Recipes By Samantha Seneviratne
143 recipes found
Cranberry Crumb Muffins
In these tender muffins, a crunchy topping adds nice textural contrast, and supertart cranberries keep the sweetness balanced. Fresh or frozen cranberries work well, but if using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them before they go into the batter. The batter may seem extra stiff from the cold berries, but it will bake up just fine. (They may need an extra minute or two in the oven.) Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a mix of the three would be lovely. If you use berries, you can expect some color streaking, but they will taste great. Chopped up in-season peaches or plums would be tasty, too. Use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to portion muffin batter into the prepared pan: It’s easy, quick and helps to keep the muffins the same size.
Plum and Frangipane Tart
Frangipane is a creamy custard made of ground nuts, butter, sugar and eggs. It’s often spread under fruit in tarts and galettes, over a layer of jam in a Bakewell tart, or tucked into a puff pastry crown to make a classic pithivier. It is most often made with almonds, but pistachios, hazelnuts and pecans (or even a mix of them!) are tasty substitutes. Almond flour is used in place of whole nuts in this recipe so that the mixture comes together without any special machinery — just a bowl and a spoon. Store-bought puff pastry makes this dessert even easier to pull together.
Fig and Cherry Cookie Pies
Similar to cucidati, the Italian fig cookies traditionally served at Christmastime, these adorable mini pies are filled with dried figs, dried cherries and almonds, then topped with a pretty almond-flavored glaze. But unlike most cucidati recipes, this one calls for softening the dried fruit in simmering water before it is puréed with nuts and spices. Sometimes dried fruit from the store comes without a drop of moisture left in it, so rehydrating it helps bring back some softness and ensures that the filling doesn’t rob moisture from the pastry as it bakes.
Chocolate Rice Pudding
For undiluted, deep chocolate flavor, this creamy pudding uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. The type of cocoa powder you choose will affect the final flavor of the pudding: Dutch-processed cocoa powder has been treated with an alkali, which neutralizes its natural acidity, while natural cocoa powder has not. Natural cocoa powder has a fruity chocolate flavor, while Dutch-processed cocoa is more mellow and smooth — and will result in a darker pudding. The custard will still look loose when the rice has cooked but it will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cool, you can stir in a little bit of milk or cream to loosen it as necessary.
Coconut Pound Cake
Coconut oil and coconut milk add a tasty tropical essence to this moist pound cake. Be sure to buy unrefined virgin coconut oil, as it has the best coconut flavor and aroma. Coconut oil is much easier to measure and incorporate when it has been softened than at room temperature, when it is firmer. Try popping it into the microwave for very short bursts, about 5 seconds each, until it is roughly the same consistency as softened butter.
Cheesecake-Chocolate Pudding Bars
You may know it as chocolate delight or chocolate lush, but while this dessert has many names, the recipe rarely varies. Traditionally, it starts with a salty nut base, followed by a mixture of cream cheese and Cool Whip, a layer of boxed-mix chocolate pudding, and then even more Cool Whip. This from-scratch version starts with a crumbly pecan shortbread, which adds texture and salt. The homemade pudding tastes of deep, dark chocolate and serves as the perfect contrast to the simple no-bake cheesecake layer. Gilding the lily with freshly whipped cream and chocolate shavings isn’t imperative, but it certainly takes it to another level.
German Chocolate Cake
German chocolate cake is an American classic, named after a chocolatier called Samuel German (as opposed to the European nation). Milder than devil’s food cake, this chocolate cake has layers that are subtle and sweet, chocolatey but not excessively so. They create a lovely, velvet-textured vehicle for the heaps of gooey, toasted coconut and pecan custard. For more chocolate appeal, rich ganache can be slathered on the sides. This not only adds another blissful layer of chocolate, but also neatens up the look and makes for a party-worthy presentation.
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
French green lentils (Puy lentils) make a hearty base for this vegetarian shepherd’s pie. They may be slighter harder to find than other lentils, but they’re worth the extra effort. Unlike brown or red lentils, green lentils retain their shape and texture after cooking, which means they stand up well to a long simmer and this rich potato topping. Store-bought vegetable stock can vary greatly so be sure to buy one with a pleasant flavor that isn’t too sweet. (Note: Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese contains rennet, so it is not vegetarian. Use a vegetarian Parmesan or leave it out. If you leave it out, be sure to season the potatoes well with salt and pepper.)
Skillet Pork Chops With Blistered Grapes
Pork chops make a great weeknight dinner, and this dish is no exception. It looks and feels special, but comes together in about 20 minutes with very minimal prep. Selecting bone-in pork chops is beneficial beyond appearance: The bones protect the meat to keep it moist. However, you could also use boneless chops or even chicken breasts, if you’d prefer; just be sure to reduce the cooking time accordingly.
Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherds are in the business of herding sheep, which makes lamb the most obvious choice for this shepherd's pie recipe, but ground beef is a tasty addition. The combination of ground lamb and ground beef is earthy and robust, and keeps lamb’s gaminess in check. Ground lamb tends to be fatty, so this recipe uses lean ground beef to compensate. If you prefer all beef, be sure to use something with a little more fat (and call it a cottage pie, if you like). And if you prefer all lamb, you may want to skim off some of the extra fat after browning the meat.
Morning Glory Muffins
Glory may be a big goal for the morning, but it is attainable. These nourishing muffins are packed with vegetables, fruit, nuts and coconut to keep everyone singing your praises well past breakfast. A bit of spice, brown sugar and whole-wheat flour round out the flavor and make them irresistible. If you’re striving for even more accolades, try topping them with a swirl of cream frosting, which turns them into sweet and satisfying cupcakes.
Lemon Poppy Muffins
From supermarket aisles to those backlight bakery cases in every diner across the country, lemon poppy-seed muffins are ubiquitous, and easy to love. Buttery and soft, tart and sweet, they are soothing in their simplicity, while seeds add just a bit of crunch. This version gets a healthy dose of lemony tang thanks to an ample amount of grated zest and a zippy lemon-juice glaze. It’s important to spring for fresh fruit here, as opposed to anything that comes in a plastic bottle. The bright flavor of real lemon goes a long way.
Lemon Shortcakes With Gingered Blueberries
For the best shortcakes, bake them just before serving. To make that an easy prospect, you can prepare and freeze them in advance: Prepare the dough through Step 3, freeze the shortcakes completely, then transfer them to an airtight container for up to one week. Bake the frozen scones whenever the mood strikes. They’ll take a few extra minutes to cook, but will be perfectly tender and fresh. They’re wonderful served straight from the oven, but if you plan to layer them with cream and fruit, let them cool to room temperature first.
Apple Butter Rugelach
Apple butter, like applesauce, is made from apples that have been cooked down, but the process is taken even further. The result is a thick, caramelized paste that you can spread with a knife instead of eating it with a spoon. Here, it is paired with honey, walnuts and currants to make a fall-inspired rugelach cookie. The cream cheese in the dough gives it a pleasant tang and makes it super easy to work with.
Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Chewy and sweet, these simple cookies are heavenly with a cup of tea — and a lavish dose of fresh lemon zest provides some pluck. Cream cheese is the star ingredient in both the cookie and its glaze, and performs two tasks: It imparts tanginess and contributes to the soft texture. These cookies are simple but delicate, so you’ll want to pull them from the oven as soon as they begin to turn golden, then let them cool directly on the baking sheets until they firm up. The glaze is optional, but it’s easy to whip together while the cookies cool.
Millionaire’s Shortbread
Plain shortbread, a combination of the most basic ingredients in the baker’s pantry, is an understated sweet, but millionaire’s shortbread is a spectacle. It’s a flashy cookie, topped with swoops of chocolate and chewy caramel made from condensed milk, butter and Lyle’s Golden Syrup. A British confection made from cane sugar, Lyle’s is found near the honey and maple syrup in any well-stocked supermarket, but if you can't find it, corn syrup makes a fine, if slightly less flavorful, substitute.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies
These are like those three-ingredient peanut butter cookies everyone loves, but with a little cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate thrown in to make them fancy. You only need five ingredients and a bit of elbow grease to put them together. While semisweet chocolate (in bar or chip form) would certainly work here, bittersweet chocolate is a better choice. The darker chocolate, along with the cocoa powder, adds a fruity bitterness that contrasts nicely with the sweet peanut butter.
Ice Cream Sandwiches
These ice cream sandwiches make a perfect summertime treat. The thin brownie cake layer bakes quickly, which is a bonus on hot days, and the filling need not be homemade. Freezing time can vary so be sure to plan ahead. Give the assembled cake plenty of time before trying to cut and wrap individual sandwiches and make sure the finished sandwiches are well-frozen before serving.
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
With plenty of cocoa powder and big wells of dark chocolate, these double chocolate cookies are so fudgy that a tall glass of cold milk is not only delicious, but essential — especially when they are served hot from the oven. Just like David Leite’s impeccable chocolate chip cookies, they bake up even better after the dough has had time to rest in the fridge. The extralong chill gives the dough a chance to hydrate fully and firm up, which yields more uniformly baked cookies, with the perfect amount of crunch around the edges and chew in the center. Thin chocolate discs or wafers, which are widely available, are used here. They melt into lovely chocolate layers as the cookies bake. But if you can’t find them, chocolate chips make a fine substitute; there's no need to adjust the baking time.
Classic Chocolate Éclairs
Master pâte à choux (choux pastry dough) and a world of dreamy, airy desserts opens up to you: éclairs, croquembouches, profiteroles, gougères and even churros. Choux pastry dough is unique in that it is typically prepared in a saucepan over heat, which might sound intimidating, but it is much more approachable than you might think. If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can use a resealable plastic bag to pipe these éclairs — or turn them into cream puffs by simply dropping the dough in 2-tablespoon scoops about 3 inches apart onto a baking sheet. The pastry starts to soften as soon as the éclair is filled with custard, so indulge immediately. It won’t be difficult. Save any leftover chocolate glaze in the refrigerator. Reheated, it makes perfect hot fudge sauce.
Salted Caramel Peanut Brownie Bars
With a chewy chocolate chunk-studded base and heaps of gooey peanut-laden caramel, these bars are part candy bar and part brownie with cookielike edges. Super-rich and satisfying, a little piece is all you need. A candy or deep-fry thermometer is an inexpensive and useful tool worth investing in to achieve a caramel that is neither too hard nor too soft.
Fresh Strawberry Pie
This pie is a celebration of perfectly ripe, summertime strawberries. Only two cups of the berries are cooked down into a quick jam, which holds the rest of the fruit together for a delightfully fresh pie. With a crunchy shortbread crust and a cloud of freshly whipped cream, it’s reminiscent of strawberry shortcake — but maybe even better.
Boston Cream Pie
An American classic, Boston cream pie isn't a pie at all. Its base is an old-fashioned hot milk cake, a downy-soft, buttery yellow cake. How you whip the eggs and the sugar is critical, as the tiny air bubbles they produce add lift to the finished product. This traditional version is best the day it's made, but will hold up in the fridge for a couple of days. You may just notice a slight change in texture. Slathered with homemade vanilla custard and a chocolate glaze, it hits all the right notes, but it would be just as lovely served with in-season berries or layered with chocolate or coffee custard instead of vanilla. Make it as is, or go rogue. Either way, it’s sure to please.
Spinach and Pea Fritters
As a vegetable-forward weeknight meal, these spinach fritters have it all: sweet peas, gooey cheese and crispy bits. Made from thawed, frozen peas and spinach, the work is minimal. If you’d like to use fresh peas and spinach, you’ll need to quickly blanch and drain them first. Fresh mozzarella adds a pleasant creaminess, but goat cheese or feta would work, too. Serve these over quinoa or rice, or top with a poached or fried egg for brunch.