Christmas

This tequila-infused carnitas recipe is perfect for festive occasions—or any weeknight you want to party.

This cube of crustless milk bread is encased in a shiny, shatteringly thin caramel shell, then filled with an enormous dollop of chamomile-infused vanilla bean custard.

Pairing the tangy fruit with Scotch—plus oolong tea that’s been steeped forever—gives a whisper of smoke and a bitter, malty edge to the drink.

The Stilton adds another dimension to the bubble and squeak, giving it a wonderfully rich and redolent tang. Served with slices of Christmas ham, this is a dish that would certainly get those Herald angels singing.

This is a fine Christmas Day vegetarian dish, a serious centerpiece packed with rich flavor. The recipe may look a bit epic upon first glance, but the sauce and caramelized onions can be made in advance.

This recipe calls for a whole leg of ham, with the bone in, that has been pre-cured and pre-cooked. If you can’t buy a pre-cooked ham, ask your local butcher for a cured leg and follow their cooking instructions before glazing.

While brandy is the traditional partner for fruit cake, you could also try using a dessert sherry such as Pedro Ximénez. It’s an intensely sweet, dark sherry made from the Spanish grape variety of the same name. Perfect in festive cakes, puddings and custards, you can find it in liquor stores.

You’ll find these a fudgy, sweet and lightly fermented addition to your brownie repertoire.

Like many long-simmered sauces, this one, perhaps the most delicious of all the Italian meat sauces, is more flavorful and balanced the following day.

Imagine a pumpkin pie with pecan pie’s best feature: the candied nut topping. Now spike the custard with rye whiskey, up the flavor of the crust with rye flour, and voilà.

A sharp lemon filling, sweet-and-salty meringue, and shatteringly crisp crust combine to make a balanced update to this classic.

A dazzling chocolate pudding pie cloaked in voluminous whipped cream. The secret to that whipped cream’s great height: Setting it with dissolved gelatin means it won’t deflate or weep when chilled.

Bake your pie crusts ahead so your oven is free for the turkey on the big day. They will keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 days.

Roasted peanuts pull double duty in the graham cracker crust and sprinkled over the topping, keeping the bananas from making this pie excessively sweet.

On the continuum from slightly textured to exquisitely satiny spuds, use a potato masher (rustic, but fine!), ricer (nicer!), or food mill fitted with the finest disk (woooow!).

It’s ideal to serve these leeks warm (the smell just out of the oven is amazing), but they can also be made a few hours ahead and served at room temperature.