Dairy-Free

These Red-Wine Braised Short Ribs with Carrots are the perfect crowd-pleasing dinner party entrée. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes. Learn how to make this recipe and more in our online cooking class with Sur la Table.

Whole grain mustard and olive oil take the place of traditional mayonnaise in this lightened version of potato salad. It’s an ideal complement to roast chicken for serving at any early fall picnic or casual Sunday supper.

This pot of Provençal mussels is bathed in a bouillabaisse-style broth with saffron, tomato, and herbs. Make the broth hours ahead. Steam the mussels just before guests sit down, and serve with buttery toasted French bread rubbed with garlic.

This thick, robust vinaigrette is perfectly suited to dress a salad of sturdy greens.

If you don’t have fennel, simply omit it and double the onion.

Giving the broccoli a head start lets it get nicely browned, which brings out its sweetness.

If you’ve never bought kohlrabi before, here’s a great reason to try it.

Don’t be put off by the sugar in this recipe—it’s balanced by the vinegar and soy sauce.

These hot and sour pickles make a perfect garnish for Bloody Beers (click for recipe).

The best part of making this duck confit recipe? All the rich fat you’re left with. Use it to roast potatoes­—it’s an easy way to upgrade a classic. Whatever you do, don’t throw it away (it freezes well).

Food52 founder Amanda Hesser's husband Tad makes excellent roasted potatoes, so they're often on the menu when she throws a dinner party.

Red onions add sweetness and lend color to this chutney, but any onion will work.

Most fish markets will sell you the bones you need to make the rich broth, but avoid those from oily fish like mackerel or bluefish, which will overpower the stew’s flavor.

Shredded coconut, which is cut more finely than the thick flaked type called for here, will work in a pinch.

Most 1”-thick pieces of fish will cook in 30 minutes. If the fish is done before you're ready to sit down, simply turn off the oven—it will hold. If it isn't quite ready when you are, crank up the heat to 350° and it'll finish quickly.

If you like, you can coat the pork with the coriander and chill it for an extra night before roasting for more flavor. It will also help the pork get a good sear.

Cocoa powder lends a bittersweet depth to the lamb rub and plays well with the olives in the relish. Just make sure you’re using unsweetened!

A dip that proves collards don’t have to be stewed for hours to be delicious.

The longer these pickles sit, the more flavorful they’ll become.

For this granita, sweet honeydew melon is flecked with floral pink peppercorns and mint. Remember: One of the great things about making granita is that no ice cream maker is needed.