Notes about Recipes in this book

• Sautéed shrimp with butternut purée and cider gastrique

  • meggan on October 23, 2024

    My squash was bitter but it was nice and creamy.

• Grilled lamb-stuffed calamari with crispy shallots

  • meggan on September 20, 2012

    The lamb and the sauces that go with this are amazing. I used long fin squid and it was a little too thick. Next time I might use either shortfin squid or just a spring roll wrapper.

• The never-ending-Chicago-winter beef stew

  • wcassity on March 16, 2020

    Too sweet and broth too thin; not our favorite.

  • meggan on October 10, 2023

    I liked the flavor but it could definitely use a thickener.

• Asparagus, goat cheese, and rhubarb salad

  • lisa_im0xvl on May 26, 2026

    Very tart! I would cut the rhubarb very small as it can also be challenging to chew

• Heirloom tomato, mozzarella, and stone fruit salad

  • DKennedy on July 15, 2021

    Stand out recipe. Made again and again. Omitted the mozzarella. Added feta and almonds. Yum!!!!!

• Kohlrabi, fennel, and Bing cherry salad

  • stacymarkow on August 08, 2020

    Added some lemon juice and it was vastly improved. Interesting combination of flavors.

• Shaved fennel and bok choy salad with ginger vinaigrette

  • purpleshiny on June 01, 2018

    This uses a ton of ginger, but the ginger is what makes it. I did not include the egg yolk. Good (but a little watery) the second day. Best right away.

• Seared tuna with blueberries and snap peas

  • purpleshiny on May 28, 2013

    This is the salad that led me to buy the cookbook (it was featured in our grocery store's free magazine). Truly the best salad I have ever eaten to date. The dressing is excellent (the siracha makes it) and the flavors are all wonderful together. We have yet to include the tuna - we've eaten the salad generally as a first course with a different main dish (sometimes salmon, sometimes something completely different).

• Smoked trout, fingerling, and bacon salad

  • meggan on October 31, 2019

    Used smoked peppery mackerel which has a strong pepper and fishy taste. It was good but next time, I will seek out trout.

  • stacymarkow on July 21, 2020

    Vinaigrette makes this salad sing.

• Shrimp, corn, and green tomato salad

  • stacymarkow on July 06, 2024

    Deliciously refreshing.

• Apple-pork ragu with pappardelle

  • meggan on April 09, 2012

    This is simple and absolutely delicious. It is not too "appley" as feared and it is very rich and complex for a dish that is quick to make.

• Seared scallops with goat cheese-Yukon purée, asparagus, and sorrel vinaigrette

  • juliejean1 on June 01, 2014

    Lots of steps, but well worth it. I've never been able to find sorrel, so I substitute spinach with some lemon zest and juice.

• Crispy braised chicken thighs with black bean tapenade

  • meggan on February 04, 2022

    Tried to speed this up by using an instant-pot. The chicken was tasty but fell apart and therefore was difficult to re-crisp at the end.

• Seared duck breasts à l'orange with braised duck spring rolls

  • DKennedy on March 06, 2015

    P. 185 Made the orange dipping sauce to serve with spring rolls (not the ones in this book) for a spring roll cooking class. This sauce is wonderful. It has inspired me to take a closer look at this book.

• Green bean casserole

  • ripleypickles on November 28, 2021

    This was fine, not really worth all the extra effort to make the soup from scratch. The fancy/interesting mushrooms get a little lost, and it could use extra seasoning - sherry, nutmeg, something to give it some extra interest.

• Sautéed Brussels sprouts with sunchokes with candied pecans

  • meggan on November 25, 2012

    Made this for thanksgiving with peanut oil instead of rice bran oil. I had to double it and so I made it in a dutch oven. I found that I had to cook it a lot longer than the recipe said. The candied pecans were good but they were not enough to jazz up the recipe so I added bacon.

• Roasted fingerlings with pistachio picada

  • meggan on January 27, 2013

    This makes far more picada than you need for the recipe. You could cut it in half unless you want to use it again that week. It is good but my parsley was a little anemic so the pistachios were the dominant flavor.

• Huffington Post

  Packed with creative recipes constructed from fresh seasonal produce, (it) manages to be both accessible and inspiring at the same time -- a surprisingly elusive combination in the cookbook world.

  Full review

• Chicago Sun-Times

  ...while Izard likes to challenge the status quo, she reminds readers to have fun in their own kitchens and freely to tinker with her recipes by highlighting flavors they enjoy the most

  Full review

• Kate Cooks the Books

  I can’t recommend this as a "must have" book on your shelf, or one that you will turn to again and again either for weeknight meals...It is, however, a cookbook that works and delivers on its promise.

  Full review