kateq's Profile

From: annapolis, md usa

Joined: February 14th, 2010


Latest review:

March 21st, 2024

Baked Sriracha Chicken Breast from Washington Post

So easy and quite delicious. I was careful with the Sriracha--didn't want it o be too peppery. As I was baking it in convection, I lowered the temp a bit. Result is very juicy and tender chicken. read more >


recipe reviews (557)
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kateq's Reviews


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556 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title

Ad Hoc at Home

By Thomas Keller
Artisan - 2009

Having made the Peperonata Rustica (208), this was a snap to make -- though I did not brine the chicken, which would have added 12 hours of prep time to an otherwise simple dish. I used a lovely locally raised organic chicken and followed the instructions until the end, deciding to finish the dish on top of the stove instead of heating the oven on a very hot day. The chicken was moist and tender and the flavors of the sausage and peperonata blended beautifully. We'll have this again.

useful (1)  


16th July 2010

Horseradish Cream

So good and so rich -- happily, a little goes a long way. There's some magic to the way the sherry vinegar combines with the cream to make a sauce that is so much better than one made with sour cream or creme fraiche. We use this with roast beef sandwiches and with smoked trout.

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I first made this in school, and have since made it several times at home--always with wonderful results. It's a lot of salt and it leaves a lot of egg yolks behind (hollandaise? shortbread?), but the fish is so tender and moist and really easy to remove from the crust. I have omitted the orange and varied the herbs -- it's always good.

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16th July 2010

Iceberg Lettuce Slices

Let's get one comment out of the way first: this is not a salad you can make tonight--not unless you have oven roasted tomatoes (5 -6 hours prep) on hand and garlic aioli with which to make the blue cheese dressing and brioche for croutons. That being said, once you assemble the components, this is a knockout salad. It can singlehandedly make iceberg lettuce popular again. Making the lardons as directed is a revelation. They were delicious and just the right texture for the salad. The roasted tomatoes are great in this and the lightness of the croutons is just right as well. The dressing was a huge hit, described as "the best blue cheese dressing ever."

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16th July 2010 (edited: 8th January 2013)

Blue Cheese Dressing

This is a truly superior dressing. It is simple to make but requires time--time to make the garlic oil (p. 266) which you need, cooled, to make the garlic aioli (p. 333) which you need to make the dressing. But like other Keller recipes I've made, once you have all the parts, you assemble them to make a greater whole. The garlic mayo/buttermilk combo is excellent and the herb combo is just right. We used Maytag Blue and it was fine---a wonderful dressing for the Iceberg Lettuce Salad (p. 150) and for lots of other salads as well.

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We just finished our second of these gratins and every last bit got eaten. I think the bed of softened onions is such a brilliant idea. So far, I have made this without eggplant, using our own plum-tomato sized heirlooms, thyme from our garden, and zucchini and onions and garlic from local farms. The first time, I made it exactly as directed; the second time I sliced the veg thinner and cooked it for less time with really the same delicious result. It's a good sized gratin, yet we had only a small amount of leftovers which were actually even tastier the second day, so Chef Keller is right on that score as well.

useful (1)  


16th July 2010

Peperonata Rustica

I almost followed the instructions---I roasted my peppers on the outdoor grill and had a green pepper or two in the mix. Otherwise, I was faithful to the text and with very happy results. These made a marvelous side at a dinner of grilled lamb and were used as a component of the delicious Pan-Roasted Chicken with Sweet Sausage and Peppers (p. 20).

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This is a wonderful salad/side. I loved the dressing, tho I did strain the gastrique to get rid of the pepper grinds (and make one diner happy). I also used a very good sherry vinegar in place of the Banyuls (none on hand). The green bean/potato combination is excellent and the dressing is terrific. We have also used the dressing on roasted beets with happy results.

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7th August 2010

Caramelized Sea Scallops

I halved this recipe, but otherwise followed it to a tee. I used lovely huge divers scallops. I was careful to make sure the clarified butter was hot enough (shimmering). Mine were done at about three minutes for the first side, and less for the second. We had these with some spinach from the farm and a salsa of mango, pineapple and onion. I don't know that I would have ever thought of brining the scallops, but it's a brilliant touch. I would note, though, that like many of Keller's recipes, it assumes the home cook has a restaurant style larder. Not everyone has clarified butter on hand...

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7th August 2010

Garlic Confit and Oil

I too used the off-and-on method in lieu of a diffuser (have one somewhere--couldn't find it) I first made the oil for aioli (for the iceberg lettuce salad) but have become addicted. The oil is delicious; the garlic is heaven and has so many uses. It can be spread on bread; rubbed on meat or fish . One of my favorite uses is to spread it on pizza dough before adding cheese, etc.

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7th August 2010

Mayonnaise/Aioli

I made this in the blender once and with the Bamix once--both times it was super. I really am not sure that I can see(or taste) a difference in the two methods. It's really wonderful in the bleu cheese dressing. It's a decadent delight spread on a brioche roll for a hamburger.

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8th August 2010

Braised Beef Short Ribs

The sauce is fabulous; the meat is fabulous. All my criticisms seem like nitpicking in light of the great flavor achieved. But here goes anyway: my experience is that it's very hard to find the short ribs all in one piece--certainly not at most markets (not even Whole Foods) and even the independent butcher is unlikely to have it on hand. Second, the whole deal with the cheesecloth seems absurd to me--I have no problem with bits of herbs sticking to my meat. Similarly, the parchment lid is a bit much for a recipe designed for home cooks. But the bottom line is terrific---really tender meat, succulent sauce, well worth the effort. I would add that in the heat of summer, this can be done in part in a slow cooker instead of the oven. And it makes sense to make a fairly large batch as it freezes beautifully and the meat is lovely as is or on the Catalan stew.

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8th August 2010

Catalan Beef Stew

Again, a wonderful result but using techniques usually found in restaurants. Having made the braised short ribs, I had only to prep the veg and then put the dish together. But this is a somewhat fussy prep for the home cook. The result, however, is quite wonderful, very bright and complex flavors which do not overwhelm the very good, winey ribs. I would also note that the excess sauce can easily be frozen in an ice cube tray and, once frozen, tucked into a ziplock bag and saved for future use.

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13th August 2010

Buttermilk Biscuits

These really are excellent biscuits. The combo of cake and ap flour makes me think of real Southern recipes which use that nice soft southern flour. The directions are straightforward, clear. One tip from me: resist the tendency to turn your cutter while it is in the dough--this mashes the layers together and retards rising while baking. I tried some with the addition of some chopped fresh rosemary--very nice!

useful (1)  


13th August 2010

Pan-Roasted Duck Breasts

This is a perfect recipe. The duck is delicious, juicy, tender. And it's actually an easy recipe. I let mine sit in the fridge about 8 hours. After resting, the breasts sliced beautifully. We went with 125 degrees for the "rosy medium-rare" and it was greatly enjoyed by all.

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My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes)

By Luisa Weiss
Viking Adult - 2012

I took the comments about the long slow cooking to heart and started this on the stove and then transferred it to the slow cooker so it could get a good seven hours (or more) of simmering. I had beef and pork in the freezer--about three pounds total so I upped the other ingredients accordingly. I used a nice dry red beaujolais and American as opposed to San Marzano tomatoes (I know they are fabulous tasting in Italy--I find it hard to believe that being processed, canned, shipped overseas under who knows what conditions, warehoused and then distributed to supermarkets and shelved, they taste as good as in Italy or as good as good quality local products--plus, they're very expensive). Otherwise, I followed instructions and the results were fabulous. It's a great sauce which I used on some pasta to everyone's delight. I have two containers in the freezer, destined for lasagna.

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It got very cold quite suddenly yesterday. Cold weather comfort food was necessary. Knowing I had yellow split peas, a smoked ham hock, vegetable stock and carrots, I went out and got yukon gold potatoes and kosher knockwurst. I put the soup together according to the recipe, until I realized I had no celeriac (I threw in some fennel seeds) and no marjoram (I did have fresh oregano, flat leaf parsley and thyme and so used a combination of those herbs). My cooking was a bit longer then that in the recipe, but my peas might have been sitting in the cupboard for a while. The house filled up with a very comforting aroma. It smelled warm, if you know what I mean. And when I filled my bowl with soup, just the sight of it made me happy. And the taste of it made me happier still. This soup makes you remember coming in from the cold as a child, and sitting down to hot soup your mother or your grandmother made just for you. Good Stuff!

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The New Moosewood Cookbook (Mollie Katzen's Classic Cooking)

By Mollie Katzen
TEN SPEED PRESS - 2000

18th February 2011 (edited: 18th February 2011)

Light Cream of Celery Soup

What a delightful surprise! While I like celery soup, I thought this might be a bit dull and underwhelming. Boy, was I wrong! I made this as written, making only one change--in the midst of cooking, I discovered I had no celery seeds and so substituted fennel seeds. Where there was a choice, I went with sour cream over cream or half and half. Rather than transferring from pot to blender and then to pot, I used my Bamix. I also chose to puree the sauteed onions, making the soup entirely smooth. It was not bland. It was actually quite wonderful. I do think the amount of salt is a bit much and that my use of fennel was a happy accident. The soup smells great, looks very pretty--a pale yellow green frothy affair--and tastes terrific. I am tempted to try substituting fennel for some of the celery, but the soup is so good as is that I may have to resist my normal meddling. One more thing--this soup could be the stuff of fine dining with just one additional step--straining the soup so that the end result is quite velvety--and the addition of some interesting croutons. But it's awfully good just as is. Edited to add that on the second day, I learned that this soup is delicious cold.

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19th February 2011

Brazilian Black Bean Soup

I loved this soup! I basically followed the recipe but did find a few shortcuts. Rather than pre-soaking the beans, I made them in a slow cooker in which I actually made the whole soup. Also, rather than using a blender to puree, I used my immersion blender--easier, quicker, less mess, same result. I used fresh squeezed orange juice (harvesting all the rind for another recipe). I skipped the bell pepper and the optional tomato. I added one step: after sauteing (sauteeing? always looks wrong) the vegetables, I deglazed the pan with a little hot water and added that to the soup--there was lovely fond left in the pan. I've always like black bean soup and generally always had the Cuban version. The orange in this adds this really interesting undercurrent of flavor and combined with the heat of the cayenne works very well. Definitely five star.

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23rd February 2011

Cream of Spinach Soup

I almost gave this soup 4 stars because I tasted it before I grated on the nutmeg. The amount of garlic seemed a bit much (and this from a true garlic lover) but when I did add the grated nutmeg, between the fabulous scent and the subtle change in the flavor, I was sold on five stars. I made the lowfat version, skipping the butter and flour. As with other Katzen soups, I used the immersion blender which simplifies both prep and clean-up. I do think that the next time I make this, I might try adding roasted garlic instead of raw, or adding the garlic earlier so that it cooks a bit more. As far as this being the low-fat version, it is a rich and satisfying soup and the potato really does provide adequate body to the broth. The nutmeg (do use fresh grated nutmeg) really is magical.

useful (2)  


The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

By Ina Garten, Martha Stewart
Clarkson Potter - 1999

19th September 2011

Grilled Lemon Chicken

Couldn't be simpler to do and it's absolutely delicious! I put my chicken and marinade in the fridge--came home six hours later, heated the stovetop grill and cooked the chicken--served with cappellini in a lemony sauce and a salad, it made a lovely meal. I think it will also be good served as Ms. Garten suggests with the dipping sauce. I will also try this as a part of a salad.

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23rd September 2011

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

I'm giving this five stars because, for what it is, it's perfect. It's a dinner party/caterer's dream---you can make a large quantity;it's all in one baking dish; it's very simple; it freezes and/or reheats beautifully. And it tastes quite delicious. I personally would want more spice--but that is easily added. It's also a pretty dish--the sauce is deep dark caramel, the chicken skin browns and crisps to an attractive mahogany. Like the other recipes I've tried, the yield is enormous--2 whole chickens to serve 4 - 6 people seems like an awful lot to me.

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23rd September 2011

Roasted eggplant spread

What a pleasant surprise! I expected this to be a bit bland, but it is, instead, very full-flavored. I halved the recipe and made only one change--I used aleppo pepper (just got it and was dying to try it) instead of black pepper, but I don't think the aleppo pepper is what made the spread so good. It's just such a good balance of flavors. And like the other BC recipes, it is so easy to make. Terrific spread which I think will become a staple around here.

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This is a truly delicious beet salad. The dressing is just right--fruity and rich tasting without being heavy. We served it over greens and with walnuts and blue cheese on the side for those who wanted to add something more. I thought it lovely just as it was. My only quarrel with this recipe is the instruction to boil the beets (or, horrible thought--to use beets from a tin). I think the reason a lot of people who don't like beets is because they have eaten boiled beets. I roasted my beets (wrapped in foil, drizzled with a bit of olive oil), peeled them as soon as they were cool enough to handle, and then diced them for the salad. My salad sat in the fridge for a while and then was brought back to room temp--I think it benefited from some marination time.

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15th October 2011

Homemade Applesauce

I think this is an excellent version of applesauce. I halved the recipe and followed it pretty closely, using a combination of Granny Smith, Gala and Macintosh apples. I loved the spices which I thought were relatively subtle and the citrus rind was great. I see this as a wonderful jumping off place for all sorts of recipes. This could be the base for a really good chutney, with the addition of more spice, cranberries, currants, etc. I also think it could be a great filling for pastry or addition to a muffin or quickbread batter. I had no problem with the butter, though I did add it sparingly; I thought it added a lot to mouthfeel. It's also so easy--peel, squeeze, measure everything into one pot and shove it in the oven. This is one Contessa recipe which I wish I had not halved.

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25th October 2011

Parker's Split Pea Soup

I've made this twice now, once with homemade, salt free chicken stock and once with roasted vegetable stock Both versions were delicious. I love the oregano and the sweetness of the carrots. I also think the potatoes add a nice richness--though I did peel mine, as I find that potato peels in soup make for a muddy sort of effect. I liked cooking the peas in two stages--the texture was excellent. This freezes beautifully and just needs a touch of liquid (water with a spot of wine) to achieve a good thickness when reheating the soup.

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The Pie and Pastry Bible

By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998

3rd December 2011

Pumpkin Filling

This is outstanding pumpkin custard. I used it to fill two tarts which were eaten by quite a number of very happy people. The spicing is just right; the texture is absolutely lovely and it is really quite easy. Such a nice change from the evaporated milk/gelatin/tinned mix variations so often served at Thanksgiving. It should be noted that (in the US at least) cans of pumpkin puree are no longer 15 ounces. I use the large 28 ounce cans and always seem to have small bits left over in the freezer or the fridge.

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Website: Smitten Kitchen

www.smittenkitchen.com
 

14th February 2012

Rich Homemade Ricotta

This is, without a doubt, the best ricotta I have ever made. Heck, it's the best ricotta I've ever eaten.
Granted, it's not exactly slimming--whole milk and cream (or, in my case, half and half), but it is so smooth and so creamy and the lemon and the salt amounts are just right. I made double the amount and used 6 cups of milk and 2 cups of half and half. It was easy, relatively quick and I can give no information about how long it lasts because it lasted no time at all when offered up as a spread for crostini. I have to make it again (without telling) so I can try it in a baked pasta or some sort of stuffing for something savory or sweet.

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Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Tanya Bastianich Manuali
Knopf - 2009

1st March 2012 (edited: 2nd February 2013)

Dry Fruit Strudel as Made in Assisi

A lovely pastry/cookie which is simple to make, lovely to look at and really delicious. I substituted marsala for the vin santo and left out the nuts. I used exactly the dried fruit mixture suggested (raisins, apricots, cherries and prunes) and a granny smith apple. Once I had filled and rolled the pastry, I chilled it briefly which made it easier to slice. I baked my cookies on a silpat and painted the glaze on the cookies right on the silpat. The cookies are really pretty and really delicious. The only difficulty in the recipe is that you must plan ahead--the chopped fruit must macerate overnight. I look forward to experimenting with other combinations of fruit/nuts and other dessert wines or liqueurs.

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The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

By Alice Waters
Clarkson Potter - 2007

14th April 2012 (edited: 11th January 2013)

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

This cake is wonderful. I actually had my doubts that the fresh cranberries and orange juice might not work and that the cake would be too soft to stand up to the fruit and caramel. It works beautifully and it looks gorgeous. The little bit of extra work (separating the eggs and making the meringue) results in such a lovely texture. And really it's not that much work--I think it took me about 20 minutes to make the caramel, cook the fruit, make the batter and get the cake into the oven. I cheated just a bit and did pour the batter over the fruit while it was still quite warm, but to no ill effect. I took the cake in its pan (I used a heavy nonstick cake pan) to a dinner party and turned it out onto a platter when I got there. It travelled well and looked so pretty. Everyone loved it--and even the dessert avoiders came back for more.

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Website: Joy of Baking

www.joyofbaking.com
 

As long as you remember to take out butter and cream cheese well before you want to start the recipe(both need to be room temp), this is so simple and the results are a knockout. It seems as if the amounts of sugar and flour are a bit modest, but trust the recipe. The end result fills a 9 inch springform quite comfortably. The suggested baking time may be a bit off (my cake took longer than the suggested 50-70 minutes) but otherwise everything was just fine. I did the cream cheese part in my blender.

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Website: food52

www.food52.com
 

5th July 2012 (edited: 11th January 2013)

Rhubarb Ginger Downside-Up Oatmeal Cake

Many, many thanks for this lovely recipe. I made minimal changes--I used half chopped tart apple, half rhubarb and baked it in a good, heavy cake pan instead of the cast iron. It was absolutely fabulous. Everyone raved and, as the name (especially with addition of apple) is a bit unwieldy, the youth vote was to call it "Unicorn Cake." I have already received multiple requests for more unicorn cake. BTW, my fresh ginger was living in the freezer--I grated it frozen and it was perfect. Maybe this is a little astuce known to everyone, but I was delighted to discover it.

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Amy's Bread, Revised and Updated: Artisan-style breads, sandwiches, pizzas, and more from New York City's favorite bakery

By Amy Scherber, Toy Kim Dupree, Aimee Herring
Wiley - 2010

These are excellent rolls. This recipe is very flexible--I have made this with various seeds and soakers and always been extremely pleased with the results. I do use instant yeast, which eliminates the need to feed and and proof in the first step. You can also freeze these rolls and then warm them, wrapped in foil, after thawing.

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I LOVE this bread. And it's so simple--no preferment, it's ready in a couple of hours. It keeps--either wrapped for a day or a two or well wrapped in the freezer. It slices beautifully; it's good toasted, in sandwiches, with honey or jam, along side a salad or a bowl of soup. I find my semolina flour in an Italian deli/grocery or in the ethnic aisle (Middle Eastern section) of a supermarket.

It's fun to play with the seeds--natural and/or black sesame seeds to make it pretty.

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The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread: Cakes, Cookies, Bars, Pastries and More from New York City's Favorite Bakery

By Amy Scherber, Toy Kim Dupree, Aimee Herring
Wiley - 2008

This recipe is worth the price of the book. It is now my go-to banana bread. It never fails. I do add a bit more sugar and am a bit more generous with the banana puree and the berries. I have also found that the bread takes longer than the 55 to 65 minutes in the recipe (which may of course be on account of the additional fruit). I have made it on occasion without the berries and with walnuts added and sometimes with other refinements and it is always delicious.

It keeps well for a day or so and can be frozen, though I don't think it's as good once thawed. Do let it cool before slicing.

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Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Tanya Bastianich Manuali
Knopf - 2009

This is one of those amazing recipes--a few simple ingredients magically transform into a dish with intricate, layered flavors. I confess that I was halfway through making the dish before I discovered no olives! (I always have olives!) and so I substituted capers. Otherwise, I made the recipe as written and I loved it. I served it with a bit of pasta--a lovely main dish.

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Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi

By Yotam Ottolenghi, Jonathan Lovekin
Chronicle Books - 2011

6th August 2012

Royal Potato Salad

A delicious potato salad, helped greatly by the fact that all the herbs (parsley, basil and mint) were fresh-picked from my own plants. The mint gave the salad such a lovely brightness. I made two substitutions--a couple of chicken eggs instead of 15 quail eggs (not easily picked up at the neighborhood grocer) and walnuts instead of pine nuts.

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Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Baking: Classic Flavors for Today's Cook

By Damon Lee Fowler
Simon & Schuster - 2005

7th August 2012 (edited: 11th January 2013)

Aunt Margaret's Fresh Apple Pound Cake

This is a knock-out cake--remarkably moist and rich and the topping really takes it over the top. Because of personal preference, I left the pecans out of the batter, but added extra nuts into the topping. I used unsweetened coconut and Granny Smith apples and was generous with the apples. I have now made this in a large tube pan and as two loaf cakes. The recipe works well either way. You can leave the topping and it's a great cake, but the topping is like having a crumbled praline on top of your apple cake--awfully good!

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Baking with Julia Savor the Joys of Baking with America's Best Bakers

By Dorie Greenspan
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1996

15th August 2012

Brioche Dough

This is purported to be Julia's favorite recipe--it's certainly one of mine. The dough that results from this is rich and supple and beautiful and a pleasure to work with and, if you follow the instructions, foolproof. I've doubled it with no problems (though my stand mixer does get very hot during the long beating period), made brioche loaves, tetes of all sizes, and the magnificent sticky buns (reviewed separately), all with great results. There are other brioche recipes which work well and taste delicious, but none compares to this. When calories and fat grams are not being counted, this is the recipe.

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15th August 2012 (edited: 15th August 2012)

Pecan Sticky Buns

These are the best sticky buns there are. I make them at Christmas and made them today for Julia Child's 100th Birthday. I don't make them more often because they are insanely rich. They start with a very rich brioche dough to which is added considerably more butter. I stray from the recipe only in that I don't put chopped nuts in the filling; instead I put raisins along with the cinnamon sugar. The instructions are excellent. The only addition I would make is to say that if you have dental floss (unflavored) you can use that, by making a sort of noose and pulling it tight, to slice the rolled and filled dough. If you are trying to rush the last steps, the dental floss will smoothly cut the roll even if it is not chilled for the prescribed time.

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Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One (1) (Vol 1)

By Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck, Sidonie Coryn
Alfred A. Knopf - 2001

17th August 2012 (edited: 17th August 2012)

Potage Parmentier (Leek and Potato Soup)

This is magical--it has 6 ingredients--one of which is water--and the result is this extraordinary, rich flavorful soup. And I leave off one ingredient when I'm making it just for me--I skip the cream or butter step and it doesn't seem to matter a bit. If I'm making this for a dinner party, I use the foodmill and then the soup is velvety. When it's just for me and I'm being lazy, I use the Bamix--the stick blender is so easy and quick. And the resulting soup is just a bit textured and still really delicious.

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Tartine

By Elisabeth Prueitt, Chad Robertson, Carlo Petrini, Alice Waters, Alice Waters, France Ruffenach, Alice Waters
Chronicle Books - 2006

This is so easy to put together by hand that it seems silly to use a mixer. Wet mixed in a bowl then added to dry mixed in another bowl. The marmalade/zucchini combination works beautifully. I have made it with marmalade both times. I know the recipe suggests that apricot jam would work as well, but the tangy-ness of the marmalade is an important feature of the cake. I personally prefer it without the nuts, but I am alone in that view.

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Baked Elements: The Importance of Being Baked in 10 Favorite Ingredients

By Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito, Tina Rupp
Stewart, Tabori and Chang - 2012

6th September 2012 (edited: 11th January 2013)

Honey Banana Poppy Seed Bread

So easy to throw together and quite delicious. The poppy seeds add a lovely crunch; the honey adds a subtle richness to this very moist bread.

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My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes)

By Luisa Weiss
Viking Adult - 2012

16th September 2012

Peperoni al Forno Conditi

First, let me rave about this method of roasting peppers. No turning a skewered pepper over an open flame (mess on stove) or charring the peppers under the broiler (bitter burning smell throughout the house). Ms. Weiss simply roasts whole peppers in a moderate oven for about an hour, turning them periodically--the way, she says, it is done by her relatives in Italy. I did it her way and the results were spectacular. No bitter smell (a sweet smell actually), no mess, no paper bags, no bits of charred skin everywhere. The peppers peeled so easily and the resulting strips of roasted pepper were velvety and sweet and delicious.
As to the salad, I used all red peppers, skipped the breadcrumbs, added some fresh arugula and some pasta and some parmesan. It was Fabulous! and I believe that a big part of why the salad is so delicious is that the peppers are absolutely ethereal roasted this way.

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Website: Recipes for Health by Martha Rose Shulman

topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/index.html
 

Such a good, healthy version of this bistro classic. I made it even lower in fat, using chicken breasts and less oil than in the recipe. Otherwise, I followed Ms. Shulman's instructions, using hot red pepper flakes. I had great sweet red peppers and onion from a local farm and a lovely free range chicken (I had an extra breast in the freezer which I combined with the breasts from the whole chicken, the balance of which went for rich stock). I happily thought of using my stick blender to puree the diced tomatoes right in the can which worked beautifully and saved some washing chores. The instructions are right on, very clear and result in a stew/sauce which is sweet without being cloying, just peppery enough. The chicken was juicy and mellow. All in all, a great dish which lends itself beautifully to freezing portions.

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Website: Recipes for Health by Martha Rose Shulman

topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/index.html
 

12th October 2012 (edited: 12th October 2012)

Oven Fries

This technique is brilliant! How simple to start the fries on a truly hot pan in a truly hot oven--but what a difference it makes. Instead of a whole pot of oil, a tablespoon or two of olive oil. And the variations are endless. I've tried adding a little garlic powder to the bowl before tossing the fries, sprinkling them with some finely grated parmesan when loosening the fries from the foil just before putting them back in the oven for the last few minutes. Herbs, spices--all sorts of things can be added to these delicious fries.

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Website: Recipes for Health by Martha Rose Shulman

topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/index.html
 

16th October 2012

Winter Squash Gratin

This is delicious--but I don't know whether to categorize it as a side or an entree or a breakfast/brunch dish. It's a cross between a souffle and a frittata, rich without being overbearing, delightful as a side or as a brunch dish or as a light main course accompanied by a green salad. I followed the recipe, using a butternut squash and herbs clipped from my deck garden (the waning days of it as the weather is getting colder). It's really very simple to put together. While the squash roasts, there's more than enough time to prep everything else. While the squash cools, the onions cook and then everything is thrown together to bake. I'm thinking it could be beautifully served by piling a micro green/arugula salad (light vinaigrette) in the middle of a plate, packing the warm grating into a ring and popping it atop the salad. A few cherry tomatoes and some crunchy croutons and Bob's your uncle.

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Website: Recipes for Health by Martha Rose Shulman

topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/index.html
 

17th October 2012

Curried Cauliflower Soup

This soup is so good that it's converted two determined cauliflower haters (not me--I love the stuff). Depending on one's taste, it can be made spicier or milder but it's always good. With chicken stock, it's a bit richer, but the versions made with vegetable stock and even with water are really quite delicious. I personally like it strained through fine mesh which it makes really velvety, but those to whom I've served it don't mind it unstrained at all.

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The Very Best Of Recipes for Health: 250 Recipes and More from the Popular Feature on NYTimes.com

By Martha Rose Shulman
Rodale Books - 2010

I think of this as white hummus. I add salt but otherwise follow the recipe (if you use canned beans, you may not need the salt). It's a great blank slate -- the taste changes so much from one herb to another. And cilantro, rosemary, flat leaf parsley, sage and chives all work. I love it as one component of a plate which includes olives, anchovies, chunks of feta, roasted red peppers.

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Vij's: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine

By Vikram Vij, Meeru Dhalwala
Douglas & McIntyre - 2006

19th November 2012

Vij's Family Chicken Curry

Having read the prior reviews, I felt pretty sure it would be good--it was Great! I used two chicken breasts cut into quarters but left on the bone, a large can of diced tomatoes (good fresh tomatoes being unavailable now) and otherwise followed the recipe. It is an amazingly simple recipe which results in a complex and rich tasting sauce. I like that it is really quite healthy--a small bit of fat from the canola oil and the sour cream, but mostly just good non-fattening ingredients. And the fresh cilantro just makes it perfect--it adds such a lovely freshness to the flavor and it makes it quite pretty.

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