Simple Cooking

Drape plastic wrap over the prepared sandwiches until serving. It’ll keep the bread from drying out.

High-heat roasting concentrates vegetables' flavor and brings out their sweetness— a big reward for little effort. Use this recipe as a template. Most important: Cut into similar-size pieces, and don't overcrowd the pan.

Oil-poach garlic to make confit, which yields tender, sweet cloves and infused oil. Add the cloves to pan sauces, use the oil for drizzling, or purée them both into a dressing.

Berries get a subtle herbal note from tea-infused whipped cream.

Using fennel three ways—bulb, fronds, and pollen (or seeds)—adds great depth of flavor to this quick dish.

Sweet pickle juice and a mashed consistency give this Southern potato salad, inspired by one at Sally Bell's Kitchen, its character.

"At Linger, we make jam with miso. It's delicious with pork but is especially tasty on bread with cream cheese."

Make the filling ahead of time and you'll need only a few minutes to go from shucking to eating.

Once you know how much condensed milk you like, pour it directly into the cup or glass before you brew the coffee.

The addition of ricotta cheese gives these citrusy pancakes a little more heft. After you cook each batch of pancakes, transfer them to a heatproof platter and keep them warm for up to 20 minutes in a preheated 200°F oven.

Coating the toasted pita in olive oil prevents it from getting soggy when mixed with the vegetables and dressing.

The secret to this flavorful sauce, which is delicious with almost all grilled meat and fish, is to use any herb that looks good at the market. Just be sure to include parsley: It gives the salsa backbone.

Use only the best quality wild salmon in this raw preparation.

"I use miso as a unique salt. It adds depth to even simple preparations, like this compound butter."

Sprinkle salt and sugar on produce like cucumbers, tomatoes, or berries (hold the salt!); let stand for 20-40 minutes. This process, also called maceration, draws out the juices, creating a natural sauce.

Miso is a quick way to add deep, rich savory character to your cooking.

A fine choice for a spring menu, although good whenever you can find fresh asparagus, this frittata has an especially nice flavor because the asparagus and leeks are roasted and caramelized before being added. If you like, roast the vegetables a day ahead of time and refrigerate them until ready to use.

Salmon with fresh morels and peas drizzled in cream sauce is a simple seasonal luxury worth indulging in.