998 night recipes

Cheesy Southwestern spoon bread with creamed corn, green chiles, and cheddar baked golden in one pan. This custardy cornbread side is somewhere between cornbread and a savory pudding, and it goes with everything.

A steamed tofu pate with cornmeal, wheat germ, Dijon mustard, and warming spices like allspice, fennel, and sage. Vegan, sliceable, and keeps in the fridge for two weeks.

A South Indian-inspired sambar stew with Brussels sprouts and green beans simmered in a spiced yellow lentil purée with tamarind, mustard seeds, and fenugreek. Vegan, protein-rich, and served over rice.

Two-layered Thai steamed coconut cups with a dark brown sugar coconut base and a creamy white coconut cream topping. A traditional vegetarian Thai dessert made with rice flour, naturally gluten-free.

Baked hush puppies made in mini muffin pans with cornmeal, chopped onion, and black pepper. All the crispy, cornbready flavor of the Southern classic without deep frying.

Easy chocolate sheet cake is a Texas-style one-bowl 9x13 cake with buttermilk, cocoa, and a hint of cinnamon. No mixer needed, ready in 40 minutes. Moist, rich, bake sale-ready.

Old Dominion chocolate pie layers a buttery hand-cut crust with rich unsweetened chocolate custard, cooked low on the stovetop until thick and glossy. A Virginia classic with deep cocoa flavor.

Molasses elephant cookies are soft, spice-laced drop cookies with cinnamon, ginger, and a splash of cider vinegar, decorated with raisin or date faces. A vintage kids' cookie made for tiny artists.

Italian biscotti with toasted walnuts, orange zest, and black pepper. The savory-sweet hybrid that pairs with dessert wine, cheese, or after-dinner coffee.

Mini chess cake tarts in cream cheese pastry shells with a choice of pecan brown sugar filling or coconut filling. Bite-sized Southern tea-tray classics.

Green tomato and apple pie with golden raisins, orange zest, and warm spices in a double crust. A classic end-of-season Southern way to use up the last unripe tomatoes from the garden.

Had some pumpkin puree and cream cheese on hand, wondering if I could make a dessert that had these two ingredients and chocolate. Found some recipes that almost fit my thoughts, then combined my own ideas, here these delicious cheesecake bars are. They were absolutely delightful and only lasted a few hours...

Gingered figs simmered in molasses and sugar until plump and tender. A warm, spiced fruit condiment for ham, pork, roast beef, chicken, or steak.

Patty Ann's cheese cake tarts: bite-size cream cheese pastry shells with two fillings, pecan and coconut. Muffin-tin desserts for holiday cookie trays.

Homemade sour cream cinnamon rolls with a soft yeasted dough, brown sugar cinnamon filling, and vanilla confectioners sugar icing. The sour cream makes them impossibly tender. Makes 12.

Mexican praline cookies made with brown sugar, butter, toasted pecans, cinnamon, and egg yolk, dusted with powdered sugar. A rich, buttery shortbread-style cookie with warm spice and nutty crunch.