213 crackling recipes

Halloween popcorn crunch: popped corn, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and banana chips coated in hard-crack vanilla caramel. The fall snack mix that puts caramel corn to shame.

Mom's peppered ham: poached ham shank coated in cracked black peppercorns and dried in a low oven for paper-thin deli-style slices. Old-school deli cooking at home.

Strawberry fool with crushed berries folded into whipped cream and sour cream, drizzled with a spiced port wine syrup. The classic English dessert updated for summer dinner parties.

Middle Eastern rice pilaf with cashews, raisins, dried apricots, and warm spices like cardamom and turmeric. A fragrant side dish with caramelized onions and a sweet-savory balance.

Basler Brunsli are flourless Swiss chocolate almond cookies spiced with cinnamon and cloves, cut into festive shapes. A traditional Basel Christmas cookie, chewy inside with a crackly crust.

Prime rib roasted in a rock salt crust that seals in every drop of juice, producing fork-tender, deeply seasoned meat. A showstopping Old English technique you crack open with a hammer.

Southern chocolate chess pie: a one-bowl classic with butter, cocoa, sugar, eggs, and a touch of cornmeal in an unbaked pie shell. Crackly sugar top, fudgy interior.

Chinese-style caramel fried apples or bananas battered and deep-fried, then coated in crackly spun sugar with sesame seeds. Dipped in ice water for a shatteringly crisp shell.

Linguine with creamy green tomato sauce: an end-of-season use for unripe garden tomatoes, pureed and simmered with cream and butter, topped with sun-dried tomato and cracked peppercorn.

Curry-glazed duck legs roast under a paste of jalapeno, ginger, garlic, and curry powder, then braise in orange-lime juice with chicken stock. The skin re-crisps for shatteringly crackly results.

Classic old-fashioned fruit punch with cold tea, fresh-squeezed orange and lemon juice, ginger ale, and soda water. Garnished with orange slices and fresh mint. Makes 40 cups for a crowd.

Sauerkraut balls with corned beef, ham, and tangy kraut bound in a thick roux, breaded and fried golden. The Ohio bar-snack classic with crackly crust and a savory, slightly sour center.

Fudgy chocolate brownies with walnuts and a blender-made unsweetened chocolate frosting. Two-stage chocolate hit with rich crackly top and creamy frosting.

Soda cracker pie is a vintage Southern meringue pie made with whipped egg whites, saltine crumbs, and pecans. No crust, no flour, just a crackly meringue that tastes like toasted pecan candy.

Raspberry and fig gratin with sour cream and broiled brown sugar crust. Four ingredients, 15 minutes, and the caramelized sugar cracks like creme brulee over warm fruit.

Fudgy brownies made with unsweetened chocolate and butter for an intensely rich, crackly-topped square. Simple pantry ingredients, optional walnuts, and a velvety batter.