Make Restaurant-Quality Cacio e Pepe At Home
Going to a fancy restaurant even once a month can be expensive. With a little practice and the right ingredients, you can make elegant and delicious upscale meals in your own home. You'll save money, feel a sense of pride, and wow your family or guests. Here are 20 Michelin Star-level meals you can make at home.
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1. Steak Frites with Béarnaise
A traditional French bistro dish, steak frites always feels luxurious and is pretty straightforward to make. You need a good cut of steak, and make sure to season it well. Let it rest after cooking. Béarnaise might sound like a complex French sauce that requires tons of steps to make, but it's basically just butter, egg yolks, tarragon, and vinegar. Any home cook can whip up a batch.
2. Roast Chicken with Jus and Root Vegetables
Perfectly roasted chicken is a common Michelin benchmark, and it's also much easier to make than you think. The most important parts are to dry the chicken skin, season it generously, and roast it at high heat. The pan drippings are to die for.
3. Cacio e Pepe
This classic Roman pasta is flavorful but restrained. You only need pasta, pecorino cheese, black pepper, and pasta water. There's no cream involved, and the level of difficulty that people associate with it is a myth.
4. Pan-Seared Scallops with Lemon Butter
Scallops are fancy and only need about three minutes to cook. The key is to dry them thoroughly and use a hot pan. Once they developed that beautiful golden crust, they're ready to be plated and served.
5. Risotto alla Milanese
For some reason, risotto scares home cooks, but it really shouldn't. It's actually more forgiving than people believe. Sure, you need to constantly stir it and be attentive, but you can add your favorite flavors and ingredients, and there isn't a ton of prep required.
6. Duck Breast with Cherry or Orange Sauce
Duck breast can intimidate even the most confident home cook, but it's an easy protein to cook properly. Score the skin, render it nice and slow, and then finish quickly. That's all it takes to make it tender and rich-tasting.
7. Moules-Frites
Steamed mussels are so easy to make that a child could do it with some supervision. Just sauté garlic and shallots, add wine, toss in cleaned mussels, and cook until they open, which usually takes about five minutes.
8. Burrata with Roasted Tomatoes and Basil Oil
This dish relies mostly on quality ingredients and stunning presentation. Slow-roast tomatoes until they're sweet, drizzle with olive oil, and blend basil with olive oil to create a lush sauce.
9. Braised Short Ribs
It's nearly impossible to mess up short ribs. To braise short ribs until they are tender, sear them, add aromatics, wine, and stock, and then let your oven do the work. During the cooking process, meat will become meltingly tender.
10. Omelette Baveuse
To make this iconic French omelette, whisk eggs, cook low and slow, and pay attention to avoid browning. The interior should stay soft and custardy.
11. Lobster Pasta
Home-cooked lobster feels extravagant, but you can tackle it with ease and create a sumptuous meal. To make the lobster, boil or steam it briefly, remove the meat, and toss it in al dente pasta with butter, garlic, and some pasta water. You don't have to bother making a heavy sauce.
12. Beef Carpaccio
This upscale dish requires no cooking at all. Freeze beef briefly, slice it as thin as you can, and arrange it beautifully on the plate. Drizzle some olive oil and top with shaved Parmesan, arugula, and you can add a few capers for some brininess.
13. Coq au Vin
Coq au vin is a rustic comfort food that is fun to make. Brown the chicken and then add wine, mushrooms, and herbs, before letting it simmer gently until it's ready. The sauce develops naturally, so you just need to keep an eye on it.
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14. Chocolant Fondant (Molten Lava Cake)
This dramatic-looking dessert lets you use pantry staples and only takes minutes to prep. Melt the chocolate and butter, mix in eggs, sugar, and flour, and then bake it. The tricky part is getting the timing right.
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15. Miso-Glazed Black Cod
To make this dish, focus on marination more than technique. Miso, mirin, and sugar create a sweet-savory glaze that perfectly complements cod. The fish will stay moist while the glaze caramelizes.
16. Beef Wellington
This dish is the epitome of elegant dining, but it might take a few tries to perfect it. Buy a center-cut of beef tenderloin and sear it for flavor, coat it with mushroom duxelles, wrap it in prosciutto, and encase it in puff pastry. The contrast of textures and flavors is amazing, but you'll have to time the cooking to a tee and use the proper techniques to get it right.
17. Truffle Tagliatelle
It only takes a few ingredients to make this luxurious dish. It's comprised of fresh tagliatelle that's coated in an emulsion of butter, pasta water, and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Finish with shaved black truffle.
18. Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb
To make a delicious rack of lamb, coat the lamb with Dijon mustard, garlic, breadcrumbs, and fresh herbs. The crust adds texture and is aromatic, and the flavor won't overpower the meat.
19. Classic Bouillabaisse with Rouille
This layered seafood stew is aromatic and comforting. Use multiple types of fish and shellfish and let them simmer gently in a saffron-scented broth.
20. Porchetta-Style Pork Belly
Porchetta turns succulent pork belly into something out of this world. Rolled with fennel seed, garlic, citrus zest, and fresh herbs, and then roast until the inside is tender and the exterior is crispy.
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