The All-Star Recipes We Couldn’t Stop Cooking in 2022
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Finding a recipe that fits your weekly routine can be like trying on that perfect pair of jeans. You just want to keep wearing them every day. That’s how we feel about these recently published recipes from Epicurious contributors, shiny new cookbooks, and beloved bakeries and restaurants. These were the recipes we published this year that immediately made their way into Epi staffers’ regular rotations—the dishes we can count on to turn around a bad day or to win points at the pool party.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert1/11Quick Vegetable Massaman Curry
I got to test Leela Punyaratabandhu’s quick vegetable Massaman curry before we published the recipe this fall, and I promptly fell for it. To keep the dish weeknight-friendly, she uses store-bought red curry paste, and she looks to tart apples and brown sugar to amp up the tangy-sweet flavor profile usually derived from tamarind and palm sugar. The mix of root vegetables added to the spiced coconut curry makes it even more comforting and filling. It’s the kind of dish I’ll find myself craving in the 3 p.m. slump between lunch and dinner and have on the table by 7. —Sonia Chopra, executive editor
Photo by Maren Ellingboe King2/11Cabbage Salad With Caraway Seeds
This salad hits all the right notes with texture, color, and hints of both sweetness and bitterness for balance. It’s flavorful enough to enjoy on its own, but not too bold to serve as a side with roast chicken or pork. I’m not a huge fan of dill, so I really appreciate that the author suggests tarragon as a substitute; it works beautifully. Bonus: Because this is more of a slaw than a traditional salad, it can be made ahead of time without getting soggy. —Emily Farris, senior commerce writer
Photo by Yuki Sugiura3/11Katsu Sando
Not a day goes by when I don’t long for a katsu sando from the convenience store near the apartment I rented in Japan. This version fills me with nostalgia (and beautiful breaded and deep-fried pork) and joy. The recipe is meant to be cut up into small, bite-size sandwiches, but I’m usually making this for myself and, therefore, skipping the last step or two, though the presentation as finger food is very cute. —Jarrett Melendez, associate editor
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne4/11Bizzy Izzy Highball
After reading Al Sotack’s history of the drink, I made the Bizzy Izzy Highball more times than I care to count, occasionally swapping out the pineapple for another fruit juice like passionfruit or guava. After making it a few times, it’s easy to remember the ingredients, so it’s also easy to scale up, which I did often so that we could take some drinks to the pool at my sister’s place this summer. The flavors aren’t just suited for summer, though; now that it’s holiday time, I’m thinking of playing around with that pineapple a little more: maybe a mix of winter citrus in its place? Either way, this drink is staying with me for a while, with or without a riff every now and again. —Joe Sevier, cooking and SEO editor
Photo by Nicole Franzen5/11Mont-Blanc
I first encountered a Mont-Blanc pastry while living in Kyoto, where miniature mountain ranges of squiggly chestnut cream fill the pastry cases in the city’s many European-style tea rooms. It’s the sort of dessert that’s best eaten between sips of strongly brewed tea or coffee, and ideally with a chatty friend on a Saturday afternoon. When I’m feeling nostalgic, I’ll make Clotilde Dusoulier’s surprisingly doable rendition, where the hardest part is probably finding the chestnut cream. —Wilder Davies, commerce writer
Photo by Justin Walker6/11Salted Dark Chocolate Pudding From Ovenly’s Brooklyn Blackout Cake
A few months back, my coworker Genevieve Yam started raving about the salted dark chocolate pudding that Ovenly uses in its Brooklyn Blackout Cake. Then, Rebecca Firkser wrote about how much she loves the pudding as a nine-minute dessert made almost entirely from the pantry. Now, I can safely say it’s the dessert I’ve made the most this year. It’s salty and not too sweet, and you can practically make it during a commercial break. —Anna Hezel, senior editor
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Dayna Seman7/11Tempeh Crumbles With Coconut Rice
At my house we’d been on the hunt for a vegetarian main to work into our weekly rotation, and honestly, I didn’t expect this tempeh recipe to be it. But the simple mix of sesame oil, soy sauce, and chili crisp is a real winner here. Combined with the sweet addition of coconut milk to the rice—now I replace half the water in my rice with coconut milk on the regular—and a quick pickle that I take up a notch with a chamber sealer, this makes for a complete and completely easy dish. We ate it once a week for months this year. A bonus: The rice is a favorite of my three- and one-year-olds, so I can send any leftovers with them to daycare the next day. —Noah Kaufman, product reviews editor
By Aubrie Pick8/11Sweet Tea and Molasses-Brined Spatchcock Chicken
On our Epicurious app, there is a chicken recipe that I adore, the Five-Spice Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken. Quick, pantry-friendly and full of flavor, it’s my go-to during the summer. But I make that recipe so often, even I long for a little variety. So when I saw the recipe for Sweet Tea and Molasses-Brined Spatchcock Chicken in Tanya Holland's California Soul, I was intrigued. The chicken is brined in a bath of Earl Grey tea, salt, molasses, and citrus zest for between four and 16 hours, after which it’s either grilled or roasted. Tender, moist and cooked until it’s a gorgeous caramel-bronze, this is an easy, all those-ingredients-are-in-my-pantry alternative. —Dawn Davis, editor in chief
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert10/11Amethyst Sour
I love simple drinks, but sometimes you really want a bar-worthy cocktail at home. This new variation on the whiskey sour from our cocktail columnist, Al Sotack, is without question one of the best cocktails I made at home this year. Instead of all whiskey, it’s a combo of rye and rum, and instead of sweetening with just simple syrup, there’s a mix of flavorful amaro and blueberry syrup (which, I promise, is simple to make). All these layers mean a drink that keeps offering more with every sip. —Maggie Hoffman, digital director
Photo by Mark Weinberg11/11Turmeric Black Pepper Tempeh
This turmeric black pepper tempeh is bright and tangy and just a tiny bit sweet. I love that it’s paired with fresh herbs over rice with some shallots. There is minimal chopping and a quick cook time, making it a great option for an easy, flavorful weeknight meal. —Olivia Quintana, associate social media manager
