Chris Morocco

2 months ago | bonappetit.com | Chris Morocco

You’ll notice that this cocktail is missing one particular ingredient crucial to a classic margarita recipe. Orange liqueur (often Cointreau or another triple sec) typically brings sweetness to tequila’s most ubiquitous drink. But some margarita lovers feel the liqueur overpowers the flavor of good tequila. To compensate, this version deploys simple syrup, which smooths things but lets the spirit and the tart lime juice shine.

Jan 15, 2025 | bonappetit.com | Chris Morocco

The Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner commercial from the early ’90s is seared into my mind like steak on a grill. Lately though, red meat rarely appears on my plate. My weeknight move for making satiating meals in shockingly little time is the other other white meat—cheese. It’s a rich source of protein that will keep you full, and it can be cooked in all sorts of ways. For anyone who wants to eat more vegetarian meals, cheese is the answer.

Jan 15, 2025 | bonappetit.com | Chris Morocco

I realized awhile ago that my kids don’t really care what meat goes into their meatballs. It’s more the idea of a meatball as a savory tender something alongside (but not touching!) their pasta that draws them in. So it actually caused less of a stir than anticipated when I informed them that I had put cheese, not meat, in their dinner. The thing is, Halloumi isn’t like any other cheese. It is pungent, briny, and intense, with a bouncy density.

Jan 15, 2025 | bonappetit.com | Chris Morocco

Paneer, a fresh cheese prominent in India that shows up in dishes like saag paneer and matar paneer, has a singular texture. Refusing to melt at all costs, it holds its steak-like sliceability no matter how you cook it. But unlike other non-melty cheeses, which often lean briny, paneer’s flavor is buttery and mild, a blank canvas primed to go in any direction flavor-wise.

Jan 15, 2025 | bonappetit.com | Chris Morocco

Not that long ago, burrata was a niche cheese imported from Italy. But the voyage it took was a race against time since the brine it traveled in often soured before the cheese could land on your plate. Today there are several domestic producers, and each container is a vacuum-sealed guarantee that you are about to tear into pure joy—a luscious globe of mozzarella filled with cream. Honestly, it’s so good that calling for burrata in a recipe almost feels like cheating.