Christmas
1676 recipes found
Nathan Family Butter Cookies
Sacher Torte
In this version of the classic Viennese Sacher torte, from Luisa Weiss's cookbook "Classic German Baking," two dense chocolate cake layers are filled and topped with rum-scented apricot jam, then coated in a fudgelike chocolate glaze. Making a perfect Sacher torte with a level top and pristine shiny icing takes patience and precision. But don’t let that discourage you from having a go. Even if the glaze is slightly smudged and the top a bit askew, it will still taste delicious, and there are few cakes as richly satisfying as this. You can make a Sacher torte up to 3 days before serving. Store it under a cake dome or loosely covered, at room temperature. (Update: Some readers were having trouble with the glaze seizing in the original recipe. Luisa Weiss retested it, and we made some updates to the recipe that should clear it up.)
Baked Eggs With Crème Fraîche and Smoked Salmon
Runny-yolked eggs baked in individual ramekins or custard cups make for a very elegant brunch or light supper. These are bathed in a shallot-steeped crème fraîche and topped with smoked salmon for an especially rich result. Serve them with toast, croissants or crusty bread — something to mop up the last bits of yolk and cream at the bottom of the ramekins. You won’t want to leave behind a single drop.
Chocolate Coconut Cake
The fine, feathery crumb of this dessert, which is on the lighter side of chocolate cakes, is balanced by a slather of glossy, fudgy frosting. A topping of shredded coconut provides additional richness and texture. Make it the day before serving; its flavor only improves overnight.
Salt-Baked Pears
The salt crust encasing these pears — a method most often used with whole fish and some poultry — does what salt always does: It amplifies. In this instance, the sweet, juicy peary-ness of the pear. Ideally, these should be slipped into the oven after pulling out another dish in order to minimize time in the kitchen. As a dinner party dessert, it’s a perfect punctuation mark.
Chocolate Chestnut Cake
This wheat-free chocolate cake with the earthy flavor of chestnuts is surprisingly light. The recipe is a slight adaptation from one in Alice Medrich’s baking book "Flavor Flours." The cake may be baked a day or two in advance of serving.
Smoked Trout and Beet Salad With Pink Caviar
This pretty winter salad gets an upgrade with a garnish of trout roe, sometimes known as pink caviar. Salmon roe is an option, too, as is a dab of relatively inexpensive paddlefish caviar. Make the salad as a first course composed on individual plates, or, for a stand-up cocktail affair, serve a small amount of the mixture spooned into the sturdy red leaves.
Spritz Cookies
A basic cookie dough recipe is at the heart of this treat, great for any occasion. A cookie press (think of a caulking machine, but with cookie dough) offers lots of versatility, whether you're looking for wreaths for the holidays or hearts for Valentine's Day. Just beat together the ingredients, and place the dough in the press just after mixing. Push the dough through onto parchment paper, decorate with colored sugars and bake. They'll add a bit of color and joy to any cookie platter.
Soupe aux Truffes V.G.E.
Craig Claiborne brought this recipe to The Times in the summer of 1975, for a short profile of the acclaimed French chef Paul Bocuse. Guests at a lunch in East Hampton, N.Y., ate the soup out of dishes marked "Palais de l'Elysée, 25 Février 1975. soupe aux truffles V.G.E. Paul Bocuse," commemorating Mr. Bocuse's Legion of Honor award by then French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the V.G.E. in question. Mr. Bocuse created the soup for the occasion and soupe aux truffles V.G.E. went on to become one of his most famous dishes.
Double-Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Deeply chocolaty like devil’s food cake, speckled with sugar on the outsides and filled with soft chocolate or jam in the centers, these cookies are a double pleasure: delightful to eat and fun to make. While “thumbprints” is an adorable name, it’s a misnomer: You use every part of your hands to form these. The cookies need to be pinched, patted, rolled around and poked before they’re sent into the oven. It’s a great project to do with kids — small thumbs are perfect for forming little dimples in the dough. What you fill the centers with is up to you. Chocolate with chocolate is great — naturally pink ruby chocolate is particularly pretty — and jam is delicious, too.
Salad With Anchovy-Mustard Vinaigrette
Anchovies add a salty depth of flavor to this bright, garlicky salad dressing. Here it’s tossed with radicchio and arugula, but it will work on any full-flavored salad greens. Try it on frisée, spinach or raw baby kale. If you want to make this in a blender, double the quantities so the dressing emulsifies properly. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Stuffing-Stuffed Mushrooms
In this recipe, classic stuffed mushrooms become an excellent vegetarian Thanksgiving appetizer or side dish by replacing Italian bread crumbs with cornbread, and using traditional stuffing flavors like rosemary, celery seeds and poultry seasoning. Two tips for making these extra flavorful: Trim the mushroom caps a bit to provide more surface area for caramelization, and pre-roast them to reduce moisture and prevent them from getting soggy. You can turn these into a main dish by using about eight large portobello mushrooms instead of two-bite cremini mushrooms, and increasing the cooking time accordingly. If you’re lucky enough to have leftover Thanksgiving stuffing, you can use it in place of the cornbread mixture (you’ll need about 4 cups); just add two beaten eggs and grated Gruyère cheese to bind the mixture before piling it onto the mushrooms and roasting.
Roast Fillet of Beef With Wild Mushroom Sauce
Roasted Squash With Cheese Fondue
This autumnal dish turns a classic cheese fondue into a sauce for whole roasted squash. The lightly caramelized squash are filled with the gooey fondue mixture and topped with crunchy, garlicky bread crumbs. When the squash are cut, the cheese sauce runs onto the serving plate, to be spooned back over the soft, amber slices. Serve this as a side dish to roasted meats or fish, or as a rich appetizer on its own. For the best presentation, choose squash that are about the same shape and size.
Apple Gingersnap Crumble
Easier and homier than an apple pie, this gently spiced crumble feeds a crowd. If you don't want to make the bourbon cream, serve this with ice cream instead: Vanilla is classic, but ginger, green tea or salted caramel would also be terrific.
Oranges With Honey and Tarragon
Gingerbread Cheesecake
The warm, spicy flavors of gingerbread are a natural match for cheesecake. I mean, who doesn’t love a slice of gingerbread cake slathered with cream cheese frosting? This dessert is certainly rich, but it is also packed with lots of spices, including a hefty sprinkle of both ground and fresh ginger, classic cinnamon, allspice that lends a slightly peppery note, and a bit of fresh lemon zest to brighten things up. It can be a little tricky to get the batter completely smooth, so make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature before you start mixing, and take care to bake the cheesecake gently to avoid cracks. The cranberry topping here is optional but it is festive and delicious, and a great little cover-up if the cheesecake does happen to crack. Alternatively, this is great with a bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche. Slice cheesecake with a clean, hot knife for the tidiest servings.
Spicy Pimentón Popcorn
Using more oil than popcorn, a technique developed by Jessica Koslow of Sqirl in Los Angeles, yields a particularly crisp and rich popcorn. Here, the kernels are popped, then tossed while still hot with a combination of sweet and hot smoked paprikas, and bit of earthy cumin. It's a complex mix that can be as hot as you can take it.
Oatmeal Spice Cookies
Sparkly Gingerbread
Made with a combination of fresh and ground ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, these gingerbread cookies are extra-spicy and very crisp. You could leave them plain, if you like, but painting them with brightly colored royal icing and sprinkling them with sugar makes them shine. Gingerbread keeps better than many other kinds of cookies. These will last for at least 2 weeks — probably even longer — stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Cherry Rugelach With Cardamom Sugar
These tender, jam-filled confections, adapted from “Rose’s Christmas Cookies” (William Morrow, 1990) by Rose Levy Beranbaum, have a flaky, cream cheese-spiked crust that makes them a little like soft, tiny pastries. This version calls for cherry preserves and some optional walnuts, but you can use any flavor of jam (or nut if you’re so inclined) you like. Apricot and raspberry jam are the most traditional. Rugelach keep well at room temperature for up to one week, or they freeze beautifully for up to six months. (Watch Melissa Clark make her cherry rugelach.)
Gougères With Pancetta and Sage
What could be better than warm cheese puffs straight out of the oven? How about warm cheese puffs studded with bacon — or in this case, pancetta — and fresh sage? They are salty, brawny and rich; crisp on the outside and soft within. Gougères are best baked just before serving, but if you like you can make the batter ahead, form it into balls, and freeze them, unbaked. Bake while still frozen, adding 5 to 10 minutes onto the baking time.
Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Think of these cookies as a cross between a gingerbread man and a chewy molasses cookie. Adding molasses gives them a softer texture with a decidedly adult, almost caramel flavor. Instead of rolling or slicing these cookies, this rich, soft dough is perfect for rolling into balls and coating in coarse sugar before baking. The dough can even be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated, or baked 2 days ahead and stored at room temperature.
Golden Raisin and Pecan Thins
These slightly sweet, extremely simple crackers, adapted from "Better Baking" by Genevieve Ko, can be stirred together in minutes in one bowl, no electric mixer required. They are then baked twice – once in loaf pans and once after freezing and slicing – making them crisp all the way through. Serve them with cheese or pâté, or even on their own as a snack. And feel free to personalize these by substituting other dried fruits and nuts for the raisins and pecans. Chopped dried figs and hazelnuts make another wonderful combination.