Notes about Recipes in this book

• Pan-seared steaks

  • ashallen on May 27, 2021

    I couldn't remember the last time I'd cooked a steak and thought I'd better check a recipe. This was a simple, quick and easy approach that produced a straightforward and satisfying result. My 1-inch thick steaks ended up browning a bit faster than I'd wanted (issues with my outdoor gas burner...), so I covered the cast iron pan and let the steaks cook gently over low/residual heat until the interiors came up to temperature.

• Chicken cacciatore with portobellos and sage

  • ashallen on October 21, 2019

    Very good - sauce is richly flavored. I added some extra wine and accidentally forgot to drain the tomatoes, so I cooked the dish uncovered for about half an hour to further reduce the sauce. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Chicken cacciatore with white wine and tarragon

  • ashallen on October 21, 2019

    Great flavors. Recipe works great as written. I've also substituted yellow onion for shallot and 1 tsp dried thyme for fresh thyme and it's still worked well. Substituting 2 tsp fresh rosemary for tarragon did not go well, however (even though I usually love rosemary). Also, making a half-batch version of this recipe has worked fine. [Cross-post for Annual Edition/Magazine/Cook's Ill. Cookbook.]

• Fresh corn chowder

  • sldoug on September 20, 2015

    Made September 2015. I used eight ears of corn and cut all the kernels off before milking them, used bacon instead of salt pork (probably a third pound with the cooked bacon as garnish at the end), used a full pound of Yukon golds, and only a half cup of cream (all I had). The chowder was really good and nicely corny without feeling like a bowl of creamed corn. Usually I like celery and carrots in any soup, but I appreciated the purity of this. I'd make this again.