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Tag: cookbook review

Caramelized Onion Focaccia: Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take:
6/10

Bread is fantastic, but this bread did not hit it out of the park for me. Using frozen bread dough did not work out really well for me, as the focaccia did not poof up like my focaccia have in the past. The topping is great though, as caramelized onions are amazing on bread.

Eric’s Take:
7/10

I found this recipe delicious. You can sign me up for caramelized onions and cheese any day! Like Zoe, I took issue with the frozen dough. Making dough yourself is daunting, but not that difficult. My bread just didn’t rise enough. To make it worse, the cheese and onions weighed the dough down and caused the bread to sink after it finished baking. I was disappointed by the visuals and textures, but flavor was A+!

April 24, 2019
Quick and Easy Arancini: Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take:
7.5/10

I can make risotto in my sleep so these were not so difficult to do for me. However, the size they wanted was a little big for me. I would have definitely preferred smaller ones. The taste however was fantastic. I wish I had added some sundried tomatoes with the peas, but I will next time.

Eric’s Take:
8/10

I thought this recipe was fantastic. The overall flavor was delicious, the mushroom risotto and peas were earthy and fresh, with a wonderful creaminess. I had two issues with the recipe. First, the instructions say to use a box mix of risotto, preparing as instructed. However, brands vary and mine (I believe) was a bit too wet. The other issue was how heavy these were. These, in theory, should be an appetizer. However, after two I was full. Overall I can overlook those details, because it was a fun, tasty and easy recipe.

April 19, 2019
Tuscan Portobello Melt: Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take:
8.5/10

Oh, this is really good. If you like vegetables and you like grilled cheese, this sandwich is definitely for you. It has everything, melty cheese, roasted vegetables and lots and lots of butter. What’s not to like?

Eric’s Take:
9/10

I knew this recipe was going to start off good when it called for roasting the veggies. Then, it had me toast the inside of the bread before building the sandwich….um..yes! The combination of herbs and mustard was a surprise, but it all worked really well. My only complaint is that the veggie mixture is very messy before the cheese gets a chance to melt. That caused a lot of spillage in the pan. The little bit of balsamic started to burn a bit and it added a bitter bite or two. Overall loved this recipe!

April 9, 2019
Greek Pasta Salad: Cheeselovers Cookbook Review

This month we are reviewing a cookbook where every single recipe includes CHEESE!

Zoe’s Take:
8/10

The pasta salad is really good. I definitely recommend using tri-colored rotini because it really adds that something extra. I do wish there had been more seasonings, I pretty much found the dressing overly oily. But otherwise, this is a very tasty pasta salad.

Eric’s Take:
8/10

This pasta salad was very good, filled with classic greek flavor. I’m a big fan of dill, but this recipe could have done without. I agree with Zoe that some other herbs may have brought this to life a bit more. My major complaint was that the proportions in the dressing seemed off. I too felt there was too much oil. I had extra pasta though, and added it in to balance out. This was definitely a solid start to a cookbook I have high hopes for!

April 3, 2019
Beef Tartare with Harissa: Final Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take
8.5/10

I really liked this recipe, it’s not perfect, but it’s still pretty great. The sirloin is incredibly tender, and when mixed with the harissa and the other ingredients, it’s absolutely lovely. When on a crostini, it’s even better. I added extra harissa and extra garlic to mine because that’s just how I roll.

Eric’s Take
9/10

This recipe was darn near perfect. I don’t typically like tartare’s, and don’t recommend eating any meats raw. I went all out and used a filet for this recipe. It’s much more tender and has less fat marbled through. The only note I have on this recipe was that there needed to be some tweaks. I felt there was too many capers and not enough hairssa. Overall there was a great balance of sour, spice, and saltiness. A great end to this cookbook!

March 28, 2019
Ricotta, Pine Nut, and Honey Bread Pudding: Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take:
6.5/10

As far as I am concerned, bread pudding is a pretty good dessert when made correctly. I have a fantastic bread pudding recipe that’s basically a dark chocolate dream. For me, this one was just okay. None of the flavors really came forward for me, and the pine nuts were really just a weird addition. I was hoping that the ricotta would have made more of an impact in this recipe, but it didn’t. I guess if you’re a really big pine nut and ricotta fan, this might be for you, but it’s not for me.

Eric’s Take:
8/10

I definitely enjoy a good bread pudding. The Challah I got from my local grocery store was a bit soft and I don’t believe it soaked up as much as it should have. The directions were also somewhat ambiguous. For the bread the instructions were 12 cups of cubed bread. That could vary greatly depending on how large the bread is cut. The pine nuts didn’t add in the crunch I was hoping they would. However, I love ricotta, pine nuts and honey. To Zoe’s point this was definitely for me…so maybe I’m a bit biased. The points were lost on ambiguous directions and taste. Not that this wasn’t really good, it just wasn’t stellar.

March 20, 2019
Red Velvet Gnocchi: Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take
3/10

I did NOT like these gnocchi at all. While the color was absolutely beautiful, they did not taste good at all. The texture was almost cake like, you could taste the semolina in the dough easily and they just didn’t have any flavor. I had to cover them in cheese in order to eat them. I definitely think that you should stick to regular gnocchi. Do NOT recommend.

Eric’s Take
3/10

This recipe is the perfect example of something that is great in theory, but not in practice. I agreed with Zoe on every point. The taste was overwhelming beet flavored. The texture was very odd, and they desperately needed a sauce, like a beurre blanc or even a gremolata. This would balance out the flavor and lift the overly earthy gnocchi. I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt that I might not have made them correctly. But both Zoe and I had very similar outcomes. This is at least a problem with the instructions. My dough was very dry, but not knowing what to base it off of, I had to assume correct. Overall, there were too many issues and questions for us to give this more than a 3.

March 13, 2019
Morning Orgasm Cocktail: Cookbook Review Balaboosta

Zoe’s Take:
8/10

This was a really good drink (and I don’t drink bubbly stuff). Obviously, I would never choose this as a drink, because bubbles hurt my nose. But the taste was very good. Pomegranate juice, sugar, rose water and champagne? Those are the ingredients for a very tasty drink. AND, if you can’t or don’t like alcohol, you could always substitute with seltzer or something to make a non-alcoholic version that would still taste amazing!

Eric’s Take:
7/10

Reading the recipe for this drink I was really excited. It seemed like an expertly crafted beverage. The pomegranate juice is deliciously tart. The rose water adds a subtle floral taste that is unmistakable. It rounds out the pomegranate, and with the sugar cube, the sweetness completes the picture. The sugar also acts as a disruptor causing the champagne to continue to bubble. However, the campaign overpowered the drink and I found it lacking that wow-factor I was hoping for. I’m not sure if it would have tasted better with a different brand or not. The rose was also a bit too subtle. It was there, but hard to find. I think that I may play around with the amounts for this in the future, because it has potential to reach a 10! I also may replace the champagne with soda water, lemon juice and vodka. That combination would likely work just as well.

March 6, 2019
Cumin and Lime Spiked Grilled Skirt Steak with Avocado Corn Relish: Cookbook Review

This recipe is from Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken from the Border Grill.

Zoe’s Take:
9/10

I really enjoyed this steak and that’s saying something because I am easily bored by steak. The cumin comes on really strong and it’s supported really well by the lime. I marinated my meat for 24 hours and the meat was quite tender, but I really want to go for 48 and see how tender it gets then. the avocado corn relish is amazing, I want to eat it on everything. My biggest issue is the marination time, and also, I prefer not to use skirt steak unless I have access to a grill (which I do not at the moment).

Eric’s Take:
9/10

I was skeptical with this recipe at first. I had made something similar before, and it wasn’t my favorite to say the least. However, this recipe called for toasting cumin seeds and that made a big difference. The aroma held up to the other strong flavors. The cilantro paired well with the jalapeños, making it not only complex, but delicious. The accompanying corn relish was incredible. By far my favorite bite from this cookbook yet. This recipe lost a point due to the choice of meat. Skirt steak is not always available and is typically better grilled. The long marinade time required to develop a stronger flavor and break down the meat means you can’t just make this dish on a whim. There needs to be long preparation. However, other cuts would likely work very well with this recipe too.

February 20, 2019
Cookbook Review: Onion Soup with Glazed Shallots

This month, Eric and I are reviewing a very interesting and non-traditional cookbook. The Great Chefs of America Cook Kosher is a compilation of recipes from famous chefs and their famous restaurants. In order to really cover the recipes in this book, we’ll be taking a recipe from several different sections of the cookbook. We are starting with soup.

Our recipe for this week is Onion Soup with Whole Glazed Shallots from Chefs Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton from Campanile.

Zoe’s Take:
6/10

For me, the best part of this soup was by far the whole glazed shallots. I was not impressed at all by the soup itself. In my house, my 24 hour French Onion soup is law, and by my standards, the soup itself didn’t live up to it. I felt like I had to dip my toasted croutons in it in order to finish even half a bowl. The shallots on the other hand are amazing. So tender and delicious. I added them right into the soup so that it would add extra flavor.

Eric’s Take:
8/10

I’m a huge fan of onion soups. I really enjoyed this recipe. It was simple to make although it had many ingredients. My favorite part was also the glazed shallots. They were so sweet and tender they could have been mistaken for apples. The soup itself was also very sweet. As there was no added sugar or sweeteners the onions provided it all. The first step of the soup is to break down the onions over 40 minutes. I had mine going for about an hour. This recipe lost 2 points because I felt it was rather plain. It could have benefited from some body, or maybe another type of onion.

February 6, 2019