Melissa Roberts

Need an elegant dinner party dessert? A quick tea cake? A vacation birthday bake? This chocolaty wonder fits every bill.

Make these cookies for an after-school snack, midday treat, or gift for friends and neighbors.

The perfect condiment to serve with roast chicken, kebabs, pappadam, and more.

Filled with poached shrimp and fresh mango, these Vietnamese-style spring rolls are a surefire crowd-pleaser.

You don’t need to speak Italian or even turn on the oven to make this dreamy espresso-scented dessert.

With a creamy chocolate filling and big swooshes of homemade whipped cream, this classic recipe is welcome at any party.

This homemade chocolate syrup recipe is rich and versatile, and the process is nearly as easy as running to the grocery store to pick up a bottle of Hershey’s.

You want to bake a blueberry pie, but you don’t wanna fuss with a lattice crust. We’ve got just the thing for you: blueberry crumble pie, a fresh option for summer. 

This easy tart cherry pie recipe highlights the sweet-tart fruit and has a wonderfully flaky double crust.

Think of this easy vegetarian casserole as a kosher for Passover spanakopita or green lasagna—it’s similar to a style of matzo pie called mina in Sephardic homes.

Gourmet’s best eggplant Parmesan recipe starts with a quick homemade marinara and uses panko breadcrumbs for a satisfying crunch.

This classic Jewish American rugelach recipe uses a very cold cream cheese–based dough to make tender, flavorful rolled cookies full of sweet jam and cinnamon.

This smooth custard in a flaky shell with a crackling burnt-sugar top was one of the most popular desserts at Michael's in Santa Monica.

These warmly spiced lamb meatballs are so juicy, light, and flavorful—not to mention easy—they'll be rocking your party world this holiday season.

Traditionally, baklava is a Middle Eastern dessert, but we fell head over heels for this savory rendition. Roasting coaxes out the earthy magic in hearty root vegetables and fennel, which are then tossed with fresh dill and baked in walnut-layered phyllo until it's golden brown.

Watch out, potato chips. Kale chips are this year's latest craze in the snack department. Suddenly they seem to be everywhere, and for a hefty price. You won't believe how easy these crisps are to make at home for a fraction of the cost, and the Parmigiano and freshly ground pepper seasoning complements the kale beautifully. Bet you can't eat just one! Take it from us: When it comes to kale chips, curly kale beats Tuscan kale. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A New Years' Eve Pasrty. Menu also includes Turkish Spiced Meatballs with Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce and Bite-Size Chipotle Chicken Soft Tacos (tinga de pollo) .

Hanukkah is the celebration of ritual oil that miraculously lasted for eight days instead of one, which is why oil factors prominently during the holiday. While latkes (potato pancakes pan-fried in oil) are traditional—and we've never met a latke we didn't love—why not end the meal this year with apple fritters that are as tender and delicate as cake doughnuts? Drizzled with an orange glaze, they echo the flavors of the winter season. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A Hanukkah Feast. Menu also includes Salmon with Potato "Scales" and Swiss Chard with Horseradish .

When the opportunity arises—as it did with this salmon—we can't resist a little trompe l'oeil, a chance to have some harmless fun with our food, because, well, food is fun. And with Hanukkah being a particularly kid-friendly holiday, we know children and adults alike will get a big kick out of the edible potato "scales" that top these individual slabs of salmon. Your budding young chefs will love arranging the scales on the fish. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A Hanukkah Feast. Menu also includes Swiss Chard with Horseradish and Apple Fritters with Orange Glaze .

If you're trying to incorporate more dark leafy greens into your meals, Swiss chard is a great starter vegetable. It cooks quickly compared to kale and collards, and the stems are as delicious as the leaves. In fact, the stems are the prized portion of the plant in Provence, and that's not something kale or collards can brag about. We prefer green Swiss chard in this recipe because it cooks up a brighter green than red or rainbow chard and the stems are more tender, but if you can't find the green, don't hesitate to use other chards. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A Hanukkah Feast. Menu also includes Salmon with Potato "Scales" and Apple Fritters with Orange Glaze .

Don't say we didn't warn you! These hors d'oeuvre–size soft tacos will be gobbled up faster than you can say tinga de pollo. But no need to fear, because the recipe is easily doubled, which means you'll be tasting and toasting until the clock strikes midnight. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A New Years' Eve Pasrty. Menu also includes Turkish Spiced Meatballs with Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce and Parmesan Pepper Curly Kale Chips .