Recipes with butter

Amazing lemon meringue pie uses both cornstarch and flour for a curd that holds clean wedges. Lemon juice goes into the meringue too for a stable foam that resists weeping.

hese are perfect for serving with coffee and dessert, and I include them in boxes of home-made assorted cookies for gift giving

Buttery slice-and-bake cookies studded with chopped almonds or hazelnuts, then dipped in melted chocolate. Crisp, nutty, and elegant enough for a holiday cookie box.

Pajas are flourless coconut cookies loaded with butter-toasted pecans, dried apricots, and chopped chocolate, bound with sweetened condensed milk. No eggs, no flour, all flavor.

Maple taffy apples coated in a boiled maple syrup and brown sugar candy shell that snaps when you bite through. An ice water dip sets the coating smooth and glossy. Real maple flavor, not just caramel.

Sweet and tart with the perfect flake-to-crunch ratio. It's all about the butter pats.

Lemon coconut refrigerator cookies with fresh lemon zest and juice. A slice-and-bake icebox cookie that chills overnight and bakes in 10 minutes.

Honey lemon soaked cake baked in a tube pan, pierced while warm, and drenched with a hot honey-lemon syrup. Finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Hearty asparagus and hard-boiled egg casserole in a creamy mustard sauce with mushrooms and crushed cheese crackers on top. A retro-style vegetable bake that's pure nostalgic comfort.

Prassopitta is a Greek leek and feta phyllo pie: buttery layers of flaky phyllo hiding a filling of sauteed leeks, egg, and crumbled feta. Savory, shatteringly crisp, deeply traditional.

Buttermilk scones with a tender crumb and a sugar-dusted top, plus three built-in variations: citrus, raisin, or warm-spiced. Classic British-style scones for tea, brunch, or breakfast.

Canned salmon and hard-boiled eggs in a mushroom-beer cream sauce served in a molded rice ring. A retro dinner party centerpiece that's back in style.

A four-layer cheesecake masterpiece: walnut-graham crust, dense cream cheese filling, silky sour cream topping, and whole strawberries drenched in a Cointreau-spiked raspberry glaze. Plan ahead; it needs 2 to 3 days to reach peak flavor.

Delicate lace cookies made with ground almonds, rolled into cylinders while warm. Precision-timed European cookies perfect for special occasions and holidays.

French apple cake with poached apples topped in a light, flourless almond batter with lemon zest and whipped egg whites. Served lukewarm with custard or cream.

A crispy vermicelli-Parmesan crust topped with mixed seafood, broccoli, mushrooms, and a rich sherry cream sauce under bubbly mozzarella. Part pasta, part pizza, all comfort.