Easy

Chances are that this irresistible green salad, one of the simplest recipes in this book, will fit into your dinner repertoire several times a week. At Bayona we use a mix of lolo rosso, red oak, frisée, Boston or Bibb, red leaf, watercress, and radicchio lettuces. The dressing, which gets a sweet-tart kick from two types of vinegar, mustard, and honey, really makes this salad sing. A small portion of an assertive cheese, like Grana Padano or crumbled blue cheese, will add an appealing sharpness.

I don’t think chef Donald Link knew what a sensation he was going to cause when he changed a beloved appetizer from chicken wings to frogs’ legs tossed with this irresistible herbed butter. Fines herbes is a combination of very finely chopped herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, chives, and chervil, but you can use just one or two of the herbs if you’d like. Although we use fresh Louisiana frogs’ legs whenever we can, these are awfully good even with the more readily available frozen variety. The meat is delicate and tender, and doesn’t really taste like chicken …

Smoked tomatoes give this sauce a tremendous depth of flavor. But if you want a quicker option, fresh tomatoes will do just fine.

For years, I would eat eggs only as an excuse to have bacon and hash browns. And then I made this discovery—the French method of slow cooking. The results of this technique are so good, I’d be perfectly happy to eat the eggs plain, without embellishment, but in this version I still get my potatoes and bacon. This dish requires patience: it’s tempting to turn the heat up and finish the eggs quickly, but if you do, they will lose the creamy, custardy consistency that elevates this dish beyond breakfast. Try these eggs as a first course before something simple and light, such as a vegetable or chicken sauté, or grilled fish or beef. You can also serve them for brunch, with fresh fruit or a green salad.

This recipe is based on the much-loved Spanish dish called Gambas al Ajillo, or shrimp with garlic. The basil is not a traditional ingredient, but I like how its fresh flavor pairs with the sweet, garlicky shrimp. Smoked Spanish paprika, or pimentón, has a unique flavor and is well worth tracking down. You can find it at most specialty food stores, or in Latin markets. It’s typically much cheaper at the latter.

Who would have thought you could improve upon a good old-fashioned New Orleans shrimp boil? A former Bayona sous chef, Ashley Hykes, showed me it was possible. Serve these shrimp bathing in their colorful marinade in a pretty bowl, along with other appetizers, for a party, or serve them for lunch with deviled eggs, a big green salad, and some bread or croutons for soaking up the pleasingly tart juice perfumed with citrus and vinegar.

If you love mayonnaise as much as I do, you will love this silky Greek fish roe spread, since it’s basically a salty, lemony mayonnaise made with coral-colored carp roe (also called tarama), which is available in most stores that sell Greek or Mediterranean products. It may sound unusual, but this aromatic puree is absolutely addictive. It’s particularly satisfying with bone-dry white wine, Seasoned Pita Crisps (p. 89), and crunchy vegetables such as carrots, celery, and fennel. Or serve a creamy dollop with sliced smoked salmon on toast points. If you’ve never worked with tarama, you’ll find it drier and more firmly packed than caviar, but it crumbles easily in a food processor.

These lend a spicy bite to just about any green salad, particularly Crispy Smoked Quail Salad with Bourbon-Molasses Dressing (p. 127). But they’re also a delicious snack to serve with any of the killer cocktails in the last chapter.

You can prepare the batter through step two up to two hours ahead, then cover and refrigerate. Before baking, uncover and bring the batter to room temperature.

The easiest way to core a pineapple is to quarter it and then slice off the tip of each wedge, as illustrated below.

This no-fuss dessert lives up to its name—there’s no cooking involved other than boiling water.

Serve this moist, molasses-rich gingerbread with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Drizzle the chocolate in a zigzag pattern over the batter, then drag a knife through the lines of chocolate, alternating the direction each time.

For a dinner party, you can present these cakes on a cake stand garnished with fresh berries.

The topping for this cake is simple: cranberries are placed over sugar and spices at the bottom of the pan. As the cake bakes, the sugar caramelizes, forming a syrup. When you invert the pan, the syrup soaks into the cake, creating a festive dessert.