The Ducks Guts' Reviews
154 recipes reviewed. Showing 51 to 100Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
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)
The Cook's Companion
By Stephanie Alexander
Viking Australia - 1998
Great recipe, very quick and easy to make and always popular with guests. The reason I have only given it 4 stars is becuase I have never made it with the rump steak & bok choy. I always make it with chicken ribs and it's cooked on the BBQ.
useful (1)
THE potato salad in our house, made so often I am starting to look around for another hot-day potato recipe, just to make a change. Easy and delicious. Usually double it for a dinner party.
useful (2)
Good instructions, easy to follow for cooking your first tongue. Works well with just water (no stock). She doesn't use a tongue press, so it isn't neccessary to have one. No idea why, but ox tongue tastes exactly like very soft roast lamb.
useful (0)
Not very sweet
useful (0)
Ordinary chedder worked fine instead of the parmesan.
useful (1)
Cookery the Australian Way
By Shirley; Suzanne Russell; Winifred Williams CAMERON
Macmillan - 1993
Feels very odd, reviewing this recipe, bit like reviewing one's mother. Anyway, it is excellent for guests that turn up without warning, even when made with powdered milk. Today I added a chopped up very ripe banana, which received a tick from all. Usually I serve it with jam, or lemon and sugar, or even just plain butter. Also known as pikelets in other cookbooks.
useful (2)
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.
useful (0)
Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen
By Kitty Morse
Chronicle Books - 1998
Really more a note to myself to try this one again, as I made a lot of sustitutions, so it is not a true review. Substituted beans with dried beancurd sticks (they were getting close to their use-by date), lamb shoulder chops with left-over roast lamb, water with vegetable stock, tomatoes with bottled tomatoes, and left out the parsley, cilantro and lentils. Also, this is a good one for the pressure cooker, browning the meat and onions then adding all the rest, except for the orzo, and cooking on high pressure for 10 minutes. Then I added the soup pasta and cooked for another 10 minutes un-pressurized.
Husband thought that there was a little too much cinnamon, so next time will only use 1/2 teaspoon.
The lemon wedges are definately needed.
useful (0)
Cooking The Indonesian Way
By Alec Robeau
A.H. & A.W. Reed Pty Ltd - 1970
Delicious and a good light meal if you only want to cook one dish. Recipe uses pork, or beef mince but any leftover meat will do. I never use the 7 chillies - just one or two does fine.
useful (0)
Good.
useful (0)
Take about 35 minutes to cook if shallow-fried.
useful (0)
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)
Website: Delia Online
The instructions were good, and the method simple, but the sauce didn't thicken. I think the problem was the cook, as I was nervous about pouring hot liquids into my 20+ year food processor, and didn't heat the vinegar and butter until it was foaming, as the recipe stated. It still tasted wonderful on steak.
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)
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)
Delicioso! The Regional Cooking of Spain
By Penelope Casas
Knopf - 1996
Made this with weak beef stock instead of white wine, and it was thought good by the rest of the household. If I make it again will tweak the paprika a bit. Also, I wouldn't make this without the pressure cooker.
useful (0)
Digby Law's Pickle & Chutney Cookbook
By Digby Law
Hachette Livre NZ Ltd - 2006
No matter how tempting, do NOT cook the vegetables. Just follow the recipe (note to self).
Very good family pickles.
useful (0)
Dim Sum: Chinese Hors d'Oeuvres and Light Meals
By Margaret Leeming, May Huang Man-hui
TBS The Book Service Ltd - 1985
A very good beef and black bean sauce recipe. I used mince steak this time, as we had a large amount of mince in the freezer, and it worked well. Also, I use the black bean garlic sauce in the jar, not the fermented black beans, even though the author says not to, but I have cooked with it for years and it works for me. Served it on stir-fried greens, not rice noodles, as I already had two white dishes, and it saved cooking a separate dish for the greens.
useful (1)
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 Fine Art of Italian Cooking: The Classic Cookbook, Updated & Expanded
By Giuliano Bugialli
Gramercy - 2005
Looked and smelt wonderful whilst cooking, but the end result was very bland. 3 basil leaves does not flavour a stew serving 4. It needed more aromatics - one of the guests suggested lemon zest and more black pepper. It was edible but next time I will try another recipe.
useful (0)
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)
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.
useful (0)
Missing something. There are better recipes elsewhere.
useful (0)
Good, although I don't add in the radish and Sichuan pepper oil and only 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar.
useful (0)
Too dry and flavourless.
useful (0)
Instead of commerical sweet and sour saouce, Chinese red vinegar works fine. I don't put the dried prawns in, although it probably would taste better with them.
useful (0)
The smoking oil burns the spring onion and ginger into the fish. A very little sesame oil (1/2 teaspoon?) added in is even better. The fish only takes a few minutes to cook.
useful (0)
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)
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)
Excellent recipe, but as with the casserole recipe, its the instructions at the start of the section that tell you how to make a good creamed vegetable soup with ANY vegetable that are worth their weight in gold
useful (2)
Very good soup. Its the pesto that makes it.
useful (0)
Excellent light potato dish, not at all heavy. I don't add the cream, but I do use full cream milk.
useful (1)
The Good Cook: Soups
By Time-Life Books
Time Life Education - 1980
Quite possibly the most boring soup I have every eaten. It might have worked if I had used the beef stock instead of the bean water (both recommended in the recipe) but I will not bother unless I get a glut of pumpkins and probably not even then. There are much better pumpkin soup recipes out there.
useful (2)
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.
useful (0)
Even substituting the suet with smoked pork, it was still a very very ordinary dish. However, I will be making it again -why? To add to spaghetti bolognaise. Seriously, only a tiny amount was eaten, so the husband-cook mixed what was left in the pot into the sauce he was making, and it was a definate improvement. The beans add an extra rich smoothness to the sauce, and being already tomato & smoked meat flavoured themselves, not too plain beany in taste.
useful (0)
The Hungarian Cookbook
By Susan Derecskey
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1987
Better as a snack. They are a lot of work, but they are worth it. Use the smaller European plums, a little bigger then cherry plums, and don't overbrown the breadcrumbs.
useful (1)
Indian Vegetarian Cookery
By Jack Santa Maria
Red Wheel Weiser - 1977
If you cut the amount of water to 3 cups and use stock instead, this makes a very good soup, warming in cold weather. Quick and easy to make.
useful (1)
Iris Country Fare
By Lyndall Muellar and Robyn Boyce
Winifred West Schools - 2002
Very good robust cake. Good for picnics. The "1 carton" of sour cream is 300 ml.
useful (0)
Contributor: Geoff Janz. Very good family recipe. I don't like drumsticks, so a couple of breasts get thrown in as well. Reheats well.
useful (0)
The Italian Baker
By Carol Field
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1985
useful (0)
useful (0)
Italian Family Cooking: Like Mamma Used to Make
By Anne Casale
Ballantine Books - 1984
Excellent, very detailed instructions on how to make your own pasta. She gives methods for either making it fully by hand, or else by using a food processor and a hand-crank pasta machine. I use a Kitchen Aid now to make the dough, but have used the food processor instructions in the past and still use them as a guide whenever I make pasta (not as often as I should) and always use the pasta machine instructions, rather then the ones that came with the machine.
useful (0)
If you make your own pasta, this is an excellent means of getting the family to eat leafy greens without complaining. The spinach colours the pasta, but doesn't flavour it greatly.
useful (0)
This is the recipe that I always use for pesto. Wonderful and freezes well. Be very careful browning the pine nuts as they burn if you walk away from the stove, even if just for a minute.
useful (0)
No. But, realistically, a family that doesn't like vegetables is not going to go "oh, yum, broccoli and pasta, my favorite". It's back to stirfying it with beef and oyster sauce.
useful (0)
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.
useful (0)
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)
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)
Fabulous way of cooking chicken in hot weather. Easy and the chicken is always moist and tender. Cook it in the cooler part of the day and leave in the fridge for a meal that night when it is too hot to cook and you don't want to heat the house up any further.
The Cantonese-Style Dipping Sauce on page 131 is the favorite to go with it, but I usually do a couple of others as well, Thai or European. I have served it with home-made mayonnaise, but that was a little bland.
This recipe (or method, really, I suppose) is sometimes known as Velvet Chicken.
useful (0)