Notes about Recipes in this book

• Apricot-almond oatmeal scones

  • darcie_b on June 21, 2017

    Always a hit at our house.

  • hillsboroks on July 15, 2017

    Lovely light scone with luscious flavor. It was worth the extra effort to toast the oatmeal first. I did not have almonds on hand and used chopped toasted hazelnuts instead and they were great with the apricots and oatmeal. Next time I will use a lighter colored cookie sheet or move the oven rack up a notch as the bottom of the scones seemed to brown faster than the top at 459F.

• Spiced pumpkin cheesecake

  • darcie_b on November 24, 2016

    I used about 1/2 the cream the recipe called for because I thought it looked a bit loose. Otherwise I mostly followed the recipe, although I did use a silicone cake pan instead of a springform pan wrapped in foil. That way I don't have to worry about water finding its way in which happened when I tried the springform setup. I used a flat wire rack w/handles to raise/lower the flexible silicone pan out of/into the water bath. The texture of this cheesecake is lush & creamy and the flavor is excellent. Even though you may think it's not done at 150 degrees, it is. The texture becomes dry if you go over 160 degrees, but between 150 and 160 it's okay so don't worry if you go a few degrees over.

  • ashallen on November 26, 2019

    Very nice cheesecake. I agree with darcie_b that the texture's very nice - it's very smooth and creamy. I did use the full amount of cream specified in the recipe and it set up fine. I wish the pumpkin and spice flavors were stronger, but that's personal preference - removing 1/2 the cream would probably help with that. I'm not sure I'll make this one again, however, because I have another pumpkin spice cheesecake recipe that doesn't call for patting the pumpkin puree dry with paper towels (I found the process to be kind of fiddly) and has a higher ratio of crust (gingersnap crust!) to filling which I like in this particular dessert as well as that stronger pumpkin/spice flavor I love. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Science of Good Cooking/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Asparagus, red pepper, and spinach salad with sherry vinegar and goat cheese

  • Analyze on March 09, 2019

    We really like this recipe! I've made it twice now. You make a vinaigrette that's tossed with spinach for the bottom layer of the salad. Atop that is a layer of sauteed bell pepper, asparagus, and shallot that's tossed with the rest of the vinaigrette. Then you sprinkle that with goat cheese. So the presentation is nice, and the flavors are yummy.

• Cinnamon-raisin oatmeal scones

  • hillsboroks on May 10, 2018

    Toasting the oatmeal does amp up the oat flavor here. These scones do tend to burn on the bottom so based on my experience with the Apricot Almond version I used a lighter colored baking sheet and moved the oven rack up one notch. Even so the bottoms of the scones were quite dark after 14 minutes but at 12 minutes the scones tested not quite done when poked with a toothpick. I may reduce my oven heat a bit or try yet another shinier baking sheet if I make these again. They are very hearty and two scones have more oats in them than a bowl of cooked oatmeal. We will just ignore all the butter, sugar and cream added to them that a bowl of oatmeal does not have right?

  • ashallen on August 14, 2019

    Very nice scones - really good oat flavor and nicely moist. Best on the first day but still OK on the second. Raisins/currants help them stay moist a bit longer than plain ones. Not too sweet - if you like sweet, they benefit from being sprinkled with coarse sugar before baking or being eaten with jam or honey. The recipe suggests using the food processor to cut in the butter which is quick and easy works fine - the scones have come out flakier, though, when I've used my fingers to work in the butter. Freezing unbaked scones and baking them direct from the freezer has worked well. Like hillsboroks, I found that they tend to overcook on the bottoms during baking - using an insulated baking sheet (or stacking 2 half-sheet pans) and moving the oven rack a slot or two up from center has helped control that. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Glazed maple-pecan oatmeal scones

  • Medamida on March 09, 2014

    These were really good although the recipe generates a lot of dishes.

• Oatmeal scones

  • ashallen on August 14, 2019

    Very nice scones - really good oat flavor and nicely moist. Best on the first day but still OK on the second. Not too sweet - if you like sweet, they benefit from being sprinkled with coarse sugar before baking or being eaten with jam or honey. The recipe suggests using the food processor to cut in the butter which is quick and easy works fine - the scones have come out flakier, though, when I've used my fingers to work in the butter. Freezing unbaked scones and baking them direct from the freezer has worked well. As hillsboroks noted under the Apricot-Almond and Cinnamon-Raisin variations for this recipe, these tend to overcook on the bottoms during baking - using an insulated baking sheet (or stacking 2 half-sheet pans) and moving the oven rack a slot or two up from center has helped control that. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• German apple pancake

  • ashallen on November 06, 2019

    This is a delicious treat - the batter has a slightly eggy flavor that reminds me of the inside of a popover and contrasts really nicely with the apple. Tender texture. The cast iron pan did a nice job browning the pancake and creating a crisp exterior edge. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Chocolate ganache frosting

  • ashallen on September 19, 2019

    Delicious (how can you go wrong with chocolate + cream...) and super-easy method. Yielded a very pretty, glossy frosting when used as-is vs. whipped. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine.]

• Yellow cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting

  • ashallen on September 15, 2019

    These were easy to make. They have excellent moistness and a flavor with a slight tang from the sour cream. I didn't have my ingredients at room temperature, though, and I think that might have caused a bit of gumminess in the texture. The chocolate ganache frosting was delicious and intensely chocolatey to the point that you couldn't really taste the cake once it was frosted! It'll be fun to experiment with other frosting flavors. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Scalloped potatoes

  • ashallen on September 28, 2019

    Excellent. Potatoes are fully tender. Flavors are really wonderful - browned on top and creamy and savory inside. I usually slice the potatoes with my food processor slicing disk - makes for much faster prep. We like the potatoes to be very tender and the top well-browned, so I usually simmer for 30-40 minutes and bake for 30-35 minutes vs. the shorter recipe-specified times. Recipe also handles variation well. It's great with/without the specified onion and garlic. Finely sliced scallions can be substituted for onion for a milder flavor (add to pot with potatoes). I often substitute 2 oz parmesan cheese for the cheddar cheese. A tablespoon of crumbled dried herbes de Provence works great in place of the thyme, as does a mixture of finely chopped fresh rosemary, thyme and savory. Also nice - this is a good dish in which to use previously frozen heavy cream. Leftovers are great and also freeze well for potatoes. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Pan-roasted chicken breasts with sweet-tart red wine sauce

  • ashallen on October 24, 2019

    This came out very well. Chicken was tender, moist, and well-flavored - even the skin was tasty! Sauce was also nicely flavored. Pretty easy to make, too. Making a half-batch worked fine. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Science of Good Cooking/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Glazed carrots with ginger and rosemary

  • ashallen on December 11, 2019

    These have great, rich flavor. Recipe specifies 3 tablespoons of sugar which I've found to be too sweet for my taste and have cut back to 1-2 tablespoons. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Italian pasta and bean soup

  • ashallen on December 07, 2019

    Nice soup with a tomato-y broth - pleasant, homey, and comforting. No fishy flavor from the anchovies, just additional savoriness. I substituted chickpeas once for the cannellini beans but prefer the cannellini. Orzo works nicely for the pasta. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Braised chicken with tomatoes, garlic, and olives (Chicken Provençal)

  • ashallen on October 22, 2019

    My husband is a big fan of this dish in both the "traditional" and "saffron-orange-basil" versions - moist chicken pieces with a flavorful sauce that's both tomato-y and savory. I like it best with bone-in chicken thighs - bone-in chicken breast seemed a bit dry to me. Boneless chicken thighs have also worked out OK. Leftovers keep well. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Science of Good Cooking/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Chicken Provençal with saffron, orange, and basil

  • ashallen on October 22, 2019

    My husband is a big fan of this dish in both the "traditional" and "saffron-orange-basil" versions - moist chicken pieces with a flavorful sauce that's both tomato-y and savory. I like it best with bone-in chicken thighs - bone-in chicken breast seemed a bit dry to me. Boneless chicken thighs have also worked out OK. Leftovers keep well. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Science of Good Cooking/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Top loin roast

  • ashallen on December 25, 2021

    Very easy cooking method that produced a simple, delicious roast that was pink and tender throughout with no overcooked zone on the outer edges - excellent!! My 4 lb roast took about the same amount of time to cook as the 5-5.5 lb roast called for in the recipe. Cooked to 128F in center.

• Hearty vegetable soup

  • ashallen on December 08, 2019

    This soup has good, satisfying flavors, particularly from the mushrooms, and a pleasant, light texture. Freezes fine. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]