Oven Bake

This is how I like tuna casserole, but feel free to make it how you like it. With peas, without peas, with cracker crumbs or crushed potato chips on top, it doesn’t matter, it’s still good. You can also save a few calories by making it with low-fat cream of mushroom soup and you won’t even notice the difference.

This is a perfect dish in my book. It’s super simple to put together, it makes a lot, and it tastes terrific even when it’s reheated. When my mom makes this, she cuts up a whole chicken. But I’m only willing to go so far to save money and cutting up whole chickens is beyond that point. I buy whatever parts of the chicken are on sale and already cut up.

En papillote (PAH-peh-loht) is French for “in paper,” which is how this dish is made. This method of cooking steams the food and allows you to cook without fat, but we did add a little butter, thyme, and lemon for flavor. This is a really simple, foolproof way to cook fish and, best of all, it makes for easy cleanup.

Meatloaf is one of my dad’s self-professed specialties. He will spend an hour putting it together, and I swear he adds a pinch of just about every spice in the cabinet. Here we have narrowed down the list substantially, but it is still every bit as good as his. Sorry Dad.

Here I go again: I am not a big fan of fish. Okay, the truth is, I won’t eat most types of fish. However, I really do like it when it is made this way, and it’s even better with the tartar sauce on it. I mean how can you go wrong with potato chips? This is a super simple dish to make. Just make sure the potato chips get pretty finely crushed, or they will fall off when you take the fish out of the pan.

Although it takes longer to make, there is no comparison between real macaroni and cheese and the stuff that comes out of the box with a packet of powdered cheese. (What is that stuff anyway?) I have made it with Cheddar, colby, Jack, and the Mexican cheese mixture with chiles, and they were all great. I even once made it with cream cheese, but I wouldn’t recommend that.

If you make these for your friends, make sure you eat some right away, because they will evaporate if you walk away. Megan and I like our salsa saucy, more like a picante sauce, so we add some tomato sauce. But, if you like chunky salsa, you can skip the sauce and just use the diced tomatoes.

There’s nothing like the pleasant crunch of crisp, freshly toasted nuts. And there’s nothing worse than biting into an acrid, rancid nut. Since nuts have a relatively high amount of oil, you should taste a couple before using them to make sure they’re still fresh. Hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts are particularly susceptible to spoilage. Buy nuts from a store that sells in high volume and turns over its stock regularly and store them in a cool, dark place in a well-sealed container. Nuts can also be frozen in zip-top freezer bags. Most nuts taste much better if they’ve been toasted, which brings out their flavors and gives them a crunchy contrast in ice cream. The only nuts I don’t toast are pistachio nuts, since they’ll lose their delicate green color. Buy fresh pistachios from a good source so they’re crisp and vibrant green.

Many apartment buildings in Paris, including mine, have a gardienne. Although their official duties are accepting deliveries and overseeing maintenance, they’re equally famous for being a steady (and remarkably reliable) source of gossip about your neighbors. My gardienne is Madame André, who has young children, so she was always quite happy to accept ice cream while I churned out recipes for this book. Of all the ice creams I gave her, this was her absolute favorite, and she went into Gallic raptures whenever she saw me for days and days afterward. I should probably recommend her for a job as my publicist too, since shortly thereafter I got a reputation in the building as being L’Américain qui fait des glaces, toujours! (the American who makes ice cream, all the time!). If you’re a rice pudding lover, this is the ice cream for you. And be sure to spread the word.

I’ve been living with a kitchen a fraction of the size of a normal kitchen for a number of years, so I’m always looking out for desserts that can be made with a minimum of fuss. And I’m happy when a dessert requires a minimal amount of counter space because between my imposing stand mixer and the half-eaten chocolate bars and other edibles scattered around my kitchen (and on my desk, and in my living room, and, I’m not embarrassed to say, sometimes even in the bathroom), I’m lucky to have enough space to peel a few pears. That’s a good thing, actually, because it means I can make this dessert all winter long, no matter what shape my kitchen counter is in. Once peeled, just pop the pears in the oven, and when they come out, strain out the liquid and use it as a base for one of the best—and easiest—caramel sauces imaginable.

Ready to think outside the box? While it may take a touch more time than its boxed counterpart, this creamy casserole is exponentially better than anything off the grocery shelves. The light crunch of the panko bread crumbs set against the thick, gooey underbelly of cheese-laden pasta makes for a most decadent taste and texture experience. Feel free to experiment, trading out some of the Cheddar for Gruyère or a smoked Gouda, if you so desire.

A frittata is a thick Italian-style omelet that is chock-full of goodies; think of it as a quiche without a crust. Rather than cooking up a large version and cutting it into wedges as is often done, I prefer to make individual frittatas in a muffin pan. It cooks a bit faster, makes a great presentation, and couldn’t be easier to serve to your guests.

When I was in college, I always loved coming home at the holidays—in part because of my mother’s pumpkin pie. I still love pumpkin, as does my husband, so this recipe is for him. I was looking for something that could deliver that awesome pumpkin taste without a fat-laden crust, and the homey familiarity of custard provided a perfect vehicle.

Sometimes I think that if we could get cars to run off almonds, you wouldn’t need more than a handful to go from San Francisco to L.A. Yeah, they have that much energy—twenty nuts are more than enough to get most people I know through a hunger rush—and they’re nutrient dense, so the body can put every calorie to work. It’s really easy to prep up a whole bunch of these; all it takes is a little olive oil, some seasoning, and a few minutes in the oven and they’re ready to rock. I often tell my clients to leave little bowls of these around the house so they’re constantly tempted to grab a healthy nibble.

Green tea and rice, baked? At first glance, that may seem more like a ceramic project you’d put into a kiln and pray it comes out right. But look a little closer, and you’ll see the insight of my brilliant colleague Catherine McConkie. We fiddled with this dish forever, and then Catherine suggested we bake it. That might seem strange, but baking rice is common in restaurants where large batches are made, and it guarantees perfect texture. It’s a slightly longer process, but the baking completely neutralizes the green tea’s sometimes astringent flavor, while allowing all of its wonderful nutrients to permeate the rice.

Sometimes creating a recipe is a little like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube. You twist it this way and that and get real close to figuring it out, only to realize you’re not quite there yet. Such was the case here. Halibut is a great fish for health, but left to its own devices it can be rather bland. So I toyed, I tinkered, and went through more fish than Shamu until—hallelujah!—I got it right. If you aren’t in the mood for this southern Italian version, try the south-of-the border variation below.

Shopping for fish can be intimidating. Maybe it’s the fact that half of them are staring at you from behind the counter, as if to say, “Jeez, how did I end up here? “ So, if you’re going to do them—and yourself——justice, here’s how to rustle up a fine, fresh fillet. You need to use your eyes and your nose. Look for a cut where the flesh is moist and glistening, with no flat, brown edges. If the fish looks dull, take a pass. Same goes for any fillet with a fishy or ammonia smell. Don’t be shy about asking your fishmonger a few questions, like when the fish came in and from where. Most stores have regular shipments; knowing that schedule in advance can help you plan when to have fish. If black cod were in a band, it would be the bass player: steady, meaty, but not much of a soloist. It benefits from some jazzy front men and especially likes to swing with citrus high notes. You’ll find plenty of those riffs in this dish.

Baked or shirred (pronounced “sheared”) eggs have been around forever. In this recipe, baking eggs over a little sautéed spinach with some feta cheese and a shaving of nutmeg creates a dish that looks and tastes beautiful. Just the sight of these eggs nestled in colorful ramekins is enough to bring even the most reluctant eater back to the table. To further enhance the yum factor, serve topped with Basil Lemon Drizzle (page 177).

Pretty much everyone has a neighbor or friend (kind of a June Cleaver type) who loves to cook and also somehow manages to be a CEO and raise three Rhodes scholars while spending three hours a day (minimum) in the kitchen. This is the recipe you give that person when she says, “Oh, I’d so like to make something for you.” This is a labor of love, and while not quite as physically intensive as, say, coal mining, it takes a bit of effort. But it’s worth it, because the recipe is big enough to be made in ramekins so it can serve as six little meals, and it stores well, too.