Blueberry Shortcakes

These biscuits are at their best when served fresh and warm from the oven, topped with fruit and whipped cream, but they also make a fine breakfast, toasted and spread…

Fig & Anise Ice Cream

Leaving on the fig skins makes for an even more intense flavor. You'll need an ice-cream machine.

Fig Bars with Thyme

This fig jam keeps for weeks, so if you like, make it well ahead of time. Try to use lemon thyme, if possible. These bars are good with a dollop…

Grilled Tuna Steaks with Mango Habanero Mojo

The floral note of the habaneros is a tremendous partner to the mango, but if you can't find them, substitute another spicy chile. This mojo is also delicious with grilled…

Grilled Shiitakes with Mojo Oriental & Somen Noodles

Somen noodles are sold in Asian groceries and many supermarkets. Use capellini if you can’t find them.

Kansas City Style Barbecued Ribs

If ribs are the main part of your meal, figure a slab will feed two to three people. If you’re serving other grilled or barbecued food, you can figure on…

Lamb Brochettes with Black Olive & Mint Vinaigrette

The intense meaty flavor of these brochettes is nicely offset by a dish of boiled fresh new potatoes. If you can’t find fresh marjoram, use another fresh herb, like oregano.

Lemon Rice Salad

A fresh lemon-herb dressing pairs well with the nutty flavor of basmati rice. Cool and gently fluff the basmati before dressing to ensure a light salad.

Lemony Goat Cheese Dressing

I love this dressing with baby spinach or romaine lettuce and garlicky croutons.

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Brochettes

The North African spice rub in this recipe is based on ras el hanout, a traditional blend of spices used in grilling, roasting, and stewing. A batch of this mixture…

Summer Wheatberry Salad

Wheatberries have a delicious nutty flavor. Look for ones labeled “soft,” which will cook more quickly than the hard variety.

Savory Mushroom Tart

Serve this tart with a lightly dressed salad and a crisp white wine.

Salmon Brochettes with Sliced Fennel Vinaigrette

An arugula and red onion salad would make a nice complement to these brochettes. The vinaigrette can double as a salad dressing.

Velveted Chicken or Shrimp Stir-Fry with Lemon Sauce

The classic Chinese technique of velveting (marinating in a cornstarch-egg white mixture and then blanching in oil or water) keeps the chicken or shellfish tender and juicy. Assemble all of your…

Velveted Chicken or Shrimp

This recipe prepares chicken or fish to be tender and juicy when stir-fried. It is not a finished dish but a great start for a stir-fry.

Pork Tenderloin Grilled in Rosemary Leaves

I like to garnish this dish with a side of chopped ripe tomatoes tossed with good olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh basil. These flavors are wonderful next to the…

Tabbouleh Salad with Roasted Tomatoes

There’s a great debate among cooks from the Middle East about the ratio of bulgur to parsley in a tabbouleh. Some say it should be at least 8 parts parsley…

Choosing Fruit That’s Truly Ripe

Food scientist Shirley O. Corriher explains how you can tell if a fruit is really ripe, and which ones ripen after being picked

Starting Your Own Mini Wine Cellar

There are many good reasons to keep some extra bottles on hand. Here are tips on which wines to store and how long they'll keep.

Picking the Proper Mixing Tool for Every Job

Whether it's stirring polenta, creaming cookie dough, or making a vinaigrette, every cooking task gets done easier, better, faster with the right tool

Late-Summer Fresh Fig Desserts

Try figs tucked inside a tart, in ice cream, as a filling for bar cookies, or plain and simple

How to stem and clean fresh spinach

Some varieties of spinach have flat, smooth leaves, others have thick, crinkly leaves, but they're all best when young and tender.

Stem spinach for the most delicate results

Spinach stems, even of some young leaves, are fibrous, stringy, and difficult to eat, especially after cooking. Remove the stems before washing; discard them or save them to add to…

A Cooking Vacation

For the price of a trip to Toledo, you can spend a week in France, exploring markets and cooking for friends and family

Making Phyllo by Hand

Lily and Anthony Fable have been making Greek pastries at their store, Poseidon, on 9th Avenue in New York City since 1952. Today their bakery is one of the last…

How to Make the Best Barbecued Ribs

A barbecue champ shows how simple spices and slow cooking yield fall-off-the-bone-tender Kansas City style ribs

The Key to Using Rosemary - Be Stingy

Imagine you’re in a pine forest after a sudden downpour. Inhale deeply. Now magnify that fragrance and you’ll come close to the aroma of fresh rosemary. You’ll also understand why…

How to Make Intensely Flavored Granitas

(You Don’t Need an Ice-Cream Maker)

Juicy Tomatoes to Savor and Cook

If I had to name the quintessential pleasure of high summer, it would be tomatoes—fresh, ripe, and brimming with flavor. At farmers’ markets, you’ll see all sorts of varieties in…

Sizzling Tropical Sauces for Grilled Food

Make a mojo—an easy sauce bursting with the flavors of the Caribbean

Soul-Satisfying Grains Make Hearty Salads

The earthy flavors and nutty textures of grains star in salads—learn to cook them just until done, and then toss them with zesty dressings

Juicy & Fast Brochettes on the Grill

Fresh Fig Tart with Orange Flower Custard

Arrange the figs in concentric circles or jumble them on helter-skelter. If you can't find orange flower water, substitute 1 teaspoon orange zest.

Roasted Figs with Caramel

You can make this dish ahead of time, and it's a good recipe for slightly underripe figs. I like to serve it with fresh raspberries.

Twice-Baked Spinach Soufflés

 Though soufflés are not difficult, they require a lot of last-minute steps. This twice-baked soufflé, on the other hand, are baked well in advance, and then get a second baking…

'Mo J' Marinated & Grilled Flank Steak

Toss a few red onions on the grill to serve with this dish; a salad of tomatoes and cucumbers rounds out the meal nicely. My family loves this versatile mojo…