Milk & Cream
3644 recipes found
Lychee Cake
Chinese Jamaican bakers might closely guard the secrets to their lychee cake recipes, but typical components include fluffy sponge cake, sweetened cream filling and decorative fruits, for garnish. Lychee cake was originally created by Selena Wong, a professional baker, about 40 years ago to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and home bakers also sell the confection. Lychee is delicately flavored and watery, so producing a strong lychee flavor can be tricky. This recipe infuses the cake with lychee flavor by reducing lychee into a glaze, sauce and filling, thus introducing it into the batter, glaze, filling and garnish. Rose water, common in Jamaican baking, intensifies lychee’s floral notes. This cake uses canned lychees, because fresh ones are hard to find (and too watery for baking), but if you can find fresh lychees at Asian markets in the summertime, they make a wonderful garnish, along with other fresh fruits of your choice.
Creamy Coconut-Lime Rice With Peanuts
Coconut milk does double duty here in this light yet hearty rice dish that straddles the line between side salad and pilaf-like main. First the rice is simmered in creamy coconut milk, then the remaining milk is used to make a soothing dressing spiked with lime juice, peanut butter, toasted peanuts and garlic, with a little added heat from chile sauce. Fresh cherry tomatoes and chopped herbs turn it all into a rice salad that can be a flavorful side for grilled chicken or the base for fried eggs.
Easy Chocolate Cake
This classic chocolate layer cake is big enough for a celebration but can be easily made with pantry staples and a hand mixer. The cake layers are deeply chocolatey, fluffy and even tastier if you make them the day before you plan to eat the cake. They also bake up nice and flat so you don’t have to bother with trimming. The sour cream makes the cake layers nice and plush, and adds a bit of tanginess to the American-style buttercream made with confectioners’ sugar, a hefty dose of cocoa powder, vanilla and plenty of salt to balance the flavor. Cover the cake with swoops and swirls of buttercream, and top with sprinkles, if you like.
Berries and Cream
Made with just a few ingredients presented beautifully, berries and cream is the perfect cap to a summer meal. If you keep vanilla bean paste on hand, this would be an excellent way to use it: Substitute an equal amount of vanilla bean paste for the extract. If you’re feeling up to it, you can whip the cream by hand, but you can also use an electric mixer. The berries and cream can be assembled up to four hours in advance, covered and stored in the refrigerator. But for the best appearance, wait until just before serving to add the final layer of berries on top.
Black Lime Salmon
This deceptively simple salmon dish is as striking in flavor as in appearance, and will serve just as well for a dinner party centerpiece as a quick midweek dinner. The salmon is covered in a punchy black lime marinade, then baked in the oven and topped with fresh bursts of sour cream and grated tomato. Black limes (also known as Omani or Persian limes) are limes that have been boiled in salt water before being dried and blackened in the sun. They have an intensely sweet, citrusy flavor, with a hint of bitterness. Serve this salmon alongside a bowl of rice.
Borani Banjan (Afghan-style Eggplant in Yogurt)
Traditionally in Afghan-style borani banjan, an appetizer or vegetable side, eggplant slices are soaked in salted water for 20 to 30 minutes, drained and dried, then simmered in a spiced tomato sauce before being served in layers of garlicky yogurt. This version significantly simplifies the preparation in the interest of time without compromising its appeal: varied flavors and textures from crispy, caramelized eggplant; creamy, garlicky yogurt; sweet and sour tomatoes; and juicy, bright pomegranate seeds. No soaking or simmering here, just quick pan-frying and layering for the same effect in about 30 minutes. Go back for seconds of a dish that tastes even better when it’s cold.
Strawberry Pretzel Bars
Old-fashioned strawberry pretzel salad, topped with gelatin, gets a modern makeover. Here, pretzels are tossed with graham cracker crumbs, then topped with a light cream-cheese mixture and finished off with strawberry jam and fresh strawberries, for a delicate sweetness. Cut the bars into bite-size pieces or bigger slabs. Either way, this old-new dish is sure to be a favorite.
Buttermilk Tres Leches Cake
The beauty of a tres leches cake is that it is perennial in its appeal. Cold, light and yet still decadent in the summer, comforting and familiar in the colder months, it is a cake for all occasions and seasons. Don’t be afraid to engage in a little experimentation and play. Adding rum or other seasonings or spices is perfectly acceptable. But don’t skimp on the refrigeration and soaking time. You’ll be glad when your cake is optimally chilled and moist to the core.
Blueberry Spoon Cake
This recipe for a simple summer spoon cake draws the juices out of blueberries then pours them on top of a gluten-free cornmeal batter. As the cake bakes, some blueberries sink and form a stewy bottom, others bubble into chewy jam. The result looks like an upside down cobbler, or a muffin without its middle. It isn’t too sweet, and what it lacks in slice-ability and portability, it makes up for with tenderness and juiciness. Make sure to bake it on a tray to catch any batter or berries that rise over the rim — these are the cook’s midbake treat.
Crispy Shrimp Tacos With Smoky Chipotle Crema
Imagine tender, sweet shrimp ensconced in a crisp and airy tempura-like batter. Now envision those shrimp lying on a warm tortilla topped with fresh cut cabbage and a smoky-spicy drizzle of chipotle crema sauce. These tacos are not just a dream: This coastal delight can be found, just like some of the best fish tacos, along the main Mexican Pacific coast and Baja Peninsula, but you can also make them a reality at home. The toppings can vary, so add sliced or smashed avocado, spicy pickled onions, salsa macha or any other salsas you may prefer.
Snap Pea, Tofu and Herb Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce
When the season gifts us sweet, juicy sugar snap (or snow) peas, use them raw in this textural salad. Slicing them in half diagonally not only unlocks their innate crispness, but also allows the inner peas to spill out, creating more texture. This salad is brazenly herb forward, and offers an excellent way to use up any leftover bundles in your fridge; mint, cilantro or basil can be used singularly or as a mix. The two-ingredient dressing is the simplest, and possibly tastiest, peanut sauce you’ll ever make: Peanut butter is whisked together with chile crisp and loosened with boiling water, which helps encourage it to emulsify, creating a smooth, creamy and intensely savory sauce. Looking for another shortcut? You can even skip pan-frying and use store-bought pre-baked firm tofu.
Death by Chocolate
Death by Chocolate, which by name suggests that it’s so rich and decadent that it may cause one to simply expire, commonly takes the shape of a trifle dessert. It consists of layers of crumbled brownies or chocolate cake, chocolate pudding and whipped cream, plus a fourth layer that is either crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies or chopped up chocolate toffee bars. The assembled trifle is placed in the fridge to rest in peace until served cold. While often made with boxed cake, pudding mixes and Cool Whip, this recipe contains easy homemade versions of all three.
Garlic Butter Steak Bites
Inspired by bite-size steak tips — the highly snackable bar food that’s beloved in Boston and the greater New England area — these garlic butter steak bites follow a classic bistro flavor profile accented with a punch of soy sauce. They’re quick and clever: Cutting steak into small pieces creates more surface area to quickly soak up a marinade, and the morsels cook off in just minutes. Here, they are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and olive oil, then finished in the pan with a swirl of butter, garlic and parsley. They are perfect for summer spreads alongside a hearty, lemony farro salad or a summery corn salad, plus some bread to swipe up the rich sauce. Serve with toothpicks for easy snacking, or small plates.
Tzatziki Tuna Salad
Tuna salad often includes mayonnaise, but this version delivers a similar creaminess with Greek yogurt, which imparts a freshness to the mix. Here, the yogurt is seasoned with the classic garlic-dill combination of tzatziki, which goes surprisingly well with sharp yellow mustard. Cucumber is traditionally used in tzatziki, but for this tuna salad, celery is also a fun, crunchy variation. (You also can add celery to the salad if starting with store-bought tzatziki.) If you have only tuna packed in water on hand, simply drain the tuna well and stir olive oil into the salad for richness. Sandwich the tuna between bread, mix it into a salad or enjoy it as a dip with chips or crackers.
Tandoori Chicken
Believed to have originated in Iran but known by different names depending on the country, the tandoor is a clay oven used throughout South, Central and Western Asia to bake, roast and grill. Meats cooked in a tandoor are incredibly moist and tender; cooking on a grill or in the oven under the broiler can achieve similar results. Make incisions into the chicken to help the marinade really penetrate the meat. Lemon juice and yogurt help achieve the tenderness tandoori chicken is known for, while a combination of sweet paprika and Kashmiri chile powder give it its signature red hue. (The bright red hue you might see in some Western restaurants is achieved by adding red food coloring.) Serve with steamed basmati rice and cucumber cilantro raita.
Wild Rice Porridge
Wild rice, known as manoomin in the Anishinaabemowin language, has been central to the identity and history of Indigenous people in the Upper Midwest and Central Canada for thousands of years. Directly translated as the “good berry,” the sacred manoomin is found in tall green grasses of low-lying lakes and streams, where ricers of all ages use sticks to knock kernels from the grass stalks into the bed of a canoe. This recipe is adapted from Dwayne Jarman, a traditional ricer in Michigan and enrolled member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. For his son’s birthday every year, he makes a delightful breakfast porridge of hand-harvested manoomin simmered in cream and topped with dried fruit and nuts. A touch of maple syrup and plumped berries balance the nutty flavor of the rice with explosions of warm sweetness. You’re urged to seek out manoomin for this recipe (see Tip), but you could substitute store-bought, commercially cultivated wild rice if preferred.
Strawberry Layer Cake
Summer is a soft, or strong, hue of pink in the South, depending on who is making the strawberry cake. When strawberries come alive, anywhere from early March down in Louisiana to as late as June as far up as East Tennessee, Southerners take to their strawberry cakes for as many celebrations as they can. Often referred to as church cakes in the South, layer cakes reign supreme. And strawberry layer cakes take the cake as the most sought-after style for many bakers. This recipe, with a soft and moist but sturdy crumb, uses store-bought preserves, but if you can roast your own high season strawberries, it is recommended you do so. The frosting is light and ethereal. And the color? That is all up to you and how heavy you pour the red food coloring. No matter the shade of pink you aspire to, you’ll get a regal and splendid cake worthy of any high celebration or common weekday luncheon.
One-Pot Chicken Meatballs With Greens
An upside down take on typical skillet meatballs, these juicy garlic-and-herb filled ones are smothered in greens rather than being cooked on top or alongside them, an ingenious trick to streamline efforts for weeknight cooks. The meatballs first brown in the pot for both color and flavor, then are covered with a mound of greens, which achieves two feats: It gently finishes cooking the meatballs while the chard and lemon slices steam and collapse on top, draping themselves over these hidden delights. Scoop them up with a soup ladle, spooning the lemony pan sauce over everything.
Lemon Soufflé French Toast
Like a cross between bread pudding and a fancy soufflé, this golden, puffed French toast casserole makes for the most elegant of brunch dishes. Baking the challah slices before soaking gives a rich, toasty flavor and helps dry them out, allowing them to absorb maximum custard. Lemon zest and orange liqueur give this a deep citrus flavor that’s punctuated with nutmeg and a burnt sugar topping. Serve it on its own or with fruit on the side. And while this nicely sweetened breakfast doesn’t need any syrup or extra sugar, a squeeze of lemon adds just the right tang.
Brown Sugar Sheet-Pan French Toast
With a cracking, caramelized brown sugar crust topping and soft, custardy slices of challah, this sheet-pan French toast is sweet perfection all by itself, without the need for maple syrup or powdered sugar. Baking it on a sheet pan eliminates the need to stand at the stove, pan-frying slices in batches. And while the oven is on, it’s easy to throw in a pan of bacon as well. If you can plan ahead, it’s best to start this the night before; the longer the challah soaks in the cinnamon-scented egg mixture, the better and more cakelike the result.
Shahi Toast
White bread transforms into a luxurious dessert in this classic South Asian sweet. Think of shahi toast as the ultimate bread pudding — cold, creamy, dreamy, crunchy and fragrant with cardamom, which tastes citrusy, sweet and floral. Buttered, toasted squares of bread are soaked in a citrusy-sweet cardamom cream until soft (but not soggy!) and topped with crunchy pistachios. This was one of my mom’s favorite desserts as a kid growing up in India and this is her shortcut version, with my upgrades (hint: butter). It is amazing how luxurious this tastes considering how easy it is to make.
Tea Sandwiches
These have the transformative power to turn snack time into something far fancier. The two easy classics are building blocks for afternoon tea or a baby shower, but also work just as easily for lunch. It’s the little things that make these sandwiches feel special: slicing the cucumbers thin, salting and patting the slices dry and making sure the herbs get evenly distributed in the compound butter. Soft bread is key here, as are the generous amounts of butter — both elements give these sandwiches their delightful texture. Make one version or both, and scale the recipe up or down as needed. These sandwiches are best served immediately, but can sit out for about an hour.
Creamy Asparagus Pasta With Peas and Mint
Sautéing asparagus in butter mellows it, bringing out its sweetness. Mixed with peas, mint, Parmesan and cream, it makes the foundation of a rich pasta dish with primavera vibes, but easier, faster and brighter, thanks to some grated lemon zest folded in at the end. If you can’t get good asparagus, feel free to substitute other quick cooking vegetables, like zucchini, corn or mushrooms. This delightful cream sauce is highly adaptable.
Lentil Tomato Soup
This tomato soup recipe elevates the beloved classic with the use of brown butter and protein-packed lentils, which make this soup even more satiating than other versions. The nutty brown butter brings depth and highlights the sweetness of the tomatoes. The milk solids present in the butter caramelize as the butter cooks, resulting in its characteristic taste. By introducing heavy cream — therefore more milk solids — to the butter browning process, the final result is a fortified brown butter that will bring more richness and depth to the tomato soup. Serve with crusty sourdough toast or grilled cheese, tomato soup’s soulmate.