Easy

Kenny Jackson named this drink after his Gemini heritage. Vya vermouth, which is made in California, is his favorite brand for this particular cocktail, but you can substitute other varieties as well. He says using crushed ice (as opposed to cubes) is crucial.

A few years ago Chip and I took a trip to Peru. We started in Lima and then traveled on to Cuzco and Machu Picchu, one of the most beautiful places on earth. While in Lima, we stopped at an outdoor bar in the Barranco neighborhood, an artists’ and musicians’ enclave rather like a Peruvian French Quarter. We met a salty old bartender who made us these delicious frothy drinks that reminded me somewhat of a gin fizz, but after two, our heads were spinning. Pisco is a spirit made from grapes, and it is quite strong, so beware!

Two types of bitters give this drink its characteristic flavor.

I remember when I came up with the idea for this dessert and surprised myself by how good it was! Of course, it’s nice to have a pastry chef on hand who can translate my daydreams into reality. But this one is easy enough for anyone. Try using frozen puff pastry sheets if you don’t want to mess with the phyllo dough.

These cakelike cookies are so irresistible that we sold zillions of them at Spice Inc., and I still have to make them about twice a year for my friend Daniel when he gets a craving. Although pumpkin tends to suggest fall, these moist, spicy cookies can—and should—be made all year round.

This is the classic almond macaroon. Bet you can’t eat just one!

The first time I passed through London—long before I started cooking—I figured out that some of the best food was to be found in the ubiquitous Indian restaurants. Fortunately for my traveler’s budget, it was also the cheapest! One of my favorite discoveries was an onion bhaji, a cluster of fried onion slices bound with a spicy, aromatic batter. The flavors stayed in my memory for a long time, and after much research, I came up with this recipe. The batter is made from high-protein chickpea flour (also called besan or gram flour at Indian markets), which gives it a rich flavor. At Bayona we serve bhajis with seared scallops and carrot-cardamom sauce, but they are awfully good by themselves for snacking, with a drizzle of cilantro-spiked yogurt or your favorite chutney.

My strongest memories of Thanksgiving are the mingling smells of chopped parsley, melted butter, and chicken broth going into the stuffing, and the sounds of cheering and yelling as we all watched the Army-Navy football game. At Bayona we always serve two different stuffings with our roast turkey. One is my mom’s simple bread stuffing, and the other is loaded with local flavors like shrimp (or crayfish) and andouille. I still like my mom’s the best. I call for both stuffings to be baked in casseroles, but you can also follow your favorite method for baking them inside a bird.

As almost any southerner will confirm, you can’t underestimate the allure of a warm, moist spoon bread. Sometimes the desire for it is downright urgent. Take my first recollection of the dish: when I was five years old, I invited one of my girlfriends to spend the night, and she woke up in the middle of the night wailing for spoon bread. My parents ended up having to take her home, as she would not be consoled. I can relate to the craving. When Hurricane Katrina forced us to evacuate to Jackson, I had the good sense to throw a pork roast in a cooler. Our first night in exile, we had dinner with our in-laws, and my mom made her spoon bread—served with the pork roast, it was a nice taste of home. My mom’s recipe, the one I grew up on (but never demanded at the home of my friends), is simple and delicious. At Bayona we couldn’t resist jazzing up her version to go alongside our grilled double-cut pork chops—a match made in heaven!

Plain ole dirty rice is a good thing. Add the earthy, nutty taste and toothsome texture of wild rice, and you have something even better.

Can you tell I love rice? I can’t say which one of these recipes I prefer—the spicy, tomatoey red rice or the poblano and herb flavors in the green rice variation. They are both full of flavor and complement countless dishes. Serve either one with Jalapeño-roast Pork (p. 269), and your favorite spicy black beans or grilled fish, chicken, or shrimp.

Basmati wins my vote for the best all-around rice because it is easy to cook, incredibly fragrant, and complements so many different dishes. Best of all, it’s so rich in flavor that it needs little enhancement. Before I discovered basmati I used to love to eat butter with my rice. This pilaf is definitely delicious enough to eat on its own, but I especially like it with a sprinkling of chopped scallions. (What can I say—I’m a Crescent City girl.)

This is a tasty little combination that can be used on top of or alongside any Asian-inspired meat or fish entrée or mixed with shrimp or crabmeat to make a light and tangy starter. I love it with tuna, brushed with a little hoisin sauce, or with medallions of pork tenderloin.

If you’re going to buy and chop up all the vegetables for this salad, you might as well make a big batch that will last you a few days. This colorful, incredibly satisfying combination keeps well and makes for a terrific side dish to just about anything you care to sauté, fry, or grill. And because this salad feeds a crowd, it’s perfect for picnics and backyard barbecues.

A sweet, hot pepper glaze is just the thing to complement the rich flavor of duck. In this recipe, the duck breast is scored, rubbed with herbs, and pan-seared. Be sure to get the pan nice and hot before adding the duck, to ensure a crispy, well-browned skin. A fine dice of jalapeño adds a bit more fire to the sauce, while red bell pepper offers sweetness. This dish can be served with any number of sides, from Honey-glazed Carrots and Turnips (p. 294) to Wild and Dirty Rice (p. 311).

This, to me, is the essence of French home cooking: a simple sauté and flavorful pan sauce made with vinegar, mustard, and tarragon (the quintessential French herb). If you can’t find fresh tarragon, you can use tarragon vinegar instead and finish the dish with chives, but it’s just better with fresh tarragon. For the best results be sure to use a flavorful Chicken Stock (p. 206). If yours tastes a little weak, start with two cups instead of one (as called for below) and let it reduce longer to concentrate the flavor.