Secrets of the Best Chefs

Chanterelle and Cremini Mushroom Gratin Serves 4 (or more) Mushrooms get the deluxe treatment here in this elegant side dish. Fi ...

½ cup crème fraîche 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar, plus more as needed 1 or 2 pinches of all-purpose flour Preheat the oven to ...

If you can’t find chanterelles (a prized mushroom, and correspondingly expensive), use any combination of exotic mushrooms or j ...

Swiss Chard and Ricotta Dumplings ...

Serves 4 or more ...

Don’t let the Swiss chard fool you; there’s very little that’s healthy about this dish. But who cares about healthy? What you ge ...

the dumplings will be tough and gluey. Add the flour ¼ cup at a time and work it in gently with the rubber spatula. Study the do ...

hands. If that works, it’s ready to go. ...

Tony Mantuano Chef-owner, Spiaggia Chicago, Illinois When chef Tony Mantuano opened Spiaggia in Chicago in 1984, a customer told ...

first dish requires the use of a contraption called a bigolaro. “It’s Venetian in origin,” Mantuano explains. “They call it the ...

these tomatoes to fry so their flavor comes out.” When oil spills out of the pan, flames shoot up, but, as expected, Mantuano re ...

“The lighter the sauce, the thinner the pasta should be. It’s a ...

texture thing: flavors and textures have to match.” Mantuano’s Kitchen Know-How DON’T CUT BASIL into strips when using it in coo ...

Tagliatelle with Cherry Tomatoes ...

Serves 4 ...

Pasta that is forced through a die—as is bigoli, Mantuano’s original choice for this recipe—can’t be made without a pasta extrud ...

Coat a large sauté pan (not nonstick) with about ¼ cup olive oil and add the garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring the garlic, ...

Stuffed Focaccia Serves 8 It sounds fancy, but this recipe is a cinch to put together. Mantuano puts his focaccia dough through ...

your imagination. Pesto would taste great, as would sun-dried tomatoes. FOR THE DOUGH 2 packets active dry yeast Pinch of sugar ...

a dough hook. Pour in the yeast mixture on low speed and mix until the dough peels away from the sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer ...