• Eat Your Books

  See Andrea at Cooking Books take on Chocolate tart from this book (includes recipe).

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Grilled breast of chicken with provencal vegetables and aioli

  • wester on February 14, 2012

    Quite simple and as festive as you want to make it. I thought the aubergine responded best to the grilling, and the fennel was brilliant with the aïoli. The onions, peppers and courgettes were nice, but not as great as the others. Next time, I will use fennel and aubergines, and one or more of the others just for variation. I did make the aïoli with whole eggs, and in the blender, even though mr. Hopkinson explicitly tells us not to. I thought it was fine, but it might possibly have been even better if I had bothered to follow his instructions. I do have a cast-iron ribbed grill on the hob, and this recipe was the first one I tried where the food didn't stick to the grill, so there must be something right about the method.

  • veronicafrance on March 30, 2012

    This is gorgeous -- summer on a plate. It's one of my summer standbys.

• Eggs florentine

  • wester on May 02, 2012

    I really liked this, and so did the kids. I agree with LeslieB22 that infusing the milk with the spices is a good idea. I do think I will poach (or boil) the eggs next time, as it is easier to control their doneness when they aren't covered in white sauce. I didn't drain the spinach as well as I should have, so the end result was a bit wet, but still very tasty.

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    I didn't follow this recipe exactly because I couldn't be bothered to poach the eggs separately (although I can see the point, as it would mean less cooking time for the spinach and a fresher taste). I just stirred the bechamel with the spinach before putting it in the individual dishes, cracked the eggs into the spinach and baked everything together. Delicious! The idea of infusing the milk for the sauce with spices is a good one.

• Potato puree with parsley

  • wester on January 01, 2010

    The taste of this stuff is pretty good, but it resembled a soup rather than a mash and the recipe does not really allow for control on the texture. Disappointing.

• Gay Bilson's parsley salad

  • wester on September 21, 2013

    A pretty basic parsley salad, but it does have everything a parsley salad needs and nothing it doesn't need (although if you make it for a vegetarian, you can leave out the anchovies and increase the olives). Go easy on the garlic.

• Piedmontese peppers

  • wester on January 01, 2010

    So I had this recipe in two cookbooks already (It came from Elizabeth Davids Italian Food, but I used the recipe in this book), but I had to see a photo on a food blog to actually make it (this photo: http://racheleats.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/piedmontese-peppers-again/ ). I just didn't notice it before. The ingredients are simple - peppers, tomatoes, garlic, anchovies - but the whole thing just works out fine. Don't forget some nice bread for the juices. The main differences between the recipes are the cooking time - Simons is much longer and I prefer it that way - and when to add the anchovies - I might experiment with that.

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    @wester Thanks for your note. I've had this book for over two years and also only really noticed this recipe recently. I didn't need a picture to make it though, just a major sale on red peppers at my favorite grocery store (80 cents a pound!). I made it day before yesterday and I would say it worked out more than just fine, it was AMAZING. And incredibly easy, too. Only problem I had was that I used a big dish and the leaking juices didn't really flood the dish, so they started to burn, but I tossed some vermouth in (had no white wine) and everything turned out fine. I'd say to use a dish where the peppers just fit and/or to add some liquid to the pan to keep things mellow.

  • jchern on February 27, 2017

    We've made this many times and it's great. But the ingredient list should mention the garlic.

• Leeks vinaigrette

  • wester on January 01, 2010

    A good version of a good basic recipe. Why oh why does no cookbook ever tell you for how long you should cook leeks? I need 10 to 15 minutes till tenderness when dropped in boiling water.

• Saffron cream dressing

  • wester on August 05, 2011

    Very nice. Lovely egg-yolk yellow, and a subtle flavor. I did find the mustard taste too strong, so next time I'll halve that. I served it with salmon, which was good.

• Cold spinach with creme fraiche, garlic, and black pepper

  • wester on June 22, 2012

    Excellent. Fresh, creamy, garlicky, lemony. And easy to make too. Even frozen spinach will work.

• Roast leg of lamb with anchovy, garlic, and rosemary

  • JoanN on November 06, 2016

    Made this because it was quick (comparatively), easy, and reliable. The butter melting into the wine with rosemary tucked around made an outstanding jus. Why do I keep trying fancy recipes when the basic ones are so good? This turned out just perfectly, although I did add an additional ten minutes at 475F to try to darken and crisp up the crust. Didn't hurt, I'm sure, that I used a leg from my half lamb share.

  • mcvl on October 24, 2017

    The lamb was a bit dry, and I think the watercress is one flavor too many (very pretty, though).

  • tekobo on March 17, 2017

    Very tasty - the anchovies and garlic "melt" into the meat and provide great flavour.

• Creamed tomatoes on toast

  • kari500 on January 25, 2023

    Surely not the ingredients.

  • kari500 on February 07, 2023

    So no, the ingredients listed are not correct. But this is delicious. I used grape tomatoes (stab them before cooking) with some garlic, and the cream. Served on toast sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Comforting and easy cold night dinner.

• Roasted lambs' kidneys with cabbage and mustard dressing

  • mcvl on May 08, 2020

    So good! So simple! I didn't know what a perfect combination kidneys and cabbage are -- a match made in heaven.

• Poached cod with lentils and salsa verde

  • mcvl on September 07, 2014

    Ohhh, this is so good! I made it as a soup with some wonderful leftover broth I had on hand, and had each person swirl the salsa verde in their own bowl. I added a lemon (zest and juice) to the salsa verde.

  • Chandalf on August 14, 2014

    An excellent, and relatively easy, recipe. The Salsa Verde is superb and I would make at least double the quantity as it keeps well in the fridge. I've served it with steak, other fish (salmon) and I'm sure it would work well with many other things.

• Braised endives

  • adrienneyoung on December 12, 2020

    Braised slowly with butter, lemon, salt and pepper: so much better than simmering in water.

  • Foodycat on October 07, 2018

    So delicious. My preferred way to prepare them, unless I am having them raw in salad.

• Roast chicken

  • FJT on June 28, 2021

    My chicken was lovely and moist which was great because having forked out for poulet de Bresse you don't want to mess it up, but the juices did not make a lovely emulsion at all (unless you like drinking butter) and were not salvageable as any kind of gravy. For that reason I will revert to how I normally make roast chicken with bacon rashers over the breasts to keep them moist.

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    Easy and delicious, but like every roast chicken recipe I've ever tried, the cooking times are not long enough. My oven may be slightly cold, but still - plan some extra time just in case your chicken is not fully cooked after the specified period.

  • Maya12 on March 22, 2016

    I put the chicken on a flat rack in my roasting pan and added wine as in the wet-roasting method.

• Leek tart

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    Though it's called "tart," many might consider this a quiche. Either way, it is a delicious recipe, but be warned: exercise your own judgement and good common sense considering how many leeks will fit into a tart pan along with a goodly amount of eggs and cream. If I recall correctly, Hopkinson calls for about 8 leeks, but his leeks must be the size of pencils because the leeks I used (about 1 inch wide and 2 feet long) certainly did NOT fit in the pan and I had to make a number of crustless ramekin-sized extra tarts.

• Steak au poivre

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE WINNER. I learned to cook steak from this recipe and now I know it by heart. It is simple but absolutely delicious. I've never had cognac around to make the final sauce, but it's still good with some red or white wine.

• Saltimbocca alla romana

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    On a budget, I made this with pork cutlets instead of veal, but followed the instructions to the letter and it was absolutely breathtakingly good! Just incredible. The extra fried sage leaves on top were the crowning glroy. So good. I can't even imagine how good it would be with veal.

• Baked new garlic with creamed goat's cheese

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    My husband surprised me by buying a whole bunch of beautiful new season's garlic and making this recipe. We skipped the creamed goat's cheese and ate it on plain toast. Terrific.

• Spiced eggplant salad

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    Made my own variation on this salad when I had fresh eggplants from the garden - it's absolutely delicious and can be varied according to what you have on hand.

• Salade frisee aux lardons

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    Any thorough and classic cookbook has a recipe for this salad, but I've used this one and it's as good as any, I think. He's especially good at helping you with the timing, which is a bit rushed. Expose the frisee to as much heat from the dressing and bacon fat as possible - it's important that it wilts a bit.

• Rice pudding

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    I love Hopkinson's description of the perfect, ethereal rice pudding but I couldn't achieve it with this recipe. I had to take the pudding out of the oven far earlier than specified as it was drying up and was far from ethereal. I know he says the oven should be set unbelievably low but what to do if your oven doesn't go that low? Crack the door open?

• Endives au gratin

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    Very tasty. Just wish that the recipe didn't take so much time, albeit mostly unattended - it requires endives that have already been braised 2 hours!

• Grilled eggplant with sesame

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    Great idea. I did like Hopkinson actually did, rather than follow the recipe - I used some peanut sauce leftover from a Chinese salad. It would surely have turned out better if I had a broiler, but even improvising with a broiler-less oven, it was quite tasty.

• Lemon surprise pudding

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    An intriguing idea - spongy meringue afloat on lemon custard. I made it and enjoyed it, but somehow am not convinced to make it again.

• Petit pot au chocolat

  • LeslieB22 on September 21, 2011

    I made these when I first got this book 2-3 years ago. I may have overcooked them a bit, for they were slightly dry, but quite easy and very chocolatey. Worth trying.

• Asparagus soup

  • veronicafrance on March 10, 2013

    This tasted much better before I added the cream -- a really fresh asparagus flavour. Next time I will leave the cream out, adding just a swirl on top to serve.

• Creme renversee a l'orange

  • veronicafrance on December 06, 2011

    This is sublime. It looks amazing if you cook one large one, but be very careful when you turn it out!

• Oriental salad

  • hailbritannia on July 01, 2013

    Made with 8-oz rice noodles (recipe specifies "1 small package"). I did not include the red onion or ginger for personal preference and used 1 small Thai chili. Topped with sauteed shrimp. Delicious -- great flavors and nice textural "crunch." Next time, double the quantity of toasted sesame seeds.

• A sauce to serve with boiled ham

  • Nichill on January 18, 2015

    Simply delicious. On its own, it appeared too sharp, over vinegary. With the boiled ham it was marvellous. Elizabeth David rated it a sauce "well worth knowing", and I concur: a useful addition to a repetoire, and not tricky.

• Poulet saute au vinaigre

  • stephengk on March 02, 2017

    Subtle but distinctive flavour - Lovely. Also works well using couple of chicken breasts and scaling back other ingredients

  • chef.j on June 26, 2021

    Next time I'd use bone-in-skin-on chicken thighs and skip the butter when browning the pieces in the pan.

• Piperade

  • Pamsy on September 05, 2019

    We had this for supper but both felt it's probably better as a breakfast/brunch dish. I liked the tiny croutons which I baked in the oven rather than frying and sprinkled over the top rather than mixing into the eggs. Didn't roast the peppers but chopped finely and sauteed before adding the tomatoes. Garlic is a nice touch which ups the flavour. Definitely the best Piperade recipe I've made.

• Salmon in pastry with currants and ginger

  • Pamsy on September 08, 2019

    This looks impressive, turned out well and is easy to prepare. Didn't add the currants and used nutmeg instead of mace, although obviously not enough, as the flavour didn't come through. Made my own version of sauce messine which worked well. Served with steamed new potatoes and tenderstem broccoli. Would also be good as part of a buffet.

• New York Times

  Any cookbook that has a chapter devoted entirely to cream is a book I can’t do without. Add a chapter on custard, another on chocolate, and I’ll order it from England for a small fortune in postage.

  Full review