portugo's Reviews
12 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 12Sort by: Title 
| Date | Rating
The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition
By Cook's Illustrated Magazine, John Burgoyne, Carl Tremblay, Daniel J. Van Ackere
America’s Test Kitchen - 2004
Banana Bread : page 684
Perfect; the best banana bread I've ever had. It's soft, moist, and the banana flavor really stands out. Plus, it gets a fantastic top crust.
useful (1)
Beef Burgundy : page 547
This was a good beef stew, with moderately tender meat and a nice sauce, but after five hours I was looking for something much more special. My guests liked it, but I can't say it was worth the time and mess.
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Blue Cheese Dressing : page 80
This is fast and easy to make, and so much better than anything in a bottle. Use strong blue cheese and lots of freshly ground pepper.
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Carbonnade a la Flammande : page 544
I was hoping this would be like the amazing carbonnade I had in Belgium, but without the red currant jelly, it's really just beef stew. (But still good beef stew.)
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I love the combination of blue cheese and green apple on this pasta; the sweet/sour/salty/bitter is nicely balanced. It's easy and fast, too.
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French Toast for Challah or Sandwich Bread : page 646
This is my favorite French toast; the flour gives the batter more body and crunch than the standard egg/milk dip.
I've had trouble with the order that they add the ingredients. I always add the milk last; it's really hard to mix 1/3 cup flour into 3/4 cup milk and get all the lumps out. It's easier to work the milk into the paste.
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Fresh Peach Cobbler : page 946
Just what cobbler should be. The biscuit topping is tender and sweet with a subtle tang from the yogurt. This is my go-to recipe every time.
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I love, love, LOVE this recipe! The chicken gets incredibly juicy (don't skip the brine!) and the buttery beer sauce is fantastic. This is an all-time favorite.
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Spaghetti alla Carbonara : page 251
I'm not wild about this recipe; the olive oil seems excessive and takes away from the creaminess of the egg and cheese. It still tastes fine, (it's hard to go too wrong with carbonara), but this isn't the recipe I prefer.
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This is my new favorite way to make asparagus. The sauce flavors are great and round each other out (it doesn't taste too mapley) and the asparagus does well with this fast sear.
I always get better results in a cast iron pan; don't be afraid to really cook it at the end. It will look like it's burning, but it's not, and you want the sauce to get nice and thick.
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Strawberry Shortcake : page 950
These shortcakes are really delicious; they're light and sweet and crisp around the edges. I prefer less sugar in the strawberries, though. If you have good, in-season berries I'd cut the 6 tbsp down to 3 or less. Otherwise, the fresh flavor gets masked.
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This is healthy comfort food; the heartiness of the rice is nicely brightened by the dried cranberries. I make a big pot of this and eat it all week long.
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