Cookbooks

Qiāng bǐng is crispy on the outside, fluffy and chewy on the inside, and truly magical when fresh off the stove.

This makes a simple and hearty one-pot meal. The meat becomes fork tender and the stock simmers down to a rich sauce. Leftovers are terrific served over corn cakes.

Without the savory crunch of fried garlic, my kitchen wouldn’t be the same. I use it on rice, noodles, soups, salads, vegetables, and anything else that benefits from a sprinkle of these magical golden flavor nuggets. For the Fried Garlic Noodles, I showed you how to make a quick version of fried garlic in the microwave. If you want to take your fried garlic game to the next level, though, you can fry it in large batches like we do at Tin Roof, since it will keep for several weeks. Though more labor-intensive, this cooking method produces a crispier, evenly browned fried garlic that packs a ridiculous amount of roasted garlickiness.

With a simple sweet onion dressing, roasted peanuts, and crunchy potato chips, this salad is an easy favorite. As the salad sits, it becomes even more flavorful.

There is a way to have your macaroni fix in the freezer: a custard-style baked mac ’n’ cheese. Instead of a cream-based sauce, this one uses eggs and béchamel to help bind a very cheesy filling with the noodles. The pimentos help to cut the richness with a little bit of acidity.

Béchamel, a cream sauce bound by a roux of flour and butter, holds up well in the freezer, maintaining the same gooey, melty texture that the freezer too often destroys in other dairy. It’s pivotal for casseroles, such as lasagna (page 126) or the green bean dish (page 125) that falls on so many Thanksgiving menus. It’s the halfway point to sausage gravy (page 122) or cheese sauce. Long story short, béchamel helps bridge the gap when thinking about foods that freeze well. Just like duct tape, you should never be without it.

Once you master a basic aioli, you’ll find yourself adding different flavors (you can mix in herbs, spices, chilies, etc.) to suit the needs of so many savory dishes.

This classic yeasted recipe produces waffles that are wonderfully crisp outside, and creamy on the inside.

Doubling down on proteins in recipes shows sophistication and speaks to a hallmark of Soul cuisine—utilizing the entire animal. Chicken hearts are an underutilized part of the chicken. They provide an earthiness to dishes that allows fattier, delectable morsels of food to stand tall. You can find this same quality in mushrooms, but I think hearts are a fun way to explore new techniques.

Want deviled eggs, but don't want to *make* deviled eggs? This rich and flavorful spread uses the same base ingredients—boiled egg yolks, mayo, and Dijon mustard—for a smooth spread that's perfect for slathering onto toast.

Smoked oysters are succulent and salty with a creamy texture that pairs beautifully with bright, acidic flavors. The egg spread provides another layer of richness. These may seem like disparate components of a menu, but each one brings something to the meal in terms of flavor, texture, aroma, and appearance to create a memorable experience.

These are a very delicate take on a classic English sandwich cookie, and quite fragile too, which is why you need the piping bag. They are pure edible nostalgia.

Serve these raisin-studded griddle cakes hot or cold, with butter, jam or ice cream, as a mid-morning snack, or as a stand-alone dessert.

Time, rather than years of experience, is what you really need when making your own brioche. Along with a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Fortnum’s chefs have been using this particular recipe for over 32 years. The reason? It works like a dream, every single time.

Shanghainese enjoy rice balls in both sweet and savory preparations. I love both, so I included them here. All Shanghainese buns and pastries have simple identifiers for telling the difference between sweet and savory. Sweet versions are always round and smooth, while savory ones will have a tail hinting at the filling inside.

Every Soul and Southern kitchen has a good all-purpose seasoned flour to use for frying. This will keep for months in a cool, dry place or even longer in the freezer.

In this recipe, the cooked collard greens get finely chopped and folded into the waffle batter for a savory surprise.

These simple, flavorful noodles are seasoned with soy sauce and a sprinkle of umami-rich dashi powder, plus three dimensions of garlic: fresh, fried, and infused into oil.

Some people might be afraid of cooking chicken hearts, but they’re not that much different from any cut of dark chicken meat. These morsels of muscle are perfect for grilling: lean, flavorful, with a perfect bouncy bite.

This is easily the juiciest chicken I’d ever had in my life. The yogurt marinade acts like a brine, tenderizing the meat and making it even juicier than a normal roasted chicken.