AnkoCupp's Reviews
5 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 5Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking
By Molly Stevens
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2004
This is a really easy dish that can be great when it's seasoned aggressively and allowed to get crunchy in spots in the final high heat phase. Using water instead of chicken stock for the braising doesn't hurt the dish at all.
useful (3)
BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes
By Shirley O. Corriher
Scribner - 2008
This cake has become my go-to cake for practically any occasion. On one hand, it is incredibly tender, moist, and has a delicious citrusy flavor. On the other hand, the ingredients list is mostly made up of things I already have, plus a couple oranges and almond flour.
I've never bothered to make the accompanying Glaze and Icing. Given how delicious the cake is already, there doesn't seem to be much point.
useful (3)
Charcuterie
By Michael Ruhlman
WW Norton - 2005
This seemed like the easiest recipe in the book, so it's the one I started with. It's pretty much just running pork shoulder, ginger, garlic, and sage through the grinder (or in my case, kitchenaid attachment). The result is a fragrant breakfast sausage that tastes so much fresher than the Jimmy Dean norm. I would suggest making the sausage a day before frying it up to allow the fresh ginger to mellow out.
The only problem I had was learning to use the equipment properly. At first, the grinder would only output blobs of ground meat rather than the desired threads. There was too much sinew wrapping around the blade and clogging up the works. However, I found that the corkscrew-like "grind worm" wasn't set straight in the housing. Once it was readjusted, the grinder had no problem with the normal amount of sinew in the meat.
useful (2)
The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook
By King Arthur Flour
Countryman Press - 2003
This is a very delicious cake. The cake itself is not too sweet and comes out with a tender crumb and slightly crusty exterior. When it came time to top the cake with the crumb, we left out about half a pound of the crumb mixture, because it seemed like it would just be too much. There's a great almond aroma in the crumb.
One thing to remember is that this cake batter is extremely stiff. Contrary to what the recipe says, there is no "pouring" into the pan. More like plopping and spreading.
Also, when the cake originally came out of the oven, the crumb topping was an unappetizing blonde. Putting the cake back under the broiler for a minute browned it up. Just be careful: it can burn easily.
useful (1)
Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant flavors of a World-Class Cuisine
By Rick Bayless
Scribner - 1996
This recipe is the exact opposite of a 30-minute meal. Preparing this dish, along with poaching the chicken and the Classic Mexican Fried Beans (pg 237) took a good 3 hours. And this is a "Simple" mole! But it was delicious.
As long as you're making the accompanying poached chicken, you can use the poaching liquid for the necessary 6 cups of chicken broth. Also, I couldn't find any "Mexican chocolate", so I just used part of an unsweetened Ghiradelli chocolate bar.
useful (2)