NancyM's Reviews
28 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 28Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
The 1997 Joy of Cooking
By Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, Irma S. Rombauer
Scribner - 1997
This is my go-to recipe for chocolate eclairs. I've made them from recipes in other books, including one from the Culinary Institute of America, and this one is hands-down the best. The recipe also has three sub-recipes: Choux Paste, Pastry Cream and Chocolate Ganache Glaze or Frosting. They're all winners.
If you've never made eclairs before, they do take some time, but they're not hard and this recipe is the one to use. You'll be so pleased with the results.
useful (1)
Many baking books have good recipes for Choux Paste, but few give the detailed instructions and tips that this book does. All of the information will give even a novice baker the confidence to make all sorts of pastries with this recipe.
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My favorite, foolproof pastry cream recipe. Use it to fill eclairs, napoleans and Boston Cream Pie or a fruit tart. It's delicious and rich and very, very smooth. The recipe has many variations for different flavors as well.
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This recipe makes a delicious, but simple, rich glaze or frosting. It keeps in the fridge until you're ready for it or in the freezer (instructions given in the recipe). The recipe details the technique to use for glaze or frosting and what to do if it gets too thick or thin. Helpful suggestions like these make Joy's recipes more useful than those in many other cookbooks.
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Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor
By Anne Byrn
Workman Publishing Company - 2001
I made this three layer cake for a friend's birthday celebration and it was a great success. It's very moist and full of chocolate flavor. Everyone loved it and I will certainly make it again. In fact, I liked it so much, when I need a chocolate layer cake recipe, it will be hard for me to skip over this recipe and try any of the others in this book!
The filling is Sweetened Cream and the frosting is Perfect Chocolate Frosting, both of which are recipes in the book separate from the cake recipe.
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This is a basic recipe for whipped, sweetened cream with a touch of vanilla. It's called for as a filling in The Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe. While very tasty and the height of luxury, as a filling, I can't give it the highest marks. It looks spectacular when the cake is sliced making two bold, thick white dividers in between the dark cake layers. But as it warms up, those layers get mighty slippery and the cake threatens to slide into separate layers. It would make a better frosting I think.
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This ultra-rich frosting really is near to perfect. It spreads beautifully, sets nicely, is really smooth and tastes fabulous. Must be those two sticks of butter and cup of chocolate. Oh, and maybe the half and half....
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French Women Don't Get Fat
By Mireille Guiliano
Knopf Publishing Group - 2004
I must admit that I didn't follow her instructions too closely, but since I had just purchased 4 zucchini blossoms at the farmer's market, (and they weren't cheap like she claims at 50 cents each!) I chose to loosely follow this recipe. The way the recipe is written illustrates some shortcomings that I noticed in many of her recipes.
Here are some of my observations:
- She does display a bit of arrogance throughout the book. The comments in the head note - without further illumination of - "a stranger in line asks what I do with them. It seems few people [read - Americans] know," and "French and Italian women know lots of uses for them." - strikes me as a little too smug. Throughout the book she is encouraging women to cook for themselves, but this sort of comment is likely to just make the reader feel inadequate.
- No pan size is given.
- No instructions on how to clean and prepare flowers are given. If you follow the recipe to the letter, you'd be putting whole zucchini flowers in without first taking out the pistils (and checking for insects) or removing the stems which would ruin the dish. I cleaned mine, removed the pistils and stems, and sliced them thickly crosswise into rounds first.
- She suggests heating the butter in the pan until "piping hot" before putting in the eggs. Then, waiting "a few minutes", for the eggs to start to set to add the cheese. This would definitely result in brown if not burnt butter and a brown crusty bottom, with uncooked eggs on top. It definitely wouldn't take "a few minutes" for the eggs to "start setting".
- Again, instruction is lacking on the basic technique of making an omelet by letting the uncooked egg flow underneath the cooked parts. There is no mention of touching the eggs at all in the pan.
The book itself speaks to novice cooks, but without basic cooking skills, I think this recipe would leave them either wondering what to do, or facing a disaster of a dish if they followed the instructions exactly.
useful (3)
Fry Light, Fry Right: Fried-Food Flavor Without Deep Frying
By Elaine Magee M.P.H. R.D.
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers - 2004
I've never had the full-fat version of these, but the author mentions them as being a favorite of hers, and how the lightened recipe works very well. These were easy to make and really, really good! I've made oven fries before and been moderately happy with them, but the extra seasoning here makes these better than good. The recipe makes 3 servings which I find odd, but it's an easy recipe to alter for bigger quantities.
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Italy in Small Bites
By Carol Field
HarperCollins - 2004
This delicious sweet pepper spread combines roasted peppers, anchovies and red pepper flakes into something much tastier than the ingredients would lead you to believe. As much as I love garlic, I was surprised that it is not in this recipe and I loved it anyway.
As the author mentions in the recipe head note, this is a wonderful spread on slices of bread as it is traditionally served. But it also makes a great pasta topping with a little Parmesan cheese tossed in.
This is a great recipe to have in mind when you need a quick appetizer or snack or vegetable pasta sauce. I roasted fresh peppers as directed in the recipe, but jarred roasted peppers would make this super quick.
useful (2)
Website: Leite's Culinaria
This is a wonderful tomato soup that is super easy to make. The cooking time is mostly unattended, so it comes together easily and simmers and while you make the rest of a meal. Other than the specific cheese called for, and fresh oregano, both of which can easily be substituted for, the other ingredients are pantry staples, so this soup can be made with little notice. The result is very flavorful and rich and much more than the sum of the ingredients. I’ll be making this one again.
useful (2)
Website: Leite's Culinaria
Upon reading this recipe again, I was delighted to see that a vegetarian version was offered, as I don’t eat pork. Vegetarian soups are often lacking in flavor, but this soup certainly didn’t disappoint. It was delicious! The choice to use green lentils made for a very nicely textured dish in which many of the lentils held their shape while just enough of them melted into a thick purée. The pieces of carrots and potatoes added to the chunky texture. As the recipe says, with a nice loaf of bread, this is dinner.
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Website: Leite's Culinaria
This dish almost didn’t make it to the fondue pot. Once I tasted it, I had to keep on tasting just a little more, and then again. I could have eaten the whole fondue and called it dinner. The smoky flavor of the paprika perfectly complements the cauliflower and cheese. The flavors are rich, but because the base is cauliflower, it’s not heavy in the least. A true winner of a recipe.
useful (2)
Website: Leite's Culinaria
My negative comments concern the writing of the recipe and not the finished dish itself.
In the head note, it is suggested that 2-3 ounces of pasta be used depending on whether the dish is to be served as an appetizer, a side dish or the main dish. This doesn't seem to be a wide enough range to encompass all three courses. Also, there is no mention of using only a portion of the sauce if using less pasta or making less sauce. There would be way too much sauce for a small amount of pasta.
The measurement of 1/2 tablespoon butter is a bit non-standard.
Step 3 has us bringing the pasta water to a boil after completing the sauce. Wouldn't it be more efficient to begin the recipe by getting the pasta water on its way before starting the sauce?
Step 4 adds the sauce to the pasta and then adds the butter to the whole thing and tossing. The butter would be better distributed through the dish if added to the warm sauce and allowed to melt before adding it all to the pasta.
Quick pasta dishes are always welcome on busy evenings. This one comes together very fast and is a tasty vegetarian supper. It's just different enough from the standards to be appealing without being strange. The 2 teaspoons of salt called for in this recipe meant for only 2 servings seemed excessive, but the dish did not taste salty when it was complete. The small amount of butter added to finish the sauce is just the perfect touch to pull it all together. I will certainly be using this recipe when time is short and will try substituting various vegetables to vary it a bit.
useful (1)
Website: Leite's Culinaria
This strudel has all the delights of a perfect, crisp autumn day to it. The buttery, flaky crust surrounds the earthy richness of fall’s best ingredients. Sweet potatoes and carrots make a wonderfully smooth and earthy base in which the cranberries and raisins just sparkle. Topping off the strudel with the crème fraîche full of warm spice flavors adds the perfect finishing touch. Everyone who had this thoroughly enjoyed it. It will become a staple in this kitchen every fall and may even make an appearance at my Thanksgiving table.
useful (1)
Website: Leite's Culinaria
Bored with the same old sandwiches or wraps at work or on a picnic? Here’s the solution. This is a recipe that can be made once following the directions and then can easily be made over and over from memory, with great results each time. It just couldn’t be any simpler to make but gives results with a taste that implies much more labor and skill were required than is necessary to make this tasty sandwich. Eaten warm with the chèvre melting into the vegetables was heavenly, but these sandwiches are great, too, saved for later and eaten at room temperature. Finding these in your lunch box will brighten the most mundane of workdays at the office!
useful (1)
Website: Leite's Culinaria
What a delicious and easy way to serve tofu with lots of healthy vegetables. The tofu’s crispy crust will appeal to many who don’t care for it plain. Tossing the cabbage salad with the warm dressing to wilt it slightly is a wonderful technique. The good quantity of fresh cilantro and mint gives the salad a bright, fresh taste. The instructions are clear and simple to accomplish. They do, however, require you to dirty more dishes than necessary, but with such tasty results, finding a volunteer to help clean up shouldn’t be hard.
useful (0)
Website: Leite's Culinaria
What a delightful and filling salad. The technique of dressing first the beans and then the entire salad with a second dressing is just brilliant. This makes for a much more complex mixture of tastes than one dressing would, and it doesn’t really require any more effort. The fresh, bright flavors of the herbs and citrus balance the earthy spinach, garbanzo beans, and cumin very nicely. It all comes together in just a few minutes with very little effort.
If the portion size is increased and a chopped vegetable or two like cucumber, radish, or tomato is added, this would make an excellent vegetarian main dish salad.
useful (1)
Website: Leite's Culinaria
This recipe is a winner. The creamy cooked dressing is delicious and perfectly coats all the chicken. With crunchy bits of celery and the tart cranberries to contrast the smooth dressing, silky avocados and mild chicken, this salad has all the bases covered.
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Website: Leite's Culinaria
What a wonderful winter salad! It’s tough to find tasty salad recipes for ingredients that are readily available and at their peak in the winter, but this salad really delivers. The directions are simple, the ingredients easy to find (even my little grocery store has orange-flower water). And because it shouldn’t be made at the last minute to be at its peak, it’s very convenient. The only thing I would change is to use a liquid sweetener like agave nectar instead of the confectioners’ sugar for a purer taste. This would be a great accompaniment to any grilled meat or fish.
useful (0)
Website: Leite's Culinaria
This is a simple, quick, and delightful salad. The aroma of the garlic and rosemary warming in olive oil will have everyone eagerly waiting for this dish to make it to the table. The fresh tastes of parsley, rosemary and green beans brighten the earthy cannellini beans and go splendidly with the salty bits of cheese. Served over mesclun or other salad greens, this would make a filling vegetarian main course.
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Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens)
By Better Homes and Gardens, Kimberly Mayone, Kristi Thomas
Better Homes and Gardens - 2003
This chicken dish is very good. I've made it a couple of times and really like it. It's quick to put together and comes out beautifully. One note on it though: use a low sodium soup or it comes out quite salty. (At over 1,000 mg of sodium according to the recipe!) I did not think that the recipe made enough for 6 servings - not even close. Maybe if it was served over pasta, but I just ate it like a stew. The second time I made it I put in a lot of veggies and then it would have served six.
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I've made this recipe twice - once with chicken, once with turkey - and it was really tasty. The serving size seemed small to me, so the carb counts would have to be adjusted if each person ate more than the recipe called for.
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Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages
By Mario Batali
Clarkson Potter - 1998
This dish of pan-fried pumpkin flavored with garlic, red pepper, vinegar, honey and mint is super simple to pull together. The hardest part is peeling, seeding and cubing the pumpkin or squash.
The flavors all meld together well and make a fantastic dish. Great with full-flavored meat dishes from the oven or grill.
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Instead of individually formed little potato and flour gnocchis, this dish is made of 1/2 inch thick cutouts of a semolina dough. The batter is first poured into a pan to cool and then cut out into crescent moon shapes and those shapes then layered in a baking pan, sprinkled with cheese and baked. It's easy to assemble even for someone who has never made gnocchi before.
As a mostly make ahead dish, this one is a winner. Even if it required last minute fussing, I'd still make it. The semolina flavor comes through nicely with the added richness of milk, egg yolks and butter and is accented with the salty bite of Parmigianno-reggiano.
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This recipe is for stuffed, boneless chicken leg quarters. If you have a friendly butcher, have them remove the thigh and drumstick bones, and that will save you a lot of time. The filling has a nice texture with crunchy pine nuts and smooth Pecorino cheese. The Italian salsa-like topping of fresh tomatoes, olives, capers, currants and seasonings really goes well with the chicken and brings fresh, vibrant flavors to the dish. It also makes a nice presentation.
While not a dish that can be whipped up on the average weeknight, my dinner party guests all loved it, and I'll make it again when I have the time to carve up more chicken legs.
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This is a simple recipe for eggplant prepared like mushrooms that Mario explains is a common practice in Italy. The eggplant is sauteed over high heat until it is brown and soft, to resemble mushrooms and then piled on grilled bread slices. The technique is simple and the flavor is great; much more than you'd think from the simple ingredients. I really enjoyed this new to me way to serve eggplant and will be making it frequently this summer.
The only thing I'd change is to quarter the eggplant lengthwise before slicing into 1/4 inch slices. The recipe calls for only cutting the medium, long and thin eggplants in half lengthwise and the pieces were a bit large for me. But this will depend of course on the eggplants at hand.
I'll also play around with adding different herbs at the end. The recipe calls for just parsley but I can't wait to try this with lemon basil or fresh oregano. Maybe a few crumbles of some fresh goat cheese too.
useful (1)
Website: Pioneer Woman Cooks
This is a fun, different way to prepare small to medium potatoes. Since they need to be boiled first and then also roasted, they take a bit longer than other simpler preparations, but the final texture is great. Crispy little bits all over the outside, and creamy insides. The flavor of these needs to be bumped up a notch though. Maybe a flavored olive oil instead of plain or some garlic would be nice. A sprinkle of red pepper flakes or chipotle powder would be welcome on mine as well.
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