Ryan made Cajun Puffed Beef Tendons. He had some trouble with the frying – the first batch didn’t puff up within the 4 to 5 seconds that the recipe specified, so he left them in for longer and they ended up burned. We were able to try the ones he succeeded on. Both crunchy and chewy at the same time (though found in the Aerated chapter), they were a unique snack, though not worth the multi-day effort in my opinion.

Ximena made Chicken Tortilla Soup. This is actually from Weissman’s other book – An Unapologetic Cookbook. Ximena said this recipe departs from tradition in that it uses bacon. She prefers the version she usually makes, which has more spice. I thought it was tasty, but a bit more spice would have been nice.

Tak made Asian Pear Salad. The consensus was that this was the surprise winner of the night. The unexpected pairing of Asian pear with salami, dressed simply with olive oil, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese, made for a fresh and flavorful salad. Tak’s only complaint – it took way longer than the printed 10 minute prep time to thinly slice the Asian pears.

Naran made Fried Cauliflower with Castelvetrano-Date Relish. While you might expect a deep fried dish to be under the Crunchy category, this recipe can be found in the Creamy chapter. The cauliflower did in fact get creamy after frying, and the sweetness of dates with the brine of the olives were a wonderful complement.

Ryan also made Texas Toast Smashburgers. He tried at first to make the burgers as outlined in the recipe by smashing ground beef balls flat, but they completely went to pieces and he ended up having to buy burger patties. What finally came together was quite delicious, with lots of butter and sauce slathered on the Texas toast and cheese and onions to round it all out.

Katherine made the Crudite Plate. I guess Weissman gave the recipe this name so he could put it in the Crunchy chapter, but the real star here is the dip – a blend of roasted red pepper, toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and vegetable oil – it made me choose raw vegetables over deep-fried things!

Katherine also made Spicy Curry Puffed Chickpeas. As these were deep-fried, I expected them to be crisper. I thought perhaps they had softened in transport, but Katherine said even hot out of the oil they were a bit soggy. Taste definitely won over texture in this recipe – the seasoning mixture of paprika, coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, sugar, garlic, and onion was a fantastic flavor explosion.

Eileen made Potatoes Dauphinoise. She found the 10 minute prep time a dramatic underestimation to peel and slice 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes. But we appreciated her efforts – the simple combination of milk, cream, Gruyere cheese, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper made for a creamy treat that one person said “tastes just like my mom makes potatoes!”.

Drew made Beef Stroganoff. Packed with flavor, I was surprised to hear that the seasoning was mostly black pepper, with a little bit of Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Drew noted that the recipe strangely didn’t specify the amount of egg noodles to be used. Despite that, this is a dish I plan to make in future.

Nancy made Perfectly Baked Mac and Cheese. I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but this was a ton of Mac and Cheese – a pound of pasta, 3 cups of cheddar, 3 cups of Gruyere, plus milk, cream, butter, and flour. Basic ingredients that made for a cheesy, creamy belly bomb.

Tammy made Butter Chicken Wings. The wings were deep fried, though you wouldn’t know it since once the sauce was applied they lost their crispiness. Perhaps that’s why they were in the Creamy chapter. Employing both heavy cream and butter, it was indeed creamy, though I felt it was a bit light on the flavor punch that the spices usually bring to other butter chickens I’ve had.

Daniel made Lechon Pork Belly. Found in the Fatty chapter, which pork belly certainly is. But boiled, then baked, then deep fried – this pork belly was wonderfully crunchy in a way that helped you forget how much fat you’re consuming. The sauce of calamansi, soy, garlic, and red chilis also brought a nice acidity and bit of spice to complement the fat.

Tak also made Root Vegetable Salad. He said the dressing tasted just like Ruffles Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips, and he was not wrong! My boyfriend is excited to make this as a football snack. Tak did mention cutting all those vegetable matchsticks took longer than 15 minutes. I didn’t know you could eat beets raw, but I’m glad I do now!

Anthony made Brown Sugar Boba Tea. In the Chewy chapter naturally! I really enjoyed this beverage and was excited by the idea of making my own boba pearls (I’ve always bought them ready-made), until Anthony described what a pain in the butt it was to hand roll all those chewy little balls. I’ll probably just keep buying them since the taste wasn’t significantly different from store-bought.

I made Chewy Fudge Brownies. I’m forever in search of the ultimate chewy brownie recipe. These were tasty, though not especially chewy compared to many other brownies I’ve tried. And I found the recipe to be exceedingly particular – things like 1/8 tsp baking soda and 1 1/4 TBSP cornstarch (who has a 1/4 TBSP measuring spoon?) – for not much of a differentiated result.