Recipes By David Tanis
747 recipes found
Melon-Mint Sorbet
This simple, generous sorbet comes together in a food processor and releases a blast of mint that’s evident in every spoonful. But best of all, it invites any kind of ripe summer melon, even watermelon. The texture is rougher than a true sorbet, somewhere between granita and shave ice. It’s plenty good as is, but to gild the lily, add a bit of raspberry syrup and a few festive berries.
Miso Crab Cakes
These meaty crab cakes, bound with puréed scallops and enhanced with miso and ginger, can be made a day in advance, along with the dipping sauce. But arguably the most fun part is pickling the daikon. Once peeled and cut paper-thin, sprinkled with salt, sugar and rice wine vinegar, and tossed with some slivers of ginger, it’s ready to eat in an hour or so. Stored in a jar in the fridge, it’ll keep for a week.
Chilled Cucumber-Spinach Soup
This chilled soup is easy to put together and most welcome on a hot day. The soft tofu garnish, dressed with sesame oil and soy sauce, is a lovely contrast to the bright green base. It is worth hunting down shiso leaves or Thai basil at an Asian grocery. Their bright flavors add interest.
Sesame-Coconut Shortbreads
These delicious shortbread-like cookies feature tahini, sesame seeds and a touch of coconut. Not only are they easy to transport, but they’re also easy to make and are a pleasant not-too-sweet dessert for nibbling.
Herbed Cucumber-Yogurt Salad
A cucumber salad dressed with tart yogurt and lots of chopped dill and mint makes a cooling, pleasantly refreshing saucy accompaniment to grilled meat. This is a handy brightly flavored salad to make all summer long, and so simple.
Oven Chicken Kebabs
Made with ground chicken (or lamb), these Turkish-inspired kebabs are highly spiced with red pepper, paprika, cumin, sumac and onion. They may also be grilled or broiled. Serve with lavash flatbread or pita and some refreshing vegetable salads.
Tomato-Feta Salad
Cherry tomatoes make a colorful zesty salad that’s good on its own or very welcome as a picnic side dish. They are halved and tossed with a garlicky vinaigrette, roughly chopped olives, cilantro and parsley and a shower of crumbled feta, an ideal accompaniment to grilled meats.
Herby Asparagus Salad With Beets and Prosciutto
Asparagus is absolutely a symbol of spring, so what better way to celebrate the season than by centering them in a salad. A platter of green spears, bathed in a mustard-tinged vinaigrette, would be perfectly fine, but for something more celebratory, it’s nice to dress things up, with finely slivered raw beets, a shower of dill, parsley and mint leaves, and chopped (or quartered) soft-cooked egg. A few slices of prosciutto complete the colorful assembly. For the best flavor, look for the freshest firm, shiny asparagus available, whether pencil thin, medium or hefty.
Lemon Cake With Strawberries and Cream
For dessert, a bowl of strawberries and cream is always a winner. But instead, consider this lemony spongecake topped with strawberries and cream, which may well generate applause. It’s worth seeking out smaller strawberries, which tend to be riper and sweeter than the large, white-shouldered type. The spongecake may be baked in advance, up to 2 days ahead. It’s fun to hide the strawberries under a thick layer of whipped cream, but you can serve the cream on the side if preferred.
Lamb Shoulder With Greens and Beans
Spring and lamb are synonymous, so in honor of the season, make this succulent lamb shoulder braised with white wine and aromatics. While the lamb is, of course, a showstopper, the real star is a mélange of greens (chard, kale or large spinach) and beans, punched up with rosemary, hot pepper and orange zest. Look for fresh favas, or substitute the peeled frozen variety (found at Middle Eastern grocery stores), frozen edamame, baby limas, green peas or a combination. An ideal dinner party main, every part of this dish can be prepared hours (or a day) ahead and reheated just before serving.
Spiced Chicken Breasts in Pastry
These chicken breasts baked in pastry may sound impossibly fussy, but they’re quite simple to prepare. The only tedious part is making sure the chicken breasts are the same size and thickness. Small boneless chicken breasts work well, and will need only a little trimming, but if all you can find are large ones, you’ll need to cut them into four 6-ounce pieces, an easy butchering project. (Save leftover scraps for a stir-fry or freeze them to add to a future chicken stock.)
Tangerine Yogurt Sherbet
This easy, refreshing dessert can be made in an ice cream machine or in the freezer with a bowl and spoon. Once it’s set, serve it in tangerine “cups” made from halved, scooped-out tangerines or scoop it into glasses. A few pieces of candied ginger served alongside make a nice addition.
Cucumber-Cabbage Salad With Sesame
Taking cues from Vietnamese flavors, this colorful salad can be served on its own or be a fine accompaniment to roast chicken, grilled meat or fish. The dressing, a zippy mixture of garlic, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, lime juice and jalapeño, makes sure the vegetables shine. Ordinary cabbage will work fine, but if you can find napa cabbage, so much the better.
Pear-Almond Cake
This simple cake comes together with little fuss: It’s just sliced pears baked in an easy almond flour batter, but in flavor and texture, it’s so much more. Feel free to make it early in the day, or even the day before serving. It keeps well. Use firm, slightly underripe pears if possible.
Buttery Shrimp With Garlic and Paprika
For this flavorful, richly aromatic shrimp dinner, use large shrimp if possible (preferably from the Gulf of Mexico or the Mid-Atlantic). They are hefty at 16 to 20 pieces per pound, enough for a main course for four. Use fresh or frozen shrimp, extra points for peeling and de-veining your own. They are to be sizzled in a generous amount of spicy butter sauce. If you don’t have hot paprika, use 1 tablespoon sweet paprika plus ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne, or more to taste. Or use Spanish pimentón picante. Serve the shrimp with plain polenta, little roasted potatoes, or steamed rice. Or just have a warm baguette for sopping.
Arugula Salad With Radish, Fennel and Mustard
This zesty arugula salad is a bold beginning to a meal. Use a sharp knife or mandoline to cut the watermelon radish and fennel bulb so they’re just shy of paper thin. When dressing the salad, try to bring some of those bright, colorful slices to the top for an especially attractive result.
Beet Salad With Celery and Pomegranate
It’s nice to make this beet salad in winter when pomegranates are available. For the best result, cook your own beets — simply boil or roast them any time you have a free moment, even a day or two ahead. Then, slip off the skins while the beets are still slightly warm. Slice them just before you make the salad. Sumac, available in Middle Eastern grocery shops, adds tartness, as would a spoonful of pomegranate molasses. To serve, toss with chopped celery and mint, then garnish with pomegranate seeds. It’s a feast for the eyes.
Easy Apple Tart
For an easy, satisfying fruit dessert, phyllo dough is just the thing. You don’t have to make the pastry for a very flaky result. Here, it’s topped with spiced sliced apples and painted with extra-virgin olive oil instead of the usual melted butter. Still, use butter if you prefer, and feel free to experiment with cigar shapes or phyllo turnovers.
Herbed Rice in Chard Leaves
This savory dish echoes the flavors of stuffed grape leaves, but this large-format version is easier. (Of course, if you prefer to make smaller dolma-like packages, that’s fine, too.) It’s best served warm with a good dollop of tart yogurt on top, but if your yogurt isn’t sufficiently sour, add a little lemon juice or sumac. Though this is a happy main course side by side with a beet salad, it could also be an accompaniment to roast chicken or grilled fish.
Endive and Arugula Salad
This simple salad is meant to accompany a main course, served alongside a hearty stew like this lamb version with rosemary and olives. Toss the salad just before serving, and if you like — and arugula is less to your taste — you can use spinach, small mustard greens, watercress or more arugula, if you like.
Lamb Stew With Rosemary and Olives
This warming lamb stew is good any time of year, but especially great in winter. Best of all, it can be prepared well in advance, even a day before serving, and reheats beautifully. You can ask a butcher to cut the lamb shoulder into cubes; there will be less waste, but avoid precut lamb stew meat, which is made from leg and often too lean.
Orange Ricotta Crepes
Knowing how to make crepes is a great back-pocket trick, letting you whip together a lovely dessert (or breakfast, or even afternoon snack) in not very long at all. This orange-ricotta version is best prepared in advance, even the day before. (If you do, stack crepes, wrap and refrigerate.) Count on one or two crepes per person. Spread each with filling and fold into quarters well in advance of serving.
Chocolate Amaretti Cookies
A platter of cookies is always a welcome sight, and these chocolate amaretti, made with almond flour, cocoa, egg whites and a dash of almond extract, are so simple to prepare. These almost beg for an espresso as accompaniment, or a small glass of dessert wine. With their crisp exterior and chewy interior, what’s not to love?
Baked Polenta With Roasted Mushrooms
A hearty polenta casserole makes a wonderful meatless centerpiece. Here, it’s layered with mozzarella, Parmesan and Gorgonzola, and baked in a springform pan, then paired with roasted mushrooms brightened with a quick-to-make gremolata. Plan to prepare the polenta well in advance, at least several hours ahead of serving or preferably the day before, to allow it to firm up. And, better yet, to avoid any last-minute stress.