Potato and onion tart: a crisp homemade pastry shell layered with sweet-tangy caramelized onion-tomato relish, golden pan-fried potatoes, sour cream, and paprika. A rustic vegetarian tart, hot or cold.
Grilled squid tossed with a sweet and sour cucumber salad, grilled corn, and Vidalia onions in a mustard seed and ancho vinegar marinade. A bold, restaurant-quality summer dish.
Jerked pork tenderloin seared then stacked on rice with sautéed portabello mushrooms, all drenched in a spiced cream sauce with allspice, coriander, and Worcestershire. Caribbean heat meets French technique on one plate.
Navy beans and lots of vegetables are simmered in juicy tomato sauce, then topped with bread crumbs and baked in the oven. A delicious vegetarian main dish.
Roasted prawns with spinach mashed potatoes and roasted red pepper cream: Emeril-style plated dinner with seared shrimp, emerald green mash, and a silky pepper sauce pool.
Gazpacho relish for hot dogs: chopped tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion, and garlic in a sweet-tangy red wine vinaigrette. Cookout topping that beats anything from a jar.
Braised game birds browned in olive oil, then slow-baked with wildfowl stock, honey, rosemary, and yogurt into a rich pan sauce. Served over wild rice.
Use fresh rosemary, if possible (many supermarkets carry it). The flavor it imparts to the lamb will be far superior to that of dried. If you like, white potatoes may be substituted for the sweet potatoes, and turnips for the parsnips. You can also flavor lamb by covering it with lemon slices before roasting.
Roasted broccoli sesame salad tossed in a soy, rice vinegar, and sesame oil dressing with toasted sesame seeds. Served warm or at room temperature.
Salmon and basil ravioli: homemade basil-flecked pasta dough filled with canned salmon and curd cheese, poached in fish stock and served with a fresh tomato-pesto sauce.
Smoked salmon pizza on homemade yeast dough with fresh tomato, garlic, dill, Asiago cheese, and capers. The salmon goes on in the last 3 minutes so it stays silky, not rubbery.
Picadillo ground beef simmered with olives, capers, raisins, tomatoes, cumin, and allspice over rice. A classic Latin American comfort dish with sweet-savory depth.
Beans with rare steak and pesto: grilled steak sliced rare over mashed cannellini beans with fresh basil-parsley pesto. A Tuscan-style dinner that's lean, protein-heavy, and deeply savory.
Pasta salad with fresh basil, ripe Roma tomatoes, parmesan, and a lemon-olive oil toss. A summer-ready cold pasta that lets a handful of garden ingredients shine.
Bay scallop ceviche cured in fresh lime and lemon juice with red pepper, cilantro, and green chile. No cooking needed for this bright, citrusy Mexican appetizer.
Provençal tapenade dip with green olives, capers, anchovies and an egg yolk emulsion. Briny, salty Mediterranean spread for crackers, crudités and crostini.