Blini are the pride of the Slavic kitchen.
This classic of classics usually contains hard-to-find land snails for which rosemary sprigs are often substituted (don't ask me why). For a simpler version, you can use all chicken: 6 boneless, skinless thighs. If using rice other than Calasparra or Bomba, use only 4 1/2 cups liquid.
Adapted from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham (HarperCollins, 2001). Copyright 2001 by Mai Pham.
This recipe was taken from Francis Lam's story on how to make and modify beurre blanc
Imagine dark, outrageously rich chocolate mousse crossed with your favorite chocolate fudge and you'll know what makes this easy-to-do cake so enticing. Dolloped with whipped cream, it is a fine Mother's Day dessert.
From Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban: 100 Great Cuban Recipes with a Touch of Miami Spice by Glenn Lindgren, Raul Musibay and Jorge Castillo (Gibbs Smith Publishers, 2004). © 2004 by Glenn Lindgren, Raul, Musibay and Jorge Castillo. All rights reserved.
I have been making variations of this quintessentially Israeli salad for almost 30 years. Not only does it taste and look good, but it is so easy to prepare that I make it for last-minute dinner guests when I have no lettuce in the house. (Somehow my fridge is always stocked with raw carrots.)
This is the basic recipe for a dish that allows great variation.
My friend Didier Frayssou, a wine master who can match any dish to its soul-mate wine, has a quality I adore in French men: a sophisticated palate and a love of his mom's home cooking. I don't think I'd known him five minutes before he started telling me about his mother's farçous, a type of crepe or galette that's loaded with greens, most especially Swiss chard. Didier comes from Laguiole in the Auvergne, but farçous are a staple throughout Southwest France, where all the moms have their own way of making them.