friederike's Reviews
1109 recipes reviewed. Showing 51 to 100Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating 
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The Cuisine of Italy: All the Recipes
By Giunti (ed)
Demetra - 2010
A very simple, straight-forward recipe. The dish worked well and tasted great. A perfect basic recipe to be used in combination with any kind of fruit compote or sauce. Of course you could also choose to modify the panna cotta itself, by adding spices or even using tea!
useful (2)
Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes
By Tessa Kiros
Murdoch Books - 2004
Whoooo. Incredibly moist, and still a little crunch from the crust and the walnuts. Really delicious! A few raisins or chocolate chips would also work well.
We had the cake without icing - I actually don't think it's necessary, the cake is wonderful on it's own (and seriously, for that amount of calories I'd rather have another slice of cake!). I could see serving it with a dollop of Crème Fraîche if you really want to.
Edited 20 August 2013:
We made the cake again and added a few raisins - very nice, but that added a lot of moisture so we had to bake the cake quite a while longer. Not a problem, just something you need to take into account. I'm still eager to try a version with added chocolate chips and spices (cardamom, anyone?).
useful (2)
Brigitte - Unsere besten Menüs
By Burgunde Uhlig
Mosaik - 2002
Very delicious, very easy, and fairly quick - really recommended. I preferred this version to the one in The Essential Christmas Cookbook, but may be that was only because I made this version first.
useful (0)
All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking
By Molly Stevens
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2004
I can only agree with everything the two previous reviewers posted. And cadfaels menu suggestion sounds really good!
There was just one issue we had: she didn't write anything about how the ribs were cut. In the section about buying short ribs she presents the two different kinds of short ribs available, both of which are bought in one large piece. Later on in the recipe she gives hints that the ribs have been cut into pieces as she mentions that the rib pieces should be arranged into a single layer, etc. Can anyone enlighten me about what she means?
useful (3)
The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen
By Nigel Slater
Fourth Estate Ltd - 2007
Divine! It took an hour to bake instead of the half hour announced, but hey, who cares when it results in such chocolate goodness? A perfect brownie recipe.
Edited 24 September 2011:
I made this today again and didn't bother to check my own review. I baked it only 10 min longer, and it ended up being pretty gooey on the inside (when testing I thought it was just melted chocolate). I prefer a proper brownie texture; next time I'd bake it for an hour again. Served together with the Caramelised Lemon Cake, a perfect combination of sweet and sweet-sour, chocolate and fruit.
Pictured: Last piece of cake, just seconds before final meltdown.
Edited 28 October 2012:
This time, the brownie spent 50 minutes in the oven when I thought I'd have to take it out to prevent it from drying out. I loved it the way it was, DH thought it was a tad too dry. 45 min next time?
We served it as a 'grand dessert' with some raspberry coulis, Lemon Mousse and Lavender Honey Ice Cream. The ice cream and brownie were great in combination, the rest got lost a bit, even the raspberry coulis we had specially made for the brownie.
Edited 24 November 2012:
Don't bake in an convection oven. The brownie was pretty dry along the top and edges.
Edited 15 December 2012:
Whoops. Because we were in a hurry and I took over halfway through, we nearly forgot to add the butter and the sugar. As a result, we managed to beat all the lightness out of the eggs, which resulted in a very thin, crisp chocolate cake and nearly resembled a very crisp cookie more than a cake. Baking time 55 minutes.
Served with Toasted Almond and Candied Cherry Ice Cream for the classic chocolate-cherry-combination.
Edited 24 March 2013:
Served as a spring version this time, making a hedge with half pieces of Merci and adding some paper flowers. Very impressive and a lot less work than the Mondriaan Cake!
useful (1)
Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
Ebury Press - 2010
Excellent, just excellent! It was easy to make, good to prepare in advance, and everyone loved it and had extra helpings! I really enjoyed the contrasts between the cream's silkyness, the tomatoes' juiciness, the fennel's distinct flavour and the crumble's salty crunchy texture, a perfect mix!
Edited 7 September 2012:
Hmm, not quite as good this time around. Could have been partly my fault, partly not the right tools.
My fault: I used the whole cup of cream (250ml) instead of just 200ml - it seemed such a waste to throw away that little bit of cream, but that could have been the reason why the crumble remained quite soggy.
Tools: I think last time I used a metal 22 x 30 cm baking tin, this time I used a ceramic 25 x 31 cm baking tin - the former was probably better, because the surface was smaller and the gratin therefore was higher, meaning that the crumble had to cover less surface and didn't have as much chance to touch the cream.
Also, don't be afraid to cut some of the fennel into smaller pieces if you're afraid they might be too big.
We served this as a main meal, with Individual Apple Pies to follow.
Edited 10 May 2014:
I forgot to add the cream entirely last night, but I hardly noticed (well, it was a bit different, but just as enjoyable as usually). Now if you can substitute the butter in the crumble with something else (coconut oil?), you could even turn this from vegetarian to vegan.
Edited 11 July 2014:
I forgot to add the cream AGAIN! I also used frozen, defrosted crumble we still had leftover from the last time. It was pretty soggy, and even an extra 15 min baking time didn't really change that. I'm afraid that it didn't help either that the crumble contained 1/3 whole wheat flour. Next time I might just use it frozen and see what happens.
Edited 25 June 2017:
We haven't made this dish in quite a while - we seemed to like it less and less. The soggyness of the crumble was one problem, but the crumble also often ended up being a little too sweet, and the fennel undercooked. So this time we used less sugar and more cheese in the crumble (sorry, not sure how much), and cooked the gratin covered for over an hour, and uncovered for over half an hour, and that did the trick.
useful (1)
The Moro Cookbook
By Samantha Clark, Samuel Clark, Pia Tryde
Ebury Press - 2003
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! It's a great dish, absolutely delicious, slightly hot but really really good, one of my new favourites!
useful (1)
101 Healthy Eats ("Good Food")
By Jane Hornby
BBC Books - 2008
A really nice salad! I omitted the garlic, because I just didn't see raw garlic work in this salad.
It had a distinct Far-East-Asian flavour. We had it with Roast Chicken with Harissa, and the combination of the two, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern didn't work well together - something too keep in mind, and entirely my own fault I guess.
Edited to add:
I made the very similar Cucumber Salad from the Time-Life book Chinese Cooking (I added my review to the German version I own), and that version is a lot better than this one!
useful (0)
The Moro Cookbook
By Samantha Clark, Samuel Clark, Pia Tryde
Ebury Press - 2003
Very delicious, and so easy! Just rub the chicken with Harissa and roast. My chicken was just 900g, so it was already done after 45 minutes.
I opted not to serve it with Patas Bravas, as recommended, but just fried potatoes to keep it simple - good pairing! The Spicy Cucumber Salad I served as well was equally delicious, but a less well-chosen pairing.
useful (0)
100 Grillrezepte
Really delicious! They were crisp and had this very fine taste of coconut, strong enough to taste it but not too strong to overpower the prawns. Next time however I would marinate them for several hours more to see if the flavours would be even stronger then. I might also consider using garlic, as I served them with garlic butter baguettes and that combination was really nice too!
Edited 10 Sept. 2012:
We made this again and served it as part of a mezze platter together with Chicken Wings with Cumin, Lemon and Garlic, Saffron Cauliflower, Beetroot with Yoghurt and some Turkish flatbread, and it was great!
We made a big mistake with the prawn, though: We just flipped them into a pan without draining them properly, and as a result they were slightly dry. I also believe barbecueing them brings out the flavours better. Technically, this was the only dish that didn't fit the Middle Eastern mezze range, but that wasn't really a problem, though next time I would probably rather go for the Prawn with Citrus Salsa.
useful (0)
Die chinesische Küche
By Editors of Time-Life
Rowohlt - 1979
Nearly identical to the Spicy Cucumber Salad from BBC Good Food: 101 Healthy Eats I made last week; this salad was nicer though. The version in 101 Healthy Eats had a too strong marinade, and too much of it, while in this salad the flavours of the cucumber and the marinade were much more balanced.
The BBC version called for the addition of garlic, which I didn't add - and I was right, there was no garlic in this version either. This version required Tabasco instead of a fresh red chili - I didn't add either today, mainly because I forgot to buy it, and I didn't miss it at all! When having the choice, I would go for the fresh chili instead of Tabasco.
The Chinese name of this dish, by the way, is simply "Cold plate of Cucumber", with cucumber literally being "yellow squash" - all those things you learn from cooking!
useful (1)
Essentials of Roasting: Recipes and Techniques for Delicious Oven-Cooked Meals (Williams-Sonoma Essentials)
By Chuck Williams, Noel Barnhurst
Oxmoor House - 2004
A very nice dish! Absolutely recommended! We reduced the cooking time of the rhubarb by approximately 10 minutes (too impatient), and because our pork chops were smaller than those recommended (see below) we reduced their cooking time from 7 to 5 minutes, and the meal turned out perfectly.
There was one thing however which kept me wondering. For 6 servings, the book suggests 6 pork loin chops of 8-10 oz. (250-315 g) each. We had 4 chops of 150 g each plus slightly more rhubarb and they easily covered the rhubarb, but I doubt you would have been able to fit a lot more meat in a single layer on top of the given amount of rhubarb.
We served this with the Garlic Fennel Wedges from the same book, a perfect combination!
useful (3)
Website: Smitten Kitchen
Very delicious, and very quick to make!
The crumble was very delicious and crisp, the strawberries and rhubarb were nicely done, but just quite a bit too sour. Use less lemon juice, and unless you use really sweet strawberries I would add one or two extra tablespoons of sugar. I accidentally added the pinch of salt to the crumble instead of the fruit, I don't think that mattered.
I would have thought that the rhubarb needed to be cooked longer than those delicate berries, but that wasn't the case at all - nor does the Apple Rhubarb Crumble from Marie Claire, coming to think of it. And the choice of fruit really makes a difference, Deb's strawberry-rhubarb crumble really screams Summer!, while the Marie Claire apple version is a lot less boastful about it...
For those Europeans among you: we used 500g strawberries, minus the wrotten ones, and this turned out fine.
Edited 28 April 2014:
We used 430 g rhubarb and 470 g brilliantly sweet strawberries (according to some unit conversion website the recipe calls for 226 g rhubarb and 680 g strawberries). We really liked this proportion of fruit, but because we used more rhubarb than called for, we should have used more sugar also, or less lemon juice.
The crumble also tasted just a bit weird. I think it might have been either the baking powder, or the corn starch, or both. Next time I'll omit the baking powder entirely (why would you need it in the first place?), and possibly reduce the cornstarch to 1 tbsp, or even none (you don't really need that either).
Edited 3 May 2014:
We made this crumble again today to test our assumptions (suffering in the name of science). We did as I suggested in my last edit, omitting the baking powder entirely and using only 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Furthermore, we used the juice of just a quarter lemon, the same amount of sugar, and slightly less fruit (380 g rhubarb and 420 g strawberries, same proportion as last time). The result was a lot better, though there is something to say for the cornstarch - we ended up with a strawberry soup. So keep the cornstarch in there. Sourness and sweetness were nicely balanced, though only if you serve it with ice cream; if you don't, I'd add a little more sugar.
Edited 11 May 2016:
It's that time of the year again, isn't it? So, this time: No baking powder in the crumble, in the filling no salt, 1 tbsp cornstarch, about 480 g rhubarb, 400 g strawberries, not all juice a lemon (half a lemon? 3/4?), and about 175 g sugar - perfection! Served with vanilla ice cream; could probably have a little (tiny bit!) extra sugar without ice cream.
useful (3)
Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
Ebury Press - 2010
Absolutely brilliant! The salmon was very juicy yet very crispy on top (don't put the salsa on the fish, put it next to it!), the salsa was delicious, fresh and garlicky with an extra crunch from the hazelnuts. And the salmon could easily hold up to these strong flavours!
Edited 18 September 2012:
We made it with wild salmon this time, though maybe not 100% PC, I prefer commercially bred salmon as it's fatter and therefore both full of flavour and less prone to dry out. Also try to use fresh peppers if you can, it really makes a difference.
Served with Couscous with Dried Apricots and Butternut Squash and Chargrilled Broccoli with Chilli and Garlic - while all dishes are very nice, the combination wasn't really a hit. The couscous was very much an autumn dish, the salmon felt more like a spring-dish, and the broccoli disappeared somewhere inbetween...
useful (1)
Puddings and Cobblers (The Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection)
By Periplus Editions
Periplus Editions - 2000
Delicious, simple dish where nothing can go wrong, except for one thing: do not assemble the dish too early. You can prepare everything up to the point that the merengues need to be added, but adding those should be something to be done shortly before serving.
You don't need to use solely strawberries, other berries work just as well. Though then it probably wouldn't be Eton Mess anymore.
useful (1)
North Atlantic Seafood: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes
By Alan Davidson
Ten Speed Press - 2003
Very delicious, healthy, and really simple, the ideal thing to eat for a quick snack. Or breakfast.
Make sure you have enough shrimps (I didn't really think about it and just bought one pack for the two of us, for two slices each - which is, err, 25g instead of 100g per slice). You can add a few drops of lemon to the shrimp, to bring out that shrimpy taste. And enjoy!
useful (0)
Noshe Djan: Afghan Food and Cookery
By Helen Saberi, Abdullah Breshna
Prospect Books - 2000
Very delicious! A little more complicated than just boiling plain rice, but well worth the extra effort. A few minor points: I would have preferred more spices; say double the amount of spices. Also, we cooked the rice on the stove on the smallest possible flame, and with simmerplate, and yet the rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. Last, the rice was done after 20 minutes cooking time, just keep that in mind.
450g uncooked rice is quite a lot, though. The two of us probably only finished one sixth to one eighth of it tonight, not half (it should serve four). Instead of doubling the amount of spices, you could just halve the amount of rice used.
On the plate in the photo you can also see Lawang Chalau (Meat Stew with Yoghurt) and Peach Chutney from the same book and Stir-fried Carrots with Mango and Ginger from Modern Moroccan; all except for the peach chutney this was a very good combination.
Edited 15 June 2011 to add:
We made the Pilau again last weekend. We used half the amount of rice with the usual amount of everything else, and replaced the ground cumin with 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric. This worked well (and turned the rice a bright yellow!), only that it was too much sugar - 1 tablespoon should be enough next time. This time, we served it with Slow-roast Persian Lamb with Pomegranate Salad, an excellent combination!
Edited 25 June 2014:
I made this again, this time making the caramel in a separate pan, and then just putting everything in the rice cooker, with the amount of water I always use in the rice cooker - and it worked well! It probably wasn't as perfect as made in a pan (it's been quite a while since we last had this), but still very nice, and a lot easier!
Served with Khoreshe Alu / Beef braised in prune sauce, which combined really well.
useful (1)
North Atlantic Seafood: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes
By Alan Davidson
Ten Speed Press - 2003
I really enjoyed this dish! Part of my pleasure of course came because someone had taken the effort and cooked and plated this dish, and it looked really nice! But that left aside: It was an unusual combination (for me, at least), it looked beautiful and was very delicious.
The dish was actually quite simple to prepare. The sauce is a bit prone to dry out, but that can be solved by adding water. The recipe recommends to place the filling on the mackerel and roll it up. Actually, we found it worked best when the mackerel was rolled up first, placed against the side of a baking dish, and then filled.
We did talk a while about the sauce and the filling, whether these were too sour, or too strong for the mackerel. Personally, I liked it the way it was (following the recipe instructions). The sauce was not too sweet for a main dish, but appeared to be sweet, at least sweeter than the rest. The filling was slightly sour (very little), but that was necessary to bump up the oily mackerel, in my opinion. And the flavour of the onion in the filling was just brilliant! All in all, the other flavours were quite strong, making it difficult for the mackerel to stand up against them, but that may have been for the better, as I don't think I would have managed to eat it otherwise, never much how much I enjoy mackerel (and fish!). DB probably would have added some sugar to the sauce, and would have prepared the filling without rhubarb, thereby eliminating the slighty sour flavour.
We had potato gratin and green beans as side dishes, but would recommend something different for the vegetable; but what? Perhaps fennel.
useful (1)
BBC Good Food
(January, 2010)
Really delicious! We slightly adapted the recipe as we had bought lamb joint instead of shoulder, and therefore followed the instructions of our butcher regarding the cooking instructions. Also, we ran out of ground cumin, and as cumin is difficult to grind we just used whole cumin instead. Everything worked well, the meat was really tender and the sauce very delicious!
We ended up serving the pomegranates scattered on top of the meat, not on the salad, that seemed to work bettter. We served the lamb with a slightly adapted version of Pilau from Noshe Djan, an excellent combination!
useful (2)
Website: De thuiskok - NRC
Brilliant drink. It's fairly unusual (with cucumber, grapes, melon and ginger, amongst others), but these ingredients combine surprisingly well.
You might find it a little on the sweet side, in which case you could use a very dry sparkling wine, or replace it with white rum and sparkling water altogether (white rum might be a good idea either way). Don't use Ginger Ale for the alcohol-free version, much too sweet; rather use sparkling water.
Add the mint early on in the process, so that its flavours are absorbed into the drink as well - such a shame to use it only as decoration. Basil would work perfectly well, too.
The recipe is actually a punch - but why not serve it as a kind of white sangria, by adding more liquid in proportion to fruit? One of the reasons I really enjoyed it is that I can see it as a drink on a lazy afternoon on the balcony just as well as served during a flashy garden party. And with all its green ingredients it definitely is an eye-catcher!
useful (2)
Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
Ebury Press - 2010
Really really delicious!
The main problem was actually that the individual ingredients were too large to take one of each in every bite. On their own, the ingredients are nothing special - instead, this dish thrives on the combination of all these very different flavours. My main piece of advice would therefore be to cut all ingredients into smaller pieces.
Other than that, there are just minor issues to mention. We used rosewater instead of orange blossom water (because we didn't have the latter), but it worked very well. Grilling the peaches (as opposed to using them raw) made them look very nice, but I'm not sure that it really added anything, except for some extra work. The speck was good, but there was too little of it.
useful (2)
The Scandinavian Cookbook
By Trina Hahnemann
Andrews McMeel Publishing - 2009
A very nice, very simple and very summery dish! I didn't bake the potatoes in the oven but cooked them until they were half-done and then finished them frying. The salad was nice and fresh.
The mackerel was really delicious. Frying gave a wonderful crispy skin, absolutely recommended. Be sure you clean it properly, even if you've been assured that it's been cleaned already, and make sure you have a pan that is large enough to hold the whole fish(es) (or get smaller specimen)!
useful (0)
Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
Ebury Press - 2010
Excellent! Really, really delicious, and as easy as, well, pie! I didn't make them myself but had them at my SIL's and watched her finish preparing them (which is also why I took the photos with my mobile, not the camera). They were great to prepare, the tartlets came out easily and without breaking, the cream was very easy to make and really delicious, and what can you do wrong with berries?
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So easy, and so delicious! We had this cream as a part of the Tartlets with Fresh Berries, and I can only recommend everything about it.
The Mascarpone Cream was both easy and quick to whisk up, and tasted heavenly. Can be used with any other kind of tartlet or dessert in general (eg. just fruit with Mascarpone Cream? Chocolate Cream with Mascarpone Cream? Whatever, let your fantasy run loose).
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You shouldn't necessarily expect this to be a seperately listed dish; however, the instruction listed are somewhat more elaborate than usual. One thing I did miss is why you should do whatever you are told to do, eg. brush the tartlet tins with a layer of melted butter and leave to set in the fridge before filling with pastry - according to my SIL, this is to ensure that the come out easier (and/or remain crisp).
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Preserve: Over 100 Delicious Recipes (Cookery)
Absolutely brilliant! Quick to assemble, great in taste and really versatile! We've already had it as a drink, and as a dessert (leftover bit of walnut ice cream served with apricots, almonds and a little ratafia as sauce); I can also see me making this in jam jars to get smaller portions you give as presents.
I did my best to use only ripe apricots in a good shape. I've spotted a few apricots where one half was darker than the other and I'm not really sure what the cause of this could be - have they just taken on some of the dark colour of the brandy, or were they a little overripe? I'll report back in a few days/weeks should that be the cause.
Of course I didn't have a wide-necked screw-topped 1.2 litre bottle, though I had a 1 litre one; I just used all of the apricots, nearly all of the almonds and sugar, and approximately 500ml brandy.
Variations: Definitely add a handful of raisins! I could also imagine a few spices, if you like, something like cinnamon or clover. You might want to consider halved almonds (in length) instead of almond slivers, but I guess that's a question of personal preference.
Edited 22nd March 2012:
We still have a little Ratafia left - I once nearly threw it away because all the apricots turned brown, but actually, that's down to the brandy - they're still perfectly edible, and when I served some Ratafia during a dinner recently, our guest was very glad to go home with the recipe.
useful (0)
Delicious (NL)
(September, 2011)
Very delicious (no pun intended)!
Especially the almonds were absolutely brilliant, and something you can easily use for a different recipe! They didn't get grilled while under the other baking tin, so when the plums were done, I placed the almonds in the top shelf. Be careful and watch them closely! Mine were done in a little less than 1.30 or 2.00 minutes.
The plums could have had a little more sugar, and nicer spices. I didn't have 'speculaaskruiden' and therefore made my own mix of spices: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp cardamom. The nutmeg was too strong, other than that it was great. It's easier not to mix the orange (or in our case lemon) zest with the sugar and spices; instead, put them on top of the plums directly once you've sprinkeled the plums with the sugar.
This is a Jamie Oliver recipe, though I couldn't find any version of it online.
useful (0)
101 Healthy Eats ("Good Food")
By Jane Hornby
BBC Books - 2008
Really, really good! Comparable to Nigel Slater's Pork with Pears, but much better! It had pork, it had apple, it had plenty of that sweet, savoury and sticky sauce, it was just really good. And it was quick, too!
The biggest problem here was getting the timing right. I had cooked the pork a bit too long, making it slightly dry and tough. My suggestion would be to keep the pork rather undercooked because you can still correct that at the end when you add the pork to the apples. Also, make sure the apples are still on the crunchy side when you add the pork (see above).
I was afraid that 2 tablespoons would be too much mustard, but it wasn't, it was just right. Serve with potatoes and a salad.
Edited 30 August 2011:
Turns out my suggestion doesn't really work, because by the time you return the pork to the pan you will already have added a lot of liquid, and thus you would cook instead of fry the meat. So that means that there is little more you can do than cook the pork well, keep it warm and only return it to the pan at the very last minute, serving immedeately.
useful (1)
Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
Ebury Press - 2010
My SIL served this for her birthday last week, and it was absolutely divine! Very delicious both hot and cold, very juicy and aromatic - I could eat it every week! Absolutely recommended!
useful (2)
Chinese Cuisine: Szechwan Style
By Lee Hwa Lin
Wei-Chuan Publishing Co Ltd ,U.S. - 1993
Absolutely excellent, hot and salty and then that beautiful looking squid - really good! Remember that Chinese dishes are always supposed to be served as one of many, it's not really a serving for four on its own.
Regarding the Chinese characters: Sha Cha translates as Satay Sauce, though it's not what you would find as Satay Sauce (which would most probably be Indonesian or Malay); instead, it's most commonly sold as (Chinese) Barbecue Sauce. Hua Zhi means flowering branch, hua meaning flowers, blossom, zhi meaning branch, limb, to branch off. In combination, they can also mean both beautiful woman and octopus. I can get both associations, though on my own I would never have found that connection between beautiful woman and octopus.
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Really, really delicious. The two red peppers were somewhat hotter than I expected; next time I would probably use 1 or 1 1/2. The dish was relatively simple, with slightly less cutting work to do and fewer steps. We stir-fried the meat instead of deep-frying it, which worked perfectly well. The meat was especially delicious, very tender, though I couldn't figure out whether that was due to the marinade or the quality of the meat or anything else.
useful (2)
Flavour First
By John Burton Race
Quadrille Publishing Ltd - 2008
Excellent dish! Anybody who has read my previous reviews of mussel dishes will know that I'm not really hard to please in this respect anyway.
What I really enjoyed in this version is that everything made a difference. You could taste the coconut, you could taste the spices (coriander, cumin, to name a few), it was slightly spicy, and of course you could also taste the mussels. The main difference between this dish and the other two are the spices added to this one.
We used 2 instead of 3 kilos of mussels, and 2 instead of 4 chillis - yesterdays Beef with Green Pepper was hot enough. We also used 300ml coconut milk and 100ml fish broth instead of 200ml each, because I was afraid the dish would otherwise turn out too salty; I thought it was on the salty side, DB didn't mind.
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marie claire - Snacks & Drinks.
By Michele Cranston
Komet Verlag GmbH - 2004
I wondered whether I was doing anything wrong - instead of 24 cookies I managed to get approximately 16 large and 30 small/bite-sized cookies out of the dough. I noticed that the dough made with oat flour dried out quickly and this influenced how thick you were able to roll out the dough - but in the end this didn't matter at all. They were really easy to prepare, and with a little parmesan or at least sea salt you could probably also serve them as crackers in their own right. Especially heart-shaped ones :)
The smoked trout cream was very delicious, and the whole combination just came together really well. A really good choice, and well worth the extra work!
Served as part of a buffet for eight, together with Nectarines with Ricotta and Parma Ham, Papaya Salad, Aubergines with Sweet Harissa, Beef Canapés and Roquefort in Belgian Endive Leaves.
useful (1)
Flavour First
By John Burton Race
Quadrille Publishing Ltd - 2008
Excellent salad! It tasted very nice, and I also enjoyed the fact that I would never have dared to combine these ingredients. It also makes an excellent lunch box - or cat food; at least this is the very first dish our kittens have shown an immense interest in (though I'd rather give them only mackerel if I'd have to).
Edited 4 August 2013:
When I served this as a lunch/picnic today, I forgot to add the horseradish cream, prompting my SIL to comment 'that the Jew in her longed for some gherkins', though she was quick to accept horseradish as a valid substitute once we found the jar with horseradish cream. I guess she was thinking of the Herring Salad with Beetroot and Gherkins her grandmother used to make (will have to make that some day...).
Served with Honey Chicken Salad and a rocket salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette. Served these dishes as a lunch to four people - I was afraid that it might be too much, but we finished it all!
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At a certain moment while preparing this dish I thought: this isn't a five star-recipe, it's four stars at most - too many vague or misleading instructions. The squash wasn't roasted but cooked and thus soft, it didn't say anything about how the squash should be added (chunks of 5 cm? Cut into smaller cubes?), and 100g of parmesan really would have been too much - but in the end I was really addicted to it! I'm normally not such a fan of a risotto, partly because often it's just not well done, but also because I don't want to have only mush for dinner. Well, this one really was the exception.
And it wasn't really complicated to make, on the contrary, you could even prepare it for guests - just turn off the gas just before it's nearly done - with 2-3 ladles of stock to go, and the re-heat and finish off when needed. Do be careful with the liquid, our's was just a bit too dry, though I take full responsibility for that, we started re-heating it too early.
What I would recommend to do is add some extra sage to the risotto, while you begin to cook the rice - the sage on the squash won't be enough at all.
We served this with the Bacon-wrapped Pears with a Celeriac and Lamb's Lettuce Salad as a starter and Lemon Moussse as dessert - a wonderful seasonal and easy to prepare menu, although the season just didn't behave accordingly.
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Very delicious! DB thought that they could have cooked a little longer, especially for the filling, though I actually enjoyed their firm texture and slightly zingy flavour. I wasn't sure about the plums, whether they should be fresh or dried (I guessed dried) - however, this could also have been the translator's mistake. DB also thought that the caramel wasn't really necessary; again, I don't entirely agree, but I guess that also depends on the meat dish you serve. Absolutely recommended in any case!
Served alongside Roast Loin of Pork with a Cider Sauce with potatoes and salad, with Shallot Tarte Tatin as a starter and Gingerbread Soufflé with Cranberry Sauce as dessert.
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Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
Ebury Press - 2010
What's not to love about lemon meringue? And Ottolenghi's recipe is trustworthy as always.
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I hadn't expected to like this combination as much, especially dill and capers seemed weird but worked very well. Goes well with (and is similar to) Chargrilled Broccoli with Chilli and Garlic.
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Heimwee naar Bella Italia
By Onno Kleyn
Het Spectrum - 2002
This was really good! It was quick, it was simple, and it's really delicious. We especially liked that you could taste both the fish and the Marsala (so don't use a cheap alcohol, nor bland fish). Absolutely a keeper.
Served with Runner Beans with Lemon and Spaghetti Aglio e Olio - you might better look for something else as a side dish.
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Modern Moroccan
By Ghillie Bhasan
Hermes House - 2003
This was a true discovery! Spinach has never really appeared very exciting, until today. The only change we made was that we substituted the pine nuts for almond slivers. We'll definitely make this again!
We served this with Chicken Wings with Blood Oranges and couscous with sweet dried cranberries and spices as a main dish - a very good combination. This was followed by Poached Quinces with Rose Water Syrup as dessert - excellent as well.
Edited 24 March 2012:
Served with Pomegranate and Honey Glazed Chops with Radish and Cucumber Tzatziki, jewelled couscous and grilled aubergines (pictured) - excellent combination! This was followed by the Ginger-spiced Oranges with Caramel Ice Cream - very good as well.
Edited 29 April 2013:
Hmm, we just made prepared it twice, on two consecutive days, and each time it was too sweet, though I'm not exactly sure what we did differently. I guess we'll try less honey next time, and perhaps sour cream instead of normal cream.
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Pure Simple Cooking: Effortless Meals Every Day
By Diana Henry
Ten Speed Press - 2009
Really delicious! We marinated this for only an hour or maybe two, and the balance of flavours was spot-on - strong enough to make it interesting but not too strong to overpower the flavour of the lamb. Furthermore the lamb was juicy and tender, just perfect.
There were two changes: I accidentally only bought four (quite smallish) lamb chops instead of eight - I made an extra vegetable dish to make up for that, but in the end that wasn't necessary, as four lamb chops were just perfect for the three of us. For four servings I would recommend five or six lamb chops, though of course that always also depends on the size of the chops.
Second, somebody had sneakily eaten up the cucumber; luckily, that wasn't a problem, it was a very nice tzatziki even without the cucumber. However, I don't think I would add the two spoons of olive oil next time, I didn't see any added value in that.
Speaking of tzatziki, the lamb was just very slightly hot; I didn't really see the necessity for the tzatziki, except for at the end of some of the mouthfuls :) Anyway, even if you didn't use (alll of) it you can always serve it with some bread or potatoes (or grilled aubergines!) the following day.
We served this together with jewelled couscous, grilled aubergines and Sautéeed Spinach with Apple, Pine Nuts and Cream, an excellent combination of dishes! Dessert was Ginger-spiced Oranges with Caramel Ice Cream - this combination worked very good as well.
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Ich helf dir kochen: das erfolgreiche Universalkochbuch mit großem Backteil
By Hedwig Maria Stuber
- 2000
Very nice recipe! It's approximately comparable to the Coq au Vin from Die echte Jeden-Tag-Küche in both taste and complexity.
Remarkable about this recipe is that although it uses Cognac, it doesn't flambée it - we did - and that the mushrooms are being fried separately, which means they retain both their flavour and their texture. Minor issue: It's absolutely impossible to fry all chicken pieces in one go, though the recipe seems to imply it.
We served the rest of the topping of yesterdays Grilled Vegetable Pizza as a side dish, which worked pretty well, mainly due to the rosemary.
Edited 27 October 2014:
I was slightly worried that 45 min of braising wouldn't be enough, but in fact it was just right. Bits and pieces of the chicken even tasted just a tiny bit dry, and I wondered if that might have been because we kept the chicken pieces, covered with aluminium, in the oven heated to 50C while we reduced the sauce. One thing I didn't do (and I assume I didn't do it when I made it the first time around) is that I used other herbs - no cayenne (cayenne in Coq au Vin, really?), but instead nutmeg, dried rosemary and dried thyme, and a little fresh parsley at the end. Again, although it doesn't say so in the recipe, I flambéed the cognac again, which was especially exciting as it was the first time I did it while I was all alone.
Served with a slice of bread and Glazed Sautéed Carrots, though prepared with honey instead of sugar, and a bunch of fresh parsley - very delicious! Rosemary would work equally well.
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Very delicate, light and delicious soup. It's made with white, not green asparagus, and took somewhat longer than I had expected it to; however, most of that is cooking time you can use to prepare other things. At a few points the recipe wasn't very clear, mainly due to the fact that it's a variant of another asparagus soup, but I doubt the results would be very different. I didn't use the asparagus peel as I have learned that it makes the soup bitter; nor did I use the butter at the end - it already contained enough butter, and I liked the taste as it was.
Serves 4 as a starter. I wonder if you could use bacon cubes or something likewise as croutons as white asparagus is traditionally served with smoked ham/bacon.
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Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Jonathan Lovekin
Chronicle Books - 2011
Very delicious, a true Ottolenghi dish! We used spinach and rocket as we weren't able to get Swiss chard; canned chickpeas instead of dried ones, and normal yoghurt instead of Greek yoghurt. It was very easy to prepare and very tasteful. Personally, I would add just a bit more caraway, use less olive oil, and cook the carrots less so they end up having a bit more crunch. And don't forget the salt!
Serves two as a vegetarian main, or four as a side dish.
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Gerechten van de Heerlijkheid
By Djon Okkerse, Catharine van Verschuer-van Sminia
MillerMedia - 2011
Oh, this was wonderful! Sweet and fresh, and a little soggy puff pastry to go... DH longed for a somewhat dryer, crunchier pastry, but I didn't mind at all. It was vaguely similar to the Shallot Tarte Tatin we made last year but not as sweet. Works equally well as an appetizer and as a side dish, is fairly easy to prepare and looks simply stunning (the photo has a slightly yellowish tint). Absolutely recommended!
We served it with Lemon and Oregano Chicken from Falling Cloudberries (review coming up soon), and it worked very well. I could also imagine this with something more robust, lamb for example.
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Yan-Kit's Classic Chinese Cook Book
By Yan-Kit So
Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd - 1987
A very simple yet elegant dish! The balance of flavours was excellent, the fish was cooked just right, and it was easy and quick tp prepare!
The only problem we had was that the fish didn't fit into our IKEA steamer - and that the steamer tilted over because all the weight was placed on one side of the steamer. We cut the fish in half lengthwise so we could balance the steamer with two parts, and that worked very well. Alternatively, just use two fish.
We served this with Stir-fried Baby Bok Choi with Garlic, an excellent match!
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Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
Ebury Press - 2010
This is one of my to-go-recipes for crumble - the other one being a crumble for traditional German fruit cakes. I used this crumble for the Fennel, Cherry Tomato and Crumble Gratin, and it was really good, and I can imagine that it works equally well in sweet dishes.
Edited 24 June 2013:
I used whole-wheat flour this time, but that didn't work that well as it wouldn't turn into a dough (or at least flakes of dough); I had to use nearly the double amount of butter to make it work.
Edited 5 November 2013:
I tried whole-wheat flour again. This time I only used one third whole-wheat and two thirds plain white flour, and I added about 2-3 tsp cold water, and that worked really well.
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Gelati d'Italia
By Linda Tubby
Fontaine - 2007
Absolutely fabulous! It's not very difficult, with or without ice cream machine, and it's incredibly delicious! I wonder whether you can also make this in winter using frozen blue beries. In first instance I thought 'yes, of course!', but now I'm concerned about re-freezing. Any comments?
We planning to serve it on Monday, together with the Elderflower Sorbet, with as a main Whole Roast Pork Belly with English Braeburn Apples and Polenta and Pumpkin with Rosemary on Rocket with a Plum Vinaigrette as a side. I'll keep you posted...
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Yan-Kit's Classic Chinese Cook Book
By Yan-Kit So
Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd - 1987
Extremely delicious! We bought two small trout of 200g each, and used the cooking time the fish monger advised (ten minutes as opposed to 25), and it turned out perfectly cooked! We did have the idea that you really had to try to get both fish and sauce on the same chopstick to taste the together, and we wondered if that would have been different if the fish had been larger and had to be cooked for the full 25 minutes, but in the end, it didn't matter, it was delicious as it was.
We used just a little bit (approximately 1 tsp) of Hot Chilli Oil, but it definitely could have been more.
Served with Gai Lan with Oyster Sauce, a well-suited combination.
Fun fact: If the Chinese title of a dish is given, I always try to translate the title. I didn't manage to make sense of it this time. The first character is given as 'dry; first hexagram; warming principle of the sun, penetrating and fertilizing, heavenly generative principle (male)'. The other three are fairly straight forward: 'to stir-fry before broiling or stewing' 'sea perch, sea bass' and 'fish'.
Edited 22 September 2012:
We used a salmon trout (400g) today - for some reason, it felt like less fish. We talked about how you could scale this dish to serve it to more guests yesterday and considered using larger fish - turns out that any larger fish than this won't fit in our wok.
It tasted very similar, though both of us are pretty sure we had less sauce, which is strange as we didn't change the recipe in any respect. In consequence, it wasn't any hotter, though we used two tsp hot chilli oil as compared to one yesterday.
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The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accessories
By David Lebovitz
Ten Speed Press,U.S. - 2007
Really delicious ice cream that makes you wonder how you can ever enjoy that bland, commercial ice cream ever again. Be careful, though, it's very rich in flavour, and you probably wont want to eat more than two scoops.
We served it with Apple Pie with an Almond Crust - it's a great ice cream to substitute for vanilla sauce!
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