10,000 salt recipes

Pressed duck simmered with five spice, coated in water chestnut flour, steamed, then deep-fried until crisp. Served with sweet and sour plum sauce and toasted almonds.

Prune whip spice cake with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, topped with homemade prune butter frosting studded with chopped prunes and nuts. A vintage classic.

Baked chicken Excelsior bastes chicken breasts in lemon-paprika butter, then bathes them in a creamy sour cream, sherry, and mushroom sauce for the last stretch in the oven. A retro, dinner-party-worthy chicken with a silky finish.

Pasta primavera with fire-roasted red peppers, asparagus, fresh peas, basil, and Parmesan tossed with spinach spaghetti. A vibrant spring pasta served at room temperature.

Long, slow simmering of meat and herbs produces the base for this incomparable sauce.

Sicilian-style land snails boiled in salted water, then served hot with a cold dipping sauce of crushed garlic, olive oil, and fresh lemon juice. Simple, briny, and bright.

Kouloura rolls and buns are traditional Greek yeast breads with a tender milk-and-egg crumb, brushed with egg yolk and topped with toasted sesame seeds. A timeless hand-shaped loaf or roll.

Wild Card chili stirs molasses into a beef-and-bean chili with red beans, refried beans and chili powder. The molasses is the wild card. A 1-hour weeknight pot.

Glazed pork loin roast with orange marmalade, mustard, and thyme, studded with garlic and cooked in a bag. Juicy and simple with a sweet-savory crust.

Tofu mayonnaise made with soft tofu, nonfat yogurt, Dijon mustard, and garlic blended smooth. A low-fat, vegetarian mayo substitute with only 2 tablespoons of oil.

Broiler-roasted red peppers with fresh lemon juice and salt. Three ingredients, silky-sweet strips that go with anything Mediterranean. Better than jarred.

A creamy apple marshmallow Waldorf salad: crisp Granny Smith apples, celery, walnuts, and dried fruit folded into whipped cream and mayonnaise with mini marshmallows. A retro, fluffy holiday side the whole table loves.

Classic slice-and-bake icebox cookies with buttery brown sugar dough you can make ahead and freeze for up to 2 months. Includes five flavor variations: ginger almond, lemon poppyseed, spice, coffee edged, and pecan.

Vintage ribbon cake: plain vanilla and spiced molasses batters layered in stripes with a tart lemon-raisin filling between. An old-fashioned American cake worth reviving.

Homemade oatmeal butter crackers rolled paper-thin, scored into squares, and baked until crisp. Six ingredients, nutty flavor, and a satisfying snap.

Classic popovers bake into airy, hollow shells with a crisp shattered top and tender custardy inside. Bonus: leftover batter makes pineapple fritters for ham or pork dinners.