216 crackling recipes

Low-fat marbled pumpkin cheesecake swirls spiced pumpkin into a creamy vanilla filling over a gingersnap crust. Pureed cottage cheese keeps it light while a water bath gives a silky, crack-free top.

Middle Eastern rice pilaf with cashews, raisins, dried apricots, and warm spices like cardamom and turmeric. A fragrant side dish with caramelized onions and a sweet-savory balance.

Grilled whole red snapper over wood embers, rubbed with olive oil, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. A simple coastal classic that lets sweet, flaky fish shine.

Roasting is one of the best way to cook beets, as it brings out their wonderful buttery flavor. This easy to prepare, healthy recipe does just that.

Strawberry fool with crushed berries folded into whipped cream and sour cream, drizzled with a spiced port wine syrup. The classic English dessert updated for summer dinner parties.

Vietnamese spring rolls (cha gio): crisp rice-paper rolls stuffed with ground pork, crab, glass noodles, garlic, and shallots, fried to a deep golden crunch. The crackly fried appetizer everyone fights over.

This very dense chocolate cake is named after the famous California fault becaus it forms big cracks as it bakes and cools.

Linguine with creamy green tomato sauce: an end-of-season use for unripe garden tomatoes, pureed and simmered with cream and butter, topped with sun-dried tomato and cracked peppercorn.

Old-fashioned raisin nougat made with hard-crack sugar syrup, marshmallow cream, and cocoa butter. A vintage homemade candy with chewy raisins folded throughout.

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.

Classic old-fashioned fruit punch with cold tea, fresh-squeezed orange and lemon juice, ginger ale, and soda water. Garnished with orange slices and fresh mint. Makes 40 cups for a crowd.

Fudgy chocolate brownies with walnuts and a blender-made unsweetened chocolate frosting. Two-stage chocolate hit with rich crackly top and creamy frosting.

Clare's meringue roulade: a soft, marshmallowy meringue rolled around whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and ripe mango. A crackly-crusted, gluten-free showstopper dessert.

Grilled bread salad with fresh figs, roasted red peppers, basil, and a balsamic-lemon vinaigrette. A summer grilled panzanella that turns stale bread into a smoky, fig-sweet main course salad.

Simple wild rice simmered in water with olive oil until cracked and puffy. A basic three-ingredient method for cooking wild rice with a nutty, chewy texture every time.

Fudgy brownies made with unsweetened chocolate and butter for an intensely rich, crackly-topped square. Simple pantry ingredients, optional walnuts, and a velvety batter.