Recipe Sifter

Authentic Victorian mincemeat with boiled calf's tongue, suet, dried fruit, candied citrus peel, brandy, and whiskey. Cures in a crock for 7 weeks before becoming Christmas pie filling. Yields 96 servings.

Applesauce cheesecake squares blend cream cheese, applesauce, and warm spice on a pecan-graham crust topped with the same crumb mixture. A fall-flavored bar that beats round cheesecake.

Pumpkin black walnut biscuits are tender Southern-style biscuits made with pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and chopped black walnuts, scented with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Subtle, savory-sweet, fall on a plate.

Pureed sweet potato soup with nutmeg and white pepper, served with a dollop of cranberry sauce and sour cream in each bowl. A silky, elegant soup for fall and holiday tables.

Rumaki pate blends chicken livers with butter, soy sauce, nutmeg, and dry mustard, then folds in chopped water chestnuts and crumbled bacon. A retro appetizer spread with crunch in every bite.

Elegant chicken breasts with a mousseline-style spinach filling tucked under crispy skin, finished with a glossy Madeira pan sauce. A restaurant-worthy dinner you can prep a full day ahead.

Baked Spinach and Ricotta Penne recipe

Creamy acorn squash soup with roasted squash, carrots, sherry, half-and-half, and warm spices. The autumn soup served in hollowed-out squash bowls for a stunning fall-table presentation.

Baklava with shatter-crisp phyllo, ground walnuts and almonds, and honey syrup steeped with lemon and orange slices. The classic Greek pastry done properly, in shimmering diamond-cut squares.

Cheesecake pumpkin pie layers a graham-pecan crust with a creamy pumpkin-cream cheese filling spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Hybrid Thanksgiving showstopper.

Chocolate chip zucchini bread that bakes up impossibly moist, studded with semisweet chips, toasted pecans, and a whisper of cinnamon, nutmeg, and citrus zest. A sneaky-good way to use up summer zucchini.

Roasted butternut squash soup from Scaramouche, the iconic Toronto restaurant. Squash roasted in halves, then pureed with leeks, onions, garlic, thyme, and a swirl of cream. Pure fall comfort.

Prize pumpkin pie made with sweetened condensed milk for an extra-silky custard. Brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg pack the spice. The classic Thanksgiving slice, made richer.

Spargel in Weisser Sosse: tender white asparagus spears in a creamy nutmeg-scented white sauce with julienned ham. A beloved German side dish that's simple and elegant.

Kashmiri spinach (haak) with asafetida, turmeric, cayenne, and a homemade garam masala of black cumin, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. A deeply spiced, vegan North Indian side dish.

Paper bag apple pie: a vintage baking trick that wraps the whole pie in a brown paper bag during baking. Tender apples, golden streusel top, and an evenly browned crust without scorching.