171 crackling recipes

At a recent party everyone gobbled up this satisfying pasta salad loaded with marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted pepper and tortellini. Literally packed with flavor.

Chinese grilled short ribs butterflied into a single accordion strip and marinated in peanut butter, curry, sesame oil, soy, and rice wine. Smoky, tender, unusual.

Classic apricot sweet simmers dried apricots with cardamom, ginger, and almonds into a fragrant, spiced compote, much like Hyderabad's qubani ka meetha. Naturally fruit-sweet, served chilled. A make-ahead Indian dessert.

Krakelingen are crisp Dutch figure-8 cookies made from a simple pie-pastry dough of butter, flour, and water, rolled into ropes and dipped in sugar. Buttery, crackly, and built for coffee dunking.

Shchi is a traditional Russian cabbage and sauerkraut soup with beef brisket, marrow bones, porcini mushrooms, and root vegetables. A deeply layered pot that tastes even better the next day.

Roasted langoustines on mesquite-charred bell peppers with wilted arugula, blanched French green beans and aged balsamic. Quick-seared shellfish that hits the plate in 60 seconds total.

Bread and butter pickles with thin-sliced cucumbers and onions brined with salt and ice, then packed in a sweet-sour brown sugar, cider vinegar, mustard, and turmeric syrup.

Breton brittle, also known as Christmas crack: layered stone-ground wheat crackers under a brown sugar butter toffee, topped with melted chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Five ingredients, irresistibly snappable.

Old-fashioned sugar cookies with a dual-sugar dough of granulated and powdered sugar, flattened with a sugar-dipped glass. Tender, crackly-topped, and buttery.

Turkey sautéed with pears and pecans pan-cooks sliced turkey breast in a quick apple juice and cream sauce, finished with sliced pears and toasted nuts. Elegant 20-minute fall dinner.

Sata andagi, Okinawan deep-fried doughnuts with a crispy cracked exterior and tender cake-like center. A simple drop doughnut made with eggs, flour, sugar, and milk.

Italian macaroons made from almond paste kneaded with egg whites and sugar, baked into chewy, fragrant amaretti-style cookies. A short rest before baking gives them their crackly top and tender center.

Pumpkin cheesecake with a buttery shortcrust pastry, spiced cream cheese filling with allspice, ginger, and cinnamon. Slow-baked and cooled in the oven to prevent cracking.

Fresh blackberries macerated in aged balsamic vinegar, layered with creamy Greek yogurt and honey, then topped with a crackly torched sugar crust. A no-bake crème brûlée that's elegant enough for a dinner party.

Whole hard-shell crabs simmered in a garlicky tomato sauce with red pepper flakes, cracked and tossed over spaghetti. Messy, hands-on, and worth every napkin.

Chocolate yogurt cheesecake on a chocolate wafer crust with semi-sweet chocolate in the filling and a glossy chocolate glaze on top. Baked in a water bath for a crack-free, silky texture.