The 37 Most Popular Recipes From Gourmet
Epicurious launched in 1995 with about 5,000 recipes—digitized by a group of monks in Virginia—and the dream of becoming a go-to resource for home cooks everywhere. Today, across Epicurious and and our sister site, Bon Appétit, we have over 50,000 carefully tested recipes available—including more than 11,000 recipes reprinted from the pages of Gourmet. In this list you’ll find 37 reader favorites—the Gourmet recipes you come back to again and again. You’ll notice some of them have received a little glow-up as we begin to add high-resolution photos to popular recipes that never had them before. Dive into the list to plan your next special occasion dinner—or cozy brunch at home.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews1/37Chocolate Mousse
Many of the most popular Gourmet recipes are sophisticated sweets, like this luscious chocolate dessert. We promise it's actually not difficult to make: You'll simply heat cream in a small saucepan then whisk into a mixture of egg yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt. That combination gets warmed over low heat and scented with vanilla, then combined with melted chocolate and freshly whipped cream. You can make this mousse a day in advance—which means it's a great low-stress option for a special dinner.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi2/37Haricots Verts With Herb Butter
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova4/37Belgian Buttermilk Waffles With Glazed Bananas
Get your waffle iron ready—these buttermilk waffles are sure to impress, especially with their easy glazed-banana topping.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews5/37Crisp Roast Duck
Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food styling by Kaitlin Wayne6/37Dulce de Leche
Drizzle this homemade delight on ice cream, on fruit, on cookies, or on a tart—or simply enjoy it by the spoonful.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell7/37Leg of Lamb With Garlic and Rosemary
“This recipe is simple and very straightforward. The results are outstanding,” writes Epicurious reader Teslaughter. Other commenters agree that this is a “winning recipe" that's perfect for Easter dinner or any festive meal.
Photo by Caleb Adams, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell8/37Cedar-Plank Salmon
Bookmark this salmon recipe for your first backyard barbecue of the spring. The salmon takes on a light, smoky woodiness from grilling on a cedar plank, for a lovely pairing of earth and ocean. “I have made this recipe on numerous occasions,” writes Epi reader Blinet. The results? It's always “a big success.”
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad9/37Creamy Leek Soup
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova10/37Cheese Fondue
11/37Empanada Dough
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova12/37Buttermilk French Toast
You've probably made French toast with eggs and milk—but what if you swapped out the milk for buttermilk? The answer is this subtly tangy take on the classic brunch recipe. Get your maple syrup ready.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad13/37Double Chocolate Layer Cake
This five-star favorite from the March 1999 issue is the perfect birthday cake. Or the perfect any-day cake.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich14/37Lemon Curd
This simple lemon curd recipe uses equal quantities of fresh lemon juice and sugar, so that it's bright and tart. Dollop it on yogurt, serve it with scones, or layer onto a cake to bring a bit of sunshine into your winter. If you tire of the classic, remember—you can also make curd from (almost) any fruit.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad15/37Lemony Risotto With Asparagus and Shrimp
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova16/37Bouillabaisse
The trick to making great bouillabaisse: focus on finding great seafood rather than finding one specific fish. Don't be afraid of improvising with this recipe, as long as the basic ratios stay the same. Monkfish, turbot, red snapper, striped bass, porgy, grouper, and cod will all work well with whatever shellfish is available.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad17/37Cream Cheese Pastry Dough
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova18/37Flourless Chocolate Cake
File this under: classic for a reason. This is the perfect easy chocolate dessert, no matter what you're making for dinner. It keeps for a week, so you can carve off slivers whenever you want one.
Photo by Caleb Adams, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell19/37Three Cities of Spain Cheesecake
Food editor emeritus Anna Stockwell declared this cheesecake simply the best of all time. The recipe is so simple you can easily memorize it, and there's no water bath required. The simple sour cream topping adds a touch of tangy flavor (and covers any cracks).
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad20/37Crème Brûlée French Toast Casserole
This luscious baked French toast doesn't require a kitchen torch—it crisps on top in your oven, and has a rich brown sugar caramel at the bottom of the pan.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad21/37Sour-Cream Pancakes With Sour-Cream Maple Syrup
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova22/37Panna Cotta
This classic make-ahead dessert can shift with the seasons. Top with berries in summer, supremed citrus in winter, or eat it unadorned whenever you like.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova23/37Turkey Meatloaf
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova24/37Bourbon Chicken Liver Pâté
Though this pâté can be eaten the day it's made—and it's a particularly perfect partner for slices of baguette and a martini—we find it even more flavorful when made a day or two ahead. If you use several small ramekins instead of a pâté crock or terrine, you may need more clarified butter to seal the tops.
Photo by Romulo Yanes25/37Spaghettini with Garlic and Lemon
While many of the most popular recipes from Gourmet were special-occasion meals, this weeknight dinner is also among reader favorites. All you need to make it is pasta, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, lemons, parsley, and salt and pepper.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi26/37Classic Pecan Pie
It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without this pie, which is really loaded with nuts and gets a little verve from orange zest. The filling calls for light corn syrup, which is mostly flavorless and lets the nuttiness of the pecans shine. If you prefer you can substitute an equal amount of dark corn syrup, which gets its darker color and more robust flavor from molasses (brown rice syrup is another great choice).
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova27/37Sticky Rice With Mango
This classic dessert is the ideal way to finish a Thai feast. Fill in the rest of your menu with papaya salad and this fantastic saffron-rubbed chicken. Running short on time? You can also make mango sticky rice in your microwave.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad28/37Chicken Tagine With Apricots and Almonds
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova30/37Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake
Many beloved Gourmet recipes were reader requests, such as this fantastic chocolate cake from Bridge Street Bakery in Waitsfield, Vermont. The filling is made from sweetened condensed milk that is cooked in a water bath in the oven until it caramelizes. While the milk is baking, you can prepare your chocolate glaze.
31/37Six-Hour Pork Roast
32/37Perfect Steamed Rice
33/37Cha Gio
These Vietnamese spring rolls, stuffed with bean thread noodles, wood ear mushrooms, grated carrot, and ground pork shoulder, can be assembled (but not fried) and frozen, wrapped well in foil. Thaw in refrigerator before frying. Serve with lettuce leaves, mint, and cilantro for wrapping each crispy bite.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews34/37Cream of Asparagus Soup (Crème d'asperges)
Asparagus season is one of the many reasons we look forward to spring. This classic French soup is simple to prepare in advance, and a perfect choice for entertaining.
35/37Chicken Marsala
Transform boneless chicken breasts into a luxurious meal with this sauce made with mushrooms, Marsala, chicken broth, and cream.
Photo by Romulo Yanes36/37Lemon Curd Marbled Cheesecake
Cap of your meal with this showstopper, swirled throughout with tangy lemon curd. It's one of our favorite cheesecake recipes of all time.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh37/37Duck à l’Orange
For this rendition of the retro dinner party feast, the Gourmet test kitchen reduced the original quantity of sugar and caramelized it (along with the aromatic vegetables which balance out the sweetness) for a rich sauce with layers of flavor.
