Recipes

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Among the breakfast options at SingleThread is an English menu, with toad-in-the-hole as its centerpiece. Mr. Connaughton calls it an homage to Heston Blumenthal — the innovative English chef and owner of The Fat Duck — for whom he worked for several years. For the eggs, Mr. Connaughton uses sous-vide techniques: vacuum-sealing the eggs, processing them in a water bath and using a siphon canister. Lacking such equipment in your kitchen, you can still approximate the result by gently and softly scrambling the egg mixture. And if you prefer, even a well-trimmed poached egg can be centered on the toast and cheese. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

This recipe — adapted from “The New Spanish: Bites, Feasts and Drinks” by Jonah Miller and Nate Adler, the owners of Huertas in the East Village in New York — offers the cook a simple primer on paella. The method is a template best made in a paella pan and, as a bonus, it will free the cook from the notion that paella must be some kind of production number involving a budget-busting and time-consuming load of chicken, pork, seafood, vegetables and the like. This version features mushrooms and not much else. But its largely unadorned canvas will accept embellishments. Some tomato purée in the broth perhaps? Certainly. Seared sea scallops, shrimp, some sausage, pieces of duck confit, chickpeas, grilled peppers, eggplant chunks or baby artichokes? Those, too, but definitely not all at once. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

These savory bite-size biscuits are the perfect way to whet the appetite before a big meal. Adapted from “Potluck: Food and Drinks to Share With Friends and Family,” from the staff of Food & Wine magazine, the biscuits are inspired by elote, the Mexican street snack of roasted corn slathered in cheese and spices. These drop biscuits may be made in advance and frozen. Just bring them to room temperature before reheating. Desire a dip alongside? Stir a shot of lime juice and a handful of minced cilantro into some sour cream. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

A mixture of rye whiskey and amaro, with the addition of bitters, sets this simply made cocktail on the road to a manhattan. But then there are detours: the chocolate liqueur to add a mellow accent, and the cardamom for a hint of spice. I also tried substituting coffee liqueur for the chocolate, with great success. It is from the 18th Room in New York, where it is called Before Night Falls. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

This wintry adaptation of a Negroni gets a deeper character and color from an amaro that’s heavier than the typical bright Campari, and the dusky richness of amontillado sherry. The burnt thyme adds a woodsy aroma, but can be an optional touch. At a winter pop-up in the Williamsburg restaurant Sunday in Brooklyn, where the drink is being served, it is called Ugly Sweater Weather. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Wine-based cocktails require particular attention to balance, so neither the wine nor the spirits overwhelm the flavors. In this seasonal drink from Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse in New York (where it is called Mull It Over), a pair of unlikely bedfellows, cabernet sauvignon wine and bourbon, are in total harmony, united by the bitter and sweet accents of amaro and cassis. Sip it by the fire. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

The combination of dark rum, amaro, brown sugar syrup and bitters hails from Saltine restaurant in Nashville, where it’s called Old Barbados. But as you savor it, the cocktail dispels any notion of a sunlit Caribbean beach. A snowy slope is more like it: Though iced in the making, the drink delivers a generous and lingering sense of warmth. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

For decades, pigs in a blanket have been a staple on the cocktail-party circuit. The little sausages are the easy part. It’s the pastry which, at its finest, should approximate buttery, flaky French puff pastry or pâte feuilletée. Suppose you could make decently flaky puff pastry in minutes? Christian Leue, the manager of La Boîte, a spice emporium in New York, has developed just such a marvel. And it works.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Wintry weather and holiday get-togethers require celebratory food to share. Try venison instead of the more common roasts. A rub of cumin and pepper gives these chops warmth, while bacon adds a whiff of smoke and some fat with which to baste the lean meat. This recipe avoids the usual tart-fruit component, so the spices have less competition. Instead, seared shallots go alongside. For venison, the rack is the easiest cut to prepare. and in a hot oven it is quickly done and cut into chops. The meat is hearty and succulent, with the merest hint of gaminess. Be sure to cook it only to medium rare or it will toughen. Since most venison that’s available (unless you know a hunter) is ranch-raised in America or New Zealand and carries a hefty price tag, you do not want disappointment.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

This cider-based cocktail from Union Square Cafe in New York has seasonal allure. It’s lip-smacking and attractive. They make vats of it in the restaurant and keep it chilled, but the recipe is easily to scaled down to reproduce at home. Come spring you might replace the Demerara syrup with maple syrup. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

The food of Provence usually evokes summer, with lovely vegetables, salads, seafood and a whiff of lavender. But there’s a wintry side to it as well. When a fierce mistral wind blows, it’s time to crank out beef stews and roasted meats. This braised beef dish, a pot roast, keeps a Provençal flavor profile, with eggplant, garlic, fennel, rosemary, orange, black olives and tomatoes. It’s prepared to allow the eggplant to maintain its character and not disintegrate. I like to braise a nice piece of tri-tip sirloin, but this recipe will suit any cut of beef you prefer for braising. Serve the dish with plain broad egg noodles dressed with a splash of good olive oil.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

This vibrant, ruby-red cocktail — devised for Valentine’s Day by Bien Trucha, a group of Mexican restaurants in the suburbs of Chicago — is a superb opener for an intimate dinner. But there’s no need to limit the drink to one annual event. Serve it at Mother’s Day; it’s actually mild enough for brunch. It also suits an anniversary party, a summertime celebration and — prepared in a generous quantity to fill a punch bowl — one of December’s festive occasions. It’s easily made. The drink was inspired by the classic Kir Royale (Champagne and cassis) though a variation that suggests a margarita is another option: Replace the strawberries with a couple of blood orange segments and use a triple-sec liqueur instead of the cassis. Garnish it with a blood orange segment. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

The lusty foods and intense wines of southern Italy provide inspiration to spare for cooks and connoisseurs. San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, succulent olives, tender pastas and fragrant olive oils, alone or combined, spell sheer enjoyment. The roots of red-sauce Italian, ever popular in the United States, are in the south — in Campania and Naples (its capital city) as well as in Puglia and Basilicata. This recipe is a riff on the traditional pasta alla puttanesca, with tomato, capers, olives and garlic, but without the anchovies. The recipe goes bigger on the fish front, with chunks of seared swordfish to bolster the mixture with meaty, briny notes.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Versatility is what you get with this dish, which borrows its flavors from the Italian staple saltimbocca, a combination of veal, prosciutto and sage. Here, the dark meat of chicken takes the place of veal, and instead of meat slices topped with the ham and herbs, there are plump bundles with the sage inside. Boneless chicken thighs make for easier slicing. Leaving the skin on to brown, provides more flavor, especially with some of the sage tucked underneath. Fingerling potatoes simmer as the chicken braises, and fresh peas contribute a touch of spring for a one-pot meal, not instant but hardly demanding. A final, judicious splash of balsamic vinegar intensifies the sauce.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Here’s a multipurpose dish that is perfect for spring, but can also highlight other seasons. It comes from Dan Kluger at Loring Place in Greenwich Village. He made it in winter, studded with squash and mushrooms. For spring, he scattered pickled ramps, favas and spring onions on top. But he said that other seasonal vegetables like artichokes, peas, morel mushrooms and asparagus could be used. As summer rolls in, there will be a different cast of characters to consider, like zucchini, cherry tomatoes and peppers. The dish works as a first course for four or a lunch dish for two, and could even replace salad and cheeses at a more elaborate dinner. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Feta cheese gives a briny edge to this quick pasta dish, with fresh zucchini, tomatoes, herbs and lobster. Add the lobster off-heat at the end to guard against overcooking; it will warm just enough as it is gently tossed, putting all the ingredients on speaking terms. If you are entertaining guests and do not prefer last-minute preparations, don’t hesitate to serve the pasta at room temperature, glossed with an extra glug or two of good olive oil.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Assertively flavorful, lush-textured wild Pacific salmon — notably king, but also sockeye — are seasonal treasures. Unlike farmed Atlantic salmon, which is of a different genus entirely and available year-round, Pacific salmon is a late spring through summer catch. Its richness makes a fairly modest portion satisfying. In this recipe I paired it with fennel, pistachios and lemon. I started the fish fillet in a very hot oven (not quite volcanic, but about as hot as a home oven can get) then immediately cut the temperature down and let the salmon cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. It’s a fail-safe technique that guarantees against overcooking.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Here is a recipe for grilled lamb inspired by Northern China. It’s treated to a five-spice and soy sauce rub, and served, in a nod to Peking duck, with cucumbers, hoisin sauce and pancakes. The pancakes are not the typically thin crepes served for wrapping slices of Peking duck. Instead they are classic scallion pancakes, a dim sum item usually eaten alone. Here they’re spread with hoisin sauce and topped with slices of lamb and cucumber. Alternatively, you could serve the pancakes like tortillas, to wrap around the lamb, taco-style. Either way, it’s party food.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Mujadara, an Israeli and Middle Eastern mixture of seasoned rice and lentils upholsters a plate of seared fish fillet, brightening it with a generous swath of piquillo pepper puree. Mujadara is often served on its own, topped with a tangle of crisply fried onions, perhaps with yogurt on the side. But here, the earthy combination of grain and bean, with the bittersweet addition of the Spanish peppers, brings the fish into focus. You could serve the mujadara and pepper sauce without the fish, but in that case, fried onions are a must. Florence Fabricant

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

This recipe incorporates the components of a bouillabaisse into a risotto. The broth used to gradually soften the rice is seasoned with saffron, fennel and garlic, as it would be for the Marseillaise fish stew. The garlic mayonnaise, aioli, adds a finishing touch of sleek richness. As for the specifics of the seafood, I’ve used mussels, scallops, monkfish and shrimp, the last added at the very end to avoid overcooking. In place of monkfish you might consider halibut, tilefish or Alaskan black cod; clams could replace the mussels, and chunks of lobster could also be added. But salmon does not belong in this crowd.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

The giant white hominy used to make pozole are a blank canvas. The hominy — soaked, then simmered using a quick-boil shortcut that skips the need for overnight soaking — welcome chiles and a good dose of cumin. This pozole includes prepared duck confit instead of the more usual pork or chicken. Some diced fresh pineapple in the thick stew balances the spicy heat. A small glass of mezcal is a fine partner, especially as a finishing touch. Save a little of the drink for when you and guests are almost finished eating, to pour into the bowl for the last soupy spoonfuls. It’s what the French do in Gascony with their red wine when they enjoy a soup called garbure.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

Orecchiette pasta, the “little ears” that are typical of the Apulia region in Italy’s heel, is frequently prepared with sausage and broccoli rabe. For this recipe, I’ve swapped the broccoli rabe for a rich fennel component, which adds a distinctive flavor profile to the pasta dish. The preparation goes fairly quickly. And as an alternative to tossing the ingredients together before serving, it can be placed in an ovenproof casserole and baked, shingled generously with shards of pecorino on top. Baking at 350 degrees will take about 20 minutes, if the ingredients are hot.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

The basic recipe for these quickly broiled shrimp is elastic, easily halved or scaled up. And the spice choices can vary. Here I have opted for ras el hanout, a complex North African blend that delivers modest peppery heat along with pungent elements of cumin, fenugreek and coriander, as well as the warm astringency of allspice and cloves. Harissa, a North African hot sauce, seasons the dip. Serve it as an appetizer or pair it with a grain like rice or farro, or a buttery tumble of fluffy couscous for a more substantial meal.

Florence Fabricant · NYT Cooking

This autumnal sorbet can be made vegan-friendly by substituting agave syrup for the honey. If you would rather not use canned pumpkin, try roasting honeynut squashes, 40 minutes at 400 degrees, then scraping out the insides, which become a smooth purée under the heat; two squashes will give you enough purée for this recipe.The sorbet is excellent served with slivers of candied ginger on top or with pieces of pumpkin seed brittle. And it’s surprisingly amenable to tracings of chilled dark chocolate sauce.