The Ducks Guts' Reviews
154 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title 
Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
By Fuchsia Dunlop
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2003
Good, not too dry as some dumpling receipes can be.
useful (0)
Stylish Indian in Minutes: Over 140 Inspirational Recipes
By Monisha Bharadwaj
Kyle Cathie - 2002
Worked well, despite my initial doubts about the sugar and yoghurt. You cannot taste the sugar, and the meat did sort of brown in the yogurt. I didn't have any garam masala, and resorted to a bought curry powder but fortunately it didn't end up tasting like curried egg sandwich, which is what it first smelt like.
Cooked in the pressure cooker, 12 minutes on high with natural release and 250 ml water (more then the recipe). There was no sauce, so I only just scraped it in with the water.
useful (1)
Arabian Flavours: Recipes and Tales of Arab Life
By Salah Jamal, Elfreda Powell
Souvenir Press - 2004
Made this with pumpkin instead of cauliflower, and it worked quite well. The method seemed a bit odd, and I ended up cooking the chicken and pumpkin together, and for quite a bit longer then the stated 10 minutes. It was cooked after 10 minutes, but it hadn't developed a "stewy" aspect. A poor way of putting it, but I can't think of a better. This recipe (or, rather, the book), had no recipe for the fulful bhar spice mix other than a vague description, so I ended up googling baharat spice recipe (a suggested alternative) and using the one on http://www.gourmetfoodsource.net/baharat.htm. Rather annoying. Also next time I would double the spices but I like spicy food.
useful (2)
Delia's How to Cook: Book Three (Bk.3)
By Delia Smith
BBC Books - 2001
Good, not as good as the sour cream and bacon version I usually make, but we really needed a change. Again, it was very easy to make. I didn't have any shallots or chives, so used a quarter very finly chopped brown onion and two spring onions. Also, the potatoes were from a sack a friend had given as a gift (he lives in the country), so I have no idea what they were. They fell apart a bit, but still tasted good.
useful (0)
The Moosewood Cookbook
By Mollie Katzen
Ten Speed Press - 1977
Good, despite not having butter, buttermilk, yoghurt or fetta cheese. The oil, vintage chedder and milk with vinegar worked fine. Used half a standard sized pumpkin. Will definately make this one again.
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Chinese Cooking: Cantonese (International Gourment)
By Margaret Leeming
Ward Lock Ltd - 1993
Nobody liked this one.
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Flavours of Greece (Penguin Cookery Library)
By Rosemary Barron
Penguin Books Ltd - 1994
Actually, we didn't have a bottle of red wine on hand, and I certainly wouldn't have used the whole bottle as suggested by the recipe. Not after the last time I used a whole bottle and the stew was so acidic as to be almost inedible. However, the stew was very good with just the herbs and spices, and a bottle of tomatoes. It is still too early here for good tomatoes. Halved the amount of allspice, as 1 1/2 tablespoons ground allspice seemed a lot.
Just used my standard method of browning everything, quick (very) browning of the spices with the last batch of meat and the add the liquids. Finished it in the pressure cooker, 15 minutes.
useful (0)
Thai Food
By David Thompson, Earl Carter
Pavilion Books - 2002
Delicious and very rich. Paste smells almost unpleasent whilst it is cooking, hence the instructions to cook it at least 5 minutes, but once it is cooked,and the palm sugar and fish sauce added, it all comes together.
I must confess to doubling the amount of chicken as Thai curries can be hours of work, and I wanted SOME leftovers for the next day. However, re-heating it in the microwave wasn't a success. The chicken toughened and the sauce flavour flattened to a dull, almost boiled taste. No idea why.
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Canapes
By Eric Treuille, Victoria Blashford-Snell
Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd - 1999
Lovely light refreshing dIip and a great colour. I halve the number of spring onions and always check the chilli strength before adding them in case they are extra hot.
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Barbecue Cook Book ("Australian Women's Weekly" Home Library)
By Pamela Clark
ACP Publishing Pty Ltd.,Australia - 1990
A cheats review, as this is really one of my sister's recipes, but over the years it has turned up at many a family picnic. Good to eat, easily assembled out of a cooler, and the dressing travels well in a jam jar.
useful (0)
Taste of the Middle East (Creative Cooking Library)
By Soheila Kimberley
Lorenz Books - 2000
The other half liked it, but I found it a little bland, and even a bit odd. Think crunchy lettuce baked custard. The saffron didn't come through at all, but it was perhaps too old. However, if it gets the non-vegetable-eating member of the house to willingly eat vegetables, I'll make it again. We had it with rice, not the suggested yogurt and pita bread.
useful (0)
The Food of China: Authentic Recipes from the Middle Kingdom
By Periplus Editions
Tuttle - 1997
Too dry and flavourless.
useful (0)
Website: The Age - Life & Style
I would give this a six star, if I could. Much to our astonishment, it worked. The next batch of bananas are already chopped up in the freezer, as I write. Smaller pieces this time, the food processor rattled a bit at the start.
Also, I know that this is actually a TheKichn.com recipe, but I did like the article, especially the little girls comments. Haven't we all gazed sadly at a recipe in progress and said "it's not going to work"?
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Chinese Cooking: Cantonese (International Gourment)
By Margaret Leeming
Ward Lock Ltd - 1993
A very popular dish with the pork eaters in the family. I just brown the spareribs as per usual, rather then deep fry them and use about a third of the sugar. I also add more water as it does tend to stick.
useful (2)
Biscuits (The Good Cook Series)
By Time-Life Books
Time-Life Books - 1982
This was the recipe I was looking for, in an attempt to make water crackers. They were very plain and crunchy, most suitable for cheese.
The pasta maker was a necessary piece of equipment in making them, as otherwise a lot of time would have been spent rolling and re-rolling the mixture. The instructions said to fold and roll 8 or 9 times, just like puff pastry, but instead the pasta machine did the trick, just putting it through like pasta dough until it was smooth.
The first batch I rolled to the second thinnest setting on my machine, and they were perfect. Then I read the instructions, and the biscuits were suppose to be 5mm thick, so I made the next batch on the thickest setting, with the end result that they puffed up like little balloons. Interesting, but tricky to keep the cheese on.
useful (0)
Ken Hom's Chinese Kitchen: With a Consumer's Guide to Essential Ingredients
By Ken Hom
Anova Books - 1996
Very good family dish. Easy, and as Ken Hom writes, you can substitute your own favorite ingredients.
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Chinese Cooking: Cantonese (International Gourment)
By Margaret Leeming
Ward Lock Ltd - 1993
Not sure about this one. It's a bit ususual. Only one person liked the stir-fried cucumber and I never made it again after that.
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Beef & Veal (Good Cook)
By The Editors of Time-Life Books
Time-Life Books - 1978
The recipe looked wonderful but the end result was too bitter for one member of the family to eat. I remembered afterwards reading somewhere not to use undiluted wine in stews & casseroles as it would make the dish bitter, and they are right. In "The French Kitchen" the author states that wine is normally broken down with water or stock since it is highly acidic. Also, I cooked it in the oven covered, and I am sure the alcohol didn't totally burn off. Took the leftovers to work the next day for my lunch and spent the next half hour feeling slighly intoxicated.
useful (2)
Website: The Cook and The Chef
www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/default.htm
This is how we cook our roasts now (beef and lamb - I don't think I would do it with pork and maybe not fowl. I don't roast chicken any way as the charcoal chicken shop down the road does a better job). The meat becomes incredibly tender and even if you over cook it, it just falls off the bone, still moist and tender.
Potatoes are a little tricky though. My husband is happy to eat his roast with rice, but it still seems wrong to me. Will just have to figure something out.
This TV show went off air a while ago, after years of production, but the website is still up,
useful (1)
Ken Hom's Chinese Kitchen: With a Consumer's Guide to Essential Ingredients
By Ken Hom
Anova Books - 1996
Nice, but not worth the effort. It's a good dish to make once, just for the history, but I haven't made it again.
useful (0)
Delia's How to Cook: Book Three (Bk.3)
By Delia Smith
BBC Books - 2001
This was surprisingly nice, and very easy to make. Putting the carrots through the food processor only took a couple of minutes, and the onions, although taking longer then I expected, only need minimal attention on the stove. However, my onions didn't drain easily, to the extent that in the end I had to squeeze the flavoured oil out with my hands. It isn't the prettiest of salads, and needs some decorating, a sprig or two of mint perhaps, or edible flowers. No tweaking was needed, which is a nice change.
useful (2)
Website: King Arthur Flour
After reading lemonadesandwich's review, I had to try them, and they were excellent. Very easy to make, and the batter really did bubble up in an hour (I find yeast has a very poor concept of recipe time, as I usually let it rise without any heat source). No messy beating of eggs. We had them at dinner, with ice-cream and home grown raspberries and tayberries. Wonderful!
useful (1)
The Cook's Companion
By Stephanie Alexander
Viking Australia - 1998
Not very sweet
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The French Kitchen
By Diane Hokuigue
Methuen (Australia) - 1983
Excellant recipe with detailed instructions at the start of the section on how make a good French ragout. This book is a teaching book, not just a collection of recipes.
useful (1)
Grains, Pasta & Pulses (The Good Cook Series)
By Time-Life Books
Time-Life Books - 1980
Terrible. Far too sweet. Only one member of the family could eat it.
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Chinese Food: An Introduction to One of the World's Great Cuisines
By Kenneth H. C. Lo
Faber & Faber - 1996
OK, this recipe isn't actually a soup recipe, but I make these balls to put in soup. They are a little bland - good comfort food. Make them small for soup. Quick and easy to make with a food processor.
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Cookery the Australian Way
By Shirley; Suzanne Russell; Winifred Williams CAMERON
Macmillan - 1993
Simple but good, mostly due to the use of fresh parsley and lemon thyme. The recipe only specifies thyme, but I was getting tired and didn't want to defrost a lemon so cheated. It didn't have any egg, just a little butter and milk, so it was safe to make it the night before cooking the turkey, and leave it in a sealed container in the fridge (not in the turkey!)
Doubled the amount for a small turkey.
And it's not seasoning, it's stuffing. Had to update the books index again.
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The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accessories
By David Lebovitz
Ten Speed Press,U.S. - 2007
Definately one to remake, but perhaps with a little less brown sugar.
useful (1)
Chinese Cooking: Cantonese (International Gourment)
By Margaret Leeming
Ward Lock Ltd - 1993
A bit unusual, but nice once you get use to the idea. This recipe is very similar to the Portugese Chicken recipe found in some chinese cook books.
useful (0)
Good recipe. Works well with chicken. I cut the sesame oil down to a dash and if roasting chicken breasts, cut the time down to 15 minutes. Don't double the marinade if doubling the meat - doesn't need it.
useful (2)
Ken Hom's Chinese Kitchen: With a Consumer's Guide to Essential Ingredients
By Ken Hom
Anova Books - 1996
Delicious. A family favorite, always requested. I soak the lily-buds , wood ears and black mushrooms (Shiitake), especially the last, before cutting up and use the Shiitake soaking water with a chicken stock cube instead of Chicken Stock. Reheats very well for dinner parties.
useful (4)
The Essential Cuisines of Mexico: Revised and updated throughout, with more than 30 new recipes.
By Diana Kennedy
Clarkson Potter - 2000
The other half thought this was wonderful, and worth doing again. Made it with beef, as I don't eat pork, and used a spoonful of homemade sambal oelek instead of the chiles (South American ingredients aren't that easy to find in Melbourne). The cooking method is unusual, simmering the meat first, and then browning it, but it did work. I would have doubled the Mexican oregano and cumin next time, but husband said definitely not.
Pressure cooker 12 mins on high, natural release, 1 cup of water was enough in my pc.
At the end there was a little too much liquid for our liking, so I threw in the frozen peas that I was going to serve with it, and that worked.
useful (1)
The Cook's Companion
By Stephanie Alexander
Viking Australia - 1998
Ordinary chedder worked fine instead of the parmesan.
useful (1)
The Delia Collection, Soup
By Delia Smith
BBC Books - 2003
Surprisingly good, as there is no meat stock in it. Used the sharp cheddar cheese alternative (Jindi cheddar) suggested by the author and a cup of milk instead of the creme fraiche ( not something I would ever have on hand). A good family soup, perhaps a little plain for guests.
useful (1)
Chinese Cooking: Cantonese (International Gourment)
By Margaret Leeming
Ward Lock Ltd - 1993
A good family dish. Served with another dish, it will do two for dinner.
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Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
By Fuchsia Dunlop
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2003
A good way to serve cauliflower, and very easy to make. This time I tried blanching the cauliflower as suggested, as I was trying to get as many dishes on the table at once as i could, and it did work. I also used supermarket stock powder, which made it a little salty, combined with the bacon.
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Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book (At Table)
By Jane Grigson, Amy Sherman
Bison Books - 2007
Used only about half the spring onion, and added nettles, recommended as a variation. Will definitely make it again.
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The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accessories
By David Lebovitz
Ten Speed Press,U.S. - 2007
Everybody liked this one. The mixture was too thick for my Sunbeam ice-cream maker to churn, so next time I will try substituting the half and half with full-cream milk instead.
useful (2)
Chinese Cooking: Cantonese (International Gourment)
By Margaret Leeming
Ward Lock Ltd - 1993
A thinly-sliced chicken breast substitutes fine for the giblets if you can't face them.
useful (0)
The Food of China: Authentic Recipes from the Middle Kingdom
By Periplus Editions
Tuttle - 1997
I've never had the lobster for the second half of this dish (too much of a coward), but the chicken is good.
useful (0)
Chinese Cooking: Cantonese (International Gourment)
By Margaret Leeming
Ward Lock Ltd - 1993
Too bland. There are much better Soy Chicken recipes about.
useful (0)
Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go
By Naomi Kijima, Laura Driussi
Japan Publications Trading - 2001
Really nice. Comfort food in a lunch box.
useful (0)
1,000 Indian Recipes
By Neelam Batra
Wiley - 2002
Only used 2 chillies, Thai chillies, and used pressure-cooked dried chickpeas instead of tinned. We had it just with plain rice, and it really needed another dish, preferably containing yoghurt. Easy to make, but make sure you have everything ready, as once you start cooking, it is a quick process, just like a stir-fry.
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Pasta
By Julia Della Croce
Convent Garden Books - 2000
I chickened out, and only used 1/2 teaspoon of sambal oelek, instead of the 1 tsp crushed dried chillies, so the bite was very mild. It has been a long time since I made pasta, and I didn't leave it quite long enough to dry before putting it through the cutting rollers, but it was only one of the sheets that stuck together. The instructions in this book are good, with plenty of pictures illustrating how to use a hand-cranked italian pasta machine.
I was interested to read that fredireike (sp? Sorry!) found the servings a bit small in a gnocchi recipe. I found that the serving size recommended here, I batch serves 4, was way off. Two of us ate it all in one sitting, but one of us is a big chap who is a good trencherman. Stlll, that only makes 3 ordinary servings, only just enough for a 1 course, 1 dish meal.
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China Moon Cookbook
By Barbara Tropp, Sandra Bruce
Workman Publishing Company - 1992
Good stock recipe. If you were wanting to make a noodle or dumplings soup, it would be best to double stock it as the author suggests.
Note to self 15 minutes in pressure cooker and leave out the peppercorns in case they block the valve. Remember to brown vegetables in wok including chook bits.
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Ken Hom's Chinese Kitchen: With a Consumer's Guide to Essential Ingredients
By Ken Hom
Anova Books - 1996
Nice light meal if you add a couple of packets of soba noodles into the soup. I don't cook them seperately. Bok choy works fine if you don't have any nappa cabbage.
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Chinese Cooking: Cantonese (International Gourment)
By Margaret Leeming
Ward Lock Ltd - 1993
Good, but it is important to use a home-made stock. All the supermarket stocks left a noticable after-taste. A specialist stock might work.
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The Italian Baker
By Carol Field
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1985
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The Food of China: Authentic Recipes from the Middle Kingdom
By Periplus Editions
Tuttle - 1997
Very bland when made with water as per the recipe (no flavour at all) but much better made with chicken stock.
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The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces
By Diane Seed, Robert Budwig
Ten Speed Press - 2004
Comfort food, easily made in emergencies, and cheering to eat. This is the type of recipe you only have to make once, and after that you can make it from memory with subsitutions. I always brown the sausages first, just because we prefer them that way and certainly don't skin them.
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