One of the greatest perks of working for New York Times Cooking is that once in a while, I get to spend time in our gorgeous, light-filled studio working with our wildly talented, kind and funny food stylists, photo editors and photographers. (Pinch me.)
Despite what you may read on the internet about stylists using Elmer’s glue for milk or motor oil for syrup, what you see in our recipe photos is real, live food that has been made following the recipe to a T.
This means that, once we’ve gotten the perfect shot and the dish has been slid onto the communal table, all of us descend upon it, forks at the ready. I think every one of our recipes is delicious, but sometimes, as in life, there are standouts. Below are a few dishes that we couldn’t stop talking about (and eating).
1. Chicken Florentine
A rich, shallot-y white wine sauce that’s been thickened with cream cheese coats pan-seared boneless chicken breasts and wilted spinach in this outrageously good dish from Dan Pelosi. Do as he says and serve it alongside mashed or roasted potatoes with a hunk of good bread.
2. Salmon Burgers
If you have a bag of frozen salmon in your freezer, it’s longing to be made into Mark Bittman’s salmon burgers. (We reshot this 1998 recipe recently because it deserved a glow-up.) Like many Bittman recipes, this one lends itself to improvisation, so toss in a handful of fresh herbs, a little grated ginger or garlic and whatever spices sound good.
3. Mie Goreng
Happy to give a shout-out to the editor of this newsletter (Hi, Mia!) for her adaptation of these sweet-smoky-salty Indonesian stir-fried noodles from Zulfikar Fahd, the chef and owner of Java Bali Kitchen, an Indonesian pop-up restaurant in Toronto. We devoured them with glee.
4. Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup
“Stupefied” is the word I would use to describe how we all felt upon shoveling a spoonful of Dan’s ham and potato soup into our mouths. (I immediately filled up a mug and went further to town.) Such simple, economical ingredients — ham, potatoes, broth, aromatics and butter — yield silky, luxurious results. It’s a great way to use up leftover Easter ham.
5. Beef Fried Rice
Kay Chun’s tasty and adaptable beef fried rice uses the smart technique of velveting, a traditional Chinese technique that quickly tenderizes tougher cuts, like the skirt or sirloin called for here. You just mix the beef with cornstarch and oil, and then let it stand for 15 to 30 minutes before stir-frying until browned.
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Margaux Laskey is an associate editor of recipe development for NYT Cooking.
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