Sweet & Salty combination at it's best.

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] It's time for another round of The Food Lab. Got a suggestion for an upcoming topic? Email Kenji here, and he'll do his best to answer your queries in a future post. Become a fan of... More

Note: If you want to serve your pork with a sauce, try sweet and spicy nuoc cham, Chinese style char siu, Cuban mojo, a sweet Memphis-style barbecue sauce, or a bright Argentinian chimichurri. Or better yet, a whole selection. Alternatively,... More

Note: Use a heavy roasting pan for best results.... More

The ice cream base is a simple one, peanut butter with a hefty enough dose of vanilla to simulate nougat. More

Use grade B maple syrup if you can; it has a more pronounced flavor that stands up to ice cream all the more. Serve this with warm pears (poached, caramelized, or in cobbler) and some toasted pecans. More

This is a sweet potato dessert that won't get mistaken for pumpkin. We used almost a pound, lightly caramelizing it in butter first for good measure. We went light on the spices—just enough to enhance the potato's inherent spicy qualities without turning it into pie. But this isn't tame stuff—just ask the bourbon, a sweet potato's best friend. We added it after cooking the custard so its alcohol would remain in the ice cream, contributing to a fantastically creamy texture and a kick strong enough to remind those nosy relatives who's boss. More

The taste was even better than its good looks. The meat had the exact salty, spicy, smoky flavor you'd expect from a good pastrami, and eating it hot off the smoker was an incredible treat. (Now you understand why I was making that beer mustard earlier this week.) More

This is my new favorite expression of the chocolate and peanut butter combination. The chocolate layer, which is not quite a ganache but not quite a pudding, complements the light, airy peanut butter mousse perfectly. The graham cracker crust provides a crunchy contrast, and the whole thing feels very adult. Or maybe, more accurately: adult, with a nod to childhood. More

While the big, beefy steaks and cellared Brunellos are some of Tuscany's flashier offerings, the region is also home to a homier dish, Ribollita, a filling bowl of minestrone thickened with day-old bread. When Nancy Silverton decided to adapt this wintry soup for The Mozza Cookbook she looked to the restaurant Da Delfina, where they do ribollita a little different, transforming it from soup to a crunchy soup-based fritter. More

Faith Durand, author of Not Your Mother's Casseroles has a pretty loose definition when it comes to defining the word "casserole." She basically says that any baked dish falls into the category. Using this definition, all sorts of desserts fall under the casserole category, including these insanely delicious Salted Caramel and Walnut Slices. While I'm not totally sold on these crazy rich chocolate-caramel-coconut-walnut cookies as a casserole, I sure am glad that Durand shared the recipe. More

Note: I prefer using Carnaroli rice for its slight longer grains and firmer texture. Feel free to use any risotto-style rice like Arborio or Vailone Nano.... More

Sometimes it's fun to revisit an old classic, especially one that you haven't cooked for years and years. That's basically the story of pork scaloppine and me. Surely, the quick sauce of capers, lemon, and garlic would make anything taste good, but I was genuinely surprised how quickly and easily this recipe from David Tanis's The Heart of the Artichoke came together. More

I love this smoky, spicy, chunk guacamole, especially with warm black beans on corn tortillas. More

Fall marks the beginning of slow cooker season. Did you know that in addition to soup, chili, and stew, your slow cooker can also be used to make delicious preserves, like this apple butter? More

There's nothing new about chicken and waffles. But this version of the Southern classic adds additional savory elements to the waffle with fresh herbs, and lightens up the chicken by simply roasting it with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Although the traditional fried version of this dish is always a hit, this spin on the classic is a way to end your weekend feeling a little happier with your waistline, but still satisfied. Serve with a green salad and cold white wine. More

Some churro recipes are made as simply as mixing flour and water, but I prefer more texture and richness, so these are made with eggs and milk. I also don't like to rely solely on the cinnamon-sugar coating for flavor on the outside, so I've added cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla to the dough. Churros are often eaten with a cup of chocolate and in some countries, with a dip of dulce de leche; here I make an accompaniment that melds both flavors. More

This recipe works for prime rib roasts any size from 2 ribs to 6 ribs. Plan on 1 pound of bone-in roast per guest (each rib adds 1.5 to 2 pounds to the roast). For best results, use a dry-aged,... More

Each week Joshua Bousel of The Meatwave drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua! [Photograph: Joshua Bousel] My appetite for large pieces of meat seems to increase with the colder weather.... More

A chewy chocolate chip cookie with dark chocolate and white chocolate chunks. More

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Tomatillo salsa is also an excellent base for starting a dish with those smokey, spicy flavors, like this one from Rick Bayless's Salsas that Cook. If you have the salsa made already, it's almost no work: stir together with cream, pour it over chicken, and bake until the chicken is just cooked through. Making the salsa takes all of ten minutes, though—so either way, it's quick, simple, and satisfying cooking. More

Ferran Adrià's roasted chicken is a take on Catalan dish, pollo a l'ast, an herb and lemon rubbed bird, traditionally spit roasted. In this recipe he's made a poultry seasoning blend of dried thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and peppercorns, all ground together and rubbed into a chicken that's also seasoned with salt, lemon zest, and olive oil. This recipe uses a high heat method of cooking, flipping the chicken midway through. More

It was time to eat some smoked fish. I don't know why I've been avoiding it for so long, but after finding this recipe in Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home, I knew I had a perfect place to start. He pairs the smoked salmon with some boiled potatoes, which may sound a little too simple, but the potatoes are actually given a whole lot of love. More

Fast and filling, meatloaf can take its traditional place beside a vegetable and a starch, play second fiddle to any summer vegetable you like, or star in dinner-worthy sandwiches on the second day. More

There are two tricks to incorporating red meat into a budget meal. One, buy cheaper meat. The very cheapest meats tend to need a long, slow braise, but skirt and flank steak are good options for grilling or searing. Two, stretch that meat further. This idea is enabled by bowls full of carbs—best of all, a big bowl of pantry-staple white rice. More