These came out so pretty! Unless you have monster prawns, I'd double or triple the shrimp (you need 2-3 per roll of the 20-per-pound shrimp). My grocery store (Kroger) sells rounds of pre-made cocktail shrimp, which made this very easy. Didn't use the lettuce, but varied the herbs and carrots. Suggestions: try not to overload with noodles (and I added soy sauce when cooking those for flavor); you're slicing the shrimp lengthwise; and the tea kettle of hot water worked great to keep the wrapping water hot. I think some of the folks having problems with tearing wrappers may have been leaving the wrapper in the water until it is soft. It really, really only needs to be submerged and pulled out immediately--I promise. It will get softer as it sits. Also, I had better luck wrapping by putting the ingredients in a neat shrimp-down pile off center of the round wrapper. Fold up the two short ends, and tuck their corners into the ingredients (you're looking for a rounded edge, not a square one like in gift wrapping), then use the shorter of the long sides to wrap over the ingredients and the longer one to pull them all together. The fish sauce was great (oh, but that smell); didn't get around to the hoisin.

Reviewed On: Oct. 12, 2005

Loved this (a second one is coming out of the oven momentarily). It's a less-greasy alternative to baked brie, and very quick. I used a 10" springform pan, which worked perfectly to open up and slide the pizza onto a cutting board. Spiced up the cranberry sauce with a little cayenne and balsamic vinegar reduction (a splash of the vinegar would work fine). Try to get the softest (smushiest in the center) brie you can find, don't cut off the crust, and don't overload with ingredients to keep it crisp. A yummy, easy appetizer.

Reviewed On: Oct. 12, 2005

Came out with a good soup, lots of flavor. Made it vegetarian by using half vegetable broth and half water. I did have to use more liquid than was called for (maybe because of the ingredients I added), but it didn't cut down on the flavor. Threw in bell peppers and potatoes, and had to use a combination of vinegar and soy sauce because I was out of wine. Highly recommend topping with a good parmesan--it really "made" the soup.

Reviewed On: Jan. 30, 2005