This Chocolate Pavé is an adaptation of a recipe by Lindsey Shere, co-owner and executive pastry chef at Chez Panisse when the restaurant opened, who taught me much of what I know about baking and desserts. Of all the things I learned, the most important lesson was how to appreciate a killer-good chocolate cake just as it is, without dressing it up with fancy swoops and swirls of frosting or layering it with creams or fillings. When I once expressed dismay that I hadn’t learned how to make all those fancy, frilly desserts during my tenure with her, she replied, “Why would you want to? They usually don’t taste good.” Pavé means “paving stone” in French. This cake is traditionally baked in a square pan so it can be cut into rectangles, creating edible slabs that are delectably rich. After one soft, moist, luscious bite, they’ll remind you of paving stones only in appearance.
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.
The silky French vanilla sauce that goes with everything.
Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.
An extra-silky filling (no water bath needed!) and a smooth sour cream topping make this the ultimate cheesecake.
This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.
Crispy tots topped with savory-sweet sauce, mayonnaise, furikake, scallion, and katsuobushi.