Recipes

Nora Ephron · NYT Cooking

Nora Ephron

Amanda Hesser · NYT Cooking

Amanda Hesser

Sam Sifton · NYT Cooking

Craig Claiborne was a child of Mississippi who started as food editor of The Times in 1957 and did as much as anyone to help bring home cooking into the spotlight. The dish “belongs in the ‘comfort’ category,” he wrote in 1983, “a food that gives solace to the spirit when you dine on it.” You could give your smothered chicken some European flair with mushrooms and small onions in the gravy, as Claiborne did in his experiments with Pierre Franey, then his kitchen co-pilot. Or you could send yourself south to the Creole tastes of the Delta, with a blend of tomatoes, chopped celery, onion and green peppers added to the sauce. But sometimes the easiest way is the best. Try it. Sam Sifton

The New York Times · NYT Cooking

Originally printed in 1981, here is Craig Claiborne’s take on the classic chicken salad sandwich. In his version, a combination of mayonnaise (preferably homemade) and yogurt is used which yields a lighter, tangier sandwich filling. He calls for using poached chicken, but the leftover roast chicken from last night would work beautifully as well. The New York Times

The New York Times · NYT Cooking

Here is Craig Claiborne’s version of the classic lunchbox staple. Celery, red onion and red bell pepper add crunch; capers and lemon juice lend a little tang. The New York Times

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

Craig Claiborne brought this version of the classic dessert to The Times in September 1963, and it quickly became one of the paper's most requested recipes. It makes an excellent backdrop for almost any ripe and sweet fruit. Feel free to play around with flavorings like vanilla, and spices like cinnamon or crystallized ginger.

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey brought this ground lamb dish to The Times in 1981. "We have always found it odd that lamb has never achieved the universal appeal in this country that it enjoys in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey and those in the Middle East," Mr. Claiborne wrote. The dish was created by Joseph (Seppi) Renggli, a chef at The Four Seasons Restaurant in Manhattan. It is a burger of sorts, flavored with cumin and paprika, enriched with pine nuts and cooked over charcoal or under the broiler. Craig Claiborne And Pierre Franey

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

This classic recipe appeared in a 1963 Times article by Craig Claiborne about the increasing popularity of beef stroganoff (the article featured not one, but two slightly different recipes for the dish.) Mr. Claiborne reported that “the meat-and-cream dish is of Russian provenance, likely named for a noted Russian gourmet, Count Paul Stroganoff, a dignitary in the court of Czar Alexander III.” Stroganoff may not be considered haute cuisine any longer, but the rich stew, dotted with mushrooms and laced with sour cream, is still deeply satisfying and the perfect antidote to a chilly day. Serve it over buttered parsley noodles.

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

These generously buttered noodles, sprinkled with just a quarter cup of parsley for color and freshness, are the perfect blank canvas for practically any stew or braise.

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

In 1975, Craig Claiborne, then editor of The Times' food department, shared his favorite childhood dish with readers. “A few weeks ago we were interviewed on the McCanns' At Home Program on station WOR, and when the subject veered around to childhood foods, we described in some detail the dish that had given us most pleasure in early youth and adolescence and still gives us comfort as we approach senility. It was a family creation known as chicken spaghetti. It consisted of spaghetti or spaghettini and sometimes vermicelli baked in a casserole, layered with a tomato and cream sauce, a meat sauce, boneless chicken and two kinds of grated cheese. It was almost always served when large numbers were invited for special occasions. Subsequent to the program we received numerous requests for the recipe and discovered with some astonishment that we had somehow never had occasion to use it in a story.”

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

Maida Heatter’s famous lemon cake first appeared in The Times in a 1970s feature highlighting a few of her best-loved cake recipes. This one was actually found by her daughter, Toni Evins Marks, who lived on East 62nd Street at the time. Ms. Marks, who went on to illustrate a number of Ms. Heatter's cookbooks, sent it to her mother. She tinkered with it and renamed it. The cake, which is tender, moist and scented with lemon zest, is brushed with a simple glaze of lemon juice and sugar when it's still warm so it soaks into the cake. It's a timeless dessert that's perfect for practically any celebration. (Note: Some readers have mentioned in the notes below the recipe that "Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts" instructs you to bake this cake at 350 degrees. Our recipe, the one that Craig Claiborne ran in 1970, before Ms. Heatter's book was published, indicates 325. Either will work, but if you bake at 350, start checking for doneness just before the hour mark.) Craig Claiborne

Craig Claiborne · NYT Cooking

A good dip transcends time — especially one with fresh herbs, which makes this 1959 recipe from Craig Claiborne stand out amid other recipes from the convenience food era of the 1940s and ’50s. Studded with capers, garlic and anchovies, the dip comes together quickly, then sits in the refrigerator, ready to buy you time should your guests arrive early while the rest of the meal runs late.

Patrick Farrell · NYT Cooking

A staple of the writer Joan Didion’s holiday menus was a purée of vegetables – beet, turnip or celery root (whose European alias is celeriac). This version, which she clipped from a New York Times column by Craig Claiborne, is a bit chunkier than what you might expect from the name, with a consistency more like mashed potatoes. That’s not surprising, given the major role that potatoes play in the dish. For those seeking a twist on the traditional mash, the celery root adds a subtle celery sweetness. — Patrick Farrell

Corby Kummer · NYT Cooking

Corby Kummer · NYT Cooking

Corby Kummer · NYT Cooking

Corby Kummer · NYT Cooking

Corby Kummer · NYT Cooking

Corby Kummer · NYT Cooking

Corby Kummer

Corby Kummer · NYT Cooking

Corby Kummer · NYT Cooking