So I actually do know how to make pastry cream but I needed some validation about making it with heavy cream. I came across this recipe that say you can use whole milk, heavy cream or a mix - and so I did. Worked beautifully and thickened a bit faster than with milk. Made a 1/2 recipe for 4 mini raspberry/strawberry tartlets. The crust I used came from the gluten free cookbook "Small Plates, Sweet Treats" (Almond shortbread cookie recipe used for ice cream sandwiches p. 282). Came out great.

Love the sour flavor and luscious texture of this potato bread. Makes a most decadent sandwich!

This is a versatile sauce - I often make this as a table salsa served with chips or tacos or as more of sauce for eggs or chicken. I usually use the dried, tan chipotle chilies and fresh tomatoes roasted under the broiler. It's delicious!

I'll admit this recipe caused me a bit of anxiety. I don't enjoy blanching peaches so will it be worth the trouble (always have a little problem getting the flesh from the pits)? Will it be baked through after only 1 hour (recipe calls for a 1 hour 40 minute baking time)? And most important will it be delicious? YES!!! It was wonderful, certainly worth any hassle and the one hour was sufficient (at least in my oven). In the end the toughest part was waiting for it to cool so we could eat it!

If I'm not making Thomas Keller's Roast Chicken, I'm making this. It's delicious and versatile - sometimes I use Mexican spices (cumin, lime, cilantro), add some red pepper flakes, curry or paprika. Whatever I do I never skimp on the olive oil or garlic (my Mediterranean roots?) because the end result, pan juices and all, is fantastic.

Best recipe I've found so far. I'm going to get even more specific and call them "San Antonio Style Flour Tortillas" (which are the best!). Soft and fluffy just like I get in my favorite Tex-Mex joints down there.

This is not only tasty but quite beautiful as well. I doubled the vanilla using the entire bean and it was wonderful. The galette dough recipe is delicious though my butter went from small cubes to fine sand in just a couple pulses of the processor - skipping the small pea size altogether. Came together well and stood up to the juicy plums in spite of my "sandy" dough.

Just the right amount of tart and sweet. The whipped cream topping piped nicely and managed to stay light but not too sweet. It did take way more than the suggested 3-4 limes for the zest and juice, other than that this recipe was perfect.

This was a delicious, moist cake with a tender crumb. I used it with a cheesecake ice cream, raspberry puree and buttercream frosting for a decadent "sky high" ice cream birthday cake. I did not make the frosting that accompanies this recipe but I'm sure it would be as tasty as everything else I have made from this book.

As usual with this book - delicious success! Used this as the filling for a Vanilla Buttermilk cake with lime -meringue frosting.

This is a delicious simple sauce. I was tempted to add garlic etc but didn't and I'm glad. It gave a true and pure tomato flavor to my pizza, allowing the other ingredients to shine.

Love this roast chicken! It came out moist and flavorful with a wonderful crispy skin. The caper butter was easy to assemble and gave just the right amount of tang and saltiness to the bird. I didn't make the Skordalia - but I will in the near future. Served this with a garlic-y yogurt - cucumber salad.

This was so good! The cooking time was a little off - mine only needed about 40 minutes (not 50), and I couldn't wait for it to cool! Made it in an 8 inch cast iron skillet and added a little extra (powdered) ginger. The All butter crust recipe (p151) is super flaky and delicious.

This has become a favorite! It's simple and delicious. In fact I kept wanting to complicate it by adding garlic or chili flakes or herbs, but I stayed the course and was rewarded in the end with a scrumptious sauce! I let mine simmer 6 hours and the meat was soft and moist. Made Marcella's homemade pasta to go with it - big hit!

This recipe produces a fabulous, rich loaf. Though it takes time, it isn't complicated and certainly worth the effort. My only worries were when Dorie says (during the first step) that the dough should be a fairly dry, shaggy mass - I had dry for sure, but no "shaggy" and nothing cohesive enough to call a mass. I added a bit more warm water and it eventually came together. My other dilemma was during the final rise the dough are in pans, on a baking sheet - I wasn't sure if they should remain on the baking sheet during baking or not. I went ahead and put them in the oven, baking sheet and all, where they browned quickly and evenly. In fact I did turn the oven down a notch for the final 5-6 minutes of baking as to not over brown the tops (I wasn't so worried about the bottoms since I had the baking sheet under the pans:) They came out lovely both in flavor and texture.

These are the best! I like my tortillas soft and fluffy just like I used to get in S.A., and these come very close. They are even better than the Homesick Texan (website) recipe I have been using for the past few years. Just be careful not to overwork the dough.

I can't believe I have not reviewed this wonderful recipe! This cake is perfect! I love carrot cake but not a huge fan of the raisin, crushed pineapple affair typically involved. This cake is moist, not overly sweet, with just the right amount of spice. Oh, and the frosting is to die for! This has become my go to celebration cake.
Made this again 6/16
Made this cake the day before using Christina Tosi's method of baking in a quarter sheet pan, cutting 6 inch rounds for a three layer cake - worked great! I divided the work into two days: cook, cool and wrap the cake, leaving overnight at room temp. Next morning I made the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting, used Christina's cake soak with a little vanilla, and assembled. Cake hung out in the freezer for about two hours to "set" then moved to the fridge for 2 hours before letting rest on the counter 30 minutes before serving.

This woman speaks my language! Growing up in San Antonio I really crave these dishes and most of all Texas Enchilada's. These hit the spot - cheese-y, spicy, with just the right amount of meat. The only thing I would do differently is to reserve some sauce to pour over (or not) after the dish comes out of the oven, because mine became almost mushy with all the sauce being absorbed by the tortillas. Enchilada's or enchilada casserole, it makes no difference when it's this good!

Rich and delicious. Great for brunch.

This is good stuff and it gets better the next day. Used in breakfast tacos - yum!

A delicious buttery cookie with a slight crunch of salt here and there. These are fantastic! This makes one large cookie that guest break-up and take as big or as small a piece as they wish. The dough came together fast and rolled out easily. The important thing with this is to have a consistent thickness so the edges don't burn while the middle of the cookie stays too soft. Mine needed the full 40 minutes and came out with lovely brown edges (my favorite part) and a light golden flaky center.

This recipe had me worried (melted butter in the meat?no spices in the meat?) and it's certainly not the way I learned to make these Lebanese bundles of meat, rice and spices. But all my doubts were for naught, they came out perfect. The melted butter made the meat moist and the spices (poured over the cabbage rolls) were absorbed during the steaming - really delicious.

Oh my, this is delicious! The "cake" (we always referred to this type dessert as icebox pie) is stand alone wonderful and does't need the strawberry sauce, in fact I preferred it without. This dessert is also beautiful, and much less complicated than it looks, making it perfect for a BBQ or dinner party. The hitch is you have to let it sit out about 5-10 minutes and then serve fast! I didn't want to serve it straight out of the freezer and I didn't want it to melt on the plate with either. Another hint - it is much easier to store it away (in the freezer) if you don't get fancy with the meringue (Sweet M. just spreads it evenly a top the cake). I made little tufts and curly cues and then had to wrap very carefully as not to squish. I thought I was being so cute, hah! Can be made ahead of course since it lives in the freezer anyway.

This is my peanut butter fantasy come true! I did not add the chocolate "freckles" but the rich flavor of the peanut butter certainly held my attention. I did jazz it up with some quartered peanut butter creme (sandwich) cookies for a little texture. That's my idea of cookies and cream!

I'm addicted! This stuff is terrific. I have used 1/4 cup Mexican Brown sugar (piloncillo) and 3/4 cup regular brown sugar. The piloncillo adds a molasses-ish flavor I love. I popped my own corn (10 cups) and melted the butter right in the pan with the brown sugar and corn syrup etc.

Super! Very close to the ones served at Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC. I have been trying to recreate these cookies for a couple years before finally getting my hands on the cookbook. What makes these cookies so alluring is the buttery, sweet corn flavor and crunchy/chewy/perfect cookie texture.

This is a beautiful, pale yellow, sweet and airy loaf of bread. It is great as is, toasted, sandwiched (pulled pork anyone?) and makes amazing french toast! If you like Kings Hawaiian Bread you'll like this.

I've made baguettes before with decent results but these were wonderful - crispy crust, tender crumb, nice flavor. Really easy and delicious!

This is a delicious cookie! Crispy with the delicate flavors of lemon, lime and thyme. The thyme adds a wonderful aromatic touch. Half the batch went into making strawberry ice cream sandwiches. The cookies stood up well to the ice cream and the freezer.

Great cake with a bright, lemon-y flavor. The buttercream came together easily, though it did separate momentarily before whipping up into the perfect silky, shiny, white frosting. I made a strawberry quick jam for between the layers - lovely lemon- berry combo. Skipped the coconut.

This was a great middle eastern-ish dish. I did make a tahini sauce to go with it.

Loved this! It's rich and delicious. Creamy even without the creme fraiche because of all the Parmesan. Doesn't need any extra salt.

A delicious version of eggs in purgatory. The combo of spicy Harissa, cumin and garlic satisfy my middle eastern appetite. Served with labneh.

I thought these were great. Moist, light, slightly crisp around the edges. They have that perfect soak-up-all-that-butter/syrup texture. Yum!

Have made this several times - always wonderful. Their Classic Marinara which is served over the chops, is simple and delicious. I cut back on the salt a bit (personal preference) and sometimes add a sliced mozzarella during the last few minutes in the oven.

I really enjoyed this! I used chicken broth (no proper stock or cream in the house) and instead of the bread crumbs I used toasted pine nuts. It was probably a little lighter and we thought it was just right.

Make these often - toss in salads, pasta, along side a steak, even as a stand alone snack, but my favorite is to puree them into a very rich tomato paste (way better than the canned stuff). Depending on my mood I will season them with various ingredients - thyme, red pepper flakes, garlic, dried basil, or rosemary.

Followed recipe to a "T" and was rewarded with a delicious dish. I did have to leave the cauliflower in the oven about 6-8 minutes longer.

Followed this recipe exactly with the exception of making the crust. It was wonderful! I did have extra filling which I prepared in a muffin tin - crustless. Both were very satisfying with a simple salad.

What caught my eye in this recipe was the use of bread flour in the dough along with the usual ingredients. Chang claims that the bread flour creates a chewy interior with crispy edges - exactly what I look for in a cookie. With that hefty promise I proceeded, but cautiously (I only made 1/2 the recipe). She does call for chopped semisweet chocolate and some milk chocolate which I'm sure would be great but all I had on hand was plain old chocolate chips. The end result was truly scrumptious! I am not a c.c. cookie connoisseur by any stretch (I'm more of a oatmeal/spice cookie kinda girl) but I did wish I had made a whole batch. Do heed her warning of taking the cookies out a little on the early side (browned edges light center) as they will firm up as they cool.

Simple but with big, bold flavor! Terrific even when tomatoes are not at their peak. I add a sprinkle of parmesan and chili flakes a few minutes before taking then out of the oven.

Deb elevates a childhood favorite with brown butter and a touch of flaky sea salt. These are addictive!

I used sweet potatoes and a mix of mushrooms. This was really tasty, comforting stew-like dish.

I love this book - it has yet to let me down. These are simple, delicious recipes and the Perfect White Bread is no exception. Perfect indeed! This makes a wonderful loaf of bread - for sandwiches, french toast etc. It's light with a creamy crumb. I made this in a pullman loaf pan and halved the recipe.

Wow, this was rich, complex and delicious! It was also a bit of work. I cut a few corners - roasting the tomatillos, tomato, garlic and onion together on a baking sheet under the broiler. It was a bit tedious frying all the ingredients and I think next time I may toast the nuts, seeds and spices. I have to admit the fried raisins were a bit of a revelation! Yum!

This is a simple, delicious version of the popular Tex-Mex stew I grew up eating (in San Antonio). I left out the celery because I didn't have any - and honestly I don't believe it needs it.

Made for a delicious 6 hour brisket! Spicy, salty and sweet.

This is a simple, rustic cake that cooked up beautifully in my cast iron skillet. I think it is important to use a fine cornmeal and if you are using fragile fresh berries (I used raspberries) it's a good idea to put them in the freezer just for 10 minutes or so, otherwise you may end up with a streaky pink cake no matter how gently you fold. The buttermilk/olive oil combo make for a very moist tender cake. Mine took closer to 50 minutes in the oven (recipe calls for 40-45). This would be delicious with peaches, or any other berry as well.

I am always cautious about sweet and savory salads but I am slowly learning my lesson! This is delicious. I loved the spicy (and mine was very spicy) jalapeno against the sweet peach. I added an extra squirt of lime and used dried mint instead of fresh. This would also be good with quinoa.

I love this recipe because it isn't overly creamy - you still know your eating corn. The flavors of the sweet fresh corn and the mild ancho spice are are great together. Don't skip the hit of lime at the end! Also I got about 5 cups of corn from only 4 cobs (not 8).