Better When Burnt

Charred Red Sauce Spaghetti (Spaghetti all’Assassina)

In Bari, Italy, spaghetti is crisped til partly blackened—creating intensely concentrated tomato flavor and lasagna-like texture. OR Charring spaghetti adds rich, concentrated flavor and crunchy-chewy bits akin to the edges of a lasagna.

By Rose HattabaughApril 4, 2023

Burnt-Leek Gravy

This gravy borrows from the Mexican and Vietnamese techniques of deeply charring or scorching aromatics to add depth and color to a dish. We broil a leek until blackened, then puree it with stock (or broth). It lends an earthy sweetness and a touch of

By Hisham Ali HassanNovember 6, 2025

Burnt Sugar Apple Upside-Down Cake

Drenched in bittersweet caramel, these silky soft apples create a glorious topping for a dead-easy, baked-in-the-skillet cake. Be sure to cook the fruit and caramel until the syrup bubbling at the edges is practically burnt. That rich, deep color is h

By Courtney HillJanuary 29, 2025

Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Burnt Shallot Jus

“Burnt” here is a good thing. Shallots and garlic roast under a whole chicken, where the shallots in particular develop scorched outer layers. This charring provides rich flavor and deep color to a simple jus that accompanies the carved bird. Credit f

By Hisham Ali HassanJanuary 2, 2026

Basque-Style Cheesecake

This world-famous Basque-style cheesecake, with its burnt, caramelized top, comes straight from the source.

By Rose HattabaughOctober 3, 2023

Charred Guacamole (Guacamole Tatemado)

A trip to Mexico City revealed that when it comes to guacamole, anything goes. We saw it garnished with peanuts, flavored with all manner of herbs, even studded with seafood. We like the butteriness of avocado paired with smoky notes, so we created th

By Courtney HillApril 28, 2025

Charred Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Chips

Dressing up simple roasted sprouts with a crunchy, lemony topping

By JM HirschOctober 16, 2017

Charred Pineapple with Spiced Honey and Coconut Ice Cream

Charring fresh pineapple under a broiler brings out roasted, caramel notes while also rendering the fruit tender and succulent. For ease, we use store-brought peeled and cored pineapple so the only prep that’s needed is cutting it into rings before br

Turkish Skillet Kebab with Charred Peppers and Tomatoes

A Turkish-style skillet of juicy meats, tomatoes, and peppers, sopped up with warm flatbread.

By Diane UngerFebruary 1, 2023

Oven-Charred Broccoli

Broccoli, like most cruciferous vegetables, is especially delicious when deeply charred, which develops nutty, bittersweet flavors while crisping the florets. Our method of choice is a preheated baking sheet in an intensely hot oven, as more broccoli

By Calvin CoxNovember 18, 2021

Charred Zucchini and Tahini Dip

This creamy dip, a variation on baba ghanoush, uses zucchini as its base instead of eggplant. The mild, subtle flavor of the summer squash benefits greatly from deep charring (we use the broiler), a dose of garlic and a hit of lemon juice. Once tender

By Calvin CoxSeptember 17, 2021

Moroccan Ginger-Lemon Chicken Skewers

These chicken skewers reflect the bright, many-layered flavor complexity of Moroccan cuisine—with a short ingredient list.

By Diane UngerJune 5, 2017

Turkish Rice Pudding

Rice pudding with the charm of crème brûlée—that’s Turkish sütlaç, which we tried on a recent trip to Istanbul.

By Courtney HillJune 22, 2023

Cold-Oven Crème Brûlee

Made the classic way, yolk-rich crème brûlée is baked gently in a water bath. But we found we could skip the fuss of that by simply starting the custards in a cold oven. We pour the mixture into ramekins set on a wet towel in a baking dish to insulate

By Chris KimballJune 2, 2025

Banana Custard Pie with Caramelized Sugar

Recipe writer Paola Briseño-González’s rustic banana custard pie, inspired by Yelapa’s beachside pie, is best topped with crackly-crisp sugar brûlée.

By Rose HattabaughDecember 21, 2021

Turkish-Style Chicken Kebabs (Tavuk Şiş)

Smoky, charred chicken is expertly balanced with sweet flavors like mint and honey in our version of Turkish chicken kebabs.

Charred Habanero Salsa

This salsa, known as salsa de habanero tatemado, is made with only four ingredients (not including the water and salt), but its flavor is amazingly complex—at once fruity, spicy, bitter, tangy and subtly sweet—owing mostly to the intense charring (sco

By Courtney HillAugust 9, 2021

Charred Eggplant Pita Sandwiches with Spicy Tahini

Spiced tahini and quick-pickled veggies make for a deeply flavorful eggplant pita.

Korean Grilled Marinated Short Ribs (Yangneom Galbi)

One of the most popular Korean BBQ items, this recipe from Hooni Kim’s “My Korea” pulls off a perfect balance of sweet, salty and umami.

By Calvin CoxJune 11, 2021

Charred Zucchini with Gochujang and Scallions

Inspired by Korean side dish hobak muchim, we broil zucchini until deeply charred, then toss with a funky, fermented gochujang-based dressing.

By Calvin CoxNovember 23, 2021

Pasta Salad with Charred Corn and Cilantro

Creamy-rich yet bright and fresh, this pasta salad takes inspiration from Mexican esquites, corn that typically is grilled or roasted and finished with a mixture of herbs, lime, chili and cheese. We simmer corn cobs in the water that’s later used for

By Dimitri DemopolousOctober 17, 2023

Polenta with Charred Corn and Taleggio

We deliver a double dose of sweet corn flavor in this almost effortless oven-baked polenta. Once the polenta is done, we fire up the broiler and char corn kernels to make a topping that echoes the flavor of the polenta. Plump, tender kernels cut from

By Malcolm JacksonOctober 17, 2023

Tomato and Charred Onion Salsa with Chipotle

Guatemalan chirmol is a smoky yet bright mix of charred tomatoes and onions with plenty of fresh herbs. We wanted to create an easy broiler version, but found broiled tomatoes too juicy. We char jalapeños and red onion wedges under the broiler to mell

By Diane Unger & Malcolm JacksonOctober 16, 2023

Taiwanese Grilled Corn

This smoky-spicy-sweet grilled corn was the highlight of Chris Kimball’s trip to a carnival-like market in Taipei.

By Diane UngerJune 4, 2018