88 dark recipes

Ginger barbecue chicken baked in a homemade sauce of tomato paste, fresh ginger, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, and liquid smoke. Sweet, tangy, and smoky.

Oven barbecued brisket with a spiced shallot rub and tangy tomato-brown sugar sauce. Braised low and slow until fork-tender. No smoker required for deep, slow-cooked flavor.

Fat-free chocolate cake made with cocoa powder, egg whites, and corn syrup instead of butter, oil, or whole eggs. Topped with a cocoa-powdered sugar glaze. Rich chocolate flavor, zero fat.

Caribbean-marinated grilled pork chops soaked in orange juice, lime, dark rum, and warm spices. Ziplock bag marinade, 12 minutes on the grill, island vibes on your plate.

A chilled Scandinavian-style fruit soup simmered with prunes, raisins, apples, cherries, and citrus, thickened with tapioca and finished with grape juice. Serve cold as a refreshing starter or light dessert.

Traditional Mexican Atole thickened with masa - two recipes in one: wild Blackberry Atole de Zarzamora and Champurrado (chocolate with cinnamon). A warm, nourishing drink served with tamales.

Homemade Worcestershire sauce with tamarind, soy, molasses, mustard seeds, and warm spices. Simmered and aged two weeks for a deeply complex, tangy condiment you can't buy in a bottle.

Bean curd skin rolls wrap shredded mushrooms, dried tofu, celery, and carrot in fresh tofu sheets, then shallow-fry until crisp and golden. Drizzled with a chili-ginger dipping sauce.

Kennebunk relish is a New England-style garden relish with green and red tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, and onions in spiced vinegar. An old-fashioned canning recipe with sweet-tangy heat.

Cuban-style black bean soup simmered with ham hock, scotch bonnet pepper, and a splash of dark rum stirred in just before serving. Rich, smoky, and deeply satisfying.

Chinese-style vegetarian broth made with dried shiitake mushrooms, Sichuan preserved vegetables, scallions, and both light and dark soy sauce. A rich, savory base for soups and stir-fries.

I used Cornish Game Hens, but you could also use a cut up chicken. If you can't get winter melon, watermelon will work. Winter melon is white, very mild tasting and a tad denser than watermelon. I think you could get away using something like Honeydew too.

Thick-cut porterhouse steak marinated in a bold Asian-inspired blend of chili bean paste, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Fire up the grill for this fusion masterpiece that brings steakhouse quality with Pacific Rim flair.

Cornish game hens rubbed with Chinese five spice and a hoisin-plum-sherry marinade overnight, then roasted to a lacquered mahogany finish glazed with soy and maple syrup.

Mongolian barbecue is a tableside grilling experience with thinly sliced lamb, fresh vegetables, and a star anise soy-rice wine sauce. Interactive feast for 8 guests.

Thin-sliced flank steak marinated in white wine, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and brown sugar, then threaded on skewers and grilled. Makes 30 to 40 crowd-ready teriyaki beef skewers.