8 Simple Recipes Inspired by Top Brands

Chef Stephanie Izard's creamy, silky dip has few ingredients but layers of flavor. Roasting garlic softens its harshness and adds sweetness and nuttiness to the meal with tahini.

Tahini-Tofu Dip with Chili Crunch

This fresh winter salad has crispy, creamy crushed and twice-fried plantains as croutons. Two-step frying evenly cooks unripe green plantains and brings out their natural taste.

Collard and Fennel Salad with Crispy Plantains

Green, tart sorrel brightens Chef Eric Adjepong's steamed clams. If sorrel is out of season or unavailable, Adjepong suggests substituting fresh basil and adding lemon juice to approximate its tangy, lemony taste.

Clams in Garlic Sorrel Cream

Hawaii chef Sheldon Simeon was inspired by North Shore garlic butter shrimp food trucks for this dish. After marinating in Italian dressing, mayonnaise, calamansi juice, and salt, the shrimp are grilled and coated with roasted garlic butter.

Hawaiian-Style Garlic Butter Shrimp

This crisp, refreshing salad with purple beets, Asian pear, and hazelnuts has a ginger-white miso dressing. The balance of beetroot sweetness and Asian pear acidity will have you going back for seconds.

Beet and Pear Salad

This family recipe for Chicken and Shrimp Laksa, a Southeast Asian brothy noodle dish, comes from Top Chef champion Buddha Lo. This fragrant noodle dish is cooked with Lo's handmade laksa paste, which contains fresh lemongrass.

Chicken and Shrimp Laksa

Mellow cheddar cheese incorporated into the batter and sprinkled on top of chef Dawn Burrell's poundcake adds savoriness. It's great with afternoon coffee or tea alone, but the Brandy Caramel Apples make it dessert and ice cream completes it.

Cheddar Cheese Pound Cake with Brandy Caramel Apples

Dashi, soy Chef Shota Nakajima's cozy soup adds umami to buttery leftover mashed potatoes. When he was hungry as a youngster, he made soup or fried rice from leftovers.

Creamy Mashed Potato Soup with Dashi