This is easily the best banana bread in the universe. It is rich (butter), crunchy (millet), and delicious (homemade with love). The people you make this for will ask you for the recipe—it never fails.

Recipes that will change your traditions.

This might be the best soup you have ever tasted. Butternut squash creates a creamy soup that is livened up in texture by the addition black wild rice, which splits and adds a nutty flavor to the soup. Star anise complements the sweetness of the squash and the lemon zest complements that sweetness with a kiss of citrus that brightens the soups flavor and complexity.

I think it is time for a bit of summer in November. Lets make that happen with one of my salads that is full of summertime flavors and bright colors. Get your hands on some ripe strawberries and avocados (not overripe) and make this salad tonight. It is full of crunchy lettuce, creamy avocados, and the sweet, tart, and savory flavors of strawberries, lemons, and mint. You really can’t go wrong with this and I think you will like the dressing for any old salad.

Pozole is a brothy, chili-spiked soup from Mexico. I love red pozole, but traditional red pozole requires toasting and puréeing dried chiles to create a smokey broth, which takes time and labor. Here I use canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce and fire roasted tomatoes to achieve that smoky flavor in a snap.

Cassoulet is a classic French dish that is savory, hearty, and makes a perfect meal for cool nights and rainy days. White beans, tomato, wine, and herbs create the basis for this simple stew. Duck (or pork or chicken) and sausage add fat and flavor. You and your stomach will be happy you made this one.

This recipe packs the essence of cauliflower flavor into a simple and silky soup that can only please anyone who takes a spoonful. The thick cream body is achieved by whisking egg yolks into the soup, a technique you can use to make any creamed soup creamier. This soup full of pure and unadulterated fall flavors and warmth. And, it is as simple as can be. So make it today for dinner or any meal.

This recipe puts mashed potatoes to shame with its nutty, slight celery, and ever so sweet flavors. The lemon and garlic add hints of distinct and recognizable flashes citrus and earth to this perfect side for poultry, meat, and fish. It is fall and if you are lucky you will find fresh and beautiful celeriac at the farmers market and your local grocers.

This simple and sumptuous pasta sauce is so easy and so wonderful, you will find yourself making excuses to have pasta again and again.

When zucchini and summer squash are small and tender, the best way to use them is in a raw salad where their flavor and tenderness shine. I love this simple shaved salad where crisp texture and sweet flavors of fennel are complemented by the tender texture and slightly bitter flavor of raw zucchini. Add shaved pecorino Romano cheese, ribbons of mint leaves and toss it all with lemon juice, olive oil, and a bit of flakey sea salt you have yourself a real winner of a summer salad. This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Daniel Patterson in the New York Times, I add more fennel and use less pecorino for a crunchier and more earthy salad.

Radishes and their greens cry summer to me. They are the first thing I harvest from my garden and are always amazing. I like to braise the radishes with their greens in butter and serve them topped with a poached egg sprinkled with crunchy salt and coarse black pepper.

Japanese eggplant is one of my favorite ingredients for creating a savory and heathy vegetarian meal. This recipe incorporates sautéed red onion and sliced garlic with the steamed eggplant to bring a variety of textures and flavors to this simple dish. And although I am in France, I still love to use Asian ingredients if I can get my hands on them.

Duck is a staple of French cooking. It is easy to cook, remarkably delicious, and as tender as beef tenderloin. Braised Belgian endive is amazing with the duck or cooked alone as a side to any meal. If you can get your hands on a few duck breasts, make this tonight or substitute your favorite red meat cooked rare as an accompaniment for the braised endive. It is one of my all time favorite meals for any time of the year.

It is summer and it is hot. Cold and hearty salads are the perfect option for hot days. The crunch and slight bitterness of chilled Belgian endive tossed with French vinaigrette (heavy on the shallots) and Roquefort blue cheese make this a perfect summer affair for dinner or lunch. And, it doesn’t get much easier when it comes to cooking something delicious.

In French this is Lapin au Vin Blanc and Tomate and it is one of my favorite things to make when I can get rabbit legs while in France. The rabbit is braised slowly (cooked slowly in liquid) in white wine, vegetable stock with tomato paste, and with a variety of aromatic vegetables and herbs. It is rich and savory. It is wonderful served with crispy bread (like a baguette) or over rustic polenta. You can substitute chicken thighs for rabbit, but if you can get your hands on rabbit give it a try. It is fantastic.

At its most basic, chilaquiles consist of corn tortilla chips simmered in a brothy sauce but I begin with scrambled eggs, add the tortilla strips and good cheddar cheese, and then add hatch green chili sauce.

Sweet potatoes are everywhere this time of year. The bright color and amazing texture make them the perfect starting ingredient for a savory and delicious early winter soup. I make this soup weekly. It is delicious, hardy, and oh so easy for a weeknight meal.

Eggplant is a magical vegetable (which is technically a fruit) that add texture and flavor to soups and stews. In this recipe, French (green lentils) are combined with eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, and tomatoes to create a rich and meaty vegetarian lentil stew. This warm and comforting recipe is perfect for a chilly fall night and is great leftover. Serve it alone or with rice.

The transformation of sweet butter to rich and nutty brown butter is the key to this recipe. It is a simple and fast process, which can add depth and new dimensions to a variety of recipes—shortbread cookies, roasted squash and vegetables, and soups to name a few. The sage is earthy and the lemon zest/juice add a bit of acidic brightness that complements the buttery richness of this sauce.

In France, today was market day. I went early and bought fresh French breakfast radishes with their greens, porcini mushrooms, boeuf tomatoes (like a beefsteak tomato), and farm eggs to make a simple and fresh breakfast or le petit-déjeuner.