Having a friend who’s a great cook is a blessing and a curse. It’s exciting to get invited to what they say is an informal little dinner, you know, nothing fancy. But the table is gorgeous, the smells coming from their stove enticing, and the dinner is, of course, dazzling from start to finish.

But the cook who invited you is also a friend and you eventually have to return the invitation. So, after a delay that’s a bit too long, you make the call. Dinner? Thursday at 8? Your friend is delighted. He’ll be there, and he will come hungry. Anxiety sets in. What can you cook for a cook?

First, you need to realize something: great home cooks (as well as professional chefs) LOVE to be invited for dinner, maybe more than anyone else. Don’t tell them you can’t have them over because your cooking is not as good as theirs. They want (and deserve) a break like the rest of us. So, invite and follow these simple rules:

1. Use great seasonal produce. I once dazzled my friend Ivan (who is a genius in the kitchen) with the simplest salad of Pineapple tomatoes (huge, orange and yellow with blood strikes, soft and sweet), thickly sliced, seasoned with olive oil, fleur de sel, ground pepper, and basil. Trust me: If you’ve shopped well, you’ve already won half the battle.
2. Never try any new, daring, or exotic recipe. Stick to what you know. Save those hazardous experiments for your family and forgiving friends. Californian chef Alice Waters was so delighted with my mum’s cockerels that she included the recipe in her next book. No wonder: My parents have cooked this dish a thousand times, perfecting the marinade and cooking every time.
3. Keep it simple. Ivan told me that one of the things professional chefs (himself included) love the most when dining out is eggs—farm fresh and perfectly cooked of course. So, rehearse your omelette and brush up on your soft-boiled egg...
4. Never criticize your own food in front of your guests and don’t compare it to theirs (you shouldn’t cook anything that’s comparable to what they’ve made anyway). Even if your dinner has turned out so-so, a good sense of humor will make up for it.
5. Always serve excellent wines.
6. When your guests ask what they can bring, the right answer is “nothing.” You don’t want them stealing your show.

Barbecued cockerels

Serves 4
The birds should be marinated 24 hours ahead.

2 cockerels, cut in “crapaudine” (slit in two through the breast and flattened out), skin lightly slashed with a knife.

5 garlic cloves, mashed
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
Juice and zest of 1 big (organic) lemon
Juice and zest of 1 kaffir lime
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp coarse salt
½ tsp crushed pepper
1.5 tbsp rice flour
6 cl rum
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp rosemary leaves

Mix the garlic, ginger, and citrus zests. Add salt, peppers, and rice flour. Warm the rum for 10 minutes in a small saucepan over very low heat. Add the citrus juices and soy sauce. Combine the liquids and spices, mix until the paste is smooth, and coat it generously on both sides of the cockerels. Add the rosemary and marinate for 24 hours or more, turning the birds often.
Cook the cockerels on the barbecue (or in the broiler) for 15 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

The perfect œuf à la coque
(soft yolk and white, no gooey stuff)

Bring a very fresh egg to room temperature and place it in a small saucepan with enough cold water to cover it entirely. Bring to a boil over high heat. If the egg is small (such as my favorite, dwarf hen eggs) remove as soon as the water is boiling heavily. If large, wait 1 minute before taking it out. Place in an egg holder, spoon off the top immediately, add fleur de sel, ground pepper, and fresh tarragon leaves. Eat with mouillettes (thin wedges of buttered toast).