Regional Cuisine Recipes

Malinnik is a chilled Russian raspberry soup blended with claret wine and sugar, lifted with a fizz of soda water, and finished with a dollop of sour cream. A bright, boozy summer dessert soup.

Mexican bean cake made with pinto bean puree, apples, raisins, and warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. A moist, spiced sheet cake with a simple glaze.

Pistachio kulfi pops made the traditional Indian way: whole milk slowly reduced to a concentrated, caramelized base, then frozen with chopped pistachios. No ice cream maker required.

Chow Gee Yok Har is a Chinese pork and shrimp stir-fry with Smithfield ham, bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, peanuts, and ginkgo nuts in a hoisin-soy sauce.

Sandcake is a Scandinavian butter cake made with three flours: all-purpose, potato flour, and rice flour. Incredibly fine-crumbed, tender, and rich with a golden crust.

Santa Maria salsa is the no-cook California barbecue staple: chopped canned tomatoes, celery, onion, and green pepper sharpened with horseradish, vinegar, and Worcestershire. Pour, chill, serve.

Irmik helvasi: Turkish semolina halva infused with saffron milk, butter-toasted pistachios, and sweetened with sugar. A warm, fragrant dessert ready in 30 minutes.

Chicken thighs stir-fried with broccoli and scallions in peanut oil, then finished with grated parmesan and whole wheat croutons. A quick East-meets-West dinner ready in 30 minutes.

A sweet-tart dipping sauce blended from dates, raisins, ginger, and cider vinegar. Smooth, warm, and built to drizzle over grilled kebabs, skewers, and roasted meats.

Three-ingredient shortbread dough shaped three ways: classic wedges, thumbprint cookies with fruit preserves, and pecan spice triangles with vanilla icing. One dough, three desserts.

Greek yogurt cake with raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves layered through a tender butter batter. A traditional tourta cut into diamond shapes for a spiced afternoon sweet.

Flourless-style chocolate cake made with egg whites, cocoa, ground almonds, coffee, and orange zest. No butter, no yolks, ultralight yet intensely chocolatey. Kosher-friendly and naturally low in fat.

Steamed spinach dressed with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, and a touch of vinegar. An authentic Korean banchan side dish (sigumchi namul) in minutes.

Basbousa bil loz (Egyptian almond basbousa) cooks toasted semolina and almonds with butter, then thickens with lemon-scented sugar syrup. A stovetop Middle Eastern dessert.

Kung Pao-style chicken stir fry with deep-fried peanuts, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sherry, and white vinegar. Egg-and-cornstarch coated chicken cubes get a velvety, glossy finish.

Matzoh fritters stuffed with currants, almonds, and dried apricots, lightened with folded egg whites and fried golden. A Passover-friendly treat with bright lemon flavor.