Sear

I love the way the hot steak wilts the arugula, and how the meat’s juices mingle with the dressing. You could make this with any steak (or, for that matter, chicken or pork), but rib eye is the classic choice. Whichever cut, it’s vitally important to let the cooked meat rest before carving, so the juices redistribute and settle, keeping your meat moist and tender.

This dish is a perfect embodiment of the way I like to eat. The colors just say spring, it’s light, and everything tastes really fresh and bright.

A colorful trio of fresh fruits, coupled with the spiciness of jalapeño pepper, enlivens the flavor of mild tilapia.

It’s important, when making this sandwich, that you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before cooking the tuna—you don’t want the tuna sitting after it’s cooked. When selecting tuna for this dish, be sure to get tuna that is undoubtedly sushi or sashimi grade. Cutting corners and using any fresh tuna is not an option on this one. Also, make sure the tuna is bright red all over. If the edges are just a bit murky or even the slightest shade of brown, don’t buy it. If it’s fresh, it will be bright red throughout.

Steak au poivre (steak with peppercorns) is one of the all-time great French bistro dishes. Few things complement a great steak like peppercorns, brandy, and cream. Needless to say, the original is way out of our budget, calorically speaking. At one-fourth of the original calories and one-tenth of the fat, this version will make you wonder why it hasn’t been revised until now.

Purists insist that skirt steak is the only cut of beef from which to make fajitas. Skirt steak is delicious—mostly because of the fat marbling through it. That’s why this recipe calls for lean filet mignon: it has significantly less fat than skirt steak. The condiments more than make up for the flavor that fat provides.

If you are completely exhausted, substitute the salmon steaks with canned salmon. Buy one large can (18 ounces), drain, and arrange the chunks atop the salad. Buy hard-boiled eggs from the salad bar at the market, or boil your own (see Tidbit, page 90).

This burger and the side that follows are fancy enough to entertain with and much more affordable than steaks and lobster for your crew!

Cubanos are traditionally served on a sweet roll. The orange juice and honey are used to hit that sweet note here.

Serve the Seared Peppers and Onions (page 46) with any or all of these Fajita Burgers. They’re hot! Wrap the pepper and onion topping in a warm, soft tortilla with a burger, or pile a quarter of the mixture on each plate and garnish with a little cilantro. Top with a burger of your choice.

Better than burritos and tacos, these wraps have crunch and the lettuce lets the flavors of the fillings shine through.