1 medium tomato (9 ounces; 255 g), cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Kosher salt
Herbes de Provence, for sprinkling (optional)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and set rack in middle position. If Using Puff Pastry: On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out the puff pastry until it’s large enough to line an 8- or 9-inch tart pan or a standard 9-inch pie plate, roughly the size of an 10-inch round. Carefully transfer the mixture to a tart pan or pie plate, gently pushing it into the edges, and trim any excess overhang. Dock all over with a fork, then proceed to Step 2. Pie Dough: for single-crusted pies; Note, you can also use this style of dough for a free-form galette
Spread mustard all over base of tart, then sprinkle Gruyere all over.
Arrange tomatoes on top of mustard and cheese, then season all over with salt. Sprinkle lightly with herbes de Provence (if using) and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake until tomatoes are roasted and excess water has cooked off and pastry is browned and crisp all over, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then slice and serve.
The tart is delicious with plain Dijon. If you want, you can cut it with an equal-parts mixture of crème fraîche, which is also delicious, though by no means necessary.
2 tbsp vegetable oil 4 ears fresh corn, shucked, kernels removed (about 3-4 cups fresh corn kernels) 3 tbsp Mexican Crema or sour cream 2 tbsp mayonnaise 1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane grater (about 1 to 2 tsp) 2 tbsp fresh juice from 2 limes ¼ tsp chili powder ¼ tsp cumin 1/8 tsp smoked paper coarse salt and pepper, to taste ¼ cup Cotija or feta cheese, finely crumbled¼ cup finely diced red onion 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Warm oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add in the corn kernels; cook for about 5 minutes, tossing a few times, until lightly charred. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the crema, mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Add dressing to the bowl with the cooled corn along with the cotija cheese, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold to combine and coat.
Serve and enjoy! (This salad is typically served warm, but it is also good at room temperature or even cold.)
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
1 1/3 cups (265 grams) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup (85 grams) all-purpose flour
Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides, or foil. Butter the parchment or foil or spray it with a nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt chocolate and butter together until only a couple unmelted bits remain. Off the heat, stir until smooth and fully melted. You can also do this in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each. Whisk in sugar, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and salt. Stir in flour with a spoon or flexible spatula and scrape batter into prepared pan, spread until even. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free.
Let cool and cut into desired size. If you’re like me, you will prefer these and all brownies, cold, from the fridge. But I bet you’re normal and will just eat them hot from the pan. If desired, dust the brownies with powdered sugar before serving.
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pie plate
1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour (can swap 3/4 cup or 94 grams all-purpose flour with 3/4 cup or 75 grams of barley flour, see Note)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (200 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup (118 ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 pound (450 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9- or 10-inch springform or cake pan. The 10-inch would make a thinner cake.
Whisk flour or flours, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.
Pour into prepared pan. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer (though I had to overlap a few to get them all in).Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given.) Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped cream.
Do ahead: Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, loosely covered, but good luck with that.
3garlic cloves, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 cupsYukon Gold potatoes, peeled, medium dice
2 1/2 cupsbroccoli florets, no stems
3 1/2 cupsstock, chicken or vegetable
6 smallish fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 cupParmesan, grated
In a 3 1/2-quart heavy-bottomed pot, combine the olive oil and half the butter. Place the pot over medium heat. Once the butter begins to melt, add the onions. Season them with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Saute the onions until they become golden. Don’t rush this step and adjust the heat as necessary to keep them from browning too fast. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the potatoes. Stir them to coat with oil and let them sizzle away for a minute or two. Add the broccoli and do the same as you did with the potatoes. Add the stock.
Bring the stock to a boil. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning. Go easy on the salt though because the Parmesan has lots and will act as seasoning as well.
Simmer the soup until the broccoli and potatoes are tender. The broccoli is not going to remain vibrant green, but if it is good broccoli it won’t be olive drab either.
Once the potatoes have cooked through, add the parmesan, the remaining butter, and the basil. Stir to combine and serve with more black pepper.
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup white granulated sugar ½ cup melted butter 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 egg 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour or plain flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ⅓ cup semi sweet chocolate chips add more if desired
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 cookie sheets or baking trays with parchment paper (baking paper).
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, white sugar, butter and vegetable oil. Beat in egg and vanilla until fully incorporated.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir the dry ingredients first before mixing them through the wet ingredients until a dough forms (do not over beat). Fold in the chocolate chips.
Scoop out 1-2 tablespoonful of dough with a cookie scoop (or small ice cream scoop), and place onto prepared baking sheets. Press them down as thick or thin as you want your cookies to come out.
Bake in hot preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will come out soft from the oven but will harden up as they cool. (Be careful not to over bake as they will dry out.)
Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.
Tip: Take the cookies out of the oven while they are still slightly soft in the centre and let them cool. This will provide you with that gooey, soft texture.
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, diced into tablespoon-sized pieces
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-inch square pan with butter or cooking spray. Line the pan with a layer of parchment paper covering the bottom and up 2 sides with a slight overhang. Lightly grease the parchment paper.
Heat the milk and butter: In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter on low heat just until the butter melts. Don’t let the milk come to a boil or simmer. It should be warm but not scalding hot, 105 to 115°F. Set aside.
Meanwhile, beat the egg whites: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they form stiff peaks, about 4 minutes. When you lift the beaters out of the bowl, the whipped egg whites should stand up at a point and hold that point
Start the batter: In another large bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and nutmeg (if using) on high speed until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.Add the flour to the egg yolk mixture and beat on low speed until combined. It may seem like there is too much flour, but the batter will soon be thinned out.
Add the warm milk and egg whites: Continue mixing on low speed, or switch to a whisk, and pour in the warm milk and butter a splash at a time. Once you’ve incorporated about half of the milk mixture, you can pour in the rest, and whisk to combine. The batter will be thin and smooth, like crepe batter.Add the beaten egg whites and use the whisk to gently mix until there are no large lumps of egg whites. Don’t overmix—there should still be a layer of foam on top of the batter.
Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is golden brown, the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, and the center has a slight jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes.
Cool and serve: Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack until it’s cool enough to go in the fridge, about 30 minutes. Let the cake chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. You can skip chilling and serve the cake at room temperature, though it won’t slice as neatly.Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar, then slice it into squares. If desired, serve with fresh fruit and, for extra indulgence, a dollop of whipped cream.Store leftover magic cake, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Magic cake does not freeze well. The freezing and thawing process will affect the texture of the custard layer.
Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger (if using) together in a medium bowl. You will use half for the marinade in step 2 and half for cooking the shrimp in step 3.
Place shrimp in a large sealable container or zipped-top bag. Pour 1/2 of the marinade/sauce mixture on top, give it all a shake or stir, then allow shrimp to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or for up to 8-12 hours. Cover and refrigerate the rest of the marinade for step 3. (Time-saving tip: while the shrimp is marinating, we usually steam broccoli and microwave some quick brown rice.)
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimp in the skillet. (Discard used marinade.) Cook shrimp on one side until pink, about 45 seconds, then flip shrimp over. Pour in remaining marinade/sauce and cook it all until shrimp is cooked through, about 1-2 more minutes.
Serve shrimp with cooked marinade sauce and a garnish of green onion. The sauce is excellent on brown rice and steamed vegetables on the side.
Slightly heaped 1/2 cup (105 grams) granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
Half a medium lemon
1 large egg
2/3 cup (150 grams) plain unsweetened yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces (225 grams) fresh or (ideally) frozen raspberries (1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cups; see Note)
Heat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Prepare pan: Very lightly coat the top surface of your muffin tin with nonstick spray or swipe it with butter. This ensures muffin spillover releases easily. Line 6 cups with muffin liners. If you’re using a 12-cup pan, space them out and pour about 1 tablespoon of water in each empty cup, which will keep the empty pockets from burning.
Make streusel: In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar, pinch of salt, and 1 cup (130 grams) of the flour until it forms a clumpy mixture. Scoop out 1/4 cup (about 45 grams) and set it aside in a small bowl; this will be your streusel topping.
Make muffin batter: Finely grate the zest of your lemon half into the large bowl with the remaining streusel in it, then juice the lemon half over it too. Add yogurt and egg and whisk to combine as smoothly as you can, but it’s okay if the batter doesn’t fully even out. Sprinkle the surface of the batter with baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and whisk to thoroughly combine, going several times more around the bowl than seems necessary. Add remaining 2/3 cup (90 grams) of flour and all of the berries and stir gently; just until the flour disappears.
Divide batter between six prepared muffin cups; go ahead and heap it as much as is needed. Divide reserved streusel between muffin tops and use your fingers to push any that lands on the muffin tin back to a nearby muffin.
Bake muffins: For 25 to 30 minutes, and until a toothpick inserted from the top to the center of the muffin comes out batter-free. Let cool completely in the pan.
Do ahead: These muffins keep phenomenally. I keep them either in their baking pan or on a plate uncovered (so they don’t get mushy on top) and they’ve been excellent even on day 3 and not bad at all on day 4.
Notes:Raspberries by cup: Just a heads up that while technically every ingredient is more accurate when measured by weight, raspberries are particularly so. They’re hollow. When frozen, they take up more space in a cup per ounce. When defrosted or very ripe and fresh, they collapse and take up less space per ounce in a cup. For frozen raspberries, use the higher cup suggestion (1 3/4 cups); for very ripe fresh, use the lower amount (1 1/2 cups).Double this: Yes, you can absolutely double this recipe to make 12 muffins; no changes needed. When you double the sugar, simply measure 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon.
