andrew's Reviews
174 recipes reviewed. Showing 51 to 100Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread
By Peter Reinhart, Ron Manville
Ten Speed Press - 2001
A delightful Christmas treat indeed. These are larger than you'd think - the photo makes it hard to estimate, but they're quite a bit larger than the sort of Stollen you buy in the store (at least 50% larger). I made these with marzipan in the centre. The only change I'd make is not soaking the fruit in brandy in advance - I prefer these non-boozy. I didn't have orange or lemon extract and just used zest instead.
useful (0)
This is a fascinating bread. I'm still a bit wobbly with sourdough, and the first two times I made it, it came out very well (it received compliments from a French teacher of one of my daughters). The third time, it was a terrible flop - and I realized that I still have a lot to learn about wild yeast. I still don't know if it under or overproofed, but after all that work it was a bit dispiriting.
It makes a huge loaf (4.5 lbs), very dark and chewy. It's a bit of a challenge to work with that much dough, and the kneading will help with your arm muscle development! Definitely one to impress people with when you master it, and one to be shared with a group.
useful (0)
This makes a very credible loaf of French bread. The use of pre-fermented dough gives it extra complexity and deeper caramelization, and if you're careful you can make a baguette that rivals the product of a decent French bakery.
I was happy with this recipe until I tried making baguettes with Peter's Pain a l'Ancienne method of knead-free overnight refrigerator fermentation. Those baguettes are such a step above in terms of flavour that I have not made these ones in a long while.
useful (0)
A great, all-purpose enriched bread recipe. This is what I use to make burger buns, using Peter's knot technique from Artisan Breads Every Day (essentially you make the dough into a 'snake' and then knot it to get a nice looking twisted bun). I always add some whole-wheat flour - 25-30% most usually, and find I go on the low side of the liquid recommendation (13 oz) as well as sometimes add a little extra flour on kneading as it's a damp dough.
If you have a warm kitchen you can start these and be ready to bake in about 3 1/2 hours, which is great for prep for a barbecue, for instance. They freeze well and I often make a batch and put most of them away for later.
I always do the egg wash and sesame seed sprinkle.
useful (2)
C is for Cooking: Recipes from the Street
By Susan, M.S., R.D. McQuillan, Sesame Workshop
Wiley - 2007
These are nice, fluffy cupcakes, and as with many of the recipes in this fun cookbook, cut out a bit of the fat with plain yogurt, with no loss to moistness or taste. They're not any easier for kids to help out with than any other cupcake recipe - unlike some of the recipes in this book, but I find that my 3 1/2 year old can crack eggs with a bit of practice and even hold the electric mixer.
One note - for the pink frosting, chop the strawberries very finely and only beat them into the butter for the 30 seconds it recommends, then very gently as you add the powdered sugar. The first time I made these I figured I'd use the beater to break the strawberries up, but it ended up ruining the frosting; it broke apart into tiny little globs.
useful (0)
Canadian Living
(November, 2010)
This was fairly good, but seemed to be missing a flavour note of some sort. For a curry, it had some heat, but not a lot of 'curryness'. Perhaps the spicing needs to be increased? The funny thing is that when you look at the list of spices, it looks about right, but obviously they get a bit swamped by the chard, chickpeas and tomato.
useful (0)
Website: Canadian Living
This is a great recipe, and very convenient - you can fry up the onions and make the sauce and then pop the pork in the slow cooker for 8 hours or so while you're off at work. Then you just have to reduce the sauce and pull the pork.
I've made it with and without hot peppers, and I prefer it spicy, but listen to your own tastes on this one. It's not terribly Mexican if you don't put in jalapenos and use cilantro when you serve it, and we often just do this as regular pulled pork on soft buns with coleslaw.
useful (1)
Website: Chocolate & Zucchini
Chocolate, hazelnuts, a little sugar, honey and salt - very simple and very tasty holiday treat.
useful (0)
Website: Chocolate & Zucchini
This is one of the best written sourdough (or wild yeast) recipes and how-to's that I've come across online. If you've ever considered trying this, you couldn't find a better place to start.
She doesn't detail exactly how to get your own starter going, but provides some very good links to other, more comprehensive guides. I used the 'pineapple juice method' myself, and found that it took about a week before I had a suitable starter going.
She has great information on care and feeding of a starter once it's going, and then has clear and comprehensive instructions on baking a truly excellent loaf. What I like about this is that it's fairly simple and makes use of a couple of techniques that have become more popular lately among home bakers - stretch and fold to strengthen the dough, and baking in a cast iron pot.
Interestingly, unlike the 'no-knead' technique of Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman fame, here you put the risen dough in the pot cold, then turn on the oven. An hour later you have a fabulous loaf.
I made my first one with 60% bread flour, 40% whole wheat and it was excellent - great crispy crust, nice crumb, and a mild sourdough flavour.
Update: I've been making this for three weeks now, and it continues to be excellent. I've experimented with doing a refrigerator rise overnight and baking in the morning, and found that it wasn't really any more sour, but it was more convenient. I've taken it all the way up to 100% whole wheat, with very satisfactory results. I did, however, add a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten as she recommends, otherwise it would be a much denser bread.
useful (1)
Website: Chocolate & Zucchini
This is a great recipe, and like her Natural Starter Bread before it, an education on how to produce excellent natural starter breads. I particularly like the flexibility of this one, which allows you to slow ferment the dough in the fridge anywhere from 12-24 hours.
Translating her French flour instructions, I made these with 40% whole wheat and 60% unbleached white flour. I also added a little gluten to compensate for the whole wheat.
My starter may be a little slow, as the dough hadn't doubled in size after the overnight rise, but after about 4 hours out on the counter I just went ahead and baked them and they turned out very well.
useful (0)
The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry
By the Editors of Cook's Illustrated
Clarkson Potter - 1999
This is a comprehensive and very useful guide to roasting a goose. We used it to roast our very first goose and it came out perfectly. I read various directions in other books and online, and this one was the most straightforward and detailed, so it was a perfect guide for a first-timer, especially since it's important to roast a goose correctly, to drain the thick layer of subcutaneous fat.
We did not use the stuffing they recommended, simply putting onion, garlic and lemons in the goose. Otherwise we followed this exactly and got a perfectly cooked bird. The only thing I'd wish they added was a bit more information about saving and using the fat - goose fat is quite healthy and highly prized for cooking and one of the best things about roasting a goose, but all they say is to bail it out of the roasting pan as it collects. We collected and strained it, keep it in a jar in the fridge, and use it for roasting potatoes.
useful (0)
Website: David Lebovitz
Like pumpkin pie in a cone! This is delicious ice cream, and I followed the recipe almost exactly, with the exception of the optional liquor at the end. I used roasted butternut squash, like David did, and it worked out just fine, though mine was a bit lighter in colour than the photos on his blog - I think he may have roasted the squash for longer.
useful (0)
Website: Dinner With Julie
This was a 3 1/2 - not quite very good, but better than 3 stars. It's a simple version of Aloo Gobi (cauliflower and potatoes) which substitutes sweet potatoes for the regular potatoes. It definitely makes for a sweeter curry because of this. It contains chili powder, which doesn't seem totally Indian; but then chili powder is just ground chilis, so I guess it's close enough!
useful (1)
The Enchanted Broccoli Forest
By Mollie Katzen
Ten Speed Press - 1995
This is a nice, solid corn chowder recipe. It has a little potato, celery and red pepper to balance the corn, and is finished with milk to make it creamy. It's also partially blended (about half of the soup) to give it a nicer consistency. The main spices are thyme and basil.
The thyme in particular is important, as it gives it a nice flavour. I also find, though this is a personal preference, that it benefits from a little spice, whether from a dash or three of Tabasco, some dried chiles or cayenne.
useful (1)
Website: Epicurious
The review from lemonadesandwich reminded me that I'd been meaning to try this one too, and I did so for a child's birthday party also. My wife was worried it would be too dark for the little ones (6-year-olds) but I had a feeling they'd be able to take it, and they were enthusiastic. As was I. It was moist, very dark and chocolaty, but not as dense as a brownie.
I didn't have 10 x 2" pans, so I cooked three separate layers in regular 9" pans. Cooking time was a little less - 45 minutes or so. I also made half a measure of frosting for a cake using 2 of the layers, as 1 lb of chocolate seemed like an awful lot. I tweaked the frosting a little, using a bit more butter and a little icing sugar, thinking of the kids.
useful (4)
Website: Epicurious
I came across this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, where Deb used it as a side dish for her Chana Masala. Cauliflower and potatoes are classic together with this sort of spicing, and the recipe didn't disappoint. I didn't have any ginger or jalapeno at the time, but it was still very tasty.
One thing though - the potato and cauliflower come out of the oven nice and crispy, then you put them in the frying pan with onions and spices and a bit of water and they get rather soft and soggy. Next time I may just cook them a little longer and then mix everything together just before serving and see how it comes out.
useful (2)
Website: Epicurious
This is a deceptively simple recipe, but the completed pie is greater than the sum of its parts. The tartness of the rhubarb and the sweet / tart flavour of the raspberries are softened by the pear. Then there's some orange peel and cinnamon to round it out. It's incredibly delicious.
The recipe calls for store-bought crusts, but of course it's easy to substitute your favourite recipe. The only thing that's an issue is that these three ingredients are never in season at the same time. What I do is freeze rhubarb in the spring, raspberries in the summer and then when pears are in season in the fall, out come the pies!
useful (1)
Everyday Food
(October, 2004)
This is a simple, quick and very satisfying cake. The olive oil gives it a subtle fruitiness that goes well with the orange. A little sugar on top before baking gives it a satisfying crunch and a sweetness. If I suddenly decide to whip up a little something for dessert and it's already past 4pm, this is a reliable recipe - you make it in one bowl with a whisk (no beaters required) and then pop it in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
We've served it with whipped cream, ice cream, yogurt or just plain.
useful (0)
Everyday Food
(March, 2006)
This is a very consistent recipe, and makes a simple fall/winter one-dish meal. As jherb wrote, it works well with any root vegetables, but don't forget the cauliflower - it's a veggie that is transformed by roasting.
useful (0)
Everyday Food
(, 2007)
This is a great little cake recipe - it makes a one-layer, fairly dense, rich and chocolatey cake which is not unlike a brownie in texture (or ingredients). Containing a full 1/2 pound of chocolate in the cake, plus another 1/4 in the icing, it is not for the faint of heart.
We use this as a general-purpose special occasion cake, especially for adult birthdays. Oddly enough, I've never made it with the peppermint extract - the closest I've come is a little orange essence sometimes. Otherwise I just make the ganache icing straight.
It can take a while for the icing to stiffen, so it's not for last-minute icing.
useful (1)
Everyday Food
(December, 2003)
A very tasty Eggplant Parmigiana variation, with the eggplant baked first in the oven before the whole thing is baked in sauce and cheese. It does take some time, however - minimum of 90 minutes and closer to 2 hours.
The eggplant rounds are extremely tasty out of the oven and I'm tempted to try this again in a deconstructed form, as you lose the crunchy, chewy texture once it's all smothered in cheese. I would put a round on a plate, a dollop of sauce, some cheese and then broil it quickly to melt the cheese.
useful (1)
Fare for Friends
By Fare for Friends Foundation
Key Porter Books - 1993
This is a family classic. Before my second child was born my folks helped make something like a dozen portions of this to freeze for those days we were too tired to cook. It was welcome! It freezes well; the amaretto flavour complements the chicken very nicely, and the sauce is very nice.
useful (0)
Website: Food.com
Simple, easy to prepare and tasty noodle salad. Very good warm or cold. I added julienned carrot, cooked the pepper a bit longer than the recipe calls for and also cooked the green onion lightly as my wife doesn't like them raw. I also found the dressing to be a lot for the amount of noodles so didn't use it all. Finally, I jazzed it up a little by adding some Thai sweet chili sauce rather than cayenne for spice.
useful (1)
Website: The Food Network
This is the first goat curry I've tried - I tried it based on the first review here, and it was indeed very tasty. We got some goat at the local farmer's market and I made a half-version of this recipe. I took some tips from some of the comments on the Food Network site and used a bit less water and some tomato juice in the sauce. I also made some coconut milk rice and some roti for what turned out to be a slightly exotic and very enjoyable Sunday dinner.
useful (0)
Fresh: Seasonal Recipes Made with Local Ingredients
By John Bishop
Douglas & McIntyre - 2007
There are lots of vegetarian shepherd's pie recipes out there, usually with some form of the same ingredients to make up for the ground or leftover meat in the omnivore version: mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, carrots etc. The Moosewood Cookbook has a classic, for example.
John Bishop's recipe (his sister's actually, though I imagine he's tweaked it), follows along these lines, but the spicing and preparation take it up to another level. The notes contributed by the use of balsamic vinegar, lemon zest and honey as well as the spicing and the lentils (we used du puy as we were out of regular brown) combine to produce a lovely umami experience, tangy and a little tart. Then it's all mellowed by creamy mashed potatoes (we didn't have rutabaga, but the yukon golds we used were perfect).
The only warning I'd add is that this takes quite some time to prepare. The ingredients are simmered for 40 minutes before being put into the oven for another 40 minutes. WIth prep time it's easily two hours or a bit more. I cut a bit of time on the oven side with no ill-effects; the potatoes were not as brown as they might have been, but everything was properly cooked.
useful (0)
This is a very adult tasting soup. What I mean is that it's not one of your sweet, kid-friendly soups. It takes a strong flavour note from the sherry (1/2 cup) and is really quite delicious. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars, but not quite 4. I think it's not quite something I'd make regularly for myself for sheer comfort, but it would be a nice one to serve at a fancy meal.
Didn't make the accompanying biscuits.
useful (0)
Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours
By Kim Boyce, Quentin Bacon, Nancy Silverton, Amy Scattergood
Stewart, Tabori & Chang - 2010
I went the whole way and used heavy cream, though only made a half portion of the waffles. They were very good indeed, though I think they definitely would be just as good with buttermilk as the previous reviewer did them. You can taste the cream, I think, and they are a little richer than the usual buttermilk waffles I make. Nice for a special occasion.
useful (1)
Phenomenal cookies. Like the other reviewers have said, these are fantastic. The whole wheat doesn't make them dense, and adds a slightly nutty flavor which goes very well with the chocolate and butter. I rank these right at the top of my chocolate chip cookie chart, easily equal to the NYTimes recipe or Thomas Keller's cookies from Ad Hoc at Home.
useful (3)
HomeBaking : The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World
By Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid
Random House of Canada, Limited - 2003
This is the first yeasted pancake recipe I've tried, and it's truly delicious. I make it with a blend of whole wheat and white flour (3.5 oz each) and I usually prepare three apples, as two, unless they're quite large, don't provide quite enough apple for the bottom.
One issue, though: the timing of the recipe is complicated, and detracts just a little from it. If you want these for breakfast they requires a primary fermentation of 30 min to 2 hrs, then 6 to 8 hours or overnight in the fridge plus 2 hours out of the fridge (whew!).
So, it's difficult to get the timing right, unless you're having a brunch at 10 or 11am. I actually got up at 5am once to take the batter out of the fridge. What I've found is that if you can do a longer pre-fridge fermentation, before you add the salt (as salt slows yeast growth), then you need less on the other end.
My most recent breakfast timing: 90 minutes to 2 hrs first fermentation. Add salt egg and butter, then refrigerate overnight. Take out for 30 minutes to 1 hr (batter should be frothy and have risen) before cooking.
useful (1)
These are almost there... they're so close that I can just about see they could be a substitute for getting 'real' bagels from an actual bagel restaurant. Of course if I lived in a town with real bagels, I wouldn't be trying so hard to do them at home. But that's another story...
Some notes: they're not chewy enough. I used bread flour (they recommend all-purpose), but still not chewy like the real thing. Secondly, they're a bit small. As written, they're tiny things - half the size of what I'm used to, so I doubled it.
The real secret here is using a baking stone - it browns them very nicely and they look just like authentic wood-oven bagels. I tried them out on a friend from Montreal, and she was impressed. Not that they were as good as Montreal bagels, but that I'd come close at home.
useful (0)
How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food
By Mark Bittman
Wiley - 2008
Boy this is a good recipe, and in typical Bittman fashion is very adaptable. We are usually lazy and get a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket (or save some chicken from a roast) and use some commercial stock, but one day I'll do the whole thing from scratch - whole chicken, stock and all.
I've tried it with biscuit crust, puff pastry (from frozen) and potato crust. It's great all three ways, though I found the biscuits to be awfully thick - in future I'd reduce the amount.
Some notes: the sauce isn't very thick, though on refrigeration the leftovers do thicken up somewhat. He calls for 2 tablespoons of flour to almost 3 cups of liquid, which doesn't really do the job. More flour, cornstarch maybe? Secondly, it's very hard to find pearl onions where I live (inexplicably), so this time I used small shallots, and they worked out very well.
useful (0)
A recipe deceptive in its simplicity. Although it only has a few ingredients: beans, tomatoes, onions, cheese and oregano, somehow they all combine to make a substantial and flavourful whole. This is something typical of Italian cooking, where the simplicity of the dish showcases the ingredients; use substandard parts, and the whole suffers.
We made it with our own garden tomatoes, local organic onions, white beans and sharp cheddar. Taking a cue from one of his related recipes (Bean Casserole with Hominy and Tortillas) we added some corn tortillas in a layer between the beans and tomatoes.
It was surprisingly tasty - I didn't expect too much after assembling it (it's not exactly cooking, which means it's an easy quick dinner item), but both my wife and I were very impressed. This is going to go on our list of quick and tasty entrees.
useful (0)
This was good, and if I'd programmed in 3 1/2 stars to the site, I'd give it that. I liked his suggestion of using dried coconut to make ad hoc coconut milk, but I probably didn't use enough in the recipe. Nevertheless, it is a pretty fair curry, though there are a lot of dal recipes around and I'm going to keep trying more to see if I can find one that can become a classic.
useful (0)
A very satisfying vegetarian main course. As the title suggests, it's primarily lentils and rice, spiced with cumin, cooked in stock. It is quite similar in flavour to Lentil and Rice Casserole from The Good Friends Cookbook. It has a dark, savoury flavour I find very appealing, especially on a cold fall evening.
I cooked it just as written in the recipe. The sole suggestion I'd make is to give extra time. I find lentils usually take longer than recipe authors suggest (perhaps lentils around here are tougher than usual...), so I gave this an extra 15 or 20 minutes at the end.
Oh, and the caramelized onions are a great topping - don't leave them out.
useful (0)
An excellent version of the Italian classic. In typical Bittman style, there are about 20 possible variations (more if you include ingredient substitutions), so it's possible for 10 people to cook from this recipe and get 10 different soups. Though they'll all have the core soup and process in common.
The version we made had cubed parmesan rind in it, as is common in Minestrone. We used some chopped bacon as the meat (he recommends proscuitto or ham). For the hard vegetable we used acorn squash. For the soft veggies we used a cup or so of white beans and another cup or so of chopped Swiss chard.
It was really, really good. We just had it for dinner with some crusty bread.
useful (0)
This is a pretty good pilaf - the currants, pine nuts, cumin and cinnamon give it a middle-eastern flavour. It didn't cause fireworks of flavour though - I'll try some of his other (seven) variations on pilaf and see if I like them better.
useful (0)
I think this is a fairly authentic version of Bolognese sauce - starting with a sofritto (carrot, celery and onion) and including a small amount of bacon and ground meat, finished with milk or cream.
It does make a lovely sauce - if you take the time to cook it for the full two hours or so, and if you can make it ahead a bit and let the flavours combine, it is a rich and deep sauce - delicious!
I made a tiny adjustment to the recipe - I fried the bacon first, then browned the meat (I used ground pork as that's all I had) in the pan with the bacon and bacon fat and a little olive oil. I then removed the meat while I cooked the sofritto and added tomatoes so they would reduce a bit before I put the meat back in with some stock and then simmered the whole lot. I'm not sure if it made much difference, but hey... tasted good.
useful (0)
Although Bittman calls this 'one of the best rice and bean dishes' I was a bit disappointed with this version. It was lacking a flavour note or two, and turned out fairly blandly. We cooked exactly as directed, using the 'lid on method' in the oven as I didn't want a crust to develop.
This isn't so different from the Joy of Cooking Spanish Rice, except with beans. If I do this again, I'd add paprika, as that seems to give the Joy recipe a nice little boost. And a bit of cayenne for some heat.
useful (0)
This was a truly wonderful way to prepare duck legs, and really simple. We had two small duck legs rather than the 4 in the recipe so I cut back a little on the proportions: used a medium onion and a little less carrot, as well as two celery stalks instead of 3 and only one cup of stock.
The longest part of the prep is chopping the vegetables. The rest is more or less unattended as you brown the duck legs and render out some of the fat while you're chopping, then cook the vegetables in some of the duck fat and chuck the whole thing in the oven with some stock. After an hour the stock was gone (there would likely be some left with the full recipe) and everything was done.
The skin was crispy, the meat was tender and the vegetables in the mixture of reduced stock and a little duck fat were delicious. I will definitely do this one again.
useful (0)
Very nice indeed, for homemade. A simple recipe that is fairly quick to make. They puff up nicely in the oven and have a slightly tangy taste from the yogurt in the dough. I might add a little more salt next time, but that's it. We made twelve and froze the leftovers for future curries.
useful (1)
A simple, excellent waffle batter with Bittman's usual list of variations you can use to create pretty much any type of waffle experience you want. I made the straightforward version substituting half whole-wheat flour for the white, and they cooked up beautifully in my new waffle iron.
useful (0)
I was quite pleased with how these turned out, and the recipe (like many in this book) has enough variations to serve as a source of future veggie burger explorations. I ended up making these with a little more of the bean-cooking liquid that I should have, and may have pureed them a little too long - they were a little less chunky than I think the recipe specifies - but they had a good flavor and they cooked up quite nicely.
My 8-year-old gobbled hers up and my wife and I agreed that we'd try them again. Though these are definitely frying pan burgers - they would disintegrate on a grill.
useful (1)
I would have never thought of cooking greens with tahini, but this works very well. It's a simple recipe - sautee some garlic and then add your greens (kale in this case) a little stock and some tahini. Finish with a squirt of lemon juice and you have a very tasty side dish. Other variations on the recipe include peanut butter, which at first I thought bizzare, but considering how similar tahini is, makes some sense now.
I ended up using more stock than the recipe suggested - it seemed to vanish quickly.
useful (0)
Italy the Beautiful Cookbook
By Lorenza De' Medici
HarperCollins, Advantage Publishers Group - 1999
Very simple, very tasty - if you use good ingredients, that is. Classic Italian cooking relies on the primacy of good ingredients and simple cooking techniques to produce potentially great food.
We use only ripe garden tomatoes or fresh market tomatoes in season to make this recipe. From looking at the ingredients: olive oil, onion, tomatoes, pancetta, basil leaves, pepper, you might think this was overly simple. But simmering them all together for an hour performs an alchemy on the ingredients and makes a wonderful, if a little wet, pasta sauce.
useful (0)
Jane Brodys Good Food Book
By Jane Brody
WW Norton - 1985
This is a straightforward vegetarian chili recipe, brought to a higher level by a masterful use of spicing. It has the most complex mix of spices of any veggie chili I've made: cumin, cloves, allspice, coriander, chili powder and oregano. Together they give it a rich depth of flavour.
We make very few adjustments to the recipe. Since our eldest daughter (6 as I write this) likes it, we leave out the Jalapeno. We also add a little corn. Otherwise, it's perfect as written.
useful (0)
Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006
By Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker
Scribner - 2006
SqueakyChu is right - the idea that this recipe makes 60 cookies is crazy. Even back when this recipe would have been first made, in the days when cookies were not freakishly large, it would have only made 60 if you were making cookies for a doll's tea party.
That said, I got 2 1/2 dozen normal sized (about 2 inches across, baked) cookies. They taste just like I remembered from when I was a kid, and they're almost absurdly easy to make. I threw in some chocolate chips, but otherwise did the recipe as written.
useful (2)
Nice and simple, easy to make and just throw in the oven. Very much comfort food. We had this with some tortillas with refried beans and cheese, and it made a perfect dinner for a wet and chilly fall evening. I also used some fresh tomato. We didn't have cayenne, which would have given this a nice little bit of heat, and no bacon, but maybe next time.
useful (2)
I'd never tasted, let alone made, a snickerdoodle before reading the reviews here and deciding to give them a try. What are they? They're very simple butter cookies, but the addition of cream of tartar gives them a slightly different flavour. The recipe here is straightforward and I made them with no tweaks. They came out thin and flat, and only a little chewy. The flavour seemed to improve after a day or so in the cookie jar.
Definitely worth trying out, though I'm still more of a fan of classics like chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.
useful (1)
This is a very credible borscht, and is quite simple and fast to boot. It's a meat-free version, and fairly stripped down in comparison with the borscht with meat on page 138 (which I have not made). This one can be made in 45 minutes to an hour and just contains 6 ingredients: beets, carrots, onions, stock, cabbage and a little red wine vinegar.
The only thing I'd adjust would be the amount of liquid - it ends up being more stewlike than souplike. I'd either puree some or all of it, or change the stock from 2 cups to 3 or more.
useful (0)
Latin Grilling: Recipes to Share, from Patagonian Asado to Yucatecan Barbecue and More
By Lourdes Castro
Ten Speed Press - 2011
This is a superb and exotic (at least for this Canadian) way to prepare chicken on the grill, and makes for great presentation for a party as well as a delicious meal anytime.
You marinate chicken breasts in an achiote marinade, made up of annato seeds, garlic, cumin, oregano, vinegar and orange juice among other things (including a tablespoon of black pepper). Then wrap them in banana leaves with some red onion and chopped tomato. 25 minutes or so on a hot grill and you have this delightful charred package to unwrap - inside is an incredibly tender and juicy chicken breast, perfectly cooked.
It's a little work to source annato seeds and banana leaves, but once you have them you can do this multiple times as the seeds keep and the leaves freeze very well.
The flavour is distinctive, not overpowering, and a little exotic. Very nice indeed, and my favourite recipe so far from this book.
useful (3)