Yeast-raised honey doughnuts fried golden and stuffed with a chunky filling of dried apricots, apples, and walnuts bound in honey. A festive, fruit-forward treat for the holidays.
Stuffed mushroom pancakes filled with ground mushrooms, onions, and bread, folded envelope-style, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried in butter. An Eastern European savory crepe.
Pecan pumpkin pie built on a jar of spiced pecan-pumpkin butter, eggs, and heavy cream poured into an all-butter homemade crust. Three ingredients in the filling, a smooth, deeply spiced custard out the other side.
Roast chicken rubbed with cinnamon, cumin, and coriander served with a spiced mushroom, parsnip, carrot, and hazelnut stuffing plus a sherry pan gravy.
Slow cooker dried beef and noodles in a creamy white sauce with sharp cheddar and green peas. A set-it-and-forget-it comfort food casserole.
Kottopoula Me Mpamiez is a traditional Greek chicken and okra stew braised in tomatoes and butter. A vinegar sun-dry on the okra is the secret to a sauce without slime.
Shrimp paste spread made with ground shrimp, creamed butter, nutmeg, and cayenne, topped with toasted bread crumbs and baked until golden. Serve chilled as an appetizer.
Spinach garlic soup is a creamy blended soup with fresh spinach, shredded carrots, eight cloves of garlic, and a nutmeg-scented finish. Silky, vivid green, on the table in 40 minutes.
Triple chocolate brownie pie with cocoa, melty chocolate chips, and a fudgy gooey center. A crustless one-bowl pie that bakes dense, rich, and bakery-good with vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate decadence cake, a near-flourless, truffle-dense round of melted chocolate and butter. Baked briefly so the center stays fudgy, cloaked in whipped cream and pooled with tart raspberry sauce.
Steamed chocolate hazelnut pudding with grated chocolate, ground hazelnuts, and folded egg whites, served with lightly whipped cream. A classic British-style dessert.
Sauteed turkey cutlets with a quick citrus currant pan sauce made from orange juice, lemon juice, currant jelly, and tarragon finished with butter.
Mother's Christmas cheese cakes: cream cheese pastry tartlets with two fillings, one pecan-brown sugar and one coconut-vanilla. A classic holiday cookie tin stalwart.
Buttermilk quick bread loaded with chopped dates, pecans, and orange zest, then soaked with a tangy orange glaze while still hot. Yields two moist, citrus-forward loaves.
Great Chocolate Cake (and Strawberry Shortcake) recipe
Coconut sheet cake soaked in lemon syrup with a drizzled cream cheese frosting. A Middle Eastern-inspired dessert with shredded coconut, lemon zest, and a sweet syrup that keeps it incredibly moist.