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Tag: cookbook review

Almond Rose Cake: Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take:
6.5/10

While this cake is fluffy and buttery with that almond and rose flavor gently coming in for a lovely mild flavor, I just wouldn’t make this cake (other than this review). First, since I know how much butter went into it, I can STILL feel the butter in my pores an hour after eating one small slice. Also, despite the buttery texture and gorgeous crumb, it needs some moisture. The Soframiz cookbook says to pair it with rose petal jam. I made the jam and it definitely added what the cake needed.

Eric’s Take:
8/10

This was a delicious cake. I thought it went well with the rose petal jam. On its own it was definitely lacking something. The almond past, butter and eggs make for a very dense batter that lightens up when baking. However, it wasn’t as light as I was hoping. With over two sticks of butter and six eggs this is also a very rich cake. A half-inch sliver was enough for me. This cake lost one point for complexity of instructions. It was a bit harder to follow than other recipes in the book. The last point was on flavor. Although good, I wasn’t as into it as the other recipes.

January 30, 2019
Cheese Borek: Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take:
7.5/10

I like borek. I know them more commonly as borekas, and I ate many of them when I was in Israel last summer. They come in all different flavors, but any with cheese is the best. I liked these borek. I made the yufka myself, mostly because I don’t have a store that sells the pre-made anywhere near me. (I definitely could have rolled them a little thinner) While this borek was definitely good food, it wasn’t the super flaky and super crispy pastry that I know and love. My expectations are the reason this is a 7.5 and not higher rated.

Eric’s Take:
8/10

I’d never had borek before this. I’ve had many different types of pastry using yufka (or similar dough like phyllo). Because this recipe calls for pouring a liquid milk mixture over the layers, the final dish came out denser than I thought. It also wasn’t as flaky as I thought it would be. Overall It was really good and I enjoyed it fresh and reheated the next day. This recipe lost points on two points. I felt there was something missing to counter the saltiness of the cheese. The other problem was that the instructions weren’t as easy as the other recipes to follow. There was some interpretation that ultimately didn’t matter, but did effect the final outcome slightly.

January 22, 2019
Simit: Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take:
10/10

I LOVE SIMIT. Well who wouldn’t. It’s basically a better bagel. When they first come out of the oven, they’re crunchy and delicious. Soframiz recommends you eat them the day they are made. Well, I made simit mountain, so I didn’t eat all mine in one day. Days 2 and 3, they weren’t crunchy anymore, but were still tasty chewy and bagel-like. I must say, I am such a fan of this delicious bread. Really, what’s not to love?

My Simit Mountain

Eric’s Take:
10/10

These came out terrific! The recipe was easy to follow, and had simple ingredients. Like the other recipes in this cookbook I enjoyed making them. Being somewhere between a bagel and pretzel when fresh, these were a huge hit. We tried them with cheese warm. The next day we ate them as bagels with cream cheese. I found no faults with this recipe. I will absolutely be making these again!

January 16, 2019
Sofra’s Chai Tea: Cookbook Review

Zoe’s Take:
8/10

I am not a tea drinker. I never have been, and no one has ever managed to convince me to like it. I’ve tried a ton of different types, made in different ways, and never liked any of them. But this tea, for some reason, is So Damn Good. The chai syrup is silky and thick with amazing flavor and mixed with the black tea and milk, it was so good. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the hot chai, but the iced chai is definitely my jam.

Eric’s Take:

8/10

I found this recipe delightful. I made a batch on a cold and snowy afternoon, and it hit the spot. I love tea, so I was already excited before trying it. The process was a bit long, because the Chai Syrup took some time to reduce and cool. The overall flavor was amazing. The different spices complimented each other, creating depth. I have two reasons for giving 8 points. The first point was lost because one ingredient, cardamom pods, is a bit difficult to come by. The second point was lost because I felt the syrup was too sweet. If I were to make this again, I would half the sugar. At the end of the day this was a great recipe, and I enjoyed preparing and drinking it!

January 9, 2019
Gingerbread People Review

Zoe’s Take:

7/10

I like gingerbread a lot, and these were no different. The biggest problem is that the recipe called for a cake mix that basically doesn’t exist, volume wise, which made the dough very wet. I remedied this by adding more flour. Another problem was because of the cake mix, the gingerbread expanded way more than if I had made the dough from scratch. The gingerbread was very good though, and very moist and chewy, exactly what I was looking for. I decorated each gingerbread person very simply, but they could very well be complex and done with royal icing. Definitely good, but definitely some issues.

Eric’s Take

8/10

I enjoyed making this recipe. The shortcut for this cookie was a spice cake mix. Again, the recipe called for a size that didn’t exist anymore. I also added a tad extra flour and this helped a lot. This was my first time making gingerbread and I had fun doing it. I also decorated very simply. This recipe lost one point for the texture as it was chewy and less traditional. I also dropped it a point for taste. I didn’t overly love the flavor. It was a bit bland and needed some more sweetness. Overall I enjoyed the process and cookies. I gave these cookies away as gifts, and they received very good reviews.

December 19, 2018
Cranberry Cereal Wreaths

Zoe’s Take:

5.5/10

These looked really promising in the cookbook… however, I definitely had some doubts. First of all, it’s a whole lot of sugary sweetness in one cookie. White chocolate is very sweet, and paired with dried fruit (also very sweet), cornflakes, almonds and marshmallows, it was just way too much. Don’t get me wrong, I like sweet things. But these were just way too sweet for me. Then there’s the fact that actually making them is a very messy process. I used a very large mixing bowl, and ingredients still kept coming out while I was mixing it. Also, it’s a little bit impossible to mix cornflakes gently. Finally, actually shaping the wreaths was a PAIN. I was smart and used gloves, but I don’t think most home cooks keep gloves for cooking in their pantry. They didn’t want to stick together and making the hole in the center was even more frustrating. They took about 15 minutes to cool down and dry and THEN they stuck together pretty well. I do like that they are very good for decorating.

Eric’s Take:

6/10

This was a disappointment for me. I felt the same way Zoe did. Everything started out well. The ingredients were easy to find and put together. Everything changed when it came time to form the wreathes. The batter was very sticky, but as I made the holes and formed the wreathes as instructed, they started to fall apart. I can give the recipe the benefit of the doubt though. For this recipe I believe timing is critical. Once the white chocolate begins to cool it’s more difficult for the mix to keep a shape. The ones that made it hardened and were easy to decorate and transfer to a plate, which I was worried about. They second major problem…again, much like Zoe I felt they were too sweet. I don’t like super sweet things, so these made me cringe a bit. I think they would be great paired with other treats though, and would make a lovely addition to a cookie plate.

December 12, 2018
Pecan Pie Bars: Cookbook Review 1

This month, Zoe & Eric are reviewing The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book, a cookie/dessert cookbook. This cookbook is all about shortcuts, making cookies with pre-made mixes and other shortcuts to make the process easier and faster.

Zoe’s Take:

8/10

I love pecan pie. It’s my favorite at Thanksgiving and my favorite at Christmas too. The biggest problem I have with pie is that the crust is often too much. With these pecan pie bars, I felt like I didn’t have to deal with a large amount of crust while I was eating it, which was definitely a plus. What I didn’t like so much was that the shortcut in the recipe made it so the pecans I added last didn’t really want to stay on the top, they just sunk into the batter. I also didn’t use corn syrup, I used honey instead, which didn’t make a big difference. I would definitely recommend these bars to a pecan pie lover, or someone who has a ton of people coming over for the holiday.

Eric’s Take

8/10

This cookie bar was delicious. It’s really just a denser pecan pie that you can cut into bars. The big “short-cut” here was using cake mix for the bottom. The recipe called for a 18.25 ounce package. The problem with that is most cake mixes don’t come in that size. It’s difficult to account for measured conversions when baking with eggs, so I just ignored the fact I was missing some mix. This was used in the crust, which is baked first. The dough wasn’t the easiest to spread, but I eventually got it level. The mix was easy enough to put together, but in following the directions exactly I believe I over-mixed my “Filling” (The pecan/custard part). The directions called for mixing for a minute on low speed, then a minute on medium speed. This recipe was also very rich. A square inch of this bar is enough for me. Those last two reasons are why this recipe lost two points. Overall very good and they ended up being a crowd pleaser!

December 5, 2018
#3: New Brunswick Slider

Zoe’s Take:

9.5/10

This was a really good slider that I was not actually expecting. The idea of using a ‘pot roast’ as slider meat seemed a little off to me at first. I’m so happy that I was wrong. Everything about these sliders was just SO GOOD. So why didn’t I give it a 10/10? Two reasons. The first reason is that it takes at least 5 hours to make between slow cooking the roast and making the sauce. The second reason is that I felt it needed something. Since I’m really into spicy and hot, I decided to switch out the pickled vegetables on top for my homemade candied jalapeno peppers. For me, that REALLY helped step the slider up to perfection. I definitely recommend you make this slider ASAP.

Eric’s Take:

9.5/10

This is my favorite recipe out of the cookbook so far! I’m kicking myself for not trying this at Epcot. The recipe for the pot roast is relatively basic. I decided to use my crockpot instead of a dutch oven. The sauce was really good too, I love Chinese mustard….which is basically Dijon mustard and horseradish. The lightly pickled vegetables added a great crunch to the sandwich. This recipe lost points on complexity. Similar to Zoe I felt it was a bit long to make the pot roast. Especially when considering the final product. For example, some roast beef would have been just as good and taken far less time. Overall great recipe!

November 20, 2018
#2: Bailey’s Milkshake

Zoe’s Take

4/10 original recipe
8/10 modified recipe

I dislike Guinness. I think that it just tastes really bad. So when I saw it was in this milkshake, I was not happy about it. So I made it. All I could taste was the Guinness in the original milkshake. I wouldn’t drink it past the first two sips. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like it either. So I remade it. I switched the Guinness with milk (2%) and added an extra 2 TBSP of dark chocolate syrup. That simple switch made all the difference. Suddenly, something that tasted so bad was so good. With the milk, it felt like a real milkshake and actually tasted like something I could drink more regularly. So, if you like Guinness or Irish dry stouts, this recipe is for you. If you’re just about the awesome milkshake life, instead try my modified recipe.

Eric’s Take

6/10

I too am not a fan of Guinness. I didn’t mind the original recipe’s flavor though. The biggest problem for me was the proportions and instructions for this recipe. They seemed to phone it in on this one. The amount of liquid from the Guinness and Baileys made the drink too thin. I added a bit extra vanilla ice-cream to mine. In addition, instructions call for simply blending the ingredients. It seemed like there was a step missing. I also found it difficult to drizzle the chocolate syrup on the drink. That might have been the brand I was using though. I overall liked this recipe, I just think the instructions were laking.

November 14, 2018
#1: Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter, Caramelized Onions, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds Review

Zoe’s Take:

8/10

I really liked this ravioli. First off, I didn’t have to make pasta dough. The use of egg roll wrappers makes this recipe a lot easier for people who don’t necessarily know how to or have time to make pasta. The manchego cheese is what made the ravioli for me though. Butternut squash is good and all, but I love manchego cheese and it really helped the butternut squash become a fuller more nutty flavor. However, the real star of the show was the caramelized onions. Without them, the dish wouldn’t be as good in my opinion. I do think I would prefer that the ravioli be in pasta instead of egg roll wrappers however.

Eric’s Take

7.5/10

This was a great start to this cookbook review. This dish is very substantial. You only need a few ravioli to fill you up. The caramelized onion adds complexity to the otherwise fairly plain ravioli. The pumpkin seeds are more than just a garnish as they add texture to the dish. My only problem with the flavor of this recipe was that it was laking something to cut through the fattiness of all the butter. Brown butter is amazing, but on top of the buttery caramelized onions and ravioli filling, it was a lot. Some additional acidity may have been nice. I took liked the ease of the egg roll wrapper as a shortcut. However, if I were to make this recipe again I would probably make pasta dough. It’s relatively easy to make, and much easier to fill. The size of the ravioli in the recipe was also a problem for me. It was a good size, but very difficult to cut without a very small biscuit/cookie cutter, which most people don’t have.

November 7, 2018