Notes about Recipes in this book

• Hearty lentil soup with fragrant spices

  • ashallen on December 07, 2019

    Good soup, though the flavor from the spices didn't grab me. I like all of the ingredients called for - there was just something about their combination in this recipe that seemed kind of muddied. Flavor did seem to improve somewhat by the next day. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Chocolate sour cream bundt cake

  • ashallen on August 19, 2019

    A very nice chocolate cake - good strong chocolate flavor and moist. I've made it a few times and have found that it moves quickly from seeming underbaked to being overbaked. If overbaked, the chocolate flavor's not as strong and it seems a bit dry, so I keep a close eye on it. Definitely use bittersweet vs. semisweet chocolate (as specified in the recipe) - the flavor difference is noticeable. The recipe also very specifically calls for natural cocoa powder, but I've had it turn out well with alkalized/dutch-processed cocoa powder, too. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Yeasted waffles

  • chennes on December 25, 2010

    Batter must be prepped 12 to 24 hours ahead

  • Grywhp on June 03, 2013

    Awesome waffles, company was very impressed and asked for the recipe!

• Pan-seared shrimp with ginger-hoisin glaze

  • ashallen on June 03, 2021

    I thought these were tasty and flavorful, but my husband absolutely looooved them. I think I'm just not loving the brand of hoisin sauce I bought most recently which is relatively thin-textured - I was hoping for a stickier/jammier glaze effect in this dish and will try a thicker hoisin sauce next time. Quick and easy to make. I made a half batch which was easy to do since the original recipe calls for cooking the shrimp in two batches. Larger shrimp (16-20/lb) than called for in the recipe worked fine given how fast everything cooks.

• Classic brownies

  • ashallen on November 26, 2019

    Nice brownies with good flavor. I've had brownies ranging from cake-like to fudge-like - these are about halfway between the two textures. Personally I prefer my brownies to be fudgier/chewier, but I still thought these were good. Co-workers enjoyed. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Science of Good Cooking/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Sweet and tangy oven-barbecued chicken

  • ashallen on October 24, 2019

    This came out really well and was easy to make. The barbecue sauce tasted a little sweet on its own, but it balanced out when it was eaten with the chicken. Recipe makes plenty of sauce for the chicken plus quite a bit extra. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Coconut cream pie

  • ashallen on November 23, 2019

    This is an *awesome* pie!!! One of my favorites - this is one of those desserts I only make if there are many other people around to share it with because I will otherwise eat the entire thing. It has a wonderfully balanced, creamy, coconut-y flavor. Texture is great - light vs. heavy. The flavor and texture of the animal cracker crumb crust works great with the filling. The original recipe calls for 1.5 cups of heavy cream for the whipped cream topping which makes a lot of whipped cream - I sometimes dial that back a bit (anywhere down to 1 cup heavy cream) so the coconut cream filling can shine through more clearly. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

  • hillsboroks on March 14, 2014

    This is a lovely Pi Day pie! The use of the animal crackers in the crust, coconut milk in the filling plus the other coconut gives it a wonderful full coconut flavor. My family devours every crumb when I make it and guests sneak into the kitchen for more at parties.

• Tall and fluffy buttermilk biscuits

  • Rinshin on October 05, 2014

    Rustic, tender, fluffy, moist buttermilk biscuits with crisp golden tops. The best I've made. The best biscuits come from least amount of mixing and handling for sure. Bravo Cook's Illustrated!

  • ashallen on August 29, 2019

    Great biscuits. Good flavor and a texture that's moist and tender with a "coherent" vs. layered texture (at least the way I made them!). [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Thai-style grilled chicken with spicy sweet and sour dipping sauce

  • Grywhp on June 02, 2013

    Moist and tasty, the sauce complements the rub. Don't make it without both rub and sauce. Updated to add: cut up the leftover chicken, whisked some olive oil into the leftover sauce, piled on top of garden-fresh greens, and we had ourselves some delicious salad! A little feta was a nice touch.

• All-American potato salad

  • ashallen on October 04, 2019

    This is a great, classic version of mayonnaise-dressed potato salad. Coming from me, that's a significant statement since I'm generally not a fan of mayonnaise or hard-boiled eggs! This salad has tender potatoes, enough dressing to tie everything together without being overwhelming, and a classic flavor that can serve as a base for variation. I usually use chopped-up sweet bread and butter pickles instead of sweet pickle relish (gives me an excuse to buy a big jar of delicious pickles). I think the recipe's technique of tossing the potatoes with white vinegar helps the potato exteriors disintegrate a bit so they stick nicely to each other - I skipped the vinegar toss once and the potatoes didn't cohere as well. Avoid cutting the potatoes too small, overcooking them, or over-stirring them, however, or you will end up with potato salad-flavored mashed potatoes. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Science of Good Cooking/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Grilled glazed salmon

  • ashallen on September 22, 2019

    Excellent recipe for grilled salmon - both the flavors and the texture are super. We usually use the very simple (but delicious) maple-soy sauce glaze, though the recipe also has directions for honey-mustard and maple-chipotle glazes. Cutting the recipe in half works fine. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Lasagna Bolognese, simplified

  • hillsboroks on February 27, 2021

    This turned out as one of the best lasagnas I've ever made. The flavors are luscious but not too rich and without all the usual cheese it was not too greasy. Even though the recipe says it is "Simplified" it still took about 3 - 3 1/2 hours but the end result was worth every minute of it.

• Braised chicken with Swiss chard, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar

  • ashallen on October 14, 2019

    The texture of the chicken, vegetables and sauce were all good in this dish but I didn't care for the mix of flavors - too much of an earthy greens flavor from the Swiss chard for me. I can definitely see other people who like that type of flavor enjoying this dish, however. Freezing didn't do the dish any favors. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Almond spritz cookies

  • ashallen on September 15, 2019

    Very nice cookies. Dough worked well in cookie press. Remove cookies from baking sheet while still a bit warm and flexible, otherwise they crisp up and break when removed. Good recipe - but the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook recipe is still my favorite! [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]