Recipe Sifter

Spiced gingerbread cupcakes topped with tangy lemon cream cheese frosting. The warm spices meet bright citrus in every bite, creating a holiday treat that's cozy and refreshing at once.

Here I adapted an 18th century English spice cake recipe which also makes nice cupcakes.

Lamb shank and bean casserole inspired by French cassoulet: garlic-studded shanks braised in red wine and beef stock, layered with beans, caramelized onions, and topped with bacon and golden breadcrumbs.

Ginger molasses skillet cake baked in cast iron with brown sugar, five warm spices, pine nuts on top, and a sour cream whipped cream. Served warm from the pan.

Niter kebbeh, Ethiopian spiced clarified butter infused with ginger, turmeric, cardamom, fenugreek, cinnamon, and cloves. The foundation of Ethiopian cooking.

Rolled baklava swaps the usual diamonds for crisp phyllo logs filled with spiced walnuts, baked golden then dipped in honey-lemon syrup. The cold-syrup dip keeps every flaky roll crisp, not soggy.

Pot roast turkey breast simmered with pearl barley, thyme, bay leaves, and a clove-studded onion, served with buttered leeks and cream-enriched barley on a platter.

Five-spice-rubbed roast beef served with a homemade spiced blackberry ketchup, sweet, tart, and gently fiery with cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. An elegant roast with a surprising fruit condiment.

A spiced sheet cake packed with grated carrots, mashed bananas, toasted coconut, and pecans. Warm cloves and mace set it apart from ordinary carrot cake. Cuts into 24 squares and freezes well.

A seafood twist on classic French cassoulet: golden-seared trout, monkfish, and scallops layered with slow-simmered white beans and tomatoes, finished under a crispy breadcrumb gratin.

A must on your Christmas cookie tray. Despite the lemony frosting, the cinnamon flavor comes through.

Lizzies are bourbon-soaked fruitcake cookies with golden raisins, candied cherries, citron, and pecans. A classic Southern holiday cookie that freezes beautifully.

Serve with vanilla icecream or a dollop of best available double cream

Restaurant-style penne in a rich coconut-curry cream sauce with crab and broiled scallops, finished with spiced tomato chutney and fresh basil. A showstopper fusion dish.

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.

West: Royal Lamb Chops Braised with Nuts and Saffron recipe