Basics

Watermelon Salsa is the salsa of summer: the coolest, the juiciest, the most surprising and refreshing dip for tortilla chips, and a bright and flavorful topping for grilled fish or chicken.

Homemade restaurant-style salsa is way better than the stuff in the jar – fresh and vibrant, exploding with the flavors of tomatoes, jalapenos, green chiles and lime.

Easy, versatile, vanilla-flecked Crème Anglaise will turn pound cake, bread pudding, fruit crisp, or just a bowl of peak season summer fruit into something very special.

These salty sweet cookies are like a graham cracker crust without the filling. Enjoy them plain with a cup of tea, broken up into crumbles over ice cream, or transformed into spectacular tiny tartlets with fruit, chocolate, or the toppings of your choice.

Molasses and brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice give this sweet and sour barbecue sauce its name and its bright, tangy flavor. It’s the perfect sauce for everything you’re putting on the grill this summer.

An easy method for perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs, plus basic recipes for egg salad and deviled eggs.

An easy, versatile caramel sauce that adds a sophisticated, smoky sweetness to ice cream, fruit, cake, cheesecake or pudding.

Thick and juicy, brightened with lemon and warmed by cinnamon and nutmeg, Blueberry Topping transforms anything it touches into something special.

Lemon curd is thick, glossy, sweet/tart and intensely lemony. It’s a great building block for making simple, improvised desserts, and on the breakfast table it’s an unexpected and elegant step above the usual fruit preserves.

Vinaigrette is the perfect recipe for riffing.  Start with the basic recipe and then try one of my variations, or make up your own.