Cookbook update!

Hi!

I hope you are enjoying your exploration of Eric Gower's world of breakway cooking!

Several of us have tried some recipes that didn't really work very well for our tastes as well as some that were very yummy and worth cooking again.

Mary and I have both cooked extensively out of Eric's first cookbook The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen and loved most of the dishes so if you would rather cook from this book for our dinner, please feel free to bring a dish to the dinner from either book.

Here are the dishes that I've tried that I liked:
1. I've made most of his seasoned salts, except the Kaffir Lime Salt, (pp. 36-37) and do like having them in a little bowl beside the stove to add a little extra taste to everyday dishes.
2. Miso-Orange-Pepper Roasted Chicken (p. 124) was very good. It was easy to follow and the only drawback was to remember to set aside enough time to brine the chicken....not a last minute dish!
3. Minty, Boozy Chicken (p. 129) was really delicious. A surprising combination of flavors that end up really working well together.
4. Supergreen Wonder Soup (p. 78) was another winner. I cooked it for a friend who is recovering from major surgery as a result of a skiing accident. It was both delicious and very healthy!
5. Restorative Chicken Soup (p. 86) was another good soup with initially simple flavors but complex undertones. I think I cut the chicken in too small pieces and would chop the chicken in larger pieces next time.

These are the dishes that were disappointing so far (so you won't have to try them):
1. Ahi Salad w/ Plum, Asian Pear and Avocado (p. 60) Amazingly bland. I did not use the Kaffir salt and maybe that made the difference but his recipe allowed for Kosher salt as a substitute.
2. Clay-Pot Chicken with Leeks and Lotus Root (p. 130). Both Sandi and I tried this one and we both thought that it was lacking something and a waste of lotus root.
3. Pomegranate Potatoes (p. 168) ended up with tastes that were too weird for me. I didn't think the combination worked at all.
4. Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon (p. 117) was okay but not a memorable dish. Somehow, for me, the pomegranate did not go well with the salmon. I think I'll give up on the pomegranate dishes...

If you've tried some of the dishes and want to share your results, please add your trials, successes and errors too.

Bon Appetit!

Sandra