• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, espelette pepper, smoked paprika, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons salt.
• Coat each chicken thigh on all sides with the flour and spice mixture.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium low heat.
• When the oil is hot, place the thighs in the pan skin-side down, working in batches as needed so the thighs don’t touch one another.
• Cook, nudging occasionally to prevent sticking, until you hear the skin expel its water and turn a golden brown, about 12 minutes.
• You should hear a gentle, light sizzle.
• If it sounds louder than that, turn down the heat.
• Flip the thighs and continue to cook until the other side has browned, about 10 minutes more.
• Once you’ve browned each chicken thigh (the inside of the chicken hasn’t been cooked through yet), transfer it to a plate and set aside.
• Leaving the oil and chicken fat in the pan, turn the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and cook until the onion is soft and just starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
• You’ll notice some dark brown and black bits on the bottom of the pan, which are the chicken’s juices that have caramelized—this is the best part (see “The Fond” on this page).
• Return the browned chicken to the pan and turn the heat to high.
• Add the sherry vinegar to deglaze, scraping up the brown bits that have formed.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated.
• Add the white wine and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Add the stock, green beans, olives, and a pinch of salt and turn the heat to low.
• Cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape.
• Gently simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
• To serve, transfer the chicken to serving plates, scooping up plenty of the juices and spooning the green beans and olives over the top.

• It helps to know: If you can’t find blanched (unpeeled) hazelnuts, toast them whole and then rub them together in a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins.
• Season the chicken thighs on each side with a healthy pinch of salt, then coat each thigh with flour.
• In a large pan on medium heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom in a thin film.
• When the oil is hot, place the thighs in the pan, skin-side down, and cook, nudging every so often to prevent sticking, until the skin turns golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Flip the chicken, add the onion, and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and stir to combine.
• Cook until the garlic softens, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the wine, turn the heat to high, and cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated.
• Add the stock and vinegar and bring the mixture to a simmer.
• Add the dried mango, raisins, apricots, and the toasted nuts, and turn the heat to low.
• Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the grapes and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• To serve, transfer the chicken to serving plates, scooping up plenty of the juices and spooning the fruit and nuts over the top.

It helps to know: This recipe requires cheesecloth and a blender or food processor, and the chicken marinates for 6 hours.

• In a food processor or blender, pulse the ginger and garlic until combined.
• Turn the speed to low and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a paste forms.
• Scrape the paste into a pan on medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the oil separates and the mixture turns from smooth to grainy, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
• Once cool, stir in the sesame oil and scrape into a dish large enough to hold all of the chicken thighs in one single layer.
• Drape a large piece of cheesecloth over the marinade.
• Place the thighs skin-side up on top of the cheesecloth and season liberally with pepper.
• Marinate the chicken in your refrigerator for 3 hours, flip, and marinate for another 3 hours.
• When you’re ready to grill, remove the chicken from your refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before cooking.
• Build a pyramid shape with your coals, light them, and be patient.
• (Alternatively, turn a gas grill to low heat.
• ) The key to a nicely grilled chicken is a low, even heat.
• When the coals are fully lit and about half of them have turned white, spread them into a single layer and wait for the coals to turn completely white with no red or orange glow.
• Just before grilling, liberally season the chicken on both sides with salt.
• Place it skin-side down on the grates and grill until the fat renders and the skin crisps and turns brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once the skin has crisped, flip and continue to grill until the chicken has cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
• Cooking times will depend greatly on the size of your chicken thighs, so take the timing as an estimate and make sure to keep an eye on things.
• Standing around the grill is part of the fun after all.
• Transfer the grilled chicken to a serving platter and serve immediately.

• It helps to know: This recipe requires a food processor or blender.
• To make the meatballs, grate the onion into a large bowl using the large side of a box grater.
• Add the lamb, garlic, dill, parsley, egg, lemon zest, cayenne, salt, and a couple large pinches of black pepper.
• Use your hands to mix everything together until just combined.
• Form the mixture into meatballs each about the size of a golf ball and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm.
• Don’t skimp on this step; they’ll fall apart if you try to fry them immediately.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, remove the stems from the ancho chiles, break them in half, and discard their seeds.
• Soak them in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes to soften.
• Drain, chop, and set aside.
• In a small pan over low heat, toast the bread crumbs until they begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Set aside.
• In a food processor or blender, pulse together the garlic, almonds, and a couple pinches of salt until a rough paste forms.
• Squeeze out the tomato seeds over the sink to discard, then add the tomatoes to the paste along with the chiles, roasted red bell pepper, and bread crumbs.
• With the speed on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all of it is incorporated.
• Transfer to a bowl, stir in the sherry vinegar, and season with salt to taste.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil and set over medium heat.
• When the oil is hot, add the meatballs in a single layer, carefully turning them until browned on all sides, about 1 minute per side.
• Work in batches, setting the browned meatballs aside on a paper towel.
• Set the meatballs in a large baking dish and bake until cooked through, about 12 minutes.
• Spread the almond and pepper sauce on your serving plate and top with the meatballs.
• Serve.

• Trim off and discard any silvery white fat from the lamb.
• Slice it thinly into ¼-inch strips, then stack the strips on top of each other and cut vertically into ¼-inch strips again.
• Turn the slices 90 degrees and cut vertically into ¼-inch cubes.
• Place the cubes in a bowl, cover, and chill in your refrigerator until just before you’re ready to serve.
• In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the anchovies and capers in cold water, then soak them covered with cold water in a small bowl for 10 minutes to remove their salt.
• Drain and coarsely chop.
• In a large bowl, combine the mustard, egg yolk, olive oil, and anchovies and whisk until incorporated.
• Just before serving, stir the capers, mint, lemon zest, and shallot into the lamb.
• Add a pinch of pepper and mix gently to combine, fluffing the lamb with a fork to break apart the pieces.
• Fold in the egg yolk mixture and season with flaky sea salt to taste.
• Serve immediately.

• It helps to know: This cabbage marinates overnight.
• To make the cabbage, in a large bowl, stir together the red wine, port wine, vinegar, ginger, figs, and a pinch each of sugar and salt.
• Add the cabbage and toss until well coated.
• Cover and let marinate in your refrigerator overnight.
• When ready to serve, preheat your oven to 325°F.
• Remove the duck from your refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before cooking.
• Warm the olive oil in a large ovenproof pan on medium heat.
• Add the onions and cook until they’ve softened and just begun to turn golden, about 12 minutes.
• Stir in the cabbage mixture along with its marinade.
• Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
• Remove the cover, stir, and bake for another 45 minutes, uncovered.
• The cabbage will be quite tender and soft, with almost the consistency of a spread.
• Meanwhile, about 30 minutes before serving, trim off any fat that surrounds the perimeter of the duck breasts.
• Starting at one corner, with the skin side facing up, use a sharp knife to cut diagonal lines in the duck’s skin about ¼ inch apart.
• Repeat, starting at the opposite corner to make a diamond pattern.
• This allows the fat that’s just beneath the skin to escape as you cook.
• In a medium pan on low heat, add enough neutral oil to cover the bottom in a thin film.
• Once the oil begins to shimmer (but before it gets very hot), set the duck breasts in the pan skin-side down.
• You should hear the soft sound of the skin crisping—if it’s loud, your pan is likely too hot.
• Let the meat sit without nudging until the skin is dark brown and crispy, about 8 minutes.
• Sprinkle the flesh side liberally with salt and pepper.
• Turn the breasts over and allow to gently sizzle for 1 minute.
• Transfer to your cutting board to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
• Cut the duck into ½-inch-wide slices.
• Transfer the cabbage to a serving bowl and remove the ginger.
• Add some roast shallots, top with the sliced duck, and serve.

• In a small pan on low heat, lightly toast the fennel and coriander, tossing constantly, until they take on some color and become fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to a plate to cool.
• Crush the toasted spices and the peppercorns using a mortar and pestle, then spread them on a cutting board.
• If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, crush them by pressing down and forward firmly with the bottom of a pot.
• Rub the tenderloins with olive oil, then roll them in the spices to coat on all sides.
• Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in your refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or better yet, overnight.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Remove the tenderloins from your refrigerator and let them come to room temperature before roasting.
• Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and slice it in half.
• Leaving the core intact, slice each half lengthwise into 1-inch-wide planks.
• Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large ovenproof pan on medium heat.
• Sprinkle the tenderloins with a couple generous pinches of salt.
• Sear, turning until they’ve browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total.
• Transfer to your oven and roast until the pork is cooked to medium (about 145°F), 9 to 11 minutes.
• Set aside on a plate, covered with aluminum foil, to rest for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium pan on medium heat.
• Once melted, turn the heat to low and add the cabbage in one layer.
• Add the thyme, garlic, and a pinch of salt.
• Cover and let the cabbage caramelize without nudging until the pieces are soft and nicely browned, about 20 minutes.
• Carefully flip the cabbage onto a serving plate to expose the browned side.
• To serve, cut the pork horizontally into ¾-inch-wide slices and arrange next to the cabbage, pouring any juices that have pooled over the top.

• Peel the grapefruits using a sharp knife, then cut out the segments over a bowl to reserve the juice.
• Set aside.
• In a large pan on low heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom in a thin film.
• Add the fennel, thyme, and a pinch of salt.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel softens and lightly caramelizes, about 10 minutes.
• Turn the heat to high and add the wine to deglaze the pan.
• Add the grapefruit juice and stir to combine.
• Turn the heat to low.
• Slice diagonal lines about 1 inch apart into the trout’s skin, deep enough to just pierce the skin but not the flesh.
• This prevents the skin from shrinking as it cooks.
• Season the fish with a pinch of salt on each side.
• Push the fennel to the edges of the pan, add the fish skin-side down, and cover.
• Cook for 3 minutes, then flip the trout, cover, and cook for 3 minutes more.
• Turn off the heat to steam the fish through, about 3 minutes more.
• Transfer to a large platter and serve immediately.

• In a large bowl, stir together ½ cup olive oil, the parsley, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade, and stir the shrimp into the remaining marinade.
• Cover and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• In a large pan on high heat, add olive oil to cover the bottom in a thin film.
• When the oil begins to shimmer, add the shrimp, its marinade, and a pinch of salt.
• Cook on high, stirring often, until the shrimp turn a whitish color and no longer look raw, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Transfer the cooked shrimp to a large bowl, add the reserved marinade, and toss to coat.
• Serve along with plenty of napkins as soon as the shrimp are cool enough to peel.

This recipe requires an extra-large pot (I’m not messing around here, you need a big one).

• First, char the onions.
• This step is optional, but it adds a nice smoky flavor to the boil.
• Cut off the ends of the onions (you can leave the skin on), then slice each in half.
• Line a pan (cast iron, if you have it) with aluminum foil and place it on high heat.
• Lay the onions on the pan, cut-side down, and let them sit without nudging until the cut side turns black, about 12 minutes.
• Remove the onions’ outer skin.
• In an extra-large pot on high heat, combine the onions, wine, verjus, vinegar, coriander, fennel, garlic, lemons, salt, peppercorns, and the water and bring to a boil.
• Turn the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
• Strain the stock into another large pot, discarding the solids.
• The resulting liquid is called a “crab court-bouillon,” or a flavored stock for poaching crab.
• Use immediately, or store the bouillon, covered, in your refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
• Just before serving, bring the strained stock to a boil on high heat.
• Once boiling, add the crabs and potatoes.
• Boil, uncovered, for 8 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature with the potatoes and crab still in the pot.
• Drain.
• Line your table (ideally outdoors) with newspaper.
• Dump the crab and potatoes on the newspaper.
• Eat with your hands, leaving the shells on the newspapers to be neatly folded up and tossed when no crabmeat or potatoes remain.