Notes about Recipes in this book

• Good green olives with almonds, honey & rosemary

  • krista_fcgy12 on January 15, 2026

    I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made these for company. They are a perfect staple and I always have the ingredients on hand. The flavors blend beautifully and are the perfect appetizer pre-dinner

• Thai basil lemonade

  • dbuhler on June 07, 2024

    The flavor of this was okay, but nothing amazing. I couldn't really detect the basil so perhaps I didn't use enough? I didn't really like the texture... it was too syrupy to drink so we needed to add a bit more water to thin it out. As written, it would make a good ice pop recipe (which she recommends in the book). I'll keep looking for my favorite lemonade.

• Asparagus & tarragon soup

  • MissKoo on April 05, 2024

    The asparagus-tarragon flavor combination elevated a simple soup to another level, and the addition of spinach enhanced the intensity of the green coloration. Made this as the starter to a dinner with crab cakes. The color, texture, and flavors were spot-on for Spring.I loved the unanticipated anise element from the tarragon and the lightness of the soup, making it a perfect starter. Will definitely make again. Perfect for a brunch or dinner.

• Potato & lentil soup with bacon and herbs

  • meggan on February 01, 2024

    This combo sounds stodgy but tasted bright and fresh.

  • crystallynsantin on February 01, 2024

    Agreed - tasted bright and fresh with the addition of fresh herbs and lemon juice.

• A chowder of mussels with bacon, leek & lime

  • MissKoo on January 19, 2024

    This was just wonderful. I made it a night ahead of time to allow the flavors to develop. Dinner guest loved it as a main course and happily took home leftovers. It is time consuming -- many ingredients require chopping, and the mussels need to be steamed and picked from their shells -- but so worth the effort. The lime zest and then fresh lime juice added to individual bowls before serving really brightens the chowder and cuts through the richness of the butter and cream. I used 2 1/2 pounds of mussels (1/2 pound extra) and might increase that to three pounds next time. My mussels were very fresh with very few discards, but I like chowders with maximum amount of seafood. Recipe is definitely a keeper. Served with an autumn kale salad with roasted delicata squash, golden raisins, toasted almonds (Epicurious).

• Carrot salad with marinated apricots and pistachios

  • dbuhler on May 27, 2024

    I like this all right, but there was a lot going on in the salad. I didn't love the cumin so I may omit it next time. I also thought the orange blossom flavor was too prominent so I may try doing a soak with half orange blossom water and half water. I think this would be great at a picnic with fried chicken. I definitely want to try this again!

• Peach & blackberry bread salad

  • DKennedy on July 21, 2024

    Made this using nectapies from the Ferry Building and blackberries from my garden. Added dill and arugula to the mix. Homemade croutons were from Clark street bread. This is a make again salad for sure. So delicious and eye poppingly beautiful. I served it with a knob of really good goat cheese from the BH cheese shop.

• Roasted potato salad with green beans, olives & herbs

  • adelina on January 24, 2024

    Loved everything about this salad. I served it as a side with salt crusted branzino.

• Crispy cauliflower with honey & hot pepper flakes

  • NorCalChar on December 21, 2025

    Yummy.

• Perfect potato puree with bay leaf & thyme

  • dbuhler on May 27, 2024

    Amazing!! These were so delicious! I used russets, reduce the butter to 9 tablespoons, and added whole milk to get the consistency that I wanted. I loved the added flavor of thyme and bay leaf by using the steeping technique. I will definitely use that again when I want to add flavor. The recipe also gives other herb steeping variations and I can't wait to try those. This feels like a game changer for me in terms of mashed potatoes and I can't wait to experiment and try new things!!

  • mariewest on October 12, 2024

    This recipe makes some of the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had. The bay leaf + thyme really make these special. I don’t (yet) own a food mill or fine-mesh conical sieve that she recommends using for silky texture, but I use my potato ricer with great success. I’ve also made these a few days ahead of time and they reheat nicely in the microwave with a splash of cream to loosen them back up. I’ve tried the recipe twice with Yukon golds and once with russets; we liked the version with russets better.

• Backyard biscuits

  • dbuhler on June 25, 2024

    I'm not going to rate this recipe because I'm not sure if input the salt in them or not. They were not inedible, so I am pretty sure I put it in, but they weren't very flavorful which has me second guessing myself. I did really love the cutting of the dough and stacking it technique to make the flaky layers...I'll be using it again with other recipes.

• Garlicky mignon steaks with caramelized onion butter

  • elisa_m95b99 on February 09, 2026

    Made this for my mom’s birthday and it was a hit !

• Caramelized onion butter

  • elisa_m95b99 on February 09, 2026

    I cooked the onions longer than the recipe called for so the onions were really brown and soft . Made more than I needed for the steaks but think it would be delicious in other applications

• Rose panna cotta

  • zreinste on August 17, 2025

    Please for the love of god use 1 tsp of rose water instead of 1/4 cup.

• Salted caramel custards

  • mzernone on July 18, 2025

    Excellent recipe, would make again.