Bread & Baking
456 recipes found
Apple-Gruyère French Toast With Red Onion
Light and fluffy, here the bread takes on a soft, cakelike texture from its custard bath, which is a nice foil to the sharp cheese, savory onions and caramelized apple. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this sandwich could replace latkes on Hanukkah. But it sure makes a nice alternative that I could see making all year long.
Strawberry Shortbread and Cream
In this summery dessert, golden-edged cookies are paired with syrupy strawberries and fluffy whipped cream for a result that’s a bit like strawberry shortcake, but crunchier and a lot more buttery. These cookies have a little more sugar than most shortbread recipes, so they’re especially crisp, but since they are on the sweet side, use a light hand when adding sugar to the berries. You just need enough to get the juices flowing. A few pinches should do it. And if you use cultured butter, the cookies will be even richer.
Pretzel Shortbread
Flecked with sea salt on the outside, buttery and supremely crunchy within, this pretzel shortbread leans to the savory side, both salty and sweet. This version, created by Lost Bread Company in Philadelphia, mixes crumbs from the bakery’s own sourdough pretzels into the dough. But any pretzels will give the shortbread the necessary tang. The bakery also dips the shortbread into a lye solution before baking to give them that characteristic glossy surface. This simplified version calls for either using baking soda or an egg white. The slightly bitter baking soda mixture adds some of the complex flavor of the lye, but using an egg white is simpler, and the cookies are nearly as delicious.
Carne Asada Lorenza
For centuries, Sonoran carne asada tacos have traditionally been assembled in flour tortillas. However, the corn tortilla, salted and crisped on the same grill that cooks and seasons the meat, has been added to the mix, creating a crunchy open taco called the Carne Asada Lorenza. Not only is it a sight to behold, but it has become such a favorite that it’s starting to rival the flour tortilla taco. Once the corn tortilla is seasoned and grilled, it is slathered with refried beans, mounted with copious amounts of melty cheese, and placed back on the grill for the cheese to ooze all over. The taco base becomes a sumptuous bed for the carne asada. Finish it with fire-roasted salsa and guacamole, and you will see what the Lorenza hype is all about.
Rotisserie Chicken Panzanella
This is a no-recipe recipe, a recipe without an ingredients list or steps. It invites you to improvise in the kitchen. Grab a super-tanned rotisserie chicken on the way home. Tear the meat into strips, then cut a few smallish supermarket tomatoes (or better, if you’ve got them) into wedges and marinate them in oil, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar. Pay a few bills or fold some laundry, then turn the whole thing into panzanella by mixing together the chicken, the tomatoes, some fresh watercress and some chunks of stale or toasted bread, then showering the salad with freshly ground black pepper and a spray of kosher salt. This, too, is cooking. Sam Sifton features a no-recipe recipe every Wednesday in his What to Cook newsletter. Sign up to receive it. You can find more no-recipe recipes here.
New Mexican Hot Dish
This is a no-recipe recipe, a recipe without an ingredients list or steps. It invites you to improvise in the kitchen. I’ve been cooking enchiladas con carne ever since Robb Walsh taught me how to make them in the kitchen of his El Real Tex-Mex Cafe in Houston. But I can’t say I make them the way he taught me any longer. First, sauté a pound or so of ground beef in a splash of oil, with a little flour and a pinch of salt, then set it aside. Use the same pan to cook chopped onion, garlic and jalapeño. Return the meat to the pan, and hit it with chile powder, ground cumin and oregano, to taste. Add chopped tomatoes and a little water to loosen everything up. Let it reduce a little. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425, and grab a casserole dish. You’ll need corn tortillas as well, and grated cheese — I like a mixture of Cheddar and American. Sue me. Enchiladas can be a drag to assemble. So do as the New Mexicans do, and stack rather than roll. I put a little chili in the bottom of the casserole, warm my tortillas in a dry skillet and lay them across the chili as if building the first layer of a lasagna. Then I do that again and again, and finish with the remaining chili and cheese. Bake in the oven until everything’s bubbling. Serve with chopped raw onions, sour cream and salsa on the side. Enchilada casserole, hon. New Mexican hot dish. I’m telling you, you could make it tonight. Sam Sifton features a no-recipe recipe every Wednesday in his What to Cook newsletter. Sign up to receive it. You can find more no-recipe recipes here.
Rice and Beans With Extras
This is a no-recipe recipe, a recipe without an ingredients list or steps. It invites you to improvise in the kitchen. Maybe tonight is calling for simple rice and beans, with limes to squeeze over the plate, warm tortillas to scoop up the food? First, rinse a cup or two of rice and cook as you usually do. As it steams away, dice an onion and sweat it in a saucepan with a drizzle or two of olive oil set over medium-high heat. When the onion begins to go translucent, add a few cloves of garlic and, if you’d like, some crumbled sausage, ground beef or lamb, then cook until it has started to crisp and the onion has started to caramelize. Add a healthy dusting of cumin, some salt and pepper to taste, and allow it all to go muddy and fragrant. Splash the mixture with the orange juice, maybe half a cup, and allow it to cook down, almost to syrup. Then add a big can of black beans (drained, please) and stir to combine, turning down the heat and allowing the flavors to come together, perhaps using a spoon to mash some of the beans as they cook. Serve it all on top of the finished rice, adorned with wedges of lime and accompanied by warmed tortillas or buttered toast. I like some pickled jalapeños, cilantro and hot sauce on there, too. Sam Sifton features a no-recipe recipe every Wednesday in his What to Cook newsletter. Sign up to receive it. You can find more no-recipe recipes here.
Strawberry Jam Bars With Cardamom
These sandwich bars are a delightful mix of textures and flavors. The preference here is a red fruit jam for its acidic pop, but you can go with any jam you have on hand. The nuts give an additional crunch to the topping and may add a fun color contrast. These fruity, spiced cookies can be assembled, kept refrigerated, or wrapped and frozen. You can bake them straight out of the fridge or freezer, but if baking from frozen, add a few extra minutes to ensure a nice golden crust on the bottom. (This cookie is one of six cookies that you can make with this Butter Shortbread Dough recipe. If you make that dough, you can make a double batch of the Strawberry Jam Bars or try any of the other five recipes.)
Sparkling Shortbread Cookies
Classic shortbread is buttery and crumbly, with a crispness that melts as you devour it. These cookies are simple and perfect for holiday indulgence. Each gets adorned with decorative sugar around the perimeter, which adds some sparkle and an additional layer of crunch in every bite. The shaped logs can be refrigerated up to a week, or frozen for up to a month. Slice while the dough is cold, and bake. These cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. (This cookie is one of six cookies that you can make with this Butter Shortbread Dough recipe. If you make that dough, you can make a double batch of the Sparkling Shortbread or try any of the other five recipes.)
Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread
Chocolate, toasted sesame, candied ginger and citrus! These cookies are a wonderful combination of intense flavors that pair really well together. The alternating layers of a chocolate dough and one spiked with warming spices are reminiscent of marble swirls, zebra stripes, rock strata layers — take your pick. They are as pleasant to look at as they are to eat, and they will add some flair to your holiday cookie tin. (This cookie is one of six cookies that you can make with this Butter Shortbread Dough recipe. If you make that dough, you can make a double batch of the Marble Shortbread or try any of the other five recipes.)
Chicken Enchiladas With Salsa Verde
Don’t let the one-hour prep time on these enchiladas scare you. Use some leftover roast chicken, or buy a roast chicken at the market on the way home, and you’ll save at least 20 minutes, making the dish a terrific weeknight feed, alongside a green salad. (At El Real Tex-Mex restaurant, in Houston, the great Tex-Mex scholar and restaurateur Robb Walsh serves his version with lightly smoked chicken, which if you can find or make is superb.) The salsa verde is dead simple to make and the rest is assembly — a task that grows markedly easier each time you do it.
Savory Shortbread Cookies With Olives and Rosemary
An unusual combination for a cookie, the flavors in this shortbread will appeal to those who appreciate a little pop of savory in their sweets. The olives used here are fruity kalamata, which when surrounded by a buttery shortbread crust and baked, become like little jewels studding each cookie. Rosemary and lemon balance the robust flavors of the olives by adding refreshing pine and citrus notes. Your cookie dough can be made ahead of time, rolled into logs and kept refrigerated or frozen. Slice and bake while cold, or from frozen, to serve.
Peppermint Patty Shortbreads
With chocolate ganache, peppermint-flavored marshmallow and a shortbread base, these cookies may seem like a daunting task, but each step of this recipe is simple and will result in a show stopping treat. Reminiscent of a warm cup of peppermint hot chocolate, each cookie is topped with crushed candy canes, but peppermint extract is the key to getting that minty flavor to pop. You can make the shortbread base ahead to save some time; it will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days. And to get nice peaks on the marshmallow tops, make sure it is significantly cooled before you pipe. (This cookie is one of six cookies that you can make with this Butter Shortbread Dough recipe. If you make that dough, you can make a double batch of the Peppermint Patty Shortbreads or try any of the other five recipes.)
Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Shortbread
Simple mix-ins of crushed hard caramels and smooth peanut butter create a soft baked cookie that is simple and distinct. The crushed candies melt when baked creating craters filled with chewy caramel, and the peanut butter swirl adds a nutty depth. This cookie will appeal to anyone who enjoys their dessert with a salty pop. You can prepare these ahead of time; just scoop and refrigerate the dough on a sheet pan, then bake the chilled dough to order, sprinkling with a little flaky salt to finish. (This cookie is one of six cookies that you can make with this Butter Shortbread Dough recipe. If you make that dough, you can make a double batch of the Caramel Peanut Butter Shortbread or try any of the other five recipes.)
Butter Shortbread Dough
Shortbread dough is renowned for its simplicity, versatility and forgiving nature. With the right ratio of flour to butter — and egg yolks for moisture and binding — this dough delivers crisp and crumbly cookies that melt just after the first bite. Six different types of cookies can be crafted from just three batches of this basic dough. You can certainly take on just one of these recipes at a time, but in a single day you can make all six: Sparkling Shortbread Cookies, Strawberry Jam Bars With Cardamom, Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread, Cheddar Chive Crisps, Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Shortbread and Peppermint Patty Shortbreads. The dough can be divided, wrapped and refrigerated (or frozen) ahead of time and brought out as needed.
Bean and Cheese Burritos
Mexican refried beans are a cinch to make at home on a weeknight thanks to some staple pantry items and a few basic fresh ingredients. Buttery canned pinto beans are perfect in this dish, breaking down into a creamy, silky mixture. (Black beans would also work great.) While the beans are often fried in lard or bacon drippings, this vegetarian version builds flavor with caramelized onion, bell pepper, garlic and smoked paprika instead. Pico de gallo adds a touch of tang to counter the rich beans. Pan-frying the wrapped burritos guarantees a golden, irresistibly crispy exterior and an interior that oozes with melted cheese.
El Cholo’s Sonora-Style Enchiladas
These chicken-filled, Sonora-style enchiladas have been offered at El Cholo in Los Angeles since it began as the Sonora Café in 1923. They are based on the recipe of Rosa Borquez, who started the restaurant with her husband, Alejandro. Both were born in the Mexican state of Sonora. This dish, with stacked tortillas rather than rolled, is known in Sonora as “enchiladas chatas,” flat enchiladas. Adapted from “A Taste of History: With Authentic El Cholo Recipes” by Ron Salisbury (2020), this recipe includes a chicken stew base with tomatoes, poblano and white pepper, plus a classic red enchilada sauce with smoky dried chiles and a green enchilada sauce with verdant notes from tomatillos, fresh chiles and spinach. A fried egg crowns the top.
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
The popular “Magnolia Table” cookbooks by Joanna Gaines are full of Texas classics like king ranch, chicken spaghetti and this creamy version of chicken enchiladas. The combination of tart salsa verde (which has tomatillos and green chiles) with cream and melted cheese makes it special; don’t use red enchilada sauce here. The cream of chicken soup mixed with the chicken meat makes a super-rich filling, but you can absolutely use an additional 8 ounces of sour cream instead if you prefer.
Quick-Seared Short Ribs With Charred Scallion Salsa
Typically used for long braises, short ribs are insanely flavorful and have excellent marbling, which means you can and should cook them as you would a more expensive cut: seared on all sides until medium-rare. To serve, thinly slice the meat and top it generously with a mixture of fresh and charred scallions and tomatillos. Set it out with warmed tortillas and hot sauce for a D.I.Y. taco experience, though it’s also great over a bed of peppery greens or crunchy romaine.
Sonoran-Style Flour Tortillas
In Sonora, a Northern Mexican region where wheat has been cultivated for more than 400 years, tortillas are typically made of flour rather than corn. But unlike the generally lackluster store-bought wrappers most Americans are familiar with, handmade flour tortillas are pliable, chewy, fragrant, and dotted with mahogany blisters. While this recipe, adapted from Teo Diaz and Julia Guerrero of Sonoratown taqueria in downtown Los Angeles, isn’t complicated, it does require allowing some time for the dough to rest. But the investment is worth it. Once you roll out the tortillas and set them on the hot griddle, they’ll begin to puff with steam as they start to brown. When you take a bite, the aroma of sweet flour enveloped in fat will fill your nose and mouth. Finally, you’ll understand that a tortilla is meant to be an essential component rather than just monotextured wrapping paper for tacos, burritos, or chimichangas.
Spicy Smashed Cucumbers With Lime, Honey and Croutons
Smashing cucumbers instead of slicing them gives the flesh an appealing rough surface, the better to bond with any dressings you dream up. In this salad, from the Manhattan restaurant Superiority Burger, the cold crunchy cucumbers are bound in a creamy lime-spiked yogurt that the chef who invented it, Julia Goldberg, calls “fiercely acidic.” It’s a great combination, and the sweet heat of chile honey and crunch of breadsticks make each mouthful interesting. At Superiority Burger, nutty brown rice is added to the salad for yet another dimension of flavor and texture; the effect is like a rich chicken salad or egg salad, but this is vegetarian and more nutritious over all.
Spiced Pumpkin Cookie Cake
Two spiced shortbread cookies are soaked with a little coffee, then layered with a light pumpkin whipped cream in this rich, elegant icebox cake. You don’t need to be precious with the cookies or the cream while preparing them — they're fairly foolproof — yet they come together into a stunning make-ahead dessert. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice but have a relatively well stocked spice cabinet, you can make your own homemade version (see Tip).
Chocolate Shortbread Hearts
Fragile and supremely buttery, these cocoa-flavored shortbread cookies are dunked partway in melted chocolate and sprinkled with an optional topping of crushed freeze-dried raspberries. If you use them, the berries add verve both from their scarlet color and their bright acidity, which is nice against the richness of the chocolate. But other garnishes — flaky sea salt, chopped pistachios, crushed candy canes, toasted coconut — can be substituted. Be sure not to roll the dough thinner than 1/2 inch. Otherwise, the cookies are apt to break and crumble after baking. Their thickness helps keep them intact.
Provençal Greens Soup
In France this simple, nutritious soup is made with wild greens that you might forage on an afternoon’s walk, such as nettles, watercress and dandelion greens. If you must use one green, make it Swiss chard. The soup can be prepared through step 1 several hours before serving.