A flourless chocolate cake is the “must-have” little black dress of desserts. Minimal, simple and universally pleasing, it’s a classic for all occasions. And, short of intravenous therapy, it’s one of the most intense forms of chocolate consumption you will experience. A tiny sliver of this luscious, gluten-free cake goes a long way (or maybe not, depending on your willpower).

Since the cake is flourless, it demands a very short list of ingredients, which means that the spotlight is rightly on the chocolate. Don’t skimp in this department. Choose the best-quality dark (70 to 72%) chocolate you can lay your hands on, because it makes all the difference, and you will be rewarded with a stunning cake.

Like the quintessential black dress, you can keep it simple or accessorize it for extra bling. Serve it “naked” with a dusting of powdered sugar. For more sparkle, you can wrap it in a shiny sheen of chocolate glaze. Either way, feel free to serve the cake with gently sweetened whipped cream, which adds a cooling ethereal contrast to the inky chocolate wedge. And if fresh strawberries are available, for goodness sake, don’t hold back.

Glazed Flourless Chocolate Cake

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes, plus cooling time

Yield: Makes 1 (9-inch) cake; Serves 10

Cake:

Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

12 ounces high-quality dark chocolate (70 to 72%), chopped

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature

6 large eggs, separated, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

4 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

Whipped cream and fresh strawberries, for garnish

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa powder and tap out the excess.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate is melted and smooth, and remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until light and thick, about 3 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a large clean bowl and then stir in the melted chocolate, vanilla and salt.

In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. With the machine running, add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until medium-firm peaks form. Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate to blend, and then gently fold in the remaining whites, in 2 additions, without overmixing. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake until the top of the cake is slightly puffed and cracked and a knife inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely in the pan. (If desired, the cake can be served unglazed at this point. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.)

To make the glaze, place the chocolate in a heat-resistant bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just reaches a simmer and pour over the chocolate. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Keep warm.

Remove the side of the cake pan, invert the cake onto a plate, and discard the parchment. Pour the glaze over the center of the cake. Spread the glaze over the top and down the sides of the cake, using an offset spatula to smooth the glaze. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 10 minutes.

Serve at room temperature with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

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Craving comfort? These braised thighs will do the trick.

Braising chicken thighs is an easy way to get a warming, flavorful meal without the time involved to slow-cook stew meat. Dark chicken meat is inherently flavorful -- and forgiving -- and happy to mingle with stock, tomatoes and a smudge of spices without compromising the meat’s flavor or drying out.

The Moroccan-inspired spice paste in this recipe is crucial to the flavor of the chicken, which is braised in a sweet and spicy slick of onions and tomato. While you can easily prepare this meal in one hour, you can also take the time to let the chicken marinate for several hours or even overnight. It's worth it.

Braised Moroccan Chicken Thighs With Tomatoes and Ginger

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, plus optional marinating time

Yield: Serves: 4 to 6

Paste:

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 bone-in chicken thighs with skin

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian plum tomatoes

1 cup chicken stock

1 (6-inch) cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon honey or light brown sugar

2 teaspoons harissa paste (or red chili sauce, such as Sambal Oelek)

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Chopped fresh Italian parsley or cilantro for garnish

In a small bowl, combine the paste ingredients. Rub the paste all over the chicken and between the skin and flesh. (The chicken can marinate for up to 24 hours. If not proceeding with cooking, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before proceeding.)

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. In batches, arrange the chicken, skin side down, in the pan without overcrowding. Brown the skin and then flip the chicken and briefly cook until the meat takes on color, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet (if the skillet is dry, add 1 tablespoon olive oil). Add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, cinnamon stick, honey or brown sugar, harissa, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, and then taste for seasoning.

Return the chicken to the pan and nestle into the sauce, skin side up, without submerging the skin. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes. (A meat thermometer will register 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part near the bone.)

Serve garnished with fresh parsley or cilantro.

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My favorite kitchen tool is my stone mortar and pestle. It sits proudly on my kitchen counter, holding its own in a caveman-esque sort of way, flaunting its primal elegance in between the stove and the espresso machine. It's smugly confident in its weight and kitchen hierarchy (deemed decorative) while my food processor and standing mixer are banished behind cabinet doors (deemed clutter).

New kitchen techniques are awe-inspiring and futuristic, yet my mortar is old and wise, with a lineage extending as far back as the Old Testament. Sous-vides, anti-griddles and smart ovens may be cutting-edge, favored by professional chefs and gastronomy buffs, but my mortar has a stellar history as an essential tool to Native Americans, ancient Romans and Greeks, medieval pharmacists, and home cooks spanning the ages from the dawn of civilization. It is the embodiment of simplicity and timelessness, pleasingly tactile and massively elemental. And it's affordable.

What can you do with a mortar and pestle? You can grind, pound and smash to your heart's content, making pestos, pastes, sauces, dips, dressings and marinades. You can grind seeds into powder. (I assure you that lightly toasting cardamom, cumin or coriander seeds, and then grinding them to a fine powder in a mortar, will yield results unparalleled by the pre-ground versions.)

The mortar is also the perfect place to smash garlic with sea salt, adding fresh-cut herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, sage, basil and mint. Crush the garlic first with the salt, then add the herbs and bruise them by giving them a few turns with the pestle to release their juices and flavor. You will be left with a powerful, aromatic paste you can smear on meats and poultry before roasting.

You can also create a complete dish and serve it in the mortar. Try making this guacamole, a perfect crowd-pleaser, just in time for your Super Bowl party. Serve with chips, and you have one-stop-shopping in a primitive vessel. If you don't have a mortar, then simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork to achieve a chunky consistency.

Guacamole

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

1 small red or green jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, plus extra chopped leaves for garnish

3 to 4 large ripe Hass avocados, peeled

2 tablespoons coarsely grated yellow onion with juice

Juice of one lime

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco (optional)

Combine the jalapeno, garlic and red onion in a mortar. Press on the ingredients with your pestle, and grind them around the mortar in a circular movement, 3 to 4 times. Add the cilantro and gently bruise the leaves with the pestle.

Add the avocados, yellow onion and lime juice and mash to form a blended but chunky consistency. Mix in the cumin, salt, black pepper and hot sauce, if using, and taste for seasoning. Serve garnished with additional chopped cilantro.

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