Honest Cooking: Recipes, Luxury Travel, Drinks and Cookbooks

Octant Douro: A Luxury Escape in Portugal’s Douro Valley

Whether you’re arriving from Lisbon or Porto, the drive to Octant Douro is bound to be one of the most beautiful of your life. Set along the Douro River near Castelo de Paiva, the hotel occupies its own little piece of nature, providing a level of serenity and privacy that’s hard to…

bySharan Kuganesan

British Fish Pie with Salmon, Cod, and Shrimp

A British fish pie layers white fish, salmon, and shrimp in a creamy parsley and Dijon sauce under fork-ridged mashed potatoes and cheddar, baked until golden.

byRuby Rasa

Dan Dan Noodles with Crispy Pork, Sesame and Sichuan Peppercorn

Numbing, nutty, spicy and a little tangy, dan dan noodles are wheat noodles tossed in a small pool of awesome sauce, topped with crispy ground pork, scallions and crushed peanuts.

byElaine Luo

TRAVEL, HOTELS & RESTAURANTS

A New Chapter at Waldorf Astoria NYC: Inside Lex Yard

At Lex Yard at the Waldorf Astoria New York, chef Michael Anthony revisits American classics, including the hotel's famous salad. An evening at the restaurant reveals how the past is finding its place on a new menu.

byAlyssa Holder

45 Park Lane London Review: Boutique Luxury with a Personal Touch

On my last trip across the pond, I found myself at 45 Park Lane London. There’s plenty to love about this property, but what stood out most was how quickly we were made to feel like family, or perhaps longtime regulars. For a hotel of this caliber, the atmosphere is refreshingly free of the…

bySharan Kuganesan

Rediscovering Downtown NYC at M Social Hotel

Most days, the Financial District means office buildings, lunch breaks and dodging commuters. But a staycation at M Social Hotel New York Downtown reminded me there’s plenty to enjoy here beyond being chained to a desk at my 9-to-5. It took some convincing from a friend to get me out…

byAlyssa Holder

One Door, Two Journeys: ÓX and Amma Don in Reykjavik

Imagine crossing a single unmarked door and setting off on two journeys at once: one through time, and one through the pantry of an entire country.

byJordi Luque Sanz

Jamavar London: Michelin-Starred Taste of India in Mayfair

London has no shortage of excellent Indian restaurants, but few have made quite the impression on Mayfair’s dining scene as Jamavar. With a Michelin star to its name, interiors fit for royalty, and a menu that takes diners on a culinary tour of the subcontinent, it’s a restaurant…

bySharan Kuganesan

WHAT'S NEW

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is obviously the dessert Thanksgiving tables can't go without: a crisp crust holding a smooth, spiced custard that's creamy, not heavy. I love it!

byDianna Muscari

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Bone-in short ribs seared hard, then braised covered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours in a full bottle of red wine until they pull off the bone, with a strained, reduced sauce to spoon over.

byHonest Cooking

Spice Roasted Carrots with Pomegranate Molasses

Carrots roasted at 425F with cumin, cayenne and coriander, tossed with pomegranate molasses for the last five minutes and finished with fresh mint or basil.

byBrooke Dowdy

Egg Foo Young with Shrimp and Brown Gravy

Think of the best egg pancake you have ever had at a Chinese-American takeout place, golden and fluffy and loaded with shrimp and bean sprouts. You have it? Ok great, now smother it in brown gravy.

byJosephine Chan

Creamy Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Yukon Gold potatoes started in cold water, mashed or riced, then folded with warm butter and milk or cream. Ready in 30 minutes, and they hold warm for up to an hour.

byKalle Bergman

Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)

Tom kha gai is Thai coconut chicken soup, creamy and sour and spicy in one bowl. Chicken simmers in coconut milk with galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, gentler than tom yum but no less aromatic.

byJill Nammar

COOKING SCHOOL

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Perfect Italian Meringue Buttercream

Here are all the tips you need to make smooth, creamy Italian Meringue Buttercream, perfect for flawless cake frosting.

byLindsey Farr

DRINKS

Can Natural Wine Age? A Fourteen-Year-Old Bottle in Burgenland Says Yes

The standard knock on natural wine is that it won't last. At Taubenkobel, a flight of old Gut Oggau vintages puts the claim to the test.

byJordi Luque Sanz

Severed Sun: A Bourbon Halloween Cocktail

Make the Severed Sun, a Halloween bourbon cocktail from The Haunting featuring grapefruit, ginger, sage and a blood-red Lambrusco float.

byAlyssa Holder

Mulled Wine Gift Bags

Muslin bags filled with cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, allspice, and cardamom for mulling wine. A 10-minute homemade gift tied to a bottle.

byKalle Bergman

Warm Spiced Rum Pear Cider

A warm rum pear cider made with apple cider, sliced pears, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and lemon. Simmered for thirty minutes and served with rum in each mug.

byStacey M Doyle

Texan Morgue-a-Rita

The Texan Morgue-a-Rita is a smoky, mezcal-style margarita: blanco tequila, fresh lime, and a smoked simple syrup, rimmed with black volcanic lava salt.

byKalle Bergman

Nika Vacheishvili's guest house and winery in Ateni, Shida Kartli

Shida Kartli: Georgia’s Wine Region of the Kings

Paul Rimple on Shida Kartli, the heart of Georgian wine: Chinuri, rare grapes like Buza and Chkapa, and the winemakers worth the drive from Tbilisi.

byPaul Rimple

Spooky Screwdriver

This Halloween cocktail layers grenadine, orange juice, and black-tinted vodka in a martini glass, poured slowly over a spoon for distinct, dramatic strata.

byReena Retuta

NEWEST RECIPES

Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Red Wine and Yukon Gold Potatoes

Floured chuck beef seared in batches, then cooked with Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, celery and a red wine and tomato broth in a 6-quart slow cooker. Serves six.

byKalle Bergman

Nigerian Okra Soup with Beef, Smoked Fish and Palm Oil

Silky, slippery and full of flavor, okra soup is a Nigerian favorite, thickened by the okra itself and usually eaten with pounded yam or eba.

byAlida Ryder

All-Butter Pie Dough for Double-Crust Pies

All-butter pie dough from 1 cup of cold butter, ice water and a spoonful of vinegar, shaped into two disks that chill for an hour, keep three days, or freeze for three months.

byHonest Cooking

Rigatoni with Hot Italian Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Pecorino

Rigatoni tossed in one skillet with browned hot Italian sausage, broccoli rabe cooked in the pasta water, and Pecorino Romano. About 25 minutes, serves four.

byKalle Bergman

Vegetable Lasagna with Zucchini, Mushrooms and Nutmeg Bechamel

Zucchini, mushrooms and spinach cooked dry, layered with ricotta and a nutmeg bechamel, baked 45 minutes and rested 15 for clean slices. Serves eight.

byVeronica Lavenia

Khichdi: Indian Rice and Lentil Comfort Food with Ghee and Cumin

When Indian families want something warm and easy, millions reach for khichdi: rice and lentils cooked together with turmeric, cumin and ghee until soft and porridge-like.

byPrerna Singh

New England Clam Chowder with Fresh Clams, Salt Pork and Yukon Golds

Fresh clams steamed open and their liquor stirred into a salt pork, Yukon Gold and cream chowder. About 45 minutes from the first clam to the first bowl.

byHonest Cooking

Steakhouse-Style Creamed Spinach with Shallot and Nutmeg

Fresh spinach blanched and squeezed dry, then folded into a shallot, milk and cream sauce with nutmeg, Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. Ready in 20 minutes.

byHonest Cooking

Dum Chicken Biryani with Saffron Milk and Crispy Fried Onions

Chicken marinated in yogurt and garam masala, layered under parboiled basmati and saffron milk, then sealed under foil and steamed on the lowest heat for 25 minutes.

byKalle Bergman

Hot and Sour Soup with Pork, Tofu, Mushrooms and Egg Ribbons

If you have ever finished a bowl of hot and sour soup at a Chinese restaurant and wondered why yours never tastes the same at home, this one is definitely worth a try.

byLei Zhang

Spiced Cranberry and Apricot Chutney with Mustard and Nigella Seeds

Cranberries and dried apricots cooked down with mustard seeds, nigella seeds and ginger into a sharp, jammy chutney for the Thanksgiving table, a cheese board or a grilled cheese.

byRinku Bhattacharya

Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken drumsticks rubbed with lemon pepper and roasted until the skin is crispy. They cost next to nothing, are nearly impossible to dry out, and kids will eat them without complaint.

byHonest Cooking

Dal Makhani: Creamy Black Lentils with Kidney Beans, Butter and Cream

You have probably ordered it at an Indian restaurant: dal makhani, whole black lentils and red kidney beans simmered for hours with tomato, butter and cream until they turn rich and silky.

byAnita Mokashi

Greek Chicken Souvlaki Bowls

Souvlaki bowls are the Greek answer to the grain bowl trend. Marinated chicken thighs charred and piled over rice with tzatziki and fresh vegetables.

byKalle Bergman

Thai Green Curry with Chicken

Thai green curry, coconut-based, with a bright herbaceous heat from green curry paste, basil and kaffir lime leaves.

byKalle Bergman

Pot-au-Feu: French Boiled Beef Dinner with Carrots, Leeks and Turnips

Pot-au-feu is a legendary French boiled dinner. Beef and root vegetables simmered gently in water until the meat is tender and the broth turns rich and clear.

byHervé Palmieri

Aloo Matar – Peas with Potatoes

Aloo matar: potatoes and peas in a spiced tomato sauce with cumin, mustard seeds, garam masala, and yogurt. Thirty minutes from cumin seeds hitting oil to dinner.

byAnita Mokashi

Turkey Meatloaf with Zucchini and Panade

Turkey meatloaf gets a bad reputation for being dry and bland. This version adds moisture through grated zucchini and a milk-soaked panade, and loads up on Worcestershire and mustard for flavor.

byKalle Bergman

Nihari: Slow-Cooked Beef Shank Stew with Ginger and Warm Spices

Slow-cooked beef that falls off the bone in a thick, glossy gravy, spiced with ginger, fennel and warm spices: that is nihari, a classic from Pakistan and North India.

byNagalakshmi Viswanathan

Miso Ramen with White Miso and Tahini

Miso ramen is the rich, savory, deeply comforting bowl of noodles that Japanese ramen shops have turned into an art form. This home version uses chicken broth enriched with miso, tahini, and soy sauce.

byShannon Lim-de Rooy