Holiday: Easter

Cheesy au Gratin Potatoes

Few foods seem as all-American as potatoes. But what you actually get from au gratin potatoes can range from curdled cream and unevenly cooked potatoes to cheese that's barely there and slices that fall into sloppy heaps. This American classic needed perfecting.The choice of potato was critical for our Cheesy au Gratin Potatoes. We settled […]

Braided Lemon Bread

  There's just something about lemon that brings a smile to even the dullest of days: its bright yellow color and zippy taste can't be beat. This Braided Lemon Bread is a sweet, egg-enriched dough surrounding a sweetened cream cheese filling with a luscious layer of lemon curd and a sprinkling of pearl sugar. The […]

Mexican Wedding Cookies

  Mexican wedding cookies are as well traveled as Carmen Sandiego. In some circles, these little treats are known as "Russian tea cakes," while in other places, they masquerade as "Danish wedding cookies." Where I grew up, in Kentucky, they're called "snowballs," but down in Florida, they're "butterballs" instead. Food historians say this culinary enigma […]

Rosemary Braised Lamb Shanks with Creamy Polenta

Between the fall-off-the-bone meat and the rich sauce scented with herbs and layered with flavor, this luxe-seeming meal felt intimidating to make at home. As it turns out, this meal is much more doable than it lets on.

Crunchy Baked Saffron Rice with Barberries (Tachin)

Also known as tachin, this crispy baked Persian rice is often layered with meat, dried fruit, spices, and presented in a rectangular shape. We omitted the meat to keep things simple and went with a round shape to change things up. Rinse the rice to keep it from getting gummy, and parboil it so it […]

Coconut Macaroons

Soft and chewy on the inside, crisp and golden on the outside — these are the perfect coconut macaroons. They’re delicious plain but even more irresistible dipped in dark chocolate. They also keep well for days, making them the perfect treat to bake ahead or give away during the holidays.

Italian Anise Cookies

Cakey, with a little heft, Angelettis share similarities with a scone or a biscuit. A combination of shortening and butter gives the cookies both ethereal texture and rich flavor, while baking powder provides just enough lift. Lemon zest and juice ably complement the refreshing hit of anise, which fully permeates the cookies.

Chopped Carrot Salad with Fennel, Orange, and Hazelnuts

  Finely chopping carrots in the food processor, instead of grating them by hand, produced a delicately crunchy, light-textured base for our carrot salad. The food processor broke down the carrots in seconds, and we saved even more time by not peeling the carrots; scrubbing them was sufficient, and the skins contributed a subtle but […]

Raspberry-Ricotta Cake

There’s nothing like a moist, fluffy, berry-streaked cake to make any weeknight (or, um, weekday morning) feel special. This is an easy, no-fuss way to make a great dessert. It's more of a European-style cake, with a denser texture and restrained sweetness. It’s got a super approachable ingredient list and with little effort you end […]

Pita and Chickpea Salad with Yogurt and Mint (Fatteh)

  This dish is known as fatteh in the Levant, where it often is eaten for breakfast. It’s a way to turn stale pita bread into a hearty meal. We, however, start with fresh pita, brush it with butter, crisp it in the oven, then break it into shards before topping the pieces with warmed […]

Blueberry, Almond, and Lemon Cake

  A slice of this berry-dotted cake is perfect late in the morning, for afternoon tea or after dinner, with coffee. It keeps for up to three days in a sealed container, but is at its absolute best on the day it’s made.