Notes about Recipes in this book

• Roast beef sandwiches with Thousand Island dressing and crispy shallots

  • Rinshin on September 09, 2025

    Used previously made and frozen thinly sliced beef made for french dip. I did heat the thick cheddar cheese topped beef slices in microwave to lightly melt the cheese. Crispy shallots make this sandwich.

• Mini maple-Dijon glazed meatloaves with roasted broccoli

  • dbuhler on August 12, 2024

    We loved this! My 3 year old especially loved this and asked for seconds of the meatloaf and thirds for the broccoli! I served this with mashed potatoes and would definitely do that again. I cooked the meatloaves on the baking sheet instead of on a rack, and it was to temp at the stated times. This will definitely be a repeat for our family...a family favorite!

• Beef rendang

  • anya_sf on March 05, 2024

    I used 8 Thai chiles with most of the seeds removed and the rendang was not spicy. The beef took 3 hours total in the oven, and although the instructions don't state this, the article says the liquid should reduce a fair amount, and that also needed 3 hours. Due to a schedule change, I cooked the beef through step 2, then refrigerated 2 days before proceeding, which worked fine. The fond did not loosen after sitting, so I deglazed it with some hot water, which I then cooked off. My family really enjoyed this over rice with the suggested cucumber and tomato spritzed with lemon (and salt). I also stirred cooked green beans into the rendang, which went well with it.

• Shrimp with black bean sauce

  • anya_sf on February 27, 2024

    I tested this recipe for CI. I needed to add more oil before adding the shrimp. I stirred in cooked green beans at the end as we always like a green vegetable. The overall flavor was quite salty and intense, but very good with plain rice. The black beans could be reduced to 4 Tbsp.

• Cold-start pan-seared chicken breasts

  • dbuhler on April 29, 2024

    This was a very easy preparation for boneless skinless chicken breasts and the result was very juicy chicken breast! I will definitely use this method in the future. I paired it with the mustard pan sauce and I subbed fresh thyme for the caraway seeds and I would do that again. This is a repeat for sure!

• Mustard and caraway pan sauce

  • dbuhler on April 29, 2024

    This was a delicious sauce that was very easy to make! I subbed fresh thyme for the caraway seeds and I would do that again! A definite repeat!

• Toad in the hole

  • Rinshin on February 21, 2024

    Odd that ingredient list here does not include all the ingredients in the onion gravy for this recipe because that is what made this Dutch baby style savory pancake taste so much better. Without would have been quite bland. I used fresh brats but did not care for the taste of brats I used and next time plan to use other types of sausages such as chicken pineapple sausages to give this a little more sweetness. First time having toad in the hole and liked the uniqueness of this dish. Photo added.

  • anya_sf on February 27, 2024

    I tested this recipe for CI. It's a very good version and puffed nicely; we really liked the edges, although the interior was more custardy than I'd prefer (but that is what they were aiming for). The onion gravy really makes the dish.

• Onion gravy

  • anya_sf on February 27, 2024

    I tested this recipe for CI. My version used 2 tsp red miso instead of Marmite and an extra 1/8 tsp salt. It was delicious.

• Peruvian arroz con pollo

  • bwhip on May 20, 2024

    Delicious dish, and not at all difficult to prepare. I found the Aji Amarillo paste on Amazon, and used just under two tablespoons in the recipe. I could have probably used a little more, and it wouldn't have been overwhelmingly spicy. My wife can't stand cilantro, so even though the recipe says that cooking it renders it less offensive to those who dislike it, I used Italian parsley as a substitute. The Sarza Criolla is a perfect acidic accompaniment.

• Japanese fried pork chops (Tonkatsu)

  • sarahawker on January 13, 2025

    Preparation was easier than expected. These were fantastic. My chops were thinner than the recipe called for but worked well anyway.

• Biscuit breakfast sandwiches

  • anya_sf on July 22, 2024

    Very good breakfast sandwiches. The biscuit was sturdy enough, but still tender, and not too thick. I didn't need to make multiple sandwiches at a time, so cooked the eggs individually, but still used the folding technique to fit the biscuit. Unlike some biscuits, these didn't suffer from being microwaved.

• Pasta alla vodka

  • allisonsemele on August 14, 2024

    A really good version of vodka sauce. Will make again. Has more fat (and benefits from it) than my usual version, but it wasn’t too heavy.

  • anya_sf on September 11, 2024

    Delicious. Instead of plain passata, I used Pomi crushed tomatoes with basil for a little extra flavor.

• Creamy chile-herb sauce (Aji verde)

  • emiliang on September 02, 2024

    Close, but not the real deal. Replace the jarred huacatay with frozen huacatay leaves. Reduce the lime juice. Optionally, for more heat, which is more authentic for a Peruvian aji, you can replace the jalapenos with serranos. Here are the quantities that turn this into an actual aji: 1 cup mayo, 3 serranos (with seeds if you like heat, without seeds if you prefer a milder sauce), 6-8 Tb cilantro, 3 Tb frozen huacatay, 4 Tb cotija, juice of 1 lime, 2 garlic cloves. Blend and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours for the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken. Bring it to a Peruvian gathering, you'll be a hero.

• Ginger-scallion sauce (Jiang cong jiang)

  • allisonsemele on August 14, 2024

    Very good mixed with soba noodles or over rice.

• Upside-down caramelized shallot and onion tart

  • anya_sf on October 15, 2024

    I tested this recipe for CI. My shallots weren't all the same size and some were slightly overdone after roasting 30 min. The onions also browned a bit faster, so check early. The pastry took the full 38 min to bake, at which point the shallots were very dark with black goo around the pan edges. Some shallots stuck to the pan and were hard to remove. Nevertheless, the tart was delicious. I used garlic-and-herb flavor Boursin with some chopped chives stirred in.