Bette Fraser, Recipe Tester

Beautiful burger buns. Were ever three words joined in such harmony? There are a lot more lovely things to be said about these pillowy specimens of bread awesomeness.

Brisket, short ribs, and chuck. When melded in just the right proportions, as here, they turn out the most luxe made-from-scratch burger we’ve ever experienced.

Meat. Fire. Smoke. It’s been a holy trinity since man first put meat to heat. Understandably so.

Need to bring something to a backyard bash when all you want is mad crazy gratitude and an empty dish to take home? This blueberry crumble with a crumbly oatmeal cookie topping is your answer.

Our easy and elegant solution when you buy not-quite-spring spears of asparagus from the grocery store? Just add cheese and butter and bread crumbs.

We’ve got stars in our eyes…and our bowls…and our spoons. All thanks to pastina, the teensy star-shaped pasta that just may make the cutest supper in the solar system.

We swoon to short ribs prepared almost any way. But especially when braised with coffee and chiles. That is to say, this way.

Boozy prunes. So damn good that in Gascony, you’re not invited over for coffee, you’re invited over for these little lovelies.

Rite of passage as well as rite of tailgating, Frito Pie is legendary. In case you’d forgotten about it, here’s how. Serve it as-is or glam it up with anything you like.

Bathed in buttermilk and spiced ever so slightly, this Cajun fried hen is memorably moist, superlatively crisp, and gosh darn perfect through and through.