Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Wolfgang Puck's Classic Chicken Pot Pie
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

With the kids almost back in school, it's time to start thinking about serving the family nourishing, satisfying home-cooked meals. I'm talking about the kind of food that will make everyone in the family happy. My recipe for a classic chicken pot pie is packed with vegetables and chunks of white meat chicken, all bound together in a thick, creamy sauce

Sauteed Lamb With Zucchini And Eggplant
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

Here's a fresh-tasting, delicious summer vegetable saute that goes perfectly with grilled or sauteed meat like the lamb featured here, poultry, or seafood. You'll find the flavors, textures, and colors so fresh, sweet, and appealing that you'll want to make it again and again

Gazpacho With Shrimp
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

There are several reasons why my Gazpacho with Shrimp is a great recipe. It gets excellent flavor from all the summer produce you can buy easily in farmers' markets and supermarkets alike. You can make it quickly in advance, keeping it chilled in the refrigerator for serving time

Granitas - Making Ice Cream Without a Machine
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

One of my favorite things about making granitas is how easy they are. Bring up a frozen dessert you make at home and most cooks instantly get stressed by the thought of having to haul out (or buy) an ice cream machine or, worse, cranking one of those old-fashioned models that call for a mess of ice and rock salt to freeze the mixture. But granitas are as easy as can be

Tuna Tataki with Ginger-Soy-Lime Vinaigrette
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

The Japanese term tataki refers to quickly searing a piece of seafood or meat to cook just the thinnest at its surface, leaving the interior raw. I like to serve tuna tataki as an appetizer, allowing each guest a small, satisfying taste. Of course, for those who already love sashimi or sushi, feel free to double the portion size and enjoy this as a main course

Caramelized Lemon-Lime Tart Dessert
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

Citrus fruits are some of my favorite summertime tastes. With just the right balance of fruity sweetness and tart acidity, they refresh like nothing else can. Of course, citrus flavors are delicious and cooling in all kinds of frozen desserts. Sometimes, though, I prefer to highlight their wonderful flavors in a more impressive dessert: my Caramelized Lemon-Lime Tart

Pan-Seared Sea Bass with Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

A perfect example of the pleasures of good, simple ingredients can be found in abundance right now in supermarkets and farmers' markets: cherry tomatoes. In fact, peak-of-season cherry tomatoes are so flavorful that you don't even have to cook them to turn them into a fantastic sauce for seafood featured in the following Pan-Seared Sea Bass with Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette recipe

 

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Mocha Macadamia Nut Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

Homemade ice cream sandwiches are a wonderful treat that everyone can enjoy on a hot summer's day. And, because you can buy good-quality ice cream for them in any supermarket, there's very little work involved apart from baking the cookies -- which is something you can and should do the day before.

Stir-Fried Shrimp Salad
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

From the moment years ago when I first peeked inside a Chinese restaurant kitchen, I've been fascinated by chefs who can handle a wok expertly. I love watching as they cut up ingredients into small pieces that will cook quickly and uniformly; heat the big, curved metal pan; and then add the food and quickly stir, tossing it all around the interior of the pan.

Grilled Chicken Breast and Watercress Salad
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

Considering the dietary awareness that so many people understandably have these days, many are going to hear the same question: Can't you grill something healthy? This Grilled Chicken Breast and Watercress Salad is very satisfying combination for several reasons

Strawberry Marzipan Tart Dessert Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

One of my favorite recipes for flavorful fresh strawberries is simply to slice them and arrange them on top of a layer of homemade almond paste, marzipan, in a simple sugar dough tart shell. The combination of crispy, crumbly pastry, sweet and mellow nuts, and fragrant berries is unbelievably good and pure. There's nothing complicated about the following Strawberry Marzipan Tart dessert recipe

Grilled Salmon with Tomato Butter
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

It's hard to believe today, but two and a half decades ago grilled fish was still something of a novelty. 'Oh, you've got to try what Wolfgang does with fish,' people would say when they ate at my first Spago restaurant on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. 'He actually cooks it on the grill!' Today, of course, almost everybody enjoys grilling fish

Chicken Salad with Avocado and Mint-Soy Vinaigrette
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

As the weather warms up, you always hope to rely on is a good chicken salad -- cool, light, and satisfying. Just imagine the delicious flavors together in the following recipe -- chunks of juicy and flavorful chicken, crunchy celery and romaine lettuce, and cubes of ripe avocado. Doesn't sound like your usual kind of chicken salad, does it?

Chicken And Vegetable Quesadillas
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

Like many American citizens who came here from somewhere else, I've always loved adopting not only the traditions of my own new country but also those that have been brought here by other immigrants. That's why I find Cinco de Mayo, the celebration next week on May 5 of a historic victory in the fight for Mexico's independence, so much fun.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

My mother always loved to watch me eat. Moms everywhere are like that: No matter how hungry they might be, they always want to feed their children before they feed themselves. So it's important, I believe, that anything children, whatever their age, cook for Mother's Day this coming Sunday should be something both mother and child would enjoy.

Pasta with Mushroom Sauce
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

Whichever mushroom type you use, the most important factor in making the sauce is to saute them in a hot pan large enough to prevent overcrowding, so they'll color a bit and develop their flavor before they start giving up their moisture. As for the pasta, that's really a matter of your choice. Fresh or dried varieties work equally well

Easter Recipe - Make Perfect Scrambled Eggs for Easter Brunch
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

The recipe I share here offers just one example of that idea with a combination perfect for a springtime brunch: diced tomato and the medley of chopped fresh parsley, chervil, chives, and tarragon that the French refer to as fines herbes . Make these as the centerpiece of your Easter Sunday brunch, cooking them when everyone is ready to eat, and your guests will be delighted.

Passover Recipe - Pressure Cooker Braised Beef Shanks
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

For many years now one of my most popular Passover main courses has been braised beef short ribs, a tough, gelatinous cut that becomes incredibly flavorful and tender with long, slow braising. The same holds true for shank, one of the most delicious cuts of beef you can imagine, and I'm happy to share with you a favorite recipe for it here.

Simple Pasta Recipe to Celebrate Spring
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

When I think of spring the first thing that comes to my mind is the season's tender fresh vegetables. These new seasonal vegetables are at their best when you prepare and eat them in the simplest of ways. That's why I like to serve them tossed with pasta, as I do in my recipe for Bow Ties with Spring Vegetables and Roasted Garlic.

 

Panini

Grilled Pastrami and Cheese Panini
Wolfgang Puck Pizza Recipes

Panini, as you may know, is an Italian word that means 'little breads' and refers to all kinds of crusty griddle-cooked sandwiches filled with delicious ingredients and oozing with melted cheese. They're some of my favorite casual treats, with great tastes and textures and an endless capacity for creativity. Give the following Grilled Pastrami and Cheese Panini Recipe a try

 

Gourmet Pizza at Home

Pizza with Barbecued Beef and Onions Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Pizza Recipes

Before you plan to serve the pizzas, preheat the oven with a pizza stone or baking tiles to the specified temperature. Unwrap the frozen or refrigerated pizzas and continue baking until they are hot, browned, and bubbly. The results will be so delicious that your family and friends are sure to award you the gold medal for cooking!

 

Pears in Season

Pears in Season: Pear Tart With Caramel Sauce Dessert Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Dessert Recipes

Pears are delightful and make wonderful ingredients in savory and sweet dishes alike. I love the way they taste sauteed with chicken, duck, or pork, for example. Among my favorite ways of all to cook with pears is dessert pastries. So I'm delighted to share with you a classic recipe for Pear Tart with Caramel Sauce. It's a perfect winter dessert, and is surprisingly easy to make.

Stir-Fried Garlic Lamb in Lettuce Cups Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

I thought it would be especially fun to share with you one of my favorite, easy recipes from China: Stir-Fried Garlic Lamb in Lettuce Cups, something you can cook not only in honor of Chinese New Year but also share with the one you love on Valentine's Day

Warm Spinach Salad With Goat Cheese And Sweet Onions
Wolfgang Puck

Spinach Salad with a warm vinaigrette is easy to prepare, and a perfect way to bring a taste of coming springtime to your table while it's still winter outside. Try this salad recipe soon, and you'll see why it was a favorite decades ago and why it still deserves to be one

 

Indoor-Grilling

Indoor-Grilled Meat Patties With Eggplant And Mushrooms
Wolfgang Puck

Many people count indoor grills as among their favorite appliances. I love mine and have lots of fun coming up with delicious new recipes for it. I'm happy to share one of those recipes with you here, for delicious dinnertime burgers with a difference.

 

Rice Cooker Mac & Cheese

Rice Cooker Macaroni And Cheese With Wild Mushrooms
Wolfgang Puck

The humble rice cooker -- a staple in almost every Japanese home -- produces perfectly cooked rice every time. More and more of us on this side of the Pacific are using rice cookers, too, including me. What most people don't know, however, is that you can use your rice cooker to cook other delicious dishes. One of my favorite rice cooker dishes is the macaroni and cheese recipe I share here

 

Minestrone Soup with Lentils And Brown Rice

Minestrone Soup
Wolfgang Puck

On a cold winter evening when you suddenly feel the need for a comforting soup, you can simply and quickly put together my pressure-cooker minestrone soup. The version I share here gains extra heartiness from brown rice and lentils in place of the pasta many people associate with minestrone.

 

Sabayon (Zabaglione)

Creamy Champagne Sabayon (Zabaglione) Dessert
Wolfgang Puck

The most popular and classic sweet recipe based on Champagne or other sparkling wines is the rich, frothy dessert known in French as sabayon. That name, in turn, is a French pronunciation of the Italian zabaglione. I have come up with a version you can make ahead that stays stable until you're ready to serve it.

 

Gravlax Recipe

Gravlax (Cured Fresh Salmon) With Golden Caviar Sauce
Wolfgang Puck

Many people understandably choose good-quality smoked salmon, bought from a delicatessen, a gourmet shop, or a well-stocked supermarket. Of course, that's hard to beat. But it's also fun to cure salmon yourself with this recipe ...

Breakfast for Holiday Morning: Strata with Tomatoes & Gruyere
Wolfgang Puck

Holiday morning meals call for special recipes. They have to look beautiful, smell delicious, and be robust and warming enough to chase the chill. That's why strata is ideal to make ...

Flatbreads For Your Party: Crispy Flatbreads
Wolfgang Puck

'How do you make such delicious flatbreads?' That's a question we're asked all the time in my restaurants when we serve those thin, crispy pieces of freshly baked bread. Here's how ...

Festive Tart for Holiday Celebrations: Raspberry Linzer Torte
Wolfgang Puck

Whenever I think of the holiday season, the first memory that comes to my mind is the beautiful aromas that filled our kitchen when my mother started baking. From early December, she was busy making all sorts of treats, including crumbly vanilla crescents, delicate sponge balls, and feather-light meringues. But my favorite sweet holiday treats were always her Linzer tortes.

Sauteed Boneless Pork Chops With Orange Sauce
Wolfgang Puck

As you'll see in the recipe I share with you here for sauteed pork chops, deglazing and reduction will yield a delicious sauce -- here, using orange juice as the deglazing liquid -- in a matter of minutes instead of hours.

Roasted Pork Loin With Granny Smith Apples
Wolfgang Puck

One of my favorite main-course combinations to cook is roasted pork with apples. Pork is such a wonderful meat. It's full of hearty flavor and texture, yet also mild and sweet. Apples, with their tangy-sweet flavor and crisp, juicy texture, pay the perfect complement to pork, resulting in dishes that are satisfying and down-to-earth.

Moroccan Lamb Stew
Wolfgang Puck

Especially during the colder months, I always love a great stew. And it's not hard to understand why. Just imagine the ultra-tender, succulent, bite-sized pieces of meat, poultry, or seafood, all swimming in flavorful liquid. Every spoonful offers soul-satisfying pleasure.

Sesame-Ginger Salmon Fillets With Celery Root Puree
Wolfgang Puck

As you'll see from my recipe for salmon with celery root puree, a recipe I've prepared in the past for the stars attending the Governors Ball following Hollywood's Academy Awards ceremony, the celery root vegetable cooks as quickly as potato. You can even make this puree in advance

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Cups
Wolfgang Puck

I can understand why many American adults still secretly enjoy that childhood favorite. After all, I fell in love with peanut butter as an ingredient in desserts, cookies, and candies. For instance, Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Cups ...

 

Soup-Making Season

White Bean Soup with Pancetta and Swiss Chard
Wolfgang Puck

There comes a time every year when the urge to make soup grows stronger. Maybe it's that the days are noticeably growing shorter, and there's an occasional hint of crispness in the air. Whatever the reason, now is the time when big soup pots migrate to the stovetop, just begging to be filled with robust soups such as this White Bean Soup with Pancetta and Swiss Chard recipe.

Mississippi Apple Pie
Wolfgang Puck

Once you have the right apples, it's time to start cooking them into a great fall dessert. And that doesn't mean you suddenly have to become a strudel-making expert -- or even make a traditional two-crust pie. In fact, I came up with a great, easy way to make an apple dessert in a matter of minutes improvising a recipe I playfully called Mississippi Apple Pie

Quiche Lorraine the ultimate comfort food

Quiche Lorraine
Wolfgang Puck

Quiches are easier to prepare than omelets or just about any other egg dish that goes beyond boiling, frying, or scrambling -- especially when you skip making pastry for its shell and start instead with the good-quality store-bought pie pastry. Add a simple salad and a glass of good dry white wine and you have a perfect, satisfying meal

Steamed Fish Filets with Tarragon Butter

Steamed Fish Filets with Tarragon Butter
Wolfgang Puck

Steaming is an ideal way to cook delicate fish filets that might otherwise fall apart or dry out if you try to saute, grill, or roast them. And it has one big advantage: instead of having flavor leave the fish and enter the cooking water, steam allows all of the flavor to stay inside the fish.

Fettuccine with Roasted Red Peppers

Fettuccine with Roasted Red Peppers
Wolfgang Puck

My recipe for Fettuccine with Roasted Red Peppers will show you just how easy it can be to serve pasta whenever you like -- even at every meal! It's a very simple recipe, true to the way so many Italians like their pasta. And it's quick.

 

Frittatas - Wolfgang Puck

Frittata with Yogurt and Parmesan
Wolfgang Puck

A perfect omelet to make for a family dinner is a frittata, the Italian-style flat omelet. It's incredibly fuss-free, since you can make enough for four people in a single skillet, there's no flipping of the wrist to fold the omelet over the filling, and most of the cooking takes place in the oven, without any direct involvement on the cook's part.

 

Smoked Trout

Smoked Trout and Apple Salad
Wolfgang Puck

The sweet, smoky flavor of the fish goes well with sweet, tangy, spicy, and slightly bitter ingredients, like those in my recipe for Smoked Trout and Apple Salad. The Granny Smith apple and the lemony dressing provide both fruity sweetness and tart, zesty tang.

 

Boneless center-cut pork chops

Stir-fried Pork with Bell Pepper, Onion and Carrot
Wolfgang Puck

Stir-frying is such a quick cooking technique for several key reasons. First, there's the fact that you cut up the solid ingredients into small, uniform, bite-sized pieces that cook through evenly in just a few minutes; and the liquid ingredients and seasonings are usually combined in advance and added to form a sauce virtually in seconds. Next, there's the cooking vessel you use.

Grilling Chicken on the Bone
Wolfgang Puck

Cooking chicken on the bone and covered with skin helps keep the meat more juicy and flavorful, particularly over the intense dry heat over a backyard barbecue fire. Starting with a whole chicken has the added advantage that you don't pay a premium for the time the butcher spends cutting up the bird. And if you prefer

The Pleasures of Grilling Corn
Wolfgang Puck

To me, corn speaks of summer more eloquently than just about any other vegetable, golden like the sun and bursting with the season's sweetness. When corn is at its peak, as it is right now, there's no end to the ways you can use it.

My Secrets for Great California Surf and Turf
Wolfgang Puck

Here in California, we get great fresh salmon from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and I find the richly flavored fish a perfect companion to good steak. Substituting salmon for lobster in my California-style surf and turf also has the advantage of making the cooking easier

Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Crumble Dessert Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

One of my favorite things to do with fresh berries is to prepare a crumble. This classic dessert is made by tossing the fruit with a little sugar and sweet spices; spreading it in a baking dish; scattering on a hand-crumbled mixture of flour, other grains, or nuts, sugar and butter; then baking the whole thing until the juices are syrupy and bubbly and the topping turns brown and crunchy.

My Own Answer to the Lobster Roll
Wolfgang Puck

One of my favorite summertime lunch traditions is the New England lobster roll. Our most famous sandwich turned out to be inspired in part by lobster rolls. We took chunks of freshly cooked, shelled lobster and bathed them in a white wine butter sauce to create our Lobster Roll Club Sandwich with White Wine Butter Sauce.

A Summery Crab and Shrimp Seafood Salad Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

Summer is a perfect time to enjoy seafood. During warm weather, I love to make seafood salads, especially those featuring crabmeat as well as shrimp. As relaxing to eat as my recipe is for Crab and Shrimp Salad, it's also incredibly easy on the cook.

Baby Beet-Salad with Arugula Goat Cheese & Hazelnuts Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

I've found it fascinating to watch how people's tastes have changed regarding certain ingredients during my four and a half decades in the restaurant business. Beets are a perfect example.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Syrup Recipe
Cupcake Recipe by Wolfgang Puck

One of my favorite ways to give my kids lovingly homemade treats that meet their need for instant gratification is to make cupcakes. From start to finish, most cupcake recipes take little more than half an hour as does this Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Syrup Recipe.

Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Salad with Coconut-Lime Vinaigrette Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

Whether I'm serving lunch at one of my fine dining restaurants, such as Spago or Chinois, or at my casual Wolfgang Puck Expresses, I always offer some kind of Asian-inspired chicken salad.

Not only do I love the way it tastes, but my guests have come to think of such salads over the last few decades as an ideal midday main course.

Roast Chicken Breast Sandwiches with Basil Aioli Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

For some reason, many people think that if you're the chef of an upscale restaurant, you don't eat sandwiches. Even the most casual sandwiches can be creative. Take my recipe for Roast Chicken Breast Sandwiches with Basil Aioli.

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Red Onion Butter Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

I often get asked to predict the latest trends in cooking.

Right now, with the Memorial Day weekend approaching and with it the unofficial start of the grilling season, that prediction is easy to make: People everywhere will be grilling, and more of them than ever will be grilling fish.

And grilling is one of the best ways I know to prepare fish, as the intense direct heat cooks the delicate flesh quickly, giving it a beautifully browned, slightly smoky surface while keeping the interior wonderfully moist.

 

Spring Vegetable Minestrone Soup Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

For my father, a meal was never a meal without soup. That's not surprising, considering the wonderful vegetable soups my mother produced from her small garden. And vegetable soup was always my father's favorite, since in his younger years he'd been a gymnast and amateur boxer and was always interested in eating healthy foods.

Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

Whatever your age, you know you want to make Mom happy on Mother's Day. Something freshly baked is a good start. Before baking, the biscuits chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, which lets the dough relax a bit for more tender results.

Vanilla Pound Cake with Raspberry Compote
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

One of the ways you know that you've given the perfect gift is when the person who receives it wants to enjoy it again and again. By that definition, pound cake is an ideal treat for you to prepare for your mom, or your children's mom, this Mother's Day.

Pizza Mexican Style Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

With Cinco de Mayo's celebration of Mexican heritage and culture coming next week on Tuesday, May 5, it's the perfect time to brush up on your pizza-making. Yes, pizza. ...

Three-Cheese Quesadillas and Classic Guacamole
Wolfgang Puck Recipes

I like to make my own cheese quesadilla by sandwiching three different kinds of cheese between two tortillas and then frying it in a little olive oil. The result is a uniformly golden-brown quesadilla that delivers the full nutlike flavor and crunchy texture of the tortillas. I serve it with a classic version of guacamole ...

 

Potatoes Lyonnaise Recipe
Recipe by Wolfgang Puck

I've always loved potatoes, and I've learned to cook them in many different ways. I enjoy them most of all when they're crispy on the outside and tender within, especially when cooked with butter. Add another earthy vegetable, onion, as well as some bacon and the combination only gets more irresistible.

That's the secret behind one of the great dishes of onion-loving Lyons, France: Potatoes Lyonnaise. A thick cake of potato shreds with a layer of caramelized onion in the middle, it makes a terrific side dish for roasted meat or poultry.

Kiwi Fruit Tart Dessert Recipe
Dessert Recipes by Wolfgang Puck

Despite the jokes some people made, I didn't use Kiwi as a garnish for grilled chicken or seafood.

The kiwifruit had to go into a dessert, and at the time I was not only Ma Maison's executive chef but also its pastry chef.

I knew just what I wanted to do: Put kiwi into a variation on France's classic clafoutis, a custardy baked pudding that usually features fresh summer cherries.

Spicy Braised Veal with Rice Recipe
Recipe by Wolfgang Puck

Mild, sweet, tender veal is a tasty choice for an Easter or Passover dinner.

Too many people mistake spending lots of time in the kitchen with serving an enjoyable holiday meal.

Sure, you want to cook something special for an occasion like Passover or Easter. But that's no reason to slave over the stove.

 

Striped Bass in Ginger Vinaigrette Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

If I told you that I love to serve main-course fish fillets with a salad dressing, you might be excused for thinking it was an April Fool's Day joke. But when it comes to dressing fish with vinaigrette, I'm serious. Think about it for a minute.

Spring Lamb Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

Tender, sweet lamb is an ideal choice to top a salad, especially in springtime when the meat is at its best. But the recipe I share with you here will work equally well with beef, pork, chicken, or seafood. You can vary the salad beneath it with any fresh greens you like, too. Enjoy the salad as a lunchtime main course, or offer it in smaller portions as a dinner appetizer.

Asparagus with Orange Mustard Sauce Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

We celebrate this seasonal treat by serving Asparagus simply as an appetizer, cooked tender-crisp and then chilled until serving time, when we accompany it with classic, rich sauces that complement its flavor, such as the sweet, tart, and spicy mixture of orange juice, mustard, and cream I share here.

For something lighter, serve it with your favorite vinaigrette dressing.

Either white or green asparagus may be used for this recipe.

 

 

Hearty Potato Soup with Irish Cheddar & Corned Beef
Wolfgang Puck Saint Patrick's Day Recipe

One country whose cooking is very closely associated with potatoes is Ireland, where Sir Walter Raleigh first introduced the tubers in 1589. So it makes perfect and delicious sense to enjoy a bowl of potato soup along with your corned beef and cabbage and green beer this coming St. Patricks Day.

Marinated Lamb Kabobs with Mint Pesto Recipe
Irish Meets Italian - Saint Patricks Day Recipe

If you are tired of the sometimes gray-looking lamb stew that often accompanies a St. Patricks Day celebration, then spice up your Saint Patricks Day menu this year with lamb kabobs.

Clam & Mussel Soup Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Shellfish Soup Recipe

With great fresh mussels and clams still abundantly in season, now is the perfect time to try my recipe for this shellfish soup. Making it begins with a visit to the best seafood shop near you, one that has a reputation for offering a wide variety and quick turnover of outstanding product. Buy only shellfish that have a fresh, clean, briny smell of the ocean.

Potato & Pea Samosas Recipe
Crispy triangular packets popular in India as a snack, appetizer or casual meal

One of the first Indian dishes I learned to make is an excellent introduction for anyone to that country's foods and spices: Samosas, small pastry turnovers filled with a mixture of spiced potatoes, garlic, onion, chilies and other vegetables.

Pressure Cooker Jambalaya Recipe
Wolfgang Puck

A popular one-pot meal featuring rice, bell peppers, onion, garlic, okra, tomato, a touch of hot chilies, and any combination of meat, poultry, or seafood, jambalaya is one of the mainstays of the New Orleans kitchen. Yet, it's really global in its appeal, with similar dishes found around the world, only the seasonings and proteins changing.

Bourbon Fudge Cake

Make a wonderful chocolate dessert like my Bourbon Fudge Cake, and you'll fill your kitchen and probably the rest of your home with a wonderfully romantic aroma. Then, you can offer a sensually delicious flavor you both will enjoy. (For ladies who are reading this, I can tell you that we men will also love this treat, should you be doing the cooking on Valentine's Day.)

 

 

Sauteed Pork Tenderloin Strips in Paprika-Mushroom Cream Sauce
Recipes by Wolfgang Puck

Suppertime feels more and more important as autumn closes in. As the weather grows cooler and night comes earlier, your ability to serve a warm, sustaining meal can seem crucial. A lot of people assume, though, that cooking a heartwarming dinner has to take lots of time. After all, quick cooking methods help you avoid the heat of the kitchen, making fast dishes ideal for summer. So the opposite must be true for fall. Right? Not necessarily.

Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon in Baked Potato Boats
Recipes by Wolfgang Puck

The beauty of brunch is that it's all about ease -- dishes you can make quickly, or in advance, or with very little effort; and casual styles of serving food, encouraging guests to help themselves.

My recipe for Baked Potatoes with Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Salmon is just that sort of star for your brunch table -- a neat one-dish combination of morning eggs and potatoes.

Grandma's Italian Ravioli Austrian Style
Recipes by Wolfgang Puck

If you know anything at all about history and geography, you realize that those sorts of national distinctions are flexible, and not just when it comes to food.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Recipes by Wolfgang Puck: Crazy for Cupcakes

Small, individually portioned cakes have been around for at least two centuries, and every American grownup I know remembers them fondly from childhood.

Roast Chicken Breasts with Raisins & Couscous
Recipes by Wolfgang Puck: A Different Kind of Sweet & Sour

For Rosh Hashanah many of my friends and restaurant customers ask me the perennial question: Do you have any ideas for something different I can cook for the Jewish New Year?

Eggplant, Zucchini & Tomato Gratin
Recipes by Wolfgang Puck: Summer Tastes for Autumn

So, what do you cook for the early weeks of fall? How do you cook with the seasons, a popular culinary concept these days, when the seasons are changing? One of my favorite solutions is to create a gratin of summer vegetables.

Saffron Risotto with Shrimp
Recipes by Wolfgang Puck: Time for Shrimp & Risotto

These days, risotto at home seems almost as common as pasta. Cooks everywhere have discovered that making it successfully is simply a matter of having the right ingredients, adding good broth and seasonings, and stirring, stirring, stirring.

Smoked Gouda & Prosciutto Panini
Recipes by Wolfgang Puck: Grilled Cheese for Kids & Grownups

Panini (the word means "little breads") are, in fact, nothing more than Italian-style grilled cheese sandwiches.

Grilled Lobster & Summer Vegetables with Spicy Herb Butter
A Final Summer Grilling Blowout Recipe by Wolfgang Puck

So now is the time to grill some lobster! Yes, I know lobster can be expensive. But once in a while we all want to splurge and reward ourselves a little. And now is just the right time to do it.

Sake-Marinated Tataki Beef Salad
Wolfgang Puck Recipe

Deep in the hottest days of summer, many people shy away from eating beef. It's just too heavy to eat, they think, when the heat and humidity are already slowing you down. My answer to that dilemma, however, is to eat good beef in the lightest, coolest way possible: quickly pan seared, chilled in a marinade full of lively flavors, thinly sliced, and served with a crisp, cold salad. Anyone who frequents Japanese restaurants probably knows a dish called tuna tataki, barely seared sushi-grade tuna marinated in a mixture of Japanese sake, the nation's popular wine-like beverage, rice vinegar, and finely grated ginger. That sort of treatment also works really well with beef.

Sauteed Halibut with Sweet Corn and Clam Ragout Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Halibut is a perfect fish for letting your culinary fantasies run wild. Meaty yet very mild, moist, and tender, it goes well with so many different combinations of flavors. Make sure you purchase halibut that is wild-caught Pacific halibut from Alaska. (You can also try the recipe with long-line Pacific cod, striped bass, wild-caught red snapper from Hawaii, or almost any other sustainable fish you like.)

Summer Cantaloupe Salad with Prosciutto, Burrata and Ice Wine Dressing Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Cool Off with Cantaloupe. Thanks to modern airfreight, you can find melons in stores year round. I think many Americans take cantaloupe for granted. The Italians have always seemed to have a better understanding of cantaloupe's potential.

Wolfgang Puck Recipes Grilled Tandoori Lamb Chops
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Many popular ethnic cuisines -- Italian, Greek, North African, Middle Eastern -- all do wonderful things with lamb. But to me, the lamb recipes of the Indian kitchen really stand out, featuring wonderfully fragrant spices that harmonize beautifully with the meat's sweet, rich flavor. My favorite Indian way of cooking lamb is in the style of tandoori.

Wolfgang Puck Recipes Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp with Apricot Mustard Sauce
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Shrimp are such an excellent choice to start a summer grill party. Almost everyone loves them, and the hint of smoky flavor they get from the fire goes well with their naturally sweet taste. They're easy to prepare and cook quickly on the grill, so very little extra work yields a rapid, positive payoff.

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad Wolfgang Puck Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

In cooking, as in life, sometimes the simplest things can be the hardest to get absolutely right. For proof, look no further than one of the most popular appetizers in restaurants everywhere at this time of year: Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad. But how you select each main ingredient can impact the final results. Make the wrong choices, and you might wonder why everyone raves about the salad. Do it the right way, and everyone you serve it to will say you're the best cook ever.

Wolfgang Puck Recipe Grilled Tuna with Tomato-Mint Vinaigrette
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Grilled Fish as good as steak. We're beginning to reach that point in summer when I regularly start telling people they ought to be grilling fish. Fish fillets are another matter. And meat lovers need not feel like they're missing out when fish stars on the menu.

Wolfgang Puck Recipes Asian Coleslaw and Smashed Red-Skinned Potato Salad
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Side dishes such as Asian Coleslaw and Smashed Red-Skinned Potato Salad are an important part of backyard entertaining. Made in advance and fairly easy to prepare, these are the recipes that let creative home cooks excel in the open air. After all, anyone can sprinkle salt and pepper on a hamburger. Not everyone, however, can produce a side that has people coming back for seconds and thirds.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberries
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Refreshingly cool, smooth, and silken, panna cotta is one of the best desserts for summer or at any time. And it's so easy. Flavored with a touch of vanilla, it's a perfect complement to fresh summer berries.

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers Tempura
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

One of the best reasons for going to the farmers' market is the chance it offers to find fresh seasonal items not ordinarily sold in supermarkets. Zucchini flowers are a perfect example.

Fresh Cherries Jubilee
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Usually, just rinsing cherries with cool water and putting it in a bowl does nicely. Sometimes, though, it's fun to do a little bit more, like putting it into a fruit salad, cobbler, or pie. Or you can take a page out of the book of the great French chef Auguste Escoffier and make Cherries Jubilee.

Chicken Kabobs with Lemon & Thyme
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

An Easy Grill Favorite. Grilling season is in full force! I know this all too well, because people are already asking me for easy ideas that will help them create something new, different, delicious, and impressive when they cook outdoors. One excellent strategy is to make kabobs.

Mediterranean Shrimp & Pasta Salad
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

In the 1980s, pasta salads were all the rage. Today, pasta salads can seem like a bit of an afterthought. Well, I'm here to tell you, without hesitation, that I still love pasta salads.

Grilled Salmon Sandwich
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

When it comes to grilling, most people still think of quickly cooked burgers, sausages, steaks, or chicken breasts, or more slowly, gently cooked ribs, brisket, or turkey breasts. But I'd like to suggest expanding your horizons with something that's quick and easy to grill: salmon fish fillets.

Lamb Chops with Shallot Cream Sauce
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Since the early days of Spago, one of my favorite ways to offer lamb chops has been to saute them and then prepare a quick pan sauce with chopped shallots, vinegar, white wine and cream, a recipe I first learned back in the early 1970s at Oustau de Baumaniere in the south of France.

Vanilla Pound Cake with Raspberry Compote
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

One of the ways you know that you've given the perfect gift is when the person who receives it wants to enjoy it again and again. By that definition, pound cake is an ideal treat for you to prepare for your mom, or your children's mom, this Mother's Day.

Three-Cheese Quesadillas and Classic Guacamole
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

I like to make my own cheese quesadilla by sandwiching three different kinds of cheese between two tortillas and then frying it in a little olive oil. The result is a uniformly golden-brown quesadilla that delivers the full nutlike flavor and crunchy texture of the tortillas. I serve it with a classic version of guacamole, the popular Mexican dip of mashed avocado and seasonings. Add some fresh tomato salsa and you've got the perfect combination of Mexican flavors and colors, an ideal treat for celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Carrot and Ginger Soup
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Next Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day, an annual international event that, since 1970, has promoted awareness of our environment and the positive impact each of us can have on it if we try. That's certainly true for those of us who love to cook and eat good food. In all of my restaurants, I'm committed to using fresh, natural, organic ingredients, produced through sustainable and humane farming and fishing practices. No other approach better safeguards our planet or sustains our health and our quality of life

Crustless Caramel Flan Cheesecake
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Cheesecake is an all-American favorite, not to mention a classic in Italy and other countries where mild, creamy cheeses are mixed with eggs, sugar, and flavorings, then baked. Nowhere else but here in the U.S., however, does cheesecake continue to be adapted into a multitude of different creative treats.

Thai Flavors Wolfgang Puck's Pork Loin with Thai Sauce and Papaya Salad Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

One of my favorite surprises as a chef, and also as someone who loves delicious, beautifully cooked food, has been the growing popularity of Asian cuisine. I quickly fell in love with Thai cuisine and its combinations of seasonings offering dishes like Pork Loin with Thai Sauce and Papaya Salad on the menu at Spago.

Wolfgang Puck's Greek Salad with Shrimp Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Many chefs invent new recipes by playing around with the classics. I like to take a dish with which everyone is familiar and look for ways to modify it for today's tastes.   This is the strategies I used, for example, to come up with one of the most popular lunchtime salads at my Spago restaurants: the Greek Salad with Shrimp.

Wolfgang Puck's New York Steak with Wasabe Sauce Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

When it comes to cooking at home steak seems more seasonal. People wait until the weather is warm enough for them to throw steaks on the outdoor grill. And that's a shame, because steaks are actually easy to cook indoors.

Wolfgang Puck's Pizza with Scrambled Eggs & Smoked Salmon
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

If you're trying to think of something different but perfect to serve for Easter brunch this year, or for brunch any time you want to surprise your guests, let me suggest pizza. Pizza? But I'm not talking here about the usual pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, and maybe pepperoni. I mean a pizza that is really ideal for a weekend morning meal.

Wolfgang Puck's Pan-Roasted Chicken with Whole-Grain Mustard and Port Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Step-by-step Instructions for preparing one of Wolfgang Puck's favorite chicken recipes.

You know a recipe you've cooked is a classic when people remember it and crave it years, or even decades, after they first ate it. That's what happened with me recently when an old friend, a business mogul who had lived in London for many years and just moved back to California, stopped by for dinner at Spago in Beverly Hills.

Wolfgang Puck's SPAETZLE WITH GRUYERE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Step-by-step Instructions for preparing Wolfgang Puck's SPAETZLE WITH GRUYERE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS recipe.

So many people still seem to believe that pasta is strictly Italian. Yes, they know that central Europeans and Asians eat all kinds of noodles. But noodles are noodles, they think, and pasta is pasta.

Wolfgang Puck's Fettuccine with Clams Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Step-by-step Instructions for preparing one of Wolfgang Puck's favorite seafood pasta recipes.

Fortunately for me, we lived in southern Austria, not far from Italy. So, when I did eat shellfish, I got to know one of the world's best ways to prepare them: as the Italians do, quickly cooked with olive oil and butter, white wine, lots of garlic, and a pinch of hot pepper flakes, then tossed with pasta.

Wolfgang Puck's Chunky Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen

Step-by-step Instructions for preparing one of Wolfgang Puck's Chicken Pot Pie recipe.

Yes, I call it a soup, mainly because I like to serve it in a soup bowl. But the soup is so chockfull of chicken and vegetables, all coated in a thick and creamy broth, that if you ladled it into shallower bowls or plates you could be forgiven for swearing it was a delicious stew.

 

Wolfgang Puck Recipes

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