Recipes

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

The taste and appearance of corn grilled directly over a charcoal flame is unparalleled. The kernels become bright yellow, firm and plump, both smoky and sweet, speckled black, with bits of char. To make them even more stunning, the ears are coated with a sweet, tangy goat cheese spread that melts into every crevice, a fun, welcome alternative to simply basting cobs with butter.

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

Scrambling eggs with tomatoes is a classic comforting pair, particularly in Chinese cuisine. But instead of cooking the tomatoes along with the eggs, here, the eggs are cooked separately, while the ripe tomatoes break down, their flavors concentrating when left to sit in a sweet soy-sesame dressing. Pile the scrambled eggs and the tomatoes onto crusty bread to soak up all the flavor. Add chunks of avocado to the marinated tomatoes too, if you like.

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

This pasta features a back-pocket sauce that credits its complexity to black garlic, garlic aged under low heat and high humidity until it becomes dark and chewy, like dehydrated fruit with pungent savory notes and a molasses-like sweetness. You can buy black garlic online or at health or gourmet shops, and smash it into dressings, marinades or into this pasta sauce made with cream cheese. The hot noodles instantly melt the cheese into a velvety cream, so the dish requires no complicated technique or extra cooking, yet still manages to feel luxurious. Dress up the finished dish with sautéed mushrooms or shrimp, braised greens or even frozen peas.

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

This fast weeknight recipe uses your favorite store-bought mayonnaise and bottled fish sauce in an easy Caesar dressing. And then, in an even more resourceful move, it uses that same dressing to coat salmon fillets, to help prevent overcooking, and to adhere a Parmesan crust. As the fillets broil, the layer of cheese bubbles and caramelizes to form a crispy, salty coating, a texture that only enhances the crisp lettuce. (For a vegetarian version, you can also use this method on avocado halves.)

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

Brussels sprouts are shredded and baked in a rich Gorgonzola cream topped with crushed, crispy fried onions in this lush casserole; its silky sauce is built in a blender to prevent clumps. To “shred” the brussel sprouts, discard any wilted or dark outer leaves, and using a sharp knife, trim off the ends, then thinly slice the sprouts across the core. But you can also slice them in a food processor equipped with a slicer blade or buy them pre-shredded.

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

For an effortless way to prepare a full breakfast for a crowd, turn croissants into golden, crispy crumbs to serve as a bed for oven-baked eggs, fresh spinach and tangy feta. The crumbs toast as the eggs cook and the spinach wilts. If you prefer your eggs over easy, bake them for only 9 minutes, just until the whites have set. Scale the recipe up or down depending on the number of guests, or vary the toppings to suit your preferences.

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

A whimsical hybrid of two beloved breakfast pastries – the flaky, sweet cheese Danish and buttery croissants, this recipe is the perfect, elegant but also warming centerpiece for any brunch or dessert table. Butter croissants are chopped and soaked in a flavorful brown-sugar custard and topped with a lemon cream-cheese filling, then baked in a loaf pan for easy slicing, and finished with a drizzle of icing. To freeze ahead of time, slice the loaf and place in a freezer-safe bag, separating each slice with wax or parchment paper, and tuck into the freezer. When ready to serve, reheat in the microwave.

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

There are a few recipes throughout my life that stick out in my mind, and my Auntie Nae’s special recipe for her spicy Creole tetrazzini is definitely one. I finally recreated the recipe for my new cookbook “We Fancy: Simple Recipes to Make the Everyday Special” (S&S/Simon Element, 2026). At least I think I did? She’d make her noodles so peppery and creamy, and here, I try to keep in that same spicy spirit with not only a generous bit of black pepper, but also Creole seasoning and a little bit of cayenne, too. If you’re scared, don’t be: The cream cheese helps temper some of that heat. My favorite thing about this recipe is that I’ve spent years on a winding, wondrous journey trying to figure out how to recreate it from memory. If you like, toss ½ pound cubed chicken or sliced mushrooms into the pot with the sizzling butter and spices and cook until browned, or, for color, fold in ½ pound halved grape or cherry tomatoes right before sending everything into the oven.

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

Say hello to a timeless drink from my new cookbook “We Fancy: Simple Recipes to Make the Everyday Special” (S&S/Simon Element, 2026); the cocktail is named after me and inspired by an Arnold Palmer. My middle name, Andrica, has become an incantation when I need to dissolve my anxiety and slip into a state of peace, and this drink has a base of calming tea made visually dazzling with a bobbing floater of bright red cherry juice or red wine, both of which contain melatonin.

Jerrelle Guy · NYT Cooking

This cookie, from my new cookbook “We Fancy: Simple Recipes to Make the Everyday Special” (S&S/Simon Element, 2026), fulfills all the wildest dessert desires, as it’s sort of a cookie, but also a cake and Danish all in one. (Plus, it’s huge!) It requires just enough care that you’ll feel like you’re creating something thoughtful and special for yourself, yet it’s doable because it’s a single cookie that no one even has to know is being made — no one except you and your air fryer (though you can also bake it in an oven).

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Remember the chicken-and-stars soup of your youth? This is like that, but heartier, more healthful and a touch more sophisticated. It's loaded with vegetables – carrots, leeks, celery – and seasoned with generous amounts of garlic, tarragon, thyme, parsley and bay leaf. Tiny little star pasta (stellini) make it unbearably charming, and a good squeeze of lemon juice brightens it all up. Serve it over slices of toasted Italian bread for the ultimate in comfort food. Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Maybe don't order pad Thai this weekend and make it yourself? Here's a recipe to offer both an excellent facsimile of what's available from your favorite Thai place and the satisfaction that comes with having made the meal at home. This dish may introduce some new ingredients to your pantry (fish sauce and tamarind paste), and if you’re a parent, it might become a family favorite. Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Though there is nothing wrong with a bakery cake — all those gorgeous piped roses! — there is really nothing better than a homemade cake. Homemade cakes say, "It is perfectly fine to stuff into my smallish home, play pin the tail on the donkey and leave with a loot bag holding edible bracelets and a plastic puzzle that will break in a week." Take back childhood, people! Here is a marvelous recipe adapted from “The Joy of Cooking,” which calls out lustily for a chocolate frosting. Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

If you are a reluctant baker and make only one cake a year, let it be a birthday cake for someone you love. There is so little effort and so much glory to the project. A two-layer cake is simple to produce, but if even that seems daunting, no complaints will arise from a golden Bundt cake. In our times, the simple fact of a homemade cake is enough to impress. Drizzling a liquid glaze over the cake is much easier than frosting, just as pretty, and does not require alarming specialty gadgets such as an "offset spatula." Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

When you want a pumpkin dessert, but not the heft of a pie, this light and creamy make-ahead custard will do the trick. It's surprisingly simple to prepare; just combine the ingredients in a saucepan, heat, then strain through a sieve and chill for at least 3 hours. Divine.

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

This is an easy spice cake from "The Joy of Cooking" made moist and delicious by using a stealthy ingredient: a can of condensed tomato soup. Make it and see if your guests can guess the secret. Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

This recipe came to The Times in a 2006 magazine article about the 75th anniversary edition of The Joy of Cooking, the soup-to-nuts cookbook found on practically every home cook's shelf since its first publication in 1931. Like many of the book's beloved recipes, this dish is a crowd-pleasing, homespun classic that is incredibly simple to put together. First, make a quick chili of beef, black beans, corn, green pepper and onion seasoned with chile power and cumin. Spread that in a baking dish, top with a simple cornbread batter and pop it into the oven. In about a half hour: tamale pie. Serve with hot sauce, a dollop of sour cream and a few slices of avocado. If you're trying to eat less red meat, ground turkey or chicken would make a fine substitute for the beef. Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Buttery, salty and enduringly simple, the grilled cheese sandwich stands unrivaled in the universe of simple gastro-pleasures. It is the gateway sandwich to the land of hot sustenance, the first stovetop food many children learn to prepare by themselves. This deluxe grilled cheese is inspired by a dish at the Foundry on Melrose in Los Angeles. Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Jennifer Steinhauer

Jennifer Steinhauer · NYT Cooking

Jennifer Steinhauer