Most people assume that sugar isn’t made using any animal products, but that isn’t necessarily the case ..read more

For a simple yet complete meal in one skillet, we turned to couscous, tiny bits of semolina pasta traditionally used as a sauce absorber beneath North African stews. Couscous cooks in a fraction of the time required for other starches such as potatoes, rice, or larger pasta shapes. We seared eight chicken thighs on both sides to build flavorful browned bits (fond) in the pan and then transferred them to a plate before building the rest of the dish. We added carrots and onions, which released moisture and loosened the browned bits from the skillet. Then we added aromatic garlic and earthy papri ..read more

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and resembles peanut butter but has a looser texture. Like peanut butter, tahini lends nutty smoothness and paired perfectly with body-giving banana as a result. For a sweetener, honey has such concentrated flavor that we needed only 1 tablespoon for its floral-earthy flavor to meld with the tahini. When looking for our coffee element, cold brew and shots of espresso worked, but we loved the ease of instant espresso. Adding a splash of vanilla gave the perception of sweetness without sugar, while a pinch of salt tempered the bitterness of the coffee and ..read more

Layering the components instead of tossing them together elevated this salad by highlighting the ingredients’ natural beauty and unique flavors. The sweet and tangy punch of grapefruit complemented the buttery, rich avocado. We dressed the salad with a simple vinaigrette and sprinkled it with a healthy handful of fresh herbs ..read more

We started our chopped salad with an important step: marinating the tomatoes and cucumber in a flavorful combination of extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. Then we tossed the lettuce and other stir-ins with that mixture for a fresh, assertive, and memorable chopped salad ..read more

The carrots in carrot cake make it too fragile for layering. But we found a way to transform this squat, humble dessert into a statuesque stunner ..read more

This comforting, umami-rich dish of fresh noodles topped with a savory black bean sauce is a beloved Korean classic that emerged from a particular subcategory of Korean cuisine known as Junghwa Yori (Korean-Chinese). It’s built around a key ingredient—chunjang—a Korean fermented black bean paste (not to be confused with Chinese black bean paste), which imparts a unique savoriness and tang. When chunjang is cooked with some oil, meats, vegetables, and seasonings, it becomes jajang sauce; when jajang is served over noodles, the dish is called jajangmyeon. (The same sauce served over rice is know ..read more

Making Bolognese is often an all-day affair, but its depth and richness can’t be beat. We wanted a quicker, weeknight-friendly version that wouldn’t sacrifice flavor. Our first move was to use our Dutch oven to deeply brown the aromatics and some pancetta (but not the ground beef, which would dry out and toughen if seared) to develop a flavorful fond; we also treated the ground beef with a baking soda solution to ensure that it stayed tender. Tomato paste and red wine added brightness. Some grated Parmesan thickened the sauce and offered savory depth. To save on dishes, we found that we could ..read more

For tender, crispy pork cutlets, we cut a pork tenderloin into four equal pieces and pounded them thin. We then coated these cutlets in flour, egg, and a flavorful breading studded with grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley, and lemon zest. After pan-frying the cutlets until they were golden brown, we served them alongside peppery arugula that we dressed with a tangy lemon vinaigrette and sprinkled with shaved Parmesan cheese ..read more

For this indoor version of the iconic campfire treat of toasted marshmallow and milk chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers, we started with a thick, sturdy graham cracker base. In addition to the graham crackers, we used some flour for structure, brown sugar for caramelly sweetness, and a hefty pinch of salt to balance the sweet marshmallow and chocolate. We pulsed in cold butter with a food processor for a crisp, shortbread-like texture and parbaked the crust before topping it. Once the crust was cooled, we lined it with Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars (their unique taste and soft textur ..read more