Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies


Prep Time: 15 min
Bake Time: 9 minutes
Frost Time: 5 minutes

Grade: ??
Make Again: ??
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (December 2011)

The online version of the recipe is not available yet.

These are not bad cookies, but I felt they were a little dry, and my first thought was I wouldn't make them again. I really love chocolate mint so like the taste of them overall, but I didn't love the texture. Everyday Food has come up with lots of great mint recipes so this doesn't really fill a gap in the recipe collection.

However, the picky eater did really like them and gave them an A+. This was after they were frozen and defrosted. I liked them when I ate them later also, so I may end up using this recipe again after all. 

The Espresso Snowcaps recipe that I reviewed a few years ago is a similar chocolate cookie for the holidays, and I really love that one, so that might be my first choice most years, but this one may come into rotation again in the future.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Pumpkin Prailine Pie

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: 50 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 35 minutes
Topping Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Probably not

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2006)
Recipe Source: Best of ATK 2008

This recipe is currently available on the Cooks Country website, but probably won't be forever, so print it out if you want to try it. 

This tasted good, but I guess pumpkin pie is not my favorite. The biggest complaint I have with the recipe was I could not make it as pretty as it should have been. The sugar on top didn't caramelize and after sitting in the fridge all day (which they said was OK) the outside topping liquified a bit. The topping did taste very nice though and I liked that in combo with the pumpkin.

Also, I'm not great at pie crusts, so mine ended up a bit tough, although I thought it tasted quite good.


If I wanted to make a pumpkin pie again, I might try this once more. However, if I was just going to make a pie, I would go with another type. I would like to get better at pies someday.


Monday, December 26, 2011

December Favorites

This is a little late since December is just about over, and of course, most of these recipes are good for the holidays. I'm not going to skip it though, since I do want to categorize all my favorites for the future.


~ Tortilla Pie (different than the veggie version with Black Beans from an earlier month) 
~ Baked Pasta and Chicken Sausage
~ Strata with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Sausage 
~ Giant Ginger Cookies (I make them smaller)
~ Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps
~ Peppermint Bark
~ Chocolate Mint Brownies
~ Chocolate Peppermint Cake
~ Cranberry Scones (not on blog) 

Still want to try:
~ Pastistio
~ Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash-Brown Tart
~ Coconut Cookies


Parker House Rolls

Prep Time: 20 minutes total
RiseTime: 3+ hours 
Bake Time: 30 minutes  

Grade: A-
Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2011)  

These rolls are nice but they took too long to rise (at least according to magazine times). Reading the reviews, it appears everyone had trouble with the rise. The iPad version of the recipe said 1t of yeast, but the website says 1 packet (2 1/4 t.). At the time I thought it was because my kitchen was cold, so I heated my oven to 200 for a while and then put the dough in there for the final rise.
It has been a while since I made the CI version of these, but I think I probably like that version better. I should make them again soon and compare and pick which recipe I want to keep. 

The effort is small. Well, as long as you have a mixer with a dough hook. 10 minutes of the prep is kneading in the mixer. The only real effort is rolling out the rolls into balls and putting in the pan. The recipe called for brushing the tops with 4 T. total of butter (2 before, and 2 after.) As usual, I cut that in half. You still get the buttery top though, which is nice. The recipe also calls for a sprinkle of salt on the top after final brushing of butter and that was a nice touch. 

The rolls are pretty baked in the 13x9 pan. They all end up nice and uniform, which I liked. These would be good to serve for a Christmas dinner, and not too much effort.  However, I would try the recipe from the website instead of magazine and read the reviews first. Cook's Illustrated version or Cook's Country are probably a more reliable choice.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting


Prep: 9 minutes
Bake: 40-45 minutes (start checking at 25 for half recipe)
Cool: 1+ hour
Frosting: 5 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2005)

This cake is good. My version was a little bit dry. I made a half recipe in a bread pan and it ended up being done quickly, but that was my fault. I froze the cake then frosted it a day or two later. I didn't love the frosting at first. It was not very sweet. Perhaps a better honey would have worked better. I ended up adding a Tablespoon or so of powdered sugar to sweeten a little, which helped. Still not terribly sweet, but it worked well with the cake. My picky eater liked it, probably because the frosting wasn't too sweet. The combo of spice cake plus the frosting ends up being good and a little bit unique, since it is different than other cream cheese frosting.

I made this a month ago and we just finished the frozen leftovers this week. The cake froze nicely. It is a nice not too sweet dessert. 

Monday, November 28, 2011

Chicken Pot Pie with a Savory Crumble Topping

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (Sept 2010)
Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 11)


Quick, if you have any interest in this recipe, go to the TV Show link and watch the recipe before it moves behind the pay wall. If there is a new season for 2012 of ATK then those videos will be gone when it starts. The recipes are usually available for another year though. If you like pot pies, you should definitely check this one out.

All pot pie recipe's I've seen either have pie dough on top or a biscuit on top. This one is a cross between the two. The topping is quite rich, and also quite delicious. It is made with flour, butter, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and some pepper. I never make pie crust pot pies, but I will definitely make this one again. The filling is similar to CI's other pot pie recipes, but they do add some soy sauce and tomato paste to add savory flavors which was good.

I did not add the mushrooms, so the prep time might be a bit longer if you use them. I added the soy sauce and paste to the veggie mixture instead. The only problem I had with the recipe was the carrots were not cooked enough. I would cook them longer next time.

This recipe was a winner and got a thumbs up from my picky eater, so I will make it again. It is a bit rich, even with the healthy modifications I made. Those include, using half the butter in the sauce, using 2% milk instead of whole, and all chicken breasts instead of thighs. None of those changes hurt the dish. I left the topping as is, since it is the star of the dish, but you could get by with using less of that also, since it is so rich.
 

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Turkey and Stuffing Bake



Prep Time: 30 minutes 
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe next year 

http://www.marthastewart.com/859565/turkey-and-stuffing-bake

I meant to post this a few weeks ago, before Thanksgiving, but managed to not do that.

This was a kind of fun recipe that is a take on Thanksgiving dinner. It has a ground turkey and sage base, and a stuffing topping. The topping was delicious and it all tasted good. It was almost like a bread pudding or a strata on top, which I really liked.

The one problem I have is I just don't love ground turkey flavor when it is more on it's own. I use it in chili a lot and with salsa and those flavors take over. But in the dish, the other flavors weren't strong enough and the ground turkey taste isn't quite like turkey to me. 

I probably won't make this a lot, but maybe next November when I am in a stuffing mood and want a simple dish to prepare.

Actually, now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm thinking this might be a nice recipe to modify using leftover diced turkey instead of ground turkey. I might try that, if/when I'm lucky enough to have leftover turkey. I love turkey breast, but never cook a turkey because it grosses me out. I became a vegetarian for 7 years after learning how to prepare the turkey! Even though I've been eating meat again for over 10 years now, I leave the turkey prep to someone else every year.



Thursday, November 10, 2011

November Favorites

Here is a list of my favorite Everyday Food recipes from November. Some I haven't made in a while, but remember the recipes make me want to try them again. I did just do the Tomato and Sausage Risotto, and I love that one.

I really want to compile my favorites from Cook's Illustrated my month also, but that might have to wait a while.


Everyday Food recipes from November that I still really want to try:

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Buttermilk-Thyme Drop Biscuits



Prep Time: 9 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe
  Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2005)

These are lighter biscuits with only 4 T of butter to the recipe. The thyme adds flavor though, and I liked these. I'm not sure I will make again, since there are so many good biscuit recipes.

I should mention I used 1/2 t. of thyme instead of the full t. I think the flavor would have been too strong with the full amount.

These biscuits were really good with the Chicken Barley soup.

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Chicken Barley Soup



Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2011) 

This is a a super quick and easy recipe. I think it is one of the fastest soups I've ever made. It can be made quickly because it uses quick cooking barley. You add spinach the last minute, which I really liked. However, the soup is good without the spinach too. I will definitely be making this soup again because it was so simple. 

Saturday, November 05, 2011

October Favorites from Everyday Food

I could have sworn I created this post in October, but I don't see it. I did want to keep making the list of my favorite recipes for each month, so I am making sure I get this done before Fall is over.

(If I blogged on the recipe, the link takes you there first. You can still get to the recipe from Recipe Source. If I haven't blogged on it, the link takes you to the recipe.)
October Everyday Food recipes I still want to try:

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Chicken and Kale Casserole

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2011)

I love cooked kale, so I wanted to try this recipe. I used the leftover chicken from my Chicken and Brown Rice which worked out well. I did modify the recipe slightly, and don't think I would have liked as much if I had made it as is. I used less lemon zest and a lot less ricotta. The recipe called for 48oz, and because I'm cheap, I only bought a 15oz package. It was plenty creamy enough for me with that amount. However, I should mention, I cut back the other ingredients slightly also. I think if I was making a full recipe of this 24oz would be good.

I think this recipe would benefit from a crunchy topping on top, like some breadcrumbs with the parmesan. It would add a little bit of work, but would be nice.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Chicken and Brown Rice

Prep Time: 28 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Grade: B-

Make Again: No


Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2005)

This was almost really good, but I really didn't like the roasted red peppers in this. They got quite soggy.  Maybe using regular diced peppers would have been better.

I think this recipe as potential as a one pot meal, but I probably won't tweak it anymore, since there are too many good recipes to try! 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Stovetop Chili Mac

Prep Time: 28 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

I liked this, but it wasn't anything special. Just a non-tomato meat sauce on top of pasta. It was simple enough, but not super simple so I probably wouldn't make it again.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes

Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

I haven't done a stir fry in a while, and I miss them. This is a simple and light version of sweet and sour (no frying).

It differs from Cook's Illustrated stir-fries in that you dump the veggies and chicken into the pan at once. That makes it easier, but it also resulted in green beans that were a little overcooked. Not bad, but not as bright green and crisp as they could have been.

When I first tasted the chicken, I was unimpressed, and thought that it was more bland because there was no marinating of the chicken. But when I tasted the full dish with veggies and sauce, I liked it more, and overall I found the dish very satisfying.

I think CI/ATK stir-fry recipes are a bit better, but a little more work, so this one will do in a pinch when there is less time. I could have shortened the time more by overlapping the cooking with prep, by at least heating up my pan while still prepping. However, I have found cleaning the kitchen before I start cooking with stir fries is a very good idea, otherwise I end up with a disaster.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Chili and Cornbread


Emeril's Turkey Chili
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B
Make Again:No

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011) 



Cornbread
Prep Time: 6 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2011) 

The cornbread recipe is not on Martha's website yet, but I will check back later, but most of the recipes end up there.

The chili was fine, but nothing special. I think I will stick to the Cook's Illustrated version, which takes longer to cook, but isn't anymore effort.

The cornbread was very good. It should be with a stick of butter and 1/3 c. of sugar in it. As much as I love cornmeal, I don't always love the cornbread recipes I try, so I will probably make this one again.


Saturday, October 15, 2011

Barley Risotto with Corn and Basil

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Grade: A-
 
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food(October 2005)

Well, this wasn't exactly creamy like risotto, but it tasted very good, and was a nice side dish. I used a fraction of the called for basil, and don't think I would have liked the full 2 c. The barley and corn together was a very nice combination with a good texture. I don't always have barley on hand, but maybe I should use it more, because I like the taste.

I give it a "-" because I'm not convinced the effort (although small) of adding the broth in small batches was worth it, since it didn't have a risotto like consistency. 

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts

Prep Time: 30 minutes (total including sauce)
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2010)
Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen TV Show

I could not have been more bored when I saw this recipe in the Best of 2011 ATK last Spring. It seems like something they have done a lot already. However, I tried it one night when I wanted to use some defrosted boneless chicken breasts.The recipe is a little strange, but fairly simple, and very good!

The chicken if first covered with salt and sort of steamed in a low temp oven covered with foil until chicken reaches 145-150. Then you put a coating on the chicken of butter, flour, and cornstarch and pan-search for a few minutes on each side to finish it off. This keeps the chicken moist but gives it a really delicious coating.

Half of the prep time comes from adding a pan sauce which is is also very tasty. Without that, the recipe would be even less work. I have made this recipe 3 times and each time I cook the sauce too long, and it gets too thick. I need to remember next time to cook it less.

I modify the recipe to use less fat. I use just one t. of oil for cooking the chicken and I replace 1T of the butter for the coating mixture with 1T of chicken broth. That works fine. Just don't make the mixture until you are ready to brush it on. I tried making it early last night, and it got too gloppy and didn't spread well.

I also use just a pat of butter in the final pan suace instead of a full T. and that is fine too. It is still rich.

My picture is not good. I had a nice one from the previous time I made it with some sauce, but lost it when I broke my laptop last month. The chicken isn't always as homely as I made it look last night.

This is a great recipe. The recipe is available on the TV website right now, so make sure you print it out because it will eventually be behind the pay wall. The video is there too, and should be available through the end of 2011, I think.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Candy-corn sugar cookies

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2004)

These are cute little cookies that are simple to make, and very good. There are very, very sweet though, so good for a tiny dessert, but not satisfying any hunger.

The recipe says to use a teaspoon for each cookie and you should get 36 cookies. I tried, but the dough was a bit dry, and hard to get out of the teaspoon, so I used my cookie scoop instead, making sure it was level. I think that is 2t or a little more instead. So, I got 16 cookies out of the recipe. They were still small and cute, just not as tiny.

There is a chocolate version of the recipe also where you switch out 1/4 c. or flour with cocoa. I will probably try that also, since I have the candy corns now, and didn't use very many for these cookies.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Ginger Pumpkin Bread

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Bake Time: 50 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes


Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2006)

This quick bread recipe is of course easy. But it is also very yummy. I made a half recipe since I only have 1 8x4 pan. The only thing that didn't halve properly was the eggs, and I just used one. It leaves some pumpkin for another recipe to try and review in the future.

It has been a few years since I made pumpkin bread, so I can't necessarily compare this recipe. I really liked that it cooked all the way through and wasn't too moist in the middle, which is problem I have sometimes with my quick breads. I think the smaller pan size helped with this.

I loved the crust. It was a little bit crunchy and sweet. I almost wish I hadn't halved the recipe, but hopefully I'll find another good use for the rest of my pumpkin puree. It also has a nice ginger flavor.


Friday, October 07, 2011

Sloppy Joes

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2005)

Of course, Sloppy Joes is a simple recipe, and fairly predictable. I made the "kids" version because of my picky eater, but I'm sure the adult version is even better, if you like a little spice. My picky eater BF ate seconds of this, so I will be making again. I used 96% lean beef and it was very good. I think that has about the same fat as 93% lean turkey and tastes better for this meal. 

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Tamale Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: C
Make Again: No  

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2004)

This was kind of a disaster. I don't know if I can blame the recipe, or if it was just me. The recipe had good reviews on Martha's site, and it was something I have wanted to try since I saw the recipe in the magazine in 2004.

I have made tamale pies before, but in the past, I put the cornmeal crust on the top, instead  of on the bottom of the dish, as this recipe calls for. I guess I didn't cook the cornmeal enough and let it get thick enough. It was entirely runny in the finished dish. There was nothing crust like about it, and it was somewhat unappetizing looking look a cornmeal mush, which mixed in with everything else.

The topping of the dish was good and tasted fine, if not exciting. I made another mistake by not using tomato sauce, instead of crushed tomatoes, because that is what I had in my pantry.  So the top was a little more runny also.

The problems with this recipe were probably from me, both bad substitutions and execution, but I think I will just go back to my old way of making Tamale pie. I don't know if I can find that recipe, but I can probably improvise.

Monday, October 03, 2011

Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

This was just a simple recipe to use up leftovers. The original recipe uses mushrooms and black beans, but I don't like mushrooms, so used some chopped up leftover chicken breast. I also used a trick learned from Cook's Illustrated, to spray the corn tortillas with olive oil spray and then back for a few minutes at 300. This makes them more pliable (and tasty!) 

This tasted quite good, but was not too attractive. I won't go out of my way to make this again, but would certainly do it if I have these ingredients on hand and wanted something quick to make for dinner.

Sunday, October 02, 2011

Spicy Black Bean Soup


Prep Time: 20 minutes?
Cook Time: 1.5 hours 

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

This is not quite as flavorful as Cook's Illustrated Black Bean Soup, because it doesn't have the ham. But it was still quite good and easy. I ended up making double the beans, and they were good on their own also.

The recipe says to save 1.5 c of black beans for another recipe, which I did do, and will review in my next post. That is one reason I like cooking from Everyday Foods, because it helps remind me of ways to make cooking easier and to reuse things.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Cool Time: 1+ hours

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2011)

I really liked these. I hadn't been in love with America's Test Kitchen version, but that may have been because of the low sugar jam I used. This recipe was slightly different. It doesn't have any peanut butter in the recipe, but it added peanut butter chips to the topping. It also had chopped peanuts, which I didn't mind at all. I used a strawberry preserve for the jelly and it was all very good.

I froze them after baking, and so far I've had one, and it was still good. 

Friday, September 23, 2011

Harvest Vegetable Pancake with Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2011)
(no recipe at link yet, but ingredients listed below)

This is supposed to be pancake made from Beets and Carrots (along with some chickpeas and potato). It is also supposed to be purple. I thought it would be good recipe for me to try beets for the first time since it includes a lot of other ingredients I do like.

When I went to go buy the beets, I was frightened by the thick looking dirty skin and shapes, so I didn't buy any. It seemed like they would be hard to peel. I don't know if they were good ones or bad. So, I decided to just try the recipe without them.

That wasn't a bad decision, but I used almost half the salt, because I thought a lot of the volume would have come from the beets. That was a bad decision. The pancake needed more salt. I also tried to get away with only 1/2 T of oil on the pan, and that made it harder to flip. The taste was decent, but it probably would have been much better if I had used the proper amounts of oil and salt. The salad and goat cheese on top was good. I am toying with the idea of making this again, but mixing in some goat cheese instead of putting it on the top.

3 beets, shredded
3 carrots, shredded
1 russet potato, cooked, diced
1 can chickpeas, chopped
1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt

Mix together and heat in pan coated with 1 T olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes until crispy on bottom. Use plate to help you flip pancake over. Cook other side 10-12 minutes.

Top with Mesclun mix, dressing and some crumbled goat cheese.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Spaghetti Fritatta


Total Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
  
Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2004)

This recipe was inspired by the EF Sept 2004 Cooking for One article. The actual recipe called for Jarlsberg cheese and peas, but I used up what I had on hand, and it was delicious. I also used Healthy Harvest Spaghetti which I liked in there. I didn't have leftover pasta, which is the idea for this recipe, but it cooked while I prepped and cooked the spinach so the timing was fine.

I will definitely make this again. It is nice to have one serving only and I like the added carbs to eggs from the spaghetti. It makes it more substantial and filling. 

Spaghetti Fritatta
  • 2oz spaghetti cooked
  • 3 oz baby spinach, chopped
  • 1-2T minced onion
  • 1 t. olive oil
  • 2 T shredded cheese (I used Pepper Jack) 
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 T milk
  • salt and pepper
  1. Turn on broiler to high. 
  2. Start your water boiling for the pasta if you don't have leftovers. I broke pasta in half so I could cook in a smaller pan and heat up less water to save time.
  3. Heat oil in an 8" ovensafe skillet and saute onions for a few minutes. 
  4. Add spinach and saute until wilted and moisture dries up a bit. You may need to add it in batches because of lack of room.
  5. Wish eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add grated cheese. Add pasta and stir to combine. 
  6. When spinach is cooked, add egg mixture to pan, and stir well to combine. Cook for 5-7 minutes until eggs start to set, but are still runny on top.
  7. Put pan in broiler and broil up to 4 minutes till eggs are cooked through. 
Serves 1. 

Monday, September 19, 2011

Old Favorites - Everyday Food (September 2004, 2005, 2006)

Reviewing my Old Favorites from EF last week inspired me to cook more even though I was quite busy, so I'm doing it again this week. Not sure how long I'll keep this up, but for now I'm continuing.


Recipes to try still:

I hope to try the ones on this list above soon. At least most of them.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Ground Beef Pie

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Probably Not

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2003)

I've wanted to try this recipe for 8 years, but since phyllo is not something I keep in the freezer (although maybe I should) I just never made it and then forgot about it.

I really liked this recipe, it was quick and easy to make and tasted great. I was slightly concerned that I wouldn't like the cinnamon with the beef, but it was good. They phyllo crust was delicious.  Also, I made it the night before allowing me to have an effortless dinner. Finally, it was something a little bit different and unique which I like.

So why wouldn't I make it again? The BF was horrified by this meal. He can be very picky and sometimes I feel like I am feeding a child when I cook for both of us. What bothered him is hard to say. He said it was runny. It wasn't. I assume he was looking at the slightly moist part at the top of the pie (you can see it in the picture) and thought it was uncooked eggs. They were completely cooked, but he couldn't get past it. He really didn't taste it. He is more bothered by textures than anything else and when I cook new things he is always looking for the cooked onions to pick out. This may explain why I haven't been cooking as much since we met :-) (I am going to keep him, because otherwise he is mature and normal.)

Despite all of that, this is a really good recipe. It is a simplification of a Greek recipe which is typical thing to find in Everyday Food. There Prep time was 35 minutes, but mine was only 25. Instead of brushing the olive oil on the phyllo I use Olive Oil spray. I think this was my time saver. It worked very well. It is probably more expensive this way, but worth it.

I did freeze my leftovers, and I'll see how they are. If good, I may make this again, but otherwise this isn't a recipe I would make for myself only.

NOTE: There is a video on the recipe link. I always like watching videos before I make the recipe.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Mini Mocha Cheesecakes

Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Cool Time: 2+ hours
 
Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

This recipe (link above) uses cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. It called for non-fat, but I like to eat 2% which only has 10 more calories and a few grams of fat per serving, so I went with that instead. Otherwise the only fat comes from the egg. (Although I also use Penzey's cocoa, which has a little too.)

The batter was more runny than the pictures showed in the magazine. I made a half recipe and filled 5 cups (original full recipe should make 9 cups). I stilled had some of the batter left over.

These were really good. It didn't taste exactly the same as a cream cheese cheesecake, but the tangy taste was there and I liked it.

I don't like coffee, so I cut the amount of espresso powder in half (but didn't eliminate) to make the chocolate taste better without the mocha taste. That always works well for me.

The neatest part of the recipe is that you make these in muffin tins with muffin papers. You don't have to grease any pans and they are easy to get out. The other great part of this recipe is that you use Chocolate Wafers for the crust. You fill the cup with the batter then place a cookie on top. The Famous Chocolate wafers fit perfectly if you your cups are filled to 1/4 of the top.  There is the issue of only using a few of these wafers for this recipe and they are fairly expensive and not found at all my local grocery stores. However, I froze the extra cookies, and hopefully I can find another use for them.

All in all, I think this is a very clever recipe and it is pretty light. Part of that comes from the petite sizing which is easy since they are single serving cakes. I also like that these have a decent amount of protein which fills me up more than sugar, certainly. I will definitely make these again.

Friday, September 09, 2011

Old Favorites - Everyday Food (September 2003)

I really need to get in the habit of cooking again, even when I am super busy. I find I actually eat less when I am cooking good food, because it satisfies me more. To help me get back into the mood, I'm looking at my old Everyday Food magazines for the current month (September) and reminding myself of the old recipes that I used to love and haven't cooked in a while. Many of them I've already added to the blog, but a few I haven't.

I was planning on looking at all 4 previous September Issues that I own, but just looking at year 2003 had quite a few recipes I want to use again, so I'll just do one issue at a time.

Here are some of my old Favorites. I'm linking to my blog post (if available), but you can get to the actual recipes on the Recipe source link. If I didn't blog it, I'm liking to the original recipe.

I also found a few recipes that I always meant to try but haven't yet:
I don't really need to focus on desserts right now when I'm so busy and want to eat a little healthier, but I hope to try all the other recipes this month. 

I hope to get back to Cook's Illustrated Recipes when I have more time, but this should get me motivated to get cooking again.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Spicy Tuna Melt

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Grade:B+

Make Again: Yes
  Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2011)

(I cut recipe in half and modified slightly. I can't find the original online yet.) 

Mix:   5/6oz can tuna with 1/3 c. salsa and 2T light mayo and salt and pepper. Spread on baguette that is sliced in half lengthwise. (May only need half of baguette, depending on the size.) Sprinkle 1-2oz of shredded pepper jack cheese. Broil for 5 minutes (not too close to broiler, so it won't burn in that time.)

This one isn't so much a recipe, as a good idea for a quick meal. This is what I like about Everyday Food. It has simple recipes that encourage you to try combinations you haven't tried before like Salsa and Tuna.

Very good for a quick lunch.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Slow-Cooker Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours

Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

Wow, I haven't cooked anything, not even old standbys for a month. I was working at a client very far from home and just didn't have time. I've had more sandwiches in the past month, than I care to admit, but finally this is a sandwich that involved some effort (but not too much) and felt like real cooking.

This is a lightened recipe from the January issue of Everyday Food. I need to start cooking from that magazine more now that I'm busier than I used to be. My success rate with these recipes is not quite as high as Cook's Illustrated, but the recipes are usually pretty easy and sometimes are quite good.

I don't think this sandwich probably stands up next to a full-fat version of other pulled pork or chicken sandwiches, because the sauce is pretty light. However, it is was still very good.

The best part of the recipe (see link above) is that after prepping the ingredients (which does involve the stove, this isn't a dump raw ingredients into the slow cooker recipe) you are done for 4 hours. The recipe included the tip of using a Potato masher to shred the chicken and it worked great. I was skeptical, but it worked as well as using a fork and was so easy.

I altered the recipe slightly, using all breast meat, and used 3 T of a Chipotle sauce instead of 4. It could have handled 4 T, but of course it depends on the sauce you are using. It is 8 servings so makes a lot, and the leftovers can be frozen, which is another bonus as well.


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts (Lighter)

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Rest Time: 60 minutes 
Cook Time: 25 minutes
(These times may be off, I didn't write it down and I no longer have the cookbook.)

Grade: B-
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010 (originally from Cook's Country?)

This wasn't a bad recipe, but it wasn't my favorite chicken recipe and the process of stuffing things is a pain for me. I don't think I cut my chicken holes big enough so couldn't get all the stuffing in. The basil flavor was very strong, and I would have liked a little less, even though I love basil. The cheese got a little rubbery.

Some of the other flavor options may taste better, but I'm not sure I would try. There are just too many good chicken recipes, for me to make something that I didn't love, unless it is super easy.  This is mostly easy, but stuffing the chicken is not.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Tall and Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Bake Time: 22 minutes
Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2004)

Other bloggers have the full recipe here or here.

These biscuits are probably the ones I  have made the most out of all biscuit recipes. They are a little lighter than most biscuits with less butter (4T per 12 biscuits). They almost end up like dinner rolls, but they are extremely easy to make. The only negative is that it can get a little messy tossing these in the flour before you put them in the pan. The recipe calls for adding 2T of butter to the top. I always add just 1T, which seems enough. This recipe without any butter at all on top, was put into the Best Light Recipe, and I think each biscuit has about 125 calories, which is pretty good for a biscuit!

I've made this recipe so many times, I'm shocked I haven't reviewed it yet. It is definitely a good way to use up buttermilk and because these are a little bit lighter (at least for biscuits) it is a good recipe to have.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

A brief break from recipe reviews

This has nothing to do with recipe reviews, but I am sharing a link to my on-line Photoshop course. It is a beginner's course and deals with the professional version of Photoshop CS5 (or earlier), not the consumer version Photoshop Elements.

I don't do much photo processing on the photos on this blog, simply because I am usually rushing to get these posts completed and don't have any moments to spare. But the techniques learned in the class could help improve your photographs and will also introduce some techniques for graphic design. I have a more advanced class coming out soon on how to make better selections in Photoshop.

For only $19 you get access to 5 hours of on-line instruction, all photographs used in the course, and reference sheets for most of the tools that we learn in the class.


Introduction to Photoshop


Now back to our previously scheduled reviews.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Strawberry Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Martha Stewart

I was alerted to this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen blog. I don't read a lot of food blogs, but I do enjoy that one. She suggested using some barley flour, which I actually had in the freezer so I did that (1/2 c only) and it was fine.

This was good, and super easy to make. It is almost like a coffee cake. It uses a lot of strawberries which is nice. I thought it was a tiny bit dry the first day (perhaps I baked too long). But the second day it was better.

It isn't a beautiful cake. I didn't even take any pictures of it when it was done. It is a nice simple tasty cake. Even though it isn't the best ever, I might make it again because it uses up a nice amount of strawberries and it was good. 

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara (Lighter)

Total Time: 44 minutes
Grade: B
Make Again: Maybe?

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2008)
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010

This was good, but maybe more work than I wanted. My bacon always takes longer to cook than they say it will. I may have used thicker bacon though.

I did add some boneless chicken breast to this to add some more protein. It was a good addition, IMO.

Also, I didn't have any evaporated milk on hand, so just used a tiny bit of cream instead.

I was surprised that the leftovers were still good. I thought it would be a gloopy mess, but it wasn't bad. Not as good as fresh, but still quite edible.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Philly Cheesesteaks (Lighter)

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: B
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2006)
Recipe Source:  Light & Healthy 2010 (The Best of America's Test Kitchen)

Ingredients
1lb. top round steak, cut into strips and partially frozen (25-50 minutes), then shredded with food processor
1 onion chopped (I sliced so I could pick them out later, for my picky eater)
2 teaspoons oil
salt and pepper
5 slices reduced-fat provolone deli-style provolone cheese
4 sub rolls, toasted

Saute the onions over low heat, covered, then add the beef, and cook at higher heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and put cheese on top. Serve on bun.

Yum!

I'm a little bit excited about this recipe, which may seem a little strange, since I only gave this recipe a B. However, the concept of the recipe is what is great, and it tasted really, really good, and it is "light".

The fact that I couldn't make the cheese gooey and melt nicely like the recipe suggested it would is why I don't give this recipe an A. The recipe suggests you should be able to add a lower fat provolone cheese (I used Sargento) to the top of the beef over a low heat, and stir it in after it melts. I've tried this two times, trying to stir at different times, and both times the cheese became very rubbery and never stirred in well. I would assume a higher fat cheese would work fine.

But I don't have a problem with just laying the cheese on top and letting it melt, and skipping the stirring phase. Even the beef without the cheese is very tasty, so that is an option also.

Really the best thing about this recipe is the idea of cutting up the beef (Top Round) into finger pieces that will fit in your food processor tube. Then you freeze them for 30-60 minutes, to make them firm, but not frozen through. After that, you can slice with a thin slicing disk on the food processor.

You don't even really need a recipe for this (although I've linked to the non-light version of the recipe above at the paid Cook's Country site.)

I plan on using this technique for the beef to make these sandwiches also. I've always made that recipe with Shaved Beef from Trader Joe's which is somewhat expensive and full of fat. I was able to get 1.25 lbs of Top Round for a little over $4 on sale, which is much cheaper, and also much leaner. I ended up freezing half of my shaved beef and using a week later to make this recipe a second time. In the future, I may even buy a bigger piece of meat, especially if on sale, and shred a whole bunch at once, and freezing in batches. This will make a super fast dinner when I don't have a lot of time.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Lemon Yogurt Mousse

Prep Time: 43 minutes
Cool Time: 6-24 hours 
Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2011


I was kind of disappointed with the best of 2011 book when I first looked at it after borrowing it from the library last week. There are several recipes from the Light & Healthy 2010 in there, and it seemed like there were other repeats in there. The only CI books I get anymore are these yearly annuals, so I expect to not have repeats.

It seems like a strange assortment of recipes, and I'm not sure how many I will try. However, this Lemon Yogurt Mousse looked good to me, so I decided to try it first. This one recipe may be enough to convince me to buy the book. I don't think it is on-line anywhere. I am guessing the recipe comes from this book but I don't know for sure.

It is a perfect summer recipe. Light, and refreshing. There is a berry sauce at the bottom of the dish, which is a nice little addition and complements the lemon nicely. (Strawberry, blueberry or raspberry - I used strawberries.)

After making the sauce, you make the mousse with egg whites, sugar, greek yogurt, lemon and some heavy cream. I was previously annoyed at having to purchase heavy cream for a light recipe earlier, so I was happy to be able to use some up with this recipe.

The most difficult part of the recipe is whipping the whites and sugar by hand while the bowl is over simmering water to get the eggs to 160 degrees. That takes almost 10 minutes. Otherwise the rest of the recipe is not too bad.

This one is really good. I will definitely make again. It would be good for summer entertaining, because it is a cold dessert and can be made ahead.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Thin-Crust Pizza

Dough Time: 20 minutes (including 10 minutes rest)
Rise Time: 24+ hours
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 12 minutes


Grade: A-
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2011)

This was good, but I struggled to shape the dough. I just couldn't get it to 13". I used Trader Joes' pizza sauce because I hated the sauce from the Veggie pizza a few weeks ago and this one was similar.

I think I prefer the really, really thin crust recipe from 2001 or the Pan Pizza recipe from Cook's Country, which I have made many, many times, because it is fast and really good.  So, even though I liked this, I'm not sure how often I will make it.

Friday, June 03, 2011

Soft Chicken Tacos

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade:C
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010 (The Best of America's Test Kitchen)
Cook's Country TV (registration required, but free - at least for 2011) 

This wasn't horrible, but still disappointing overall. The sauce which consists of Orange Juice, chipotle, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic and cilantro, almost could taste like a spicy, sweet sauce. However, the flavors of the orange juice and chipotle never married, and they were very distinct in the sauce and didn't go together. I cooked the sauce even longer than suggested, but it didn't help.

The recipe is easy and fast, so I was a little disappointed that I didn't love it.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Chicken Florentine (Light)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Grade: B+
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Light and Healthy 2010

It may not look all that appetizing, but this was pretty good. The sauce was very tasty. I wish it was quicker though. I could have done more prep while things were cooking, but when I have time I like to prep first because it is less stressful.

One annoying thing about this recipe is that is calls for 2T of heavy cream. When trying to cook lighter, that isn't an ingredient I'm going to use up a lot. I will have to try to figure out a way to use up the rest.

I only put spinach on half, because I was cooking for someone who doesn't like his spinach cooked. It was good though. The sauce mixed with the spinach is a good lighter sub for creamed spinach. 

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Banana Bread (Lighter)


Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Grade: A
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010

The ways this recipe is "light" is by roasting the bananas to bring out their sweetness. It adds time to prep work, but is easy enough. It cuts the sugar by 1/4 c. from CI's more recent banana bread recipe. They also use only 1 T. oil and 2 oz cream cheese (yeah, I can finish using up the cream cheese I opened for the biscuits and the cookies). It called for fat-free cream cheese, but I used Light, since that is what I had.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Dough: 90 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Grade: C-
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010
 
The picture of this looked so good to me. (In the book, not mine!)

But I really didn't care for it. The dough was fine and I liked the crust of the pizza, which is why the recipe still gets a C. But I hated the no-cook sauce. It made the top of the dough crust a little soggy and it also made my roasted veggies soggy too, so the awesome-ness of roasted veggies disappeared.

I will probably use the dough recipe again and experiment with my own toppings, but I won't be using this light and healthy recipe again.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Cuban Inspired Black Beans and Rice

Soak Time: 8-24 hours
Prep Time: 13 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Prep Time: 27 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: B-
Make Again: No
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2011)

I was sure I'd love this recipe, but it fell a little flat with me. I think the cumin taste overpowered everything else. It calls for 4 teaspoons of cumin, and I think half of that would have worked better.

It wasn't bad, but not something I think was worth the effort. This past winter when I had no time to cook at all, I discovered a quick beans and rice meal. (Boil in the bag Brown Rice, plus canned black beans, plus some salsa with a little bit of cheese on top.) That takes about 3-4 minutes of effort and 12 minutes of cooking time, and was almost as satisfying as this dish.

This dish isn't hard to make, but you do have to soak the beans and cook in stages, so there is some effort involved.

I should add that I used bacon instead of salt port. I used 2 thick slices instead of the 6 regular they suggested. Maybe more bacon or salt port would have tempered the cumin.

I will say the beans after cooking initially were very good, but the final recipe was were things fell flat.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Prep Time: 22 minutes
Cook Time: 11-13 minutes per pan

Grade: A
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV (Season 11)
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (November 2010)


I wrote a post about this yesterday, and it isn't here anymore. :-( So, I am going to keep this short and sweet. These are very, very good. Nice and chewy, even when not warm anymore.
I had already opened some cream cheese, so this helped use up some of the open package. I didn't sprinkle the extra sugar on top at the end, and didn't miss is.

There is a video on the ATK TV show link, and you can get the recipe their also.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Cream Cheese Carrot Muffins


Prep Time: 23 minutes
Cook Time:20  minutes

Grade: A-
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour

These are nice muffins with a cream cheese filling. They are not too sweet, and the filling is very good. I guess I skimped on the filling, because I ended up using only 1/2 - 2/3 and had a lot left over. Also, I probably should have put less batter on the bottom of the pans.

Despite having to grate carrots (it's only 2), and put the batter in the pans in the 3 steps, these are fairly easy to make. I may make again if I have carrots on cream cheese on hand and need to use them up.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Chicken Piccata (Light)

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010



This recipe is somewhat similar to the one from the magazine (from 2001) or the Lighter version they did in 2007.  But it is definitely not exactly the same. I can't find a link anywhere online to this, so I guess you need the book to try it.

I had never tried capers before, and thought I wouldn't like them. I didn't. But I do think they added to the sauce flavor, so would make this again, and just not eat the capers. I may try it without them also to see if I notice a difference.

The sauce was very flavorful. I used less lemon, because I don't like things too lemony. You add just a bit of butter at the end, and it tasted very nice. It takes a while to reduce the sauce, but otherwise, this recipe is pretty easy and quick.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Buttermilk Biscuits (Lighter)


Prep Time: 75 minutes (1 hour from freezing some ingredients)
Cook Time: 17-20 minutes

Grade:B+
Make Again: Maybe
Recipe Source: Light & Healthy 2010

These were good, and very pretty, but I probably won't make them again. They were very flaky, I guess thanks to freezing the light cream cheese and butter. But I missed the buttery flavor from the other biscuits I make. And with 10,000 other biscuit recipes, I think I will just use one of the others.  The Tall and Fluffy biscuits are lighter than most biscuits and I will use those when I want something light. (I just looked for a link to my review of that recipe and can't find it. I can't believe I wouldn't have reviewed this one.  Coming soon, hopefully.)

One interesting thing from trying this recipe. The recipe tells you to arrange them upside down. The tops looked much nicer and smoother, and I thought they would be prettier, so I only turned about half upside down. It turns out there is a reason. The upside down biscuits rose considerably higher. (See photo above - the one on the left was turned upside down, the right one was not.) I guess I should know that they don't tell you to do something if there isn't a reason.

Update: I froze the leftovers, and reheated some today for dinner. I liked them better today. Not sure why that is. I may or may not make these again. So many biscuit recipes, and so many that I probably prefer over this one. 

Monday, May 09, 2011

I'm back



After a very grueling year as a full-time student (my posts from last fall were mostly queued up over the summer), I am hoping to get back to cooking and blogging.

I was studying Graphic Design so I can transition my programming skills into creating web sites. I hope to move this blog to WordPress over the summer and redesign it myself. If I have time.

In the meantime, I have Light & Healthy 2010 from the library, so I will be reviewing some of those recipes soon. And I haven't even looked at Cook's Illustrated all year, so there are probably at least a few recipes there I want to try also.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Rosemary Focaccia

Prep Time: 30-35 minutes (mostly hands-off time)
Rise Time: 2 hours (shape after 1 hour)
Bake Time: 23-25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Baking Illustrated
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 1997)

I just noticed when looking for the link to the recipe on CI's website that they have a new recipe that they published this past summer. I will have to try that one later.  This was good, but I'm not sure I'm compelled to make again soon, so it will be interesting to try the other one.

I used no oil on top, but the oil from pan added enough richness. This was an easy recipe, but you do need to boil a potato which adds to the complexity a touch.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Soft Pretzels

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Rise Time: 2+ hours
Assemble Time: 15-20 minutes
Bake Time: 12-16 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Baking Illustrated

These are not the most attractive pretzels. I never get the salt to stick, and I am not great at shaping them, but they are delicious.

I made these years ago when I first got Baking Illustrated, but it has been at least 3 years. I forgot how good they are.

These are pretty easy to make. The only trouble is rolling them out and boiling them, but even that isn't too hard. My dough didn't rise well (it is cold) and the dough a little tight, so I had trouble rolling some pieces out to 20" like I was supposed to. I just left the hardest pieces to roll in shorter logs, and they still came out great. Next time I may just make them that way instead of rolling to keep the recipe even simpler.

I did burn the bottoms though, so I will have to watch that next time also. 

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Quick and Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Stock Prep Time: 23 minutes
Stock Cook Time: 50-55 minutes
Soup Prep Time: 8 minutes (I prepped some with the stock)
Soup Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen TV Show (Season 10) (Recipe at link)
Recipe Source: Best of America's Test Kitchen 2010
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2009)

Note: This is on the TV show website, so click link above and print, if you would like the recipe. It will probably be available through this year only.

I rarely make homemade chicken noodle soup, because dealing with chicken parts grosses me out. This recipe is pretty simple though, and most of the stock flavor comes from using ground chicken. That is nice and easy. You do have to cut two chicken breasts (on the bone) in half and simmer them in the stock for 30 minutes which also provides some of the flavor (and the meat for the soup.) Cutting the breasts was the hardest part for me. (I'll skip the details on why, because I don't want this to be an unappetizing read!)

The recipe ends up taking about 2 hours from start to finish, but there is really only 35-40 minutes of hands on time, so it is not a lot of work.

The soup was really, really good. The man in my life, who just really doesn't care that much about food (much to my dismay) said after his first bite "Wow, this is good." To elicit that response means it really was good. The broth was very flavorful and potatoes and carrots were perfectly cooked, along with the chicken. I used a frozen thicker Egg Noodle. Mrs Reames (I think.) It was my first time with them, and I think I would use them again, because they are more substantial. I didn't have parsley, so I added some peas at the last moment for a bit of green. I would definitely do that again. I also cut the chicken instead of tearing it, because I hate tearing the chicken.

Next time I make this, I might try doing the stock the day before and letting everything cool down first, so that removing the fat is easier (and you can get more of it.)

I'm not going to make this an A+ recipe yet, but it may get upgraded if after my second attempt I still like it as much.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Chocolate Truffle Tart

Crust Prep Time: 9 minutes
Crust Chill Time: 1 hour 
Crust Assemble Time: 10 minutes
Crust Chill Time: 30 minutes
Crust Bake Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: 2+ hours

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (December 2006)
Recipe Source: Best of 2007

This is quite delicious, but pretty rich. It takes a while to put together, but it really is not difficult. I struggle with rolling out dough, but did ok with this one. I made a half recipe and used 8" tart pan. I used the extra scraps to make a mini tart, seen above.

I would definitely make again, but will serve with ice cream next time to cut the richness, I think.