jenncc's Reviews
1257 recipes reviewed. Showing 901 to 950Sort by: Book Title 
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Website: The Perfect Loaf
I can't help but owe part of my success with this tricky loaf to this website. With this very helpful guide I produced a delicious and beautiful bread. The author strays slightly from some of the ingredients/techniques listed in Tartine No. 3 and I followed several of his recommendations which I think proved helpful in acheiving such a great loaf.
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Website: The Perfect Loaf
His "Best Sourdough" was my worst sourdough. HOWEVER, it was still tasty and there is lots of potential. My errors may be due to my inexperience. I have made several of the Tartine Breads with great success and in fact using this website as a guide. What went wrong: This is a high hydration dough (not new to me) and I attempted to rush it a bit and did not extend the bulk fermentation period (especially the folding)as I should have. My dough was very lazy and slack and would not hold it's shape. Ugly loaf, decent taste.
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Website: The Perfect Loaf
Not sure how to rate this - the dough itself smelled great, even tasted great, my starter was ripe and ready, \ but somehow my dough went from a beautiful, supple ball to a weird, sticky puddle. It did not look overproofed but I'm guessing that was most likely the problem. In the end I took the dough, divided it in half incorporating one half into pizzas/focaccia using the recipe in the Wooden Spoon Bread Book and the other half into Perfect White Bread (p 71) in the same book. All came out excellent- rose perfectly with great flavor! The real lesson here is that overproofed sourdough can be resurrected!
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Website: The Perfect Loaf
These are terrific! Maybe the best sourdough pancakes I have tried, though it does require more time and ingredients than some, I think these are worth it. I used regular (thick) yogurt with no ill effects.
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Website: The Perfect Loaf
This dough is lovely - silky smooth, shiny and supple. The finished product is delicious - airy and light with just the tiniest hint of "sourdough" flavor". My problem came somewhere in between - I don't think I got my dough balls tight enough when shaping, so my doughnuts were decidedly not pretty! And because of the stickiness of the dough they were difficult to transfer from baking sheet to oil. I resigned myself to ugly donut blobs and enjoyed thoroughly! I glazed with plain oil powdered sugar/milk glaze. Very tasty! The best (and most dangerous) part was I somehow didn't feel post-donut disgusting after eating them! A half recipe made 9 large donuts.
This was a three day recipe for me (I wanted them for breakfast) but certainly not complicated.
Update: I air fried some of these and they were great but definitely more like a roll - still delicious for a breakfast sandwich.
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Website: The Perfect Loaf
I think I may have actually preferred these the next day after baking. The outer part of the roll was just the slightest bit tough on baking day but softened up a by the next day. This could be because I stored them in a plastic bag. Anyway these are great dinner rolls and I will be making them again. I followed this recipe very closely but did shape the rolls and leave them to proof overnight in the fridge. Next day I took them out for a few hours (freezing in my kitchen) and baked. Mine needed a few extra minutes to come to temp.
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The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accessories
By David Lebovitz
Ten Speed Press,U.S. - 2007
Rich and delicious! I was hoping for even more cinnamon flavor but everyone else thought it was perfect. Mine does come out of the freezer pretty hard (not icy tho), but with 8-10 minutes on the counter it is incredibly creamy. I did "cured" this overnight (without the cinnamon sticks) and opted for the extra teaspoon cinnamon.
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Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day
By Peter Reinhart
Ten Speed Press - 2009
This is a crisp, nutritious, easy to make little cracker. The possibilities for topping are endless - I made some sweet (honey, nuts) ,some savory (za'atar, sea salt) and some sweet/savory (honey and the slightest dash of cayenne). I found that the flavor of the dough got better after a night in the fridge, but the real trick to this cracker is getting them rolled thin.
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Great basic sandwich bread. I replaced some of the whole wheat (used white whole wheat flour) with rye, and used buttermilk. Bread came out golden brown with a delicate crumb.
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To be fair I have to give this 4 stars - I did not have all the proper ingredients and though they did come out good they were not as tasty as some other crackers I have made. I am sure they will live up to (at least) the four stars when I try these again without the substitutions.
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This was terrific, and had I never made the Struan recipe in the Model Bakery Cookbook I would say this is my favorite grainy bread. My dough was never too tacky to handle and I did not have to add any extra flour. Once baked it is soft (even my crust was soft) and flavorful with great crumb and a little crunch from the cornmeal.
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Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor
By Peter Reinhart
Ten Speed Press - 2007
This is a very tasty (not too sweet loaf). We used this for wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches and also good toasted with butter. I agree with the other reviewer - rise took longer and it is better toasted. Mine did not come out very "crusty" - the crumb was nice and soft, unfortunately the exterior was a bit soft too. Next time I will give my oven a spray of water to help with that.
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Website: Pickled Plum
I love this dish and this is a wonderful version of it. I used regular 'globe" eggplant and it was perfect.
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Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie
By Ken Haedrich
Harvard Common Press - 2004
This is tasty and a nice change from my usual pumpkin pie recipe. I have tried several maple pumpkin pie recipes and this is the first with a pronounced (in a good way) maple flavor. I used the Extra Flaky Pie Pastry (page 34) for the crust.
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Nice and tender but not as flaky as his Lard Pie Pastry recipe.
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Good old fashion crust - flavor is pretty neutral (not even a pinch of sugar in this one) but texture is great! Flaky, tender and very easy to work with. Made this for a chicken pot pie but would be great in sweet or savory recipes.
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Pumpkin pie /cheesecake mash-up at its best! I made mine with roasted Red Kuri Squash and it was excellent. The squash pairs nicely with the cornmeal crust and the heady spices. The texture is less dense than a traditional pumpkin pie and more creamy like cheesecake. Both texture and flavor improves after several hours in the fridge.
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This was a nice change from a regular crust. It reminded me of a cornmeal cookie. I par baked this just a couple minutes too long waiting for it to brown, and it got a little hard and difficult to cut. After the pie came out of the oven I realized that the crust doesn't really take on the golden color I was expecting - it was not burned or tough, just a little crunchy. Paired great with Ben's Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie (page 281).
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Great crust - tender flaky and just the right sweet/salty flavor for most of the pies in this book. I use this one often and have never been disappointed. Most recently used for the All Strawberry Pie in this book.
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The flavor of the pie was terrific, though I did have to use a cup of blueberries. The problem was that it was soupy when I cut it, even after 45 minutes in the oven and a few hours on the cooling rack. My strawberries weren't particularly juicy even after sitting with the sugar/cornstarch mix. Next time I may add an extra teaspoon cornstarch or allow the berries to macerate a little longer and hold back some of the juices.
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Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented
By Gesine Bullock-Prado, Tina Rupp
Stewart, Tabori & Chang - 2012
This crust was easy to work with, flakey, tender and buttery-delicious. I used it for both sweet (lemon curd and strawberry) and savory pies, as well as a chili braised pork shoulder (epicurious) hand pie. Regular pie crusts don't always hold up for hand pies but this one gorgeous!
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Like eating a delicious cookie! The combination of AP flour and cornstarch makes for a slightly crumbly, shortbread cookie like crust. This crust is just pressed into the tart pan but I do believe it could be rolled out. Was great with the German Custard Apple Tart (page 89).
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Wonderful tart! This was a very nice change from my usual apple desserts. The base is a delicious shortbread cookie crust, the custard comes together quickly and the apples are simply sliced and sautéed. Next time I may try to incorporate a little almond either in the crust or custard.
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Website: Pinch Me I'm Eating
www.pinchmeimeating.com/ricciarelli
These have great texture - a meringue like shell and a wonderfully chewy interior. These were a tad too sweet, the flavor was subtle (I would have appreciated a stronger almond taste), and the orange was really faint. I think next time I would use a little extra almond extract, less vanilla and sugar, and perhaps more orange zest. I would also cook a longer - 22 minutes and they were still quite pale.
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Website: The Pioneer Woman
I used this as a guide for a much smaller portion of dip. It was tasty and reminiscent of the 7 layer dip I love. I made my own charro beans and mixed it with homemade Salsa Fuego (Homesick Texan) to make the refried layer. For the sour cream I used nonfat Greek yogurt blended with lime juice and a light sprinkle of salt and cayenne. Very tasty with corn chips.
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Website: Pioneer Woman Cooks
I thought these were great. Moist, light, slightly crisp around the edges. They have that perfect soak-up-all-that-butter/syrup texture. Yum!
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The Pizza Bible: The World's Favorite Pizza Styles, from Neapolitan, Deep-Dish, Wood-Fired, Sicilian, Calzones and Focaccia to New York, New Haven, Detroit, and more
By Tony Gemignani
Ten Speed Press - 2014
The mother load of stuffed pizza! The crust is simple but benefits from a 48 hour rest in the fridge. We did not quite "fully stuff" our pizza, using about 1/2 the amount of sausage called for and no meatballs at all. Next time (if I use the lesser amount of meat) I may cut down on the cheese also, making it a closer meat/cheese ratio. The author states in his intro that he prefers a crusty, crisp top crust which is not the way it is usually presented at many pizzerias in Chicago where the top crust is usually thinner and almost doughy layer (I'm thinking Edaurado's if that's still around). This was a delicious and very decadent Valentine's Day lunch!
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Very easy to work with, and comes together quickly but benefits from a 48 hour ferment in the fridge.
6/17/16 Made this again and it was great! I did do a couple things differently than the author - I sauce the pizza before cutting and skip the meatballs (it's meaty enough with the sausages and pepperoni).
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This is a very simple sauce. In fact I was tempted to embellish it thinking it was "plain". But here is what I learned 1. It improves greatly overnight (I made mine the day before baking my pizza) and 2. When you have as much going on as there is in the Fully Stuffed Pizza you don't need anymore flavor bombs - just a good simple sauce to highlight the ingredients.
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Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi
Ten Speed Press - 2014
This soup makes for a very comforting meal. I used canned chickpeas, no celery and added a dash of Turkish red pepper flakes. The feta paste that went with it required a squeeze of lime juice to give it a little life, but overall this was a tasty dish.
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Loved the flavors of this Mediterranean style salad. Simple and delicious.
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This was delicious and satisfying. I loved the salty/briny-ness of the olives and capers against the sweet fennel and garlic. The ricotta on top makes it perfectly balanced. This as a main dish and a side salad made for a hearty vegetarian meal.
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Great little "cakes" made with channa dal, semolina and spices. I was afraid it was not going to set up but after a 20 minute rest it was fine. I only fried one piece and will let the others set overnight for a hearty breakfast in the morning.
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This was a tasty take on a Middle Eastern classic. Especially loved the funky, savory yogurt-blue cheese sauce. My pine nuts seemed to absorb most of the butter during toasting so I didn't really have any of the "warm chili butter" to drizzle, but delicious none the less.
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Delicious savory use of kadaifi - smokey eggplant, cheese and a buttery crisp crust. I had only ever used kadaifi for sweets before, and this was a nice surprise. Kadaifi is messy (or maybe I'm messy) and next time I will go ahead and mix it with the butter all at once, then portion out and form the "nests", rather than measuring out 20 gram bundles and adding the tablespoon of butter one at a time. The red pepper sauce is really tasty as well - don't skip it.
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Loved this! It's not too eggy, but it is a rich, smooth and savory custard casserole. I made it exactly as written but used baby plum tomatoes that I had oven roasted. All that oregano is definitely a very good thing and the za'tar topping is a great addition.
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Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Jonathan Lovekin
Chronicle Books - 2011
Loved this hearty salad. I roast the peppers in the oven but follow the rest of the recipe exactly. Delicious!
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Rich and delicious. Great for brunch.
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Like so many recipes in this book this was very good! I did add an extra clove of garlic. Have also used this marinade on fresh goat cheese.
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Very punchy lentil salad. The dill, red onion and cheese are all strong flavors but meld nicely in this. My Gorgonzola was a bit overpowering so I did use less.
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I think Zosia has already written my review! I agree that the cook time/temp was off, and that the cakes paired perfectly with the sauce. Though I did add extra spices to my my second batch - chili powder and smoked paprika, the cakes were great as per the recipe.
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O.k. so maybe I over whipped my egg white because I ended up with a fluffy pancake! Tasty but not at all like my usual socca and no resemblance to the picture included in the book. I really loved the caramelized onion and roasted tomatoes and was happy that the socca wasn't to dense or crisp because it soaked up the lovely juices from the toppings. I will make this again with a smaller egg white (mine did seem huge) and less whipping. Definitely made more than the recipe states.
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This is creamy comfort food at it's best! The sauce is simple but delicious, however next time I will definitely cut the oil used to fry the eggplant. It calls for 2/3 cup veg oil, I reduced it to 1/3 cup and that was still too much. The corn is removed from the cob, kernels cooked in water then process to "mash potato" consistancy ( I left mine with a bit of texture as shown in the picture). Finally the addition of feta, butter and S & P take it over the top.
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Power Hungry(TM): The Ultimate Energy Bar Cookbook
By Camilla V. Saulsbury
Lake Isle Press - 2013
These are very interesting - popped amaranth (fun!), tangy lime zest and slightly salted peanuts. I made the "spicy peanut" variation but halved the recipe, and added about 1/3 cup chopped dried pineapple. I went ahead with the full tablespoon of lime zest and thought it added a nice bright, floral note along with the tropical pineapple. Love the spicy, salty, tangy, sweet combo. They didn't hold together as well as I would have liked but still tasty.
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These were good and came together quickly. This is a no bake recipe but it does require heating the nut butter and sweetener (I used brown rice syrup) which became very stiff and hard to stir through the oats and rice cereal. I made the zesty lemon version and upped the lemon zest by a teaspoon and juice by about a tablespoon. I also added lemon chips. I did not coat the bars but I'm sure that would be a nice touch.
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Great no-bake bar recipe. Used some Maple Tamari Roasted Almonds (joy the Baker) which gave these a little extra kick. These hold together perfectly after an hour or so in the fridge.
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Website: The Prairie Homestead
I have made these many times and I have found that though I use whole wheat flour to feed my starter, the tortillas themselves are softer/more pliable when made with at least 1 3/4 cups AP flour. The whole wheat version has great flavor but can become a little stiff after they cool. I do heat my milk and fats in the microwave until fats have nearly melted, give them a stir and add to the other ingredients.
Note: When I am using a very sleepy starter or if I use discard, I sometimes add 1 teaspoon baking soda.
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Pure Dessert
By Alice Medrich
Artisan - 2007
This is a tasty and beautiful. The flavor of the almond is decadent but balanced against the tart-sweet plums. The crust is a cinch being prepared in the processor and pressed into the pan. The crispy brown edges were delicious! This is best eaten the day it is prepared. The crust of the leftovers were a little soft the next morning, no more crispy edges, but still good.
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Pure Vanilla: Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques
By Shauna Sever, Leigh Beisch
Quirk Books - 2012
These are very easy to mix up and pretty tasty. Getting them nice and uniformly round is easy with a small offset spatula but watch the thickness - too thin and they'll get too brown/stiff/crunchy, too thick and they are not crisp enough (and less flavorful). These to soften up after a while but can be stuck back in the oven for a minute and reshaped. The vanilla didn't come thru as much as I would have liked - maybe next time I will use straight vanilla bean instead of the vanilla bean paste called for.
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Pure Vegetarian: Modern and Stylish Vegetarian Cooking
By Gayler
National Book Network - 2008
Eh, just all right. It took some tweaking to get it a "Good" rating. What could go wrong - I love all these ingredients? Two problems for me - it just came out bland considering all the wonderful things going into that pot and apparently his idea of medium dice is smaller than mine because my squash was not thoroughly cooked when my rice needed to come off the burner! Yikes! I ended up with a denser risotto than I'd hoped for and having to add a lot more seasoning.
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