Recipes

Erin Jeanne McDowell · NYT Cooking

This easy bread recipe uses beer and baking powder to leaven instead of yeast, producing a loaf with a lightly crisp crust and a beautifully soft interior. A strongly flavored cheese, like sharp Cheddar or Gruyère, complements the flavors of the beer. The brown sugar isn’t absolutely necessary, but it extends the bread’s shelf life, keeping the interior soft even after it’s been sliced. This bread is especially lovely served warm, but is also delicious at room temperature.

Erin Jeanne McDowell · NYT Cooking

In this recipe, the secret to achieving crispy, not soggy, mushrooms is roasting them twice: first, alone on a sheet pan until they’re just tender and their moisture reduced, then again on top of a soft and fluffy focaccia dough, where they will brown and crisp. For a vegan version, skip the Parmesan and use flaky salt or nutritional yeast instead.

Erin Jeanne McDowell · NYT Cooking

Michelle Lopez, the author of “Weeknight Baking: Recipes to Fit Your Schedule” (Simon & Schuster, 2019), was inspired by the oversize muffins at Levain Bakery when she developed this recipe. The keys to the loftiest muffins? Plenty of batter and a high oven temperature, which ensures that they rise quickly and bake with a beautiful top and a tender interior. For the best results, rest your batter before baking. One very important tip: Spray the muffin pan and its edges generously with nonstick cooking spray. When the muffins come out of the oven, immediately use a small offset spatula to gently release their edges from the pan, then let them cool completely before removing them. You can use frozen blueberries instead of fresh, but be sure to thaw and drain them, then let them come to room temperature before adding them to the batter. Erin Jeanne McDowell

Erin Jeanne McDowell · NYT Cooking

Here’s a recipe for when you want towering, fluffy biscuits, but don’t want a large batch. You can use pretty much any ovenproof dish — a baking sheet, a square or round cake pan, or even a skillet — but be sure to butter the pan beforehand. If you like things a little less seasoned, reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon, and if you use salted butter in the dough, reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon. Fun tip: Bake these beauties in the toaster oven by following the same temperature and timing guidance as you would when baking in a standard oven. Serve them warm.

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Here is a remarkable gumbo recipe that Eric Asimov scored off Tony Garnier, the bassist who plays behind Bob Dylan and is sometimes called his musical director, in 1998. It calls for all kinds of interesting meats, most of which can be substituted if you can't find them at the store, though the duck is tough to live without. Mr. Garnier picked up the recipe in the 1970s at Jay's Lounge and Cockpit in Cankton, Louisiana, a dive deep in Cajun country where the proprietor would keep a pot of gumbo simmering for when the music and the cockfighting were done for the night. ''I became interested in how to cook it, so I'd sneak back to the kitchen and ask questions,'' Mr. Garnier said. He refined the recipe for years. It is now at its apex.

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov brought this recipe to The Times in 1998, part of a round-up of some of the specialty sandwich shops cropping up in Manhattan at the time. “Sandwiches are as American as Dagwood Bumstead,” he wrote, “and outlandishness has always been part of the recipe.” The new combinations he wrote about went well beyond the ham and cheeses, tuna salads and pastrami on ryes of the past. This recipe, adapted from Sandbox, a small chain, elevates the classic chicken salad, with Madras curry powder and slow-roasted tomatoes deepening its savory qualities, and the walnut-raisin bread adding a bit of sweetness and bite. Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov · NYT Cooking

Eric Asimov