Vegan ginger-pineapple pudding thickened with cornstarch and brightened with fresh ginger and lemon zest. Pour it into a pie crust or serve as a standalone dessert.
Luxurious banana cream pie with a from-scratch vanilla custard, whipped cream, and glazed banana slices on top. A show-stopping dessert that's miles beyond the diner version.
Classic Moroccan chicken tagine with turmeric-rubbed free-range chicken, preserved lemon rind, and briny black olives. Slow-simmered until fall-apart tender and served over rice.
Foolproof blender hollandaise made in minutes with egg yolks, lemon juice, hot butter, and a pinch of cayenne. Silky, tangy, and built to drape over fresh trout or any fish you've got.
Bone-in chicken poached with leeks and celery in a silky egg yolk-and-cream enriched broth with lemon. A refined French-style braised chicken that's pure elegance in a soup plate.
Poached orange roughy topped with a spiced tomato-orange marmalade sauce with brandy, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne. A light, elegant fish dish with sweet-heat complexity.
Paprika salad dressing blended with mayo, garlic, chili sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, and lemon juice. A creamy, smoky-sweet dressing with 14 ingredients and steakhouse depth.
Sliced Kiwi and Banana with Strawberry Puree recipe
This makes an excellent first course with dry white Demesticha or Samos wine.
Little soup: chicken broth with artichoke bottoms, asparagus, egg yolk ribbons, lettuce, and chopped pistachios. A light, elegant spring soup that cooks in 10 minutes.
Liz and Tom's crab boil: hard-shell crabs steamed over a citrus-and-spice broth with potatoes, corn on the cob, bay, and galangal. A summer seafood feast built for a crowd.
Slow-braised pork shoulder shredded and piled into warm flour tortillas with fresh East L.A.-style guacamole, cilantro, onion, and a squeeze of lemon.
Hearty from-scratch black bean soup simmered with carrots, celery, and bright lemon zest, then pureed velvety smooth. A soul-warming bowl that feeds a crowd!
Oysters Bienville baked on the half shell with a rich cream sauce of shrimp, mushrooms, white wine, green onions, and Parmesan. A classic New Orleans appetizer that's worth every minute.
Old-school cold redfish mold with boiled red snapper, bell pepper, celery, and a mustard-lemon kick, set in its own fish stock. A Gulf Coast classic served chilled with mayo and crackers.
Banana cream pie with a buttery pecan-shortbread crust, a thin chocolate layer, vanilla custard folded with whipped cream and fresh bananas. Makes two pies for the county fair winner's circle.