Notes about Recipes in this book

• Cumin broccoli salad

  • wester on July 04, 2012

    This was OK. I found the taste a bit harsh, so I softened it with a bit of crème fraîche, and then it was very good. Mayonnaise might work as well.

• Fennel salad with walnuts and oranges

  • Gio on December 01, 2015

    Pg. 53. For the past several years I have been disappointed in the quality of the fennel bulbs we've bought. Fennel is in season now in New England yet, no matter where I buy the bulbs they're tough and virtually tasteless. I used to love it's cold crisp sweet flavor. For this recipe I swapped out the orange slices for Pinata apple and loved the combination. It could be a nice little salad if not for the bland fennel.

• Green bean salad with walnuts and Pecorino

  • wester on February 09, 2013

    Very nice, which is unsurprising given the ingredients.

• Polenta with shrimp and saffron

  • wester on July 04, 2012

    Easy, colorful and tasty.

• Citrus-poached chicken breasts

  • wester on July 04, 2012

    The citrus mixture to poach in is very nice, but this recipe does remind me that I do not like chicken breasts. They are just so bland. Next time I'll use chicken thighs. The children did like it a lot. Also, the poaching time given is much too short. I didn't hear the kitchen timer go off, so when I checked I was afraid they might be overcooked. They were still quite pink on the inside.

• Roasted salmon with bay leaf-orange butter and cashews

  • wester on April 28, 2012

    This sauce was much too sweet for my liking.

• Green beans with sesame and soy

  • wester on September 16, 2013

    Beans with an Asian twist. Nice, but not really special. Needs a squeeze of lemon.

• Sautéed cucumbers with tarragon

  • wester on April 05, 2019

    Not my kind of thing - a quite harsh flavor that is not really softened by the butter. Slightly better with a squeeze of lemon, but no repeat.