Christmas
1676 recipes found
Dwaeji Bulgogi (Spicy Pork Bulgogi)
In this chile-fragrant variation of the Korean grilled beef dish bulgogi, a quick but impactful marinade tenderizes thin slices of pork. Sweet and spicy dwaeji bulgogi, known to some as jeyuk bokkeum, can be both a weeknight staple for the family and a crowd pleaser for a gathering, not least because you can marinate the meat in advance and cook it whenever you’re ready to eat. Wrapping the juicy red pork in grassy, aromatic perilla leaves (a mint-family herb that you can find in Korean grocery stores) is a beautiful eating experience, but lettuces such as red leaf, romaine and butter lettuce work as well. A side of white rice helps sop up the saucy, flavorful pork.
Mussels and Cod Bucatini With Spicy Tomato Sauce
Simple yet celebratory, this hearty seafood pasta is a party dish that your guests will want to tuck into. White wine-steamed mussels and tomato-poached cod top a mound of bucatini coated in a buttery, brothy sauce. Calabrian chile paste adds depth of flavor to the tomato sauce and a small hit of heat. Of course, you can use as much of it as you — and your guests — can handle. If this dish is served on its own, it’s enough to feed eight. As part of a feast, it’s easily 12 servings or more. For smaller celebrations or a weeknight meal, it can be halved easily.
Zeppole con le Alici (Fried Anchovy Balls)
Each bite of these anchovy-stuffed fried dough rounds begins with a perfectly crisp exterior that gives way to a yeasty, pillowy interior. Once you hit the fish at the center, you are in briny ecstasy. Simple yet addictive, these finger foods are often served at the start of a meal or as a snack at festive Italian and Italian-American gatherings. If you are cooking for vegetarians, feel free to stuff some balls with a sundried tomato or an olive instead. If making yeasted dough is not in the cards for you, you can use a pound of prepared pizza dough from a supermarket or pizza shop to achieve similar enough results.
Insalata di Frutti di Mare (Italian Seafood Salad)
Crisp and zesty, this version of the classic Italian dish uses shrimp, scallops and calamari but works well with any seafood you can get your hands on. It can be served as an appetizer for a large feast or as the main course of a smaller meal. Steaming the seafood instead of boiling it makes it more tender and simultaneously gives it a snappier bite. Submerged in an abundant amount of tart dressing while it cools in the refrigerator, the seafood, along with fennel and celery, ends up infused with serious flavor. Spicy jarred cherry peppers add a welcome hit of heat, but sweet cherry peppers can be substituted.
Clams Oreganata (Baked Stuffed Clams)
In this take on the beloved Italian American classic, butter crackers are used in place of plain bread crumbs to add their unique fatty saltiness to the crunchy topping. Shallots, dried oregano and Parmesan join the stuffing party, and spooning in a modest amount ensures the flavor of the clams shines through. Sometimes, the clams are chopped up in this dish, but here they’re kept whole to preserve their briny juiciness and to make the preparation easier. Clams are gently steamed just until they open enough to shuck, separating the shells and prying out the meat. Save the cooking liquid to make a delicious buttery wine sauce to spoon over the baked clams before eating.
Roasted Carrots and Chorizo
In this pretty, party-worthy side dish, coins of sweet carrots roast with coins of smoky chorizo. When the carrots are tender and the chorizo is crisp, you’ll squeeze some lemon over them, stirring the citrus and the chorizo drippings together for a makeshift sauce for the carrots. Serve this dish alongside white fish, turkey or brothy chickpeas; tossed into a kale or grain salad; or piled into pita with hummus or yogurt. When shopping for this recipe, look for hard, cured Spanish chorizo (as opposed to fresh); the shelf-stable sausage is usually found near salami and other cured meats.
Spinach and Gruyère Breakfast Casserole
Filled with sautéed spinach and nutty Gruyère mixed into a nutmeg and lemon-scented custard, this breakfast casserole is a rich, meatless option for a special occasion breakfast or brunch. Like most of its kind, you can assemble the casserole the day before you want to bake it, then pop it in the oven an hour or so before serving. It will emerge puffed and golden on top, ready for its star-turn on any festive table.
Berry Jam Buns
A filling made from berry preserves and fresh berries replaces the buttery cinnamon sugar you might expect in a cinnamon roll, for a colorful twist on a favorite. You can use any berry jam you like, but a low-sugar variety will provide the most vibrant fruit flavor. The cream cheese icing is the perfect gooey, creamy topping that gently melts into the tops of the rolls. This dough is adaptable: You can let it rise overnight in the refrigerator, instead of at room temperature, so you can serve fresh, warm rolls for breakfast without getting up at the crack of dawn to make them. If you let the dough rise at room temperature, don’t skip the refrigeration time after the dough rises, as the dough is much, much easier to work with when cold. For the very best texture, these rolls are best served warm, on the day they are baked.
Big Chocolate Tart
For how elegant this looks and how complex it tastes, this dessert is incredibly easy to put together. Instead of a dense ganache filling, this one has a shiny top that hovers between the delicate softness of custard and the creaminess of pudding. The crisp-tender cocoa crust is pressed only into the bottom and forgoes the usual sides of a tart because it’s baked in a standard metal cake pan. Not only is this easier to pull off — no rolling sticky pastry or trying to unmold it after baking — it makes a tart big enough to feed a crowd. With a pure chocolate taste that’s great on its own, it also can be customized: simply sprinkle each piece with toppings of your choice.
Christmas Glazed Ham
There’s nothing quite like the smell of ham roasting with clementines and cloves to announce the holidays. Taking inspiration from Claudia Roden’s orange and almond cake, which uses boiled oranges for moisture and flavor, this recipe steams clementines alongside the ham, then blends them into a sweet mustard sauce to pour over the meat. The result is a sweet, sticky, spiced glaze coating the ham, plus extra pooling at the bottom of the pan. Any excess turns into a clever sandwich condiment to dress any leftover ham.
Seared Bone-In Rib-Eye Steaks
Rippled with fat, extrathick rib-eye steaks end up with charred crusts after an initial, intense stovetop sear, and buttery, tender centers after cooking through in a low oven. This technique is the reverse of a reverse sear, in which the meat cooks through first in a low oven or grill, then gets seared just before serving. Both methods ensure an even medium-rare on this expensive cut, but with this reverse-reverse sear, you’re not stuck at the stove, smoking up the kitchen after guests arrive. Instead, the time the steak finishes cooking in the oven can be spent washing up or enjoying a cocktail with friends. If you’re preparing just one steak, skip Step 5 and simply transfer the skillet to the oven. Once the steak comes out of the oven, transfer it to a cutting board and make the sauce as directed in Step 8.
Vegan Jackfruit Pernil
On holidays and special occasions, the center of a Puerto Rican table usually features pernil, a juicy shredded roast pork seasoned with garlic, citrus and oregano. In 2020, Lyana Blount suddenly had more time to experiment with her vegan recipes and formed her Black Rican Vegan pop-up. She created a vegan version of the pernil she grew up eating using jackfruit. She boiled canned, brined jackfruit and seasoned it with spices and sauces like adobo, sazón and sofrito, then roasted the marinated jackfruit pieces in the oven, crisping the edges to mimic pernil. Even the most critical abuelas might not be able to tell the difference. Serve the dish with a vegan arroz con gandules or other rice.
Spiced Vegetable Phyllo Pie
In this spectacular meatless meal, crisp sheets of buttery, golden phyllo surround vegetables and chickpeas stewed with sweet spices, preserved lemon and earthy turmeric. You can prepare the vegetable stew the day before; just reheat it so it's warm when it meets the phyllo pastry. Once it’s baked, you can serve this hot or at room temperature, making it perfect for a party. Since it’s baked on a sheet pan, it makes enough to feed a crowd.
Pecan Pralines
To make pralines is to show a great deal of love and care for the recipient of these resplendent treats. This incredible tradition should be embraced: They are perfect to wrap in glassine bags and hand out one by one, or place in a tin by the dozen as gifts. They’re also perfect to eat standing up in your kitchen. A nod to the Louisiana gas station treats of yore, this version cuts through the sweetness with a bit of salt and vanilla paste. For Southerners, the pralines feel like a bit of a homecoming in their warm, sweet (with a bit of salty) nature.
Maritozzi (Sweet Cream Buns)
Soft and stuffed with cream, these buttery buns also have a smear of jam for an additional pop of sweetness in this version of the traditional Italian treat. Maritozzi are a variation of quaresimali, Roman breads made with almond flour and sweetened with honey and dried fruit. Maritozzi are usually made without dried fruit and they’re small, the size of your cupped hand, distinct with their generous filling of cream. Sold in bakeries across Rome, and increasingly around the world, they’re a fun project to make at home too since the steps can be done ahead of time and in stages. This version is tangy with buttermilk and spiced with a hint of nutmeg. They are best enjoyed soon after assembly and can be finished with a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar for a bit of extra flair.
Sugared Doughnuts
Made from a delicate yet sturdy brioche dough with rich pats of good butter folded in, these doughnuts are soft with almost feathery middles and a delicious deep golden-brown crust. This recipe begins by letting part of the yeasty dough sit for 20 minutes in what’s known among bakers as a pre-ferment. This simple step, along with full-fat buttermilk, gives the doughnuts a lovely tang, and fresh grated nutmeg adds a hint of spice. Like most yeasted doughs, this recipe will require some time on your part, but the steps can be done ahead of time and in stages. These doughnuts are best had while warm, and a quick toss in granulated sugar delivers crunch with every bite.
Rainbow Rave Cookies
This recipe is adapted from “Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook” by Sohla El-Waylly and is originally titled Lisa Frank Cookies. It earns that name by being a big sucker punch of sugary nostalgia. A trio of extracts (pure vanilla, imitation vanilla and almond) is key to giving these cookies the aura of that prepackaged baked good you might’ve tucked into your lunchbox as a kid, but they’re better because you’re making them fresh. Best of all, they come together in a snap, stirred up in one bowl and baked on the same day. You can throw a rainbow rave for your mouth almost instantly.
Gingerbread Blondies
With the chewy texture of the best fudgy brownie and all the festive flavors of your favorite gingerbread cookies, these spicy bars make a bold statement for the holidays. Browning the butter gives them a deep, caramelized flavor, which rounds out the warming brown sugar and fragrant spices. The white chocolate drizzle on top is purely for looks, so feel free to leave it out if you’re short on time. These bars taste just as good without it.
Matcha Latte Cookies
This is a matcha latte in cookie form. Atop the chewy, Grinch-green cookie sits a cloud of ermine icing, an old-fashioned boiled-milk frosting (like the kind you might find in midcentury American baking and grocery-store cupcakes), whose sugared lightness balances out the more intense, bittersweet base. Out of the oven, these cookies might look puffy, but as they cool on their pans, they will continue to cook and deflate, becoming their truest chewiest selves. If you want to skip the frosting, a little powdered sugar is a lovely, snowy finish.
Lemon Butter Curls
Delicate but sturdy, these lemon butter shortbreads are perfect for a casual afternoon treat or relaxed holiday cookie. A combination of butter, egg yolks and a bit of cornstarch ensures a texture that melts in your mouth. Lemon zest adds a bright sparkle, and a light glaze of lemon juice and powdered sugar lends a tart finish. Make these into curls as shown or pipe them into any shape you prefer: Rings, squiggle or pushing the dough through a cookie press can all be fun. You also can roll and shape the dough by hand instead of piping or pressing it.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
These spiced and spicy cookies, chocolaty and brimming with molten marshmallow, are a terrific treat to keep you warm in the colder months. The dough itself is imbued with cinnamon and a bit of ground cayenne, a combination commonly found in Mexican hot chocolate that also gives these cookies a flavor reminiscent of the holidays — and a slight kick when you least expect it. The marshmallowy interior provides a wonderful chew and maintains a pillowy soft texture, even after a few days in an airtight container. Make sure to freeze the marshmallows fully to give the cookies their hallmark ripple of white peeking through their sparkly chocolate exterior. (Otherwise, the marshmallows will dissolve into the cookies as they bake.)
Technicolor Cookies
Cookies artfully decorated with royal icing are a holiday classic, but their fine details and beautiful colors can take hours to achieve. Not with these gorgeous cookies. Once the icing is made and stained, it takes only a few minutes to decorate. The icing is simply poured over the cookies, a technique inspired by the one used to pour swirly colors of mirror glaze over smooth cakes. (For a quicker alternative to royal icing, simply dip or drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate.) No two cookies will be the same, and that’s a big part of the charm. Underneath the exterior is a crisp, satisfying shortbread flavored with heaps of bright orange zest and quintessential winter spices.
Spiced Holiday Punch for Everyone
Start with a spiced, citrus base, made with lemon peels muddled with brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, star anise, black peppercorns and tea leaves. Then, make a holiday drink your way. If you choose to spike it, reach for a favorite spirited bottle. Gin leans your drink refreshingly botanical, while whiskey feels a bit boozier and plays nicely off the base’s warming spices. If you want to make a nonalcoholic drink, simply add soda water, tonic and, if you like, a few dashes of Angostura bitters. (Note that, while the bitters lend a nice layer of flavor and depth, they do contain a small amount of alcohol, so if you’re abstaining just leave them out.) The point here is to make a drink you want to drink — and for your friend, partner, cousin or parent to make the drink they want to drink.
Neapolitan Checkerboard Cookies
This recipe combines the classic flavors of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla — reminiscent of Neapolitan ice cream — all in one bite. While the assembly may seem daunting at first, it can be a fun project, and the end result is graphic and delicious. In making a perfect checkerboard pattern, you’ll inevitably have some scraps. Roll them into a log, which can then be sliced and baked into marbled shortbreads.