“This is so enjoyable to make”

Melissa Clark's versatile fruit galette is an "easy and beautiful" five-star reader favorite.

View in browser|nytimes.com June 15, 2024 Melissa Clark's fruit galette. David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. "This is so enjoyable to make" By Mia Leimkuhler The above note about Melissa Clark's fruit galette from Walter, a reader, stuck with me. Making this adaptable recipe truly is a joy. You have the chilled, floured dough on your hands; a sculptor's satisfaction of rolling the dough lump into a smooth sheet. Preparing the colorful fruit maybe leaves a soft fuchsia blush on your fingertips, an endearing souvenir from assertive plums or melting raspberries. Then out comes the pastry brush — always a small rush of pride to use those specific, dedicated cooking tools — to coat your dough folds in eggy cream, knowing they'll bake into a burnished wabi-sabi crust. Eating the galette is great, too — it is Melissa, after all — but making it is a wonderful bit of summer arts and crafts, a dose of hands-on happiness. Featured Recipe Fruit Galette View Recipe → Let's stick with this "making is as fun as eating" theme, shall we? I love cooking any recipe that involves lots of spices: It makes my home smell amazing, of course, and gives me the satisfaction of actually using all those powders and seeds and grains that I've crammed into my cabinet. Zainab Shah's quick chicken karahi (spicy chicken and tomatoes with chiles) adds layers of heat and flavor with Kashmiri chile powder, cumin, coriander and turmeric; pull back on the dried chiles and chile powder to scale down the spiciness. Something about cooking swordfish is really satisfying — it's a meaty fish that stands up well to strong flavors, and it's also a nice break from the usual salmon and white fish fillets. I'd pair Pierre Franey's five-star grilled marinated swordfish steaks with Kia Damon's snappy sautéed green beans for a very nice summer dinner. It certainly feels good to cook something delicious with zucchini, that inexpensive, almost overly enthusiastic summer squash. (We get it, zucchini.) Ham El-Waylly's crispy chicken thighs with charred zucchini make for a gorgeous and easy dinner, with an herby, lemony pumpkin seed dressing. "Save this sauce in your back pocket," Ham notes, "as it does everything a green goddess dressing can do, but is much lighter — and equally great on a wedge of iceberg or as a dip for potato chips." And I always give myself a little pat on the back whenever I make myself lunch. This tzatziki tuna salad from Genevieve Ko gets its verve from Greek yogurt (instead of mayonnaise), lemon and garlic, as well as a little yellow mustard and chopped dill. Her recipe serves one, so it's perfect for those work-from-home weekdays. IN THIS NEWSLETTER Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Quick Chicken Karahi (Spicy Chicken and Tomatoes With Chiles) By Zainab Shah 35 minutes Makes 2 to 4 servings Michael Kraus for The New York Times Grilled Marinated Swordfish Steaks By Pierre Franey 30 minutes Makes 4 servings Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Sautéed Green Beans By Kia Damon 15 minutes Makes 4 servings Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Crispy Chicken Thighs With Charred Zucchini By Ham El-Waylly 1 hour Makes 4 servings Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Michelle Gatton. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson. Green Goddess Dressing Recipe from Jessica Battilana Adapted by Samin Nosrat 10 minutes Makes 1 1/2 cups Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Tzatziki Tuna Salad By Genevieve Ko 10 minutes Makes 1 Serving Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018