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Joined: July 8th, 2010


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July 8th, 2010

Summer Vegetable Gratin from Ad Hoc at Home

This recipe is the perfect way to use all the squash, tomatoes, and eggplant you can find at the farmers' market. I love the sauteed onions and thyme that make up the bottom layer. They add a ton of flavor... read more >


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megs91581's Reviews


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9 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 9Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title

Ad Hoc at Home

By Thomas Keller
Artisan - 2009

8th July 2010

White Cupcakes

I thought these cupcakes were okay. The batter is very light due to the addition of whipped egg whites, and the resulting cupcakes are very light too. I think I just prefer a denser cupcake, which is why they weren't my favorite, though the flavor is very good.

The buttercream frosting, on the other hand, is amazing and is my new go-to frosting -- both the vanilla and the chocolate.

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8th July 2010 (edited: 8th July 2010)

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

This is my new go-to frosting. It's a Swiss meringue buttercream, and it's the perfect balance of sugar and butter. It's not sickeningly sweet like buttercreams that are made with 10X, and it's not so buttery that you think you're just eating a stick of butter.

It's easy enough to make, but the one thing to be careful about is making sure your granulated sugar is fully dissolved before you remove the bowl from the heat, or you'll end up with a gritty frosting.

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8th July 2010 (edited: 8th July 2010)

Scallion Potato Cakes

I've made potato latkes and a potato roesti before with excellent results, so I was very excited to try Thomas Keller's Scallion Potato Cakes too. The recipe is incredibly simple, and the results are amazing: a crisp, flavorful potato cake. I had to cook mine a little longer than the suggested times in the book in order to get it to brown evenly, and I did have to add a little more oil while it was cooking, as the recipe suggested. (Oh, and I cut the recipe by a third to just make one 8- or 9-inch cake instead of three.) The best way I've found to flip it is actually to slide the cake onto a baking sheet with no sides) and then place the skillet on top of the cake, and holding the baking sheet against the skillet, turn the whole thing over. There's virtually no chance of breakage.

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This was actually the first recipe I made from Ad Hoc. I followed the pictures and instructions beside the recipe for trussing the chicken and they were incredibly helpful. The dish is delicious! I really love roasting smaller chickens. I was a little confused about how the leeks were actually supposed to be cut, but other than that the recipe was clear and straightforward. I loved the variety of vegetables roasted along with the chicken. The rutabagas and turnips added an extra dimension of flavor.

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These little Cornish hens were delicious. The butter that you make and rub under the skin adds so much flavor. My only recommendation would be to cut back on the lemon just a tad unless you're into strong lemon flavor. These are really great for a dinner party too because it's fun when everyone can have their own hen. One hen was too much for me so I saved some of it to add to my lunch salad the next day.

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For me, this did not come out like a stew at all but was more of a thick tomato mixture that was perfect for topping fish. My tomatoes cooked up much faster than the times in the cookbook, so watch yours closely. Cooking the asparagus in the bacon fat adds a ton of flavor. I thought this was so tasty and a really different and unique way to serve asparagus.

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From the homemade bread crumbs to homemade garlic confit and tangy-sweet honey mustard glaze, this recipe is a work of art and makes a fantastic centerpiece on the dinner table. I skipped the anchovies, which were optional, and followed the rest of the recipe. I think the glaze really makes this dish.

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8th July 2010

Baked Beets

I make these baked beets all the time. It's a great, simple recipe for beets. I've done golden beets, red, beets, and Chioggias. I usually bake them off following Keller's recipe and then slice or dice them and add them to salads. Also, his lightbulb idea of rubbing the beet skin off with a paper towel is genius!

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This recipe is the perfect way to use all the squash, tomatoes, and eggplant you can find at the farmers' market. I love the sauteed onions and thyme that make up the bottom layer. They add a ton of flavor to the dish. I veered off course a little and used a globe zucchini and cousa squash in addition to summer squash, tomatoes, and eggplant. This makes a nice light dinner on its own, but I cooked up some orzo and ate the gratin with the orzo.

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