Brown Sugar & Molasses Brine

This brine helps keep Grilled Pork Rib Chops, Grilled Pork Blade Chops, or Grilled Thin Pork Chops juicy and adds a subtle flavor.

Fusilli with Feta & Lemon-Caper Pesto

The idea here is to make a tangy, lemony pasta sauce with feta and a few pantry staples. You can make it in the time it takes to cook the…

Feta-Stuffed Chicken Braised with Green Olives

You can use this under-the-skin stuffing in chicken parts or in a whole chicken, pushing it in under the skin of the thigh, drumstick, breast, back, and also in the…

Fish Steamed with Ham, Mushrooms, Ginger, Garlic & Scallions

I prefer smoky, salty country ham for this dish, but prosciutto or even baked ham will also work. If you don't have peanut oil on hand, substitute any vegetable oil.…

Double-Crust Jumble Berry Pie

You can make this pie with only one type of berry if you like, but I love to mix blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. I don't normally like cooked strawberries,…

Fresh Plum Salsa

To make this salsa, use firm plums; I like those with yellow flesh.

Grilled Bread with Red Peppers & Eggplant

The grilled vegetable compote, called escalivada, can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated (drizzle olive oil over the surface and cover well) but serve it at room…

Green Salad with Olives, Manchego & Romesco Sauce

Manchego cheese has found its way into many supermarket cheese sections, but if you can't find it or if you're not satisfied with the quality, try another Spanish cheese, such…

Grilled Pork Rib Chops with Fresh Herb Rub

Grilled Yellow Tomato Bisque

This bisque can be made up to two days in advance. Although the yellow color is quite charming, red tomatoes can be substituted.

Grilled Thai Ginger-Garlic Pork Chops

Serve these chops with Cilantro-Mint Sauce or Fresh Plum Salsa or a simple Thai salad of sweet onions, cucumbers, and carrots in a sweet vinegar dressing

Grilled Thin Pork Chops in Adobo Paste

These thin pork chops could also be dredged in flour and pan-fried. 

Grilled Chicken-Arugula Salad with Grilled Tomato Salsa

Grilled peppers and grilled tomatoes have a great affinity. The acidity of the tomato tempers the sweetness of the charred peppers. Any extra salsa will keep in the refrigerator for…

Grilled Leeks with Roasted Pepper Vinaigrette & Goat Cheese

To make the vinaigrette ahead, char the peppers under a broiler flame instead of a grill fire and be sure to whisk the vinaigrette just before serving. Any leftover dressing…

Leek & Potato Soup

Part of this soup is puréed to add body, but it remains chunky and chowder-like and is also good chilled. If you make it ahead and reheat it, you may…

Master Recipe for Tuna Confit

This recipe can be doubled easily. Be sure to use very fresh tuna, and to use a deep-frying or candy thermometer to monitor the oil temperature.

Niçoise Vinaigrette

Salade Niçoise with Fresh Tuna Confit

The trick to helping each ingredient taste its best is to dress each one separately before arranging it on the plate or platter.

Salsa de Serrano o Jalapeno Asado (Grilled Chile Sauce)

With the robust flavor of charred tomatoes and chiles, this simple salsa is one of the best all-purpose table sauces. If you like hot sauce, use 3 serranos or 2…

Salmon Fillets with Herbed Leeks

A bed of herbed leeks perfumes baked fish and makes a delicious garnish. Halibut or snapper would work as nicely as salmon.

Shortcake Biscuits or Cobbler Topping

By making your own baking mix ahead of time, homemade cobbler or shortcake is a breeze.

White Bean Salad with Fresh Tuna Confit

Dressing the white beans in the oil and vinegar while they're still warm will allow them to absorb the flavor of the vinaigrette, and adding the onion at the same…

Catalan Mushrooms with Garlic & Parsley

Serve these as a starter or perhaps as an accompaniment to the baked chicken. Leftovers are great on pizza or added to pasta sauce.

Caesar Salad

If you don't have a large mortar and pestle, you can easily make the garlic paste with a chef's knife. Keep in mind that this is a zesty, assertive dressing…

Cilantro-Mint Sauce

Agujas (Grilled Chuck Steaks)

Agujas (pronounced ah-goo-haas) are thin, very flavorful chuck steaks. The secret of this dish is that when high-fat meat cooks over a low fire, it will be charred and impregnated…

Penne with Fresh Tuna Confit

The rich tuna is counterbalanced by the sweetness of the sautéed onion, the intensity of the sun-dried tomatoes, and the acidity of the lemon.

Herb, Feta & Beet Salad

This is a composed salad with four parts: beets, feta, herbs, and a very simple vinaigrette. The four elements only meet at the last minute on the plate.

Italian Plum Cobbler

Bigger Empress plums work well as an alternative to Italian prune plums, as do apricots. Or try a combination of plums and apricots.

How to Bake a Double-Crust Fruit Pie

An all-butter dough and a light touch give you the flakiest crust that's perfectly balanced with the fruit filling

Pointers for perfect pies

Here are seven of Carolyn Weil's pointers that all add up to perfect pie. She advises also to always make a double batch of the dough and stash two disks…

Turning Tuna into a Velvety Confit

Transform the flavor and texture of this meaty fish by gently cooking it in olive oil, and then enjoy it in pastas and salads

Caesar Salad

Use a mortar and pestle or your chef's knife to make a creamy garlic paste—the base for a smooth, zesty dressing

Use pasta water to adjust a sauce’s thickness

Don't throw away all the pasta water, says Daphne Zephos; it might come in handy for thinning a sauce that's too thick.

How to Make a Creamy Garlic Base for a Smooth, Zesty Dressing

For Caesar salad dressing, a food processor merely minces the garlic, and a blender creates a dressing the consistency of a milkshake. Mashing the garlic in a mortar and pestle…

Buy feta in whole blocks, bricks, or wedges

Buying feta in whole blocks, bricks, or wedges makes sense for the same reasons that you buy Parmesan in big chunks: it stays fresher for longer, it doesn't dry out,…

Modify feta's texture by storing it in brine, water, or milk

Storing feta in brine not only preserves freshness, it also regulates the creaminess and saltiness. Taste the feta when you get it home (or, if possible, at the shop before…

Chopped or sliced leeks always need thorough washing

Leeks grow in sandy soil that's mounded up around them, which is how most of the stalk stays white. Grit nestles easily between the many leaf sheaves, so thorough cleaning…

Pigtail Flips Food Fast

Jennifer Armentrout reviews a a barbecue tool with a silly name and a seriously functional form.

Adding Work Space in a Pinch

Whether you’re rolling out pie crust, making pasta dough from scratch, cooking for a crowd, or sharing the kitchen with a friend, there’s often a moment when you need one…

A Ripe Apricot is a Deep, Uniform Gold

Amy Albert explains the telltale signs of ripeness in apricots and offers simple ways to serve these mouth-watering summer treats.

Choose Petite Pattypans

Pattypan squash may look like a flying saucer, but it makes good eating. In this article, Amy Albert suggests several ways to prepare this attractive summer squash.

Eat Fresh Corn As Soon As You Can

Freshly picked corn is a true summer treat. In this short article, Amy Albert tells you how to select the best ears and offers serving suggestions.

Seek Out Big Blueberries

With blueberries, bigger is better. In this short article, Amy Albert and Abby Dodge offer advice on choosing the tastiest berries at the market and on using them in your…

Tangy Gooseberries

Gooseberries are familiar to English cooks, but they’ve only recently started appearing in U.S. markets. Amy Albert tells you how to recognize ripe ones at the market and how to…

Barbecuing Northern Mexico Style

Cooking over charcoal or wood, invariably mesquite, is the heart and soul of northern Mexican cooking. In this article, James Peyton tells you what you'll need for northern Mexican-style barbecue…

Buttery French Olive Oil Is Just Right for Summer

Susie Middleton singes the praises of Nicolas Alziari Huile d’Olive Vierge Extra.

How to Bake a Double-Crust Fruit Pie

An all-butter dough and a light touch give you the flakiest crust that’s perfectly balanced with the fruit filling

Hand-Farmed and Custom-Grown

Amy Albert visits a six-acre farm in Calistoga, California, where Lynn Brown, Peter Forni, and Barney Welsh have dedicated themselves to custom-growing organic lettuces, greens, vegetables, and herbs for Napa Valley…

Discover the Sweetness of Leeks

Sauté, simmer, or grill leeks to bring out their velvety texture and uniquely complex flavor

Capture summer flavors in a bottle of herb vinegar

Making herb-flavored vinegar is a great way to extend the life of your summer herbs. In this article, Molly Stevens offers advice on which vinegars to use and how to…

Find a Wonderful Food Partner in Crisp Sauvignon Blanc

Master sommelier Tim Gaiser likes the versatility, flavor, and affordability of Sauvignon Blanc. You'll learn where this white wine is produced and what it pairs well with. You'll also get a list…

Freeze Berries on Baking Sheets

In this short article, Molly Stevens presents a simple way to preserve summer’s ripe berries that requires no cooking, no jars, and best of all, no time. The only thing…

Getting the Texture You Want When Cooking with Fresh Fruit

In this article, food scientist Shirley Corriher examines some of the factors that can affect the texture of cooked fruit, such as its ripeness, when or whether you add sugar,…

High Heat is Best for Grilling Tomatoes

Fire-charred tomatoes give soup, salsa, and pasta an irresistible smoky-sweet flavor

Show Off Plums in Two Summer Desserts

How to make the most of summer’s plums? We asked two pastry chefs for their inspiration

Steamed Fish in a Flash

Stella Fong's recipe for Fish Steamed with Ham, Mushrooms, Ginger, Garlic & Scallions is quick and easy to prepare, and delicious.

Tangy Feta Cheese is Surprisingly Versatile

Buy it in blocks, brine it to alter its texture, and add it to salads, stuffings, and pastas

Taste Your Way to the Perfect Fruit Sorbet

Making your own fruit sorbet can be a bit intimidating, says Dan Budd, but by following your taste buds and a few very basic rules, you can easily create your…

Ultrafine Baker's Sugar Dissolves Like a Dream

Abby Dodge tests C&H’s ultrafine pure cane sugar for bakers.

The Juiciest Grilled Pork Chops

Brining helps lean pork stay juicy, while rubs, pastes, and marinades boost flavor

Hardwood Charcoal vs. Charcoal Briquettes

There are some very real differences between hardwood charcoal and briquettes, and these have an effect on grilling.

Consider a Stir-Fry Pan Instead of a Wok

A wok may be traditional, but the newer, flat-bottom stir-fry pans work better on most stoves

Butter Pie Crust

An all-butter dough and a light touch give you the flakiest crust that's perfectly balanced with its filling. Want more pie? Watch video demonstrations of how to crimp pie crust, how to…

Grilled Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Breadcrumbs & Basil

Grilling the tomatoes for this colorful pasta salad intensifies their flavor by concentrating their juices and gives their perfectly shriveled skins a smoky flavor. Look for inexpensive, disposable bamboo skewers…

Romesco Sauce

This garlicky sauce, which originated in the city of Tarragona, has tons of variations and many uses—it's served with salads, grilled vegetables, meat, chicken, or fish, or stirred into fish…

Spinach with Pine Nuts & Raisins

Use baby spinach when it's available; it's sweeter, less gritty, easier to clean, and there's no need to trim the stems.

Chicken Thighs Baked with Lemon, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme

In addition to the lemon and fresh herbs, the chicken thighs are flavored with an emulsified mash of garlic, salt, and olive oil, called allioli. I like to garnish each…

Plum Upside-Down Cakes

Use the smallest plums you can find that are ripe but firm. Red plums like Casselmans and Santa Rosas work well, as do Black Friars. If you can’t find very…

Quick Apricot Jam

This quick, simple recipe comes from Becky Smith of Frog Hollow Farm in California. The jam doesn’t require canning and keeps for weeks in the fridge—if you don’t eat it all…