Friday, February 14, 2020

15 Date Night Salmon Dinners for Two

Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Pepper Compound Butter

Salmon is a sure bet for a delicious dinner, and these date night salmon recipes are especially great for impressing a special someone.

So, you’ve just volunteered to cook dinner for you and your significant other—perhaps for the first time—and now you’re officially freaking out (rightfully so). You want to impress them with your culinary finesse, but you also really don’t want to give anyone food poisoning because that’s a pretty big dealbreaker.

I’m here to let you know that cooking for date night doesn’t have to be complicated to be impressive and highly recommend one of these salmon dinners. Not only are they low difficulty, but you’ll look way fancy serving a freshly cooked fish with a glass of white wine. Your date will be so impressed. But seriously, don’t forget the wine.

Related Reading: The Ultimate Guide to Types of Salmon

1. Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Pepper Compound Butter

Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Pepper Compound Butter

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Salmon and lemon is a classic combination, so this makes for the perfectly elegant date night dinner. You’ll definitely get the salmon flavor and the lemony, peppery butter offers the perfect amount of citrus. Because the seasoning is so simple and light, you can really get creative with your side dishes. Add any extra butter you may have after you season the fish to a side of mashed potatoes, pasta, roasted vegetables (especially asparagus), or use it to whip up homemade garlic bread. Get our Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Pepper Compound Butter recipe.

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Related Reading: The Best Places to Buy Seafood Online in 2020

2. Coho Salmon with Sweet Potato Salad and Cinnamon Sauce

Coho Salmon with Sweet Potato Salad and Cinnamon Sauce

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I mean, come on. Even the name of this dish is impressive. If you freaked out like I did, wondering what the hell Coho salmon even is, do not be alarmed! Turns out it’s even less expensive than regular old salmon, so you can make this fancy-sounding dish even if you’re on a tighter budget. What I love about this recipe is that it’s not your typical salmon dish with lemon and asparagus. Though sweet potatoes seem like an odd side dish for salmon, the cinnamon sauce will really tie all those flavors together, and your date will admire your creativity! Get our Coho Salmon with Sweet Potato Salad and Cinnamon Sauce recipe.

3. Pan-Roasted Soy-Glazed Salmon with Cool Cucumber Salad and Crispy Shallots

Pan-Roasted Soy-Glazed Salmon with Cool Cucumber Salad and Crispy Shallots

Kristen Teig

If you and your S.O. find yourselves gravitating towards Asian-inspired food, you can so easily incorporate those flavors into your date night salmon dinner. Turns out salmon is a great vessel for experimenting with soy, rice vinegar, ginger, and other Asian staples. And, the side dishes here are a nice, light complement to all the flavors you’re pumping into that salmon. Get the Pan-Roasted Soy-Glazed Salmon recipe.

4. Grilled Chili Salmon with Lime Crema

grilled salmon recipe

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Sooo, you know chili is an aphrodisiac, right? Need I go on? The seasoning and grilling of the salmon is a cinch and then the best part, the lime, onion, and cilantro crema puts this dish firmly into the “oooh-ahhh” category. Serve over simple white rice with sliced avocado or a green vegetable of your choice. Get our Grilled Chili Salmon with Lime Crema recipe.

5. Salmon Burgers with Mango Salsa

Grilled Salmon Burger recipe

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Ugh, I love a good burger. Show your date you’re a little more creative than the typical salmon fillet route. If you like a good sauce, see alternative toppings, but this bright mango salsa pairs really well with the fish and the rich slice of avocado that joins it on the bun. It’s a burger, so serve it with fries; swap in sweet potato fries for something a little different. Cutting carbs? Forget the fries and serve the burger and toppings on a salad instead. Get our Salmon Burgers with Mango Salsa recipe.

6. Bourbon-Peach Glazed Salmon


No need to wait for summer stone fruit season to return (it will, eventually!), because this light and sweet salmon recipe relies on good-quality peach jam instead of fresh peaches. It is perfect for eating on your back porch with a glass of hard iced tea or lemonade, but just as good at your cozy coffee table with a glass of wine. The recommended sides for this dish are super simple: some lightly seasoned green beans, broccoli, or asparagus. Although, I also think corn could go really well with this dish too. Get the Bourbon Peach Glazed Salmon recipe.

Peach Jam, $7.95 on Stonewall Kitchen

Look for this in local stores too.
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7. Spicy Salmon Tacos with Avocado Lime Dressing


If you’re anything like me, you can’t go one day without either eating an avocado or eating something spicy. Luckily, with this delicious salmon taco recipe, you get both! These are really easy to assemble, but I recommend making it even more fun for date night by simply laying out the ingredients and the two of you putting your own dinners together, Taco Tuesday style. Get the Spicy Salmon Tacos recipe.

8. Salmon and Asparagus Kebabs

Grilled Salmon and Asparagus Kebabs

Chowhound

In the same vein as the salmon tacos, our Salmon and Asparagus Kebabs are the easiest things in the world, but they’re so fun and perfect for a night in! The brown sugar, ginger, and soy sauce (among other things) you’re using to coat the salmon give a tangy, yet sweet flavor you’ll definitely love. I’d recommend some simple roasted potatoes as a side. Get our Salmon and Asparagus Kebabs recipe.

9. Smoked Salmon Hash with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette

Smoked Salmon Hash with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette

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Date night meets breakfast for dinner. The staple salmon dinner flavors (lemon, garlic, potatoes, and parsley) all make an appearance in this dish, but the hash makes for a fun presentation reminiscent of the breakfast hash you devour at a diner at breakfast time (or 3 a.m.). Get our Smoked Salmon Hash with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette recipe.

10. Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Salmon and Asparagus


A classic salmon and asparagus dinner all wrapped up in one bowl and topped with parmesan cheese—it doesn’t get better. Pasta is always easy, but this dish will seem even fancier with your cooked salmon and vegetables tossed right in. As a side, I recommend garlic bread—either store-bought or homemade, but garlic bread seems like a necessity here. And to drink, I did mention white wine, right? Get the Creamy Salmon Asparagus Pasta recipe.

11. Baked Feta and Herb-Crusted Salmon


There’s nothing quite like getting a nice crust on a salmon, and feta makes everything fancier, right? Impress your date with this filling and flavorful recipe. Since there are a lot of flavors glazing the salmon, I’d definitely stick with one of the simpler staples as far as a side is concerned. Pan roast some potatoes or asparagus with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Oh, and wine. Get the Feta and Herb Crusted Salmon recipe.

Related Reading: How to Master Panko-Breaded Baked Salmon

12. Salmon Poke Bowls

salmon poke bowl recipe

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If you’re looking for something super fresh (and you can get really great-quality salmon), try making poke bowls at home instead of going out to the nearest trendy spot. They’re full of different flavors and textures, and they’re one-bowl meals—not to mention healthy, especially if you use brown rice. Get our Salmon Poke Bowls recipe.

13. Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

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If you can do breakfast for dinner, then why not brunch? Silky smoked salmon on a toasted English muffin with a perfect poached egg and rich hollandaise sauce is absolutely perfect. Serve with hash browns or diner-style potatoes, or go for steamed asparagus, which also goes great with hollandaise. Get our Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict recipe. (And try our Easy Blender Hollandaise recipe if you’re nervous about having to whisk just right.)

14. Slow Cooker Poached Salmon

Crock Pot salmon recipe

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If you need a hands-off salmon recipe (say, if you’re busy making a romantic dessert), this Crock-Pot salmon recipe is perfect and cooks in just an hour. Serve with aioli and for sides, boil, steam or bake baby potatoes and lightly cook green beans (both traditionally served as part of a grand aioli dinner). Get our Slow Cooker Poached Salmon recipe.

15. Salmon Chowder with Cilantro Pesto

salmon chowder with cilantro pesto

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And here’s another one-bowl meal that manages to be both comforting and refined, thanks to the combination of light but creamy broth, tender chunks of salmon and vegetables, and a bright cilantro pesto dolloped in the middle. If you hate cilantro, just use another herb. Serve with crusty bread for sopping up every last drop of soup. Get our Salmon Chowder with Cilantro Pesto recipe.



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This Young Black Chef Channels His Worldly Heritage into Cooking

As a kid, all Lazarus Lynch wanted was to become an architect. 

“I loved art and building things, so being an architect seemed like a viable path,” the television personality and YouTuber explains. That is, however, until he discovered how much math was required.

So instead of designing buildings, he pivoted to cooking and built his own brand: Son of a Southern Chef. He’s long considered himself a representation of that nickname. His father, born and raised in Alabama, ran a soul food restaurant, where Lazarus first fell in love with cooking. Lazarus has since used Son of a Southern Chef as a de facto moniker for himself, found on the cover of his first cookbook and the inspiration of his YouTube channel, where he creates videos and recipes for a small but mighty following. 

Son of a Southern Chef, $16.89 on Amazon

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The food brimming in “Son of a Southern Chef” is an intricate lens into Lazarus’s upbringing, an amalgamation of his interwoven family, one interlocked with a tangle of cultures. Lazarus’s father is Black southern and his mother is Guyanese and British. Plus, Lazarus was raised in New York City. Meals as a kid meant a diverse confluence of cuisines: collard greens and grits, pig’s feet and Guyanese cheese rolls, bodega sandwiches and bagels. 

This heritage and culture is deeply reflected in the roots of his book. You’ll find pimiento poblano corn cakes, rice and peas buried under brown stew chicken, hot catfish sandwiches slathered with ranch dressing—food filling a tapestry woven out of Lazarus’s colorful heritage.

“My food is fun, it’s colorful, it’s unapologetic and visually captivating,” he explains. “It’s queer and Black.”

Because Lazarus is so close to his family, many of his recipes are directly influenced by certain members. For instance, his book includes a recipe for his mom’s split pea and ham soup, a dish that his mom would traditionally make after Thanksgiving. Saving a ham bone from the feast, he stews it with a mix of split peas, vegetables, and spices, crowning it with hunks of pink ham and crunchy green plantain chips.

“My heritage is something special; I come from a very proud people,” Lazarus says. “Yet my heritage as an African-American has many fractured parts. I grapple with those things all the time in my craft.”

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Lazarus notes that for a long time, Black people were only allowed to cook in kitchens—never being seen or heard—just employed for a single purpose of getting a job done.

Related Reading: This Shrimp and Grits Recipe Is a Southern Romance

“But today I cook in front of your face. My name is bold on the television screens, and I share with the masses,” he says. “My grandmother could only dream of such an offering.”

Ahead is a recipe for Lazarus’s spicy buttermilk fried chicken sandwich—one that could knock Popeyes out of business. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are deep fried until crackly, squeezed between potato rolls slick with spicy mayonnaise, and accompanied with all the fixings: iceberg lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, bread and butter pickles, and a dash of hot sauce.

Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich Recipe

Is there anything bad to say about fried chicken? Nah. I first made this recipe on the Today show. One of the anchors, Sheinelle Jones, said it was the best fried chicken she’d ever had, and she wasn’t lying, y’all. I thought I was over the fried chicken sandwich hype until I saw how people were taking to this sandwich on social media. People were tweeting me pics of their fried chicken, and families were completely switching dinner plans to make this recipe instead of going out—that’s when I knew I’d hit a nerve. Watch out Shake Shack, haha!

Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich

Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 30 minutesServes: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless, skinless or skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup your favorite hot sauce
  • 3 tablespoons Seasoning Blend (recipe follows)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Canola oil, for frying
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon celery seeds
  • Splash of pickle brine (from a jar of pickles)
  • Splash of hot sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 potato rolls (I like Martin’s), lightly toasted
  • Sliced iceberg lettuce
  • Sliced heirloom tomatoes
  • Bread and butter pickles
  • Your favorite hot sauce
Instructions
  1. Make the fried chicken: Place the chicken thighs in a shallow container.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, hot sauce, and 2 tablespoons of the seasoning blend. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the chicken and turn the pieces to coat evenly. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
  3. When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a wire rack on top.
  4. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, remaining 1 tablespoon seasoning blend, and the baking powder. Add 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade (what the chicken was soaking in) to the flour mixture and use a fork to mix gently to create small clumps. This will add texture to the fried chicken.
  6. Fill a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pot with oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat over medium-high heat to 350ºF.
  7. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture on all sides. Shake off any excess flour. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pot, add the chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Once all the chicken is cooked, transfer the prepared baking sheet to the oven. Bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the chicken registers 165ºF, about 10 minutes more.
  8. Make the spread: In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, celery seeds, pickle brine, hot sauce, and black pepper.
  9. Assemble the sandwiches: Spread some of the seasoned mayonnaise on both sides of the rolls.
  10. Pile the bottoms of the rolls with lettuce, tomato, fried chicken, pickles, and loads of hot sauce, then add the top bun.

House Seasoning

Prep Time: 1 minuteMakes: 1 cup
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Use immediately or store in an airtight container or mason jar in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.


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How to Shuck an Oyster

how to shuck an oyster

Oysters can be challenging, not only in terms of taste and texture, but in the effort it takes to open them up for consumption. The tightly clamped shells must be pried apart, ideally without stabbing yourself in the hand. And there’s a bit of finesse involved, not just brute force, but with the right tools and simple technique, it’s easy to get the hang of it. So, read on to learn how to shuck an oyster.

Tools You Need to Shuck an Oyster:

OXO Good Grips Oyster Knife with Non-Slip Handle, $9.99 on Amazon

A sturdy oyster knife is an absolute must, of course.
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Dowellife Cut Resistant Gloves, $8.99 on Amazon

While a clean kitchen towel will do for gripping the oyster, some people like the extra protection of blade-resistant gloves.
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How to Shuck an Oyster:

1. Fold a clean kitchen towel to use as a protective mitt (or don a cut-resistant glove). Hold the oyster—curved side down so that when you open it, the deeper shell will catch the precious oyster liquor—in your towel- or glove-protected, non-dominant hand. Rest this hand on a steady, flat surface for extra insurance against slips.

2. With your dominant hand, hold the oyster knife firmly by the handle and wedge the point of the blade into the hinge that connects the shells. Don’t try to use a regular knife, as the blade will be too thin and not ideally shaped.

3. Turn the knife as you would a doorknob, exerting minimal forward pressure. As you turn the knife, there will be a slight, satisfying “pop” as the joint gives way.

4. Take out the knife and wipe it free of sediment. Then slide it back in between the shells and cut the muscle that holds them together.

5. Remove the upper shell, and carefully run the knife under the oyster meat to release it.

how to shuck an oyster

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Now you’re ready to enjoy your oyster as-is, or add a few extras.

Oysters with Prosecco Mignonette

oysters with prosecco mignonette

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Mignonette is a classic French sauce of vinegar, shallots, and pepper that often accompanies raw oysters. You can riff on the basic flavors; for a clean, cooling version with double the oceanic appeal, try our Oysters with Caviar and Cucumber Mignonette recipe. Or accent it with another classically romantic ingredient: Champagne (or Prosecco, its close cousin). Get our Oysters with Prosecco Mignonette recipe.

Oyster Shooter

Oyster Shooter recipe

Shutterstock

For fancier types who like to pair their oysters with alcohol, you can try our Oyster Martini recipe, but this classic spicy, salty shot is a great way to enjoy oysters (or pretend you like them when you really just want to bolt them down as fast as possible). Get our Oyster Shooter recipe.

Baked Oysters Chowder

Easy Baked Oysters recipe

Chowhound

If you prefer your oysters cooked, à la oysters Rockefeller, these creamy, crisp-on-top baked oysters are a delicious choice, and look great served in their shells on a bed of coarsely crushed salt. Get our Baked Oysters Chowder recipe.

Read more about all things oyster.

Zyliss Oyster Tool, $14.95 at Sur La Table

Another oyster-shucking option, this silicone sleeve securely holds your bivalves, and the accompanying knife slides easily between the shells while offering an ergonomic grip.
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A Beginner’s Guide to Fine Dining

If you’re not accustomed to fancy restaurants and are nervous about exactly how to act or what to expect, never fear: Here is your guide to fine dining like a pro, even if it’s your first time.

You’ve gone and done it. You’ve saved your pennies (read: made available some credit card balance) and made your first reservation at one of those restaurants. You know the kind—white tablecloths, amuse bouches, mother-of-pearl caviar spoons and the like. Your fanatical consumption of all things food media has been leading up to this, your personal gastronomic Mount Everest.

Recreate the Experience At HomeHow to Make Your S.O. Think You’re a Professional ChefWhen you called to make your reservation, though, you couldn’t help but notice that your palms began to sweat and you began babbling in a bizarre tongue that can best be described as “attempt to speak with cosmopolitan swagger meets having a stroke.” Subconsciously you must believe that even talking with a member of the restaurant’s staff requires something of an elevated mien, nevermind that the reservationist is likely a 22 year-old college student simultaneously Snapchatting while taking your call. Could it be that you are nervous?

Fear not, your nerves are normal and not at all unfounded. While the whole point of treating oneself to a meal in a fine dining restaurant is pleasure, not knowing entirely what to expect or how to behave can lead to some uneasiness, at least for the hyper-socially-conscious among us. The purpose of this guide is to walk you through certain aspects of the experience so you can relax and enjoy it. You had to call three months in advance for your reservation. You don’t want to spend the three hours actually in the restaurant on edge.

No matter what, remember that the name of the game is hospitality, and the ultimate goal of the staff is not to catch you out as some hopeless rube, but to ensure that you have the best experience possible, whether you are a practiced fine-diner or a first-timer, and whether your budget is modest or enviable. Here are some moments to look out for which might not be obvious how to navigate.

The Mere Mortal's Guide to Fine Dining, $12.95 on Amazon

And there are entire books on the subject if you're still feeling unsure.
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Unburden Yourself, Literally & Metaphorically

Leave your preconceived notions at the door, along with your coat or cumbersome bag. This is not only for your benefit so you feel uncluttered, but also so the staff can easily get around your table without tripping over the tails of your North Face.

Know Thy Cocktail

Little Italy cynar cocktail

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You may be asked if you’d like to start with a cocktail or glass of Champagne before any menus are even presented to you. If you have a go-to classic drink such as a martini or Manhattan and (this is important) you are interested in drinking one, then feel free to call for it. But you are not obligated to do so, and simply asking to see a cocktail or wine list at this time is the way to proceed, especially if there’s a chance you might blurt out “Slippery Nipple!” left to your own devices.

New World Food Order: Communication is Key

It’s generally best if everyone at the table agrees to the same type of menu, whether it’s three-course, six-course, chef’s tasting menu, etc. This may or may not be restaurant policy, but it will make for a more graceful experience when everyone is on the same timeline.

Speak up about any food allergies and even aversions you may have. You have every right to your own preferences, but then let the captain suggest accommodations, or consult with the kitchen to create a bespoke menu for you. Tasting menus are not meant to be choose-your-own adventure opportunities for you to mix-and-match.

Putting the “Yay” in Sommelier

best wine subscription boxes and best wine clubs

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The very term “sommelier” can strike fear into the heart of even the most practiced fine dining guests, conjuring images of some sneering French-person trying to upsell you into something as unpronounceable as it is cost-prohibitive. The key to communicating with a member of the wine team is honesty, and an open mind—which goes even further than having an open wallet. Be honest about what you like, what you know (don’t overplay it), and how much you would like to spend. If you are self-conscious about naming a price range in front of a date or client, pointing to an item on the list that is near to your target is perfectly fine. Hear them out for suggestions on pairings, even if it’s something you’ve never heard of.

Grasping the Grape: Demystifying Grape Varieties to Help You Discover the Wines You Love, $10.57 on Amazon

This approachable guide will help you brush up before you go.
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Inviting Emily Post: Mind Your Manners

No need to hire an etiquette coach and behave as though you are auditioning to be a dining room extra on “Downton Abbey,” but a touch of refinement to your normal restaurant behavior could be welcome. You can revel in the most effortless service by keeping your tabletop—and especially the space between your fork and knife where plates must land—free from cell phones, purses, eye glasses, and your limbs. There is a lot of coordinated effort to both presenting your dishes and clearing your table, so allow the space for these flourishes to happen.

Check Your Impulse for Control at the Door

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In modern fine dining, you will be set with new silverware for each course specific to what you ordered, so you need not worry about which of five available spoons to use. However, any settings that are put on the table, including bread plates/knives, glassware, etc., should stay relatively where they are placed. Try to resist your urge to rearrange everything. Expanding this tenet to the meal in general (and hearkening back to tip number one about abandoning preconceptions), try to relax and enjoy the evening as it unfolds. The staff knows what they’re doing, and will guide you if you need assistance.

Play With Your Food

Don’t take everything extremely seriously. If it seems like something is meant to be eaten with your hands, do it. Certain things are never meant to be eaten with a fork and knife, so if it looks like the restaurant is trying to do something irreverent or playful, they probably are. You are more likely to be targeted as a rube if you’re sawing away with utensils at something that looks suspiciously like an ice cream cone or slider. (But also, you do you—within reason, of course.)

Hostage Situation: How to Get Out

how to maximize credit card rewards at restaurants

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You will probably have to ask for the check. Excellent restaurants should never rush you out, or even hint that they need your table back by presenting the check automatically. Your captain may ask a leading question such as, “Is there anything else you need?”—but unless you state that you want the check, you will probably be the last guests in the dining room.

The goal of fine dining hospitality is an experience that feels like it happened for you, not to you, so allow for all those gracious moments to happen, and do your part to ensure that they can happen seamlessly. In short, lean into the hospitality, but lean away from the table.



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King Cake

Celebrate Mardi Gras with a homemade King Cake filled with cinnamon and sugar. If you can’t make it to New Orleans, bring it to you with this step-by-step guide to making this colorful, classic celebration cake – baby and all!

Continue reading "King Cake" »



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A Beginner’s Guide to French Pastries

The pastry case at a French bakery can hold a dizzying array of baked goods. There are breads, cakes, and cookies—all with their own unique origin stories and techniques. To help introduce us to five iconic viennoiseries and patisseries, we consulted renowned pastry chef Dominique Ansel, owner of two of New York City’s most popular French bakeries (and yes, Cronut creator), to guide us through some of the best French pastries to fall in love with.

Macaron

Just a few years ago, the macaron was declared a trending dessert as more and more shops specializing in the almond-flour sandwich cookie popped up here in the U.S. But the delicate treat traces its history back to the 1500s, when queen Catherine de Medici introduced the macaron—first created in Italian monasteries—to France.

You’ll have to be patient with these airy meringue cookies, typically filled with ganache or jam. “The trick with macarons is not to fill them and then eat them right away. The ganache needs to sit and temper between the cookies in the fridge for at least a day, so you can that soft and slightly chewy texture on the inside, while the outer edges stay crisp,” advises Ansel.

Ladurée Paris Macarons, 12 for $41 on Goldbelly

If you'd rather buy than DIY, you don't even have to go to Paris (or New York).
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Kouign Amann

The name itself looks intimidating, but Ansel simply likens the kouign amann (pronounced queen ah-mon) to “a caramelized croissant.” The sweet, flaky pastry was born in the northern area of Brittany as a way to repurpose leftover bread, but the one you see in shops today is far lighter, made from a technique called lamination, “the process of folding and layering the dough with butter and sugar.”

The key to getting a crunchy, buttery kouign amann is speed: “The moment the sugar hits the dough, it starts to draw out the liquid, so you have to work really fast in order to get all those flaky layers in the end. If you have warm hands, chilling them with an ice pack before working the dough helps.”

Les Madeleines Kouign Amann 3-Pack, $49 on Goldbelly

If you can't find them locally, you can order online.
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Éclair

The starting point of an éclair is the same as profiteroles (cream puffs) and gougères: a pâte à choux that’s made from flour, milk and eggs. The choux pastry dough itself is fairly flavorless, serving as the perfect vehicle for a variety of glazes and cream fillings. “I remember years ago when I was first working at Fauchon in Paris under Christophe Adam, he really started to change the way that French people were thinking of éclairs, using different flavors, creative ingredients and decor.”

When it comes to making éclairs, it’s crucial to keep them uniform. “One way to make sure of this is to fold your parchment paper to create even lines or mark it with a ruler and then turn over the parchment before piping,” says Ansel. Also important? “Overfilling each eclair is always better than underfilling!”

Madeleine

A specialty of Commercy (a town in France’s northern Lorraine region), the humble madeleine got its moment in the spotlight thanks to writer Marcel Proust, who waxed poetic about the petite tea cake—no, it’s not a cookie!—in his book “Remembrance of Things Past.”

Though it requires a special pan, the fluffy shells are made from straightforward ingredients (butter, flour, sugar, a touch of lemon zest), plus a hot oven. “Heat up your molds in the oven first before piping the batter, so that the centers puff up nicely. We bake ours to order for our guests. They take just four minutes and when you take a bite, the madeleine gives off a tiny puff of steam, its last little breath.”

Platinum Pro Madeleine Pan, $30 at Sur La Table

The classic scalloped pan for making your own at home.
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Canelé

One of Ansel’s favorite pastries, the canelé is distinguished by both its unique shape and texture. A bite into the crispy, caramelized exterior reveals a flan-like center that’s flavored with vanilla. The recipe originated in Bordeaux and calls for a special copper mold that’s seasoned with beeswax to help create a canelé’s signature golden-brown color.

French Copper Canelé Molds, 4 for $39.90 on Amazon

The traditional fluted molds for making these sweet treats are works of art in their own right.
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When it comes to the baking, technique is important. “It’s a one-batter recipe, with just a few ingredients—ours has a bit of dark Caribbean rum and Tahitian vanilla for added depth in flavor—but you have to remember to mix the batter slowly so the air bubbles remain tiny, and let the batter rest for about 24 hours so that the gluten can relax. And while they’re in the oven, make sure to rotate the sheet pan every 15 minutes for uniformity and even baking.”

Épicerie Boulud Cannelé de Bordeaux Box, $29 on Goldbelly

Or buy the sweets ready-made from an expert bakery.
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Related Video: How to Make Macarons with a French Master




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