Simple Cooking

Cookbook author Reem Kassis shares her take on a beloved childhood snack of melon slices and almond juice.

Discovering exactly how quickly and easily fruit curds (like lemon curd and passion fruit curd) can be made in the pressure cooker is a game-changer.

These soft and chewy pancakes—inspired by atayef and Korean hotteok—are filled with nuts, sesame seeds, tahini, and grape molasses.

Kunafa is one of the most ubiquitous pastries across the Middle East and is such a simple dessert to make that it can be on the table in an hour.

Basbousa is a semolina cake that's soft, dense, and flecked with texture throughout.

This easy Egyptian bread pudding (called Om Ali or Umm Ali) is made with puff pastry, perfumed with rose water, and topped with an assortment of toasted nuts.

These date-filled cookies—qrass bil-tamr—are a typical Ramadan sweet, offered to guests and snacked on during the night before the fast begins again at dawn.

Maamoul are delicate pastries—filled with pistachios, walnuts, or dates—that are served on special occasions like Eid Al-Fitr and Easter.

Melon pan is a traditional sweet bun from Japan made of an enriched dough with a crispy cookie layer on top.

The Trident cocktail is a riff on a negroni that uses Spain’s sherry, Italy’s Cynar, and Scandinavia’s aquavit.

Despite the name, the pineapple bun has no pineapple—it’s a soft milk-bread bun with a sweet, buttery, crackly cookie-like top that, after it’s baked, resembles pineapple skin.

The Americano cocktail is a classic Italian drink that dates back to Milan’s Caffè Camparino in the 1860s, where it was known as the Milano-Torino.

Cold oven pound cake bakes slowly as the temperature of the oven rises, allowing more time for the leavening agents to lift the cake.

Victoria sponge cake’s simple filling of whipped cream, jam, and fruit makes it the perfect dessert for a celebration.

These tandoori-spiced chickpeas get slow-cooked with aromatics in oil, and they’re sublime for a make-ahead meal.

It’s official: The best vegan chocolate cake is also the easiest chocolate cake in the world, no dairy or stand mixer required!

These jammy eggs are a quick and beautiful addition to any cocktail party.

Almond extract boosts the coconut flavor of these streamlined macaroon cookies. The recipe makes four bite-size confections but can easily be doubled.

This fairly classic gumbo recipe is made with okra and, optionally, filé powder. Chicken, andouille sausage, and a dark roux add savory depth.