Crab cakes with roasted red pepper and lemon zest, triple-coated in breadcrumbs, pan-fried in butter, and served with a homemade basil aioli.
Fig ice cream made from fresh figs cooked into a puree and folded into a rich egg custard base with heavy cream, vanilla, and a splash of Cognac. A unique, honey-sweet frozen dessert.
Slow cooker vegetable fettuccine with zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, and carrots tossed in a creamy Parmesan-mozzarella sauce. A vegetarian crockpot pasta that does the work while you're out.
Avgolemono is a traditional Greek lemon soup thickened with egg yolk and rice in chicken broth. Four-ingredient comfort soup ready in 40 minutes. Bright, silky, and naturally gluten-free.
Traditional British Christmas plum pudding with cognac-soaked dried fruit, walnuts, suet, and warm spices, steamed in a mold and served with brandy butter sauce. A Victorian holiday classic.
No-bake lemon-ginger cheesecake with a gingersnap and vanilla wafer crust, gelatin-set cream cheese filling, and lemon curd swirl. Bright citrus and warm ginger in every slice.
Bacon and egg carbonara with raw egg yolk stirred into hot pasta at the table, sour cream warmed in the bowl, crispy bacon, chives, and Parmesan. A rich, interactive dinner.
Three-layer German chocolate cake with mashed potatoes in the batter for a tender crumb, German milk chocolate, and a cooked pecan-coconut frosting that's stirred for 12 minutes until golden.
French apple pie with vanilla custard filling, butter-sauteed Granny Smith apples, apricot preserves glaze, and a golden lattice crust. A bakery-level showpiece.
Annie's butter cookies: one buttery, rich dough that shapes into candy canes, pinwheels, spritzes, cutouts, or drop cookies. The Christmas-cookie foundation worth memorizing.
Old-school chocolate layer cake with a tender, fudgy crumb thanks to the boiling water trick. Unsweetened chocolate, cake flour, and triple-sifted dry goods build classic bakery-style layers.
Greek avgolemono-style lemon chicken soup thickened with egg yolks and a butter-flour roux. Silky, tangy, and loaded with rice and tender chicken.
Eastern European poppyseed strudel with a buttery yeasted dough rolled around poppy seed filling, raisins, walnuts, and honey. The traditional makowiec for Christmas and Easter tables.
Krumkaker are Norwegian curled cookies pressed thin in a special iron, then rolled into cones around a wooden spoon handle while still hot. Traditional Scandinavian holiday treat.
Roasted Cornish game hens stuffed under the skin with herbed ricotta, Parmesan, basil, and lemon zest. Roasted with white wine for an elegant one-pan dinner.
This pie is super delicious and it is always a big hit at our family gathering dinner.