Nutmeg

Buttery croissants provide delicious new twist to this otherwise traditional recipe.

"Every time I visit my sister in Los Angeles, we make a point of having dinner at Mimosa, a popular French bistro," writes Frances Candler Brown of Birmingham, Alabama. "I like to think I'm an adventurous diner, but my order there has become only too predictable: a glass of wine, a salad and the restaurant's delectable version of macaroni and cheese." This French take on macaroni and cheese has a nice assertive flavor.

Tender banana cake, Cream Cheese Frosting and Mango Curd (see recipes) stack up to one impressive dessert.

This is the soup everyone enjoyed in Louviers for Carnaval. Quick to make, deliciously satisfying and alluring, you will find it hits the spot on a cool late winter to spring evening.

Good home-cured hams could be found in every colony, but those of Smithfield, Virginia, were considered among the finest, and their reputation remains stellar today. According to a 1926 law, genuine Smithfield hams must be cured, smoked and aged for a year within the Smithfield city limits. Madeira was a popular Colonial beverage — George Washington's favorite — although for a time it was boycotted because of British taxation.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until thick. Slowly stir in the brandy, rum, peach brandy, milk and cream. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and pour into a punch bowl. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold gently into the eggnog. Grate a little nutmeg on top and serve in 4-ounce punch glasses.

Even traditionalists will love this pie, which is accented with grated orange peel.

Coffee cakes rank among the most popular of comfort foods, welcomed at breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and as the name indicates, coffee breaks. A coffee cake batter is generally more liquid than a quick bread one and contains a bit more sugar, and as a result, the final product is lighter and moister. On the other hand, coffee cakes tend to be less sweet than butter cakes. There are many versions of kuchen, this streusel-topped sour cream type being a very popular one. It is commonly served at the meal following Yom Kippur, or Shavuot, and on Sabbath afternoons or the melaveh malcha ("accompanying the queen") party following the Sabbath. For the later occasion, spices are added to the batter and topping, reflecting those used during the havdallah ceremony signaling the end of the Sabbath.

Although the most authentic Swedish meatballs are not sauced, this creamy dill-and mustard-spiked dish is nevertheless hearty, comforting and flavored with ingredients popular in Swedish cooking. The meatballs are served over caraway noodles to capture every drop of the delectable sauce. Uncork a Chardonnay to go with the meal.

These cake-like treats are moist and spicy-and great with milk.

Maple syrup is one of New England's unique gifts to the culinary world. The natural sweetener is a wonderful complement to all kinds of ingredients but is especially good when teamed with pears, which are plentiful in fall. Here they're partnered in a cobbler, an old-fashioned dessert of fruit baked with a biscuit topping. Make sure to pass whipped cream flavored with the delicate syrup.

Honey and dried currants add sweetness.

Vanilla ice cream is just the right accompaniment to these cookies; orange segments would be a fresh, pretty garnish.

This boozy pie tastes like a Hallmark Christmas movie—you know, in the best way.

The sweetened condensed milk adds a decadent richness to the custard, while the perfect ratio of spices highlights the flavors of the pumpkin. 

Just a sprinkle of this hot, warm, and sweet spice blend will enhance any dish—especially when you take a few minutes to make it yourself. 

Pumpkin Spice Bread gets all grown up thanks to the addition of fresh ginger in this super-moist no-fuss bread with a crunchy pumpkin seed topping.

This reader requested recipe is from the April 2003 issue (pictured above).