Elegant, Simple, and Endlessly Versatile — A Favorite from Our Chicago-Area Cooking Class There are certain recipes that stop you in your tracks the first time you make them — not because they're complicated, but because of how effortlessly they come together. Ricotta Gnocchi is exactly that kind of recipe. At our cooking social club based in Itasca, IL, we love bringing the kind of dishes to the table that feel restaurant-worthy but are completely achievable at home. This one checks every...

Most French toast is fine. This one is a different thing entirely — thick brioche, a cloud of whipped mascarpone filling, and a warm brown sugar pan syrup that will make you question why you ever bought the bottled stuff. The Case for Making Your Own Syrup Let’s start here because it matters and it’s almost insultingly simple: butter, dark brown sugar, water, a splash of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Five minutes over low heat. The result is a glossy, deeply flavored syrup that costs almost...

Ham. Cheese. Béchamel. Toasted bread. Four things that, when handled correctly, produce one of the most satisfying sandwiches ever conceived — and one of the simplest ways to understand what French café cooking is actually about. What Is a Croque Monsieur? The Croque Monsieur has been a fixture of Parisian café menus since the early 1900s. The name loosely translates to "Mister Crunch" — a nod to the toasted, golden exterior that gives way to melting cheese and tender ham inside. It showed up...