Simple apple quick bread spiced with cinnamon and cloves, studded with chopped nuts. A dusting of confectioner's sugar adds an elegant finish to this homestyle loaf.
A traditional Swiss dessert of dried pears poached in spiced red wine, served alongside creamy walnut rice pudding and a honey-butter wine sauce. Elegant, aromatic, and unforgettable.
Cranberry catsup simmers fresh cranberries with onion, vinegar, and warm spices into a tangy crimson condiment. A holiday alternative to traditional ketchup, perfect with turkey or pork.
Buttery rum muffins spiced with nutmeg and cloves, brushed with a warm rum-sugar glaze while still hot. Inspired by the classic hot buttered rum cocktail.
Caponata di melanzane with eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, capers, olives, and anchovies. A bold Sicilian appetizer that improves as it sits at room temperature for hours.
Tart de Brymlent is a medieval Lenten tart of salmon baked with spiced apples, pears, and dried fruits in a pastry shell. A genuine old English sweet-savory recipe for history buffs and adventurous cooks.
Sautéed snails with red kidney beans, shallots, garlic, fresh chilies, and a splash of Pernod in beef stock. A bold masterchef-level Spanish-inspired dish that serves 8.
Mexican-style giardiniera with cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, green beans, and pearl onions in spiced cider vinegar brine. A refrigerator pickle ready in 48 hours.
Spiced applesauce cake baked right in mason jars, sealed while hot for shelf-stable storage. Loaded with raisins, pecans, cinnamon, and cloves. A brilliant homemade gift or emergency pantry treat.
Pumpkin Frangelico cheesecake: a spiced pumpkin cheesecake on a gingersnap crust, spiked with hazelnut Frangelico liqueur and topped with a boozy sour cream layer. The Thanksgiving cheesecake adults reach for first.
A traditional Dutch spice cake (gevulde speculaas) with a ground almond filling sandwiched between two layers of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg-spiced dough. Topped with whole toasted almonds.
Kukul mas is the classic Sri Lankan chicken curry. Chicken rubbed with tamarind, cardamom, and curry powder simmers in thick coconut milk with lemongrass and fenugreek until fall-off-the-bone tender.
Pork medallions marinated in red wine, ginger, honey, balsamic vinegar, and thyme, pan-seared and finished with a reduced wine-shallot butter sauce. A French bistro-style pork dish.
No-bake eggless pumpkin chiffon pie layered with sweetened cream cheese, vanilla pudding, pumpkin puree, and warm spices on a graham crust. Light Thanksgiving alternative ready in 2 hours.
Venison steak braised in Burgundy wine with tomatoes, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and a bouquet garni, finished with sauteed mushrooms. A rich Southern wild game stew served over wild rice.
My copycat version of the top secret famous A1 Steak Sauce.