Northstar Recipe Reviews (Pg. 1) - Allrecipes.com (1274652)

Shrimp Lemon Pepper Linguini

Reviewed: Feb. 11, 2009

Honestly, I found the proportions in this recipe inexplicable. First, the ratio of broth to wine and lemon juice seems so off. It tasted awful when I followed those directions: way too much wine and juice, so it tasted very sharp and acidic. I ended up having to add a tbsp of sugar to counteract the acidity. The perfect ratio is 2 cups broth to 1/2 cup wine to 2 tbsps lemon juice. That is more classic and turns out far better. Let that boil down until only half remains. Second, the pepper is great, but the amount is absurd. It is supposed to taste peppery, not set your mouth on fire. I found 1/2 tsp pepper enough to provide a great bite and rich flavor. You can stir in a little cream at the end to make the sauce 'saucier'; it is very runny as written. With the changes, it's good, and it's easy to make.

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8 users found this review helpful

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2008

This is really wonderful. The cloves make the recipe. Without the cloves, it's just a good tomato soup, nothing out of the ordinary. With the cloves, it's a unique treat. I used two 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes, and just put a submersible hand-blender right into the pot. It worked great. I made this twice, and the 2nd time, I did not even make the 'roux'. The consistency is lovely without it, just thick enough. And it's healthier without the butter, so now I can make this often and feel great about it. You can throw in a half-cup of cream of half-and-half, but I did not find this to make a big difference. One word of advice: do 'not' add basil to this soup. While most tomato soup is better with basil, it doesn't work here because of the cloves. Cloves and basil just do not go together. Trust me... I tried. :-)

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4 users found this review helpful

Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake (Kladdkaka)

Reviewed: Jul. 9, 2008

Absolutely terrific. I am Swedish and have been looking for a way to make Kladdkaka on my own. This is it. I only had a 9" glass pie plate (rather than 8" as the recipe calls for) and it worked perfectly. You get a crisp/gooey crust and a sticky, moist inside. Note that the top will sort of collapse and crack as the cake cools. This is normal and authentic! Also, you must let it cool completely or it will just seem runny. Most importantly, for those of you who felt the cake was too liquid: it is all about how you mix the batter. Beat the egg/sugar mixture for a good 5 mns with an electric beater. But stir just a little with a spoon when you mix in the flour mixture and the butter. A total of 30 strokes should do it and it should be by hand. This way, you'll get just the right consistency. Awesome with a bit of freshly whipped cream and a cup of coffee.

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66 users found this review helpful

Very Best Blueberry Cobbler!

Reviewed: Apr. 22, 2008

Very tasty, but I ran into a few problems. For one thing, you must halve the sugar unless you want it reeeaaaally sweet. Also, I used frozen berries and I think that may have caused problems: the whole thing was too 'juicy' even though I added some cornstarch to the berry mixture; and the batter, while really tasty, never set properly in the middle, but got almost too brown on top. I had to bake it longer to get the batter to set at all, which is probably what made the top too brown. The batter just wouldn't cook evenly. Next time, I would use fresh berries for sure, or thaw the berries first and let excess juice run off. I think the proportion of batter to berries is just right, though -- most cobbler recipes I see do not have enough batter to really cover the fruit properly. This is very good. But if anyone else has suggestions about making it less runny and making the matter set properly, please let me know!

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3 users found this review helpful

Blueberry Crisp II

Reviewed: Mar. 28, 2008

I actually think you can definitely taste the mayo in this, which I did not like at all. Also, the crisp part never turned crisp enough in the oven. It sort of stayed mushy. Not a fan. There are much better blueberry crisps out there, with just a little bit of extra work to make a proper topping.

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1 user found this review helpful

Coconut Curry Fish

Reviewed: Mar. 20, 2008

I agree with some other reviewers --- this is a decent recipe, but it really does turn out lacking in flavor. It's spicy, but does not have any really distinct flavor to me other than somewhat curry-ish. Oddly, I really couldn't taste the coconut milk at all. Something is missing, but I am not sure what. Adding more salt does not do it. That said, it was pretty good, if you use a good quality fish, and the spice is tasty enough. Just not something I would take the time to make again, since I think there are better fish recipes. I made this exactly as directed, by the way.

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Best Ever Blueberry Cobbler

Reviewed: Mar. 20, 2008

Great recipe. I used frozen blueberries, right out of the freezer. As suggested by another reviewer, I tossed one and a half tbsps corn starch into the berries to help thicken, and also added 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, and a few dashes of nutmeg. I baked about 10 mns longer than directed. It was absolutely delicious. Even better the next day. BUT, I definitely suggest making double the batter. I made the amount stated in the recipe and thought the recipe could definitely use more to make it like a standard cobbler.

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1 user found this review helpful

Lemon Rosemary Salmon

Reviewed: Mar. 20, 2008

Fantastic. I expected it to be a bit bland, given how few ingredients/spices are used, but wow, it was far from it. I prepared and baked exactly as directed, and it was delicious. Incredibly quick and easy to make. A real winner.

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1 user found this review helpful

Chocolate Cherry Cake III

Reviewed: Feb. 27, 2008

Absolutely fantastic. Most importantly, it does not taste like a packaged cake. It's absolutely delicious --- moist, flavorful, festive but still simple. I baked it in a 10" Bundt pan for about 40 mns and it came out perfect. The almond extract makes a big difference, so do not skip or substitute it. I suggest following the recipe exactly as is. The frosting is fudgy and fabulous. The cherry flavor is subtle, but still definitely there. The whole thing is much better the next day, however. You might not be that excited about it if you eat it when it's just out of the oven. Make the cake, pour the frosting on it per directions, and serve it the next day. It's a major hit!

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24 users found this review helpful

World's Best Lasagna

Reviewed: Feb. 18, 2008

Fantastic recipe. Do not make this without the fennel seeds; they're a big part of what gives this lasagna its wonderful and distinctive flavor. The only big problem is the salt. When I made it with 1 tbsp, like the recipe calls for, it was sooo salty that I kept waking up at night to drink water. Still too salty with 1 tsp. You do NOT need more than 1/2 tsp. I also added 1/8 tsp of ground nutmeg to the ricotta cheese. Used 9 whole-wheat lasagna noodles and baked exactly as directed. Just soaked the noodles in hot water for 30 mns, as other reviewers suggested. Used shredded mozzarella instead of slicing it. It all worked perfectly. I have actually made this vegetarian style too, with those meat-style vegetarian crumbles you can get in the fresh section at Trader Joe's. It turned out incredibly good--tastes just like a real meat lasagna, and even my meat-eating guests raved about it. Baked it exactly as directed in that case too. This is a wonderful recipe!

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5 users found this review helpful

Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake

Reviewed: Feb. 15, 2008

Oh. My. God. This is IT. This is the most amazing chocolate cake. Followed directions precisely but used Grand Marnier instead of Kahlua. The only thing I might suggest is that for some people, the alcohol might be a bit too much, so try 1/4 or 1/3 cup instead of 1/2. The cake is very moist and very rich. Melts in your mouth. You'll need some milk handy!

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0 users found this review helpful

Strawberry and Feta Salad

Reviewed: Feb. 8, 2008

Really wonderful. I made it exactly as stated with the minor exception that I added a small pinch of salt to the dressing, since salt helps bring out flavors, including sweet ones like are in this salad. So delicious. You can leave out the feta and make it more of a side salad. It's still an absolute winner. Will make often.

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1 user found this review helpful

Baked Spaghetti

Reviewed: Jan. 24, 2008

Wow this is good. Wonderful comfort food, soooo tasty. My package of spaghetti was 12 oz instead of 16 oz but that was more than enough. I used more sauce than what is called for to get 'full coverage' of the spaghetti--- probably an extra two cups. I've made this entirely without the meat, for my vegetarian husband, and it's still amazing! He loves it. For those of you who thought the flavor was bland, that is probably because of the sauce you're using. The sauce is really the only seasoning you're using besides the seasoned salt, so use a good one that you really like. I used one with roasted peppers and garlic flavor. Baked it exactly as directed, and it wasn't dry at all. Just exactly right. It is also cheap to make since it makes a lot of food, about eight filling portions, and you can refrigerate and microwave it up. Thanks for this recipe!

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201 users found this review helpful

Baked Tilapia

Reviewed: Jan. 19, 2008

Very good, and a beautiful presentation. I used a red onion. I actually use only two fish fillets and keep everything else the same. Love all the flavors on the fish! If you have a broiler that has a 'high' and a 'low' setting, use the low setting and make sure you have at least four inches between the fish and the flame, or it will burn. Great recipe.

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1 user found this review helpful

Better Than Sex Cake II

Reviewed: Sep. 24, 2003

You can't beat this for a quick and easy dessert, but you have to like it sweeeet... My boyfriend thinks this is the best chocolate cake he's ever had, but a few of my friends found it too sweet. I loved it. For those of you who had trouble with the caramel running into the cream, I'd suggest waiting until all the caramel has seeped into the cake (which it will if you make lots of slits), and waiting until the cake has cooled before putting on the whipped topping. I had no problems. It looked gorgeous with extra topped candy on top! Next time I will try this with Butterfingers.

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3 users found this review helpful

Award Winning Chili

Reviewed: Sep. 24, 2003

Easy and darn good! I didn't use the carrots, but definitely used the bacon and may add a bit more next time. The bacon adds a wonderful, smoky base to the chili. Also chopped up a small red-hot chili pepper to spice it up a little. Used Heinz 57 for the steak sauce. The chili lasted all week -- very economical meal planning!

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34 users found this review helpful

Chili I

Reviewed: Jul. 6, 2003

This is good, but Oh So Spicy if you follow the recipe exactly -- and I can usually tolerate pretty spicy food. If you want to taste anything but heat, you need to adjust the spices. I used only 1/2 tsp. cayenne and 3 (jalapeno) peppers, and it was still so hot that the spiciness overpowered all other flavors. Not sure what the point of all those unusual ingredients is if you are only going to taste heat, with a bit of sweetness in the background. I suggest using 1/8 tsp. of cayenne and omitting the peppers, or using only 1. I used 1 3/4 lb. ground sirloin, no sirloin cubes.

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1 user found this review helpful

The Best Pavlova

Reviewed: Jul. 6, 2003

Fabulous, and surprisingly easy! One of the few recipes on this site that actually turned out as promised. I made a few small adjustments: I used 4 egg whites instead of 3; added a dash of cream of tartar about 30 seconds into beating the eggs, to help them fluff; added 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract at the same time as the lemon juice. It turned our beautiful -- even golden brown, with a crisp shell and a chewy inside. Served with ginger whipped cream and strawberries.

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44 users found this review helpful

Cream of Asparagus Soup I

Reviewed: Jul. 6, 2003

Doubled the asparagus, omitted the half and half. It was a hit even with guests who claim they don't like asparagus!

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1 user found this review helpful

Chicken Piccata II

Reviewed: Nov. 30, 2002

To make this a 5-star, I made a few small changes. I added grated lemon peel into the flour mixture, and also pressed a small amount of grated peel into the coated chicken just before frying. This added a wonderful lemon flavor. Like other reviewers, I "double dipped," and had no problems with the coating coming off. Most importantly, remember to pound the chicken thin, about 1/4 inch, and even. I added a few tablespoons of white wine and also a small amount of water -- thought the liquids were a bit too salty otherwise. Delicious!

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8 users found this review helpful