Astrid5555's Reviews
58 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
The Accidental Vegetarian: Delicious and Eclectic Food Without Meat
By Simon Rimmer
Cassell Illustrated - 2004
Simple to make and very tasty - exquisite flavor combination!
useful (1)
Baking: From My Home to Yours
By Dorie Greenspan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2006
This is a delicious cheesecake though quite substantial (as mentioned in Dorie's comment). I would have preferred more apple flavor. Next time I will cut the apples into smaller pieces in order to get them more evenly distributed in the batter or even use apple butter as in the proposed variation.
useful (1)
Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate
By Alice Medrich, Deborah Jones
Artisan - 2003
This has become my go-to chocolate cake recipe! Quick and easy to make this recipe produces a rich cake for every chocolate lover.
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Not very nice to look at, thus the name fallen, but a definite keeper and very quick to put together. This cake got rave reviews from my dinner guests.
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4 stars only because it is a very "adult" cheesecake and my boys did not like it. But if you were always looking for a less sweet and more chocolatey cheesecake give it a try.
A note re baking time: my cake took took 15 minutes more to reach the described puffiness on the outer edges without being overly fluid in the center.
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Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful
By Barbara Fairchild
Andrews McMeel Publishing - 2010
This was a gorgeous looking light and creamy cheesecake which tasted delicious. 4 stars only because it was lacking the pistachio flavor despite of 1 expensive cup used in the recipe. Next time I will try it with peanuts or almonds instead.
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Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery
By Rose Carrarini
Phaidon Press - 2006
Simple, quick and delicious! I flatten the cookies with a fork before baking though since they do not spread at all.
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Once you have made the meringues this a quick and easy dessert that everybody loves. I made it with strawberries this time but will definitely try again with other fruit.
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Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich
By Alice Medrich
Artisan - 2010
Delicious - I just love the saltiness of the nuts in these cookies!
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Excellent taste - however only 4 stars due the fact that I just could not roll out the dough and use the cookie cutters. The dough was either too hard to be rolled out or stuck to the recommended wax paper. In the end I shaped a log, put it in the freezer and then sliced it with a sharp knife.
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If you love peanut butter these are your cookies! Lots of peanut flavor and very little time involved. Try it!
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Even though I am a big chestnut lover, these cookies turned out strange. I loved the walnut part of the cookie, but the chestnut flour added a very strange taste. Next time I will just add the walnuts and leave out the chestnut flour.
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These lovely little desserts are just the right size for a quick chocolate pick-me-up and come together in no time! I will definitely make them again!
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Initially I thought that this recipe would be a failure because the dough spread quickly once put on the cookie sheet. Instead of 2 loaves there was a big mass of dough without shape, however the dough puffed up quickly and produced two flat loaves which could be cut and toasted.
The finished biscotti were extra crunchy and tasted very good. Next time I would add a little bit more sugar, but for a low calorie version these biscotti work well enough.
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Coming Home to Eat: Wholefood for the Family
By Jude Blereau
Murdoch Books - 2008
A variation on the classic chickpea hummus this version adds a completely new twist to sandwiches or wraps. Simply delicious!
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This one is definitely not on the quick-and-easy list. However, if you have time this is a must-make and your reward is a meal the whole family will like. Even my kids who would never eat mushrooms otherwise asked for seconds.
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Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen
By Gina DePalma, Mario Batali
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2007
Even Cranberry-hating hubby loved it. Since I could not wait for the dough (which has a nice chewy texture from the polenta) to be chilled long enough to roll it out, I just pressed it into the tart pan and it worked perfectly as well.
useful (1)
Fresh Food Fast: Delicious, Seasonal Vegetarian Meals in Under an Hour
By Peter Berley
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2004
This was a lovely meal and reminded my a little bit of coq au vin without the chicken and the wine ;-). I added Shiitake mushrooms and prepared the pilaf with bulgur only. However, as with all of Peter Berley's recipes it takes much longer than the intended one hour. Maybe it is just my knife-skills that need some more practicing!
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This is a lovely salad for a warm summer evening I would like to eat over and over again. Since I did not have currants at hand I used raisins instead and it worked out really well.
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Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours
By Kim Boyce, Quentin Bacon, Nancy Silverton, Amy Scattergood
Stewart, Tabori & Chang - 2010
Spicy, sweet, crunchy, healthy - yummy! Mine yielded 9 instead of 8 and lots more streusel topping than needed.
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Excellent cookies - no one tasted the secret ingredient whole-wheat flour. I made only half a batch (i.e. 10 cookies) and they were gone within hours.
useful (2)
Foolproof recipe! Even though it takes some time - mostly letting the dough rest and rise though - this is an easy recipe. Everybody loved these delicious homemade baguettes.
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I used buttermilk instead of cream to reduce the calories and the waffles turned out to be delicious! A definite keeper!
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Event though I have had great success with other recipes from this book I truly disliked these muffins.
They were incredibly dry and the persimmon pulp added to the strange taste. Will not make again!
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This one's another winner! I used agave syrup instead of molasses and they turned out excellently!
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These were lovely! The hazelnuts paired incredibly well with the teff flour and keeping the skins on added an incredible taste and saved a lot of time.
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Leon: Ingredients and Recipes
By Allegra McEvedy
Conran Octopus Ltd - 2008
These have become our go-to meatballs for the whole family. Just leave out the harissa and you have family-friendly version as well.
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Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favourites
By Martha Stewart
Clarkson Potter - 2011
No one wanted to eat this pie because it was way too sweet. However, the red currant and raspberry combination has potential, so I will give it another try and reduce the sugar by half next time. 2 stars despite the sugar fiasco for the flaky Pâte Briseé which I will definitely use again for another pie.
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Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights: Guilt-free Eating with Abandon
By Sophie Dahl
Harper - 2008
This turned out to be a very dense cake and I had expected a fluffy light one as pictured in the book. However, if you are a lemon lover this cake is for you.
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The Modern Vegetarian: Over 120 Recipes to Wake Up Your Palate
By Maria Elia
Kyle Books - 2009
Lovely combination with the red dhal from page 114. Next time I will leave out the saffron though (I am not a big fan) and add more chilli to make it spicier.
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The Perfect Finish: Special Desserts for Every Occasion
By Bill Yosses, Melissa Clark
W. W. Norton & Company - 2010
Wow! This was a surprise! We just could not stop eating this bundt cake, which was incredibly tender, fruity and had a lovely tang from the buttermilk. I did not make the orange glaze and I was so happy about it - this cake was perfect with out it!
useful (2)
Perfect Pops
By Charity Ferriera
Chronicle Books - 2011
Nice chocolatey flavor, not too sweet and a bit tangy - excellent reviews by children and adults alike. 4 stars only because of the calories involved - 1 cup of crème fraiche, 1 cup half&half and 4 ounces of chocolate - all in 6 pops!
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The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accessories
By David Lebovitz
Ten Speed Press,U.S. - 2007
Best chocolate ice cream ever - my first attempt at home-made ice cream worked out really well!
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If you happen to have ripe apricots on hand this is a very easy one to make.
Since I had made the strawberry frozen yoghurt on page 91 previously and just loved it, I used yoghurt instead of heavy cream (also to cut down on the calories) which added a nice tang and made it into a little bit of an adult but very delicious ice cream.
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I know I am repeating myself - every recipe from this book turns out great. This one was especially easy to prepare. No need to make a custard, just macerate the berries, puree them with the yogurt, put the whole thing into your ice-cream maker - and there it is, the best strawberry frozen yogurt ever!!
useful (2)
Plenty
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Jonathan Lovekin
Ebury Press - 2010
Delicious topping but not sure about the dough base. Maybe my chickpea flour was rancid or I'm just not into it. However, I will definitely use the onion-tomato topping for a regular pizza again.
useful (2)
Wow - very easy to make and incredibly delicious!
I did not know that roasting peppers yourself can be that easy and makes such a difference. Since I did not find any watercress I used arugula instead.
useful (0)
Pure Dessert
By Alice Medrich
Artisan - 2007
If you like sesame this is THE cake to bake. Exotic looking black sesame seeds give this cake a nice little crunch which is a great contrast to the velvet texture of the cake.
useful (2)
I used these as a healthier alternative for cutout cookies with my kids. They just loved these cookies and we will definitely make them again.
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Raising the Salad Bar: Beyond Leafy Greens--Inventive Salads with Beans, Whole Grains, Pasta, Chicken, and More
By Catherine Walthers
Lake Isle Press - 2007
Wow, what a great salad for a warm spring day! Roasting the canned artichokes really made a difference. Asparagus and lemon lovers this one is for you - don't miss out!
useful (2)
This makes an excellent and refreshing side for a barbecue! Use lots of fresh cilantro for your salsa and you will be in salad heaven!
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Rose's Heavenly Cakes
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wiley - 2009
The recipe yields exactly the amount of dough needed for a classic brioche mold. Very little hands-on time, but it takes 2 days until the final result can be tasted. Unfortunately with all the rising time needed this is not a breakfast staple, but it was excellent with some butter and jam and a cup of tea on a rainy afternoon. I will definitely make it again.
useful (1)
Best marble cake ever!
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Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm, and Market
By Deborah Madison
Broadway - 2010
More of a batter than a pie pastry, this one is put together in minutes. Just press it into the tart pan with your fingers and you have an excellent tart base for any recipe.
useful (2)
With the silky tart dough from page 136 as a base this is the quickest tart I have ever made - it takes no more than an hour until the tart comes out of the oven.
I used blackberries and blueberries as a topping and the whole tart was devoured within an hour!
useful (1)
Southern Pies: A Gracious Plenty of Pie Recipes, From Lemon Chess to Chocolate Pecan
By Nancie McDermott
Chronicle Books - 2010
This pie is very simple to make but too sweet. Next time I would reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup and use another piecrust. I made Sandra Gutierrez's Butter Piecrust from the same book and it did not turn out flaky enough for my taste. But overall it was a nice pie with potential.
useful (1)
This piecrust comes together in a snap but I had troubles rolling out the dough even after 30 minutes at room temperature. The recommended 1 teaspoon salt also makes it too salty for my taste. Next time I will use my go-to piecrust again!
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Super Natural Cooking: Five Delicious Ways to Incorporate Whole and Natural Foods into Your Cooking
By Heidi Swanson
Celestial Arts - 2007
I made these as part of a crostini combination and they were a winner! Even though easy and quick to make (just prepare everything a day ahead and assemble before serving) they are a real crowd pleaser!
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Unlike any other tomato soup you have ever tried. Just let the vegetables bake in the oven and soon you will have a hearty satisfying soup you want to cook over and over again!
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Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
By Heidi Swanson
Ten Speed Press - 2011
My children declared these to be the best pancakes ever, and we have already tried our share. They are really light and fluffy with a nice tang from the buttermilk. These will be our go-to pancakes from now on!
useful (1)