Artichokes are intimidating; and being prickly and green, they have no obvious edibility. My friend and former Sauce writer, S.C. Truckey, had a run-in with this reptile of a vegetable. Her story makes me laugh every time I read it.

Despite the fear factor surrounding artichokes, if you’re willing to do just a little extra work with a decently sharp knife, there are great reasons to bring these babies home. The heart is both sweet and vegetal; it tastes like green would taste (if colors had flavors). Sure, you can steam the whole thing, mix a little garlic butter and tear it apart – there’s much to be said about that method. But this dish asks you to do to the heavy lifting for your dinners.

Braised Artichoke Hearts
Adapted by Dee Ryan from a recipe courtesy of Saveur

4 to 6 artichokes
2 cups white wine
2 cups water
2 lemons
¼ cup mint
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. salt and freshly ground black pepper blend

• Cut the top 2 inches off of each artichoke. Using a melon baller or grapefruit spoon, scoop out the inedible fuzzy “choke.”
• For each artichoke, peel off the rest of the artichoke leaves, and using a paring knife, trim down to the heart.
• Place the hearts into a 2 to 3 quart saucepan with the wine, water, the juice from 1 lemon, mint, garlic and the salt and pepper mix.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until tender.
• Slice the remaining lemon into rings, and spread the rings on a plate. Remove the hearts from the saucepan and slice. Serve over the plated lemons and drizzle with cooking liquid.

Singapore Noodles
Courtesy of Lu Lu Seafood and Dim Sum
Serves 2

1 lb. baby shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed and drained
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into ¼-inch strips
2 Tbsp. thin soy sauce
¼ cup white wine
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
½ tsp. ground white pepper
Canola oil
1 Tbsp. freshly minced ginger
½ cup scallions, cut into 1-inch strips
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
½ lb. bean sprouts
1 red bell pepper, de-stemmed, de-seeded and julienned
1 onion, peeled and julienned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 lb. thin rice noodles, soaked in cold water for 2 hours and drained
2 Tbsp. Madras curry powder

• Place the shrimp and chicken in a medium-size bowl. Add the soy sauce, white wine, cornstarch and white pepper and stir to coat. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Place a wok over medium-high heat and coat with canola oil. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, scallions and garlic, and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
• Add the shrimp and chicken (with their marinade) to the oil, and stir-fry quickly for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the shrimp and chicken from the wok and set aside.
• Add the bean sprouts, bell pepper and onion to the hot wok. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Remove from the wok and set aside.
• Wipe the wok clean and coat well with a new layer of canola oil. When the oil is smoking hot, add the eggs and rotate the pan so as to quickly spread the egg into a pancake shape. While the egg is still partially fluid, add the rice noodles to the wok.
• Stir and fold the noodles and egg into small pieces, so they are uniformly dispersed. Continue to stir to keep the noodles from sticking to the pan.
• Add the curry powder. When the noodles are steaming hot, add the shrimp, chicken and vegetables back into the wok, and stir until everything is steaming hot.
• Serve immediately.

Lu Lu Seafood and Dim Sum, 8224 Olive Blvd., U City, 314.997.3108, luluseafood.com

— photo by Carmen Troesser

On our first night in London, we had just arrived by car from the Portsmouth seaside and were beyond tired (Reversing all the traffic rules you’ve ever known while driving somewhere you’ve never been will do that.). Unfortunately, we were also very hungry, so we dropped our bags at the hotel and wandered down the street to the first pub we could find. It was called The Prince Edward Public House and Kitchen, and at first glance, it looked like a typical pub — dark wood, a bar brimming with beer options, bowls of pistachios and lots of TV screens showing lots of “football.”

Then we ordered dinner, and, suddenly, the word typical no longer applied. I ordered the butternut squash, which arrived tender, wrinkly and stuffed with arugula, roasted cherry tomatoes and goat cheese. On the side was an asparagus-mushroom pilaf. Instead of slicing the squash lengthwise as we often do over here, this one was sliced off at the neck, leaving the bottom, bowl-like third an edible serving vessel. And the flavor the chef was able to get into all that orange-y flesh was astounding. Hopefully I’ve done it justice!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
2 servings

2 small butternut squashes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 pinches salt
2 pinches freshly ground black pepper
2 pinches freshly grated nutmeg
Olive oil
2 oz. goat cheese
1 handful arugula

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut the neck off each squash, leaving just the bowl-shaped bottom. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, spray with nonstick spray and place the squash bowls on it. Place 1 tablespoon of butter in each squash, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Brush the rim of each bowl with olive oil.
• Put the squashes in the oven and let them roast until the sides start to wrinkle and the insides are very tender, about 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the sizes of the squashes.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, coat the cherry tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed, foil-lined baking sheet and then place in the oven 10 minutes before the squashes are finished.
• Once the squashes and cherry tomatoes are properly roasted, remove from oven, but keep oven on. Set tomatoes aside. Pour out all but a teaspoon of butter from each squash bowl, and then place 3 to 4 quarter-size pieces of goat cheese (about 1 ounce) in each one. Return them to the oven and roast another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese softens.
• Remove from oven and place 3 to 4 cherry tomatoes in each bowl, followed by a few arugula leaves, then the rest of the cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with salad or rice pilaf.

Anyone can whip up a pint (plus a bit to spare) of this tart pantry perk, but it takes some serious willpower not to grab a spoon and eat the entire silky spread straight from the pan. Spread it on toast, scones, biscuits, pancakes, crepes or French toast, stir it into plain yogurt, or use it to spike your morning parfait.

Get the recipe for Lemon Curd, here.

— photo by Greg Rannells

Forgot to make that Mother’s Day brunch reservation? We’ve found that sometimes the most memorable meals are spent at home. And good news: It’s only Saturday. You still have time to hit up the grocery store and find the vacuum.

Rhubarb is one of the toughest ladies on the block. Oh sure she looks innocent, but don’t turn your back on her. She’s tarter than she is sweet, her leaves are poison and she’s a vegetable in the same sneaky way that tomatoes are a fruit. The color difference is mostly varietal – green rhubarb isn’t necessarily unripe, nor will red be sweeter – but if you want that gorgeous ruby color in your dish, go with a redder stalk. And we’re not kidding about those poisonous leaves – cut them off and dispose of them. Then give the stalks a good rinse. Don’t bother peeling them; that fibrous “skin” will break down during cooking.

Orange-Rhubarb Pancakes With Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup
Serves 4 to 6

For the Orange-Rhubarb Sauce:

1 cup rhubarb (chopped into ½-inch pieces)
½ cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. freshly grated orange zest
¼ cup granulated sugar

For the pancake batter:

½ cup white flour
1¾ cup medium-grind cornmeal
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1¾ cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
8 to 12 Tbsp. butter

For the Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup:

1 cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup chopped strawberries
¼ cup rhubarb (chopped into ½-inch pieces)

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• First, make the Orange-Rhubarb Sauce: Combine the chopped rhubarb, orange juice, orange zest and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the rhubarb is fork tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and use a fork to mash the mixture into a thick sauce. Set aside and let cool.
• Next, make the Pancake Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Stir in the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until smooth, adding more buttermilk as needed.
• Stir the Orange-Rhubarb Sauce into the Pancake Batter and set aside.
• Now, the Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup: Add the maple syrup, strawberries and rhubarb to a small sauce pan. Bring to a low boil over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and set aside while you make the pancakes.
• Butter a large skillet or griddle, and place over medium-high heat. Ladle in about 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter per pancake. When the top of the pancake begins to bubble, carefully flip the pancakes and cook them for another 2 minutes or so. Remove to a plate set in the oven while you make the rest of the pancakes.
• Serve the pancakes with the Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup, powdered sugar and whipped cream.

— photo by Laura Miller

I was smitten with cookies ever since I had my first Oreo at the age of five. On Sesame Street, I, hands down, loved Cookie Monster the most. To this day, I always choose cookies over cake. And although my favorite cookie is still classic chocolate chip (with some sea salt on top), I love trying out other variations.

If you’re a fan of a chewy cookie, imagine a mouthful of warm, gooey, chocolate-y dough topped with a cold, creamy ice cream of your choice. The inclusion of brown butter puts this cookie over the top by adding an extra hint of nuttiness. The hazelnuts offer a welcome crunch in between sweet pieces of milk chocolate, while the espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor.

Even if they’re just to store away in the freezer and pull out for special occasions (or for a night to yourself), make these cookies. You won’t regret it.

Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
Makes about 10 ramekins (depending on size of ramekin)
Adapted by Amrita Rawat from a recipe originally published in the cookbook Flour

1½ cups (210 g.) blanched whole hazelnuts
¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. (185 g.) butter, softened
2/3 cup (140 g.) sugar
2/3 cup (150 g.) brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
1½ cups (210 g.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
10 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. espresso powder (optional)*

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a food processor, pulse ½ cup of hazelnuts to the consistency of flour. Set aside.
• Lay the remaining hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until toasted and fragrant.
• Let the hazelnuts cool and then coarsely chop.
• Brown the butter by heating it in a saucepan over medium heat. Watch carefully as it melts and slowly changes color. Once it smells nutty, remove it from the heat.
• Add the butter to a large bowl with the sugars and beat until combined. Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, stir the ground and chopped hazelnuts in with the flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate and espresso powder. With a hand mixer on low speed, blend the flour mixture slowly into the butter mixture.
• Once a dough forms, chill for as little as 2 hours or up to 5 days in the refrigerator (Or freeze for up to 3 months.).
• Grease the ramekins or any small, individual deep dish. Press a thin layer of cookie dough into the bottom of each dish.
• Bake the ramekins at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until dark brown around the edges (Baking time may vary based on the size of the ramekin.).
• Let cool and then place 2 scoops of your favorite ice cream on top. (I chose cinnamon.)

*Espresso powder can be found at Kitchen Conservatory.

Crust. Tomatoes. Mozzarella. Basil. The queen of Neopolitan pizza is understated in her simplicity, yet efforts to achieve this crowning beauty have caused countless headaches in the kitchen. Finally, area experts reveal their essential tricks to making the ultimate Margherita pizza at home.

“Pizza is the most easiest, complicated thing to make. I know people who have been trying to make the perfect pizza for 20 years!” – Vito Racanelli, chef-owner, Mad Tomato

The Tools: You don’t have to have a wood-fired oven to get the thin, crispy crust and great chew of a Neopolitan pizza (See the heat trick below.). But a tricked-out pizza peel and stone will elevate your pie to new heights.

G.I. Metal Perforated Aluminum Pizza Peel
Aluminum peels are durable, flexible and don’t dry out like wooden ones. The perforation lets you shake off excess flour before sliding the pizza onto the stone to avoid burning, and the rectangular shape gives you more surface area, making it easier to lift, slide and adjust the pizza. $96. (model A-45RF/50) gimetalusa.com

Emile Henry Ceramic Baking Stone
This rectangular, heat-tempered, scratch-proof, chip-proof, coated stone won’t crack in your oven and has more surface area than round versions, a crucial factor in achieving that crisp crust. $40 to 60. Kitchen Conservatory, 8021 Clayton Road, 314.862.2665, kitchenconservatory.com 

The Ingredients: We queried quite a few chefs about the brands they’ll bet the house on. Bonus: These high-quality products are all made in the USA.

Hodgson Mills Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour
You don’t have to spend extra dough to make great dough. Unbleached, all-purpose flour is fine. This near-local company offers a high-quality product that’s available at most supermarkets.

Stanislas Alta Cucina “Naturale” Style Plum Tomatoes
“We tried every single Italian one,” said Gerard Craft, owner of Pastaria, who settled on this domestically grown tomato because it offers “a nice bite of acidity” and “the right consistency, just crushed on its own.” For a fresh sauce, simply crush the whole, peeled tomatoes in your hand and season with salt. A couple ladles is all you need; you should be able to see the dough through the sauce. No. 10 Can, 6 lbs. 7 oz.: $4.89. DiGregorio’s Market, 5200 Daggett Ave., St. Louis, 314.776.1062, digregoriofoods.com

Calabro Fior di Latte Cheese
Buffalo mozzarella? Not so fast. Cow’s milk can produce a cheese with fabulous flavor. This fior di latte has a lovely creaminess, mild saltiness and melts beautifully into the sauce. Cut it into slightly larger chunks (4 ounces cut into 6 slices for a 12-inch pizza); the cheese will take longer to melt, so it won’t burn by the time the crust is done. ½ lb.:$6. Pastaria, 7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.862.6603, pastariastl.com

Fresh basil
Some chefs add the leaves before popping the pizza in the oven; others wait until after. Place the outer, shiny side of the leaves up. If you add prior to baking, when drizzling olive oil over the pizza, drizzle some on the leaves to keep them from burning and discoloring.

The Technique: Creating a great pizza at home is all about technique. Let Ted Wilson, who trained under pizza god Jim Lahey, take you through it.

Find Wilson’s recipe for The Ultimate Pizza Dough, here.

GETTING INTO SHIPSHAPE
Cover the dough with just enough flour so it doesn’t stick to your hands or the lightly floured work surface. Use the pads of your fingertips to gently push on the center of the dough until you feel the work surface but don’t break through the dough. Flatten and stretch the dough by pushing from the center of the dough and moving outwards until you get within 1 inch of the rim of the circle that’s taking shape. Give dough a quarter turn and repeat. Continue until a round disk forms. While stretching and shaping, place a hand under the dough to ensure it isn’t sticking. If so, toss a little flour onto the work surface. Gently guide dough outward from its underside as it rests on your fingers to stretch it further.

TOP IT OFF
Ready the toppings before shaping the dough. Once the dough is shaped, quickly add the toppings in this order: sauce, cheese, basil (optional), drizzle of 1¼ to 1½ tablespoon of olive oil and a 4-fingered pinch of kosher salt. Leave the outer rim of the pizza untouched.

RAISE THE HEAT
To get your home oven to reach restaurant-high temps, toggle between the bake and broil functions. Place the stone in the oven on a rack set in the topmost position with enough room for the pizza. Preheat the oven to its highest baking temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Just before shaping the dough, switch to broil. Shape the dough, add the toppings, then use the peel to slide the pizza onto the hot stone. Switch the oven back to its highest bake temperature for 2 to 3 minutes, then back to broil. The pizza is done when the cheese is bubbling, the crust is charred but not burnt, and the underside is golden, about 3 more minutes (5 to 6 minutes total).

Pictured: Margherita pizza from The Good Pie, 3137 Olive St., St. Louis, 314.289.9391, thegoodpie.com

— photo by Greg Rannells

My 15-year-old recently announced that she’s become a vegetarian. This isn’t the most uncommon thing for a teenager to do and is far less upsetting than multiple piercings or tattoos, but, nevertheless, this does mean I have to tweak my day-to-day cooking. Back in college, when I was a vegetarian, I mostly subsisted on boxes of macaroni and cheese along with the occasional falafel wrap and salad. I tried eating tofu frequently but never really loved it, except when it was fried. Fried anything is good! A friend told me that the secret to great fried tofu was to drain out as much moisture as humanly possible, and then dredge it in cornstarch, which gives the tofu a nice crispiness.

Making an Asian-style sauce with only three ingredients is no small feat. I knew hoisin and peanut butter would make for a good base. I then tried adding fish sauce, teriyaki, soy sauce and, finally, seasoned rice vinegar. The first three just added saltiness that the sauce didn’t need, but the vinegar added just enough of a sweet and acidic note to give the sauce more depth. If I had more ingredients to play with, I would have added chopped cilantro and Sriracha, but my daughter happily ate it as it was.

Fried Tofu with Dipping Sauce

1 block extra-firm tofu
Oil (vegetable, peanut or canola)
1 cup cornstarch
¼ cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
1 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar

• Drain the tofu on paper towels for 30 minutes, changing the towels regularly to make the tofu as dry as possible. Cut the tofu in half and then into ½-inch slices.
• Fill a large skillet with a ½-inch layer of oil.
• Cook the oil over medium-high heat until it’s shimmering.
• Working in batches, dredge each piece of tofu in the cornstarch, shaking off excess. Carefully place pieces in the skillet. After about 2 minutes, turn each piece over and fry for 1 to 2 more minutes. Each should be lightly browned. Remove to a paper towel-covered plate.
• Mix hoisin sauce, peanut butter and rice vinegar together in a small bowl. Serve alongside the tofu.

Christophe Felder’s Patisserie is an encyclopedic tome of French pastry. Wanna learn to make croissants or macarons? The book has complex recipes like these, broken down step-by-step and interspersed with process photos to guide you along the way (particularly useful for novice bakers). The vast collection of French desserts in this book is impressive alone. I chose to make crème brûlée because, surprisingly, I’ve never made it, and I’ve always loved it. It’s a quintessential French dessert but so much easier than the odyssey that is Marronnier (chocolate-chestnut layer cake) on page 346.

Many crème brûlée recipes have you bake the custards in a bain marie, which is a water bath, but this one didn’t, which I thoroughly appreciated. It’s always a pain to set those things up, and I inevitably spill water everywhere. Instead, the recipe instructs to place the custards in a 200-degree oven for an hour and fifteen minutes.

When they came out, I was excited that they were solid but trembling slightly in the middle – just like the recipe described.

The recipe does not tell you to chill the custards but to just let them cool completely. Well, my impatience got the best of me. I chilled one in the freezer for about 30 minutes and then brûléed the top under a broiler. It was not good. The custard was still loose, and because it wasn’t completely chilled, it still had a really strong egg taste, like a vanilla-citrus-scented soft scramble. Weird.

However, the next day, I tried another custard and the time-alone-to-itself period made a difference. The custard had a chance to condense; albeit, still runnier in texture than the thick, velvety versions I’m used to, it was much better. Perhaps an hour and fifteen minutes was not long enough to make it set in my oven. The flavor improved overnight too … less eggy and a lot more like the flavor of well … crème brûlée.

Crème Brûlée Vanille au Zeste de Citron Vert
(Lime-Vanilla Crème Brûlée)
Serves 4

Special equipment: individual gratin dishes

2½ vanilla beans
1 cup milk
5 eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
½ lime
½ cup light brown sugar

• Split the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife. Bring the milk and vanilla seeds and beans to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let infuse.
• Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a bowl. Whisk the sugar into the egg yolks, just until the sugar dissolves. The mixture should not pale in color.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Add the cream to the egg yolk-sugar mixture, whisking until smooth. Then whisk the cooled milk into the mixture until smooth.
• Using a citrus zester, remove the colored zest from the lime in fine julienne strips, leaving the white pith. Or use a vegetable peeler and cut the zest into julienne strips with a knife.
• Divide the zest among the grain dishes. Ladle the custard into the dishes
• Depending on the size of the ramekins, bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, just until the custard is slightly wobbly. Let cool completely.
• Sift ½ of the brown sugar in an even layer over the custards. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar. Or broil the custards on the top shelf of the oven. Sprinkle the crème brûlées with the remaining brown sugar and caramelize again.
• Serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from Rizzoli International Publications.

What’s your favorite dessert to order out and why? Tell us about it in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy Patisserie. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column.

And now, we’d like to congratulate Katie, whose comment on last week’s By the Book has won her a copy of French Bistro. Katie, keep an eye out for an email from the Sauce crew. 

Last week my husband and I returned from the trip of a lifetime (Although I’m hoping it will happen at least once more!). We spent 17 days roaming around Paris, London and Dublin, getting our fill of art, history and, most importantly, delicious, mind-blowing food. The camera on my phone hardly rested as I snapped photos of my meatless meals throughout the trip. For the next few weeks, I thought it would be fun to try and recreate some of my favorites.

This week I’m starting with one of the best salads I’ve ever had. It came from a little cafe in Paris called Le Petit Cler, situated on a cobblestone pedestrian road among shops and flower stalls (Yes, it was as dreamy as it sounds.). Although simple in ingredients, the freshness and flavor of this spinach-based dish had me practically licking the bowl.

Spring Spinach Salad
4 Servings

For the Salad:

8 cups baby spinach, washed and patted dry
4 cups trimmed, halved and blanched green beans
12 Campari tomatoes, quartered
Dressing (recipe follows)
2 cups prepared brown lentils
2 cups freshly shaved Parmesan
4 large eggs, soft-boiled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• In each of 4 bowls, place 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup of green beans and 3 quartered tomatoes. Drizzle with 1/8 cup of dressing (or more to taste) and stir to combine.
• Top with ½ cup of shaved Parmesan, followed by 1 egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Dressing:
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. sugar
1 minced garlic clove
1/8 tsp. salt
8 grinds black pepper

• Place all of the ingredients in a lidded jar. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously for about 1 minute.
• Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 45 minutes to let the flavors marry.