Photograph by Chris Leaman.

Vidalia chef/owner Jeff Buben has experimented with lots of macaroni-and-cheese recipes since the restaurant opened in the early ‘90s, but he and chef RJ Cooper didn’t settle on one until 2½ years ago. Since then, this version laden with creamy Mornay sauce has been a staple at the restaurant—Cooper takes it off the menu only in July or August because he feels the creamy side dish is too heavy for summer. The reader who requested the recipe isn’t the only fan: Cooper says he sends out about 40 orders on a Saturday night.

It’s crucial to make sure the cream doesn’t boil or scorch, Cooper says. Otherwise, “you’ll just taste burnt flour.” He also suggests trying fillings other than smoked ham—good options are lobster, crayfish, and this time of year, black or white truffles.

>> Want to see what Olivon's ingredients and meal look like? Check out our photo slideshow to see more

Steaming bowls of monkfish with garlic aïoli. Plates of soft cheese and rabbit pâté. Cassoulet thick with white beans and pork sausage.

France is renowned for its cuisine, but so much of it is meat-based. What will a French chef do when challenged to make a vegetarian dinner for two for less than $15?

Chef Patrice Olivon—who grew up in Provence, cooked at the Embassy of France and the White House, and now teaches at L’Academie de Cuisine—agreed to give it a whirl. Not including standard pantry items—sugar, flour, olive oil—this vegetarian feast can’t exceed $15.

Bacon and dates are a traditional pairing in Spain. Photograph by Chris Leaman.

At the Penn Quarter outpost of the Spanish tapas-house Jaleo, the kitchen sent out nearly 600 orders of bacon-wrapped dates last month, according to executive chef José Andrés. It’s no wonder, then, that a reader requested the recipe for the crunchy, salty/sweet snack. Andrés says he grew up eating lots of Catalan cooking, which often includes savory/sweet pairings—lamb with honey, pork with apricots—and the bacon-and-dates combination is a common one in Spain.

Andrés recommends searching for a high-quality bacon that’s on the thin side. Use a toothpick to help secure it around the date.

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Dátiles con tocino ‘como hace todo el mundo’
Fried dates wrapped in bacon

Makes 10 dates

5 slices bacon
10 pitted dates
1 egg
1 teaspoon milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
 

Tangy with lemon and spicy with sausage, this easy pasta dish is a keeper. Photograph by Chris Leaman.

When Barry Koslow took over the kitchen at Tallula in April, he knew he wanted to have three fresh pasta dishes always on the menu. This bowl of cavatelli with garlicky sausage, bitter escarole, and piquant chili flakes is the only one that’s never changed. Koslow says the kitchen makes so much cavatelli—about ten pounds on the weekends—that he has to buy a new cavatelli machine every month.

If you can’t find cavatelli (short, rolled tubes of pasta), you can use garganelli (an angled penne) or orecchiette (which look like tiny bowls), all shapes that Koslow likes for their texture and the way they carry the sauce. Choose your sausage wisely, too. Look for veal or pork, and avoid anything that’s lean. For a dish this simple, Koslow says, “timing is everything, so make sure to have all the ingredients ready and close by.”

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This layer cake gets an extra kick of flavor from coconut milk. Photograph by Chris Leaman.

Until two years ago, the makings of the Majestic’s layer cake changed daily. Chef Shannon Overmiller decided, however, that she wanted to “do one cake and do it well.” Employees from the Majestic and its sister properties—Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s, and PX—held a bake-off to determine which cake would be a menu mainstay. Overmiller’s coconut cake—she tweaked a recipe from the Internet—triumphed over approximately 15 other entries.

The dessert is a tall, fluffy creation that gets an extra kick of coconut flavor from the fruit’s milk—Overmiller suggests using Chaokoh brand—in the cake batter and brushed between the layers. Because the filling needs to chill overnight, be sure to start the cake the day before you’re going to serve it.

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The maroon sweatpants and white jersey trimmed in red and gold give it away: Although Daniel Bortnick grew up in Wisconsin, he’s a big-time Redskins fan.

Suited up and ready to go, the chef at Firefly in DC’s West End has accepted the Frugal Foodie challenge and agreed to cook a tailgate party for 15. Not including drinks or standard pantry items—sugar, flour, olive oil—the bill can’t exceed $75.

At the supermarket, Bortnick studies his meat options before choosing a roast sirloin and two large packs of wings. He then powers through the store, snagging bread, artichokes, chickpeas, and other ingredients. Grand total at the cash register: $71.38.

Not your average chicken wings. Photograph by Chris Leaman.

In the lounge at Wolfgang Puck’s Penn Quarter restaurant, the Source, General Tso’s chicken gets a gourmet upgrade from chef Scott Drewno. He offers wings—an unlikely finger-licking snack in such chic surroundings—glazed with the familiar-sounding sauce, but they bear no resemblance to the gloppy mess that most Chinese takeouts serve. Instead, the chicken sports a thin but crispy skin with a sauce that has hints of spice and vinegar.

The recipe, a collaboration between Drewno and Lee Hefter—Puck’s corporate chef—uses lots of Asian ingredients that Drewno says can all be found at H Mart (locations in Fairfax, Falls Church, and Wheaton). You’ll have the crispiest skin, advises Drewno, if you eat the wings right after they come out of the fryer.

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