The longer you let the zest and juice mixture steep, the more intensely citrusy your margaritas will be. We recommend steeping for the full 24 hours, although the margaritas will still be great if the mixture is steeped for the minimum four hours. If you’re in a rush and need to serve the drinks immediately, omit the zest and skip the steeping process altogether. We suggest using reposado (“rested”) tequila, which is made from 100 percent blue agave and aged for between two and 12 months. Tasters liked its mellow flavor and thought it blended perfectly with the other ingredients.

If the egg whites to be whipped are not at room temperature, set them in a pan placed in hot tap water and stir them until they are tepid. Coconut is very nice as a variation for this cake. Add 2/3 to 1 cup lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut, lightly chopped, to the batter before folding in the egg whites.

For a smooth pudding, it is important to pass the pudding through a fine-mesh strainer in order to remove any bits of cooked egg.

If you make the caramel sauce ahead, reheat it in the microwave or a small saucepan over low heat until warm and fluid. When the hot cream mixture is added in step 3, the hot sugar syrup will bubble vigorously (and dangerously), so don’t use a smaller saucepan.

This soup uses store-bought low-sodium chicken broth doctored with vegetables and herbs to brighten its flavor. Once completed, the soup is served immediately.

This recipe was published in our cookbook The Best Light Recipe.

Per 1 1/2-cup serving:
Cal 120; Fat 1.5 g; Sat fat 0 g; Chol 0 mg; Carb 22 g; Protein 6 g; Fiber 5 g; Sodium 930 mg

More challenging to cook properly than a regular thin frittata, a thick, hearty frittata often ends up dry, overstuffed, and overcooked.

An ovensafe nonstick 12-inch skillet is a must for this recipe and the variations that are linked. Because broilers vary so much in intensity, watch the frittata carefully as it cooks.

Campanelli is a frilly trumpet-shaped pasta. If you cannot find it, fusilli works well. Take care not to overreduce the vinegar, or it will become bitter.

Catfish, trout, haddock, thick sole fillets, or tilapia can be substituted for the cod. Stay away from very delicate fillets or thick, meaty fish such as swordfish or tuna. If some of the pieces have thin, tapered ends, tuck them under before breading to prevent them from overcooking and drying out. Generously coat the fish with the Melba crumbs, but do not pile them on or they will not adhere to the fish; there will be crumbs left over. Serve with Tartar Sauce, (see related recipe).

This recipe was published in our cookbook The Best Light Recipe.

Hamburgers are easily one of America’s most popular foods and the true test of a grill cook. A great grilled burger is well browned on the exterior and juicy and tender on the inside. But they rarely turn out that way. More likely, they are gray, tough, and bland. We wanted to make the ultimate no-holds-barred burger. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

Make a “panade”—a blend of breadcrumbs and milk—to bind the burgers together.

Add bacon fat to the beef mixture. The rich, smoky-tasting fat adds flavor and will keep the meat moist.

A little minced garlic goes far in flavoring the meat.

Be gentle with the beef mixture while mixing and shaping the burgers. Overworking will yield tough, dense burgers.

For this recipe, you want ground beef that is 85 percent to 90 percent lean. With the added bacon fat, 80 percent lean beef will make slightly greasy burgers. Crumble the cooked bacon slices over a salad, or use the slices as a burger topping.

Most of the big snack companies sell some variation on a cream-filled, chocolate-covered cupcake. We love the concept, just not the artificial, bland flavors. Could we make cream-filled cupcakes from scratch at home? Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• Use the reverse creaming method, which means cutting the butter into the dry ingredients (as with biscuit dough), to achieve a tender, close-crumbed cupcake. A more traditional large-crumbed cake wasn’t sturdy enough to hold the cream and support the thick frosting.
• To fill the cupcake, cut a cone-shaped hole in the top of the cupcake, remove a portion of the interior, and fill the hole with cream. The frosting will cover any evidence of the hole.
• Add light corn syrup to the glaze so that it clings tightly to the cupcake and has a glossy texture.

Bake the cupcakes in a greased and floured muffin tin rather than paper cupcake liners so the chocolate glaze can run down the sides of the cooled cakes.