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Original poster

Let's discuss the things we've made from Nigella's new book.

77 replies

AgentProvocateur · 01/10/2010 16:13

I know there are a few Nigella threads, but I thought it would be useful to have one to discuss what we've made, and how it turned out.

I've made the marmalade cake, which was nice, but not terribly marmalade-y. If I do it again, I'll buy darker marmalade to use.

The African chicken was good, but I added chilli the second time I made it, and it was better.

The Guinness Gingerbread is baking at the moment, and it's not smelling good! When I added the flour and bicarb of soda, there was a fishy smell...

I'll post back when it's out the oven.

OP posts:

muggglewump · 11/11/2010 17:52

I've done the salami pasta, chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, red velvet cupcakes and the salty peanut chocolate thing.
They were all great. Cakes very red so not for too often though!

I wanted to try the meatballs but I'm a bit put off now.

I fancy doing the asian stew next week.

DD not keen on marmite so I'll do it for me one night she's not around.

Herecomesthesciencebint · 14/11/2010 22:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HollyBollyBooBoo · 15/11/2010 03:07

Haven't bought this book (she's just bought a £12m property, she doesn't need another tenner from me, jealous? Moi?!) but have all her previous ones and totally agree that a lot of her recipes are bland. I almost always have to add much more salt than she recommends and this does seem to help.

Sherbert37 · 15/11/2010 04:39

Sunshine soup is delicious. We like the choc chip cookies which I make with an ice cream scoop.

charmander · 15/11/2010 05:45

Can I be an annoying pedant and point out that you may have meant a nutritional desert not dessert Herecomesthe sciencebint!

Not a problem but it does look very funny on this thread!

bacon · 17/11/2010 10:59

The asian beef was perfect - nice change from the boring beef in wine/gravy etc. With the crispy salad on top worked well. I served mine on noddles. Omitted the chillies on my 5 year old plate. He loved it. I used diced brisket as hate shin!

Not bought her book, really I'm not buying anymore books you can get most of the receipes on line now.

ALways good to review recipes as fed up with rubbish books.

jennymac · 17/11/2010 16:29

Made the spanish chicken dish and it was not nice. However, have made recipes from her other books and recommend the lemon risotto from Nigella Bites, and the spag carbonara and chocolate cake from Feast.

NigellaPleaseComeDineWithMe · 19/11/2010 12:50

The venetian carrot cake - can you give me the recipe - not sure how much oil & ground almonds she used. Think this is like a pumpkin type cake which is from same area and quite similar.

largewhizzingrocketandtonic · 19/11/2010 13:09

I make tons of her stuff and like it most of the time.

I want someone to make the Grasshopper pie so i can decide if it is worth me buying creme de cacao blanc. Have creme de menthe.

I made the peanutbutter cheesecake and it was bleurgh. Dissapointing. The kids liked the first 3 mouthfuls but is was so sickly after that.

I make her carbonara and old fashioned choc cake all the time. Love the Feast book and her How to eat. Refer to them time and time again.

The nacho's with crab for a starter in her Christmas book are bloody lovely.

largewhizzingrocketandtonic · 19/11/2010 13:10

Crikey must name change. Fireworks were a while ago...

detoxdiva · 19/11/2010 13:23

I made the choc peanut butter cheesecake and found it much tastier the following day.

silverten · 20/11/2010 21:33

What on earth is Grasshopper pie? Sounds like it might be unappealingly..crunchy.

You could always do what I read about in a student cookbook years ago- go to a pub with a jam jar and just buy a measure or two of whatever liqueur you lack to try it out!

peakythepoltergeist · 21/11/2010 07:55

made the grasshopper pie at halloween, and it was great! I used double choc oreos instead of bourbons, and couldnt find any creme de cacao blanc, so useda little white hot choc powder instead. Needed to be left overnight, 5 hrs wasnt quite enough.
Guiness gingerbread - good, lovely texture, needs more ginger imo.
Banana cherry coconut - amazing! Highly reccomend.
Banana choc muffins - not a fan. Bland and rubbery.
Flourless Lime choc cake - realy good, won rave reviews at family dinner party. Served with vanilla ice cream instead.
Would like to try the sunshine soup and tomato curry
Feast is a great book, love the italian guacamole, involtini, malteaser choc cake, all fab.
Express also has some great recipes.
I love reading nige, but cant bear her on tv. Also found the cover annoying on kitchen, so took it off to find a lovely hardback made to look like a chopping board - much better! Paper one now in bin.

Housewife2010 · 26/01/2011 20:47

I made the chicken with chorizo and potatoes at the weekend and it was gorgeous. I was so impressed that it only took 10 minutes to prepare, an hour to cook and was so good. I've been recommending it to all my friends.

wigwam1973 · 27/01/2011 13:39

I've made turkey meatballs using pork mince as it was all I had. Quite nice although sauce far too watery if you follow recipe. Will use much less next time.

I do wish she wouldn't grin all the time.

Is the pasta with salami worth making?

nannyl · 27/01/2011 13:39

pork and apple casserole thing! YUM

bondgirl77 · 28/01/2011 16:35

Really interested to find this thread. Normally I really like Nigella recipe books but this one I keep flicking through thinking that something will leap out at me as appealing to cook and end up resorting to some of her previous books. There are a lot of versions of previous recipes, particularly a south indian veg curry recipe that is just the keralan fish curry from Forever Summer with a few tiny modifications. I wanted to try a new meatball recipe from it but resorted to her superb meatball recipe from Nigella Bites. I just find all these recipes in the new book seem to be incredibly rich (how many cheesecake recipes does one person need??), and a lot of the 'children's' recipes look like they would have tons of salt in (although her children are teens now so I suppose she's not that bothered anymore). It's a bit of a fussy point but I also dislike the new layout with all the tacky hearts everywhere. I always thought that font the previous books use is really classic, clean and simple, unfussy. The only one that really appeals is the spring chicken, and that's partly because I've coveting her shallow Le Creuset cassserole dish...

Maria2007loveshersleep · 28/01/2011 21:27

Right. I've done a few more most of which were really good.

The halloumi with beetroot & lime was surprisingly good. A very interesting taste combination, highly recommend it.

The peanut butter hummus also very very good, a nice variation on normal hummus.

We also tried the wholegrain mustard & ginger cocktail sausages (NOT in a bread loaf!) which we all loved including my fussy DS. Will certainly be making that one again.

Highly recommend the irish oaten rolls, were incredibly quick/easy to make & lovely eaten warm with anything really. The easiest bread you can make on a weeknight.

Scallops with Thai scented pea puree: sounds weird but was delicious, good to make for a friend, it's the sort of thing men usually don't like for some reason.

Blondies were an utter disaster. Burnt on the outside & were completely raw on the inside. Not sure what (if anything) I did wrong, but I'm not at all convinced by that one.

Everyday brownies really good & easy.

Old fashioned cheesecake was really dense & delicious, different to normal cheesecakes. Made for a few friends & they all loved it.

Blueberry cornmeal muffins were so so. Nice to eat but didn't hold their shape at all well, very crumbly.

Chocolate banana muffins: I really really didn't like, very bland & dry.

Lemon meringue fool: wonderful.

Whew. Wrote quite a lot there didn't I :)

beijingaling · 29/01/2011 02:11

Maria I had the same problem with the blondies and they were the most tasteless things ever. Choc chip cookies were like rocks for me. Will try again with only 10 ,ins in the oven.

auntpolly · 29/01/2011 09:06

I made the blondies last night, after about 20 mins I covered them with foil and put them back in the oven because I could see they were going to burn. They were cooked (and nice but very, very sweet) and completely stuck to the tinfoil. I had to scrape them off and they disintegrated.

The turkey meatballs are a bit tasteless and dry, more seasoning and larger meatballs would have helped. 1 tin of water for each tin of tomatoes was far too much, makes you wonder if the recipe was actually tested!

I might try the marmite spaghetti with the kids and add some broccoli on the side to ease my guilt!

auntpolly · 29/01/2011 09:09

Just thought I'd add the blondies stuck to the tinfoil I lined the tin with (not the foil I put on top), I did wonder if I should have greased the foil first?

Flisspaps · 29/01/2011 09:10

The Spanish chorizo chicken thing (very nice) and the peanut butter cheesecake (not quite so nice)

beijingaling · 29/01/2011 09:39

auntpolly i had the same problem but mine never cooked.

taffetasplat · 29/01/2011 16:25

Anyone else made the marmalade pudding cake? I not the op has and says to add a stronger marmalade.

I am making it tomorrow for PILs so would like to make it good. I'm thinking a strong marmalade and maybe up the quantity?

taffetasplat · 30/01/2011 19:43

OK I made the marmalade pudding cake. Based on the op's comments, I added my very tart hm pink grapefruit marmalade to the mix - I didn't measure it but prob about a third more than the recipe calls for and used my hm seville orange marmalade mixed with OJ for the glaze.

It was very, very good. It makes lots - we were 4 adults 2 children, 2 had seconds and still nearly half of it left. So I have frozen it to make the trifle with at a later date.

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