Nut

Succulent, tender, and aromatic, roast chicken is a dish that all cooks should have in their arsenal. There are many schools of thought on how to master the perfect roast chicken. My philosophy is the simpler the better. I don’t use a big roasting pan or rack, truss the bird, or change the oven temperature fifty times. As far as technique goes, I like to start roasting the chicken breast side down to protect it from drying out in the initial intense heat. Gravity also works on your side that way; all of the juices gather in the breast meat during the first half of cooking, keeping the meat really moist. Then I turn the bird over to finish cooking and brown the breast. Swiss Chard and Caramelized Onion Panade (page 183) makes a terrific side.

Parsley is the star of this simple green salad. It’s not often that the herb, typically used as a garnish, shines as brightly as it does here, with a vibrant note that elevates the lettuce. The dressing is on the heavy side, so take care not to overdress the delicate lettuce. Leftover dressing will keep in the refrigerator for two days and is fantastic as a sandwich spread or a dip for chips.

I’ll never understand why people don’t like beets—they’re wonderfully sweet and have a dense, meaty texture. When buying beets, I focus on what the leafy tops look like. The leaves should be fresh looking and dark green, not wilted. I shy away from baby beets, which I find to be unnecessarily pricey, as much as I stay away from huge rock-size ones. Heirloom tomatoes in a rainbow of colors add to this sunny summer salad—you won’t even miss the lettuce! Like all the vinaigrettes and dressings in this book, the recipe will make a fair amount. Leftover walnut vinaigrette will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to five days. It’s pretty thick and is ideal to spoon over grilled or steamed asparagus.

This mix of lobster, avocado, and papaya is a luxurious alternative to your everyday salad. It’s sweet and creamy, perfect in the summer on a hot day. With the exception of cutting the avocado, all of the ingredients for the salad can be prepared ahead of time. Then, assembling the salad becomes a quickie. Leftover jade dressing will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to two days and is fantastic with grilled lamb chops.

Butter lettuce, as its name suggests, is so tender that it melts in the mouth like butter. Also called Boston and Bibb lettuce, butter lettuce should come as a fairly large, loose head with thick leaves and an even green color. I’m not a huge fan of hydroponic lettuce because you end up paying more for less lettuce, which makes no sense to me. Visit your local farmers’ market or quality grocer and look for fresh, crisp leaves that are perky and not wilted. Butter lettuce is a terrific canvas to highlight the complementary flavors of acidic yet sweet orange, silky and dense avocado, and rich, crunchy hazelnuts. Shallot-hazelnut vinaigrette is my go-to multipurpose salad dressing; this recipe makes extra. Be sure to try it on other green salads or even grilled fish.

Let me start off by saying that this not-to-be-missed dish . . . takes several hours to make. Even though the recipe involves a time commitment, someone who enjoys cooking will take pleasure in the process, and the end result is all the more satisfying. And I promise you, when you make this dish, it will blow everyone away! The succulent pieces of pork belly are melting on the inside and crispy on the outside. Spicy kimchi is the perfect counterpoint to the unctuous belly. Sweet, spicy, hot, cold, crispy, fatty, crunchy, and chewy—this dish has got it all.

In my book, bacon-wrapped anything is good. Here crisp bacon and juicy peaches strike a perfect balance of salty and sweet. It’s hard to beat a fresh-picked slurpy peach, but these little bites are a sexy way to dress up the luscious summer fruit, making for a sophisticated, beautiful small plate.

There are chestnut roasting devices—long-handled iron skillets or perforated baskets that allow the flames direct contact with the nuts—but they are not necessary; any way you can get the chestnuts in a hot fire and close to the flames works well. Chestnuts are high in moisture—more like a fruit than a nut—and fairly perishable. Look for nuts that are dark brown, shiny, and heavy and store them in the refrigerator.

Steaming eggplant gives it a suave, custardy texture that helps it resist soaking up too much oil, setting it up for this rich dressing. I like Anaheim chile flakes here, which are milder than the standard-issue chile flakes. They provide sweet pepper flavor without too much heat.

In this recipe, fish sauce stands in for the salt to make a savory-sweet spicy salad or side dish. If possible, include two or more types of melon for variety. We get most of our melons from Whitted Bowers, a biodynamic orchard and farm just north in Cedar Grove that also offers a spin on U-pick berries: dig-your-own Carolina Ruby sweet potatoes. Cheri Whitted and Rob Bowers grow many melons; my favorites include the musky Emerald Gem (considered the finest melon in the world after it was developed in 1886), Pride of Wisconsin, and Sugar Baby, the icebox-size watermelon.