used big pitted black cerignola olives, and it was the perfect ratio of olive to orange. I also used about a full teaspoon of garlic rather than the 1/2 that is called for in the recipe, as we tend to be big garlic fanatics in my house. In retrospect, though my fiance and our roommate both loved it as I made it, I thought the garlic was a little heavy handed. Next time, I'll stick with what the recipe says.

• Broccoli puree with ginger

  • Jane on February 14, 2011

    I'm always on the lookout for more interesting ways to cook broccoli. This was considerably more time-consuming and pan-dirtying than steamed broccoli but also much more delicious. Thinly sliced onion, chopped garlic and a slice of ginger are softened. Then heavy cream is added, simmered then the ginger slice is removed and the cream is set aside. The broccoli is boiled until tender then pureed in the processor with half the cream/onion mixture. She suggested adding some of the broccoli cooking water if it's too dry but mine was on the too damp end of the scale so not necessary. Then the rest of the onions/cream mixture is added and pureed again. Some ginger juice is added which you have previously grated and juiced. I was a bit concerned that the onions were going to create too much texture for a smooth puree but ir worked out fine, though it wasn't as silky as a puree with just broccoli. The ginger flavor was very subtle, not surprising I suppose in the way it was cooked.

  • lholtzman on December 15, 2020

    I didn’t feel like the ginger came out too much. I found this a bit bland.

  • Laura on June 20, 2012

    Pg. 253. This was a total failure for us. We followed the directions exactly and yet we ended up with a puree that was better served in a bowl with a spoon than on a plate. It also had little flavor.

• Italian roast potatoes

  • Jane on February 14, 2011

    These were really easy to prep and then just roast in the oven for an hour while I got on with the rest of dinner. The only disappointment was that the garlic was completely overcooked and rock hard. I left the cloves unpeeled but it didn't help. Next time I will add them half way through. I loved the crunchy exterior and soft insides of the potatoes. I served these with Breaded Chicken Breasts with Parmesan Cheese p.465 and Broccoli Puree with Ginger p.253.

  • PrincessK on February 14, 2011

    p. 300 1-inch potato cubes (2.5 lbs) tossed with olive oil (1/2), 12 cloves of unpeeled garlic and lots of oregano then oven-roasted UNCROWDED for about an hour. Check after 45 mins. Kosher salt after roasting. Serve right away. Maybe add garlic halfway through so they aren't so overcooked and hard?

  • Laura on June 20, 2012

    Pg. 300. These are really good. I think the suggested cooking time is too long -- ours were done in about 50 minutes. We added the garlic at the 30 minute mark and that seemed to be exactly right. These were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Made a nice accompaniment to grilled NY strip steaks.

• Spicy cucumber salad

  • wcassity on August 06, 2019

    Amazing and addictive - umami bomb. Easy to make. Great use for summer cucumbers.

  • Delys77 on October 19, 2011

    For me this salad isn't a winner. The bruising of the cucumber makes for a slightly unappealing texture and the colour that the soy and sesame produce is unappealing. I also found the sesame over powering.

• Gigi salad (shrimp, bacon, and green bean salad)

  • clbeth3 on July 10, 2011

    Great light salad!

• Mezzaluna salad

  • Delys77 on July 30, 2012

    A pretty good salad but nothing to write home about. The slightly bitter greens are well balanced against the sweetness of the balsamic. The texture is also nice with some good crunch from the fennel and softer components such as the artichoke. For some reason, despite the nice balance, it was just ok.

• Winter slaw with lemon-and-orange dressing

  • PrincessK on February 04, 2011

    Blue room described this as woeful. p.185

  • LittleTex on January 12, 2022

    Pretty underwhelming. I added mayo and fresh basil and it was better.

• Moroccan carrot salad

  • L.Nightshade on March 11, 2011

    I made this salad to go along with the Choresh Qormeh Sabzi. It was the perfect contrast of color and taste. This dish is very simple to prepare, you just need to allow for six hours of marinating after preparation. I used a rainbow bunch of carrots, so the yellow, white, orange, and purple carrots looked great with the chopped cilantro (I used the slice and boil method, not the grating method). The dressing is a tasty mix of salty and sweet, plus coriander and cumin. I'm looking forward to trying the same dressing over roasted golden beets.

• Arugula, pear, and Gorgonzola salad

  • TrishaCP on June 22, 2013

    A good version of the basic pear and blue cheese salad- I subbed walnuts for the pine nuts.

• Docks coleslaw

  • bloncosky on March 24, 2011

    This recipe sounds odd but it is really good. One of the best.

• A loose interpretation of Cobb salad

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    We cut the eggs into small pieces and semi hard boiled them instead. Super tasty little salad. Also nice with a little tomato.

• Blood orange, date, and Parmesan salad with almond oil

  • TrishaCP on January 26, 2018

    Agree completely that this salad is EVERYTHING. This is a Suzanne Goin recipe, and I have yet to be disappointed with any of her salads. This one really delivers too. We used Cara Cara oranges in place of the blood oranges. Magnificent.

  • Yildiz100 on December 30, 2017

    Wow. This is both delicious and beautiful. The best thing I have made in a while. The textures, the sweet and sour of the dates and oranges- it is just everything. I splurged and actually bought the almond oil (my first "fancy" nut oil) and it is lovely. Nutty and just barely reminiscent of sesame oil from the toasting of the almonds. It really took the salad to the next level, but I think if someone didn't want to invest in almond oil this salad would still be worth making with a good olive oil.

• Iceberg lettuce with smoked bacon and buttermilk dressing

  • LittleTex on September 23, 2020

    This buttermilk-herb dressing is now my #1 go-to dressing for everything. (Except for the actual iceberg lettuce salad which I have never made.)

• Hearth's fava bean salad

  • Tiganna on July 09, 2017

    Overall, this was definitely edible and, once broad beans peeled, quick, but not the most exciting dish ever. Probably won't repeat as the pecorino somewhat outcompeted the broad beans. In my opinion, the pecorino quantity is too large relative to the broad beans, would reduce by about a quarter.

• Warm eggplant salad with sesame and shallots

  • L.Nightshade on March 11, 2011

    Using the microwave to cook the eggplant made it a very easy dish to prepare. I used tahini in the dressing, not having japanese sesame paste or peanut butter, and I briefly toasted the sesame seeds. I also used the mint and basil combination. What a wonderful and surprising combination of flavors.

• Almond-carrot salad

  • TrishaCP on November 08, 2021

    This was a nice tasting salad- though I think I'd prefer grated carrots. (I used a vegetable peeler to make strips.) I used olive oil instead of almond oil.

  • lorloff on June 03, 2017

    This is a quite good dish I used Japanese sugar which is less sweet than regular and would still reduce the sugar a bit more. Added one clove of garlic. We did not have raisins in the house I had to leave those out of the recipe. I really liked it - my husband did not like the sweetness of the almonds in the dish.

  • caitmcg on November 11, 2018

    Delicious, fresh and crunchy. Just used the vinegar remaining after the golden raisins soaked instead of discarding and using new vinegar for the dressing. Makes more like 6-8 side servings than 4.

  • lholtzman on October 09, 2020

    If unrefined almond oil is available, buy that. The refined is neutral in flavor and taste.

• Stuffed tomatoes

  • TrishaCP on June 22, 2013

    A good basic recipe for stuffed tomatoes that can be easily tweaked for your own personal preference in terms of meat (or not), herbs and spices.

• Asparagus salad

  • unrealmeal on March 13, 2011

    For the dressing, I used only 1/2 a cup of oil (canola, specifically), and maybe 2T of vinegar (I actually used red wine instead of white wine vinegar). This made for a dressing-like sauce rather than a thick mayo, but was much ligher in calories and still really delicious. Next time I'll use white wine vinegar; that was just inattentive reading on my part, ha!

• Creamed onions

  • Breadcrumbs on January 16, 2011

    p. 218 - I think these would be good w a roast chicken or guinea hen along w the porcini bread stuffing from this same book

• Yette's garden platter

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    Pg. 220 Could easily be vegetarian main dish. Sliced potatoes and zucchini are layered, one layer for each vegetable. Peeled/cored/seeded/chopped tomatoes are combined with parsley, garlic, chopped onions S & P & EVOO then spread over top of the vegetables. Bake at 350F for 1 1/2 hours. Gio thought it needed more seasoning. A 9"X11" pyrex is not big enough as it barely held all the vegetables--needs a larger dish. She also included dried thyme and 1/2t cayenne in tomato mixture, and seasoned with S&P and dried thyme between layers.

• Stuffed green peppers (Poivrons verts farcis)

  • PrincessK on February 16, 2011

    Pg. 223 Saute mixture of Italian sausage (either sweet or hot, about 3 large) with casings removed mixture until no longer pink. Add onions, garlic, curry powder, S & P to and cook for 8 minutes. Mix in a bowl with cooked rice, broth and a lightly beaten egg. Blanch peppers for a minute, halve, de-rib, seed, then stuff. Place the stuffed pepper halves in a baking dish, mix breadcrumbs and Parmigiana and sprinkle over, drizzle EVOO overm then put into a pre-heated 400F oven. Bake for 20 minutes then turn the heat down to 375 and continue to bake another 25 minutes.

• Ismail Merchant's spinach puree (Palak bharta)

  • twoyolks on June 30, 2013

    This tastes strongly of onions and very little else.

• Al Forno's roasted asparagus

  • twoyolks on May 08, 2017

    Easy roasted asparagus with good flavor.

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This technique does yield a much nicer result with great texture. 10 minutes should be plenty.

• Spinach Roman style

  • twoyolks on November 18, 2016

    This didn't seem vastly different than any other spinach sautéed with garlic recipe. Neither the raisins nor the pine nuts added much.

• Red cabbage glazed with maple syrup

  • meggan on February 02, 2016

    Yum. What doesn't maple syrup make delicious though?

• Curried root vegetable stew with dumplings

  • breakthroughc on February 14, 2022

    The dumplings were delicious, but the stew is lacking. I agree with cutting back the curry powder as it overwhelmed the vegetables. There are other vegetarian stews I like better, so probably won't repeat. I would make the dumplings again. I think they would be very good on a lamb stew that contained sweet potatoes and dried fruit. I don't have mace, so I substituted allspice. It made a lot. We will get 5 meals total (2 dinners and 3 lunches) Definitely serves more than 2 for a main course.

  • breakthroughc on February 16, 2022

    This stew got a lot better sitting for a day. The leftovers were very good, so it might be worth a repeat.

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This recipe has good bones but needs a bit of work. In the end you didn't make the dumplings you served with Beijing Baked Breads (could also do rice). The flour thickening worked pretty well but make sure to incorporate all of the paste so you don't have any lumps. Also I might go with 1.25 tsp of curry powder, or cut the curry back and use some other indian seasonings that might go well with the sweet lightness of the root vegetables. Makes 3 meal sized servings.

• Caramelized endive

  • PrincessK on February 14, 2011

    Pg. 238 Melt butter in a skillet. Halve 3 Belgian endives, season w S&P, place cut side down in skillet until browned. Sprinkle browned sugar and lime juice over. Cook for another 15 minutes, until tender.

• Chilled sesame spinach

  • britt on April 20, 2011

    I thought this was pretty terrible. Mine tasted like white vinegar! and white pepper! It might taste better if the white vinegar were replaced with rice vinegar.

• Beet tartare

  • krobbins426 on January 30, 2013

    Love this dish. Works best when I do this in my food processor and not a blender. Putting the salad together doesn't take too long - 15 minutes tops. But need to roast the beets ahead of time.

• The most voluptuous cauliflower

  • britt on October 28, 2011

    So good. But I think I must have flubbed something because the sauce was thin, very liquid.

• Savory bread pudding

  • Breadcrumbs on January 16, 2011

    p. 242 - Technique is a HUGE pain it seems, lots of prep work, veggies cooked separately, leeks to be sliced as thin as filaments, baking process is 2 parts, bake, invert broil! Hesser swears it's worth it. Wait and see if someone raves about this on COTM thread!

• Leek and shiitake bread pudding

  • lholtzman on October 29, 2020

    The final result tasted delicious, but the preparation did not work for me. My eggs and cream ended up setting at the bottom and the bread kind of stuck to it. If I make again I will chop up all the veggies, cube the bread, and mix together. I will have to adapt it a bit.

• Stewed fennel

  • Bwolfe2 on January 04, 2020

    Delicious and easy!! Friends loved this at a brunch!

• Roasted cauliflower

  • PrincessK on February 11, 2011

    Pg 240, Toss florets in EVOO, sea salt and freshly ground Tellicherry pepper, roast in a 375F oven until caramelized.

  • Melanie on February 17, 2012

    So simple yet results in amazing flavours that seem quite complex. Delicious.

• Escarole with pan-roasted garlic and lemon

  • PrincessK on February 11, 2011

    Pg. 249, Slice 10 cloves garlic thinly, then simmer 25 mins in EVOO on very low heat. Slice escarole thinly, rinse. Add to pan with garlic. Turn off heat. Toss escarole with the EVOO and garlic. Add lemon juice and salt and combine. At this point one can either toss lemon wedges with the escarole, or serve wedges on the plate to be squeezed as desired.

• Mushrooms with manzanilla sherry

  • unrealmeal on March 13, 2011

    Served this with over mashed potatoes as a side -- spectacular. I used amontillado sherry instead of manzanilla, since it's what I had. It made for probably a slightly sweeter result, but it was really delicious. I also used more than just a sliver of garlic (I sliced a small clove into paper-thin slivers and used the whole thing) and it was quite spectacular.

• Rachel's green beans with dill

  • twoyolks on July 15, 2015

    These taste exactly like what you'd expect green beans with dill to taste like.

• Summer squash casserole

  • sarahawker on June 10, 2021

    This was a LOT of prep for something that could possibly have been done with a lot less steps. Instead of boiling the squash for 10 min, perhaps just grate it raw? There was no effort to remove water, and it is a loose casserole with good flavor. Kind of reminded my family of a huge pot of pimento cheese (I only had red pepper instead of green). Not sure I would make this again. A baby food consistency.

  • taste24 on August 12, 2020

    Loved this casserole! Very tasty. I made a few changes: used an orange pepper instead of green pepper and did include the jalapeno. Per the recommendations on the NYT website, I pulsed the ritz crackers first, then the toast, and then the squash (to avoid washing the bowl). Also, I only pulsed the squash about half to keep some texture (a lot of the reviews said it was like baby food if processed fully). The recipe doesn't say when to add your onion mixture, so I added it in at the beginning of step 4 with the squash, cheese, and cracker crumbs.

• Black-skillet okra

  • mfto on September 03, 2013

    The serving suggestion of sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and fried chicken in the original published recipe is the same as my mother's during my youth in the South. My mother had two ways of serving okra, fried as in this recipe or simply boiled. Fried okra was for my brother and the boiled for me. Years later when I visited with my daughters, Mother always fried the okra and my daughters do the same in their homes today. In my house, okra is boiled because I was fortunate to marry a husband who loves it boiled and "slimy" and he is a first generation American!

• Ratatouille with butternut squash

  • monica107 on October 14, 2013

    An interesting twist on ratatouille that is great for the overlapping seasons, when summer produce is winding down and winter squashes are becoming available.

  • Delys77 on May 27, 2012

    The addition of squash and the cumin and cilantro makes this ratatouille slightly different and very satisfying. I enjoyed it quite a bit but it was still not the spectacular ratatouille I'm looking for. Also good to note that this makes quite a bit of ratatouille.

• Asparagus with miso butter

  • unrealmeal on March 13, 2011

    This was wonderful. A couple notes: 1. The asparagus really need to be in a pan with room in order to get the tips crispy and delicious. Overcrowding will steam them and make them a little limp and lifeless. 2. I omitted the poached egg because my fiance isn't a fan of runny eggs, but suspect that it would make this phenomenal. I was going to try it with poached quail eggs, thinking he'd at least try it in that capacity, since they're smaller, but Whole Foods was out of them when I went to buy them. I suspect that would be off the hook, though. 3. Miso butter is perhaps the new favorite thing in our household. The fiance declared that he wants it on everything now, and had to restrain himself from licking his plate, ha!

  • angela_gnbj4y on February 17, 2026

    This is killer. I cooked my asparagus all at once in a hot sauté pan and didn’t have any texture issues(much tossing). The miso butter is wildly delicious.

• String beans with ginger and garlic

  • PrincessK on February 02, 2011

    per JVHcook, "As an everyday recipe it was pretty good, although nothing really special.", pg 260

  • wcassity on December 25, 2017

    Good Thanksgiving/Christmas side dish - tasty but simple, not big distracting flavors

• Wilted chard with pickled red onion

  • Breadcrumbs on February 21, 2011

    p.261 – Chapter 5 - Loved this dish! Its almost counter intuitive to add pickled onions to already bitter chard but somehow the onions (which have a small amount of sugar in the vinegar mix) seem to brighten and elevate the chard. Prep is straightforward and relatively quick. Hesser notes you may need additional water & vinegar to submerge the onions and I did, 1/3 cup of each. Onions are then weighted down for at least 15 minutes. Mine pickled for about an hour before we were ready to serve dinner. Hesser suggests that you boil the chard until tender however I prefer to steam it in the microwave to save time and dishes. Just prior to serving, oil is heated in a skillet over medium heat then crushed garlic and the chard are added and tossed to coat before seasoning to taste. Chard is then plated and topped w some of the onions. Remaining onions are passed at the table. This dish is wonderful; the onions really take it to the next level.

  • krobbins426 on June 20, 2011

    My husband loves this dish. I needed extra water and vinegar for the onions. We also saved the onions for several weeks in the fridge and made chard on several other occasions. The onions only improved with time.

• Broccoli rabe oshitashi

  • L.Nightshade on June 04, 2011

    I picked up kale rabe at the farmer's market, and used it in this broccoli rabe recipe. I didn't cut it up, I wanted the whole stalks on the plate. I agree with BigSal that this is not really like oshitashi (not because I am familiar with the etymology of the word as is BigSal, just because I've prepared and been served a fair amount of oshitashi). But I found it very tasty nevertheless. I was tempted to speed up the recipe by making a dressing with tahini instead of roasting and grinding sesame seeds, but I'm glad I didn't. I really enjoyed the fresh roasted sesame taste. After adding the soy sauce and mirin to the ground sesame, the sauce was very pasty, so I did add a little warm water as suggested.

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 262 Boil broccoli rabe until crisp-tender in salted water, shock and drain. Then dress with a paste made of roasted sesame seeds, mirin and soy. Can add a little sugar to balance the flavors. Also works with spinach, green beans, bok choy, chrysanthemum greens. Perhaps the proper name should be broccoli rabe goma-ae (sesame dressing). Ohitashi comes from the verb hitatsu which means to soak or to steep and it’s typically boiled greens with soy sauce and dashi.

• Butter-braised asparagus and oyster mushrooms with peas and tarragon

  • MMarlean on June 02, 2020

    Excellent. p. 263 Paired with Sesame-Crusted Tuna Steaks with Avocado-Orange (subs. Mango) Salsa from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. p. 310

• Fried corn

  • twoyolks on July 26, 2016

    A really nice rendition of fried corn. There's just enough heavy cream to compliment the corn. I used homemade bacon which was a bit too strong. If using a particularly flavorful bacon, I'd cut back on the amount of bacon and add butter. The instruction to add the corn is missing from the recipe but it's pretty clear it's done when adding the onion.

• French potato salad

  • twoyolks on June 13, 2021

    A little bland. I couldn't really taste any vinegar at all.

• Latkes

  • twoyolks on March 12, 2019

    I will second that the latkes are light and fluffy and they brown very well and cook evenly.

  • meggan on February 02, 2016

    The best! So light and fluffy! L'chaim!

• Maida Heatter's Cuban black beans and rice

  • eyepaint on October 15, 2014

    p 281-2

  • PrincessK on February 06, 2011

    p. 281 Just cook rice the normal way.

• Madame Laracine's gratin Dauphinois

  • peaceoutdesign on December 25, 2019

    However you make potatoes gratin, it worked perfectly to boil the sliced potatoes in milk and seasoning first.

• Roasted potato salad

  • annwagner on November 01, 2016

    Good with small organic yukon gold potatoes.

  • PrincessK on February 18, 2011

    Pg. 285 Season baby potatoes w S & P, minced garlic, and EVOO. Toss in a baking dish in a single layer. Roast at 425F oven for 30 - 40 mins. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Whisk together whole grain mustard& red wine vinegar. While whisking, drizzle EVOO until dressing is smooth. Toss roasted potatoes into the bowl and mix gentle with the dressing. Sprinkle with minced chives (scallions work ok) and rosemary.

• Sweet potato casserole

  • LaPomme on January 13, 2012

    This is my go-to sweet potato recipe. It is simple to execute, and doesn't drown the sweet potatoes in cloying sweetness and spice. The natural flavor of the sweet potatoes themselves shines through.

• Spoonbread's potato salad

  • taste24 on April 07, 2021

    This is the perfect potato salad. Acidic, creamy, crunchy, tender. I loved the method of mixing the warm potatoes with oil, vinegar, salt, and paprika. I used red potatoes and also added the onion, celery, egg, mayo, and mustard a few hours before serving (not immediately before, as written).

  • jenburkholder on October 12, 2025

    I did it similar to taste24 by adding the mix-ins a while before serving. I used gold potatoes. I thought this was fine, not amazing, but a solid version of a basic potato salad. Not, to me, the perfect potato salad though!

• Fresh corn griddle cakes with Parmesan and chives

  • twoyolks on July 27, 2021

    I really liked these even though I forgot to put the egg in.

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p294. I had some issues with this recipe but that was due to user error - I had a temperamental pan and didn't grate the corn so the mix didn't hold well. Definitely make these small. I probably prefer the Bill Granger corn fritter recipe to these although I like the idea of using some parmesan.

• Mashed potatoes Anna

  • Rachaelsb on March 22, 2021

    Yum!! Creamy, creamy, creamy.

  • Lepa on August 07, 2023

    I wanted to try a less decadent recipe than the mashed potatoes I usually make (Ina's recipe!). So I made these. They were fine but not nearly as good as Ina's.

• Puree of peas and watercress

  • Breadcrumbs on January 16, 2011

    p. 296 - I can imagine this would be spectacular beneath a piece of perfectly roasted fish.

• Sweet potatoes Anna

  • PrincessK on February 09, 2011

    p. 297

  • damazinah on August 13, 2015

    had this in a restaurant paired with a crispy-skin pan roasted salmon fillet - very good

• Cabbage and potato gratin with mustard bread crumbs

  • Lepa on November 03, 2021

    This is good. We made a meal of it- and it went well with a glass of white wine!

  • PrincessK on February 11, 2011

    p. 298 perhaps not as good as other, more simple braised cabbage recipes

  • n_l_m on January 23, 2011

    This dish is much more cabbage than potato gratin. Very good, even to the non-cabbage lovers in the group. I wouldn't leave out the bacon or greyere- they're essential. Excellent.

• Light potato salad

  • Frogcake on August 12, 2017

    Delicious. We didn't miss the mayo.

• Flattened potatoes

  • LaPomme on February 10, 2011

    page 301

• Crispy tofu with shiitakes and chorizo

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 302 The tofu never got crispy. I used ground pork seasoned with black pepper & a little smoked salt.

• Fettuccine alla Romana

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 310 simple and quick Simple process: boil the pasta, drain briefly, and add, still moist, to a warm bowl w/4 T butter. Add warm cream, cooked peas, and parmigiano. Toss. Grind some black pepper over it.

  • Breadcrumbs on February 25, 2011

    p. 310 - Scrumptious, simple, super-quick! This dish is a triple threat and what more could you ask for! Reminiscent of the much-loved pasta Carbonara, this dish was a real hit at our house. I did make a couple of changes along the way. The recipe calls for freshly cooked peas. As opposed to doing this separately, I simply add the peas to the pasta during its final moments of cooking to save time and dirtying another pan. Also, I used Seranno ham instead of Prosciutto. Finally, instead of warming a serving bowl to prepare the sauce, I simply used the already warm pasta pot to melt the butter and assemble the sauce and pasta. I then plated the pasta into the individual serving dishes that had been warmed. This was a wonderful dish, I'll be making it again. K10

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This is a simple dish with only a few ingredients but is is great. Follow the instructions specifically and you'll get a nice main for two. It is a bit on the rich side but there is very little meat so it isn't too bad for you. Go a bit heavier on the pram than she suggests.

• Noodles Romanoff

  • feucht22 on January 30, 2012

    Didn't use Tobasco (didn't have any, shame on me) -- and I regret it. It certainly didn't prevent us from diving in, though.

  • hirsheys on December 14, 2019

    This is tasty, but next time I will halve the amount of sour cream and cottage cheese.

• Le Cirque's spaghetti primavera

  • Breadcrumbs on February 04, 2011

    pgs 314-316 - Don’t try this at home . . . at least not on a weeknight! Good heavens, this is such labour-intensive, multi-pot using dish I was simply too exhausted to review it afterwards! No kidding. In fairness, Hesser mentions, and I quote, -all twelve pain-in-the-neck steps- to make this recipe and somehow I missed that on first pass of the lengthy head notes. Pity. In this case all that effort failed to produce a remarkable dish. I’d describe this as mediocre, at best. Full prep described in my Chowhound post. The last time I made pasta primavera I had big hair and listening to the likes of Duran Duran, INXS, Soft Cell and Bon Jovi on the radio. I can assure you that it never took me much time to throw together back then, I was too keen to go out and have fun to be spending so much time in the kitchen. That said, the next time I’m craving this dish, I’ll be pulling out my old recipe and trying to forget this latest experience.

• Pasta with vodka

  • mirage on May 15, 2011

    Subtle but nice

  • bebemoche on December 03, 2016

    Cut both the cream and the butter in half, used slightly more tomato. Delicious!

• Ed Giobbi's sweet red pepper sauce for pasta

  • Yildiz100 on April 16, 2020

    A little flat and one note. Had to spice this up with extra chili flakes to balance the sweetness and lots of Parmesan (which isn't called for in the recipe) to add some complexity. Edible but will probably not repeat.

• Macaroni with ham and cheese

  • Delys77 on December 05, 2014

    Pg. 319 Overall a very tasty mac and cheese. Come together in about an hour and the results are rich and very satisfying (along with a salad). Be careful not to over salt since you have parm, ham, and cheddar. Bechamel seems thin but firms up nicely in the oven. went with 1/2 cup of cream and it was plenty.

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    Use 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream and just free pour until the sauce looks right. bake it at 350, not 425 but I think next time I make it I'll go with 425.

• Risotto with radicchio and sausage

  • damazinah on October 03, 2015

    Good, will probably add another Italian sausage next time. Also, I couldn't find radicchio and endive, so I used arugula instead. Doesn't keep very well.

• Catalan vegetable paella

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The lemon really brings this up. You should probably cook for about 23 minutes as the 20 was a bit short. You can go a bit heavier on the Paprika. Very tasty and quite healthy. Much like a traditional paella you used Bomba rice instead of Arboria as the book suggests

• Orzo with pine nuts and basil

  • Delys77 on June 03, 2013

    Exceedingly simple but also very tasty. I added a touch of lemon juice.

  • Zosia on February 01, 2018

    Even with all of the fresh basil, this was quite bland. Lemon zest and juice livened it up nicely.

• Conchiglie al forno with mushrooms and radicchio

  • Laurendmck on December 04, 2017

    p 325. Decadent and delicious!

• Farfalle with leeks and sausages sauce (Farfalle ai porri e salsicce)

  • Cheri on April 26, 2013

    Yum. I modified this, but we really loved it. I made it with mild Italian Chicken sausage (fresh), leeks, shallot, fresh basil and some green cauliflower. Skipped the peas. Threw everything into a skillet with some olive oil and sautéed away. Use whole wheat farfalle. Added chicken broth to the skillet, and let it cook down until it create quite a nice sauce, didn't need any pasta water. Finished with a sprinkle of parm. Loved it. I too, will make this again.

  • Breadcrumbs on February 27, 2011

    p. 329 – Chapter 7 With simple ingredients that I always have on hand, this seemed like an ideal quick and easy weeknight meal. This is a meal where the sum of its parts far outshines the individual ingredients used to make it. We loved this dish and without a doubt will have it again. This recipe calls for a pound of pasta, which seemed excessive given the quantity of sauce. We used half a pound of pasta, which was plenty. The dish is tossed w some fresh Parmesan. We really enjoyed this dish. I can imagine numerous variations that will give this dish legs for years to come . . . using asparagus instead of peas, a spritz of lemon juice and some zest added to the sauce, addition of hot chilli flakes, variations on the type of sausage or, even using boneless skinless chicken in place of sausage. This is a keeper, I’m happy to recommend it.

  • Laura on May 20, 2012

    Pg. 329. Made this for the first time this evening and it was a hit. Following the advice of previous reviewers, I cooked only 8 oz of pasta and that was plenty. Had sweet Sicilian pork sausages from the vendor at my farmers market and they were perfect in the dish. Also used fresh asparagus in place of the peas. Cut the asparagus into 2-inch lengths and added at the same time as the broth, did not pre-cook. Great comfort food. In the future I might add greens as well. Also in the future, I might double the recipe, as we have only about 1 serving of leftovers! :(

  • LaPomme on January 18, 2012

    Made it with whole wheat farfalle and chicken sausage, and it turned out great. I added an extra quarter cup of chicken broth, and a handful or two of extra peas, and made it with the full pound of pasta. This one will definitely go into regular rotation.

  • TrishaCP on December 30, 2014

    Really tasty dinner. I only had half of the pasta called for- seeing the reviews here I am glad that was all that I had! I used spicy Italian sausage since that is what I had available and it worked well flavor-wise.

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p329. Wow, what a winner. Make all of the sauce for half the quantity of pasta ie serves 2. I used water instead of stock. I made this with penne and thought it was great, a lovely creamy sauce.

  • L.Nightshade on June 11, 2011

    Thanks to the helpful suggestions on COTM, I halved the pasta for the same amount of sauce. I also threw some garlic greens in with the leeks. Otherwise, as written. Some of the pasta recipes I've been trying lately remind me of how I used to cook in my younger days. Dinner was frequently pasta with whatever vegetables and protein I had on hand, topped with a little cheese. But this was a pretty tasty version.

  • Zosia on February 25, 2017

    Really simple and tasty. I doubled the sausages (and my leeks were huge so were probably closer to 3) and added some pasta cooking water to reduce the saltiness and help thicken the sauce a little. I also skipped the blanching step and added the frozen peas directly to the sauce to simmer. It served 6.

  • Delys77 on October 17, 2014

    Made this for dinner last night and thought it was good, quick and easy, if a little boring. I doubled the amount of sausage for the same amount of pasta, and went with about 50% more leeks and this gave me a nice balance. I would consider repeating but I would like add a few herbs such as rosemary or thyme. I might also add a bit of fennel seed depending on the sausage I was using.

• The minimalist's paella

  • Zosia on April 09, 2020

    Quite good for so few ingredients and so little effort. I did follow the suggestion in the cooking notes to simmer the shrimp shells and saffron in the broth which added extra flavour. I cooked this in a 30cm cast iron skillet and both rice and shrimp were cooked perfectly in 25 minutes. This recipe also appears in Mark Bittman's book How to Cook Everything as the simplest paella.

• Cremini mushroom pasta with wilted arugula, goat cheese, and extra virgin olive oil

  • Delys77 on October 26, 2011

    Overall a quick and easy vegetarian pasta with relatively good flavour. I would make a few suggested modifications though. Firstly, I think 3 oz of pasta per person is more appropriate, and you could up the arugula to 4 cups or so. Also, the flavour is a little dominated by the goat cheese, I think it could be cut by 25 to 35 percent. I would replace the goat cheese that you cut by adding some parm. This would help balance the tang with some additional savoriness.

• Swiss chard casserole with farfalle and cheeses

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This was absolutely delicious. I used light goat cheese and it was still plenty creamy, and the flavour of the vegetable sauce was nice and earthy and classic.

  • PatriciaScarpin on July 16, 2012

    Delicious - I used spinach instead of chard. Tasted great even on the following day, reheated.

  • Lindalib on August 12, 2012

    We decided to make this recipe based on the notes left by previous members (thank you, lovely people.) A great way to use up lots of farm-fresh CSA vegetables and really, really good.

• Fettuccine with preserved lemon and roasted garlic

  • mlbatt on November 20, 2018

    excellent!

• Spicy, lemony clams with pasta

  • PrincessK on February 19, 2011

    p.336 too lemony

• Malcolm and Kelley McDowell's pink rigatoni

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This was absolutely delicious. I used light goat cheese and it was still plenty creamy, and the flavour of the vegetable sauce was nice and earthy and classic.

• Spaghetti with fried eggs and roasted peppers

  • TrishaCP on June 22, 2013

    A delicious simple supper, which can be even easier if you use jarred roasted red peppers. I love meals like this, the sum is definitely greater than its relatively humble parts. I think this would work with most peppers, even just sauteed.

  • mfto on September 16, 2016

    This was a delicious last minute dinner for 2, substituting two ingredients because I had to. No red peppers or jarred roasted red peppers. In a 9" baking dish I put a cup of leftover marinara sauce, a can of stewed tomatoes, and the other ingredients. I followed the rest of the recipe except substituted 3 min poached eggs for fried eggs. The timing in the recipe was perfect for us. When ready to serve, I substituted fresh basil for the parsley and added the poached eggs to the baking dish. The spaghetti was served in a separate bowl.

  • Zosia on August 28, 2018

    Even with roasting fresh peppers, this is still a fairly quick dish to put together and one that family enjoyed. The only change I made was to serve a fried egg on top of each portion for everyone to mix in as they wished.

  • pistachiopeas on March 23, 2017

    A nice change of pace for us. Sped things up by using a jar of roasted red peppers.

  • Lepa on November 20, 2022

    I might love the Bittman spaghetti with fried eggs recipe more. It's delicious and much less work than this recipe. My family, however, liked the flavors here and said it's just as good as the Bittman recipe so I may alternate between the two recipes.

• Pasta with yogurt and caramelized onions, from Kassos

  • hirsheys on January 18, 2019

    Eh. Fine. Not worth it for me. Too rich.

  • westminstr on December 09, 2014

    Made a half recipe with fusilli, sheeps yogurt (already thick, so I didn't drain it) and pecorino romano. Somehow it reminded me of an onion bagel with cream cheese. Rather than repeating this dish I would like to try other yogurt and pasta dishes, I definitely prefer the version in Jerusalem. The kids liked the yogurt sauce sans onions.

• Lasagna

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p 342, Orig NYT recipe called for Antica Pasteria lasagna noodles. JoanN used Fairway’ fresh noodles. 9X12 baking pan yielded too much filling. Use slightly larger pan. 2 med red onions is too much? Cut back to 1 large one & chop it more finely? Add another egg or two to the cheese layer to make it more spreadable? After roughly chopping the meats, add them back into the sauce to make 1 less layer to fiddle with? Hold out some sauce for the bottom of the pan & a bit extra for the top? The final instruction is to pour the remaining sauce on top of the last layer of noodles & then sprinkle that with 1 c of reserved grated mozz. Prob could cut the suggested 1/2 c of oil in the sauce by at least a half, no problem. The noodles she had said to cook for 2-3 mins. She cooked for 2 mins & then ran them under cold water until thoroughly cooled. She did them in 2 batches because it would be easier than trying to do 16 at once. All day affair. Could do sauce 1 day, noodles/assembly next.

  • TrishaCP on January 21, 2019

    This was good but a lot of work and there were execution issues so I’m not sure I would make this again. First, I can’t believe no one mentioned the saltiness! I like salt, but when you use 1/2 lb pancetta, 1 lb sausage, plus loads of Pecorino Romano, and you are supposed to liberally salt at all stages? Yikes! I did not salt anything, and halved the cheese and it was well seasoned, so I don’t think I could have eaten the version following the instructions. Second, the cheese layer was just about impossible to spread. I kind of dropped dots throughout and sprinkled the mozzarella rather than including it in the mix for better distribution. Finally, my lasagna was fairly watery, even after resting. I’m not sure what happened, especially since I used no boil noodles which suck up liquid.

  • LaPomme on April 18, 2011

    Labor-intensive project with delicious results. Not sure whether the meatball step is absolutely necessary. Perhaps, as PrincessK suggests, one could combine the meat (after browning and chopping) and sauce together instead of treating them as seperate elements.

  • Delys77 on September 03, 2014

    Pg. 342 This was absolutely delicious and well worth the effort. There is a fair amount of time spent working on this, but there are long periods of inactivity. I followed the instructions with regards to separate layering of the meat and sauce and I thought that this worked quite well. Given the separate layering I found the distribution of meat to be perfect. I do agree that you could cut the oil in the sauce back a fair bit and not impact the results. I used fresh lasagne sheets from Whole Foods and 1 4 sheet pack was just perfect. In my largest le creuset casserole I was only able to fit 3 layers of trimmed noodles. I ended up using the rest to make a second smaller lasagne in my medium sized LC casserole.

  • twoyolks on January 22, 2015

    I'm going to agree that this was very good and, while time consuming, worth the amount of effort applied. I used homemade lasanga noodles; I made them with 5 eggs and 3 1/2 cups of flour rolled out to the 6 setting on the KitchenAid Pasta Maker attachment. In the end, I had about twice as much dough as I needed.

• Pasta with fast sausage ragu [Mark Bittman]

  • jbuchman on June 10, 2020

    P. 343. Outstanding and quick. Added 2 handfuls of fresh spinach and some red pepper flakes.

  • Zosia on October 01, 2016

    A family favourite. I use lean Italian pork sausage that’s highly seasoned so not much more is required to flavour the sauce. The sauce itself is rich and silky even with made with 1% milk. I double the meat in the recipe to meet the carnivores’ meat:pasta requirements but keep the other ingredients the same.

  • hirsheys on January 25, 2019

    Easy and tasty, though a bit one note for me - missing a little brightness? Next time I'd use a really big onion (the onion is the best part, in my opinion) and drain some of the grease before adding the milk. I also added some cooked spinach, which worked well. ETA: Made again with the wine that had been recommended and it was excellent.

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p343. I made this with penne and thought it was lovely. I made all the sauce for only two serves as I was trying to get through some ingredients but probably would have been happy with the correct ratio.

  • LaPomme on March 17, 2011

    Page 343. Had one pound of sausage, and used mixture of heavy cream and low-fat milk. Delicious.

• Pasta with Tuscan duck sauce

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This takes a little bit of time but it is mostly unattended and requires very little prep work. The wine and the duck give it a very nice richness which is well balanced with the tang of the tomatoes. You should try with san marzano tomatoes as they are a primary flavour in the pasta.

• Rigatoni with white Bolognese

  • Delys77 on November 21, 2011

    Pg 344 I love sausage with pasta and this is an excellent rendition. I agree with BC that you might want a little fennel if there isn't much in your sausage. I used stock and it worked just fine. Makes very large portions. Lovely wholesome comfort food for a cold night.

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    pg 344 Seemed to need more carrots, onion and celery. OK to sub stock for bouillon cube and use mixed mushrooms. Maybe replace 1/2 the amount of the sausage with an equal amount of ground veal? Sauce without cream cheese is good, too.

  • Breadcrumbs on February 13, 2011

    As Italian food lovers, this recipe had immediate appeal and since this is a COTM book, it seemed the time was right to give this recipe a try. I’m certainly glad we did, this dish is a winner, we loved it! Actually the sauce reminded us quite a bit of that from one of our all-time favourite Tuscan pastas, a dish called Pinci alla Boscaiola. Prep is fairly quick and very straightforward. As I said, we really loved this dish. The sauce was rich and flavourful without being too heavy. Only 1/3cup of full cream is added so the sauce is not overly creamy, rather it just provides a nice coating for the pasta. Our sausages had very little fennel seed and I did miss that in the final product. I also think some fresh thyme would be a nice addition to this sauce. The meat flavours are predominant in this dish so I’d highly recommend using quality ground beef and, a good Italian sausage. Without hesitation, I’d recommend this dish.

  • mamacrumbcake on December 29, 2019

    This was good, but if I’m going to use 1.5 ounces of porcini mushrooms and half a bottle of wine, it needs to be outstanding, absolutely crave worthy. This isn’t.

  • hirsheys on October 21, 2021

    Made this last night for Sunday supper with the cousins and it was well received. Made it exactly as written, except that I served only half the recipe - freezing the sauce (pre-cream) to make the second batch later. It's not too time consuming and comes out quite tasty, though I'm not sure I like it more than tomato-y versions. Also, I'm bummed I didn't keep some leftovers for myself to try today. I bet they will improve. All in all, a solid recipe.

• Coconut crepes (Hoppers)

  • TrishaCP on June 22, 2013

    These were light and fun to make- a lighter change from the naan or rice that I usually serve with Indian dishes. What had stopped me making this recipe before is the eight hour sitting time of the batter- this time I remembered in time for about a six hour sit, and I thought that was sufficient. I look forward to trying them in the future with the eggs.

• Porcini bread stuffing

  • westminstr on December 05, 2014

    this fell short of expectations, required a lot of doctoring to make it good, porcini flavor did not come through, will not repeat

  • Breadcrumbs on January 16, 2011

    p. 350 - Only serve this to folks we like - it calls for 1 cup of Cognac!! LOL!

  • peaceoutdesign on December 19, 2018

    No Porcinis used. Did used dried cherries and Pecans. It was great but I should not have stuffed the Turkey so full it mushed up the stuffing.

• Rabbit ragu with pappardelle

  • Zosia on January 21, 2015

    Loved this! With a rich tasting sauce and tender braised meat, this was the perfect way to introduce rabbit to the family. I did find that the sauce had enough flavour without reducing it so I pureed a portion to thicken it (and omitted the butter). It was even better next day.

• Bulgur salad with pomegranate dressing and toasted nuts

  • PrincessK on February 02, 2011

    Needs something to counteract tartness, per katienell

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p354. I halved this recipe and it still made a ridiculously huge amount. Tasted very good though - sweet and sour.

• Takeout-style sesame noodles

  • hirsheys on January 25, 2019

    Meh. I've liked other sesame noodles better.

  • Tiganna on June 05, 2017

    Great sauce, really loved it and the entire dish is easy to make once the various sauces and vinegar are in the house. Having said that, it is a bit sweet for me, will reduce the sugar next time and up the ginger a bit. I also added some carrots to complement the cucumber. Next time some peppers as well.

• Rice and peas (Jamaican rice with coconut and red beans)

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on August 13, 2019

    This was a very good combination with the jerk chicken. Just enough spice with a quarter very hot pepper. Added the thyme leaves separately.

  • Zosia on February 06, 2017

    This was a bit bland made as written but I think could easily be improved if made with chicken stock in place of water and if the fresh thyme leaves were added to the rice rather than the whole sprig. Even so, it was fine as an accompaniment to jerk chicken.

  • Baxter850 on July 04, 2024

    Good, not great. A bit one note. Replaced 2/3rds of the water with chicken stock would go 100% chicken stock and add allspice next time.

• Pad Thai-style rice salad

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 357

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    OK to use 1/2 T oil instead of 3 T

• Coconut barley pilaf with corn, chicken, and cashews

  • mfeldman51 on January 09, 2014

    I fed the rest to the chickens. They enjoyed it.

• Welsh rarebit

  • twoyolks on October 05, 2016

    This was simply alright. It's basically just toast covered in a thick, goopy cheese sauce. The sauce ends up rather salty just because of all the cheese. I also believe that the ingredients list in the book has a typo: where it says "English ale or port" I believe it should say "English ale or porter"

  • damazinah on August 18, 2020

    Welsh rarebit shouldn't be rubbery. The flavor was okay, but the gloppy consistency made it really unpalatable. As I was scrapping it into the garbage, it reminded me of yellow silly putty.

• Bouillabaisse

  • damazinah on March 19, 2016

    Bland. I was excited by the idea of an easy bouillabaisse, with ingredients that didn't require a 3-day scavenger hunt and a second mortgage, but this recipe needs a major flavor overhaul.

• Shrimp Creole

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    A bit different then I expected. The eggplant and capers are a nice touch but definitely don't seem very creole. The rice is nice and spicy and does lend good balance to the dish but overall it is just good. Definitely makes six servings.

• Shrimp baked with feta cheese, Greek-style

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    I have made a few versions of this recipe from other books, including Ina's how easy is that and one from Epicurious, and this is the better one. The technique and ingredients yield a slightly briny but deliciously complex meal.

  • L.Nightshade on December 21, 2014

    This is an easy weeknight dish. It's meant to be an appetizer, I served it as the main course. The recipe calls for cooking the dish in two pans, and baking it in separate serving dishes, I only used one pan, and I baked it in a single cazuela. I cooked the shrimp in the butter first (just barely cooked, less than a minute, as they will also bake in the oven), set them aside, and cooked the tomatoes in the same pan. Along with garlic, the tomatoes are enhanced with oregano, red pepper flakes, and capers. I omitted the small amount of fish broth called for, and just didn't reduce the tomatoes quite as much. I preferred this dish over the similar one in The Olive and the Caper.

  • mfto on September 23, 2015

    Anyone cooking for two knows that leftovers are an eternal problem. Many recipes become My-style so I won't rate but I agree with the other commenters that this is an easy and delicious recipe. I substituted 2 TBS fish sauce for 1/4 cup fish broth. It definitely added flavor. I used about 2 cups of leftover 20 min tomato sauce by Lidia and added a small can of tomato sauce. (You do what you have to do.) To that I added the listed sauce ingredients including capers. I cooked the shrimp following directions, assembled the dish as directed with feta on top, and baked for 15 minutes. I did not add ouzo to the dish but served alongside. I loved the ouzo but my husband did not. The only sides were polenta and salad. Quite delicious. Of course, I have leftovers of this now. Can't win.

• Sautéed sole with capers and lemons (Sole Grenobloise)

  • Delys77 on October 25, 2011

    This sauce is delicious, as it has much more pep than a meunière. Also the technique for frying the sole does result in a nice crust, but be careful not too crowd as they will stick to each other. The only thing preventing this from being super is the fact that sole is not my favourite fish. Might try with something like halibut or even haddock. Also as is the recipe serves 2.

• Monkfish encrusted with pistachios

  • westminstr on February 06, 2015

    I made this recipe substituting samuelssons spiced butter for clarified butter. Even with the spiced butter it could have used a bit more zip. Still, the kids liked it. I think the pesto pistachio fish from radically simple is better and easier, and I'd like to try that with monkfish. The tip to gently pound the monkfish to flatten is a good one.

• Hot pepper shrimp

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    The shrimp has great texture and despite the deep frying they remain relatively light because they have only the slightest coating on them. The sauce is super flavorful but go easy on the seeds from the chiles, maybe put half as much or less.

• Crab cakes Baltimore-style

  • stockholm28 on June 16, 2018

    These were fine, but I felt there was too much binder (1 cup crushed saltines) and I did not care for the celery. I still prefer Aunt Mary’s recipe (all crab in a bechamel sauce).

• Steamed fish with thyme and tomato vinaigrette

  • caitmcg on November 11, 2018

    Quick, tasty, and healthful. Made with salmon, reduced oil in vinaigrette to 1/4 cup, used well-drained canned plum tomato in place of fresh. Can’t really taste the thyme, so would skip.

• Salmon cakes with yogurt chipotle sauce

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 413

• Salmon and tomatoes in foil

  • PrincessK on February 14, 2011

    pg 422 recommend cutting basil into a chiffonade.

  • Laura on February 19, 2011

    Could this be any easier? This is a great recipe for nights when you don't have time for a lot of prep. And it's quite tasty, too.

  • fprincess on April 13, 2011

    Flavorful and very easy. However it took 15 min for the dish to cook at 500F (not 10 min)

  • lorloff on November 02, 2014

    This was a real success. I used fresh king salmon and tomatoes from the farmers market. I agree the chiffonade makes a difference. Also since my pieces were a bit thick it took almost 12 minutes to cook. I neede to check to get the cooking time right. I used garlic thyme oil in the packet which added another depth of flavor. This is a definate keeper

  • TrishaCP on September 22, 2016

    Not sure what I'm missing, but this was just ok for me. I didn't think it was particularly flavorful-garlic or shallots would have helped. I agree that the cooking time was off on this and that it needed more time.

  • L.Nightshade on March 11, 2011

    Wow, what a fast and tasty dinner this is! It was perfect for feeding my last minute dinner guest! Just wrap salmon, a little olive oil, cherry tomatoes, and basil in foil and pop in the oven for 10 minutes. I served it with roasted asparagus, which, handily, also take 10 minutes in a 500 degree oven. Next time I would chiffonade the basil, the wording in the recipe sounds like one should lay the leaves on whole. They look nice, like a wrapping, but, after cooking, are difficult to cut with a knife. With a chiffonade you could get more bits of basil with each bite of salmon. You can't really see the tomatoes in the photo, but they are there, under the basil. Otherwise, just perfect. We've had lots of fish cooked in parchment or foil, this one is particularly flavorful and pretty.

• Sautéed cod with potatoes in chorizo-mussel broth

  • L.Nightshade on January 20, 2015

    This was just delicious. Cod is not my favorite fish, as a rule, but I loved it prepared in this fashion. The sauce is infused with all the chorizo-y goodness, and the mild fish and lemony potatoes offer the perfect canvas.

• Shrimp in green sauce

  • PrincessK on February 09, 2011

    p. 430 Raw shrimp baked in a paste of chopped garlic, scallions, parsley, crushed chiles or red pepper flakes, oil -- plus 1/3 c. broth, water, or white wine added during baking. Easy to set up ahead in the refrigerator then bake 10 to 20 mins in a 500 F oven, depending on size of shrimp and whether they are chilled.

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Be careful not to put too much wine or green onion, otherwise the proportions are just right. The green onion could be dialed back by about a third. Really quick to put together and delicious with a little crusty bread.

• Sweet-and-sour salmon in almond prune sauce

  • sherrib on February 25, 2016

    This was ok, but nothing spectacular. The flavors somehow didn't meld too well for me. ETA: Other family members loved it. For me, it tasted much better the next day, reheated. Oddly enough, I never like fish reheated but I can say this was good. Either my taste buds were off or the flavors needed the extra day to mellow out/incorporate.

• Yucatán fish with crisp garlic

  • Laura on December 21, 2014

    Pg. 431. Made this tonight for dinner and it was good, if nothing special. I used turbot fillets which were very thin, so did not turn them. I really wish I had cooked the tomatoes and the other sauce ingredients separately because the tomatoes were not cooked long enough before the fish was done. Did love how healthy and easy this was. I'd make it again.

  • PrincessK on February 02, 2011

    pg 431. per greeneggsandham "When I make this again... I will up the garlic and cilantro. My husband and I were fighting over the sauce, which is really like a cooked salsa. The garlic also becomes very mild as it is cooked. I would also season the fish before searing with salt and pepper and maybe a little cumin. I would also probably sear the fish on both sides before adding the lime juice." Also, since her fillet was very thick, she flipped it despite the admonition not to--no problem.

• Fish steamed over vegetables and fresh herbs

  • L.Nightshade on March 11, 2011

    This recipe is truly an easy, one-pan dinner. The only cleanup was the skillet and the cutting board. I am not usually a big fan of steamed fish, I prefer it grilled or seared. But in this dish, the fish absorbs some subtle flavors from the vegetables and herbs, and it is quite nice. We started off with the cored and chopped tomatoes as directed, but upon tasting them, realized they were pretty devoid of flavor. So we substituted a can of organic fire roasted tomatoes. Otherwise followed the recipe. Our fish took a little longer to cook. At the end of the 12 minutes it was still not cooked in the thicker areas. Although we generally "err to the rare" with fish, this took 13 to 14 minutes of steaming. I found this to be a great method for preparing a simple dinner, and the result was colorful, fragrant, and flavorful. I will definitely try it again, and play with different vegetables and fish.

• Sautéed fluke with grapefruit vinaigrette

  • unrealmeal on March 13, 2011

    Flounder makes an appropriate substitute if you can't find fluke or if it's cost prohibitive. The recipe notes say this, but it's worth reiterating: be careful not to overheat the grapefruit segments, or they'll disintegrate.

• Clementine's tuna macaroni salad

  • jodies on May 28, 2016

    I get this salad at Clementine in LA all the time and it's delicious. Making it at home with this recipe is no different.

• Chicken à la Marengo

  • mamacrumbcake on August 14, 2020

    This is really good! The tomato sauce is delicious. My aromatics were not fully softened at the end of the 40 minutes so I would add enough water at the beginning to get them boiling more. All the water boils off. Once the sauce is made, this is a very simple and pretty quick dish. Even the mushrooms without the tomato sauce are delicious, so that would be another tasty option on a busier weeknight.

• Country captain

  • mamacrumbcake on October 20, 2020

    This was fine, but too sweet for me due to the stewed tomatoes. Curry flavor is very light. Need to salt the sauce too.

  • PrincessK on February 09, 2011

    p. 455.

• Fricassee of chicken with tarragon

  • Delys77 on May 13, 2013

    Pg. 456 This one is going into the repeat pile. The dish comes together in a little over an hour and yields a very tasty dinner. While it is rich I made a few substitutions to lighten it up a little and it was still very good. Firstly I went with a half recipe using 2 small breasts and 4 thighs. I increased the wine and stock by about 25%, because I knew I would be cutting back the dairy by about half. I mixed my cream with a bit of milk essentially making half and half and it was plenty rich. The egg yolk liaison at the end makes for a very silky texture. To skim the fat I transferred to a fat separator but the gravy was too thick to go through the spout so I ended up letting it rest till the fat rose to the top and then I blotted with paper towels. I had it in the oven for 55 but 45 should be good next time, and dried tarragon worked just fine. Great dinner!

• Chicken paprikash

  • twoyolks on January 26, 2021

    Really flavorful. The only thing I would've preferred was a stronger paprika flavor. I used some generic California sweet paprika and would try a smoked paprika in the future.

  • Delys77 on December 29, 2014

    Pg. 461 This was so simply and just delicious. The sauce thickens beautifully and the chicken comes out with a beautifully light pinkish orange sauce that goes perfectly with the buttered noodles. I would suggest cooking the chicken a touch longer than suggested. This is an easy meal that is doable on a weeknight.

  • stockholm28 on December 30, 2014

    This recipe makes obvious why this is a classic. This is a simple dish that works well on a weeknight. I might pour off a bit of the fat before adding the chicken stock. I made with sweet paprika but I'd love to try it with smoked paprika.

  • PrincessK on February 17, 2011

    Season whole cut up chicken with S & P then brown on both sides in melted butter. Scatter sliced onions and minced garlic around the chicken , then sprinkle paprika (Penzey's smoked paprika pimenton) all over. Add chicken broth, cover pan, then simmer for 10-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and pour off any fat. Whisk together a cup of sour cream (drained yogurt works) and 1T of flour, then stir into sauce in the pan. Simmer for 1 minute. To serve pour sauce over the chicken.

  • Gio on May 21, 2012

    Chicken Paprikash, Pg. 461 Absolutely delicious. Instead of sour cream I used drained yogurt. Used Penzey's smoked paprika (pimenton). Served steamed broccoli and steamed Basmati rice as side dishes.

  • Lepa on June 27, 2022

    This was delicious over buttered egg noodles. I used boneless chicken breasts and they got a bit dry so I might cook it less next time or try something besides breasts or cook it for a shorter amount of time. I don't cook chicken much so I think it was my fault, not the recipes. I used 1/3 smoked paprika and that resulted in a wonderful flavor.

• Janice Okun's Buffalo chicken wings

  • Gio on May 21, 2012

    Made only the blue cheese component of the recipe to be used as dressing for a chopped green salad. Subbed Greek yogurt for sour cream. Delicious. We couldn't stop sampling the dressing, dipping lettuce leaves into the sauce, so it never did get chilled as directed by the recipe.

  • PrincessK on February 06, 2011

    Pg. 464 (just the dressing) Mayo, chopped onion and garlic, parsley, sour cream, lemon juice, white vinegar, S & P & cayenne and as much blue cheese as you want are mixed together then chilled for at least an hour. OK to sub greek yogurt for sour cream.

  • tekobo on January 20, 2017

    Yes, I can confirm that this is a mighty fine blue cheese sauce, made with Greek yogurt and home made mayonnaise.

• Breaded chicken breasts with Parmesan cheese

  • PrincessK on February 11, 2011

    Pg. 465 easy, quick. Put a bit of flour in a flat dish. Beat an egg with a little water and S & P. Combine fresh breadcrumbs with parmigiana. Dip the chicken in each the flour, the egg mixture, the breadcrumb mixture. Heat oil in a skillet. Cook the chicken until golden brown on each side. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Make sauce: Butter, tarragon (dried works fine) and lemon juice blended in the skillet.

  • Jane on February 14, 2011

    Wanted a quick dinner tonight with chicken breasts so this leapt at me. I rather ruined the "quick" aspect by choosing to make the Italian Roast Potatoes p.300 which Amanda suggested as an accompaniment as well as Broccoli Puree with Ginger p.253 but at least the chicken part of the meal was quick and easy. I didn't have any fresh tarragon so used fresh parsley instead. I liked this, it was tasty and very quick to make.

  • Breadcrumbs on February 15, 2011

    p. 465 Chicken is tender, crisp and juicy. The only change I made to the recipe was to use a mixture of fresh and dried thyme in the sauce vs the fresh tarragon as I wanted the flavours in the chicken to align with those in the pasta dish I was serving on the side. Come summer time I’ll definitely try this with some fresh tarragon from my garden as we love the somewhat creamy hint of anise it lends to dishes. I also think capers would be great in the sauce. This was a hit and I’ll definitely make it again. K gave the meal a 10

  • Gio on May 21, 2012

    Pg. 465 Easy, Quick, Delicious... Served Escarole with Roasted Garlic and Lemon on page 248 as the side dish. Good combination.

• Rabbit in mustard sauce

  • PrincessK on February 13, 2011

    pg 466 Cut rabbit into 8 pieces, marinate in dijon mustard for 3 hours. , Dredge rabbit in flour. Meanwhile saute diced bacon in a large skillet, remove. Saute a minced onion in the rendered fat, remove from the pan, add butter, brown rabbit pieces in two batches. Remove from pan. Deglaze with white wine, add broth and herbs and bring to a simmer. Return rabbit and onions are to pan and simmer very low for an hour. Remove rabbit, reduce sauce, add cream, simmer briefly, then add back rabbit and bacon and serve.

  • anniemac on February 02, 2013

    I've made this several times, using rabbits we get from the farmer's market. The flavors are classic, and it's very easy to put together. I have served it on egg noodles and on fusilli--both were good. I recently served this for a Sunday lunch for visiting family, along with a salad of fennel and radicchio (Melissa Clark) and the almond cake in the NYT cookbook.

• James Beard's chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

  • Delys77 on December 08, 2014

    Pg. 469 Very easy to put together as there is no browning, but the recipe itself suffers from the fact that the chicken doesn't crisp and the veggies become a bit limp and boring. The garlic is delicious but not enough to make it a repeat.

• Bademiya's justly famous Bombay chile-and-cilantro chicken

  • L.Nightshade on March 11, 2011

    This is a company-worthy dinner. Although I wouldn't attempt this after a 12 hour workday (the chicken requires several hours of marinating), I did not find it terribly time consuming. With no skin, there is no fat dripping, so no rogue flames, and less unexpected burning of the chicken. We used a whole chicken, a little over 4 pounds, cut up. It took longer to grill than the recipe stated, maybe almost 40 minutes. We both loved the cilantro dipping sauce, plan to try it also on fish. I could not get tamarind on a Sunday, so mixed lime juice with a little brown sugar and amchoor. Not tamarind but a very tasty addition. I served this with green beans roasted with garlic and ginger, and naan bread.

  • twoyolks on June 30, 2013

    I ended up marinating this for a day and a half because the weather didn't cooperate. To us, the flavor of the marinade didn't really penetrate into the chicken. The chicken ended up only mildly flavored. The cilantro sauce recipe th at accompanies this is quite good, however (and completely overpowered the flavor of the marinade).

  • JoanN on February 10, 2011

    see reports on timing; may take quite a bit longer than stated in the book

  • jenmmcd on November 20, 2022

    Loved the cilantro sauce.

• Roasted brine-cured turkey with wild mushroom stuffing

  • PrincessK on February 13, 2011

    Per Amanda in the brined turkey recipes on pages 475 and 478, step 5, the temperature for doneness should be 165, not 130.

• Roasted brine-cured turkey with shiitake and lotus seed stuffing

  • PrincessK on February 13, 2011

    Per Amanda, in the brined turkey recipes on pages 475 and 478, step 5, the temperature for doneness should be 165, not 130.

• Elizabeth Frink's roast lemon chicken

  • PrincessK on February 20, 2011

    p. 478 very easy, very lemony. Increase heat to 350 to get browned skin (4 lb chicken). Still juicy and tender even if you don't baste every 15 mins. Add water to the pan so the drippings don't burn. The last step calls for squeezing one more lemon over and sprinkling with chopped parsley about 20 minutes before it was done.

• Chicken roasted with sour cream, lemon juice, and mango chutney

  • Breadcrumbs on February 09, 2011

    p. 480 -This really couldn’t be easier, a perfect quick weeknight meal. Hesser suggests 15 mins however ours took 25 mins. The sauce was really tasty and well-balanced w no one flavour prevailing. I did feel a little guilty using 1/2 cup of mayo though . . . not that it didn’t taste terrific, just that it seemed like a bit much for 1lb of chicken. I’ve made something similar in the past using plain yogurt and I think I’d replace the mayo/sour cream w that next time and perhaps reduce the lemon juice since the yogurt has its own tang. As I was enjoying this I was thinking how good it would be w some broccoli or broccoli rabe on the side. . . . . next time!

  • Jane on February 14, 2011

    This took far longer than 15 mins for the chicken breasts to be cooked through - more like 30 mins. Though I may have misunderstood the instruction on halving the breasts. I read whole boneless, skinless breasts, halved as being the double breasts, halved down the centre division between the two breasts but now I read it again I think it should have been each breast halved. And I think the cut should probably be horizontal to ensure cooking in 15 mins. My breasts were quite plump (ha!) so would have taken longer than 15 mins with a vertical cut. Anyway, we liked the end result. I wouldn't say I loved it, it was a bit too "fatty" for my taste but it's a good quick dinner when all you have are some chicken breasts and store-cupboard ingredients.

  • Cheri on December 22, 2010

    This is good, quick. Makes a lot of sauce, be careful on proportions if only using one large chicken breast. Baked 25 minutes.

  • hirsheys on January 18, 2019

    This recipe is solid and unbelievably easy, but not something I'll make again. It's basically a less good (though much easier) version of Sultan's Delight - a family favorite similar to chicken divan. One major benefit - it's a pantry dish if you have chicken breasts in the freezer.

  • damazinah on September 28, 2015

    good and quick, takes longer than 15 minutes as everyone else found. Next time I'll cut them in half. Served with basmati rice and roasted carrots with cumin & coriander.

  • kathryn_lr645u on May 31, 2026

    Made twice. Easy and delicious, served over brown rice. Cooking time was longer. Could be that the breasts needed to be sliced differently.

• Moroccan chicken smothered in olives

  • unrealmeal on March 13, 2011

    Definitely better day two, as others have said. I did unbrined chicken, and noticed no discernable moisture difference than when I've cooked with brined meat; this doesn't cook that long, and cooks in with a lot of other moist ingredients, so I'm not 100% certain that the brining is that necessary. If not brined, though, it's important to season the chicken before using.

  • PrincessK on February 12, 2011

    pg 482, better on day 2. Important to use dark meat. Maybe remove some of the olives before serving and save them to chop up as a topping for bruschetta.

  • mfto on July 02, 2014

    I made this using my Moroccan tagine and we were delighted with the outcome. I just layered the ingredients while the tagine was sitting on a heat diffuser on a low burner. By the time I had finished layering, the base of the tagine had warmed enough that I turned the burner to medium and put the top on the tagine. I didn't start timing until the broth had come up to a simmer. Then I turned the burner to low. After 30 minutes, I removed the top and added the lemon juice and olives and let it continue to cook to reduce the broth. We thought the dish was great with couscous.

  • L.Nightshade on March 11, 2011

    I used skinless chicken breasts instead of the thighs, and I realize that probably makes a big difference in the final outcome. I did brine them as directed in the recipe. My olives seemed rather large, so I cut them in half. This dish was quite easy to prepare. The color and aromas of this dish were wonderful, and the brined chicken was moist and tender. The flavors, however, didn't merge quite like I expected. The taste was great only if you got a piece of chicken, an olive, some onion, and a little broth, all in one bite. However, the next day, the leftovers seemed tastier. I think the chicken absorbed more of the flavorful broth given extra time.

• Pan-roasted chicken with end-of-season tomatoes

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    pg 482

• Staff meal chicken with salsa verde

  • PrincessK on February 08, 2011

    pg. 484 Easy. Cut up chicken on the bone marinated in an olive oil and lemon + dried spices paste, baked at a high heat (400 F) for 30 minutes, then lowered heat (300 F) for 15 minutes. A side salsa of tomatillos, jalapenos and cilantro made in a sauce pan, then a blender. OK to halve recipe. OK to use a blend of sweet and hot paprika.

• Crisp-braised duck legs with aromatic vegetables

  • wodtke on September 09, 2014

    Another successful recipe from Mark Bittman, whose current column in the Times I find very annoying, but whose recipes are often interesting.. In her notes, Hesser says that the duck stuck to her pan in browning, so recommended using a nonstick pan. I didn't, and it stuck badly. If you use a regular pan, film it with oil before starting the browning; or use a non-stick pan. Vegetables were delicious, duck was not fatty; I'll be darned.

• Southeast Asian chicken two ways

  • mamacrumbcake on August 24, 2020

    This was delicious, far exceeded expectations. When you serve, do give an extra squeeze of lime juice and sprinkling of cilantro; it gives a piquancy that complements the caramel sauce. I didn’t plan ahead so the chicken only marinated for a half hour, but it still was yummy. I imagine it would be even more delicious if it marinated overnight. Agree with other reviewer, Vietnamese way was better

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 489 Vietnamese way was preferred, would be great for a superbowl party

• Braised Ligurian chicken

  • PrincessK on February 15, 2011

    p 491 Quick and easy. Dredge chicken pieces in seasoned flour, then brown. Add garlic, rosemary, white wine, olives (Kalamata work), anchovies, and tomatoes (canned works). Braise until done. Might take longer than the recipe calls for. More like 30 mins Instead of 15-20 minutes.

  • Breadcrumbs on March 01, 2011

    p. 491 – Chapter 10 A one-pot Jamie Oliver dish that comes together in no time and produces wonderfully aromatic, flavourful results. The anchovies and olives give the chicken juice infused tomato sauce a nice salty kick and, a depth of flavour not normally achieved without a longer braising period. I liked the rosemary in this however would also like to try fennel seed instead (which I’d toast in a dry pan first). I used a 14oz can of Italian tomatoes in place of the nasty winter Roma's gracing the shelves of my grocery store. The recipe is intended to be simmered stovetop but I put mine in the oven at 300 for an hour. While it could have come out sooner, the longer braise allowed more flavours to develop in the sauce and, to permeate the chicken. The meat was fall off the bone tender, no knives required. I plated w a small amount of gnocchi, which worked well w this dish. I’ll definitely make this again. K8.5

  • L.Nightshade on March 11, 2011

    I removed the chicken when it was tender and reduced the sauce. It was quite watery when the chicken was just done, but reduced nicely, just thick enough to spoon over the polenta. The anchovy flavor was not overwhelming, just added a little something extra, and the rosemary really made the dish fragrant. Served over polenta.

  • Delys77 on October 19, 2011

    Pg 491 Overall this dish is flavourful despite the relatively short cooking. I went for 20 minutes but you could do a tiny bit longer depending on the size of the chicken pieces. I worried about the rosemary overwhelming the chicken but it was quite nice. Be careful not to overblown the chicken and not to burn the garlic. Go with a medium heat in the le creuset.

• Roast chicken salad

  • feucht22 on January 30, 2012

    The lime really makes this shine.

• Buttermilk roast chicken

  • twoyolks on January 18, 2016

    The chicken was very moist but the acid in the buttermilk changed the texture slightly for the worse. Additionally, while the very edges picked up some flavor from the marinade, it wasn't wide spread. The chicken also browned a lot in some places and not at all in others.

  • swegener on February 01, 2015

    This was good--but not the best chicken ever. I did like it, but ended up eating most of the chicken shredded in a veggie dish.

  • Queezle_Sister on July 03, 2013

    Like Jane, I left mine to marinade for more than 24h. This was about the best chicken I've ever prepared. I also spatchcocked the chicken. It was perfectly cooked, moist, flavorful, and I just couldn't stop eating it! Try it!

  • Jane on February 17, 2011

    This is a Nigella Lawson recipe and I have cooked her original several times, The Tenderest Chicken from 'How to Eat'. That recipe is slightly different, with garlic, soy and Dijon mustard whereas in this recipe the flavorings are garlic, rosemary and honey. I marinated a spatchcocked chicken for 2 days in the buttermilk and flavorings and the end result was so delicious. The chicken was so juicy and moist with great flavor and a lovely crispy skin. A spatchcocked chicken (split down the backbone and flattened) cooks quite a bit quicker than a whole bird.

  • PrincessK on February 17, 2011

    p.493 marinate a spatchcocked chicken in buttermilk+herbs for 2 days

• Fried sambal wings with cucumber cream

  • meggan on February 02, 2015

    Super Bowl must make. Easy, kind of hot and delicious.

• Spicy, garlicky cashew chicken

  • Kfaber on May 14, 2014

    So delicious and really interesting flavor combination. Will definitely make this again!

• Jerk chicken

  • twoyolks on September 12, 2012

    I first made this with grocery store habaneros and it was simply okay. I then made it with Jamaican chocolate habneros from the farmer's market and it was very good.

• Beef, potato, and onion stew (Spanish fricco)

  • Delys77 on November 27, 2011

    This is ok just not great. On the positive side it is very little work and yields a reasonable little stew with ok texture and a simple but good flavour. It isn't super pretty and I wouldn't serve to company but it is ok.

• Sausages in ale (Arundel)

  • Jviney on June 26, 2019

    This was an easy preparation and a delicious one. Served with a potato strudel from Classic German Baking - just a really nice meal.

• Choucroute à l'Alscacienne

  • AudreyFromNe on January 03, 2015

    p513 - keeper - I wanted a more German/Swiss twist so used juniper berries instead of the clove. Used chicken broth instead of wine. Meats: ham & knack wurst. Added red potatoes at T minus 2 hours.

• Flemish beef and onion stew (Carbonnades à la Flamande)

  • Delys77 on December 26, 2012

    Pg 515. Not bad overall but not as good as the Julia child version. As is the stew needed a bit more liquid so I added a bit more beer as well as some brown sugar to balance out the flavours.

• Boeuf Bourguignon 1

  • HalfSmoke on February 24, 2018

    Super easy version of boeuf Bourguignon with tremendous depth of flavor. A keeper.

• Boeuf Bourguignon 2

  • meggan on December 21, 2020

    This is my favorite bourguignon recipe. Don't forget that the onions take a long time to peel!

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    Possibly the best boeuf bourguignon roxlet has ever made, though it might have been the whole chuck beef she used.

• Veal chops beau séjour

  • unrealmeal on March 13, 2011

    I used veal loin chops for this instead of from the rack, and they were outstanding -- much less expensive, and extremely flavorful (they were effectively veal porterhouses, actually). The note in the cookbook makes a reference to the garlic being the star here, and that's no joke. My only beef was that the recipe only calls for 1 clove per chop. I doubled that, and it was perfect. I used fresh bay leaves off the plant in my kitchen, and I think that they have a better taste (not to mention being easier to cut without breaking them into a million pieces). Make sure not to crowd the pan when browning the veal, or it won't brown at all.

• Meat and spinach loaf

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 524

  • L.Nightshade on June 04, 2011

    I used a mix of ground beef and pork, about half and half. (I would have like to use veal, but none was to be found.) I couldn't get my breadcrumbs to pulverize enough (too fresh, I think), so I threw it in with the milk, parsley, and celery in the blender, which did the job. I used fresh baby spinach, just barely wilted and then chopped. I used pepper bacon on the top. As JVH says above, the spinach is a really nice touch. It also makes the loaf a bit lighter, unlike some brick-like meat loves I've seen around. The bacon on top adds eye appeal, and the drippings going into the meatloaf don't hurt the flavor either. Without a doubt, one of the better meatloaves I've had (although I admit I'm not a frequent meatloaf consumer). I did not make the tomato sauce, instead roasted some tomato quarters with thyme, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil (a la Ottolenghi). A simple potato dish would work well alongside. And it is nice to have some leftover meatloaf waiting in the refrigerator.

  • damazinah on March 20, 2016

    Probably one of the best meatloaf recipes I've ever tried! The spinach, celery and nutmeg add a flavor that's more sophisticated than most meatloaves. I didn't add a tomato-based topping, and am glad as I think it would have overwhelmed the delicate flavors. I served this with Potatoes Anna, steamed green beans tossed with butter and Dijon mustard, and a nice Pinot Noir. Compliments all around!

• Orange-braised short ribs with fennel and oregano

  • Jane on February 08, 2011

    I may have misunderstood the type of shortribs to get - I got them boneless and only half the quantity she suggested - I got 2 lbs rather than 4 lbs she suggested for 4. So I halved everything else and it worked out fine. It was plenty for me and two teenagers with leftovers. 4lbs of meat seems a heck of a lot for 4 people so I assume hers must have been on the bone. The sauce was rather sweet due to the combination of red onions, balsamic, ketchup, and orange juice but I liked the flavor. Did simple side veg - mashed potatoes and steamed green beans - which worked well. I'll definitely make this again, next time trying to make it a day ahead to improve the flavors.

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    p.544 Easy to make, then just leave for 60-90 mins in the oven. Can also be made a day ahead, and, in fact, might be best if made one day ahead. Can be halved easily. Rub meat with cracked fennel seeds, then brown in a Dutch oven. Set aside while thinly sliced red onions are sauteed. Add garlic & red pepper flakes, then red wine, orange juice, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, ketchup, mustard, oregano. Put it in oven for 60-90 mins.

• Marinated flank steak with lime, chile, and basil slaw

  • Jane on May 05, 2011

    Marinated flank steak is one of my stand-by everynight dinners and I think this recipe is the best of any I've tried. I didn't marinate it for anything like the minimum of 6 hours, mine was more like an hour. But it was still really flavorful. I'll make it again and do a longer marinade. I didn't make the slaw as I didn't have cabbage but I served it with Asian noodles.

  • Delys77 on June 10, 2012

    Pg. 552 Fabulously flavourful flank steak recipe. The sun is out so I managed to get the charcoal BBQ going to grill the flank. 5 minutes per side yielded a beautiful medium rare result. The slight smoke from the BBQ combined with the sweet and umami flavours of the the marinade was a great flavour combo. The meat is very flavourful but to give it an extra a little kick I boiled the marinade for about 15 minutes and used it as a light sauce. Make sure to sauce lightly as the marinade is very flavourful. The slaw was also great, but as Mr. Delys doesn't love cabbage I cut the amount of cabage back a bit. Also, I added a little rice vinegar to the slaw dressing to up the acidity and to loosen the dressing a bit and it was perfect.

  • Shannoncooks17 on June 03, 2020

    This was fabulous! We added yellow and red bell pepper pieces to the salad along with some sunflower seeds for crunch. Dressing for the salad... added just a little brown sugar to add to the flavor. An easy meal for any night of the week and also nice enough to have for guests!

  • tekobo on February 18, 2017

    What can I say? Yummy! Actually made with Dexter braising steak. Marinated it, vac packed for two days and it came out beautifully.

• Pork and squash in coconut milk

  • Jane on February 08, 2011

    p. 555 Good, quick everynight dinner. Cubed pork (a fattier cut rather than tenderloin) is browned, then a sliced onion added and softened. Cubed butternut squash (you can sub sweet potatoes), a can of coconut milk and some fish sauce are added then simmered for 30-40 mins. Juice of a lime added at the end and chopped cilantro sprinkled on top. I liked this a lot, probably because I like all the individual ingredients in this. I served it with plain rice. I wouldn't go quite as far as Amanda's comment "I could eat this dish every day" but it's definitely going on my rotation.

  • LauraMB on October 02, 2025

    I made this with sweet potatoes, as that is what I had on hand. I used 3 tbsp of fish sauce. I used a covered cast-iron dutch oven, and the sauce thickened nicely. I felt it needed something green, so I added peas at the end. I topped it with cilantro and chopped peanuts. I enjoyed this recipe.

  • Delys77 on December 08, 2014

    Pg. 555 This comes together very easily and is quite tasty. It does need the fat from the pork shoulder and I would suggest removing the pork and squash and reducing a bit at the end. I also thought it might need some brown sugar but the squash and pork are sweet enough as is. Overall very tasty.

  • L.Nightshade on October 20, 2015

    I had some butternut squash leftover from another dinner, but we’d had pork a couple times lately, so I went with the chicken option. Although thighs were suggested, and make sense, I had breasts, so I went with those. Using chicken, and on top of that, using breasts, really made this dish cook up in a hurry. So it’s a super easy weeknight meal, especially when your squash is already peeled and seeded! I added some chopped peanuts upon serving, as I was in the mood for a little crunch. For a side dish, Mr. NS stir fried green beans with lots of garlic, doenjang, and sesame seeds. This was really a lovely, flavorful, easy meal, especially for one of our first cool foggy evenings. I’ll definitely do it again. Photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/december-2014-february-2011-cookbook-month-essential-york-763221?commentId=9748711

• Chocolate chip cookies

  • Jane on February 14, 2011

    I'm always on the lookout for the perfect choc chip cookie. I rested the dough as suggested but they aren't going into my Hall of Fame. I didn't follow the recipe exactly which may not have helped. I used regular choc chips rather than feves, which I felt would be far too large. I also reduced the size of the cookies by half (6" cookies seemed totally OTT) and reduced the baking time accordingly. The reasons I won't be making these again: Cookies too flat. Dough too salty and I didn't even sprinkle the top with sea salt as suggested. 1.5 teaspoons of coarse salt means you are always aware of salt on your taste buds as you eat the cookie. I like salt but I didn't want it to be this prominent in a choc chip cookie. So the quest goes on!

  • milgwimper on July 02, 2014

    We loved these cookies, but only made a couple of these the recommended size. They were too rich, and therefore we made these smaller. The next couple of times I reduced the salt and the sugar as the original was sweeter than we liked. Awesome cookies.

  • mirage on March 16, 2011

    I loved this cookie. I used ghiardelli (sp?) chips (which are quite large and flat) and used a cookie scoop to make them. I followed the recipe exactly but I only topped half of them with the salt topping, and preferred those that I didn't. I use Diamond Crystal salt and didn't find the salt overwhelming the cookie at all.

  • PrincessK on February 14, 2011

    p.709 This is Jacques Torres recipe. JoanN says just add pinches of salt. She would try again with modifications, including adding nuts.Maybe use good chips instead of the feves. Or Heath Toffee Bits. Chowser uses a cookie scoop to make them, rather than shaping each ball (dough is too crumbly to hold a ball shape). Hers are smaller than 3 1/2 oz as per recipe states which is too big.

  • taste24 on June 11, 2020

    These weren't bad, but not my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. The flavor was good but the texture was a bit too 'cakey' for my liking. Christina Tosi's chocolate chip cookie recipe remains at the top of my list.

• Mango ice cream

  • Jane on July 02, 2012

    So easy to make and really good. I thought it might be a bit sweet with ripe mangoes pureed plus sugar but the cup of crème fraîche gives a nice sour tang.

  • wcassity on July 11, 2021

    Easy and tasty. A bit like mango lassi ice cream.

• Purple plum torte

  • Jane on September 16, 2019

    I’ve been meaning to make this for years, ever since hearing it was the NYT’s most requested recipe. Some gifted prune plums finally got it in the oven. A very easy and lovely cake. Better the second day as the fruit moistens the cake - I found it a bit dry the first day. I skipped lemon juice as my plums were a bit tart but I would use it anyway next time as the sugar/cinnamon topping stayed a bit dry on top of the plums, whereas they should be glossy.

  • cpauldin on February 25, 2012

    Don't be afraid to really cram the plums in- they sink and so you can fit more than you think. I added a little Fiori del Sicilia extract (from KAF) and it was excellent. This is so quick but looks elegant with a little whipped cream and/or fruit sorbet. A great end to an Italian dinner!

  • TrishaCP on September 13, 2014

    Just as delicious as everyone else has already said. I would probably reduce down to 3/4 cups sugar next time though.

  • PrincessK on February 13, 2011

    pg 764, Per Amanda the ingredient list should call for 1 teaspoon cinnamon, not 1 tablespoon.

  • Cheri on March 31, 2012

    Excellent. Doesn't make a lot of batter. Had to use a 10" pan, but that worked out fine. Only needed 7 plums - that was plenty, don't think 12 would have fit. Served with a little whipped cream on top.

  • feucht22 on January 30, 2012

    When you make one of these you might as well make 5. They freeze beautifully and suit a variety of occasions. I've used blueberries with good results.

  • abrownb1 on July 02, 2021

    Wow this cake is amazing! Super simple to put together but tastes like you slaved all day. I had larger plums so I quartered them and it was perfect. A keeper for sure.

  • eliza on September 15, 2014

    This is very good and very easy to make (I used the online version of the recipe). I added some pears along with the plums and they worked well. As others have said, it doesn't make a lot of batter but worked well in a 10 inch springform pan. Baked 44 minutes.

  • twoyolks on September 01, 2015

    I found the cake portion to be very good but the plums were extremely tart. This may just have been the plums I used.

  • Rradishes on September 07, 2020

    Great cake, easy to make and great results. Also pretty! Made with plums and was surprised at how great and jammy they came out, definitely adding to the cake. This would be good with other fruit too though.

  • FromScratch on July 27, 2025

    This is one of those too-simple, how can it be that fantastic? recipes. I have a CSA, and there is always fruit I don't particularly care for (talking about you, plums) or it gets ripe too fast. This recipe works with any kind of plums. Also any other fruit, spices, or extracts. This is my go-to plum torte recipe. It's also my go-to cherry almond cake recipe, and my pear cardamom cake recipe. It's the kind of recipe where it makes you wonder why you have all those cookbooks, because you don't need them, because you have this recipe. Make it once, you'll see.

  • sarahkalsbeek on July 13, 2018

    I used blueberries instead of plums. Found someone online who suggested 4 cups of blueberries, which seemed like way too much at the time, but I think it worked out. They sink down. I used the 3/4 c sugar because I thought the blueberries were sweeter than the plums. Next time I'd use to the full 1 c. I also added a bit of coriander (instead of the cinnamon) because it pairs so well with blueberries. Cooked several minutes longer than was suggested - perhaps because there were so many blueberries on top! Delicious!

  • kkmatti on September 08, 2025

    Very good simple cake. I used Italian plums from my tree.

  • jdejong on February 14, 2024

    I actually came to this famous NYT recipe through the darling book “Cake”, illustrated by Maira Kalman and have made it many, many times. Yesterday, I took a risk and used Melt Organic Plant Butter in place of regular butter because my husband is lactose intolerant. I use the product often in savory recipes, but I was concerned about changing the consistency of the torte. I had some beautiful Italian plums that I froze this summer that were begging to be used. I also used Fiori di Sicilia in place of the vanilla. I skipped the lemon juice this time and used Demerara sugar on the top with the cinnamon for a bit of texture. I baked it for 60 minutes in a 350 degree convection oven in my spring form pan and it was as delicious as ever.

• Blender corn pudding

  • john_hpn9i3 on June 03, 2026

    A nice recipe for corn pudding, albeit a bit light on flavor.

• Jean Yves Legarve's spaghetti with lemon and asparagus sauce

  • Lepa on April 06, 2022

    This is a quick and delicious pasta dish. It makes a small amount but it's very rich so a little is enough.

• Pasta, green beans, and potatoes with pesto (Trenette, fagiolini, e patate al pesto)

  • Lepa on August 25, 2022

    This is an excellent version of a classic dish.

• Sautéed trout with brown butter, lemon, and macadamia nuts

  • RaucusBacchus on November 25, 2024

    Great! Very easy. Tastes great. Next time: add finishing salt.

• Ceviche with mint and mango

  • breakthroughc on July 10, 2022

    This was a very nice Ceviche. Easy to make, bright and fresh. The combination of flavors works. I did add salt at the end which improved the dish.

• Chicken Canzanese

  • karen_qnl5ds on March 30, 2026

    I thought I had used high quality prosciutto, but still this dish was overly salty. Had to buy an entire package of sage leaves to get 2, which was a waste. While the recipe was simple, I ended up having to pull the meat from the bones, which made it much more work. Will not make again

• Meatballs in creamy caper sauce (Königsberger klopse)

  • bloncosky on December 11, 2011

    These meatballs are really good, I use them in regular spaghetti. Fry until brown in 1/8 inch oil then finish in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

• Roman-style meatballs (Polpette alla Romana)

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    These were super moist and very delicious, with a nice rich yet tangy flavour. Not super quick but relatively easy. Great meatballs!

• Green herb stew (Choresh Qormeh sabzi)

  • L.Nightshade on March 11, 2011

    My difficulty with this recipe came with the measuring of ingredients. The recipe called for 3 cups of chopped spinach, about two 1-pound bunches. As much as I chopped the spinach, and pressed it down, 3 cups was only about 8 ounces of spinach. Similar measuring difficulties with the herbs, described as volume vs. bunches. So I followed the recipe using the volume measurements. Wrong decision. Of course the greens cooked down to a couple spoonfuls, not enough to really give the impression of a green stew. So back to the store, another bag of spinach, appropriate quantities of additional green herbs, and a fresh round of sauteing in the skillet. Much better this time. The herby aroma is fantastic, but the flavor could use a little punch up. When I make this again, I will measure ingredients by weight and bunches, and try it with the spices Mimi Sheraton suggested in the notes.

• Shepherd's pie with curried meat

  • AudreyFromNe on January 04, 2015

    p 534

• Sausage, bean, and corn stew

  • AudreyFromNe on January 11, 2015

    Modified using Breadcrumbs input and original recipe. Made Saturday morning, cooled & refrigerated. Sunday morning, reheated on stove then put in crock pot for a pot luck. Made about 5 quarts and was well received. Potluck keeper in my book (if you get GF sausages (which most good Itslian Sausages are) it is edible by celiacs which is good.)

  • JoanN on February 06, 2011

    Look up original recipe in NYTimes for different timing from Pepin, the originator of the dish. Or see Breadcrumbs report: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/763221#6281797

  • PrincessK on February 06, 2011

    p. 538 Dry navy beans are not pre-soaked, just added to cold water w salt and boiled then simmered until still a bit firm, per Pepin’s original recipe in the NYT, approx 75 minutes. Pepin says to place the sausages, along with 1/2 c of water in a pan over high heat, lower heat to medium, cover them and cook for 20 mins until most of the water has evaporated and sausages are browning in their own fat. Pepin says to leave the sausages in the pan and continue cooking process with the pan covered for about 10 mins. Once the beans are cooked, combine w sausage mixture along w some fresh thyme and chopped plum tomatoes. Pepin says to cook stew uncovered for 15 mins. When ready to serve, bring stew to a boil, add fresh corn kernels, and cooked until done.

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    Original pepin recipe http://events.nytimes.com/recipes/7384/1988/09/04/Sausage-Bean-And-Corn-Stew/recipe.html

• T-bone steak with 6666 soppin' sauce

  • PrincessK on February 12, 2011

    page 539 Mix in a saucepan bring to a boil, then simmer together for an hour: tomato paste (16 oz), chili powder, S & P, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce, water, white vinegar, lemon, butter (I used 1/2 butter, half canola oil), cayenne pepper, honey, brown sugar. Set aside half and reserve the rest for another use. Season steaks (both sides) with garlic salt and pepper and broil, brushing occasionally with the sauce. She says 10 mins one side, 6-7 mins the other for medium rare on 1 inch steaks. I did 7/7 and thought that was slightly too long for medium rare. Way too much sauce.

  • amandabeck on March 22, 2018

    The sauce was delicious but I'm not sure it's best application was a t-bone steak. I would definitely make the sauce again to pair with chicken/pork/ribs. The steaks cooked much faster than her recommendations. If you make, I would check after 5-6 minutes on each side.

• Roasted pork with apricots, apples, and prunes (Himmelreich)

  • amoule on October 03, 2015

    Made this for an Oktoberfest dinner, using a pork loin roast. It's definitely a crowd pleaser. I added fresh thyme and fresh sage, per Hesser's recommendation - it was an excellent suggestion. I changed the cooking method, though. I marinated the ingredients together, then cooked the pork loin sous vide (60C for six hours) without the fruit and wine, then cooked the fruits/wine with the pork juices for 20 minutes in a saucepan. The amount of sugar is shocking but it works well and makes people happy.

• Stewed lamb shanks with white beans and rosemary

  • AudreyFromNe on April 04, 2020

    Page 542; can also be found on the NYT recipe site. Search for Lamb Shank the scroll looking for Molly O’Neill. It has no picture & was published in 1993

• Roman lamb

  • ltm on February 20, 2011

    p. 542

• Malaysian-inspired pork stew with traditional garnishes

  • twoyolks on April 28, 2016

    This was an alright pork stew. It didn't have the depth of flavor that I'd like from a curry. This seemed very Americanized (as there probably isn't a lot of pork served in Malaysia). The garnishes were an interesting idea but didn't really translate all that well.

  • Delys77 on November 05, 2012

    Pg. 552 We really enjoyed this stew with curry like qualities. I used regular pork shoulder and it did become quite tender, which along with the smooth sauce made for a very nice texture to the dish. The tomatoes cook down and add a nice body to the sauce so no need to worry about peeling them. Also, the spice mixture is nice, but I did cut back on the cayenne a tiny bit, and this was just right for us. The major winner was the fresh garnish. Since we don't love peanuts I cut them out, and I substituted a little sriracha for the tabasco, the end result is a very fresh tasting component that adds some tang and heat to the dish. It acts like a garnish but the flavour impact is definitely much more than you would normally get from a garnish. Lovely dish.

  • L.Nightshade on March 02, 2015

    Suffice it to say, this is a winner. "Wow" was heard repeatedly at the table, interspersed with miscellaneous gustatory murmurs. This dish hits all the notes, and has the kind of complexity that urges you to keep tasting more and more. Just lovely. And I do recommend the sweet potato as a base for serving; it was a great foil for the spices.

• Oliver Clark's meat loaf

  • Delys77 on November 26, 2012

    Pg. 554 I didn't see the note from breadcrumbs when I made this so I went with the whole recipe and yes indeed it is a massive meatloaf. I ground my own beef chuck and pork shoulder and followed the recipe precisely, the result was a moist and flavourful meatloaf with lots of veggies hidden in it. It should definitely be served with something that is a bit tangy as the recipe is definitely on the savoury side.

  • Breadcrumbs on January 30, 2011

    p. 554 - This seems to make a massive meatloaf (3 lbs of meat!) Could half the recipe and definitely would be good w Hesser's recommendation o Iceberg lettuce salad w buttermilk dressing.

  • sarahkalsbeek on July 13, 2018

    This thing is GIANT! It is absolutely amazing, but it ended up with juices/fat about halfway up the side of it in the dish I put it in. We used a turkey baster to remove as much as we could. But so juicy and flavorful.

  • naoise_zp7vu9 on April 13, 2026

    I split it in 2 loaf tins, excellent, will definitely be making this again.

• Seared loin lamb chops with olives and soft polenta

  • Delys77 on December 08, 2014

    These were just delicious. I used kalamata, but I think many different types of olives would work. Didn't make the polenta as I am not a fan, but served with celery root puree instead. Very tasty.

• Crispy chickpeas with ground meat

  • westminstr on December 05, 2014

    made half recipe with 6 oz ground lamb. it was easy but not a wow, will not repeat.

• Dijon and Cognac beef stew

  • Breadcrumbs on January 30, 2011

    p. 560 - This one interests me but I'll watch the COTM thread to see if others make it as I'm surprised at the quantity of mustard in this dish . . .3/4 cup! Seems a bit excessive but Hesser's description of the stew is certainly appetizing.

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    Too mustardy, not practical for a weeknight, ok not worth the effort

  • chefoncall on January 14, 2012

    This is a fantastic version of stew! The mustard and cognas add amazing depth of flavor. Great for entertaining.

  • Waverly on January 02, 2012

    I have made this stew several times. It is fabulous!

  • twoyolks on November 29, 2017

    This was nice but the mustard flavor is very strong. I actually preferred it before adding the extra mustard after cooking. Also, when adding the cognac, be aware that it will ignite and do so quickly.

  • damazinah on August 24, 2015

    Fantastic! I found the mustard flavor to be quite subtle, despite the quantity. This makes a rich gravy, perfect to serve over mashed potatoes.

  • aholberg on November 01, 2020

    Meh. It was okay; didn't seem terribly mustardy. Not terrible, but I thought it was kind of greasy and overall, not worth the effort.

• Saltimbocca

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p 561 veal scallops or cutlets (I used 6 oz.), pounded thin, prosciutto (I used 3 slices, cut to fit the veal pieces), 1 1 /2 T ea. butter and olive oil for sauteeing, 8 sage leaves, splash of white wine, s & p

• Lamb in mustard-mascarpone sauce

  • meggan on December 10, 2012

    Holy Toledo this is good! I used lamb broth instead of chicken. I also skipped the fat skimming step and I only marinated in the 3rd step about 1/2 an hour. I also made a mistake and used sweet marsala instead of dry and I didn't have marscapone so I used a combo of goat cheese and greek yogurt. And it still turned out great so if you think you don't have the hours required by the recipe, you can shortcut and still have a tasty shank.

• New York strip steak with horseradish-mint glaze

  • Laura on January 28, 2011

    Pg. 566. First recipe I've made from this book and it's a winner! Chose it because I had some NY strips in the freezer and horseradish that needed to be used up. It was super easy and really good! I'd make this again, especially in the winter time as it's not easy to grill, which is my preferred method of cooking strip steaks.

• Tuscan-style pork spareribs

  • twoyolks on January 05, 2022

    These cook for way too long. The ribs ended up way overcooked and carbonized. The sauce was good.

• Brine-cured pork chops

  • TrishaCP on June 21, 2014

    Quite a nice brining recipe-would definitely use it again. No one spice overpowered another- instead it just made the pork taste better.

• Shaking beef

  • PrincessK on February 06, 2011

    p. 569 Marinate cubed beef tenderloin in chopped garlic, sugar, salt, and oil for two hours. In a wok, cook beef until it browns (ok to use 1/2 T oil instead of 2 T), then brown the other side. Cook sliced red onion and green onions for 1 minute, add mixture of fish sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and soy. Shake mixture and finish with butter. Serve the beef drained of juices with watercress, lime wedges and salt and pepper mixture.

• Steak au poivre

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    Pg 573 Hesser recommends a mixed of peppercorns. Season the steak, press in the crushed pepper, sear on each side for 2 minutes. Put on a rack in a 400F oven for 10-12 mins. Hesser calls for a temp of 135. JoanN was aiming for 125-130, which took approx 10 mins. While meat rests, saute a sliced shallot, reduce some Cognac or brandy in the same skillet, add and boil down 2 c of beef broth until thickened and reduced by half. Even if it doesn’t thicken, it probably doesn’t need to. Remove from heat, stir in heavy cream and rinsed green peppercorns in brine. Spoon sauce over steaks. Green peppercorns may be unnecessary.

  • PrincessK on February 08, 2011

    RE: green peppercorns. JoanN notes Peterson says to use half as many and chop after rinsing.

  • Breadcrumbs on February 21, 2011

    p.573 – Chapter 11 - Since steak is prepared as we usually would, this recipe was all about the sauce for us. We loved it and will add it to our rotation.Despite what the recipes says, the sauce doesn’t thicken and when I tasted it after the addition of the cream (but before adding the green peppercorns) it wasn’t as flavourful as I’d expected so instead of taking it off the heat as directed, I decided to leave it on a slow simmer while the steak finished in the oven. Just prior to serving, I stirred in the green peppercorns. While the sauce didn’t thicken significantly, that extra simmer did help the flavours develop and, made for a scrumptious sauce. We loved the peppery flavour burst and subtle pop that the green peppercorns brought to the sauce. Excellent! We used brandy vs Cognac. Served w Crash Hot Potatoes, mushrooms and Chard w a quick pickle of onions also from ENYT.

  • JoanN on May 21, 2012

    Unfortunately, the wonderful green peppercorns recommended by breadcrumbs seem no longer to be available. Made this with Delicias brand using full amount of rinsed whole peppercorns and it was still wonderful.

• Pork and watermelon salad

  • sassy_momma on July 16, 2024

    Great recipe!! We have made this for a Green Eggfest Cookoff and won! This is an amazing recipe-we compressed the watermelon. It has a lot of ingredients and does take some time to make-don't think about it-just make it!

• Hunan beef with cumin

  • Gio on May 21, 2012

    Hunan (Beef) with Cumin, Pg. 575 Subbed pork for beef... worked out very well. Corn starch for potato starch, 1 Tablespoon cumin instead of 2 teaspoons, 3 scallions, 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Sides were Cumin Mustard Carrots, page 237 and Stir-fried Collards (Napa Cabbage) page 254.

• Short ribs with coffee and chiles

  • bloncosky on December 29, 2010

    Made this recipe in pressure cooker and purred the mixture into a nice sauce.

  • Vand11 on January 09, 2011

    Made this recipe as directed. Good - but not stellar.

  • Breadcrumbs on February 13, 2011

    p. 579 - Chapter 11 - Hesser’s description of these earthy, spicy short ribs enticed me to give them a try. The meat was really tasty, fall-off-the-bone tender and, uniquely flavoured. That said, I’d recommend this recipe with some reservations and, modifications. Prep is extremely quick and easy. Ribs are cooked stovetop over low heat or, in a 300 degree oven for 2 -3 hours until the meat is fall off the bone tender. Mine went into the oven. So, why am I recommending this with reservations? Well, I don’t know about you but if I’m braising, one of the things I most look forward too is the braising liquid. After I removed the ribs from the oven - 3 hours in our case I tasted the braising liquid and it was extra-dry. Dry as in peel a banana and press your tongue against the inside of the skin. Continued in second note below:

  • Breadcrumbs on February 13, 2011

    Part 2: At this point I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice the sauce so I contemplated what I could add to make it edible.I decided upon some Manuka honey which has an earthiness and caramel-like flavour. Adding a little at a time it took approx 2 tbsp to balance the braising liquid. It helped to draw out the flavour of the carrots and, heighten the caramelized flavour of the beef. The chilies added a nice warmth to the dish. For sake of clarity, on their own, the ribs were fabulous. If I were to have opted to serve them without any sauce, we would have given them rave reviews.So, w modifications, the sauce wasn’t just edible, it was lovely. The carrots were a perfect compliment to the beef and when I make this again, I’ll make them chunkier and likely add more.If I were to make this again, I think I’d try a sweet potato mash with a view to serving the ribs and sauce over top.

• Strawberry jam

  • smtucker on July 04, 2017

    Reduced the sugar just a bit since they were in-season and very ripe strawberries. Jelled up nicely. Three cups of deliciousness.

• Tomato ketchup

  • bruce.elliott on July 07, 2018

    Must be a misprint on the quantity of cloves... using the full listed amount, it was inedible. I'd suggest trying 1/4 the amount at most.

• Florence La Ganke's three-day marmalade

  • Frogcake on January 14, 2017

    This is one of my two favourite marmalade recipes (the other is in Joy of Cooking). Every year around this time I gather my left over Florida citrus fruit, acquired through a fund-raiser at my son's high school, and make several jars of this. I like it because the recipe is based on proportions, so it permits me to be flexible on quantities and type of citrus fruit. I throw in an extra pink grapefruit because I am really fond of this fruit and I always add about a half cup of wildflower honey, accommodating by cooking the marmalade a little longer so it is thicker before I add the honey. Since my sons prefer other fruit jams, this stash is almost exclusively enjoyed by Mr. Frogcake and I.

• Rhubarb-ginger compote

  • tekobo on June 25, 2019

    This is a game changer. Even people who profess to hate rhubarb loved this. Great savoury use of rhubarb.

• Kosher pickles the right way

  • hirsheys on July 24, 2021

    I also threw these out - not due to the salt, but because they were bitter. My theory is that the problem was the fresh dill.

  • twoyolks on November 08, 2016

    The flavor of the pickles was really great and exactly what I want out of a kosher dill pickle. However, the pickles were so salty that they were inedible and had to be thrown out.

• Grapefruit and Meyer lemon marmalade

  • Queezle_Sister on December 07, 2014

    Grapefruit peel is sliced into slivers. Not too bad, I probably completed the task in only 20 minutes. Then you supreme the grapefruit (5 lbs), and save the interior membranes. The lemons are a bit trickier - you cut the ends off, and then you cut sections of lemon - skin on. I had some difficulty guessing where to cut to get on the correct side of the membrane, but it worked out. The sections are then cut into 1/4 inch pieces. The peel & sections of grapefruit are cooked with the lemon sections, along with water and more lemon juice. The membranes are put into a jelly bag and cooked along with the rest. After about 30 minutes, remove the jelly bag membranes, and squeeze it to extract pectin. which then goes into the marmalade, along with sugar, and more cooking. I think altitude gave me a bit of a problem. The instructions say to cook for 25 - 30 minutes to a temperature between 225 and 250. After 45 minutes I couldn't get my temperature that high. It didn't set up fully.

  • PrincessK on February 14, 2011

    pg 611

• Dorothy Jewiss's coffee cake

  • damazinah on November 15, 2015

    Good, moist cake with rich flavor. The instructions say to serve warm, but I think the texture & flavor were better after it cooled.

  • stockholm28 on January 18, 2015

    This was good, but a bit boring. If you need a recipe that is easy and uses ingredients on hand, it is a fine coffee cake. It reminded me of the simple coffee cakes that my mom made when I was a kid. I wish that I had substituted brown sugar for the white sugar in the sugar-pecan mixture. I had to bake it 60 minutes (recipe is 40 to 50 minutes). I dipped a spoon in hot water to spread the batter to all 4 corners of the pan.

• Laura Goodenough's apple coffee cake

  • Breadcrumbs on February 25, 2011

    p. 631 – Chapter 13 Like most coffee cakes, this one comes together with little effort. Hesser suggests using a wooden spoon and I’d add a strong wooden spoon as my batter was quite stiff! 1/3 of the batter is spooned into a greased tube pan and then topped w half the apples. Hesser reminds you to be careful not to let apples touch the sides of the pan. I heeded her warning. 1/3 more batter is spooned over the apples then topped w the remaining apples and, the final layer of batter. I had to use a silicone spatula to spread out the batter as it was a bit of a challenge to spread so thinly, my pan flares outwards so the final 1/3 of batter needed to cover a fair bit more pan area than was the case in prior layers. I put the pan in the oven and hoped for the best, wondering if the batter was supposed to be as stiff as mine was. My cake baked in 60 mins. Hesser also notes you can cover the pan w foil to prevent the cake from overbrowning however I didn’t find this necessary.

• Maida's blueberry crumb cake

  • caitmcg on November 11, 2018

    Great classic coffee cake. Use brown sugar in crumb topping. Better height made in an 8” pan.

  • smtucker on January 25, 2020

    We love this cake. Not too sweet or buttery. Used pecans, roasted instead of walnuts. Used brown sugar for the steusel as suggested by the other review. Cake is a dense dough; needed an offset spatula to spread evenly. Used huge high bush berries from Mexico. Would also be good with frozen Maine wild berries. Perhaps add two more tablespoons of sugar to the berries to offset their tartness.

• Kathleen Claiborne's hot cakes

  • twoyolks on July 19, 2017

    These were light and fluffy with an interesting flavor from the corn meal.

• Jordan Marsh's blueberry muffins

  • Barb_N on March 06, 2016

    Rescued from the long defunct Boston department store, I have been eating these and making them since I was a kid in my Grandmother's kitchen. A go-to recipe when my kids were little.

  • Yildiz100 on March 06, 2016

    I wad super skeptical about the instructions. (Beat together the milk and dry ingredients? With an electric mixer?) I was sure they would be tough. I was wrong! They were light and fluffy and full of blueberries. My eggs were medium so I did add a bit of milk to thin out the batter. I forgot the sugar on top. It wasn't missed in terms of sweetness but it might have been pretty. Mine were done in 25 minutes-in fact one of my two trays was a tiny bit overdone. My oven might be a little too hot.

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    These were very good but you have to make sure you cook them enough as they can be a bit gooey. You do end up with a bit of a blue muffing but it is still attractive and the sugared top is nice. Also I cut the butter and sugar back a bit and it was still good

• Lidia Bastianich's Swiss chard and scallion frittata

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    This is a great way to enjoy swiss chard. The ricotta gives it a nice creaminess without adding a tonne of fat, especially since you used low fat ricotta

  • TrishaCP on June 22, 2013

    Good for brunch or for a light dinner. I added portabello mushroom for additional savoriness, and that was a good call- it made it more substantial. I also topped the frittata with a really healthy sprinkling of red pepper flakes- really necessary because while the ricotta made the dish creamy, it also made it a bit bland. The red pepper was the right correction. Finally, this tasted significantly better at room temperature- don't be tempted to eat this too quickly!

  • Breadcrumbs on February 13, 2011

    p. 636 – Chapter 13 - K made this for my b-day brunch and reported that the instructions were very clear and he had little difficulty executing this dish. The only bump he encountered along the way was related to the garlic. The dish calls for 2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed so mr bc put them through a garlic press. At the stage where Hesser instructs you to discard the garlic from the pan, K was perplexed since at that point it was inextricably mixed w the chard. It was Hesser’s intention that the cloves be left whole but, crushed slightly. Nevertheless, the dish didn’t seem to suffer at all from the infusion of garlic. In fact, we welcomed its flavour. The frittata turned out beautifully but left both of us feeling it lacked something. Dried chili flakes perhaps, or maybe even some sliced potatoes or mushrooms. We served this w the lovely Pan Con Tomate, another COTM dish.

  • Laura on April 15, 2014

    Pg. 636. Made this for a light dinner last night and served it with a salad dressed with a red wine vinaigrette. I followed suggestions from previous reviewers and added mushrooms and red pepper flakes. I sautéed the mushrooms along with the scallions. In the future, I would replace the scallions with regular onions. Also, I would put the egg mixture in a smaller pan to bake so that the resulting dish was thicker and I would bake it much longer -- even in the 12" pan, it wasn't quite done after 10 minutes. This dish could accommodate a lot of additions, notably almost any kind of sausage, and quite a few different herbs. Finally, I think I would cut back on the amount of ricotta.

  • PrincessK on February 13, 2011

    p. 636 Wash, dry, stem and slice chard, smash garlic and slice scallions. Beat eggs. Saute garlic until golden. Add chard, cover pan, and cook until chard wilts. Saute scallions, then add to cooked chard. Mix with half the eggs and a cup of ricotta. Add oil to skillet and allow other half of eggs to set before adding the vegetable/egg mixture. Once the frittata browns lightly on the bottom, place in the oven to finish. (approx 15 minutes). Could use some dried chili flakes or some sliced potatoes or mushrooms, perhaps?

• Bill Granger's scrambled eggs

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p640. Seriously rich... perhaps too rich? Others thought that this tasted nice and creamy but I thought the taste of the cream was a little too strong.

• "Breakfast" shrimp and grits

  • DJM on April 29, 2017

    add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

• Amazing overnight waffles

  • damazinah on June 19, 2016

    Best. Waffles. Ever. Seriously, these are light & fluffy on the inside while staying crisp on the outside. And they're a breeze to make - stir together a few ingredients before going to bed, add eggs & butter in the morning. This recipe yielded 14 waffles using a scant 1/4 cup per waffle.

• Mississippi pancakes

  • Melanie on August 22, 2011

    Eggs, milk, SR flour (or plain + baking powder), oil, sugar, salt, butter So lovely - light and fluffy!

  • twoyolks on January 01, 2013

    I made a half recipe and need up with only 7 pancakes.

• Buttery polenta with Parmesan and olive-oil-fried eggs

  • Leslieri on November 19, 2025

    I felt like it needed a little something more. It was pleasant but not something I would necessarily make again

• Soft scrambled eggs with pesto and fresh ricotta

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p646. Oh yum! Made pesto with one bunch basil, two cloves garlic, oil and pine nuts. I was very sad when my breakfast was finished... very much a cafe style breakfast dish.

• Boston brown bread

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    Pg. 656 Combine flours, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl then add in a mixture of molasses, raisins and buttermilk. If you don't have a pudding mold, butter an empty 28 oz. size can (e.,g. from canned tomatoes) , will hold all but about 1/2 cup of batter. Gio used her slow cooker. Pour 2 c of cool water into the insert, cover with foil. Steam on high for 4 1/2 hours, then cool on a cooling rack for an hour.

• Shirley Estabrook Wood's zucchini bread

  • LaPomme on May 19, 2011

    Page 663.

  • LaPomme on May 22, 2011

    Accidentally forgot to add the cinnamon, and the loaf tasted pleasantly like a moist pound cake.

  • TrishaCP on September 04, 2012

    Much more of a cake than a bread. I have other zucchini bread recipes I prefer that are less sweet and will probably make those in the future.

• Cream scones

  • Yildiz100 on May 20, 2013

    These were good, but a little sweet for my taste. I will try reducing the sugar by half next time.

• No-knead bread

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on April 27, 2017

    My boyfriend makes this on Sunday mornings, the smell of fresh bread. It just needs a little bit of salted butter. He puts it in the fridge overnight, and the second rise on baking paper before putting it in a blazing hot oven.

  • twoyolks on September 01, 2015

    Despite its fame, this recipe was disappointing. The bread had a good crust. The crumb was pretty good but seemed wet. There just wasn't a lot of flavor to the bread itself. It's very easy to make (other than putting the dough into a hot pot). And, unfortunately, the recipe doesn't provide a lot of instruction because it's a shortened form.

• Challah revisited

  • caitmcg on November 11, 2018

    Not difficult to make, with stellar results: A beautiful and delicious, buttery bread with a wonderful texture from the quasi-laminated dough and a crisp and flaky crust. First rise is fine left overnight in the fridge.

• Brownies

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    pg 684, too gooey at 24 mins, try 25 mins next time, per Jane. I don't think these brownies surpassed Nick Malgieri's Supernatural Brownies which I am a big fan of. But they were good - good chocolate flavor (I used Ghirardelli 60% choc chips) and a shiny,crackled surface (as Amanda says, an important brownie detail).

• Lemon bars

  • meggan on May 06, 2013

    These aren't lemon bars like you're thinking. They are more like pecan pie bars with a lemon glaze, That doesn't make them less delicious - they are just aren't traditional.

• Ruth's oatmeal crisps

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    I thought these were fabulous. The shortening and the salt make for a slightly different kind of cookie. Sweet while still sligthly salty with a great moist crispness. Delicious!!! Of course the recipe makes fewer cookies than it says.

• Cranberry pistachio biscotti

  • Melanie on December 18, 2011

    I made these for my Christmas cookie plate. These look nice and Christmassy and taste really good too. I left them in the oven a little longer during the second bake as they weren't hard enough.

• Cocoa Christmas cookies

  • Melanie on December 18, 2011

    I made these for my Christmas cookie plate. So yummy! And not that ugly either! Instead of dipping these in the lemon glaze I piped/drizzled the glaze over the top. These are a great texture - sort of like mini cakes :)

• Cashew butterscotch bars

  • Salt on May 24, 2011

    loved, loved, loved these. Butterscotch chips get no respect...this recipe will convert any non-believer! Defintiely up the salt a bit.

  • PrincessK on February 02, 2011

    apple suggests upping the salt a smidge. p. 697

• Maple shortbread bars

  • Jane on March 18, 2026

    This is like an even better version of pecan pie, at least for me. A shortbread crust rather than pastry and maple syrup rather than corn syrup. So good. The comments on NYT said to bake for an extra 5 mins - I did that and agree. The filling is very sticky so either line the pan or go around the edges with a knife before it cools too much.

  • JulieCruz on October 05, 2022

    Chill the dough before trying to spread, not enough to go up the sides, took an extra 5 minutes for the crust and the filling bakes. Excellent!

  • ChelseaP on October 18, 2022

    Baked the shortbread base for longer than suggested until it was golden on the edges. These are delicious! Like a pecan pie in bar form. You really taste all the maple syrup. Definitely will make again.

• Chocolate quakes

  • Delys77 on October 31, 2011

    Super luxurious chocolatey crispy delights. Only makes about a dozen cookies though so double or triple the recipe.

• Buckwheat cookies

  • Jviney on June 10, 2019

    There was no way I could skip making these cookies after reading the head note: “these taste like wet stone - in a good way, I promise.” The buckwheat flour makes them almost blue, they’re just the right amount sweet, they do taste like wet stone and it is in a great way. Super easy to throw together, loved them.

• Pierre Hermé's chocolate sablés

  • Delys77 on January 22, 2012

    This recipe yields a chocolate lovers dream with crisp yet chewy chocolate explosion with a slight hint of salt. In a word these are spectacular.

• Flat-and-chewy chocolate chip cookies

  • wcassity on December 19, 2016

    Tasty. Definitely on the salty side. Even better the next day - still chewy, and deeper flavor.

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p706. So nice and chewy. I didn't toast my walnuts and simply used chocolate chips. I used about 1 tsp sea salt. Give these space on the pan as they spread like crazy.

  • hirsheys on January 20, 2019

    Very good. I didn't find them super salty at all, but I like salty cookies... These don't beat the ones by Seven Spoons that I like best, but they have a very nice texture. I baked off a few today and plan to bake more tomorrow to see if the extra day of waiting in the fridge improves them even more. (I made them slightly smaller - 1.5 T balls, baked for 12 mins to compensate.)

  • feucht22 on January 30, 2012

    Don't skimp on the salt.

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    P. 706

  • milgwimper on July 02, 2014

    Made these for a friend and we made them for her potluck. The report back from the potluck was that they disappeared before all other desserts.

• Caramelized brown butter Rice Krispies treats

  • hirsheys on January 19, 2019

    Deb (from Smitten Kitchen) hated these - they inspired her version, which are lovely.

• Buttery French TV snacks

  • twoyolks on February 21, 2019

    These are quite buttery and rich but not too sweet. I found forming the pyramids to be tedious.

• Lemon lotus ice cream

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    p. 724 Turned out good.This has one sliced whole lemon churned into a lemon ice cream. This makes more than will fit into a Cuisinart machine, it is about like two batches for it. This is complicated by the fact that the lemons settle in the mix, and therefore it is hard to just freeze it in two batches. So I churned one right after the other in the bowl and then folded them together. This worked well. The bowl retained enough cold to do it.

• Clove granita

  • MarciK on September 01, 2022

    This was better than I expected. It sort of reminded me of cola. I didn’t use a high quality balsamic, and it didn’t seem to matter. It didn’t freeze as well as I would have liked, so perhaps I’ll try using a little less sugar next time.

• Teddie's apple cake

  • featherbooks on October 29, 2018

    Moist and delicious! Next time I'll try reducing oil (used corn oil) and sugar per Frogcake,but it was a hit with quality vanilla ice cream

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    pg 752, 3rd most recommended recipe. OK in an angel food cake pan. JoanN prefers Kate Zuckerman's.

  • Frogcake on March 27, 2017

    This is our favourite Apple cake. Important to use freshly chopped walnuts here. I've also used olive oil, which works very well to produce a delicate crumb. I increase the cinnamon by one half teaspoon for more spicy flavour. A good recipe for using almost expired apples in your bin.

  • Frogcake on November 04, 2017

    I’ve reported on this recipe in the past. It’s been a family favourite for many years. This time around I fiddled with the oil and sugar quantities, and I’m reporting here a successful result. Reducing the sugar and oil by half a cup each worked very well. I also added half a cup of 3% fat plain yogurt and replaced the walnuts with chopped roasted pecans. The cake is not as moist (in an oily way) but equally delicious and I prefer the finer crumb texture. I would definitely make the cake again with the changes. I would be interested to know how the calorie count changed.

• Walnut cake with chocolate walnut buttercream

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    p. 758, BeccaPorter had a lot of problems with the buttercream breaking, otherwise, loved it.

• Maria Tillman Jackson Roger's carrot cake

  • n_l_m on February 02, 2011

    Very good. I got a lot of compliments. I used vegetable oil, but next time I'm going to try coconut oil because there's quite a bit of oil, and you can actually taste it.

• Campton Place buttermilk chocolate cake

  • Cheri on January 02, 2011

    This is a good cake. Takes some time. I used Amanda's suggestion, and cut the two layers in half, to use up all the frosting and make a 4 layer cake. It was beautiful! I put a crown of rasberries around the top. This is so much chocolate, that the cake needed the tartness of the rasberries to offset the sweetness, per se. A layer of rasberry jam in the middle would be nice.

• Polish Jewish plum cake

  • TrishaCP on September 06, 2013

    A good recipe for the tiny perfect looking Italian prune plums that I can't resist this time of year! (But it isn't for everyday- lots of eggs, sugar, and oil). The plums are coated in a cinnamon sugar mix before being layered into a sturdy cake batter that is brightened with orange juice. The crumb of this cake was exceptional, and it came out easily from the pan. I found my cake was done at 55 minutes, so watch the timing of this one.

• Warm soft chocolate cake

  • twoyolks on March 13, 2017

    This was simple to make and really tasty. It's become a cliche but this is a very good version of the soft chocolate cake. They are delicate when unmolding so it requires some finesse for them not to fall apart. They're still good even if they do. I left the batter out at room temperature for about an hour before baking them without issue.

• Almond cake

  • TrishaCP on June 22, 2013

    If placed among other items, this cake is not the one anyone would choose. It bakes up into a rather boring looking, brown creation that sinks in the middle. However, this is one of the best cakes I've ever made. It has a strong luscious almond flavor from the paste and extract, and it is really moist. This is a must make cake for anyone that likes almonds.

  • mfto on December 26, 2011

    I baked this two days before serving for Christmas dinner. Among all the desserts, this cake was the favorite. I would advise researching several of the NY Times versions of this cake to learn the background. A. Hesser's mother-in-law created the recipe and warned that no matter what you do, the center of the cake will fall. It is still delicious. I baked for 55 minutes and that was right for my oven. I cut the cake into small wedges because it is so rich and served with fresh berries.

  • DKennedy on January 16, 2014

    p.777

  • JoanN on January 31, 2011

    Buttertart just kept raving about this.

  • pavolva on August 18, 2022

    This recipe has been endlessly repurposed and adopted by a long line of pastry chefs, and for good reason. It is perfect. I bought a massive 1 kg log of Odense brand almond paste and worked my way through most of it by baking and re-baking this cake, as we couldn't get enough of it upon tasting for the first time. Would be curious to try using homemade almond paste as well. I'd strongly advise on not touching the cake until it's been allowed to sit overnight -- if you can wait that long -- as it transforms into an entirely different entity after resting.

  • ashallen on November 25, 2019

    I second TrishaCP's description - super almond-y and moist! It still has a "cake" texture, however, versus the more fudgey texture one sometimes sees in moist, torte-like cakes like this. I used one regular cake pan and one springform pan and definitely had to be careful to catch the butter that oozed out of the bottom of the springform pan during baking. I probably won't use the springform again for this reason even though it was a bit (though not majorly) easier to remove the cake from the springform pan. Removed cake from oven at 209F in center - worked great - would remove at that temperature in the future. Used wax paper versus parchment paper to line pans. Cake stuck a little but not badly. Definitely remove paper while cakes are still warm - butter solidifies as cakes cool and paper then sticks firmly!

• Lemon-almond butter cake

  • mamacrumbcake on September 30, 2019

    If someone told me that this was a lemon curd coffee cake, and gave me an interior piece, I would have thought it was nearly perfect. The tender, buttery cake was a wonderful foil to the sweet, tart lemon curd. The problem with this cake was the outer half inch, which was surprisingly hard and tough; (I baked it for 35 minutes) otherwise, the texture was good. The the lovely toasted almond flavor, evident in the raw batter, disappeared in the finished cake. Though the cake tasted good, it, sadly, did not taste of almonds.

• Chocolate dump-it cake

  • feucht22 on January 29, 2012

    Makes a lot of frosting -- have something in mind to use it up with. You won't have to reach far -- it's delicious by the teaspoonful.

• Lemon cake

  • nadiam1000 on February 05, 2017

    I was going to make Maida Heatter's East 62nd St Lemon Cake and I came upon this variation - I had some quark that I used in place of the buttermilk and I left out the vanilla since Maida's recipe did not call for it. I baked it in a buttered and bread crumb dusted bundt pan, poked holes in the warm cake and poured the lemon syrup over the top. I let it stand for a while before turning it out to a rack to cool completely. I love a nice lemon fondant glaze on lemon pound cake, but for me it was a bit thin and I would hold back a little on the lemon juice next time. Very moist, very lemony and nice texture.

  • damazinah on October 03, 2015

    Excellent, full of lemony yumminess! I poked holes in the warm cakes with a chopstick before pouring the syrup over them so that it would soak in better. Will definitely make this again!

  • Breadcrumbs on February 06, 2011

    p. 782 - Hesser's description of this cake piqued my interest, she prefers it to Maida Heatter's. Guess what, when you read the footnotes you learn this is Ina's recipe from her Parties book.

• Bolzano apple cake

  • PrincessK on February 17, 2011

    p. 783

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on December 29, 2017

    My apple cake looked nothing like the picture. I made half the recipe, and everything seemed to be going smooth until the mixture split after adding the milk. I don’t know what went wrong. The taste was fine though.

• Chocolate Guinness cake

  • clkandel on July 08, 2017

    Used Chocolate Stout and less sugar - about 1 2/3 c.

  • Laurendmck on March 15, 2014

    This is Nigella Lawson's recipe in Feast, FYI.

  • Frogcake on March 17, 2018

    I would describe this recipe for chocolate cake as “acceptable” but I wouldn’t make it again. I thought that the stout would impart a deeper flavour combined with the cocoa but the cake tasted flat compared to other chocolate cake recipes I’ve tried. Better with the icing but not a dramatic improvement. I did add a bit of salt (one quarter of a tsp); as well, I found the cake dry. Disappointing.

• Whiskey cake

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    pg 784. The recipe says to bake 30-35 minutes, but it can take up to 42 mins for a toothpick to emerge clean. Would probably be fine without the syrup--or w/a different one (different booze or instead of booze, lemon or orange)--or w/berries and whipped cream. The bourbon in the syrup is very pronounced.

• Peanut butter cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting

  • birch on July 24, 2011

    changed cake flour to freshly ground white soft wheat flour, added 1 cup chopped peanuts. Crumb is very nice. The cupcake has 1 1/2 cube of butter and the frosting 3 cubes which is a tad excessive. Rethink the sugar-butter combination into something more reasonable even for children.

  • Melanie on February 23, 2012

    p787. These were ok but not great, I probably wouldn't bother making them again although I loved the sound of the combination. The frosting doesn't need the vanilla or milk - the vanilla overpowers the chocolate and the milk creates an odd texture.

• Even-greater American pound cake

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    pg 788 Apple didn't love this one. Good, but not great. The almond extract was not necessary, too potent. Omit or use more vanilla. Hesser sometimes uses lemon zest, which would probably help round off the almond extract.

• Rum omelet

  • PrincessK on February 02, 2011

    picawicca suggests using Grand Marnier instead of rum to recreate the Grand Marnier Souffle served at Chez Camille in Washington, D.C., back in the 70's

• Tapioca flamingo

  • PrincessK on February 07, 2011

    p 810 Can use water instead of pineapple juice. Works fine with frozen strawberries.

• David Eyre's pancake

  • PrincessK on February 06, 2011

    pg 813 2nd most recommended per Hesser. Works fine with only 2 TBSP butter and nonfat milk. Browning the butter might be nice.

  • DKennedy on October 27, 2016

    This is a favorite recipe from my young adulthood. My Aunt Adele gave me this recipe when I first moved out and I made it often when I was single. It's a showstopper.

  • feucht22 on January 29, 2012

    Make sure your flour measure is light otherwise you'll end up with a too pancake-y pancake. When finished, you should be table to tear a piece off and roll it up. Fantastic addition at the breakfast table.

• Fresh blueberry buckle

  • TrishaCP on June 22, 2013

    A really easy and delicious cake- my family wolfed it down. The berry to cake ratio is heavy on the berry, possibly because I made it in a 8-inch square pan, rather than the 9-inch requested by the recipe. Not a whole grain recipe, but could be easily tweaked to be so (WW pastry flour would probably be the best bet).

  • PrincessK on February 08, 2011

    p 815 Easy. Works fine with frozen blueberries (no need to defrost first) and in an 8-inch pan instead of the recommended 9-inch.

• French apple tart (Tarte aux pommes)

  • Mollyh on February 05, 2020

    Followed the recipe. Ended with undercooked everything, even after extending the cooking time by 10 minutes. A big dish of apple soup.

• Balducci's tiramisù

  • meggan on December 29, 2021

    This is my go to tiramisu. The amount of chocolate called for seems excessive. I use about half (and I love chocolate).

• Individual apple tarts (Tartelettes aux pommes Lionel Poilâne)

  • PrincessK on February 06, 2011

    p. 834 granny smiths a good choice. next time, use unbleached AP flour.

• Glazed mango with sour cream sorbet and black pepper

  • PrincessK on February 05, 2011

    pg . 851 (Alain Ducasse 2002) It couldn't taste better or be easier. Sour cream and sugar and lime. Use an actual lime--it calls for juice and a little zest. A few minutes in the ice cream maker and you have what you'd expect-- pure white creamy tangy cold sweet sorbet.

• Aztec hot chocolate pudding

  • montecristo99 on January 27, 2019

    Excellent. I made this on a whim after spotting it in the book and realizing I had all the ingredients on hand. It comes together in just minutes. Wasn't sure what to make of it when it came out of the oven. Friends, it's not pretty. The editor even notes in the book that it "looks like tar." But what it lacks in beauty it makes up for in taste. Rich, molten, with warmth from the spices (I used ancho chile powder) and depth from the rum. Leftovers were stodgy the next day but no less enjoyable to eat. Very little work for a very nice payoff--I'll be adding this one to regular rotation.

• Crunchy noodle kugel à la Great-Aunt Martha

  • Acarroll on August 10, 2022

    Easy to make and I love that it wasn't too sweet. I didn't have a jelly-roll pan, but a sheet pan worked just fine.

• Bricklayer-style nachos

  • kbrooks on May 22, 2024

    This is a meat-lover's dream come true. I substituted skirt steak for the sirloin with great results.

• Spiced chickpea stew with coconut and turmeric

  • adrienne_fkb9cb on March 28, 2026

    This is the recipe I cooked the most out of this book! Delicious and hearty.

• Chinese smashed cucumbers with sesame oil and garlic

  • ellwell on November 02, 2022

    These were very good. Served with the hoisin or tacos —great pairing.

  • acwebb2 on February 03, 2026

    I personally found them to need more vinegar, but otherwise an easy and refreshing salad.

• Butter chicken

  • RaucusBacchus on February 15, 2025

    The skin on approach results in a flabby thigh. Its kinda gross. Next time: either brown the breast skin side down first or remove the skin altogether.

  • MarciK on July 29, 2024

    This was fine. I’ve made better curries. The recipe didn’t specify skinless chicken, but I do wish I took the skins off. It ended up a bit oily, and the skin was an odd texture. For that matter, I would have preferred boneless just so it would be easier to eat. It made a lot of gravy, way more than necessary. Whatever leftover gravy could make a good soup actually. I was hesitant about the amount of cumin because it’s not one of my favorite spices, but even though you could distinctly taste the cumin, it blended nice with everything else. I don’t think I’ll make this one again, but it was nice to try something different.

• Chicken with coconut (Kuku paka)

  • LauraMB on May 07, 2024

    Very good. The sauce is easy to make and doesn't use a lot of ingredients, which are all readily available. The sauce takes a while to cook just because the vegetables must dry out and then the coconut milk must be reduced. The sauce could be made in advance. I did grill the chicken. I didn't find that the marinade affected the flavor much. Next time I might cook the chicken under the broiler so I don't have to light the grill. I coarsely shredded the leftover chicken and added it to the sauce for leftovers.

• Slow-cooker pork tacos with hoisin and ginger

  • ellwell on November 02, 2022

    These were delicious. Can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Served with the suggested cucumber salad.

  • NancyCucina on January 10, 2026

    Delicious! I used less fish sauce and a granny smith apple instead of an Asian pear, which wasn’t available. Had some leftover shredded coleslaw mix which made a quick slaw . Made a quick vegetable stir fry as a side. Might try the leftovers in wonton wrappers. Stay tuned!

• Crispy pork chops with buttered radishes

  • hibeez on May 20, 2026

    This was fast and easy, yet tasted more complicated than I expected. The radishes were tasty and had lost their heat. I bought 2 thin bone in chops, and with some pasta, was plenty for the two of us. (if I used a smaller pan for the sauce, could have used less butter)

• Eleven Madison Park granola

  • ellwell on November 09, 2022

    This one is really good! Loose small clumps that work well in yogurt

  • lauraep on March 17, 2026

    Amazing!!! The salt level is perfect

• Shakshuka with feta

  • dave_2vc234 on April 18, 2026

    Tasty! Takes a while but worth it.

• Classic glazed doughnuts

  • jenburkholder on December 29, 2022

    Good, basic doughnuts. Needed more salt than written - we compensated by heavily salting the glaze.

• Perfect buttermilk pancakes

  • juliaiscooking on August 23, 2025

    Best pancake we have ever tried. My kids love it so much. This will be our go to pancake recipe from now on.

  • things.hannahlikes on January 13, 2026

    Very good pancakes. Let the batter set a little while to thicken and be patient while cooking.

• Whole-grain banana yogurt muffins [Genevieve Ko]

  • Logan92995 on April 15, 2023

    These were good! You wouldn't even be able to tell these are whole-wheat muffins. And thankfully they were easy to make. Added cocoa nibs to the top of two, which were okay, though I think I prefer the muffin without it.

  • IvyManning on January 20, 2025

    I like these in that they don't taste like whole wheat muffins--they are sweet and very moist...if a little bland, especially for how large the batch makes. We were bored to death with them after just a few breakfasts. So, the second time I made them, I added maple roasted walnuts (2/3 cup), tons of nutmeg, and a streusel topping I had in the freezer (from the Sift cookbook) and that helped make them more interesting.

• Peach ice cream

  • ellwell on July 28, 2023

    This was good but it was awfully rich for my taste.

• Coconut ice cream

  • breakthroughc on July 10, 2022

    This is absolutely delicious ice cream. It contains lots of toasted shredded coconut. Instead of adding to the ice cream maker in the last few minutes, I stirred in in after the ice cream was done. I think trying to add it to the churning ice cream would have made a real mess. This was a huge hit and will definitely make again.