zvant's Reviews
9 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 9Sort by: Title 
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High Flavor, Low Labor: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking
By J.M. Hirsch
Ballantine Books - 2010
The wings were fantastic and the blue cheese dip lived up to its name. The wings are twice-fried, which takes some time, but well worth it. My only complaint is the chipotle sauce -- I wasn't a fan. They soy and agave overwhelmed the chipotle. When I make these again (which will happen), I'll find another buffalo sauce recipe to use.
useful (1)
Doro Wat Chicken : page 94
Hi flavor, and hello there spice. If you don't like spice, stay away from this recipe.
I went to the trouble of getting the spices (berbere, fenugreek and smoked paprika) from Kalustyans in NYC, and it seemed well worth the effort. The blend of spices gave the dish a layering of flavors. My one question is whether the recipe calls for sweet smoked paprika or hot smoked paprika (both available at Kalustyans). I used the hot spiced paprika, and trust me, the doro wat was spicy. If I were to do it again, I would buy sweet smoked paprika for the recipe, and let the spicy kick come from the berbere.
useful (3)
Fig and Manchego Puff Pastries : page 21
I made these to eat while watching football games on Sunday. The recipe definitely delivers on the low labor, high flavor promise -- they were easy to make and tasty. I could put them together and get them on the table quickly, without missing much of the game.
My main comment is that cheese and jam oozed off the sides of many of the pastries, making them a bit messy. I don't think there is anyway to prevent this (though the circle indentations appear to be helpful), so have paper napkins on hand.
useful (1)
Maple-Roasted Squash with Prosciutto : page 217
A tasty Fall-weather recipe. I cooked the squash a bit longer than the recipe calls for, cooking it until the squash tasted roasted all the way through. Given the maple syrup mixture is already brown, I found it difficult to tell when the squash, by eyesight alone, was "browned." The prosciutto was an excellent addition, but I think the other components can be tinkered with to individual taste.
Also, instead of dirtying bowls unnecessarily (I don't have a dishwasher), I just mixed together all of the ingredients on the baking sheet. I roasted all of the squash on one baking sheet, rather than two.
useful (0)
Orecchiette Pasta with Wilted Greens : page 157
This pasta is the one I should have eaten in college instead of pasta topped with bottled red sauce or ramen noodles. And I enjoy it now as much as I would have then. The ingredients are cheap, and the pasta is simple, easy, delicious and addictingly good. Each ingredient shines -- from the richness of the kale and anchovies to the brightness of the lemon to the wonderfulness that is melted cheese.
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These were cheesy goodness, with a pleasant kick from the peppadew peppers. I had polenta in my pantry, so I made the polenta rather than using the pre-made packages (which I've used before for other recipes), cooled the polenta in a cookie sheet and cut it into squares.
I had leftover polenta and prosciutto, so I made a second batch with gruyere rather than goat cheese, which was also delicious.
Also, I cut down on the peppadew peppers -- the recipe essentially calls for 1 sliced peppadew pepper per polenta round (or square), which seems to be overkill. But maybe I just had big peppadew peppers?
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Delicious and easy. The chowder was just as good as more complicated recipes that take longer to prepare. Tasted great the night I made it and as leftovers.
It was a bit awkward to soak the cobs in the 4 cups of milk because of the size of the cobs, the size of the pot and the amount of milk -- but I made it work.
I'd be curious to hear if anyone tries the recipe with frozen corn, and how they like the results.
useful (2)
Okay, it was very, very good, but the pepper was too much. The pepper overwhelmed the chicken, the rosemary and other flavors. I would just add a small pinch of freshly ground pepper to the rosemary instead of lightly crushed peppercorns. If you do crush the peppercorns, make sure that they are all crushed so you don't take bites with whole peppercorns.
Other than the pepper issue, I loved this recipe. The tomatoes roasted with capers and balsamic were especially delicious.
Finally, it took more than 10 minutes to cook the chicken, but I may not have pounded the chicken thin enough.
useful (1)
Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs : page 13
I couldn't find apple jelly, so I substituted apple butter. I would NOT recommend this substitution. The texture of the meatballs was gummy and unappetizing. However, the texture problem may not be solved by using apple jelly given that jelly is, by its nature, gummy.
Otherwise, this was an interesting twist on a classic Italian meatball. The sweet and sour flavors came through and were noticeable in the meatball.
If I track down apple jelly, I'd consider making the recipe again (but I'd be curious to hear from other cookbookers about the texture of the meatballs when using the apple jelly).
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