La Cocotte Verte

Ebly is made from whole durum wheat grains. Like pearl barley, it’s been partially cooked and hulled, then dried. As a result, it cooks in 10 minutes, versus the 40 minutes required to cook whole wheat berries. It has a light, deliciously wheaty taste and readily absorbs flavor from ingredients cooked with it. Here it’s accented with rich caramelized onions and a sprinkle fresh thyme sprigs. If you can get it (or grow it!) flowering thyme adds a lovely touch to the dish.

Fresh English peas have an all-too-brief season in early summer. Barely cooked in a stock scented with leeks, then pureed to creamy smoothness, they make a lively green soup with paradoxical qualities: rich and flavorful, yet light and fresh.

Bruschetta (from the Italian word ‘bruscare’ meaning ‘to roast over coals‘) are substantial slices of bread, grilled or toasted, then rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil. With a hearty topping such as sardines they make a quick dinner, great for busy nights when you don’t feel like spending a lot of time cooking. Sardines are a superhero food: loaded with calcium and omega-3 fatty acids, high in protein and iron. As an added plus, they are low on the food chain, so are a more sustainable source of these nutrients than a carnivore fish such as tuna. Pair them with juicy-ripe summer tomatoes for a fast and flavorful bruschetta.

A variation on the wildly popular ‘No-Knead Bread’ recipe introduced by Mark Bittman. Mild-flavored beer and vinegar are added to the basic ingredients to contribute complex, artisanal notes to the flavor. This recipe produces wonderful bread — crackingly crisp crust, moist and chewy crumb, rich flavor — with a minimum of effort. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool completely before slicing it! It’s best eaten the day it’s baked, but can be wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.

Macarons are the petite jewels of the dessert set. Dainty, yet decadent. At once crunchy and chewy. Delicately tinted or neon-hued to indicate the flavor combinations, filled with tart jams, decadent buttercreams, tangy citrus curds, rich ganaches… the variations are endless, and delicious. Macarons aren’t difficult to make, given a good recipe, proper equipment, and the right technique, so this recipe gives detailed info on how and why to do things. Allez, let’s make some macarons!

As you’ve undoubtedly heard, Prince William induced a raised royal eyebrow or two with his request that the royal wedding feast include a groom’s cake based on a favorite childhood tea-time treat, chocolate biscuit cake — groom’s cakes are an American tradition, not an English one. But one bite of this festive, decadent creation and you’ll understand why HRH considered it an essential addition!

As with many simple, good desserts there are many variations on the recipe. This one includes brandy-spiked raisins and crunchy toasted hazelnuts, but you could use any chopped dried fruit and toasted nuts — or none at all. The Biscuit Cake is quite rich, so a small slice usually suffices.

Grilling asparagus has become popular, and rightly so: the fierce heat caramelizes its natural sugars, adding sweetness and smoke to the asparagus’ fresh green flavor. A drizzle of Piment d’ Esplanette mustard vinaigrette contributes acidity with a little spicy kick. If grilling isn’t convenient, the asparagus can be pan-seared in a large skillet over high heat. This recipe works best with plump asparagus — save the delicate-pencil-thin spears for another recipe, they will overcook with high-heat methods.

Grilling potatoes adds a hint of smoky char to their earthy flavor. Tossing the grilled potatoes with garlic and rosemary adds piquancy. The seasonings are added after grilling to keep the flavors fresh — if they are added before cooking, they tend to become harsh and burnt-tasting.

A wonderful combination of flavors and textures: creamy French yogurt, crunchy hazelnut brittle, toothsome brandy-braised prunes, and sweet, nutty chestnuts. It has the additional virtues of 1) being just as delicious if made with low- or non-fat yogurt and 2) being ridiculously easy to make. The only slightly fussy thing about it is the timing: it can’t be made too far ahead (an hour at most), or the caramelized hazelnuts get soggy.

Haricots verts — delicate, supermodel-thin French green beans — bear little resemblance to their sturdier American cousins. Sweeter, crisper, and more tender, they need only a few minutes cooking to bring them to perfection. Here they’re joined with woodsy wild mushrooms, sauteed shallots, and a splash of Madeira, creating a dish of balanced richness and lightness: deep savory mushroom-shallot flavors and chewiness complementing the beans’ crisp-tender crunch and delicate vegetal taste.