Christmas

Creamy, nutmeg-spiced eggnog is one of my favorite holiday indulgences, and has been since I was a child. Now I’ve turned my favorite holiday cheer into a compelling ice cream.

Glutinous rice flour, also known as mochiko or sweet rice flour, makes an excellent gluten-free gravy for Thanksgiving or any holiday feast. Like wheat flour, mochiko can be toasted in fat to create a roux, which lends the finished gravy robust flavor that other starches, like cornstarch, just can’t match. This gravy also has a silky texture and great body like any gravy should. Here miso and apple cider vinegar extend the flavor, making it both brighter and more savory. Start by adding half the!…

Chunky apples, plus onion, thyme, and cider make this comforting dish especially appropriate for the holidays.

This subtly spiced, sweet potato-based marvel borrows from the Basque cheesecake tradition. It's baked until its exterior is a deep copper, with a pale interior.

I am always in search of the best brownie, and I figure if you can’t find it, make it. So here it is: a triple chocolate brownie, with a layer of toasted chopped nuts encased in dulce de leche, then topped with a zesty cheesecake mixture and baked again. I rest my case.

Rubbed with garlic, lavender, and other spices, this roast is the perfect centerpiece for a celebration.

While the pork braises away in the slow cooker, use the oven to make creamy scalloped potatoes and the microwave to make lightening-fast steamed broccoli.

This simple baked custard from the Darden Sisters relies on honey for sweetness and a bit of citrus extract and zest for a boost of flavor.

The complex flavor of this dish—briny, aromatic, slightly spicy—belies the extraordinarily simple method of actually making it.

Butter mochi is a mainstay at any island party: a perfectly chewy, slightly sticky, and just-dense-enough coconut-custard glutinous rice cake.

These buns employ raspberry jam spread on top of the rolled-out dough so that when you roll it up, the jam is spiraled
throughout the individual buns.

This easy recipe skips the yeast in favor of baking powder and baking soda to create soft, pillowy, flawlessly sweet wheels that get topped with a tangy buttermilk glaze.

These superlative oatmeal cookies skip the raisins and use Medjool dates instead. Once chopped, become nearly indistinguishable from the buttery, caramel-rich flavor of the chewy cookie.

With a simple sweet onion dressing, roasted peanuts, and crunchy potato chips, this salad is an easy favorite. As the salad sits, it becomes even more flavorful.

There is a way to have your macaroni fix in the freezer: a custard-style baked mac ’n’ cheese. Instead of a cream-based sauce, this one uses eggs and béchamel to help bind a very cheesy filling with the noodles. The pimentos help to cut the richness with a little bit of acidity.

Béchamel, a cream sauce bound by a roux of flour and butter, holds up well in the freezer, maintaining the same gooey, melty texture that the freezer too often destroys in other dairy. It’s pivotal for casseroles, such as lasagna (page 126) or the green bean dish (page 125) that falls on so many Thanksgiving menus. It’s the halfway point to sausage gravy (page 122) or cheese sauce. Long story short, béchamel helps bridge the gap when thinking about foods that freeze well. Just like duct tape, you should never be without it.

These chocolaty pastries have the attributes of a gloriously flaky croissant on the top, a sticky bun on the bottom, and a rich chocolate-studded brioche in the middle.

This rum cocktail is a tropical riff on a gingery mule. Pomegranate gives it a lovely tartness, and there’s a refreshing bubble from the soda.