Amanda Hesser

Dinner doesn't get any easier or more elegant than pasta tossed with butter, olive oil, Parmesan and pecorino Romano cheeses, and dusted with lots of black pepper.

Mind-bogglingly crisp oven-fried chicken. And it's sooo easy. Just shake, shake, shake chicken thighs in a bag of seasoned flour and bake unattended for a little while.

A classic French recipe that really ought to be in your repertoire, boeuf bourguignon has countless incarnations, including this classic version by Craig Claiborne.

One taste and you'll understand why this is the most popular recipe from The New York Times. A new American classic.

Buttery, softly scrambled eggs arranged on toast and drizzled with fragrant white truffle oil. Sounds like supper to us.

Summer tomatoes are turned into a sweet jelly that's a Portuguese classic. Use it as you would any jelly as well as with cheese plates.