May 2013

The most important step in making a lentil salad is perfecting the cooking of the lentils so they maintain their shape and firm-tender bite. There turns out to be two key steps. The first is to brine the lentils in warm salt water. With brining, the lentil’s skin softens, which leads to fewer blowouts. The second step is to cook the lentils in the oven, which heats them gently and uniformly. Once we had perfectly cooked lentils, all we had left to do was to pair the earthy beans with a tart vinaigrette and boldly flavored mix-ins. 

A bit of spice and a hint of sweetness enhance this shrimp and cabbage stir-fry. A chili pepper adds heat, a bell pepper some heft. One tip for chili lovers: Omit the seeds if you’re looking for a mild dish, and add the seeds (and an extra chili) if you like food on the spicier side. 

Impatience was the main reason I failed at searing tofu. For years, I had given in to the temptation to poke it, turn it, examine it, annoy it. Then I finally learned that, like any very moist ingredient (fish, mushrooms, tomatoes), the less you bother it, the browner and crisper it will get.

Pasta and a glass of wine are a natural pairing, but we were intrigued by the idea of spaghetti al vino rosso—a legendary dish in which pasta is actually cooked in red wine. The few recipes that exist fall into two categories: those in which a full bottle of wine is reduced to a glaze and then used to coat a pound of fully cooked spaghetti, and those in which parcooked spaghetti is finished in wine, risotto-style.

I nearly always serve a green salad with dinner, but only rarely serve one for dinner. That’s because the best main-course salads are precariously balanced things, requiring planning and forethought to come out well. You need to make sure that your mix of vegetables, proteins and starches hits all the requisite flavor and textural notes – sweet, salty, tangy, fresh, crisp, soft and rich. In the end, a main-course salad should feel both virtuous and a little decadent, and eminently satisfying.

A perfect suggestion for at least one of the signature drinks you serve (you should have at least two, and stock up on the ingredients because someone always brings an unexpected guest), a cocktail called the Ginger Bliss. It’s bubbly, it’s delicious, it’s a show-stopper and it’s not too tough to make.

Boost your mood with a cocktail, says Dr. Oz! Not just any cocktail, Dr. Oz has a special recipe to help boost the mood. 

It was a dark and stormy night… and so starts the sailor’s tale, whether it be of vengeful ghosts or monster whales. Thus the aptly named “Dark ‘n’ Stormy” cocktail, a favorite of the sailing set from Bermuda to up and along the coast of the eastern states. It consists of rum and ginger beer, and maybe, just maybe, a splash of lime. But it can’t be just any old rum. Dark rum is a necessity, and if you want to make the drink true and proper, it must be Gosling’s black rum.

The best margarita recipe would produce a drink with a balanced blend of fresh citrus flavors and tequila. We discovered the correct proportions (equal parts juice, orange liqueur, and tequila) for the best balance. The right alcohol (Triple Sec and a resposado tequila, made from 100 percent blue agave) gave our margarita recipe a mellow, delicate flavor. And the best citrus mix (lemon and lime zest steeped in their juices) gave it a deep, refreshing citrus flavor.