David Leite

Store-bought puff pastry makes this elegant baked Brie a cinch to pull off. (But that can be our little secret.)

Sure, this slow-simmered stew made with white beans, duck confit, sausages, and pork requires some planning and plenty of patience. It's sooo worth the wait.

So incredibly rich and satisfying, we dare you to find a more iconic comfort food. Guaranteed soul-soothing.

Just like those classic and towering pudding pies you experienced as a kid at diners. But better.

No need to ever reach for that boxed or bagged popcorn. And the recipe itself is better than any Cracker Jack prize.

We're sorta surprised you're still reading this rather than clicking on the title given how compelling the ingredients in the title are...

The exact same roadside double offered by the iconic Shake Shack burgers. And it has everything you’ve ever wanted in a burger.

Mashed potatoes in a taco? We were skeptical, too. Then we made them. Now we're smitten.

Proof that spectacularly fudgy, messily gooey, intensely chocolatey brownies can be made without butter or eggs.

Tart and sweet, silken and crumbly, these easy lemon bars have a sweet cookie crust, a tart lemon filling, and a dusting of confectioners' sugar. A classic, perfected.

The epitome of Italian comfort food. Polenta, Italian sausage, and cheese (two kinds!) are simply layered and baked. Basta.

A comforting, satiating breakfast, lunch, or supper. The sort of sustenance that never, ever disappoints.

Buttery, rich pound cake is ribboned with a marmalade layer, steeped in blood orange syrup, and finished off with a tartly sweet orange glaze. Sigh.

Taco meets casserole in this clever and crowd-pleasing approach to perfectly seasoned tacos.

A classic chocolate cake on caffeine, this impressive yet easy to assemble stack of chocolatey elegance takes its rounded chocolatey-ness from a cup of joe and its ample fudgy-ness fro ganache.

Apples and spice and everything nice. Including the slight surprise of pistachios.

An easy weeknight meal that's an unassuming melding of red lentils, harissa, sautéed onions, and garlicky tahini sauce that can only be described as magical. (Yes, lentils can be magic.)

There's a lot to like here. The caramelized sweetness of sweet potatoes and onions. The salty and tangy creaminess of feta. And the knowing that you're doing something decent for yourself without it tasting like penance.

A sigh-worthy Sunday supper sorta meal that’s inspired by classic French technique yet relies on inexpensive everyday ingredients and takes not much more effort than a PBJ. (Well, a little more effort.)

Seafood gumbo loaded with shrimp, such as this classic Cajun recipe, screams for a cold beer and a lazy weekend afternoon dedicated to nothing but cooking.