American Recipes
2885 recipes found
Coconut Cream Pie
Coconut cream pie can assume all kinds of variations, with coconut extracts or coconut cream added to enhance the flavor. My mother’s version, which I grew up eating, is a more subtle, custardy version, with a balance of coconut and vanilla. It uses an old-fashioned technique called scalding, popular in the days before milk was pasteurized. Here it is used to change the texture of the milk and enhance its flavor. You can use the same sweetened, untoasted coconut to top the pie that you use in the filling, but the unsweetened, toasted coconut lends some nutty depth.
Award-Winning Maple Blueberry Pie
Paul Arguin, an epidemiologist, relaxes by making pie. This one, with its generous amount of fruit and sweetness from maple syrup, won the blueberry-division prize in the 2017 National Pie Championships. A few tricks raise it above other blueberry pies. One is the crust, which has a touch of cinnamon and maple sugar, and uses cider vinegar and just a little shortening for structure. Dr. Arguin cooks the filling in a sous-vide machine, which keeps the berries whole but tender. For the top crust, he borrows an idea from cake makers who work with fondant. Four planks of dough are pressed into an inexpensive silicone mat molded to look like wood grain, then peeled off and set on top of the pie. Home cooks without fancy equipment, take heart. The berries can be cooked slowly on the stove, and four strips of plain dough for the top crust work just as well.
Chicken Meatballs
These meatballs started out, funnily enough, as a meatloaf for a meal at home one night with our actual family. For the stewed-chicken-and-rice recipe, instead of forming a loaf, we made small, attractive meatballs, baked them briefly and then added them to the final stew with a chicken-skin garnish.
Perfect Pie Crust
This classic dough contains no special ingredients, just flour, salt, butter and water, but it works like a dream. The recipe makes a single crust for a 9-inch pie; simply double it to make a double-crust pie. (If you make it by hand, you can even triple or quadruple the recipe.) If you’d prefer to use a food processor, you can, and it’s a good idea if you have warm hands. To do so, pulse the butter into the flour mixture a few times, until the butter is the size of walnut halves or peas, then transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and proceed with adding the water. (Adding the water in the food processor often leads to hydration problems and overmixing, which is why you should do that part by hand no matter what.) The dough keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months (thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before rolling it out).
Crispy Feta With Lemon
When heat touches feta, its exterior crisps while its interior becomes surprisingly creamy and soft. Turning it into a dazzling appetizer takes very little: Dust the cheese with cornstarch and sesame seeds, sauté it in butter, then finish it with a squeeze of lemon. You can perch it atop a cracker, or eat it on its own, in awe of the sum of so few parts.
Boston Baked Beans
Squat, glazed ceramic bean pots lurk in cabinets all over New England. They're traditional for Boston baked beans, but enameled cast iron is faster. Beans in cast iron can be brought to a boil over a burner before the dish goes into the oven; this saves about an hour.
Maque Choux
This classic Cajun side dish is a sweet, hot, juicy, milky, buttery combination of corn, onions and peppers. It’s often cooked in rendered bacon fat and enriched with heavy cream, but this version relies upon only butter and a little water in their place, which allow the ingredients’ flavors to sing more clearly. While it is commonly understood that Fat Equals Flavor, there is a point at which too much fat actually masks complexities in flavors and dulls their vibrancy. Try the maque choux this way and see if you notice how bold and lively it tastes. If you miss the smokiness that bacon imparts, try instead a pinch of smoked paprika stirred in at the end.
Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
The most negotiable part of Buffalo wings, it turns out, are the wings. Buffalo crudités can be just as crisp, Buffalo chicken dip just as tangy, and Buffalo cauliflower dip just as spicy and alluring. The whole dip — from caramelizing cauliflower to stirring together the creamy hot sauce base and baking on the generous layer of cheese — is made in one pan. You can bring the pan right to the table with dippers of choice and watch it disappear. Just because classic dishes are made a certain way — and Buffalo wings have a cult following, no doubt! — don’t be afraid to riff on them once in awhile. That's how new classics are made.
Vegetarian Meatballs
Seasoned with Parmesan, ricotta, fennel seeds and oregano, these meat-free Italian meatballs capture all the flavors of the classic. Cremini mushrooms and chickpeas mimic the texture of ground beef, bulgur helps bind the mixture together, and ricotta keeps it tender. The balls are rolled in a light coating of bread crumbs and Parmesan that crisps as it bakes, but if you prefer a saucy meatball, skip the coating and simply bake until firm, then simmer in marinara. Any extra coating mixture can be toasted in the oven and sprinkled over roasted veggies or creamy pastas. Leftover meatballs can be frozen and reheated in a 425-degree oven until warmed through, about 15 minutes.
Ashley Judd's Peanut Butter Cake
Marjoram-Scented Black Bass, Grilled Over Wood Fire
Grilling has become my favorite way to cook fish, especially when it's still whole. This way the meat is protected by the skin and bones, which allows for gentle cooking, even over low heat. Here, I use relatively strong flavorings and seasongs which, in combination with the mild wood smoke, produces a delicious result.''
Celery Salad With Apples and Blue Cheese
Celery is perhaps at its best in salad: Its flavor is at its brightest and its crunch is unapologetically assertive. Celery root complements the chopped stalks, apples add sweetness and blue cheese — celery’s classic cohort — provides punch. Flavorful enough to stand on its own, this salad isn’t so striking that it doesn’t play well with others. Celery salad makes a welcome addition to the Thanksgiving table, particularly since the crunchy salad ingredients are strong enough to stay sturdy if refrigerated overnight.
Grilled Slaw With Ginger and Sesame
Napa makes an excellent cabbage for grilling. Its elongated shape provides greater surface area to char — and thus smoke — over a hot fire than a round cabbage. Its leaves are less tightly packed than conventional cabbage, allowing for deep penetration of the smoke flavor. Also known as Chinese cabbage, napa cabbage is native to China and pairs well with Asian seasonings, such as sesame oil, rice vinegar and ginger. To notch up the heat, add a spoonful of Asian chile paste.
Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes With Fresh Thyme
Like any other tomato recipe, this dish lives or dies with the perfectly ripened tomato. Commercial growers breed for size, shape and hardiness of shipping, but you should put your emphasis on taste rather than appearance. I'm a willing taker for tomatoes that are not so stunning-looking because I know how good they taste.''
Homemade Green Bean Casserole
If you think you don’t like green bean casserole, withhold judgment until you’ve tried this entirely from-scratch version. It has all the classic elements of the Thanksgiving favorite, but its base is a mushroom gravy amped up with red-wine vinegar, red-pepper flakes and fresh thyme rather than a can of soup. If you don’t want to fry the onions yourself (we understand), you can always substitute 1 1/2 cups store-bought fried onions or even crispier fried shallots.
Celery-Leek Soup With Potato and Parsley
This celery-forward soup is in essence a potato-leek soup that substitutes most of the potatoes with brighter celery, and skips the vast quantities of cream in the original, resulting in a lighter flavor and texture. Woodsy herbs like thyme and bay leaves, and fresh, raw parsley give the soup its intensely green, almost grassy taste. It’s worth trying the soup without dairy, then admiring the transformative effect of a splash of crème fraîche or cream, which subdues the louder celery notes.
Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
This one-dish dinner takes inspiration from chicken Parmesan, but eliminates the fuss of breading and frying chicken cutlets. Instead, chicken meatballs are the star, delivering an equally comforting and satisfying meal. The unexpected secret to these tender meatballs is tofu, which keeps them juicy. Simply press pieces of tofu between your fingertips to create small crumbles that resemble ground meat. The addition of ricotta creates a creamy texture, as well as great flavor. The meatballs are simmered in marinara sauce with red bell peppers, which infuse the sauce with fresh flavor and natural sweetness. Sharp and tangy provolone completes the dish, although mozzarella could be used for milder flavor. Enjoy over buttered egg noodles, or with crusty bread to sop up the sauce.
Wild Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts
Here, wild mushrooms and brussels sprouts get crisp and golden in the oven while brandy-glazed chestnuts add a touch of sweetness. You can make the shallot-chestnut mixture the day before and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Sprinkle it evenly over the roasting vegetables during the last 5 minutes of cooking to warm it through.
Coconut Kale
The kale in this recipe, adapted from Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij of Vij’s Restaurant, in Vancouver, British Columbia, is rich and fiery, sweet and salty all at once. Grilling softens the texture of the kale without entirely removing the mild bitterness of the leaves, while the marinade of coconut milk, cayenne, salt and lemon juice caramelizes in the heat to create a perfect balance of flavors. Made over a charcoal fire or even in a broiler or wickedly hot pan, it becomes a dish of uncommon flavor, the sort of thing you could eat on its own, with only a mound of basmati rice for contrast.
Sweet Potatoes With Bourbon and Brown Sugar
These silky mashed sweet potatoes are spiced with cloves, nutmeg and a little black pepper, brightened with lemon zest, and spiked with bourbon (or orange juice, if you'd prefer). Puréeing them in a food processor yields the smoothest, airiest texture, but for something a little more rustic, you could mash them by hand. Whichever you choose, these reheat well, either in a microwave or in a pot over low heat.
Roasted Beets With Yogurt, Pistachios and Coriander
This sophisticated side is easy enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough for entertaining thanks to a few unexpected additions: Seasoned Greek yogurt forms the basis of an effortless sauce, while toasted coriander seeds and chopped pistachios add texture. Roasting sweet, earthy beets concentrates their flavor, and a splash of balsamic balances out their sweetness. This dish can be prepared in advance and served hot, cold or at room temperature, but its assembly should be done just before serving so the toasted coriander seeds and roasted pistachios retain their crunch.
Light Potato Salad
I know the potato salad I suggest is in culinary terms very un-American. I resolutely believe, however, that potatoes are so much better dressed in oil and vinegar (but it must be good wine vinegar) than blanketed in mayonnaise.
Bobby Flay's Lemon Potatoes
Bobby Flay's restaurants have traditionally centered on the cuisine of the Southwest or of Spain. The menu of his new restaurant, Gato, will encompass regions around the Mediterranean — Spain, yes, but Italy, Provence, Greece, North Africa. “Lots of citrus," he said, like the Meyer lemon in this recipe for crushed potatoes. (The New York Times)
Sous-Vide Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
Savory Cheddar and Parmesan, along with sour cream for tang, are the keys to this rich, flavorful mash. If you have a vacuum sealer, you can use it to seal the potatoes into their sous-vide bags before cooking; this makes them easier to weigh down so they stay submerged. Once the potatoes are done, you can also keep them warm alongside the sous-vide turkey breast, if you’re making it: 145 degrees, the temperature at which the turkey breast is cooked, is the perfect temperature to hold the potatoes. If you don’t have a sous-vide machine, you can boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, then drain and mash them, and proceed with Step 2. You might not need the milk since boiled potatoes will have a higher moisture content than those cooked by sous vide.