Very good but too much tarragon for me. It overwhelmed the other flavors. The vinegar sauce took a lot longer than 8 minutes at simmer to reduce to 1/2 cup.

By luvtocook | 

October 21, 2009

Very good. (I reserve 5 stars for "to die for") The bacon took 32 minutes at 400 and 5 more at 450 for reach the "until almost crisp" stage. Unable to find maple sugar, piment d'Espelette, or dry rose wine. Substituted light brown sugar, peppercorn medley, and pinot noir. Husband said it was the best tomato soup he had ever had, and 93 yr old mother declared it to be the best bacon she had ever had.

By luvtocook | 

October 14, 2009

Wonderful- SO good!! My new comfort food. Could not find the smoked sea salt or pappardelle at Publix, but Fresh Market had them both. I followed the recipe. Would not recommend cutting back the mascarpone as another reviewer did. I did find the dish salty enough at the end that I was unable to add any more smoked salt. Next time I make it I will rub only half the smoked salt on the meat before I cook it so I can add more at the end. I will also make the sauce the day before, let it sit the fridge and skim the fat before adding the pork, although it might have been that extra fat that made it so yummy.

By luvtocook | 

September 23, 2009

Very labor intensive but wonderful!!! Rave reviews everytime I make it.

By luvtocook | 

June 8, 2009

The chicken browned nicely but I am not sure it was worth the effort to keep turning it every 10-15 minutes. The onions and carrot slices burned on the bottom of the pan , as I thought they might, because there was no liquid there. The basting liquid quickly evaporated due to the high heat. Maybe the veggies needed to be coated in oil and/or liquid put in the bottom. The herbs gave the chicken a nice flavor, but I was unable to make a good herb jus due the almost burnt vegetables.

By luvtocook | 

June 1, 2009

Good, but to make it even better brown 1- 2 minced onions with the sausage and add 1/2-3/4 cups grated Parmesano-Reggiano to pasta with basil.

By luvtocook | 

April 28, 2009

The picture of this dish made it look so appetitizing, but my finished product looked like peas in ketchup. The spinach make the gnudi green. I noticed in looking at the picture of Giada's (food network) that hers was green too. I don't know how Chef Habetz managed to have his turn out white. Also, my dough was way too loose to be able to knead. I used my spatzel maker instead of the plastic bag system he suggested, because it was easier. The flavor was OK, but not as good as I expected, given the yummy ingredients. Plus, as I said, visually it was gross. I'm sure Chefs Habetz and Batali's was much better. For me, it was not worth the effort.

By luvtocook | 

April 19, 2009

I did not have much confidence that I could make this when I started. I have not had much luck with crusts. I used her crust recipe except used 1 T solid Crisco and 5 T unsalted butter. Because Ina Garten said (Barefoot Contessa show "Sweet Home Supper 2005) the key to a good crust is having the ingredients really cold, I made the crust dough in the food processor as Ina did on her show. The recipe said use your fingers but I was afraid the heat of Florida and my hot fingers would not be good. The crust was wonderful, although I had to bake it 10 minutes longer than it said. The filling was also heavenly, but mine never got the deep brown color in the picture. It stayed a darkish golden brown. I also had to cook the onions probably 10 minutes longer than recipe said. Totally worth the effort. Yummy!!

By luvtocook | 

April 13, 2009