These potatoes looked very artistic . I mis-timed my dinner and they ended up cooking an extra 20 minutes, which made then browner looking. We actually liked that taste and will perhaps "overcook" next time too. Nice to have the flexibility. I also liked the tip in the blog to put chopsticks on either side to prevent cutting down too far. That worked really well.

It is really good to know that these can be made a day ahead. I never would have thought to do that so this will certainly make special roast beef dinners easier to prepare. Also never thought to have them for breakfast - thanks for the info:)

I thought the idea of using the ragu for ravioli was brilliant. I happened to have some leftover ragu and leftover wonton wrappers in the freezer and also some fresh leftover Rouxbe tomato sauce from making the chicken parmigiana. So I made some triangular shaped wontons and added some cream to the tomato sauce , reduced it a bit and made them into appetizers adding some fresh basil and parmesan cheese on top. I thought the wonton wrappers were a bit fragile for the ragu but both my guests said that is what they liked about the appetizer. Thanks for the idea Francois:)

My husband made this using white wine instead of beer. This would change the taste a bit but it was still a winner. The sauce was delicious as were the short ribs and he has filed the recipe in his "Favourites" folder.

I am curious as to what advice Rouxbe users would give a novice cook. My pet peeve has become the instruction "serve immediately". My personality used to take this instruction literally and I have found that I could have saved myself considerable stress over the years if I hadn't felt the need to get a dish on the table within 30 seconds of making it. As an example, I was thinking of this tonight as I made our nightly salad. My second husband actually likes it to come to room temperature before serving and the dressing tossed about 5 minutes before serving. I have found that cut avocado will stay green at least 15 minutes or more and not crucial to "serve immediatley". Other examples apply to appetizers that I make ahead. Perhaps "serve immediately" does apply to things like souffles ( which I have not attempted) but my advice to new cooks would be to relax and not get too caught up into taking the instructions so literally.

I regularly substitute thighs for the breasts with great success Robert in almost all the chicken recipes,(including this one), as this is the meat my husband prefers.

The lesson on frittatas prompted me to make this. We limit our eggs to 1 or 2 a week but I have a small little skillet that seemed just right for 4 extra large eggs. Only mistake I made was that the pan with the potatoes and onions was a bit too hot as the egg mixture sizzled when added but I quickly took it off the burner and seemingly "rescued" it as it was delicious. The lesson was very helpful and I am already thinking of the ingredients I will experiment with in the next one.

Although normally everything is better fresh, (I would still take Dawn's suggestion of making it in the morning), I have had great success freezing this recipe as well. I usually make the crostini the day before if I am going to be busy and they keep well in a tin container. I don't rub them with the garlic if I make them ahead and really don't miss it. We love this confit.

As a long time user of Rouxbe and as a senior citizen myself (63), I want Rouxbe to know that complaints regarding the pace of new lessons certainly do not speak for me. As regards to practice - my family loves it! The more I practice, the better and more confident I get. I have learned so much and Rouxbe has introduced me to dishes that I never would have attempted without the lessons and videos. Last week the community guide came out and they are offering cooking lessons. One 3 hour lesson is $50.00 - you would go once, observe and be able to eat but you would never be able to go back and review. A few days ago, I made pan fried gnocchi and I hadn't made them for months. I was thinking how lucky I was to go back and see again the proper techniques. Not only is Rouxbe phenominal in quality , you are unbelievable in what you offer for the price. Last week I took some pictures for a test kitchen recipe I had intended to submit. (Caramelized oranges soaked in liquer). I was not satisfied with either the pictures or results and did not want to make it again. But it made me realize the tremendous amount of work each recipe and lesson must take. I for one plan to be around for a long time more to learn and enjoy Rouxbe and - getting a lifetime membership is one of the best deals I ever made. Every new lesson is like icing on the cake.

Rarely do we ever fry in this amount of oil and so I felt very naughty making this. I don't have a deep frying thermometer and so I had to guess at the temperature but luck seems to have been with me as the thighs and drumsticks became a beautiful brown. I did have to bake the thighs a bit longer than 15 minutes ( they were large organic) but this was a real winner tonight. Next time I will use the full amount of chipotle pepper puree as I only used 1 tsp. this time. I marinated the chicken for 24 hours and was surprised to see eggs in the marinade but it sure worked. This chicken was a real treat:)

I made this recipe but used broccoli as the beans didn't look great that day and it still tasted great. I am curious because I have also made the Sichuan-Soy Chicken Wings (also great) and instead of using Shaoxing rice wine, I used saki instead. Could I have used mirin?

That was uncanny. I have an aversion to mussels and oysters so you really nailed it:) I was quite certain you wouldn't use canned veggies (nor I except for chick peas sometimes )but some people do and would certainly explain their aversion without knowing how they should really taste. Bon appetit!

I have made these 5 times now. The second time I used the blanching method but I think I may have blanched them longer than 10 seconds. I found that I lost more of the outer layer of onion doing it this way. Although it was definitely faster, I went back to the original way. I just peel them sitting at the kitchen table and am mentally prepared that it is going to take awhile but the end result is so worth it.

Dawn's recipe for sauteed mushrooms. They are delicious and far from slimy. I have never had slimy mushrooms unless they have come from a can. Canned mushrooms taste like rubber to me. If people say they don't like mushrooms because they have only eaten the canned ones, than I certainly would understand why they don't like them. If you saute fresh mushrooms long enough, the moisture will evaporate. I tend to saute my mushrooms more than most people as I like them really brown - just my preference but you may like them that way if you don't like that "slimy" feel.

I was wondering how many people actually have an oven that is accurate in temperature. When I bought an oven thermometer (thanks to a Rouxbe blog suggestion), I was surprised just how badly my oven was "off". I set it at 250F to get 325F and when it's on 325F , it goes to 425F. I have a new Breville toaster oven which I really like in spite of the fact that it acts in the reverse way. I have to set it at 300F for it to get to 225F. Don't maunufacturers have to conform to some standard of accuracy or am I just unlucky to have 2 ovens that are so inaccurate. I have adjusted but I wonder how many meals get ruined and cookies get burned etc. out there because oven temperatures fluctuate so badly.

When I asked the butcher for a 6 lb chuck roast I really didn't see it until I got home. Won't make that mistake again. I happened to see a rolled boneless blade chuck roast at Safeway on sale and it looked like it had fat and reminded me of the one in the stewing lesson, so I made the whole recipe again. It was 100% better and delicious but still not perfect. Than, watching the lesson again, you showed a shoulder roast so perhaps that would be better than the blade. However , my husband found some boneless short ribs - as you recommended in your previous post and also from the chuck section of beef:)that were cut in one inch strips and we were able to cube it. We had enough sauce left over from the previous 2 attempts and so for a very easy meal, we finally found perfection. They literally melted in our mouths. It really is a terrific recipe when you have the right cut of chuck. Thanks Rouxbe - it gets a 100% rating now:)

Thanks Dawn. I should have trusted my instincts and my knowledge from watching the video lessons. I will have a "chat" with my butcher:) I certainly want to make this again for company. I didn't mention that when I was reducing the dark stock for the onions , I cheated and drank the last 1/4 cup! ( I had doubled the recipe). I think it was the most incredible thing I have consumed in a very long while:)Beyond delicious:)

I doubled this recipe and bought a 6 lb beef chuck roast. It didn't look like the one in the video and I assumed it was because of the size. I was concerned about the leaness and wondered about buying a different cut. But as the recipe called for chuck , and you have never steered me wrong, I went for it:) I slow cooked it at 200F for 8 hours. Five hours first, than frozen the next day and thawed a week later and cooked for another 3 hours before serving. My husband and I both found the meat a bit dry but most of the guests said they thought they must have won the beef lottery as theirs was very tender. Maybe we are becoming too critical but are some chucks or portions of chucks better than others? The gravy was amazing and the onions and mushrooms to die for! I served it with the pommes parisienne ( all 110 of them!).

I would like to double this recipe and freeze for a few weeks. Will the dish be compromised if I add the braised onions and sauteed mushrooms before freezing? I'd like to do as much ahead as possible but not at the expense of quality. ( I think I may be answering my own question by the fact that I am asking it:)

Remarkable - that's what my husband said when he tasted these. I was worried that my pear was too hard but it softened very nicely when baked. I was also concerned that they were going to bake over the pan as it seemed like there was a lot of batter for 12 muffins. But they turned out beautifully. I reduced the amount of cinnamon a bit to suit our tastes. Will definitely make these again.