A good berry pie is one of those baking skills to conquer first. I love this berry pie for its simplicity, but there are some details to fixate on to make it extra special. Why I love This Pie: A great berry pie is classic, and there are two components to get right: the crust, and the filling. The filling for this pie is sweet enough to accent the flavors in good fruit, but not so sweet the fruit is overpowered. I’m encouraging you to make your own homemade pie crust here. It’s a complete game changer, and absolutely doable! A structured, golden, all-butter crust is the ideal contrast to a ja ..read more

This is baby fennel, giant beans (Greek gigante beans), sliced lemon, a honey-kissed, in-pan, white wine sauce, all finished with a shower of chopped dill. If any of you are in a side-dish rut, I’m going to lobby for trying this. It’s fast, it’s good, and as a base idea, it’s flexible. You can make the beans as instructed below, or use the recipe as a jumping off point. Lemon Gigante Beans: Variations There are a lot of ways to tweak this recipe idea. There are also a bunch of great suggestions down in the comments as well! When made in an oven-proof skillet, top it with feta, chopped olives ..read more

This salt and pepper tofu is something you can use as a component in all sorts of meals. It’s great in salads, tossed with noodles, or served over grain bowls. Bonus: it’s simple to prepare, here’s how. Toss crumbled, extra-firm tofu with seasoned nutritional yeast to create a nice coating. Then pan-fry until deeply golden. You can enjoy it hot, but a long cool-down in the refrigerator really dials in the texture and flavor. There are a lot of Chinese-inspired salt and pepper tofu recipes out there. Just know, this is not that. This is something different – more like a tasty health store hippi ..read more

Let’s talk about Niçoise Salad. It’s an arrangement traditionally made with ingredients local to the Provencal city of Nice. Purists often argue that a proper salad Niçoise has a long list of hard nos. No lettuces, no boiled potatoes, green beans are out, avocados (lol), no vinaigrette, and on and on. The list is extensive and if you want a deeper dive into the history, read this. What is allowed? Olive oil-packed anchovies and raw tomatoes, and salt. Many versions have evolved from this including the one I make most. Nicoise Salad: The Inspiration In recent years Niçoise salad has becom ..read more

Peach salsa at its best is both sweet and acidic. It delivers green chile spiciness that punches through the peaches alongside a lemon undercurrent that perfumes the whole creation. You make peach salsa, preferably by hand, when peaches are perfectly in season, and then use it to improve a long list of summer culinary creations – tacos, quesadillas, a quinoa bowl, or baked potatoes over a campfire. It’s a perfect summer salsa. Peach Salsa: The Ingredients With confetti color and explosive flavor, this seasonal salsa is universally beloved. The ingredient list is short, so sourcing ingredients ..read more

Mushroom “scallops” are simply gigantic mushroom stems sliced into rounds that resemble sea scallops. They’re a great veg option, and anytime I spot heavy-duty king oyster mushrooms with their chunky, bulbous stems, I buy a pound. They’re fantastic grilled, sautéed, and broiled. Today’s recipe is one I jotted down in my recipe notebook a while back and have revisited over (and over!) in the year since. Here are the details. King oyster mushroom stems are sliced into thick scallop-shaped rounds and sautéed until golden. They’re tossed with a mixture of onions, cherry tomatoes, chiles, ginger ..read more

Today’s recipe highlights a decadent, crunchy-topped zucchini gratin. It was inspired by a mountain of summer squash I encountered at the farmers’ market – yellow squash, green zucchini, patty pans, globes, and others. If you’re looking for ways to use up zucchini, you’re in the right place. This gratin recipe features lots it, thinly sliced, with new potatoes, an oregano pesto, and brown-buttered breadcrumbs. It’s all baked at high-temperature until the squash is tender and the top is crunchy. I used a mix of yellow and green zucchini but you can certainly experiment with whatever you have on ..read more

My birthday cake of choice is yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Generous with the frosting please, but not completely over the top. You’re looking at my go to. It checks all the boxes – classic, nostalgic, and tender cake layers covered with substantial, deep, thick, chocolate frosting. The frosting is mixed with enough salt to balance out the sweetness, and a good percentage of cream cheese. I resisted the urge to add sprinkles here, but it’s a cake that certainly welcomes them. Yellow Cake: Technique There are a number of ways to approach yellow cake, but I’m stuck on the following metho ..read more

I discovered a truly fantastic version of baked ziti in 2017 when I started cooking from Colu Henry’s Back Pocket Pasta. Big, hearty, family-style pastas are a great love of mine, but my baked ziti attempts were always just so-so. I struggled with overall cohesiveness, and the ricotta mixture always tended to bake up a little drier than I hoped. Colu’s technique was a game-changer. She recommends a 50/50 blend of ricotta and creme fraîche in her recipe – it keeps everything silky and rich, and I’ve never looked back. And yep, sour cream will also work in a pinch. What Makes Great Baked Ziti? I ..read more

I’ve roasted cauliflower a thousand different ways, but this version, from Around Our Table by Sara Forte, quickly became a weeknight staple after the first time I tried it. A big head of cauliflower is cut into florets that are tossed with a spiced oil and roasted in a hot oven. Red onions and bits of dates are introduced along the way and the whole situation is tossed with lots of herbs, arugula, pine nuts, sesame seeds, and a creamy tahini dressing. It’s wildly delicious. Many of you know Sara from her o.g. food blog Sprouted Kitchen. Or maybe you’re a member of the SK Cooking Club? She’s b ..read more