Make Ahead

When your beans are tender, take them off the heat and focus on the cooking liquid, doctoring it with good olive oil, salt, and pepper, tasting and seasoning it until the liquid itself is straight-up delicious.

Add this harissa to your next tomato sauce or try it with our Roast Chicken with Harissa and Schmaltz.

Try this schmeared on toast, tossed with pasta, or dolloped on a baked potato.

Try this as a dip, on crackers with smoked fish, or over hard-boiled eggs.

Try this in a frittata, folded into a grain salad, or in a hash with bacon.

Try this drizzled over roasted potatoes or as a sub for mayo in chicken salad.

Try these tossed in slaw, stirred into soup, or fried with roasted veg to make fritters.

Try these sprinkled on peanut butter toast or stirred into plain yogurt that's been seasoned with fresh lemon juice and salt.

Try this with white beans on toast, in salads, or puréed and spread on pita.

Try this alongside a chicken cutlet, on a turkey sandwich, or thrown into a stir-fry.

Spend some time making this, and you'll have an easy, fast way to add nuanced flavor.

The base for countless dishes in Japanese cooking. This method requires just 30 minutes to soak the kombu, unlike some that call for overnight soaking.

There are many ways to make beet soup, the most well-known of all being borscht, the hearty Russian classic that also contains veggies like potatoes and cabbage. Beet soup can be eaten cold, so we like to make it with more delicate flavors and puree it. Here, the ginger beautifully balances the beet, and the coconut milk adds a nice fat component. We find citrus finishes this dish perfectly, so we garnish it with a bit of orange.

Store-bought puff pastry makes these savory "elephant ears" an easy bite-sized appetizer for your next party.

A zesty lobster salad instantly turns avocado toast into an elegant and cocktail party–worthy hors d'oeuvre.

This classic French spiced bread is great for sweet toast in the morning, or it can be sliced thinly and served with pâté for a pretty party appetizer.

Even in its simplicity, there's something about this buttery almond cake that just feels special. Baking it in a pie dish allows for you to serve it straight out of the vessel, whether for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack, accompanied by nothing but a steaming cup of coffee or tea.

Make this impressive but easy bark for a holiday gathering, gift-giving, or festive snacking.

Two types of rum double the fun in this citrusy punch. If you can't find kumquats, add another orange.

These cookie jar classics are crunchy but with a little chew, the taste a buttery blend of nutty toasted oats and sweet raisins . . . What more could you ask for? Take them on picnics and pack them in kids' lunch boxes.