Simple Cooking

Use this dressing to punch up sturdy greens such as escarole or radicchio.

Use good butter, fresh crabmeat, and Meyer lemons and this simple spread will really sing. Can't find Meyer lemons? Substitute 2 tablespoons juice and 1-2 teaspoon zest from a regular lemon instead.

Chef Raymond Vandergaag dresses up this citrusy cake with whipped cream and truffled honey, an unnecessary but welcome gilding of the lily.

Red wine and pancetta add richness to the dish, but good beef broth really takes it to the next level.

Serve this icing spooned over cake or ice cream.

Where's the beef? Who cares? The spiced beans in these festive folds contain fiber, a blood sugar regulator that fends off cravings, as well as protein, which builds lean muscle. Satisfied taste buds and a trimmer you—check and check!

This versatile dough is ideally made in a stand mixer, but a food processor works surprisingly well, too.

Marinate thinly sliced mushrooms to create a simple, fresh salad.

Traditional Asian meals tend to be full of veggies, and this one won't disappoint. Also, peanuts provide protein and off-the-chart levels of resveratrol, the same heart-smart compound found in red wine.

This salad is perfect for a weekend lunch or a quick weeknight dinner.

Adding grated apple, a pectin-packed fruit, naturally jells the jam and gives it a pleasant tartness.

Satisfy a hankering for high-fat Alfredo sauce with this light, no-dairy version. Oat milk and cashew butter stand in for heavy cream, keeping calories and saturated fat low.

The success of this simple soup depends on using the freshest watercress available. Choose the full-grown, thick-stemmed variety; it has more of the green's characteristic bold, peppery flavor.

A simple addition to the master dough results in deliciously scented rolls.

Swedish pearl sugar stands in for coarse salt in this sweet take on the soft pretzel.

Think of this aioli as your secret sauce. Made by transforming egg yolks, garlic, and olive oil into a creamy dip, it's Provence's answer to mayonnaise. The secret is creating a tight emulsion of the yolk and oil. The technique, thankfully, is less scientific: "Add a thin drizzle of oil and whisk like crazy," says Suzanne Goin, chef at L.A.'s Lucques, Tavern, and A.O.C. Her version lets the egg shine by using half flavor-neutral grapeseed oil so the olive oil doesn't dominate. The result is a harmonious sauce with a supple texture (thanks to hand-whisking instead of using a blender) that begs to be spooned onto meat, bread, and fish. Goin serves it with salmon and poached spring vegetables, but no matter what you pair it with, this sauce is the star.

Serve this fragrant, Indian-inspired side dish with all things chicken.