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Gooey croque madames, tahina-spiked shakes, and a rhubarb upside-down cake because, well, spring

It’s week trazillion and fifteen of pandemic cooking, and you’ve hit a rut. Nay, a trench. You’ve done all the things one can do to a bean, and while the digital cook-o-sphere is loaded with ideas, there are just too many of them. You scroll a few blogs, flip through some cookbooks, and give up. Beany Thursday strikes again.

We’ve been there. We are there. But help is here. To sort through the noise of TikTok tortilla wraps and feta pastas, Eater has compiled a handful of the recipes — from blogs, magazines, publications, and cookbooks — that put the pep back in our pans this week and that we hope will do the same for you. These are the dishes that Eater editors from across the country actually made recently, and we’re passing along any firsthand tips, hacks, or dietary substitutions that, hey, worked for us. Here, then, are this week’s must-try recipes from Eater’s very-much-average-but-highly-enthusiastic home cooks.

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May 21, 2021

Croque Madame

Cook’s Country

I can tell myself that this is just a fancy ham and cheese, but let’s be real. This is the kind of dish I’m going to be excited to order for brunch but less excited to make at home. (I have to make a sauce and prep several components and pre- and post-toast the bread and get a fried egg timed just right? Sounds like a lot.) While I won’t pretend that this is one of the least labor-intensive recipes I’ve tackled, I actually found it to be reasonably manageable, with the instructions precise enough to ensure things turned out well. Given it was made as part of one of the first Mother’s Day celebrations I’ve had with my mom in years, it was definitely worth the effort. We paired this with sticky buns, fruit, and a frisee salad, and… it was just too much food. Just stick with the sandwich — and a French 75 to go with it. — Missy Frederick, Eater cities director

Gambas al Ajillo

Anya von Bremzen, Food & Wine

I knew last Friday when I bought jumbo shrimp at the farmers market that they were destined to be gambas. Gambas al ajillo — a traditional Spanish dish that can be hastily put together on the chance you have sherry, shrimp, and lots of garlic at home — is one of my favorite no-think dinners for its ease, versatility, and bread-dipping potential. But the next day I realized I also had chorizo in the fridge and good sweet corn from the grocery store, which inspired thoughts of making gambas by way of the bayou (a stretch, but stay with me) for dinner that night. I seared our chorizo link in a cast iron until it was browned and plumped and then added a container ship-size amount of minced garlic to saute in its oil for a few minutes. After, using this Food & Wine recipe as rough guidance, I threw in the corn (already tender from a quick boil), shrimp, sherry, and two semi-seeded slivers of chile de arbol to cook in the chorizo-garlic pool. The result? Something not-quite-seafood-boil, not-quite-gambas, but fully the Saturday night dinner I needed after a long week. — Nicole Adlman, Eater cities manager

Sheet-Pan Chicken with Artichokes and Herbs

Kay Chun, NYT Cooking

I am not generally the kind of person who likes to follow recipes, but I can be drawn in by the simplicity of a one sheet-pan meal. This dish in particular was minimal effort for maximum reward, and it even impressed my date — which was really the point. I substituted chicken breast for thighs because it was what I had in my fridge already, and I turned the broiler on toward the end of the cook time to get a bit more color on everything. You finish it off with lemon juice, olives, and red pepper flakes. I am definitely going to make this again but will need to wait for summer to be over, because I refuse to turn on my oven when it’s more than 80 degrees outside. — Stephen Pelletteri, Eater executive producer

Tehina Shakes

Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook, the Splendid Table

The weather is heating up here in New England, and I’ve been craving milkshakes nonstop. That, mixed with dreaming of a day when travel is safer, got me thinking about the mint Goldie Falafel tehina shakes I fell in love with on a work trip to Philly a couple of years back. They’re super easy to make, and they yield a fair amount of extra mint syrup that I’ve been putting in my iced tea every day. (Note: A little bit goes a long way.) A couple bonus lessons learned: 1. I’m a dairy fiend and have never really ventured into the world of alternative milks, but I bought the almond milk called for in the recipe (which is vegan), and now I keep my fridge stocked with almond milk at all times. It expires much more slowly than dairy milk, and I’ve been using it in oatmeal, where I don’t miss the dairy at all. I’m looking forward to trying it in other scenarios. 2. Making little shaved chocolate curls with a vegetable peeler is very easy and weirdly soothing — and it makes any dessert look extra fancy and like you sort of know what you’re doing even if you don’t. — Rachel Blumenthal, Eater Boston editor

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Melissa Clark, NYT Cooking

I was crossing through the farmers market last weekend, determined not to blow my grocery budget on ramps and fiddlehead ferns, when I fell prey to a bright red pile of rhubarb. I did a quick search of my bookmarked recipes and unearthed this upside-down rhubarb cake from Melissa Clark, which seemed like a good way to celebrate the transition to full-on summer weather in New York. The recipe stretched my supply of bowls and counter space, but the process was straightforward. A lot of rhubarb juice inevitably leaked from the springform pan during baking (I didn’t have foil to double-wrap the pan), but I collected it and poured it back on top when the cake was finished. The rhubarb turned out perfectly tender and juicy, while the cake remained springy thanks to cake flour. I don’t think I’ll make another rhubarb dessert this season, but I’ll keep this one in mind for next year. — Nick Mancall-Bitel, Eater associate editor

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May 15, 2021

Asparagus and Brie Puff Pastry with Thyme Honey

• Tieghan Gerard, Half-Baked Harvest

Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Danielle Oron, NYT Cooking

Cured Egg Yolks atop Cacio e Pepe

• Christopher Kostow, Bon Appétit and Gimme Some Oven

Croquembouche

• Claire Saffitz, Vice Munchies

Littleneck Clams in the Style of Escargot

• Mary-Frances Heck, Food & Wine

Asparagus, goat cheese, and lemon pasta

• Smitten Kitchen

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May 7, 2021

Ellen Fort

Paella Mixta

• Joanne Weir, JoanneWeir.com

Pickled Ramps

• Claire Saffitz, Bon Appétit

Chicken Katsu

• Kay Chun, NYT Cooking

Farro With Blistered Tomatoes, Pesto and Spinach

• Yasmin Fahr, NYT Cooking

Neapolitan Pie

• Bill Clark, A Piece of Cake

Rustic Buckwheat Apple Ginger Cake

• Melissa Clark, Dinner in French

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April 30, 2021

Neapolitan Cookies

• Sarah Kieffer, 100 Cookies/The Vanilla Bean Blog

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken with Fried Basil

• Sue Li, NYT Cooking

Picadillo

• Rick Martinez, Bon Appétit

Smoked Brisket

• Danielle Bennett, Traeger Grills

Conveyor Belt Chicken

• Samin Nosrat, Salt Fat Acid Heat

Roasted Chicken Matzo Ball Soup

• Jake Cohen, Jew-Ish (excerpted by the Pioneer Woman)

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April 23, 2021

Missy Frederick

Sourdough English Muffins

• King Arthur Baking

Prakas’ Rib-Eye

• Kris Yenbamroong, Food & Wine

Green Rice with Tomatoes, Eggs, and Almonds

• David Tamarkin, Epicurious

Overnight Chia Pudding

• Solid Starts

Butter Mochi

• Sheldon Simeon, Cook Real Hawaiʻi

Zoe’s Devil’s Food Cake

• Zoe François, Zoe Bakes

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April 16, 2021

Chocolate Thumbprints

• Martha Stewart

Farro Salad with Leeks, Chickpeas, and Currants

• Melissa Clark, NYT Cooking

Blueberry Crumb Cake

• Maida Heatter, Happiness Is Baking: Cakes, Pies, Tarts, Muffins, Brownies, Cookies: Favorite Desserts from the Queen of Cake

Lamb Chops with Red Lentils

• Nik Sharma, Sunset

Simple Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust

• Chris Morocco, Bon Appétit

Whole Roasted Gochujang Cauliflower with Smashed Roasted Butter Beans

• Hetty McKinnon, To Asia, With Love

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For the complete list of everything Eater editors have enjoyed cooking so far this year (pizza babka! air-fryer ube cheesecake! spiced coconut chicken and rice!), head to the archive.

Source : food