Easy

If you like salad with nearly every meal, get in the habit of keeping your own salad mix, washed and dried, in the refrigerator. (You should also have the ingredients and recipe for homemade vinaigrette on hand for quick and effortless salads.) There are no exact proportions for the best salad blend, but a few general guidelines can help you create your own. Start by recognizing that salads are not just made from lettuces; supplementing them with other greens introduces contrasting flavor and texture components. Fresh herbs add bright notes, and shaved vegetables lend pleasant crunch. Consider all the different lettuces available, some tender (Boston), some crisp (romaine or Bibb), still others in between (red and green leaf). For contrasting taste (and texture, since some are sturdier than others), include a few greens, some with a peppery bite, such as arugula, watercress, or radish sprouts, and some that are pleasantly bitter, including dandelion, frisée, and chicory. When choosing herbs, steer clear of the sturdy, woody variety (rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf); choose tender, less robust herbs like basil, parsley, chervil, and tarragon, or frilly ones like dill or even fennel fronds. Watch out, too, for any strong-flavored herbs, like cilantro or marjoram, which can upset the balance. Consider adding fennel, radish (any kind), beets, and carrots to your basic mix. All of these vegetables lend themselves to being shaved paper-thin on a mandoline or grated. Because they will lose some of their crispness over time, wait to add these until just before serving [you can preserve their taste and texture for a few hours by keeping them in a bowl of ice water (acidulated, for fennel); rinse and drain well before using]. If you wish, toss them instead in a little of the dressing that will go into the salad; this will cause them to soften slightly, so dress them sparingly to retain their crunch. Once you’ve customized your blend, handle each selected ingredient with care. Except for sturdy lettuces like iceberg and romaine, gently tear lettuces and any large-leaf greens and herbs into bite-size pieces with your fingers instead of cutting (which can easily bruise them). Herbs should be gently blotted dry with paper towels (or a clean kitchen cloth). Once they’ve all been washed and dried thoroughly, allow them to crisp in the refrigerator before serving. Plan on 1 1/2 to 2 cups of salad mix per serving, and start with 1 to 2 teaspoons of vinaigrette for every cup of salad. Remember, you can always add more dressing as necessary, but it’s impossible to take any away. Here’s but one suggested combination; use the guidelines above to create your own, and any of the dressings on the following pages to finish.

When creaming butter for frostings, incorporating air and creating cells is not as important as simply creating a seamless texture. Many traditional buttercream frostings, such as the Swiss Meringue Buttercream on Page 455, incorporate softened butter into a meringue base, but this version is far simpler and quicker. You need only to beat the butter until creamy and then mix in confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder until smooth. This frosting will be grainier than a shiny, glossy meringue-based buttercream, but it is perfectly acceptable for a birthday cake or batch of cupcakes.

As à la meunière means “in the manner of the miller’s wife” in French, it’s no surprise that this preparation often calls for the fish to be coated with flour before being sautéed, to promote browning.

With its light taste and texture, this sauce is best paired with slender strands, such as cappellini, spaghetti, or linguine; to serve, toss sauce with freshly boiled and drained pasta, adding a generous handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces. And keep in mind that although the sauce is extremely easy, it does need an hour or two to allow the flavors to meld, so plan accordingly.

This recipe is for borlotti beans flavored with pancetta and sage, but you can apply the technique to most of the beans on page 397, except for lentils and split peas, neither of which need to be presoaked. (See opposite for a basic lentil recipe, and page 401 for split pea soup.) The cooking time depends on the variety and age of bean, so check the consistency often as they cook. The sage and pancetta used below would also work well for white beans, but omit them if making other types of beans, or substitute with other fresh herbs or meats (such as ham hocks or slab bacon). To serve, finish the beans with extra-virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, coarse salt, and freshly ground pepper. Or simply leave them as is to use in a salad or as part of another recipe.

When poaching delicate fruit, such as apricots and peaches, use a large shallow pan so the fruit can be in a single layer, rather than piled on top of each other. Also, keep the fruit submerged in poaching liquid with a round of parchment paper to prevent it from turning brown. After you serve the fruit, mix the poaching liquid with seltzer water to make a refreshing apricot fizz.

Fresh citrus juice is ideal for making granita; it is easy to extract and it freezes particularly well. For variety, use an equal amount of any type of citrus juice in place of grapefruit. Campari lends a pleasant bitterness and dash of color to grapefruit granita; add 3 tablespoons to the proportions below. To make apple granita, puree four peeled and cored apples in a food processor with 1/2 cup water and the juice of one lemon (to preserve the color); strain, and you should have 2 cups juice. For watermelon granita, puree about 3 cups cubed melon in a processor; strain.

Vegetables such as potatoes and fennel are often parboiled before grilling, for the best texture; you can add additional flavors by tossing them with spice blends between boiling and grilling. Increase the amounts given below if you wish to keep the mixes on hand for convenience. The spice mixes are best stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark spot for up to 6 months.

Simple syrup has countless uses—here it is combined with fruit to make frozen desserts, but it can also be used to poach fruits (see page 489) and to sweeten iced tea, lemonade, and cocktails.