NYTCB Project Weeks 6 and 7: Jackpot!

Butternut Squash and Cider Soup: Pretty, but didn’t make the cut. 😞

Out of these 6 recipes, 5 will definitely make it into our permanent repertoire.

#22 Almond Cake (p. 829) This simple, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth delight did not look too promising when it came out of the oven. Powdedered sugar helped. I’m not a great baker and had never made a cake recipe using the food processor, so my confidence was low. Fortunatley, Amanda Hesser and her mother-in-law (the author of this masterpiece) knew what they were doing. Unanimous rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

#23 Steamed Fish with Thyme and Tomato Vinaigrette (p. 425) Although we made this on a winter evening, its fresh, lively flavor reminded us of warmer weather. This recipe works great on a weeknight, especially if you were to make the vinaigrette ahead of time. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

#24 Roasted Cauliflower (p. 248) This is not so much a recipe as a technique. We roast cauliflower all the time with various seasonings, our go-to being salt, pepper and olive oil. What makes this different – and it was a game-changer for us – is slicing the cauliflower. The change in texture and flavor due to increased carmelezation created at least one cauliflower convert in our family. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

#25 Butternut Squash and Cider Soup (p. 135) I admit that I am ambivalent about squash soup. This was not the best we have made. It did evoke Thanksgiving flavors as the author’s note suggests. Perhaps it was the cider we chose, but the flavor was somewhat flat. Not bad, but not great either. Unanimous rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

#26 Drunken Beans (p. 290) We ate these over rice with the Staff Meal Chicken (#27) Just. Perfect. The texture and flavor were all that you want in a warm, comforting pot of beans. Overall rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

#27 Staff Meal Chicken with Salsa Verde (p. 499) This is one of those recipes that has you scratching your head when you are making it, but makes perfect sense when you put it in your mouth. It worked very well as a weeknight dinner. We marinaded the chicken overnight and just popped it in the oven. Leftovers are wonderful in salads, sandwiches, bowls, etc. Due to time and ingredient limitations, we did not make the salsa verde. We used our go-to Mrs. Renfro’s Green Salsa, which was great as always. I’m sure we will make this again and will give the homemade salsa a try. Unanimous rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Replays: Dried Apricot, Cherry, and Cranberry Infusion is becoming a regular thing. Just perfect on a cold Friday night.

NYTCB Project Weeks 4 and 5: Comfort Food Galore!

Oliver Clark’s Meatloaf – strange and delicious

#15 Brownies (p. 732) These brownies have a perfect, slightly crusty top and are very moist and rich. They are less caky than other brownie recipes we have tried. We made them without nuts. We learned to separate the edges from the pan before turning the brownies out. We doubled the first batch and used 13×9″ pan. We ended up remaking these a week later because they were so good! Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5

#16 Golden Winter Puree (p. 235) I just love the look of this dish. It’s like a little patch of sunshine on your plate. It was an excellent alternative to mashed potatoes. We will be making this simple and tasty dish again for sure! Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

#17 Winter Slaw with Lemon-and-Orange Dressing (p. 183) This crunchy, refreshing salad came together quickly and is a nice alternative when salad ingredients are looking sad at the grocery store. It was a treat to have something so light with all of the richer, heartier dishes we tried this week. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

#18 Italian Beef Stew with Rosemary (p. 543) This is definitely a weekend recipe. The toast under the stew is delicious, but I wonder if it really needs butter. Next time I will try it with my standard garlic toast recipe next time, which calls for olive oil. We cooked this longer than recommended with excellent results. We doubled the recipe and used top-round roast. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

#19 Pasta with Vodka (p. 327) Another insanely simple pasta recipe with very satisfying results. We made it on Friday night after a busy day. It was a wonderful way to start the weekend. Overall rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

#20 Pasta and Bean Soup (p. 153) This may be my favorite so far! Perfect on a chilly night. This is a relatively simple soup with complex flavor and a comforting texture. The rosemary is a brilliant addition! Unanimous rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

#21 Oliver Clark’s Meatloaf (p. 572) This may be the weirdest and most wonderful meatloaf recipe we have ever tried. It takes a while to pull it together, but it’s worth it. It also yields a pretty gigantic meatloaf, serving 8 easily. Our result was delicious, but a bit crumbly. Next time, we will compress the mixture more thoroughly before cooking and try adding the bacon a bit earlier (45 minutes or so) to allow it to finish cooking on the meatloaf while not overcooking the loaf. Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 (SAH deducted a point due to the recipe’s negative climate impact – there is a lot of meat in this loaf!).

Replays: We made Tarragon Sheet Pan Chicken, Perfect Batch of Rice, and Dried Apricot, Cherry, and Cranberry Infusion again. They did not disappoint!