The most requested recipe in the history of The New York Times

It rhymes with schplum schtorte.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 14, 2024 Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Liza Jernow. The plum torte By Mia Leimkuhler I realized the other day, to my shock — and the potential horror of the lovely people who screened me for this job — that I've never actually made The Plum Torte. You know the one: the original plum torte, the Marian Burros recipe that ran in The New York Times every September from 1983 through 1989. The plum torte with five stars and over 14,000 ratings. The most requested recipe in the history of The Times. So I fixed that. I went to the store to pick up some small, yellow-fleshed plums with dusty, purple skin. I already had everything else: butter, flour, salt, baking powder, eggs, lemon. I creamed the butter and sugar by hand with my trusty wooden spoon and added some lemon zest to the batter. The lemon juice was squeezed over the halved plums and, after an hour in the oven, there was my beautiful plum torte, golden with burgundy marbling from the plum skins. My husband and I ate half of it in one go. If I can give myself an out, I think it's fitting that I made the plum torte for the first time now, as New York Times Cooking eyes its 10th anniversary on Tuesday. It's a reminder that there are so many oldies but super goodies in our archive (roast Provençal chicken, turkey and white bean soup) to pair with new favorites (gochujang buttered noodles). The torte is smart, trustworthy, versatile, doable and, most important, really delicious — everything I expect from a New York Times Cooking recipe. Speaking of reminders, and our anniversary: All through September, subscribers can send recipes to anyone they'd like for free. Just tap the "Give" icon on any recipe to create a paywall-free link that you can share with family and friends. (I suggest the plum torte.) Featured Recipe Original Plum Torte View Recipe → Maybe you want more texture? This new plum-almond crumble from David Tanis provides a wonderful, nutty crunch to offset the soft fruit. I'd serve that after generous bowls of Kay Chun's orzo vongole with zucchini for a late-summer dinner that keeps the busy season scaries at bay. An old classic: Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey's chicken fricassee with vermouth, a velvety, buttery skillet dinner that begs for a mountain of fluffy white rice. (While the vermouth's out, could I interest you in a wet martini?) A new classic: Eric Kim's salt-and-vinegar baked fish and chips, which bring that puckery white vinegar power to everyone's favorite crispy seafood shack dinner. Stash a store-bought bag of French fries and some white fish fillets in your freezer now so that on Thursday, when the fridge is starting to empty out and you're staring at half a jar of mayonnaise, some capers bobbing in their brine and a picked-at bunch of dill, you'll still have this lovely meal. And a fall classic: butternut squash soup. Yewande Komolafe's easy recipe adds a splash of rice wine vinegar for sparkle, and if your squash isn't super sweet, you can give it a nudge with some maple syrup or brown sugar. I sometimes swap in kabocha for the butternut and replace the cinnamon with five spice. Another versatile, doable, delicious recipe. IN THIS NEWSLETTER Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Chicken Fricassee With Vermouth By Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey About 1 hour 30 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. Orzo Vongole With Zucchini By Kay Chun 40 minutes Makes 4 servings James Ransom for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Gochujang Buttered Noodles By Eric Kim 25 minutes Makes 4 servings Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt-and-Vinegar Baked Fish and Chips By Eric Kim 55 minutes Makes 4 servings Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Butternut Squash Soup By Yewande Komolafe 1 hour 15 minutes Makes 4 servings Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Plum-Almond Crumble By David Tanis 55 minutes Makes 6 to 8 servings David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. Wet Martini Recipe from Eel Bar Adapted by Pete Wells 5 minutes Makes 1 or 2 cocktails 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. 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