14 best cook books

Product features

Churros

1. Line an ungreased baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add water, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, and 3 tablespoons oil. Stir until mixture reaches a boil, about 4 minutes, then remove from heat.

3. Add flour and stir until combined.

4. Scoop dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Let dough cool until you are able to hold the bag comfortably, about 10 minutes.

5. Pipe dough into 6” lines onto prepared baking sheet.

Place sheet into freezer to set 1 hour.

‌‌6. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add remaining 4 cups oil. It should measure to a depth of about 3”. Heat until oil reaches 375°F. Line a large plate with paper towels and set aside.

7. In a medium shallow bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

8. Carefully slide one Churro into hot oil. Flip while frying until golden brown, about 2 minutes total.

9. Remove from oil with tongs and place in bowl with sugar cinnamon mixture. Turn to coat Churro thoroughly, and transfer to lined plate to cool. Repeat with remaining Churros.

Product features

CHUTNEY-GLAZED SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN

It turns out that chutney (mango or tamarind) makes a terrific glaze when mixed with melted butter, lemon juice and turmeric. Brush half the mixture on before roasting and the balance after 40 minutes. Use the reserved sauce for serving. Simple and delicious.

CHARRED BROCCOLI WITH MISO VINAIGRETTE

Dress broccoli with miso and oil and then broil or grill until charred and crisp-tender. Toss with a dressing of miso, oil, vinegar, mirin and ginger. Serve with optional scallions.

SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON, PARMESAN AND HERBS

Olive oil, lemon zest and juice, grated parmesan and black pepper are whisked and added to cooked pasta with reserved cooking water. To finish, toss with fresh herbs plus additional cheese and EVOO. Marvelous!

ROASTED CARROTS WITH TURMERIC-HONEY

Nothing could be simpler. High-roast carrots for 20 minutes and finish with a drizzle of turmeric/honey/cumin. Finish with lime juice and zest. Wow—nothing like what I grew up with!

SKIRT STEAK AND GREEN CHILI TACOS

Skirt steak is seared in a skillet followed by onions and poblanos. Slice the steak, toss with its juice and lime juice, and serve with the onions and chilies in warm tortillas.

BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE WITH OATS AND TAHINI

Blueberries are tossed with oats and sugar and then topped with a crumble of oats, tahini, cinnamon, sugar and butter, Baked in a pie plate for half an hour—big flavor with little work.

Product features

Lasagna that Won’t Wear Out Its Welcome

We redesign our recipe to serve two by trading a baking pan for a loaf pan. A few ingredients added to the sauce gives us a velvety texture reminiscent of a Bolognese sauce, meatloaf mix (a combination of ground beef, veal, and pork) adds more flavor and richness than ground beef alone, and no-boil lasagna noodles were a timesaver and fit neatly into the pan.

Single Skillet Feast for Two

There’s nothing more satisfying than fork-tender beef slow-roasted with creamy potatoes and sweet carrots. But when you’re cooking for two, you want all that, and less (less meat than called for in a classic pot roast recipe, and less prep and cleanup, too). We found top blade steak to be a very tender and richly flavored cut of meat that’s well suited to pot roasting; it has plenty of collagen to break down and add flavor during cooking.

Just the Right Number of Freshly Baked Cookies

Our favorite recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies yields 24 cookies—far too many even for a pair of die-hard cookie fans. We wanted a recipe for 12 cookies, and we wanted it to be quick and convenient. Our secret? Melted butter gives the cookies a chewy texture and enables us to easily stir our ingredients by hand (no lugging out the electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar).

Greek-Style Lamb Pita Sandwiches

We wanted restaurant-style Greek gyros—slices of shaved, marinated lamb, tomato slices, crisp lettuce, and cooling cucumber-yogurt sauce stuffed inside a soft pita—that we could make at home. Rather than the traditional shaved slices of meat from a vertical rotisserie, we pan-fried ground lamb patties flavored with mint, onion, and minced garlic.

Product features

No-Cream Lasagna Bolognese

The real recipe from Emilia-Romagna does not use cream or other dairy but this sauce turns out silky and creamy. We also show you how to make a light, simple lasagna using it without mozzarella.

Shaved Carrot Salad with Poppy Seeds and Parsley

We found this recipe in Argentina and it’s the easiest, best salad you will ever make.

Mexico’s Corn Cake Made in a Blender

In Mexico City, we found the world’s simplest recipe—Corn Cake—that uses a blender and sweetened condensed milk. The best cake we ever ate!

Pasta with 3-Ingredient Parmesan Cream

Cream, grated Parmesan and lemon juice make the world’s simplest and most stable cream sauce.

Andalusian Tomato and Bread Soup

Called salmorejo, this blender recipe is way better than gazpacho and is done in just 10 minutes.

Chicken Traybakes Make Their Own Sauce

Roast garlic cloves in the middle of the baking sheet and mash them after roasting to make a quick sauce with water and fresh herbs.