Has anyone else tried this yet? We tried it tonight and--sorry to be a wet blanket--weren't thrilled with it. Mainly we felt that the beef filling wasn't flavorful enough, and needed more than just taco seasoning added to it. If I make it again I will probably sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar over the meat before folding the dough over -- and maybe some salsa or other tomato-based thing, or even chopped scallions/cilantro. We did have both salsa and sour cream to top the ring with after we'd sliced it, and it really needed both.
Also, I wondered why the recipe calls for a full cup of water to be added to the beef, then tells you to boil the water off (which takes forever) ? I only used half a cup of water and got so tired of waiting for the water to boil off (after 10+ minutes) that I ended up draining the meat in a colander (and, of course, a lot of the seasoning drained off with the water). And yes, I had already drained the fat and other liquid off the meat before I'd added the water and seasoning.
Anyway, I'm sure I will love the new book anyway, but thought others might find this info helpful. Would love to know if anyone else has tried this.

Hi bakingfiend,

Sorry you didn't like the recipe. I haven't tried it, so I can't personally comment on it. Sometimes recipes work for us, and sometimes they don't.

I did find this Previous Post about the taco ring recipe, though. I don't think it has any tips, or comments about boiling off the water.

We make a Taco ring.
We brown the meat, drain, add taco seasoning and only about a quarter cup of water. Really just enough to moisten for the seasoning mix.
Mix together a cup and a half of grated cheese with the beef mixture before placing on the crescent rolls. We also use the "Hot" taco seasoning packet from McCormick.

Years ago I had a ground beef cookbook that was put out by "Sunset magazine". It had a recipe for a crustless taco pie. The ground beef was put on the bottom and up the side, like a pie crust. I believe that the ground beef was baked until almost done so that the grease could be drained off before adding the other ingredients on top. Over the beef you put taco sauce and then the cheese. It was baked until the cheese was melted and the beef was done. Now I could use an instant read cooking thermometer, which I couldn't have afforded back then. With a husband who taught and 4 young children, I also couldn't afford fairly lean ground beef then either.