Peckish Sister's Reviews
7 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 7Sort by: Title 
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The New Basics Cookbook
By Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins
Workman Publishing Company - 1989
Butterflied Leg of Lamb : page 469
This was spectacular. We used a different marinade (Charcoal Grilled Rack of Lamb- The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook p 371). My husband grilled it on all sides. It was very rare in the middle, but that made it easy to reheat the leftovers without over cooking. We will come back to this method of cooking a boneless leg of lamb.
useful (1)
Fresh Mint Vinaigrette : page 567
What a lovely alternative to mint jelly for lamb. This is a better version than the one I made as a child with powdered sugar and few other ingredients. We loved the fresh mint and mustard in this vinaigrette. I did leave out the plum tomatoes thinking that as I had made this for a lamb salad, and if I really wanted tomatoes I could add them directly to the salad. I think it kept a little better without the tomatoes.
useful (1)
Kathleen's Devil's Food Cake : page 651
This is my new standard chocolate cake recipe. It is a little odd as most of the liquid is added at the end and so my handmixer labored in the cool of the morning to beat in all the ingredients. Baking two layers in 8" pans made two high domed cakes even though I spread the batter. Cooling them upside-down flattened them out enough so that they did not need any additional leveling. They could easily be split to make a 4 layer cake. It was moist, delicious and not crumbly.
useful (1)
New Basic Sweet Biscuits : page 630
Flavorful substantial biscuits that complemented the strawberries in the shortcake. My butter was cold, but a family crisis and an 84ºF kitchen meant very warm butter by the time I was making the biscuits. Mistake number 2 was having the oven at 400 instead of 450 ºF. I should have read all of the wonderful tips in the middle of the page before making them; I would have rolled the dough twice as thin and doubled it over before cutting to make separating the biscuits in two easier. These are probably fantastic if you do all the steps properly.
useful (0)
Orange Lamb Stuffed with Mint and Pecans : page 571
I was looking for a different lamb recipe that still retained the flavors of garlic and rosemary. We had fresh Desirable pecans and Florida citrus and it seemed an obvious choice. The filling was a little too generous. The flavor of orange was very nice, and the mint with the spinach in the filling was inspired. The savory sauce was what made the dish outstanding and a must do again. A great special occasion dish.
useful (2)
Salad of lamb, Barley, and Green Beans : page 565
The mint vinaigrette really makes this a nice use for leftover roast lamb. (I left the tomatoes out of the vinaigrette and did not miss them.) I was not in the mood for green beans, so lined the plate with spinach leaves and put the barley on that. I also left out the small amount of yogurt and did not miss it. I also served it with the barley somewhat warm rather than chilled. Once the barley is cooked, this comes together rather quickly. I think this is flexible and you can add or subtract ingredients like I did to suit either your cupboard or taste.
useful (1)
Wild Mushroom Soup with Madeira : page 92
This is a rich, very mushroomy soup with dairy being optional (in the form of creme fraiche added as a garnish) is a nice feature. The leeks and onion add great flavor without standing out. My Mom cooked this for me in 1993 and I found it just as delicious this time. I never just have dried Morels around and find it tastes good with whatever I have tried - porcini or mixed wild mushrooms. I am enjoying my new immersion blender to puree soups like this one. I think it would be even better with sauteed mushrooms added at the end for a little textural diversity. 3/23/2020. Great use of our dried morels. Found the soup a little thick and difficult with the immersion blender, could have used 1 cup additional liquid. Great plain with homemade Focaccia.
useful (4)