Recreatable Restaurant-style Cooking Made Simple
Ditch the takeout. These restaurant-style recipes will add sophistication to any meal. Plus, entertaining at home is simple with a few recipes up your sleeve. These fifteen delectable dishes will dress up any dinner party with restaurant-quality pizzazz.
Hors d'Oeuvres
Smoky Eggplant DipKick off a dinner party by bringing out this eggplant moutabbal. Grilled eggplants add a distinct earthiness, which can be especially accentuated by using a charcoal grill. Mix eggplant in a food processor with tahini, lemon juice, and oil for a quick dip. This appetizer can be made up to a day in advance and chilled in the refrigerator until serving time.
For a savory appetizer with tons of rich umami flavors, try these balsamic, soy, and garlic-glazed roasted mushrooms. These mushrooms are tossed with the glaze and then oven-roasted to perfection. Whether served as an appetizer or a side, they won’t disappoint.
Hasselback potatoes are easily recognizable for their accordion slices, and matched with creamy bleu cheese and savory bacon, they become utterly irresistible. Both remarkably simple and indulgent, these crispy potatoes are mostly hands-off and come together in just four steps.
This recipe from Epicurious brings seaside elegance straight to your home kitchen. These scallops are the perfect reminder that restaurant-quality dinners don’t have to be overly complicated. One pan is all it takes to cook up to twelve large, dry sea scallops into a buttery, citrusy meal that you’ll want to make again. Plus, it’s only seven ingredients.
From Food & Wine comes this incredible recipe for Korean-style short ribs perfected by Chef David Shim from Cote in New York City. The twice-marinated galbi gets doused in onion, pear, ginger, and garlic before searing for a well-balanced flavor profile. Cote is New York City’s first Korean steakhouse, and you’ll love how easy it is to bring their iconic flavors home.
Food and lifestyle blog Get Inspired Everyday brings us this healthy take on classic pasta. Juxtaposing sweet potato noodles with spicy chorizo brings depth to the dish while spinach and roasted red pepper add a savory touch (and an extra serving of veggies.) The sweet potatoes roast in the oven while the chorizo is browned on the stovetop, which helps this recipe come together in just 35 minutes. It’s an excellent, healthy choice for a weeknight dinner that’ll feel like a meal at a restaurant.
Fire up the grill and get ready for a mouthwatering flank steak. This recipe is keto-friendly and the marinade on the steak is simple to whip up before work so that it can soak in all-day before grilling. Turn the marinade into a sauce to drizzle on top of your steak and as a salad dressing for the peppery arugula.
Did somebody say pizza party? Crafting gourmet pizzas at home is easier than you think, especially if you forego making your own pizza dough in lieu of store-bought. Thinly-sliced jalapeños add spice, salami and olives bring briny contrast, and the sweetness of the honey brings everything together. Twenty minutes of prep and twelve minutes in the oven results in an unbeatable homemade pizza that’s better than delivery.
Risotto is known for its creamy texture achieved through constant stirring. It may seem intimidating, but the right skillet and the right rice helps it easily come together. Saffron instantly elevates any dish. Finely-grated parmesan adds creaminess and character, turning this risotto into an unforgettable meal.
Israeli-English Chef Yotam Ottolenghi takes roasted chicken to its heights by pairing it with clementines and Arak, a distilled Levantine spirit in the anise flavor family. The chicken is both flashy and comforting, considered to be one of the four best chicken dinner party recipes of all time by Kitchn alongside recipes by Julia Childs, Jamie Oliver, and Silver Palate. Spiced with fennel, thyme, and mustard, this chicken is caramelized in the oven to perfection, melding strong flavors into something beautiful.
Whether you’re serving breakfast or breakfast for dinner, shakshuka is a sure-fire showstopper. From Love & Lemons, this shakshuka is extraordinarily versatile. Also known as eggs in purgatory, this dish hails from North Africa and incorporates a rich, spicy tomato sauce with runny eggs that pairs well with crusty bread for maximum scooping. Top with feta, avocado, and parsley to add refreshing lightness to a hearty dish.
This spicy Korean tofu stew is simple enough to make in the morning after a long night out and impressive enough to serve to friends at dinner. This stew comes together in less than thirty minutes and the combined heat from the kimchi and the spicy hot pepper paste gochujang gives body to such a simple meal.
If you’re craving steamed Chesapeake blue crab but lack the confidence of steaming one yourself, you’re not alone. Jenn Segal from Once Upon a Chef whipped up this incredible recipe, and high-quality crab meat is the key to these Maryland crab cakes. A little mustard, Old Bay, and parsley season these crab cakes to perfection. They cook in about ten minutes, making for a simple yet elegant supper. Serve with freshly-made tartar sauce by combining mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet pickle relish, red onion, and lemon for a tangy bite.
Take sweet and sour chicken to the next level with this fun and flavorful kabob recipe. Eat at Home brings us this weeknight dinner that will appeal to the whole family. Alternate threading premium chicken breast, fresh veggies, and juicy pineapple on each skewer so that every bite has a little bit of everything. Whip up a dipping sauce with pineapple, vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce and thicken it with cornstarch while the kebabs grill. Grilling takes only a few minutes, so before you know it dinner will be served.
Desserts
Turkish Coffee CustardAdapted from a popular dessert at Zahav, one of Philadelphia’s finest restaurants, this recipe is surprisingly simple to recreate at home. Chef Camille Cogswell at Zahav won the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef, and this take on her decadent Turkish coffee custard is an indulgent dessert that will impress friends and family alike. This recipe should be started the day before you plan to enjoy it because the custard needs time to rest overnight in the fridge. The next day, the creamy coffee custard is baked and then wrapped in a rich chocolate shell, making for a stunning dessert.
From The Food Network’s Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond has created a bite-sized showstopping dessert with these salted caramel cheesecake squares. The graham cracker crust provides a sturdy base that pairs well with the creamy cheesecake filling. Break out the candy thermometer to make a magnificent top layer of caramel and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt to finish it off.
This indulgent vanilla and honey crème brûlée comes from Tom Kerridge’s kitchen and uses only five main ingredients. Roasted vanilla bean infuses the honey custard, creating a blend of delightful flavors. Wow your guests by caramelizing the top with a kitchen blowtorch right at the table and serve with your favorite shortbread cookies.
Delish has created a cocktail reminiscent of summers spent around the campfire, and you won’t be able to get enough. Two ounces of hot espresso gives this cocktail a kick of caffeine, mixing with the marshmallow creme to create a decadent drink to end the night on.
For a tart after-dinner drink, try this simple whiskey sour, garnished with orange peel and a cherry. Choose your favorite whiskey or bourbon, shake with ice, lemon juice, and maple syrup, and serve immediately. You’ll love this all-natural whiskey sour.
This classic drink gets its body from an unexpected ingredient: egg white. This recipe hails from Tailor, a bar in Midtown Manhattan. The subtle citrus flair from orange blossom water and the refreshing lemon and lime juice pair well with gin to create this refreshing beverage.
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