Recipes By David Tanis
747 recipes found
Radicchio Salad With Walnuts and Pears
Chicories, with their slightly bitter flavor, serve as a pleasant seasonal alternative to tender greens in this autumnal salad. Use a single kind — ruby-red radicchio, Belgian endive, curly endive (frisée) or escarole, or stick with one kind. All come together for a satisfying salad, whose bitterness is offset by the sweetness of pears and candied walnuts.
Spicy Cucumbers With Mint, Scallions and Crushed Peanuts
This fine accompaniment to any number of dishes is an (admittedly inauthentic) take on a Southeast Asian favorite, moderately spicy in Vietnam and far more fiery in Thailand. Choose chiles accordingly to match your preference: Thai chiles pack a lot of heat; serrano chiles are strong, but less so; red Fresno chiles have sweet undertones and are the mildest. Also, try to get the best cucumbers you can, with thin skins. The better the cucumber, the better the salad.
Coconut Tapioca Pudding
A little salt makes this dreamy concoction tastier, giving it another dimension. The pudding can be made several hours in advance but should be served at room temperature.
Peppered Sea Scallops With Spinach
An easy but elegant full-flavored main course, this dish is best made in fall or winter, when sea scallops are in season. The generously peppered scallops lay on a bed of puréed spinach. The spinach leans on Indian flavors, run through with heady garam masala, turmeric and ginger. Substitute pan-seared fish or shrimp if scallops aren’t your thing. If desired, serve with steamed rice.
Baked Fish With Slow-Cooked Peppers
Meaty fish like striped bass, swordfish and halibut make good choices for pairing with the late-season vegetable harvest, specifically sweet peppers. Whether you use standard bell peppers, Italian “frying” peppers or some wonderful shapely variety, like corno di toro, cut them in half vertically, right through the stem, then remove the veins and seeds (as opposed to cutting off the tops first). That way, you’ll be able to make long slices, without any oddly sized leftover bits.
Plum-Almond Crumble
Late-summer plums, especially the small dark purple, yellow-fleshed ones called Italian prunes, are a delight. They are handy for cakes and tarts, but here, they are baked with an almond-scented, streusel-like topping.
Tomato Carpaccio
Really not much more than a plate of sliced tomatoes, the key to this dish is truly ripe tomatoes, the kind you get at the farmers’ market at summer’s end. It doesn’t matter what color they are, though large red ones are ideal. Use your best extra-virgin oil for the dressing, which also features briny shallots and capers, a whiff of garlic and a touch of anchovy. Finish with a handful of basil leaves.
Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp)
All over Spain, gambas al ajillo and its various versions (made with camarones, or shrimp, or mushrooms for a vegetarian twist) are beloved. And what’s not to love? Sweet, briny prawns (or larger shrimp in the United States) are sautéed with lots of garlic and olive oil, finished with a touch of hot pepper, and ready in less than half an hour. Don’t leave behind the flavorful extra-virgin olive oil, which is perfect for sopping up. Quick! Someone get a crusty loaf for just that purpose.
Creamy Peach Sorbet With Raspberries
This light, easy dessert blends a fresh peach purée and yogurt. No ice cream machines are necessary, just a touch of gelatin for structure, and a stint in your freezer. For that matter, it tastes wonderful even without freezing. Leave skins on the fruit for a peachy color.
Escalivada (Catalan Roasted Vegetables)
In Catalonia, escalivada is traditionally prepared in the fireplace, with raw vegetables nestled in the coals and ashes, cooked slowly until soft — typically eggplant, sweet bell peppers and onions, sometimes tomato. When cool, the charred skins are removed, and the vegetables are sliced or torn into strips, then dressed with olive oil, garlic and sherry vinegar. These days, the method has changed slightly, with modern cooks roasting the vegetables on a sheet pan in the oven or over indirect heat in a covered grill. The ingredients mingle, resulting in something much like a vegetable stew. Once assembled, it will keep a week and can be served cold or at room temperature. It tastes best when aged at least a day, so make it ahead for a party or picnic.
Nectarines in Lime Syrup
Fruit — whether a bowl of sweet berries or a wedge of watermelon — makes the best dessert, but stone fruits are a real treat, especially nectarines. Sliced and dressed in a lime syrup, served chilled as they are here, they’re a refreshing, sophisticated and shockingly simple end to a meal.
Marinated Cherry Tomatoes on Toast
Taking a cue from Italian bruschetta and Spanish pan con tomate, these easy marinated cherry tomatoes go with everything. Toss them over greens for a summery salad or spoon them over grilled fish. Or serve them as they are here, on toasted bread, a great vehicle for catching all the delicious juices.
Summer Chowder With Cod and Clams
Based on East Coast white chowder, made with milk and potatoes, but more of a dinner stew than a soup. Lemon zest and slivers of serrano chile add spark to the mild creamy base. Prepare the chowder up to two hours in advance and reheat it gently just before serving, to avoid any last-minute rushing.
Mango Crumble
Fruity desserts are the way to go all year round, but especially in summer, when produce is in great abundance, and a crumble is both simple and delicious. Here, tangy mangoes bake until jammy under a crisp crust spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and ginger for an unforgettable contrast in textures.
Spicy Lamb Burgers With Tahini
This dish, inspired by the warm flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, is a breeze to put together. Hot pepper, spices, garlic and olive oil are blended into a pound of lamb before being formed into small, thin, quick-cooking patties. They’re then cooked quickly in a hot cast-iron skillet and served with a garlicky tahini sauce. Tuck it into a toasted pita, or go with a bun. Either way, it’ll be delicious.
Zucchini Salad With Basil, Mint and Feta
For an utterly summery first course, consider this shaved zucchini salad. The idea is very thinly sliced, very fresh zucchini or other summer squash, lightly dressed with salt, lime juice and olive oil, with lots of basil and mint and crumbly creamy feta on top. It’s extremely refreshing and takes no time to make. Adding some strips of squash blossom for a colorful garnish is nice.
French Potato Salad
In this straightforward, old-fashioned French potato salad with chives and tarragon, medium waxy potatoes are boiled and peeled while still warm, so they best absorb the flavors. They’re then thickly sliced and splashed with an easy vinaigrette. A generous dribble of fruity extra-virgin olive oil is customary – don’t skimp on it.
Raspberry-Almond Clafoutis
A traditional clafoutis is made with cherries, replaced here with raspberries, which have a slight tartness. The batter is made with almond flour and a little almond extract for a gluten-free version. Cool to room temperature before serving.
Pepper-Crusted Flank Steak
Coarse crushed black peppercorns coat this flank steak for a zesty burst of flavor, complementing the rare grilled meat. It’s best to crush your own, in a mortar and pestle or spice mill. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
This colorful, full-flavored salad is finished with a black olive dressing, made with Niçoise olives, capers, anchovy and garlic, and similar to a Provençal tapenade. For the best result, choose the smallest green beans and sweetest cherry tomatoes. Add arugula or other salad greens just before serving, if you wish.
Asparagus and Golden Beet Salad
The season’s first asparagus pairs with tender butter lettuce and sweet golden beets in this springy salad, which comes together quickly, with a little bit of prep. Red beets are a bit wintry for this particular dish, but fortunately, golden beets are relatively easy to find at most supermarkets and simple to cook (see Tip). Just do so a day in advance, to save yourself some time. Similarly, you can prepare the eggs a day in advance, peeling and quartering them just before serving. A little bit of savvy planning goes a long way here.
Spring Chicken With Mushroom and Lemon
For a main course, chicken-noodle anything is always an attractive option, and here, boneless, skinless chicken thighs come together with button mushrooms and a sauce of chicken broth, white wine and crème fraîche for a bright, filling stew. To make it sparkle, it’s all finished with a generous handful of tender sweet herbs and lots — lots! — of lemon zest. Egg noodles, or fresh pasta, such as pappardelle, are a good choice.
Citrus and Coconut Ambrosia
Many know the kind of ambrosia with marshmallows and whipped topping, called ambrosia salad. This, on the other hand, is an elegant, simplified (and perhaps closer to the 19th-century original) version of dessert-style ambrosia. It can and should be prepared up to several hours before serving. The main thing is to let the citrus fruit sit in its juices for a while. It’s worth the wait.
Walnut Sponge Cake
This tender walnut sponge cake is gluten-free, risen with egg whites and containing no wheat flour. You can substitute other nuts, like almond or hazelnut, with no problem. Served with soft whipped cream and seasonal fruit — it never fails to please.