Buttery lemon anise biscotti: twice-baked Italian cookies flavored with bright lemon zest and warm anise. Crisp, dry, and made for dipping in coffee or sweet wine.
Overnight apple-orange coffee cake: a yeast-raised cake topped with juicy apples, raisins, and orange zest, then drizzled with orange glaze. Mix the night before, bake fresh in the morning.
Crispy deep-fried shark bites marinated in lemon, white wine, and garlic, breaded and served with Creole mustard or tartar sauce. A Gulf Coast appetizer with serious crunch and attitude.
Fresh blueberry pie with a tangy sour cream custard binding the berries and a crisp buttered breadcrumb crumble on top. Summer dessert with bright berry flavor and creamy texture.
Spezzatino di vitello: cubed veal braised in Burgundy wine with smoky bacon, shallots, mushrooms, and tiny white onions. This traditional Italian veal stew is rustic elegance in a bowl.
Scandinavian rutabaga and potato casserole (lanttulaatikko) with cream, dark corn syrup, and warm spices. A slow-baked Finnish holiday side for Christmas dinner.
Cinnamon rolls with walnuts and raisins, finished with an orange-vanilla-almond icing. Big-batch recipe yields 40 rolls for crowds, brunches, or freezer stashing.
Crispy fried oyster mushrooms coated in a triple-dredge of dulse seaweed, garlic, and fresh breadcrumbs. Golden in 90 seconds flat, with a briny, umami crunch in every bite.
Old-fashioned blackberry cobbler topped with a buttery shortening-and-cream pastry crust. Hot berry filling pre-bakes briefly before the pastry top goes on for a crisp, golden finish.
Fig fruit cake with dried figs, candied cherries, pineapple, walnuts, brandy, and unsweetened chocolate. A spiced holiday loaf baked low and slow for dense, sliceable richness.
Irmik helvasi: Turkish semolina halva infused with saffron milk, butter-toasted pistachios, and sweetened with sugar. A warm, fragrant dessert ready in 30 minutes.
Lighter cocoa oatmeal cookies made with egg whites and nonfat yogurt instead of whole eggs and butter. Studded with mini chocolate chips and chewy with 3 cups of quick oats. Makes a whopping 66 cookies.
Make-ahead chocolate chip cookie dough that keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Sour cream keeps them soft and chewy, pecans add crunch, and you can bake a fresh batch whenever the craving hits.
Elva's carne guisada with beef chuck braised in a cumin-spiced gravy with Rotel tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper. Tex-Mex comfort food ready in 40 minutes.
Celebrate the holiday by serving up this decadent delicious crab cake.
New England stuffed quahogs baked in the shell with chopped clam meat, mushrooms, onions, and buttery breadcrumb topping. A Rhode Island clam shack classic.