Labor Day
317 recipes found
Peach Raspberry Pie
The character of fresh raspberries can be fleeting when cooked, especially when the berries are mixed with other fruit like ripe, juicy peaches. To deepen the berry flavor in this summer pie, a little raspberry jam is mixed into the filling in place of some of the sugar. Instant (minute) tapioca serves as a clear, flavorless thickener here, with the tiny tapioca pearls echoing the texture of raspberry seeds. For a runny, syrupy pie that leaks when you cut into it, mix in the minimum amount of tapioca. Using all 3 tablespoons yields a pie with a thick, jammy filling. As for the stone fruit, peel the peaches or don't, to taste. Or substitute ripe nectarines, whose peels are less pronounced.
Peach-Raspberry Ice Cream Cake
Adults swoon and children squeal at the prospect of ice cream cake. This from-scratch version, with layers of peach-studded ice cream, raspberries and tender butter cake, will delight both those contingents. The ice cream here does not require an ice cream maker; it's made by folding freshly whipped cream into a mixture of chopped peaches, peach preserves and evaporated milk. It is deliberately less sweet than other no-churn ice cream recipes you'll see, to avoid overwhelming the delicate peach flavor. But if you prefer, you can use store-bought ice cream in place of the cream mixture here. Omit the evaporated milk and heavy cream; instead, combine the chopped peaches with the peach preserves and salt, then fold into two pints of softened good-quality vanilla ice cream. It will be richer, but a little messier to assemble.
Strawberry Galette
A strawberry galette served with a side of fresh whipped cream or ice cream is a spring salve that is just as soothing to prepare for oneself as it is to share with others. Inspired by the baker Alice Medrich’s yogurt-butter pie dough, the dough in this recipe includes almond flour for a flaky, subtly nutty crust that comes together without much fuss. This dough is very forgiving and works well with the rustic charm of a galette. It’s OK if the edges of the crust crack and some juices leak. Even out-of-season strawberries would work, as there’s just enough sugar here to coax them back to life. Make sure you give the galette enough time to rest before slicing into it, so that the juices have time to set.
Juan Canary Granite
Savory Melon Salad in Honeydew Vinaigrette
Crescents of Melon on Fresh Ricotta
Melon Salsa
Tater Tots
There's no need to peel the new potatoes for these otherwise labor-intensive tots, which are little short of a revelation. Serve with ketchup, of course.
Braai-Spiced T-Bone Steaks
Grilling meat is practically the South African national sport, crossing lines of wealth, geography and even race. Braai means grill in Afrikaans, and some say it’s the only word recognized in all of the country’s 11 official languages. There’s no reason this braai sout, a fragrant dry rub, can’t be used on steaks other than a T-bone. But the T-bone has had special status there since Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as part of a campaign to bring all South Africans together around the braai, pointed out that the shape of that steak mimics the shape of Africa itself. Serve with whole potatoes roasted in the coals, and drink beer or one of South Africa’s excellent wines.
Summer Berry Cream Cake
A sweet ending for a summer solstice party, this spongecake is light and not too sweet, and the cream and berries make it seem almost more of an unmolded trifle than a cake. I seem to remember that in Norway alcohol is poured over the split sponge, but here I’ve moistened the cake with a strawberry purée. You can use any fruit.
Spicy Clam Dip
In this chile-flecked take on a classic 1950s clam dip, the cream cheese-based mixture is spooned into a gratin dish, sprinkled with Parmesan and baked until the topping melts and the dip turns molten and savory. Canned clams are traditional here, providing a gentle saline note and nubby texture without an assertive flavor. If you’re starting with cream cheese straight from the fridge, soften it briefly in the microwave before adding it to the bowl; cold cream cheese is a lot harder to mix.
Lemony Roasted Chicken Wings
These meaty out-of-the-ordinary roasted wings are infused with lots of lemon, garlic and rosemary, then roasted on a bed of fingerling potatoes. Use a large roasting pan that's at least 3 inches deep, or a big earthenware gratin dish, or a couple of Pyrex lasagna pans side by side. The lemony chicken and potatoes are delicious hot and crisp, but just as good at cool room temperature.
The Real Burger
Here's one way to know you're using great meat in your burger: Grind it yourself, using chuck roast or well-marbled sirloin steaks. “Grinding” may sound ominous, conjuring visions of a big old hand-cranked piece of steel clamped to the kitchen counter, but in fact it’s not that difficult if you use a food processor, which gets the job done in a couple of minutes or less. The flavor difference between this burger and one made with pre-packaged supermarket ground beef is astonishing, and might change your burger-cooking forever.
Texas-Style Brisket
Grilled Sausages, Onions and Peppers
There is no more reliable guest at a cookout than sausage, roasted over the open fire. But before you grill the meat, get some peppers and onions soft and dark and fragrant in the heat, and use these as a bed on which to serve the links. Italian sausage works beautifully here, as do hot links and bratwurst. If cooking brats, think about simmering them first in beer and onions, then finishing them on the fire.
No-Churn Ice Cream
Made without an ice cream maker, this custard-base ice cream is frozen solid in a loaf pan, then churned until creamy in a food processor or blender. It's best scooped straight from the machine, when it has the satiny-chewy texture of soft serve. If you do want to make it ahead, you can return it to the freezer for up to a week, then let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Classic Hot Fudge Sundae
There is a reason a hot fudge sundae is such an enduring classic: That combination of warm, rich chocolate fudge mixing with frozen ice cream and melting it slightly is absolutely irresistible. Of course, if you have homemade fudge sauce and homemade ice cream, it gets even better. Vanilla ice cream is the standard here, but feel free to use your favorite flavor, or a combination of flavors. And if you like nuts, by all means use them here. The added crunch is marvelous against all the rich creaminess.
Classic Custard Ice Cream Base
Rich, creamy and deeply satisfying, there is nothing better than a classic custard ice cream. Sometimes called French-style, this base incorporates eggs, which improve the texture and help prevent ice crystals from forming. This recipe for ice cream base may be churned on its own, but it is meant to have flavors added. See the chart here for flavor options and directions for incorporating them into the base recipe.
Philadelphia-Style Ice Cream Base
Made without eggs, this ice cream is much less rich than those made with a custard base. The lack of eggs also allows the flavorings to shine through, making it a light in texture yet intense in taste. Using a combination of granulated sugar and liquid sugar (corn syrup, honey or agave syrup) helps keep the texture smooth and silky.
Oven-Dried Grapes
Green Chile Cheeseburger Deluxe
In New Mexico, where many traditional dishes contain roasted green chiles, it’s only natural that hamburgers get the chile treatment, too. If you don’t have access to fresh New Mexican green chiles, try fresh Anaheim chiles. Lacking those, use roasted jalapeños that have been peeled and chopped; thinly sliced raw jalapeños; or pickled jalapeños — a compromise perhaps, but better than no chiles at all. As for cheese, any good melting kind of “queso amarillo” will do, but domestic Monterey Jack or Muenster may be even better.
Garlicky Pork Burger
If you are cautious, you can cook a little meat and then taste it. Though there are virtually no reported cases of trichinosis from commercial pork in the United States, few people will sample raw pork — or lamb, with which the danger is even less. So the thing to do is season the meat, then cook up a spoonful in a skillet, taste and season as necessary. Remember that the burger is the cousin not only of the steak — which often takes no seasoning beyond salt and pepper — but also of the meatloaf and the meatball, both of which are highly seasoned. Think about adding minced garlic in small quantities, chopped onion, herbs (especially parsley), grated Parmesan, minced ginger, the old reliable Worcestershire, hot sauce, good chili powder and so on. It’s hard to go wrong here.
Ricotta Tart With Lemon Poppy Crust
This simple, not-too-sweet tart is reminiscent of a cheesecake but with a higher crust-to-filling ratio. If you’ve got excellent, ripe fruit, feel free to lay it on top — berries, figs, poached rhubarb or pears, pineapple, plums — anything sweet and juicy will contrast nicely with the milky ricotta filling. Or just drizzle the tart with good flavorful honey and serve it plain. It’s an elegant way to end a meal. If you aren’t a poppy seed fan, just leave them out of the crust. Or substitute sesame seeds instead for a similar crunch, if different flavor.
