zvant's Reviews
28 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 28Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
Ad Hoc at Home
By Thomas Keller
Artisan - 2009
Delicious. I've never tasted anyting like it -- the cake has a clear, bright grapefruit flavor. It is sweet, but not too sweet. I have made this grapefruit cake several times, and all my friends are always impressed by it.
I have two comments on the recipe directions. First, the cake needs to bake for approx. 20 minutes longer than the 1 hour directed, so make sure to test it with a toothpick before removing it from the oven.
Also, let the cake cool completely in the pan after adding the grapefruit syrup -- adding the grapefruit sugar syrup moistens the cake and can make it difficult to remove from the pan while the cake is still hot.
useful (1)
Very good. This is a simple dish that is easy for a beginner and can easily be made on a week night. I did not develop a good crust on the fish, but that may be due to the quality of the pan I was using. Also, I cooked it on the second side a bit more than the "kiss" suggested by Keller.
useful (1)
Good recipe, but not amazing. The steps do allow you to do certain portions in advance, which is helpful. I blanched the cabbage in the morning, and then cooked it later.
It also took me more than 3 batches to cook everything (you carmelize the cabbage in batches) -- I was using an 11 inch pan. In the end, I feel like there must be an easier way to have carmelized cabbage than the method used in this recipe (but I could be wrong).
Finally, I used 3/4 of the suggested amount of butter in the melted onions, more butter would have been too much in my opinion.
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A lot of work for potato hash, given the number of steps, but the results were amazing. Who doesn't love butter, potatoes, bacon and onions? Also, I used about 3/4 of the suggested amount of butter in the melted onions, more butter would have been too much (fyi -- the savoy cabbage recipe also calls for melted onions). I took this to a brunch pot luck and people loved it.
useful (1)
Easy and delicious. As Keller suggests, this dish goes well with the pan roasted halibut. The halibut and this dish are simple, and can easily be made on a week night. I substituted another type of wild mushrooms (I believe they were trumpets), with good results. You can probably use any type of mushroom, so don't feel compelled to track down (and pay for) chanterelles.
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Yum! Cheese! Meatballs! Genius! If you have a kitchenaid mixer, the grinder attachment works great. As the recipe states, these can also be frozen, and they still taste great. I served them with homemade papperdelle, but used a family recipe for the tomato sauce (Keller's oven roasted sause sounds simple and interesting though).
Keller's tip on making sure all the meat gets through the grinder is especially helpful and works (he suggests running a wad of plastic wrap through the ginder, holding on to one end, the wad works its way through the grinder pushing meat forward to the blade, but the blade suprisingly does not slice the plastic wrap).
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Perfect burgers. The proportions of meat I used were a little off, because the butcher didn't give me exactly what I asked for, but results were delicious nonetheless.
I also suggest certain additional safety precautions when grinding meat (especially in the summer heat) --I put the grinder in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to grinding the meat and put the meat in the fridge between the first and second grinding. Martha Stewart and others have detailed safety instructions. Don't let these safety concerns scare you away from grinding your own meat, grinding at home is much safer than buying ground meat from the store as Keller states (see also, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31meat.html)
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This dish was perfection. Although I've never had anything like it, it felt like comfort food. The leeks seem to be a great addition to bread pudding.
I used an italian loaf (crust removed), rather than the pullman's loaf or brioche called for in the recipe. If you are not cooking for a crowd, this dish also tastes great the next day, either cold or re-heated in the microwave.
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Light, fluffy and buttery biscuits. Taste delectable straight out of the oven, or they can be warmed in the toaster to re-create the out of the oven experience. I used round cookie cutters (ateco has a nice set), rather than buying a biscuit cutter.
The recipe made 15 biscuits, rather than 12 (as stated in the recipe), so I may consider halving the recipe in the future. The biscuits also puffed up and slightly out in the oven, so be sure not to overcrowd the cookie sheet when baking.
useful (2)
Easy, simple recipe. The combination of butter, wine reduction and garlic was delectible.
However, the shrimp were a bit salty. I think there was too much salt in the brine, I used less than the suggested amount because I was using a finer sea salt, rather than Kosher salt. If I were to make this recipe, I'd cut down the salt.
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Can I please give this recipe 6 stars? It is truly an excellent, memorable recipe. The corn combined with the hint of lime and cayenne is a perfect summertime dish. It has sophisticated flavors, but is very easy to execute. The chives add a hint of color and a bit of kick. I plan on making this recipe again and again over the summer. I'm hooked.
useful (2)
A great potato pancake. Very tasty. I cut the recipe in half, and made 2 pancakes that were a bit smaller (maybe 6-7 inches each). This size was only slightly tricky to flip, but it was very do-able. Even with the smaller size, I cooked them for about 9-10 minutes on each side (which is longer than the 6-7 minutes per side recommended in the recipe).
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Tasty coffee ice cream. Keller relies on the typical cream, milk, egg yolk, sugar ice cream recipe, but his had more eggs yolks than most recipe. Results were delicious. There was also a robust, but not over powering, coffee flavor, achieved from soaking crushed coffee beans in the milk and cream.
Also, FYI, the key to creamy ice cream is letting it cool completely (for example, overnight) before putting it in the ice cream maker. If you are in the market for an ice cream maker, Cook's Illustrated just named the Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker ($49.95) as their best buy (beating out a more expensive Cuisinart model).
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Delicious. I'm a big pork tenderloin fan and have tried lots of recipes. This one is easy, with two exceptions -- the brine and the cured lemons. I recommend the cured lemons whole heartedly, but am not sure if the brine is worth the effort.
Keller's recipe stands apart because of the cured lemons. Go the whole nine yards and make the cured lemons in advance. They are well worth the effort and add a unique, exciting taste to the pork. I used Keller's recipe, but made a half batch of the lemons. I can't wait to find more uses for the leftover cured lemons.
I also made the pork brine, and found the pork very slightly over salted. Even with Diamond Crystal, I would recommend cutting the salt by 10% (I may have sprinkled too much salt on before searing, so that may have been the problem). At the end of the day, I'm not sure if the brine is worth the effort. I might do brine and no brine pork side by side in the future so I can see if it really makes a big enough difference to warrant the extra step.
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This is not a traditional panna cotta. If you are looking for something traditional, don't bother. The recipe has a yogurt-flavor tartness (think pinkberry ice cream). It is refreshing and summery.
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Love, love, love. These are easy to make, but takes two weeks to cure in the refrigerator. The cured lemons add a unique, bright lemon flavor to any dish, which shines through other strong flavors and adds a complex level of flavor.
I've used them in the brined pork tenderloin recipe from the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook and Moroccan dishes that call for preserved lemons.
useful (1)
The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread
By Peter Reinhart, Ron Manville
Ten Speed Press - 2001
I had the same experience as the other reviewer -- I had to add over a cup of extra flour to the dough.
I used buttermilk, coarse polenta, brown rice and rolled oats for the various components. Overall -- this is the best multigrain bread I've been able to make at home.
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High Flavor, Low Labor: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking
By J.M. Hirsch
Ballantine Books - 2010
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)
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.
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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.
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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)
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.
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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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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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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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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.
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Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home
By Jeni Britton Bauer
Artisan - 2011
Fantastic. Perfect combination of sweet and salty. I plan on making this again and again.
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My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness
By Gwyneth Paltrow, Mario Batali
Grand Central Life & Style - 2011
Totally delicious. You'd never know that there were "alternative" ingredients in this muffin. It didn't taste like a health food alternative, it tasted like the real thing.
I couldn't find white spelt flour, so I substituted unbleached white flour (but used whole spelt flour and the other "healthier" ingredients). The muffin had a tendency to crumble a bit, especially when it was hot. I read elsewhere that spelt absorbs more liquid that normal flour, so you might have to increase the liquid to adjust for the flour substitution.
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