460 current recipes

Sicilian-style jumbo shrimp baked in Marsala wine with plum tomatoes, pine nuts, currants, capers, and fennel, finished with grated pecorino. A rustic Italian seafood dish in 35 minutes.

Holiday mincemeat with chopped beef, suet, apples, sour cherries, dried fruit, and broken nuts simmered slowly with brandy and warming spices. A massive 48-serving batch for Christmas baking and gift-giving.

Mother's fruit cake is a brandy-soaked holiday classic with cherries, apricots, pineapple, peel, raisins, and currants bound in a spiced chocolate-scented batter. Baked slow and aged for two months.

A scrumptious cake made with raisins, glaced cherries and dark rum which makes it a popular Christmas favorite in the Caribbean.

Bulgur wheat baked with roasted eggplant, fresh spinach, roasted garlic, bell peppers, currants, and slivered almonds. A vibrant vegetarian casserole packed with Mediterranean flavor.

Old-school dark fruitcake soaked overnight in brandy and orange liqueur with figs, apricots, currants, walnuts, and pecans. Makes four loaves; ages beautifully.

Fruit pockets are tender biscuit-style pastries folded around a spiced filling of raisins, currants, citron, and nuts. A vintage British-style hand pie with warm cinnamon and clove.

Old-fashioned mince meat with calf tongue, suet, dried fruit, candied citrus, brandy and whiskey. The traditional pie filling, aged in a crock for at least 7 weeks for deep holiday flavor.

Entenmann's-style apple crumb cake with a yeasted braided dough filled with Granny Smith apples, cinnamon, mace, and currants, topped with a pecan crumb topping.

A rich Mexican mole sauce with unsweetened chocolate, almonds, pumpkin seeds, hot salsa, tomatoes, currants, and warm spices poured over browned turkey pieces. This homemade turkey mole is a labor of love that feeds a crowd.

Boudin blanc de Liege, a delicate homemade white pork sausage. Lean pork and fat pureed silky with eggs, Port and aromatic spiced milk, dotted with currants, poached gently then browned in butter.

Savory cabbage strudel wrapped in crispy phyllo dough with sauteed mushrooms, bok choy, fresh dill, and currants. A vegetarian main or side with flaky, golden layers and a tender vegetable filling.

Traditional wedding fruitcake with candied cherries, pineapple, dates, raisins, currants, citron, and nuts in a spiced batter. Slow-baked at low heat for a dense, rich loaf.

Barbadians make Black Cake for weddings, birthdays and at Christimas time. Indeed, no Christmas holiday is felt to be complete without black Cake. People from many of the islands make a similar cake. This Black Cake derived from the British Plum Pudding which is a must on their Christmas menu.

Roast pheasant stuffed with toasted rice, mushrooms, and herbs, draped in bacon and basted with a currant jelly and port wine sauce. A classic wild game dinner.

Stuffed eggplant Provencale filled with saffron brown rice, tomatoes, red pepper, currants, and sherry. A showpiece vegetarian main course topped with toasted almonds.