Recipe Sifter

Hot rough tomato soup simmered with fresh tomatoes, ghee, dried red chiles, whole cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaves. An Indian-spiced, chunky vegetarian soup with real heat.

Lamb roghan josh with toasted coriander, saffron cream, and garam masala. Tender cubed lamb simmered in yogurt sauce, finished with toasted almond flakes.

The thickness of the soup is somewhat unpredictable, so stand by with a bit of water or stock to thin it down if necessary.

Maple glazed ham for the smoker: a 7-pound cooked ham basted in spiced maple syrup, studded with cloves, and smoked slow with pineapple and cherries for a holiday showstopper.

Marbled pumpkin cheesecake squares swirl a tangy cream cheese topping into a spiced pumpkin batter built with prune puree instead of butter or oil. Lower-fat fall dessert with cinnamon, ginger and clove.

Capirotada, a traditional Mexican bread pudding layered with bananas, raisins, peanuts, almonds, and Monterey Jack cheese, soaked in a cinnamon-clove brown sugar syrup.

Mole poblano with turkey and pork simmered in a two-chile sauce of mulato and pasilla peppers, almonds, peanuts, chocolate, and warm spices. Authentic Mexican flavor.

Mushroom ketchup, a Victorian-era umami bomb of salted fresh mushrooms and dried boletus simmered with vinegar, warm spices and sherry. A shelf-stable savory condiment worth the two-day project for real depth.

Old-fashioned sweet pepper pickles brined overnight, then simmered in spiced sugar-vinegar syrup with cloves, cinnamon, mace, and ginger. A canning-jar staple from the heritage pantry.

Pumpkin praline pie hides a buttery pecan-praline layer beneath spiced pumpkin filling in a hot-water pastry crust. A Southern Thanksgiving pie that outshines the standard version.

Moist pumpkin cake rolled up with sweet cream cheese frosting and dusted with powdered sugar. This impressive fall dessert looks fancy but follows a simple jellyroll technique.

A little of this warm, spicy blend goes a long way. Coming from North India, where meat is eaten more frequently than in the South, it is the kind of masala that's popular as an accompaniment for almost any meat dish, as a condiment or in the sauce.

Apricot bread made with a full pound of dried apricots cooked in warm spices. Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg give these two loaves a fragrant, fruit-studded crumb.

Red plum spice cake with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves folded into a moist batter studded with chopped plums and nuts. Finished with a cream cheese frosting spiked with reserved plum juice.

Reva's molasses sugar cookies: chewy, crackle-topped molasses cookies rolled in sugar before baking. Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The old-fashioned holiday cookie your grandma kept in a tin.

Saffron garlic potato soup: a Provencal-style aigo bouido with a whole head of garlic, fresh herbs, saffron threads, and diced potatoes. Served over French bread with melted parmesan.