815 crackling recipes

These delicious popovers take advantage of lemon's strong affinity with freshly ground black pepper. They rise best in baked in deep molds in a very hot oven. One of the best ways to grate lemon peel is to remove the zest in strips using a vegetable peeler, then grind it to a powder in a spice mill.

This version of homemade Andouille pokr sausage features generous seasoning with paprika.

Truffle fudge cheesecake with 24 ounces of melted chocolate chips blended into a triple cream cheese filling on a cocoa-vanilla wafer crust. A dense, intensely chocolatey no-crack cheesecake.

Gooey butter cake bakes a yellow cake-mix base under a sweet cream cheese topping that bubbles and cracks like cheesecake on top while staying molten in the middle. A St. Louis classic.

Morrison's mace cake: a classic hot-milk sponge cake fragrant with warm mace, finished with a crackly mace-sugar topping that bakes into the surface. Old-fashioned Southern coffee cake at its most aromatic.

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.

Vanilla bean creme brulee tartlets, silky custard set in a crisp buttery pastry shell and finished with a torched, crackly caramel top. Crowned with whipped cream and fresh berries for an elegant dessert.

Tender pork chops simmered in V8 juice with dried basil and cracked black pepper until fork-tender. Just 5 ingredients and one pan for an easy, diabetic-friendly weeknight dinner.

Iced Jazzberry Java blends pureed raspberries with cold coffee and half-and-half over cracked ice. A fruity, creamy iced coffee drink topped with whipped cream and fresh mint.

Old-fashioned Bundt pan cheesecake with ricotta, cream cheese, and sour cream topped with a gorgeous strawberry glaze. Baked low and slow for a dense, creamy, crack-free classic.

From-scratch breakfast sausage links made with pork, fresh pork fat, sage, thyme, and cracked peppercorns stuffed into natural casings. A charcuterie project that rewards patience with incredible flavor.

Seared bay scallops glazed with a reduced vermouth and lemon sauce, finished with fresh dill and cracked pepper. A light, elegant 20-minute seafood dish with bright, clean flavors.

Smoked salmon canapes on crisp jicama triangles with lime-spiked Neufchatel cheese and cracked black pepper. A light, no-cook appetizer that looks like it came from a caterer.

Grilled beef tenderloin coated in cracked black pepper, stacked on toasted croissants with aged cheddar, peppery watercress, and a punchy horseradish mayo. From grill to plate in 25 minutes.

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.

Flourless chocolate espresso torte for Passover with a full pound of chocolate, espresso, butter, and eggs. No flour or leavening needed. Dense, crackly-topped, and dusted with powdered sugar.