Gabe and her husband have befriended an American couple in Treviso, Italy, where they all live. In order to give them a taste of home, Gabe would love to cook her new friends an American meal. But what typifies American food? And how can she source the right ingredients in the Veneto? Chris enlists the help of Bon Appetit's resident Aussie, Adam Moussa, and sommelier André Mack of BA's World of Wine series, to figure out what Gabe should make. 

Recipes:

BA's Best Mac and Cheese

Skillet-Fried Chicken

BA's Best Fried Chicken Sandwich

BA's Best Apple Pie

Most weeks on the show, we help out home cooks who have had a kitchen fail. This week, the "fail" is coming from inside the test kitchen. Test Kitchen Editor Kendra Vaculin joins Chris to chat about the fraught recipe development process of Kendra's Foolproof Lemon Bars — which was caught on camera as part of our "How I Developed" video series. Chris and Kendra also share how the team works together in the Bon Appetit test kitchen to bring you recipes you'll be excited to cook at home.

The Recipe: Foolproof Lemon Bars

The Video: "Developing These Perfect Lemon Bars Nearly Broke Me"

Izzy and Nina are twin sisters who love to cook together. But while Izzy loves baking, Nina finds the precision it requires endlessly frustrating. So Izzy's got one more shot to get Nina to love baking with her. Chris and Shilpa come to their rescue, helping the sisters capture the joy of baked goods that taste even better from your own kitchen than from a bakery. 

The Recipes:

BA's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pavlova

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chocolate Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake 

Dan Pashman, of The Sporkful podcast, is somewhat of a pasta fanatic. In 2021, he invented the pasta shape Cascatelli (and documented the process on his show). Now, he's back with a cookbook, Anything's Pastable. He joined Chris to nerd out about pasta and answer some listener questions.

Recipes:

Cacio e Pepe

Baked Pasta Ideas

Ideas for Using Ground Meat

Shrimp Scampi

Soup Weather Inspiration

Bagna Cauda with Spring Vegetables

Erin is an accomplished baker who regularly makes both meringue and lemon curd. But when she tried a lemon meringue pie recipe last year, it turned into lemon meringue soup. Chris and Shilpa are on the case to help Erin figure out what went wrong and make a citrus pie that will hold its shape and delight her friends.

The Recipes:

BA's Lemon Meringue Pie

Cherry Lemonade Beach Pie

Triple Citrus Creamsicle Pie

Michelle loves all things French, and dreams of making the perfect Beef Bourguignon at home. But there's a slight issue: her husband has an intolerance to garlic and onions, the bedrocks of French flavor. Chris enlists the help of Chef Tanya Holland to teach Michelle how to develop deep umami flavors without alliums. 

The Recipes:

- Tanya's Chicken Fricassee

- Beef and Bacon Stew

- Red Wine and Soy-Braised Short Ribs

- Tuna Niçoise Salad

- Pissaladière

- Coq au Vin

For more French cooking techniques, Chef Tanya recommends:

- La Varenne Pratique

- Lulu's Provençal Table

Sarah's family loves pasta... almost too much. So she turned to Chris and Kendra for help finding vegetarian meals that bring more veggies and plant-based protein to the table. 

Recipes Mentioned:

Sheet-Pan Tomatoes and Feta with Chickpeas

Spring Orzotto

Crispy Tofu with Peanut Sauce

Brothy Pasta with Chickpeas

Black Pepper Tofu and Asparagus

Sesame Tofu with Broccoli

Broccolini and Walnut Pesto Pasta

Balsamic Mushroom and Sausage Pasta

Whether you're in a relationship or not, the question of what—and where—to eat on Valentine's Day can feel overwhelming. Out or in? Fancy or casual? Chris, Shilpa, and Kate solve this perennial dinner emergency once and for all. 

Dinner Ideas from Bon Appetit and Epicurious:

Valentine's Dinner Ideas That Make the Case for Staying In

Valentine's Day Dinners You'll Love

Chocolate Desserts for Pure Romance

Valentine's Day Desserts for Love at First Bite

Everything You'll Need to Make a Romantic Meal at Home

Twenty one countries make up Latin America—and within those countries lies myriad food cultures, recipes, and histories. This week, Women Who Travel host Lale Arikoglu chats with guest Sandra A. Gutierrez about her latest cookbook Latinísimo: Home Recipes from the Twenty-One Countries of Latin America, an encyclopedic exploration of the region through its dishes and the home cooks who make them. Plus, her travels in countries like Peru and Colombia, and insider tips for tracking down the best eats in a new city.

Kaylee inherited a tagine from her husband's family, but her first attempt to cook in it was a total fail. Chris enlists Leetal and Ron Arazi of New York Shuk to teach Kaylee about the Middle Eastern and North African flavors and cooking techniques she'll need to make incredible tagines, every time.

Recipes & Links: