The No-Stress Dinner Menu That Will Convince You to Dine In Tonight
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Photo courtesy of Silver und Seck
Colu Henry finds great pleasure in a carefully curated wine list, a beautifully lit dining room, and an exquisite meal that’s cooked to perfection. After all, she previously worked with culinary powerhouses like Stephen Starr, Marcus Samuelsson, and Scott Conant in restaurant PR. (And when she calls me from her home in Hudson, New York, she says she’s just dined at Andrew Tarlow’s Borgo the night before.)
But there’s something uniquely special about savoring a meal in your own home or the home of a friend, she says. “There’s a real intimacy there, and a way to connect on things that you just don’t have time to do in a restaurant, because you’re in and you're out.”
With her third and newest cookbook, Better at Home (March 10), Henry convincingly makes the case that dinner at home can be a true occasion, and you don’t have to get gussied up or toil in the kitchen for hours. In Henry’s hands, simple ingredients like carrots and chicken thighs become subtly sophisticated dishes—see, for instance, her dinner-party-ready Roasted Carrots with Cilantro Yogurt and Roasted Pistachios and the triumphant one-pan Roast Chicken “Romesco” with Pearled Couscous.
Whether she’s preparing to feed two or 10, Henry approaches every meal with her signature polish and ease. “People just generally like to feel taken care of and thought of,” she says. If she’s expecting company, she might set the table with linen napkins (which conveniently don’t need to be ironed) or dishes she’s picked up in her travels. When she’s in Nova Scotia, where she and her husband are renovating an 1860s farmhouse, she might round out the tablescape with some wildflowers she’s picked; other days it’s fresh produce.
And for drinks? “Sometimes I’ll put a wineglass at every seat, but then other times I kind of want people to choose the glass,” she says. Henry enjoys Oregon Chardonnays—especially those from 00 Wines and Bethel Heights, two wineries she represents—as well as Mother Root, a nonalcoholic aperitif that’s excellent for kicking off (or winding down) any gathering.
From there, lean into recipes that are simple enough to minimize stress but elevated enough to delight. The lineup below from Henry’s new cookbook delivers on both fronts.
THE MENU
Harissa and Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon
“This is so cheesy, but people really do eat with their eyes first,” Henry says. Although this salmon is visually stunning on its own, you can easily up the ante with a beautiful serving platter. The vibrant flavor comes from brown sugar, which helps the fish to caramelize, and smoky harissa (Henry is partial to this French-imported version, as well as the one from New York Shuk).
Little Gems with Avocado, Pistachios, and Miso-Honey Dressing
Never one to pass up an opportunity to experiment in the kitchen, Henry asks her husband every morning what he wants for dinner. And many days, he replies with no-frills chicken and salad, partly to tease but mostly to keep things simple. This recipe fulfills the dreams of all the salad-hungry cooks (and husbands) out there: The creamy dressing alone has gotten rave reviews—Henry’s editor reportedly said it ought to be bottled for the masses.
Roasted Potato Salad with Za’atar, Feta, and Mint
“People always think of potato salad as a picnic dish or something that you want to bring to a BBQ,” Henry says, but this rendition is decidedly more elegant and well deserving of a place at the dinner table. Unexpected ingredients like Castelvetrano olives and fresh mint bring flavor and freshness.