Recipes with water

No-bake peach cream cake layered with angel food cake, vanilla pudding cream, whipped cream, and sliced peaches. An almond-scented icebox dessert that chills to set.

Creamy sherried lobster bisque for two, made with lobster tails, red potatoes, clam juice, and light sour cream blended silky smooth. An intimate, elegant soup finished with dry sherry and thyme.

Carrot zucchini vichyssoise pairs three separate vegetable purees, orange carrot, pale green zucchini-leek, and bright green zucchini skin, swirled together cold in one bowl. A stunning chilled summer soup.

Pile it high! This homemade Chicago-style deep dish pizza features a golden yeast crust loaded with six meats, mushrooms, peppers, and stretchy mozzarella. A true meat lover's deep dish dream.

Garden kale dinner with prosciutto, shallots, lemon zest, and chicken stock served over rice with grated Parmesan. A one-skillet weeknight meal that comes together in 35 minutes.

German noodle ring baked in a cheese custard and unmolded onto a platter with extra cheese sauce poured over top. A retro Pennsylvania Dutch showpiece side dish.

Hearty meatball chowder with walnut-sized beef meatballs, potatoes, carrots, rice, and Mexicorn in a tomato-beef broth. A big-batch soup that feeds a crowd.

Crispy, thin ginger snaps made the old-fashioned way by boiling molasses and water first. Brown sugar and real ginger give these cookies a deep, spicy bite. Makes 2 dozen.

Vintage white cake layered with toasted pecans and grated semi-sweet chocolate, finished with a glossy chocolate fudge frosting. A 1960s-era bake-off showstopper.

Overnight yeasted pancakes with pure maple syrup and chopped walnuts. The fermented batter gives these a tangy, sourdough-like depth that regular pancakes can only dream about. Worth the wait.

Lentil and garbanzo bean salad with cherry tomatoes, carrots, scallions, and fresh parsley in a lemon olive oil dressing. High-protein, vegan, and served cold.

Texas-style chocolate sheath cake with buttermilk and a warm marshmallow-nut cocoa icing spread on while the cake is still hot. One pan, one hour, and feeds a crowd.

Chinese five-spice pork satay with homemade coconut peanut sauce. Marinate overnight in sesame oil and Shaoxing wine, grill to charred edges. Authentic Asian street food for BBQ.

Polish dill pickle soup (zupa ogorkowa) made from soup bone stock, shredded dill pickles, pickle brine, and a flour-cream finish for a tangy, creamy bowl. Eastern European comfort food at its purest.

A spice cake mix upgraded with rolled oats, low-fat yogurt, and chopped apples, finished with a crunchy brown sugar and oat crumble topping. Bakes in one pan, ready in an hour.

Rich venison and mushroom stew braises marinated game low and slow into a dark, glossy gravy, then crowns it with crisp lemon-parsley forcemeat balls. A deeply savory, make-ahead wild-game casserole.