Recipes By Alison Roman
149 recipes found
Chicken and Dumplings
Heartier than chicken soup, this classic comfort dish is decidedly more stewlike, thanks to a golden-brown roux, a densely flavored chicken broth, and, of course, the dumplings. Think of them as a biscuit meeting a matzo ball: fluffy little clouds made from a quick mixture of flour, baking powder, buttermilk, butter and an egg for springiness. They’re cooked right on top of the chicken stew, partly poaching and partly steaming.
Stone Fruit Jam
When it comes to summertime stone fruit, pies are often the first thing to come to mind, but jam made with peaches, plums and apricots is just as delicious and lasts much longer. Naturally rich in pectin and high in acidity, these fruits make for jam with rich textures and the best balance of sweet and tart. When choosing your fruit, look for pieces that are just ripe rather than overly ripe, as stone fruit tends to lose pectin and acidity the older it gets.
Apple or Pear Jam
Thicker than applesauce, thinner than apple butter, apple jam is its own delight entirely. No food mill or masher is required: Most apples will break down into a thick, glossy mash on their own. The few bits of apple here and there even enhance the texture. Pears work equally well here, but keep in mind that their lower pectin content and acidity levels mean they'll be a touch less jamlike than a batch made with apples.
Citrus Marmalade
It's decidedly more involved than your average preserves, but homemade marmalade is worth the effort. High amounts of natural pectin, acid and bitterness make citrus fruits (namely oranges, lemons and grapefruits) ideal for preserving. And there are many paths to a satisfying result: Some recipes call for boiling the whole fruit until it's tender, then slicing it before simmering it again in a sugar syrup for a very thick, nearly opaque marmalade. Others use only the peel and juice, discarding the insides for a crystal-clear result. Our recipe takes a third tack, using the whole fruit, separated with some savvy knife skills for a marmalade that lands somewhere between the other two. Perhaps the best part of making your own marmalade is the ability to control the texture of your final product. Do you prefer a thick-cut marmalade? Or one with a more uniform, delicate texture? No matter your answer, be sure to soak the sliced peels for at least eight hours to allow them to fully soften, or else they might become tough — more candied peel than evenly cooked preserves.
Spritz Cookies
A basic cookie dough recipe is at the heart of this treat, great for any occasion. A cookie press (think of a caulking machine, but with cookie dough) offers lots of versatility, whether you're looking for wreaths for the holidays or hearts for Valentine's Day. Just beat together the ingredients, and place the dough in the press just after mixing. Push the dough through onto parchment paper, decorate with colored sugars and bake. They'll add a bit of color and joy to any cookie platter.
Berry Jam
Jam made from peak-season berries is a far cry from anything you can buy at the grocery store. As the berries cook, the water in them evaporates, their sugars thicken and their flavors concentrate. What's left is the fruit's essence, which is why it's worth seeking out the best berries you can. This recipe works for several berry varieties, but note that some types are naturally more acidic than others, so adjust the fresh lemon or lime juice accordingly.
Brown-Butter Salmon With Lemon and Harissa
More put-together than thrown-together, this weeknight salmon gets an upgrade with a tangy and spicy brown butter-harissa sauce. To make it a complete meal, serve the fish with a simple lemony salad and maybe a bowl of grains or roasted or boiled potatoes. This salmon is meant to be enjoyed on the medium-rare side. If you prefer your fish more well done (or if the fillet is especially thick), increase cooking time by a few minutes.
Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Think of these cookies as a cross between a gingerbread man and a chewy molasses cookie. Adding molasses gives them a softer texture with a decidedly adult, almost caramel flavor. Instead of rolling or slicing these cookies, this rich, soft dough is perfect for rolling into balls and coating in coarse sugar before baking. The dough can even be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated, or baked 2 days ahead and stored at room temperature.
Buttermilk Cake Doughnuts
Making doughnuts at home might seem like a dream, but it’s an attainable dream. Golden brown on the outside with a tender, cake-like crumb inside, these classic cake-style doughnuts rely on buttermilk and baking powder for their lift and rise. The dough is slightly sticky, but resist the urge to over-flour and over-knead. Like working with biscuits, the dough must be handled delicately or the doughnuts will have difficulty rising as they fry, becoming tough and dense. Be sure to use a thermometer to determine the temperature of oil – too hot and the doughnuts get too dark before cooking all the way through; not hot enough, they’ll be greasy without that signature rise. These versatile cake doughnuts can be glazed, dusted in powdered sugar or tossed to coat in cinnamon sugar, but are their absolute best soon after they’re fried.
Lemon-Ginger Tart
Somewhere between a lemon bar and a lemon pie lies this ultra tangy tart. "Tart" makes it sound difficult, but it's easier than you think: The rich filling requires zero cooking, and the crust is a simple shortbread that you just press into place. The already vibrant yellow filling gets an assist from a bit of ground turmeric. It's an ingredient that you won’t taste as much as you’ll see, but it just so happens to pair perfectly with the freshly grated ginger. It's an extra step, but don't skip straining the filling. It will get rid of any lumps that the whisk couldn’t tackle and will prevent those unsightly air bubbles that can rise to the top after baking. The lemon slices, while optional, are not frivolous: They add a bit of texture and welcome bitterness to the tart.
Salted Cocoa-Hazelnut Cookies
These are a classic slice-and-bake cookie, ripe for improvisation. Not into hazelnuts? Pistachios, almonds, even chocolate chunks are great here. Don't worry too much about getting the perfect cylindrical log; the dough should even out most imperfections as it bakes.
Perfect Hash Browns
When it comes to breakfast potatoes, most people fall into one of two camps: home fries or hash browns. This recipe from Alison Roman shows you how to make an ideal batch of the hashed variety that are aggressively crisp on the outside and creamy tender on the inside. To ensure ultimate crispness, be sure to rinse the grated potatoes with cold water until the water runs nearly clear and to use a very hot, well-seasoned pan. As with all potato dishes, remember to season well.
Chile-Butter Chicken With Vinegared Potatoes
A deceptively simple sheet-pan dinner, potatoes get tossed with tangy distilled white vinegar and topped with a chicken slathered in a garlicky chile butter (while you’re at it, let the potatoes have some, too). From there, you pop it into a 425-degree oven and let it do its thing. The result is a juicy, golden-brown chicken with slight heat from the chile and a touch of smoke from paprika, alongside potatoes that are equal parts tender and crisp. Less, you’ll see, really can be more.
Everyday Salmon With Tangy Cucumbers and Fried Shallots
A large piece of fish, like salmon, cod or halibut, cooked for less than 20 minutes in a cloak of olive oil, makes an ultimate low-pressure, unfussy main course that you can further dress up however you please. Set out the salmon with a big bowl of buttered rice, fried shallots, spicy cucumbers and other crunchy, lightly pickled vegetables for snacking. If you like, add jammy eggs for sauciness and salmon eggs for saltiness (and the opportunity to say “eggs on eggs!”), and you’ve got yourself quite a spread.
Chicken and Escarole Salad With Anchovy Croutons
Think of this salad as an umami-charged version of a classic Caesar. The central difference is that the egg yolk, which is typically emulsified into a creamy dressing, is plopped directly onto the lettuces, leaving you to break it and let it mingle with the salty, garlicky, lemony dressing, which is bolstered with a bit of soy sauce. (If the whole, raw egg yolks freak you out, swap them for jammy soft-boiled eggs or crispy fried eggs.) The true reason to make this salad, though, is that it’s adorned with chicken-fat-laced anchovy croutons, made in the oven while the chicken finishes cooking. They are worth the price of admission.
Clams With Celery and Toasted Garlic
One of the easiest and most satisfying ways to serve steamed clams is next to thick slices of toast that have been drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with a cut clove of garlic. Another option is to take a slotted spoon and remove all the clams, leaving all the juicy goods behind and using that liquid to heat up a drained and rinsed can of small white beans, or to finish cooking pasta like linguine or spaghetti. Once the beans or pasta are warmed through and have soaked up some of that clammy business, pour it into a large bowl and top with the clams. This recipe uses littleneck clams; look for ones somewhere between the size of a large grape and small apricot. Cockles are an excellent smaller, sweeter substitute; they are extremely similar to clams in anatomy, flavor and texture. Most clams you buy have already been scrubbed and soaked to purge any sediment, mud or sand, but it’s still a good idea to give them another scrub once you’re in your own kitchen. And the chorizo (or bacon, or pancetta) is optional; if you leave it out, the recipe is pescatarian.
Chicken Tikka Masala
This creamy, spiced curry made with tomato and hunks of chicken is a longtime favorite of Indian food lovers. This version is streamlined a bit, making it not-quite-authentic, but truly accessible to anyone with a well-stocked pantry. It's also adapted for those without a grill, so the yogurt-marinated chicken spends a few minutes under the broiler to replicate the blackened, smoky bits. Finally, chicken breasts or thighs work equally well here.
Spiced Lamb Chops With Fennel and Cucumber
One of the quickest-cooking cuts out there, lamb loin chops are leaner than a rib chop, with a very mild lamb flavor. Seasoning them simply with salt and pepper would be enough, but a good sprinkle of crushed fennel seed and plenty of black pepper adds excellent crispy, crunchy bits to the seared meat. Serve squeezed with lemon and scattered with herbs alongside a cucumber salad, or with an herby bowl of rice or other grains.
Classic Sugar Cookies
Everyone needs a good sugar cookie recipe. If you can master the very simple technique behind this one dough, you have several variations at your disposal, most likely without a trip to the grocery store.
Cumin-Roasted Salmon With Cilantro Sauce
Roasting a whole fillet of fish might seem like a weekend-only treat, but cooking salmon this way is a luxury you should allow yourself on any old Tuesday, as it requires no additional preparation or skill. Be sure to slather the vinegary herb sauce on the still-warm salmon to allow the warm spices and fresh herbs to get to know each other better.
Braised Chicken Thighs With Tomatillos
Part stew, part braise, these chicken thighs become fall-apart tender in under an hour without the aid of any fancy appliances. Simmered in a tangy broth made from tomatillos and garlic, the sauce becomes delightfully thick and chicken-y, perfect for garnishing with lime, radishes and plenty of cilantro. It's terrific as is, served with tortillas for dipping, but a can of rinsed hominy, beans or cooked rice adds some nice heft.
Lemony Chicken Soup With Fennel and Dill
Lighter than traditional stew, this lemony chicken number relies on potatoes to thicken it, rather than flour or another starch. If you can, buy fennel with the stem and fronds intact so you can take full advantage of every part of the vegetable: the bulb for aromatics while building the soup, the stems for crunchy texture, and the fronds for a fresh, herblike garnish.
Skillet Chicken Potpie
Using store-bought puff pastry instead of homemade pie crust for a chicken potpie might seem like cheating, but rest assured it’s for the best, adding shatteringly flaky layers that even the best pie crust lacks. This recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs, so that the chicken fat rendered from searing can serve as the base of the gravy. But for a weeknight-friendly version, shredded rotisserie chicken can be used instead. Just use a tablespoon or two of butter to replace the fat. (A note about store-bought puff pastry: No two brands are the same size, but know that all you need is to cover the surface of the skillet. If it’s larger than expected, feel free to trim or crimp the edges like a pie, and if it seems too small or is a strange shape, simply roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface to increase its dimensions.)
Roasted Broccolini and Lemon With Parmesan
Dumping cheese onto something, roasting it and calling it genius isn't the most original thought, but it’s worth mentioning how wonderful this recipe is. Maybe it’s the caramelized, jammy slices of lemon or maybe it’s the almost burnt, crisp, frilly ends of tender broccolini. Whatever it is, a version of this is worthy of every dinner party. While there is something special about the broccolini here (nothing compares to the tender stalks and those wispy ends), this technique also works with root vegetables like carrots, potatoes and parsnips, as well as other brassicas like cauliflower and brussels sprouts. (This recipe is adapted from "Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes" by Alison Roman.)