Author Archives: robertaklapper

By Kay Chun

This is another tasty, simple, weeknight recipe. Chicken thighs are tossed with a sweet-salty glaze made of honey and soy sauce that caramelizes into a sticky coating as it roasts in the oven.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (see tip)
• 5 tablespoons mild honey, such as clover, acacia or orange blossom
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• 8 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
•  Lemon wedges, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce and honey and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. (You’ll want to cook attentively for this step, as the syrupy mixture can burn if it cooks too long.) Turn off the heat then whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper.
2. On an aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Add half the glaze and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and toss the chicken to coat. Arrange in an even layer, skin side up, and roast until browned, 15 minutes. Brush the chicken all over with 2 tablespoons of the remaining glaze. Roast until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
3. Drizzle the chicken with the remaining glaze and serve with lemon wedges.

Tips

• The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight; just rewarm it in the microwave or stovetop before using.
• If gluten is a concern, substitute the soy sauce with low-sodium tamari.

Note: I found that the chicken needed additional time to roast. If necessary, lower the oven to 375 for about 10-15 minutes more. Watch that the skin doesn’t burn. Chicken was delicious the next day served cold.

By Melissa Clark

This was a lovely surprise. So easy and satisfying. “Roasting lemon slices with the potatoes infuses them with a bright, zippy flavor.”

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lemons
• 1 ¼ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 to 3), patted dry with paper towels (see Tip)
• 1 ¼ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, halved and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 ¾ teaspoons dried oregano, plus more for serving
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more for serving
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•  Mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup or hot sauce, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees and, if you like, line a sheet pan with parchment paper (not essential but helpful for cleaning up).
2. Trim the ends off 1 lemon, then cut the lemon in half crosswise.Thinly slice one half of the lemon into rounds, then cut the rounds into quarters, creating small triangles. Shake out the seeds then place the lemon quarters into a large bowl. Save the remaining lemon half for serving. Cut the remaining whole lemon into wedges, for serving.
3. Add chicken and potatoes to the large bowl with the lemon quarters. Add the oregano, salt and pepper; toss well. (Your hands are the best tools here.) Drizzle in the oil and toss again.
4. Arrange chicken thighs skin side up on one half of the prepared sheet pan, and potatoes and lemons on the other, spreading the potatoes out into one layer. Roast for 20 minutes. Using a long-handled spoon, stir the potatoes, then spread them out again in one layer. (You don’t have to touch the chicken.) Continue roasting until chicken and potatoes are cooked through and everything is golden and crisped, another 15 to 20 minutes (40 to 45 minutes total roasting time).
5. To serve, squeeze the juice from the lemon half all over chicken and potatoes and give everything a good stir to incorporate all the tasty juices and browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with more oregano and salt, and serve with additional lemon wedges and condiments on the side.

Tip

• You can substitute 1 1/4 pounds chicken drumsticks for the thighs, or use a combination of thighs and drumsticks. Bone-in, skin-on breasts can also be substituted; because they cook more quickly than dark meat does, you’ll need to start checking on them after 30 minutes of total roasting time.

Note: Rather than squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken and potatoes when they are done, I squeezed extra lemon juice on the chicken before baking it. The potatoes didn’t need more.

The Smitten Kitchen

This is the second zucchini bread that I am posting. (The other is Apple Walnut Zucchini.) Both are delicious, and both are made in one bowl. I took the liberty of adding 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the recipe. Added a nice crunch!

• 2 cups (13 ounces or 370 grams) grated, packed zucchini, not wrung out, grated on the large holes of a box grater
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) of a neutral oil, olive oil, or melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (95 grams) packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) raw sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 6-cup or 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. or butter. Place grated zucchini in a large bowl and add oil, or melted butter, eggs, sugars, vanilla, and salt. Use a fork to mix until combined. Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and baking powder over surface of batter and mix until combined — and then, for extra security that the ingredients are well-dispersed, give it 10 extra stirs. Add flour and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the raw sugar — don’t skimp. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick or tester inserted into the middle cake but also into the top of the cake, closer to the dome, comes out batter-free. 

Let cool completely in the pan. Zucchini bread keeps for 4 to 5 days at room temperature.

The original recipe that I found online was packed with too much sugar, however, I have adjusted the recipe. There are two parts to it: the spice mixture for the ribs and the barbecue sauce. There will be leftovers of both. Perhaps barbecued chicken?

Ingredients for the ribs: Mix together:

2-3 pounds of baby back ribs

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 -1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Ingredients for the sauce:

1 and 1/2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions: Preheat oven to 300*F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil leaving an overhang on both sides. This will be uses as a pouch for the ribs.

If your ribs have a membrane over the bones on the backside, remove it by carefully sliding a knife under the membrane and peeling it away.

Rub the spice mixture over the ribs on both sides.

Place the ribs on the prepared baking sheet. Cover them with the foil and bake until very tender, about 2 hours.

While the ribs roast, combine the sauce ingredients in a pan, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 1 hour.

When the ribs are ready, remove the pouch from the oven, open it, take out the ribs and place them on a dry baking sheet. Do not save the cooking juices.

Turn the oven to broil.

Brush both sides of the ribs with the sauce.

*Broil the ribs until the sauce just starts to caramelize. Serve hot. (Or, finish up on the grill.)

By Naz Deravian

I’ve made this dish many times, and even though the recipe suggests you use frozen shrimp, fresh works just as well. (No need to cut shrimp into thirds.) Here, shrimp and spaghetti are tossed with juicy cherry tomatoes, which are gently simmered until they burst and turn saucy. This dish is best with ripe, in-season cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound peeled and deveined frozen shrimp (16/20-count), thawed and cut into thirds
• Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
• 3 large garlic cloves, gently smashed with the flat side of a knife
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or to taste
• 2 pounds cherry tomatoes, larger ones halved, small ones kept whole
• 1 pound spaghetti
• Handful of basil leaves, torn
• Black pepper

1. Step 1: In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add the shrimp, season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a dish and set aside. Discard any excess liquid in the pan. (See Note)
2. Step 2: Add the remaining 6 tablespoons oil and the garlic cloves to the same pan and cook over medium-low, turning the garlic a couple of times until light gold and fragrant, taking care not to burn them, about 4 minutes. Add the fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes, stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium and add the cherry tomatoes and 1½ teaspoons salt.
3. Step 3: Cook the tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until they release their juices and get saucy, 25 to 30 minutes. While the tomatoes cook, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
4. Step 4: Transfer the shrimp with any juices to the tomatoes to reheat for a couple of minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning.
5. Step 5: Set the pasta pot next to the saucepan and use tongs to transfer the spaghetti to the tomatoes and shrimp. The starchy water clinging to the spaghetti will make for a tasty and silky sauce. (You can drain the spaghetti, if you prefer. If you do, reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water to add as needed for a silky sauce.) Remove the pan from the heat, add the basil and toss well. Season with black pepper to taste and serve.

Note: If you prefer your shrimp very well cooked, don’t remove them. Add only 6 tablespoons of the oil, garlic, fennel seeds, and red-pepper flakes to the pan, first, then the shrimp and then the rest of the ingredients.

These incredibly rich and fudgy chocolate walnut cookies are from the beloved NYC Patisserie, François Payard. Just follow the easy directions to make the most amazing flourless cookies.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 3/4 cups walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla

Directions

1. Place a rack each in the upper and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
3. Combine the cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, salt and walnuts in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute.
4. With the mixer running, slowly add the egg whites and vanilla.
5. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, until the mixture has slightly thickened. Do not overmix it, or the egg whites will thicken too much.
6. With a 2-ounce cookie or ice cream scoop or a generous tablespoon, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, to make cookies that are 4 inches in diameter.
7. Scoop 5 cookies on each pan, about 3 inches apart so that they don’t stick when they spread. If you have extra batter, wait until the first batch of cookies is baked before scooping the next batch.
8. Put the cookies in the oven, and immediately lower the temperature to 320°F.
9. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until small thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies.
10. Switch the pans halfway through baking.
11. Pull the parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire cooling rack, and let cool completely before removing the cookies from the paper. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. 

Note: I wrapped each cookie in plastic wrap and left then on the counter. They lasted several more days.

By Alex Ward

This is a similar recipe from the NYT, however, this time, 8 tablespoons of the butter are not incorporated into the batter but placed into the baking pan to melt. Two thirds of the batter are then added to the pan.

“When you transfer the batter to the pan, it will not completely cover the bottom, nor will it cover the top of the peaches, but cobble it together the best you can. As it bakes, the batter will rise up  along the sides of the pan and through the peaches, developing a crisp exterior and tender interior.”

This cake is best the day it’s made as the crisp exterior softens when covered with plastic wrap or foil for storage. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds ripe peaches or 6 cups frozen sliced peaches
• 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup milk
•  Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, pit and slice the peaches. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Add the sliced peaches and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until soft and syrupy.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup sugar with the remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk until combined.
3. Add 8 tablespoons of butter to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and place it in the oven. When the butter is melted, reserve 1/3 cup of the batter and set aside. Add the rest of the batter to the pan, using a spatula to spread it out as much as you can. It will not fully cover the bottom of the pan. That’s O.K.
4. Spoon the peach mixture evenly over the top of the batter. Using a clean spoon, dollop small bits of the reserved batter over the peaches, and spread around a bit with the back of the spoon. (It will not fully cover the peaches. Again, that’s O.K.!)
5. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Note: I made this with frozen peaches. Two things I discovered:

1.The cooked peaches were too sweet for my palate, so I squeezed almost half a lemon over them. If you also find them too sweet, add lemon juice slowly until you get to your desired taste.

2. I found that 2 tablespoons of flour added to the frozen peaches made them too thick. I would use 1 tablespoon next time. Fresh peaches might be juicier, so 2 tablespoons of flour would be correct.

By Jerrelle Guy

This NYT recipe couldn’t be any easier! A reader suggests melting the butter in the pan while the oven is preheating (leaving a bit in the pan and putting the batter in the hot pan to create a chewy crust) and also increasing the amount of fruit which can be any juicy fruit – peaches, blueberries, etc.

NGREDIENTS

• ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing
• 5 ounces/145 grams frozen and thawed or fresh, hulled strawberries (about 1 cup)
• ⅔ cup/150 grams packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup/130 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
•  Vanilla ice cream, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch (square or round) baking dish with butter. Set aside.
2. Using your hands or the back of a fork, mash the berries to release all their juices, and stir in 1/3 cup of the brown sugar. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, milk and salt, then add the flour and baking powder and continue whisking just until the batter is smooth. Transfer the batter (it’s not much) to the greased baking dish, and spread evenly into corners.
4. Spoon the strawberries and all their juices over the top of the cake batter. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or just when a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before spooning into bowls. Serve warm with ice cream.

This recipe originally called for Roquefort cheese, but I substituted Gruyere with excellent results. It should make two 9″ pies. The amount of cheese is to one’s individual taste.

Note: My daughter made this recipe, doubled the filling, and made one double height quiche. It was delicious.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks chilled, unsalted butter cut into approximately 1/2 inch pieces

4 1/2 tablespoons of ice water ( more or less; start with four)

Filling:

2 medium zucchini (not all will be used)

3 large eggs

1/2 cup of whole milk

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1 – 1 1/2 cups of shredded Gruyere cheese (or 1/2 cup of crumbled Roquefort cheese)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

For crust: Blend flour and salt in food processor. Add butter using on/off pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand. Blend in enough ice water to from dough. Flatten dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 45 minutes or up to a day.

Preheat oven to 400*F. Butter two 9″ pie plates. Roll out 1/2 of the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to fit the plate. (There should be an overhang.) Place pie plate on top of dough. Place hand under parchment and then flip the dough over onto the plate. Carefully peel off parchment paper. Trim overhang to about 1/2 inch. Fold in to form double thick sides. Freeze crust for 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

Place pie dishes on baking sheet and bake until golden, about 25 minutes (or less).

For filling: Clean, thinly slice and blanch the zucchini. Dry on a paper towel. Arrange slices on bottom of dough. Whisk the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Pour into warm crusts. Bake until filling is set, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.

Note: Try not to stretch the dough to fit the plate. It may cause the dough to shrink during baking. If that happens, not to worry. Just continue; it will still be delicious. If crust on quiche seems to be browning too fast, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

De Buyer Crepe Pan, French Steel Crepe Pan, Williams Sonoma, $29.95

This easy to follow French Crêpe Recipe is adapted from Julia Child’s basic crêpe recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup cold milk
• ⅔ cup cold water
• 3 eggs
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons melted butter, plus more butter or oil for brushing hot pan

Optional add-ins for savory crêpes:

• diced fresh herbs

Optional add-ins for sweet crêpes:

• dash sweet liqueur
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

• Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl.
• Let batter sit in the refrigerator at least 1 hour (or overnight).
• Pre-heat pan on high heat, and brush or spray with oil or butter. Oil should shimmer on the pan.
  • I have noticed that I need to coat the pan only once, at the beginning. I use a little butter and then wipe off the excess with a paper towel, which I keep to one side to use again if necessary. It has enough butter on it. No need to add more.
• Holding pan just off heat, add 2-3 TB batter and swirl to coat pan. Place back on heat and cook for about 90 seconds, until the bottom of the crêpe is golden and slides off the pan easily.
• Flip and cook the other side for 5-10 seconds. Move crêpe to a wire rack or plate to cool, and repeat with remaining batter.
• Make Ahead: Stack with wax paper in between crêpes. Refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3-4 months in an airtight container. Don’t skip the wax paper– the crêpes will stick together.