This recipe was almost perfect for my purposes. I only had a 9x13 cake pan (silly, I know) so I was looking for something that would really fill up the pan and this was absolutely it. It was done in 60 minutes and was suprisingly browner than I wanted it. The taste was great but it was just darker than I was expecting. It was definitely a lot lighter than most pound cakes and it actually took a couple of bites for me to register that signature 'pound cake' texture. I served it both plain and drizzled with lemon sauce. It was great both ways.

Reviewed On: Dec. 28, 2007

Giving this recipe three stars because I appreciate the underlying cooking technique of very low heat for very long periods of time more than the recipe itself. I followed the recipe to the letter once I got a fairly unispiring result that was a bit dry and in need of gravy. When I tried the variation of amping up the levels of spices and--crucial for me in terms of tenderness--brining the bird beforehand, then marinating it, then rubbing olive oil and over the skin before roasting as directed, I got a truly standout bird. In either instance, I think the result was acceptable for a beginners' attempt and I do recommend this as a good place to start for those who don't have whole-bird roasting experience.

Reviewed On: Dec. 24, 2007

I am giving this four stars only because I am an inexperienced cook and will need to try it again to give it a higher rating. This is my very first batch of biscuits and they are *so* good. Fluffy, light with a crunch top and tender inside. My only complaint is that they aren't as golden as I would like but with a taste this good, I don't really care. My variation was to use regular milk instead buttermilk because I didn't have any on-hand and wasn't adventurous enough to 'make' it. Also, although I see it says you need to knead it for 2 minutes, I aimed for more like a minute, since I was worried about the dough becoming tough. I used a glass to cut out nice circular shapes and 15 minutes or so later, I was thrilled. I will DEFINITELY make these again.

Reviewed On: Dec. 24, 2007