Simple Cooking

Dulce de leche literally translates to “candy of milk.” In layman’s terms, it’s a caramel-like concoction made from boiling sweetened condensed milk until it becomes . . . well, pretty much an eighth deadly sin. What I love most about dulce de leche is that it has the beautiful color and deep flavor of caramel, but not the chewiness . . . so you don’t have to expend needless energy flexing your jaw muscles.

Two warnings about these cookies: Don’t give them to young children before bedtime and don’t leave them lying around, if you want any left for yourself. These cookies are crisp on the edges and have a chewy middle strewn with pockets of soft chocolate. The espresso powder, as Kelsey (The Naptime Chef) noted, amplifies the chocolate, but not the sweetness, making it a grown-up cookie. When making any cookies, make sure to cream the butter really well—this aerates the cookies and integrates the sugar—but be conservative with your mixing once the dry ingredients are added.

Broccoli-cheese soup is my life. There’s something about it that triggers a happy, peaceful memory. I just don’t know what the memory is. So I guess technically, it isn’t really a memory at all. I think a memory, by definition, is something that someone actually has to remember.

Mimicking traditional semolina pasta, cauliflower "rice" takes on fragrant Persian spices in this grain-free take on couscous.

Sweet and tangy pomegranate juice brings a depth of flavor and rich color to this meltingly tender lamb stew. Serve with polenta or a grain salad and then nextover remaining lamb into sandwiches the next day.

I like to make a batch of Lebkuchen Spice Mix—a mixture of all the “usual suspects” in wintertime baking—in early fall so that I’m ready for the Christmas baking season. The mixture below is a great all-purpose one. But you can also tinker with the amounts if you want to highlight one flavor or another.

A zesty-flavored mayonnaise spread is the secret to this super-tender flavorful fish, and holds the almond crust in place.

Breakfast casserole with bacon, loaded with eggs, cheese and bacon, and finished off with an avocado and tomato topping.

A rich, creamy soup with a hint of jalapeno, bacon bits, and a light cheddar cheese flavor.

Cauliflower rice with peas, carrots, green onion, and cilantro.

Well, you guys, we made it. The 2016 Holiday season is officially upon us in all of its food-and-family-filled glory.

This classic Yorkshire pudding recipe comes from the original 1961 edition of The New York Times Cookbook. Serve with your favorite roast beef.

Making these glittering treats is easy enough for elves of all ages and skill levels.

This recipe starts with our favorite sugar cookie dough. Using a simple watercolor painting technique, it’s easy to brush and splatter them with festive patterns.

Fermented black soy beans—a Chinese cousin to miso paste—are the key to this flavorful weeknight stir-fry.

My mom makes the most delicious salmon chowder. It always reminds me how tasty leeks are. The combination of tomatoes and cream creates a pretty pink base.

Use dark chocolate for a less sweet finish in this recipe. Try spooning some over some freshly made crepes.

Classic orange Suzette sauce is great for crepes, regular pancakes, waffles, and French toast. Maple syrup can sit this one out.

Make this recipe your thing. Serve this vibrantly hued cured salmon with an assortment of easily assembled herbs, pickles, seedy breads, and schmears.

Sadly, you’re not going to be able to waltz down to the corner store and pick up escargot and shells. We ordered the Saveurs brand, along with the shells, from Amazon. This recipe is worth the wait.