Zosia's Reviews
780 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date 
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The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle
By Tom Douglas
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2012
This is a showstopper of a pie with rather sophisticated flavours - intense chocolate filling with salty, crunchy crust. Can't say I cared much for the crust on its own but it was a great foil, both texturally and in its savouriness, to the silky filling and sweet topping.
Making the filling, which involved pouring hot pastry cream over chocolate etc in a food processor, caused my machine to overheat in 30sec but that was enough time to blend the ingredients. The filling barely made it into the pie crust taste tasters thought it was so good!
Happy Pi Day!
useful (1)
Baking for All Occasions
By Flo Braker
Chronicle Books - 2008
This was a really delicious moist chocolate cake made with cocoa powder only that could easily stand alone. The frangipane added delicious almond flavour and would have added visual interest had my 2 layers not melded together and sunk to the bottom of the cake! (I missed the instructions to refrigerate it before assembling the cake so that may have been the problem).
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Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook
By Beth Hensperger
Harvard Common Press - 2004
I was unexpectedly gifted with several kilos of Bartlett pears by my mother-in-law, whose trees clearly had a stellar year judging by the bounty I received ; ). Some of the pears needed to be dealt with immediately since they were bordering on over-ripe and this recipe seemed a good way to use them without being too labour intensive.
I used pears only and omitted the (optional) sugar and butter. My intention was to purée it and freeze it for future use in baked goods in place of applesauce, but the flavour was very good so much of it was eaten warm in its chunky state as a topping for pancakes and oatmeal.
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Jerusalem: A Cookbook
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
Appetite by Random House - 2012
An interesting method of steaming a whole chicken in its own juices which resulted in moist and flavourful, fall-off-the-bone tender meat. I roasted the potatoes and garlic until golden but not cooked through instead of pan frying them before adding them to the chicken juices to finish cooking.
Family loved it!
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Website: Epicurious
Eastern European flavours done in a very fresh and interesting way. The salad ingredients held up well to the boldly flavoured dressing with the apples – local Honeycrisp – providing the sweetness it needed.
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The French Market Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from My Parisian Kitchen
By Clotilde Dusoulier
Clarkson Potter - 2013
A savoury take on the sweet French pastry, these take only minutes to put together once this red pepper stew is made. The batter reminded me of a popover batter, though on the thick side, and they seemed to bake that way with some dramatic puffing in the oven followed by settling upon cooling. Hot from the oven, the centres are a little wet, so they're best eaten warm and at room temperature as suggested when the centre is merely moist.
These were really very good…..a great way to transform leftover ratatouille, roasted vegetables etc into something a little different and special.
I baked them in a well-oiled standard metal muffin tin, 80ml batter per canelé, for 30 minutes. The yield was 11.
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Delicious stew made with end of summer peppers and tomatoes and flavoured with rosemary and juniper berries. Though the red wine is optional, I would recommend it as it elevated the flavour from good to very good. I’m sure any of the serving suggestions would be good but this batch was used to make these canelés.
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Baking: From My Home to Yours
By Dorie Greenspan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2006
This recipe lends itself well to changes: reducing the sugar by 1/3, using oil instead of butter (and reducing that quantity as well) and replacing ½ the flour with whole wheat flour still results in a deliciously spicy, moist muffin.
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Website: David Lebovitz
The flavour of this was wonderful but the consistency was nothing like that of a creamy risotto. I can’t help but wonder if the same effect could have been achieved by steaming the freekeh in stock as per the package directions and simply stirring the remaining ingredients in at the end - less stock and babysitting required this way.
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Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
By Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito, Tina Rupp
Stewart, Tabori & Chang - 2008
Very good bar cookie that’s like an upscale Twix candy bar. It's easy to make, especially if you cheat and use store-bought dulce de leche, but involves long chilling times so plan accordingly.
Flavour-wise the recipe deserves 5 stars but it loses 1 for the method of making the shortbread which involves extra and superfluous steps: adding all of the flour to the mixing bowl instead of kneading some in by hand would have resulted in the same cookie texture provided the dough wasn’t over mixed.
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We Love Madeleines
By Miss Madeleine, Antonis Achilleos
Chronicle Books - 2012
Nicely spiced sponge cakes with just a hint of orange.
This recipe relies on the beaten eggs for leavening so I took special care when adding the other ingredients so the mixture wouldn’t deflate. The texture was still a little dense in the end but the madeleines stayed moist for longer than most.
My yield was 32, not 24.
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These are fantastic little cakes with a delicate flavour to match their texture. Soft and tender when baked, they’re very fragile and must be handled with care especially while they’re still warm. I used ¼ tsp of hazelnut oil flavouring and milk instead of Frangelico liqueur which gave them a lovely perfume, and skipped the optional chocolate chips, and melted chocolate and chopped hazelnut garnish.
My yield was 36, not 24.
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Every Grain Of Rice
By Fuchsia Dunlop
WW Norton - 2013
I don’t recall using cumin and soy sauce in the same dish before….it turns out they’re a very good match for each other. This was a very easy and delicious dish that created its own silky sauce as it cooked. With both fresh and dried chillies in the recipe, it was intended to be quite hot; I included the fresh chilli but served the flakes on the side so family could adjust the heat level to their liking.
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Cake Keeper Cakes: 100 Simple Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes, Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other Good-To-The-Last-Crumb Treats
By Lauren Chattman
Taunton Press - 2009
Moist cake with a fine crumb has a nice balance of flavours that’s sure to please peanut butter-chocolate lovers. I myself prefer the less sweet and more intense flavour of this bundt cake.
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Giada's Family Dinners
By Giada De Laurentiis
Clarkson Potter - 2006
Blanched green beans finished in a tomato sauce flavoured with shallots, garlic, wine and basil made for a delicious side dish. Can be made with either fresh or canned tomatoes.
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Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook
By Tessa Kiros
Andrews McMeel Publishing - 2007
This method of oven frying worked extremely well resulting in crispy croquettes with soft, moist centres. With only salt, pepper and some Parmesan cheese as seasoning, the flavour wasn't particularly exciting but that’s easily fixed. They were popular with children and adults alike.
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Flour, Too: Indispensable Recipes for the Cafe's Most Loved Sweets & Savories
By Joanne Chang, Michael Harlan Turkell
Chronicle Books - 2013
Really fantastic dish where each of the components is good enough to stand on its own.
Surprisingly, vegetable stock is used as the braising liquid for the beef but the addition of tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and the juices from the meat give it a rich flavour. This portion of the recipe is best made the day before: not only does the flavour improve, but it allows you to skim off the excess fat.
The polenta, made with milk and vegetable stock, tasted great even before the cheese was added. I’ll never make it with water again!
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Baking: From My Home to Yours
By Dorie Greenspan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2006
Like a muffin, they're made by mixing dry with wet ingredients, are lower in fat than cupcakes and not overly sweet. Also like a muffin, they dry out easily.
They're neither my idea of a breakfast food nor something I would make if I were looking for a chocolate treat.
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The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle
By Tom Douglas
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2012
Easy enough to mix together with a whisk, but with a very long baking time, this cake was a disappointment. It was far too sweet so I didn’t bother making the honey syrup, and I didn’t care for the texture which was fine-crumbed, very dense, and almost like pudding it was so moist.
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Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes
By Giada De Laurentiis
Clarkson Potter - 2005
Thyme and oregano are not the first herbs that come to mind when I’m seasoning salmon, but using them to flavour the tomato salad that gets baked in the foil envelope on top of the filets works very well. The fish was moist and tasted great.
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Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes
By Deborah Madison
Ten Speed Press - 2013
This tasty salad of steamed cauliflower and celery dressed with an assertive Mustard-Caper Vinaigrette (page 132) made a delicious light meal for vegetarian daughter and a warm side dish for the rest of the family. Delicious warm or at room temperature, with or without the (cow’s milk) Havarti.
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The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accessories
By David Lebovitz
Ten Speed Press,U.S. - 2007
Easy to make, eggless, vanilla bean ice cream with great flavour. I prefer to make it with part milk so that it’s not too rich.
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Website: Dietitians of Canada
These had excellent flavour and a light, fluffy texture but I had a little trouble with the batter. It was far too thick – more like a cake batter – which meant cooking them thoroughly in the centre without burning the exterior was difficult. Adding an extra 125ml of milk made the difference and even though the spices etc were slightly diluted, the pancakes were still very good.
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More HeartSmart Cooking with Bonnie Stern
By Bonnie Stern
Random House Canada - 1997
Greek inspired burgers flavoured with oregano and lemon zest are nicely complemented by a yogurt-dill sauce. Quick to prepare and delicious.
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Every Grain Of Rice
By Fuchsia Dunlop
WW Norton - 2013
This is a simple and tasty zucchini stir fry. Salting the zucchini first to draw out some of the water seems to help it retain its crisp texture after cooking and seasons the vegetable nicely at the same time.
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The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accessories
By David Lebovitz
Ten Speed Press,U.S. - 2007
Made with pantry ingredients and some light cream, this eggless ice cream was surprisingly rich and creamy with deep flavour. In fact, it tasted as though it were made with a high end bittersweet chocolate instead of just plain old cocoa powder. The peanut butter shared equal billing with the chocolate, making this a perfect treat for chocolate-peanut butter lovers.
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The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle
By Tom Douglas
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2012
Good, basic recipe for a fruit crisp that calls for simple ingredients and is very quick to put together. The topping deserves an extra star since it was very crisp and remained that way even in hot, humid weather, but there was just too much of it for the amount of fruit. It was much better when I doubled the fruit.
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From a Polish Country House Kitchen: 90 Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food
By Anne Applebaum, Danielle Crittenden, Bogdan & Dorota Bialy
Chronicle Books - 2012
This method certainly has its merits but it has its drawbacks also.
I had 2 varieties of apples at various stages of ripeness but even the crisp Granny Smith was cooked well enough to purée in only 5 minutes, done without heating up a kitchen on a hot summer day. Cooking the fruit in an uncovered dish, I expected most of the liquid to evaporate. That wasn’t the case and some had to be poured off to avoid watery applesauce.
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Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking
By Madhur Jaffrey
Barron's Educational Series - 2003
Fragrant rice that tastes as good as it looks and smells, and makes an excellent side to more highly flavoured mains. I skipped the butter so it was a little dry but very good nonetheless.
I served it with Cod Steaks in a Spicy Tomato Sauce.
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With the addition of fennel and cumin, this was a delicious new take on cod with tomatoes for me. I used only one oven proof, non-stick pan to make the dish, browning the fish in it before making the tomato sauce, then using it as the baking dish. Only two tbsp oil were required: one for sautéing the fish and the second for making the sauce.
I served it with the aromatic yellow rice.
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This is a very good cumin flavoured cauliflower dish with a relatively short cooking time. I used only half the oil and added a few spoons of water to steam the cauliflower, making sure to cook that liquid off before adding the potatoes and spices. Between the fresh chili and ground cayenne, there were a few opportunities to adjust the spiciness of the dish to taste, but even using the full amounts, it wasn’t overly hot. Next time, I’ll let the cauliflower cook a little longer in the oil before steaming it since the caramelized spots were the best bites.
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Website: food52
We loved this no-cook pasta sauce, excellent on a hot summer day. With mushrooms, lemon and garlic as the main sauce ingredients, I thought the baby spinach I had in the fridge would be the perfect complement. It was, wilting nicely when I added it with the hot pasta.
Definitely something I will make again.
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Giuliano Hazan's Thirty Minute Pasta: 100 Quick and Easy Recipes
By Giuliano Hazan, Joseph De Leo
Stewart, Tabori & Chang - 2009
It’s not fair to compare this easy pasta sauce to Bolognese; with only a 15 minute cooking time, there’s no way to achieve the richness and depth of flavour of the classic recipe. Made with ripe tomatoes, this is instead, a delicious, very fresh tasting tomato-meat sauce.
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Baking: From My Home to Yours
By Dorie Greenspan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2006
This cake has great flavour and is not overly sweet but it's surprisingly dry and crumbly considering the amount of butter and cream cheese in it.
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The Kitchen Diaries II
By Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate - 2012
Ripe tomatoes roasted with garlic and herbs, and topped with warmed goat cheese sounded like a good dish but nothing out of the ordinary. Making a paste from the soft garlic, salt and additional herbs, and spreading it on top of each tomato before adding the cheese earned this recipe an extra star.
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The French Market Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from My Parisian Kitchen
By Clotilde Dusoulier
Clarkson Potter - 2013
The flavour of this clafoutis was very good with the cardamom a nice complement to the peaches. I didn’t care much for the texture of the custard since the almond flour was a little granular (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand) and really didn’t add flavour. However, the ratio of fruit to custard was high so that particular texture wasn’t that much of an issue.
The baking pan size suggested was far too small to contain all of the filling; I used a 10”/25cm round ceramic dish. Baking time was also off with the clafoutis taking almost an hour to cook in the centre.
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Very nice salad with the bright flavour of lemon from both the honey-Dijon-lemon dressing (page 207) and the chopped preserved lemon. Great starter that wakes up the palate.
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A Passion for Baking: Bake to celebrate, Bake to nourish, Bake for fun
By Marcy Goldman
Oxmoor House - 2007
Made with an enriched yeast dough and a chocolate filling, the flavour of these treats was reminiscent of a chocolate-filled babka, but with the much shorter fermentation and proofing times, took a fraction of the time to make. The dough came together easily but as with many of the recipes in this book, there was too much filling and the “sticks” were much too large.
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How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition): 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food
By Mark Bittman
Wiley - 2008
Quick and tasty way to prepare bone-in chicken pieces. I browned skinned thighs so they wouldn’t be quite so pale so braising time was short and the chicken, moist. Though the author compares the flavour of the sauce/braising liquid to teriyaki, it wasn’t nearly as sweet and the lemon juice added brightness.
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Baking for All Occasions
By Flo Braker
Chronicle Books - 2008
This was a moist and tasty vanilla cake bursting with blueberries. The use of cake flour gave it a very fine and tender crumb, elevating it from a coarse-crumbed coffee cake to a more refined and elegant cake.
I made a half recipe to use up some egg yolks and baked it in a 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. I also used the same weight of sugar as flour, a 25% reduction in the sugar. It was still sweet (but more to my liking).
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This is indeed a very flaky pie crust. Made with both butter and shortening, it has a high proportion of fat to flour and is too tender and crumbly for my liking. Because of the quantity of fat, I found that the dough needed less water to hold together than the recipe states.
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Fabulous pie! The flavours of the 3 fruits melded beautifully and the crumble topping was crisp and golden, providing great texture.
In my part of the world, local raspberries and cherries are available long after the rhubarb is finished so I used frozen rhubarb. The amount of sugar and thickeners called for seemed excessive but were necessary in the end. The filling was nicely tart and sweet with fresh fruit flavour and was soft but not runny when completely cooled.
The pie was baked in this Flaky Pie Pastry.
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Website: Canadian Living
Great combination of flavours within the roll and the roll with the sauce. There was a very good balance of hot, sweet, salty and sour. I did replace the shrimp with marinated and fried tofu for vegetarian daughter but I'm sure it would be very good (and much prettier!) with the shrimp.
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The Kitchen Diaries II
By Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate - 2012
The combination of gooseberries and pork turns out to be a very good one with a much brighter flavour than traditional apples and pork. This dish is very quick and easy to prepare but do watch the cooking time of the chops as it will depend largely on the thickness of the meat and whether or not they have a bone. (2.5cm thick boneless loin chops took only 7-8 minutes)
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How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition): 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food
By Mark Bittman
Wiley - 2008
This bread is advertised as being flaky and golden and it’s neither. The flavour is okay thanks to some good olive oil and the sprinkling of sea salt on the top, but the bread is dense, dries out easily and is rather anaemic looking.
It is quick and easy to make but there's no point of that if the results aren’t good.
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Japanese Farm Food
By Nancy Singleton Hachisu, Kenji Miura
Andrews McMeel Publishing - 2012
Interesting method of cooking starchy short grain Japanese rice that doesn’t just involve rinsing the rice until the water runs clear before cooking it, but actually rubbing it aggressively to remove as many surface particles as possible. The rice is then steamed using a ratio of 1:1 water to rice.
I used it to make Fried Rice with Corn and Peppers.
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A very colourful and tasty variation of fried rice that’s made with this Japanese plain rice. Many of the ingredients are quite sweet so it needed a little more salt than I would normally use for a dish like this.
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From a Polish Country House Kitchen: 90 Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food
By Anne Applebaum, Danielle Crittenden, Bogdan & Dorota Bialy
Chronicle Books - 2012
This recipe for Polish crepe-like pancakes uses yogurt in place of the more traditional milk. The tangy flavour comes through and it seems to make the pancakes more tender but also more fragile and difficult to handle. I liked them but family prefer them made with milk.
The rating should be 3 1/2 stars.
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The French Market Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from My Parisian Kitchen
By Clotilde Dusoulier
Clarkson Potter - 2013
Good alternative to butter-rich pastry for savoury tarts. The dough dries out easily so one must work quickly; the trimmings were too dry to re-roll. The crust had good flavour and a crispy and crumbly texture like that of a low-fat cracker; it retained its texture with a juicy filling.
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Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Jonathan Lovekin
Chronicle Books - 2011
Excellent tomatoes and homemade sourdough bread ensured that this salad was delicious. The quinoa was barely noticeable but added substantial protein to the dish so it was quite filling without being too heavy. Normally I seed tomatoes for a salad so it’s not too watery but I didn’t this time since the bread was there to absorb the additional liquid (and flavour!)
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