Tarragon

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's an easy, make-ahead recipe. If asparagus is unavailable, steamed broccoli is a nice substitute.

Butter melting over a pan-fried steak mingles with its rosy juices, creating a luscious sauce right on the plate. For smaller appetites, these large steaks can be cut in half to serve four.

This delicious salad is from Johannes.

Complete this one with cherry tomatoes, potato chips, and lemonade.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

A clever way to present every morsel of a cooked whole artichoke is to remove all the leaves before serving, and use their bits of tender flesh as a stuffing for the hollow artichoke bottom. It takes a bit of time to scrape the leaves of an artichoke clean, so reserve this as a special treat for 2, or at most 4.

Here's a quick and elegant entrée for spring.

Canapés came into fashion in the cocktail-party era that began in the 1920s. Bottled mayonnaise (which was first produced by Richard Hellmann in 1912 at his New York deli) and canned crabmeat help to make this canapé a model of fast food.

This is a rich, filling way of serving mussels. Make sure to have a lot of good bread to sop up all the juices.

A flurry of fresh tarragon makes this speedy weeknight dish of seared cod and luscious, sun-colored pan sauce feel restaurant worthy.

A combination of creamy sauce and tender cider-braised chicken makes this a comforting dish equally ideal for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion meal.

A creamy tahini sauce (made with lemon juice and tangy dijon mustard) solves the problem of creating a rich and well-dressed chicken salad without the mayo.

Tenderizing yogurt makes the perfect marinade for grilled bone-in chicken thighs, which get even more flavor from chile-infused honey.

The humble leek gets dressed up with a bright tarragon vinaigrette, a boiled egg, and toasted hazelnuts.

Fresh herbs, loads of noodles, and a glorious amount of brown butter make this mushroom-packed rice pilaf main course-worthy.

Looking for the ultimate booze-free cooler? Try Bryant Terry’s refreshing grape-tarragon spritzer, which cleverly keeps its cool with frozen grapes instead of ice cubes.