Simple Cooking

Homemade sweetened condensed milk traditionally requires ultra-low heat and up to 6 hours of constant stirring, but with a splash of heavy cream added to prevent scorching, I can crank up the heat and be done in 45 minutes. The result is thicker, creamier, and more luscious than anything from a can, with a rich dairy flavor and subtle notes of caramel. If you like chai tea, be sure to try the cinnamon-spiced variation.

If you can fold a napkin, you can make an old-fashioned pie crust—no food processor, no pastry knife, no vodka. Most important: no cracking or tearing. The dough is supple, smooth, and strong, so it’s easy to handle and shape. It also freezes incredibly well, which is why I always make two. Besides, who doesn’t want more pie? Especially one with a crust this tender, flaky, and crisp.

This particular kadi sauce is based on the Gujarati (Western India) version of a yogurt-based sauce thickened with gram flour (besan). In that region the sauce is sweet and sour.

Use this Indian-spiced tomato sauce in Gujarti Eggplant and Sweet Potato “Lasagna.”

A spicy kick to a delicious and easy baked chicken recipe. Any mustard works, but we love one available at health food stores that has apple cider vinegar in it.

No overnight salting, brining, air-drying, temperature changes, or complicated trussing, just a simple roasted chicken.

Nothing compares to cast iron. Whether you're using a standard skillet or an enameled baking dish, the material's heat-retention qualities can't be matched by any tempered glass or even stainless-steel vessels.

Adding olive oil to this hot sauce recipe lends it body and mellows some of the heat.

Cooking the apples with their skins on adds a beautiful rosy blush to the finished sauce.

For the best results, buy fresh full-cream ricotta. It's available at delicatessens and the deli counter of supermarkets.

This versatile marinade works on everything from eggplant to chicken breasts. Vary ingredients with the seasons, changing up the herbs as you see fit. Basil, thyme, oregano, and tarragon will all work perfectly here.

Heavy cream, alone or in conjunction with oil, can be added to vinegar and mustard, producing a vinaigrette that is excellent with delicately flavored salads. Because of its subtlety, creamy vinaigrette can be flavored easily with herbs such as mint, chives, or chervil. It is also excellent for showcasing a special vinegar.

Plums are summer’s all-stars. You should eat and cook with them only when they are peaking, plentiful, and widely available in many varieties.

The dressing has virtually no oil in it, balancing acidity with the sweetness of apple juice and fattiness of the cheese and nuts.

We’re over having to carefully cut the peels off citrus before slicing them; simply peeling them first keeps their natural shape intact and saves time.

You can use almost any type of plum in this salad recipe, even hybrid ones like Pluots and Peacotums. If it looks like a plum, it probably acts like a plum too.

Plums have a sweet but brightly acidic flavor, which suits them well as a topping for this savory porridge.

Shellfish and pork are a power duo. The backbone of this clam toast is a salty-sweet pancetta soffritto with onions, fennel, and lemon zest, which add a sweet, bright flavor.

Palizzi Social Club in Philadelphia gets very thin-cut rib eyes on the bone. But for us mere mortals, a boneless rib eye is your best bet, plus it’s easier to serve family-style.

This creamy, tangy sauce with a garlicky, black pepper punch is ubiquitous on platters of grilled meats sold by halal street carts in major cities across the U.S. We can't stop drizzling it on everything from pita sandwiches to roasted vegetables to crisp salads.