These days, I make my pouches with nonstick aluminum foil. I just cut a 12-inch piece of foil off the roll, put the food in the center of the foil and then crimp the edges. It’s not as elegant as parchment, but it’s fast and effective, two qualities that shouldn’t be pooh-poohed when you’re looking to make great food on a school night.
If you’ve never cooked something “under wraps,” I hope you’ll try and, if you have, I hope you’ll try these recipes because I really, really like them.
Please, let me know if you’ve got favorite recipes for cooking en papillote — I’d love to hear about them. My next under-wraps dish is going to be mussels on the grill — I’m just waiting for a grill day.
PHOTOS BY ALEXANDRA ROWLEY FOR PARADE