Impress friends at your next backyard barbecue with these ultrasimple crostini that marry creamy hummus, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, and crisp pea shoots for a Spring-centric touch. Whether vegan or omnivore, you and your guests will be clamoring for seconds, so be sure to make extra. Watch the video to learn the easy steps to assembling these tantalizing toasts, then print out the recipe.
Next time you're tasked with dessert for a crowd, impress your guests with this stunning fresh strawberry tart. It may look like it's straight out of a magazine, but it's actually the easiest fresh fruit tart ever — all you really need is a handful of ingredients.
Be sure to go the extra mile for the freshest, off-the-vine, most fragrant berries; they'll really shine in this dessert (and, as a bonus, your entire house will smell like fresh strawberries). Then serve it to your guests with an ethereal dollop of fresh whipped cream. Ready to make this tart? Watch our video, then print out the recipe.
At the mere mention the word "picnic," my ears perk up. So when I was flipping through Heather Christo's Generous Table and came across a menu plan for a lakeshore picnic, I knew I'd have to make at least one recipe from her spread. Add an early and bountiful cherry season to the mix — my local farmers market suddenly became overrun with them last week — and it was settled. Quinoa salad with cherries and feta would make it to my table, and soon.
Thankfully, Christo's palate is spot-on. Juicy cherries play off salty feta like old friends. Add grassy parsley, sharp minced shallot, and nutty toasted almonds to the mix, and the result is a hearty grain-based salad perfect for picnics, brown-bag lunches, or just because. As long as cherries keep finding their way into my farmers market tote, this delightful dish will be on my table.
While I love an overstuffed sub, some occasions call for a daintier sandwich. One of my favorites is the traditional cucumber and cream cheese sandwich served at high tea. On this week's episode of Between the Bread, I show you how to make the American version with this recipe for a Benedictine cheese sandwich. Created in Louisville, KY, at the turn of the century, this crustless sandwich combines cucumber, cream cheese, and scallions and is perfect for serving at a bridal shower, a luncheon, or a sophisticated picnic. Watch the video to learn how to make this easy, chic sandwich this Summer.
Combine thick batons of slab bacon, or lardons, runny-yolked poached eggs, a sprinkling of minced shallot, and frilly frisée, and it's no surprise that the resulting salad is salty, sharp, and satisfying. Even better, salade Lyonnaise, as it's known in France, is gloriously versatile. It can serve as an elegant yet easy first course to a classic French meal or satiate on its own with the addition of an extra poached egg and a smattering of croutons or a hunk of baguette to mop up any extra dressing.
For a splendid and not-too-fussy meal, start with the salad at hand and a glass of crisp white wine, and pair it with lemon and lavender roast chicken, moules à la marinière, or a bloody rare New York strip steak. Either way, make certain to try out this can't-miss recipe.
It goes without saying that leftovers can get stale and boring. In our new show Freshedovers, cooking expert Aida Mollenkamp demonstrates how to give your leftovers a much-needed makeover, starting with shredded roast chicken, which she transforms into a citrusy, bold Jamaican jerk chicken salad. Keep watching to find out how to give your chicken a Freshedover, then get the recipe.
If you or someone you know is about to graduate from college, then it's time to move on from the days of dorm food, meal plans, and affordable campus eateries and get cooking instead. Should the kitchen be somewhat of a foreign place, fear not. Start with basic (but delicious) recipes and meals and work your way up to more complicated adaptations. Here are 10 tasty and essential recipes to start your culinary education.
Scallops are one of those ingredients that seem intimidating but are actually shockingly simple to make. In this video, chef Taylor Boudreaux of Napa Valley Grille teaches us how easy it is to pan-sear scallops. The key to perfect doneness and plenty of flavor? Keeping a close watch and basting them in browned butter sauce. With a crisp, seared exterior and a soft, moist interior, this mild seafood dish pairs perfectly with a parsnip purée and a glass of white wine. Watch our video to learn how to make this elegant dish at home.
If you're not yet acquainted with larb, a Thai meat- and herb-based salad that simultaneously manages to hit salty, sour, spicy, sweet, and savory notes, then it's about time your paths crossed. If you're already a fan — as nearly anyone who's tried it is — you may notice that this version is a bit atypical, primarily in the method of meat prep. Most larb is based around ground meat, but my favorite Thai restaurant's must-order duck version features bite-size chunks of roast duck, burnished, luxuriously fatty skin and all, and since my first bite, I've become a steadfast convert.
This recipe reflects that, but with a slight nod to more user-friendly ingredients, swapping chicken thighs for the duck (feel free to sub duck if your market stocks it). Either way, it's a tantalizing dish that brings a taste of Thailand to your dinner table in a flash. Get the exceptional and exotic recipe.
The long wait is over — thank goodness! — and berries and stone fruit are returning to supermarket shelves (at absurdly low prices to boot). A textured Winter fruit salad has kept me going the past few months, but now I'm putting that recipe aside for this Spring- and Summer-forward fruit salad featuring all-new produce.
It's impossible to pinpoint what I love most about this combination of flavors. Sure, any old day you can combine a bunch of berries in a bowl, but here, mint, nutty Marcona almonds, and lemon zest and juice transform this into a fruit salad worthy of serving on a special occasion. The addition of sugar enhances the flavors in the fruit as well as releases more juices so the whole salad is marinated in a berry syrup.
