Cheese

Using the best and freshest crabmeat you can get your hands on makes all the difference in these lightly battered and totally delicious fritters from La Petite Grocery, a new-school NOLA bistro.

"The only thing better than pimiento cheese dip? Melted pimiento cheese dip, laced with chopped pickles for a little zip." —Janet McCracken, deputy food editor

A stunning, veggie-packed bowl of spring goodness.

Bloomfield loves making this salad with black mint, which you'll find in spring and summer at farmers' markets.

This whole roasted cauliflower has become a signature of Domenica chef Alon Shaya. Precooking the cauliflower in seasoned liquid infuses it with flavor.

Add the prosciutto at the last minute to preserve the pretty pink color.

This dish is a great way to serve eggs for a group. Take the eggs out of the oven when the whites are slightly undercooked; carryover cooking will finish them.

These wraps work well as a dinner party dish—either as a starter or as a main course with side dishes, such as warm potato salad or sautéed leeks with zucchini, alongside. You can assemble them beforehand and then bake them when your guests arrive, making for a more relaxing evening for you.

It's foolproof to make—just add everything and bake—but you'll look like a rock star when you serve it. -Scott

A plate of fresh herbs is served at most Persian meals, often taking the place of a salad. Serve this dish as an appetizer, or do as the Persians do and leave it on the table throughout the meal. Toasted spices and olive oil poured over the cheese add a warming boost of flavor.

Faced with a cup of just-shucked peas, my mind runs in a million directions. Should I simmer them with soft butter lettuce leaves, pair them with pasta, or flatter their delicacy with new sage leaves and their blossoms, fresh mint, or lemon (or even all three)? Basil is lovely with peas, too. I could add them to that meager handful of fava beans that are waiting for company, or use them to make a frothy green soup. After scanning the possibilities, I end up cooking them with minced shallot, sage, and lemon, then spooning them over baked ricotta with crispy bread crumbs. This is one of my favorite dishes.

Topped with smoked salmon or served simply on their own, these pea-studded pancakes are the ultimate springtime version of a classic blini appetizer.

Using chicken thighs instead of breasts ensures juicy cutlets.

Meatless doesn't mean dainty. When making a veggie-centric sandwich, load up on aggressive flavors and contrasting textures, and be sure to add something substantial to sink your teeth into, like roasted vegetables, sliced hardboiled eggs, or mashed beans. This vegetarian powerhouse from Brooklyn's Saltie balances salty feta and olives with a salad-like mix of fresh herbs. Plenty of pickled, vinegary ingredients (this one uses capers and pickled beets, but any pickled veg would work) keep the full-flavored components bright.

When working with big flavors, you don't need big quantities. "There's something to be said for restraint," says chef Chris Kuziemko of Chicago's Publican Quality Meats, a butcher shop that uses house-cured meat to make incredible sandwiches. Take his lead and swap the grocery store cold cuts for a special cured meat like soppressata or prosciutto, and indulge in a quality cheese. You'll build something beautiful without having to supersize. Just be sure to balance all the bold notes: In this pulled-back panino, Kuziemko uses a sharp provolone to cut the fat and the slightly sweet flavor of the coppa, and honey to temper the spicy-bitter broccoli rabe pesto. Because when no single ingredient dominates, each one can shine.

The pork for this Southern-inspired pasta sauce is studded with garlic, which infuses the meat while it roasts.

Parmigiano-Reggiano adds salty, nutty richness to this ratatouille, which rivals the best oven versions. To speed preparation, feel free to skip the first step of salting and rinsing the eggplant and zucchini (this process draws off any bitter juices). Instead, just remove any particularly seedy and brown parts of the eggplant, or use smaller Japanese eggplants (which also do not need to be peeled). For pizzazz, add chickpeas and pitted, chopped oil-cured black olives. To make this dish vegan, swap in olive oil for the butter and skip the cheese (adding olives will make up for cheese's saltiness). When reheating the polenta, add liquid (such as chicken stock or milk), then adjust the seasoning if necessary with more salt, pepper, and butter.

Your brunch guests will never know this is diet-friendly. Steak, lentils and an egg deliver 30 grams of metabolism-revving protein per serving.

Even your dude will love this skinny pie. (He can bring the beer.)