Make Ahead

A perfect cube is not essential, but try to get the lamb into roughly the same size pieces so they cook at the same rate.

Baking a wedding cake is not as crazy—or difficult—as it sounds! This stunning and delicious cake is designed to be as streamlined as possible. The moist buttermilk cake requires no trimming, the cream cheese frosting is much more simple (and just as stable) as wedding cake's typical buttercream, and edible flowers and pretty raspberries make decorating a breeze.

This wonderfully moist cake comes together quickly in the food processor, with some apricots puréed and some folded into the batter, infusing their summery flavor throughout.

This easy-to-make, portable cake with chocolate-caramel frosting is sure to be your new go-to for special occasions and backyard barbecues.

Why buy this classic steak rub when you can make it yourself? Inspired by the flavors of pastrami, this rub is good on more than just steaks—try rubbing it on chicken, salmon, or even broccoli before grilling or pan-roasting.

A little orange juice (and zest) wakes up the icing of this crowd-pleasing cake with sweet citrus flavor.

Step 1: Prep this simple soffritto and nutty pesto. Step 2: Make beautiful, clean soups on a whim.

An unbeatable basic dressing that's equally delicious on a rice bowl, a pile of wings, or a crunchy carrot salad.

Don’t braise your short ribs—grill them. They’re intensely beefy, with gorgeous marbling that encourages crispy bits.

Often pressed through a sieve and added to the batter for cakes or cookies, hard-boiled yolks prevent too much gluten from developing without weighing down the batter. The one-two punch of yolks and toasted flour makes for the most delicate, tender cookies you’ll ever taste.

Serve this easy Japanese sauce with summer rolls, sushi, or dumplings.

Japanese shichimi togarashi is a blend of seven seasonings including chile, orange zest, and sesame seeds that can be found at Asian grocers.

Water infused with cucumber and mint gets a bit of natural sweetness from ripe honeydew melon. The salt in the drink helps with rehydration, while lime juice and club soda balance it out.

Cerignola and Castelvetrano olives are big, briny, meaty, and sweet. If unavailable, use other types, or simplify with just one.

Sliders are simple, but perfecting them is a bit of an art. It’s all about getting the three main components—the sauce, the filling and the bread—in the right ratio. We’ve got the sauce and filling covered, so all you need to do is get some fresh bread.

Serve this tangy vinegar-based slaw with roasted pork or Guy Turland's smoky Barbecue Brisket

An indication of knowing someone really well is knowing which foods they love, like, and hate. My father loves this recipe, and I was told by Kyria Loula, who knew him as a boy, that it had to go into the book just for him. If you follow his taste buds, the more garlic the better. If you follow mine, start slow, taste as you go, and add more garlic as needed.

There's something inherently festive about these tiny pies, packed full of sunny pineapple and capped with airy meringue. And since they're portable, guests can nibble while conversing.

Wild blueberries are small and flavorful, and the little bit of almond in the topping of this blueberry pie amps up their flavor even more.

You’ll need some lollipop sticks for this recipe. We found some interesting yellow serving sticks that worked well at dinner, but if worse comes to worst you can use cocktail sticks.