Milk & Cream
3644 recipes found

Basque Cheesecake
Generously burnished and with a velvety, custardy interior, this rustic, crustless cheesecake from the Basque region of northern Spain is the platonic ideal of a low-effort, high-reward dessert. The caramelized exterior evokes a toasty marshmallow, but the cake itself is not too sweet. Marti Buckley adapted this recipe from La Viña, a small bar in San Sebastián, for her cookbook, “Basque Country” (Artisan, 2018). This statement cake is achieved using only five primary ingredients. It’s baked at a higher temperature than a classic New York cheesecake and in the hot oven, the cheesecake dramatically inflates into a soufflé-like puff before sinking into itself, creating a cradle for fresh fruit, should you wish to serve it with some. But Basque cheesecake is perfect on its own, at its arguable prime the day after it’s made, enjoyed at room temperature.

Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Muffins
These chocolate-and-pumpkin muffins make a perfect breakfast on the go, the two flavors united by a hint of cinnamon. If you’d like to dress them up for a party, start by adding 2 tablespoons of finely chopped chocolate to the chocolate batter before scooping it into the cups and skip the sugar topping. Bake and cool the muffins, then top them with a simple cream cheese frosting: Beat together 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter and 1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar. Spread the frosting liberally on the muffins and top with chocolate sprinkles.

Cranberry-Orange Scones
Cranberries and orange are a classic sweet-tart pairing in these scones, which are quick-to-make but super satisfying. Folding the dough a few times, and using a combination of buttermilk and cream creates a flaky and tender texture that is irresistible. The glaze adds another punch of orange flavor, but it is totally optional, if you prefer a simpler scone. The scones freeze well after baking, but for the best texture, make sure to defrost them at room temperature and warm gently before serving. Feel free to swap in another citrus fruit for the orange, and just about any other dried fruit for the cranberries. Tart cherries and lime also make a great combination.

Brown-Butter Maple Muffins
These one-bowl muffins are humble in appearance, but packed with toasty brown butter, rich maple syrup, and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg for warmth. The sour cream gives them a bit of tang and tenderness. Make sure to gently fold in the flour to ensure that the finished muffins are light and fluffy instead of dense and stodgy. The nuts on top are optional, but highly recommended for a bit of crunch and toasty flavor. If you have the time, don’t skip the maple butter glaze; it adds a sweet and savory note that makes these muffins extra special. They are best served warm, with a little pat of butter.

Nutella Banana Bread
This banana bread definitely leans toward dessert, thanks to thick swirls of chocolate-hazelnut spread. Browning the butter may seem a little fussy, but it's totally worth the time and effort. The resulting toasty warm flavor pairs perfectly with sweet bananas and the rich spread. After all, the French term for brown butter is “beurre noisette” which literally translates to hazelnut butter.

Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread
This recipe uses four bananas, which is more than is typical for a single loaf. The natural sugars from the ripe, brown bananas keep the bread incredibly moist for up to one week, even sliced. The high moisture of the batter can make it tricky to determine doneness, so take care not to underbake the the loaf. It should have a dry, shiny, cracked surface, and a tester inserted into the thickest portion should come out with a few moist crumbs attached. Serve this banana bread for breakfast or brunch, or even as a simple dessert, topped with a scoop of coffee ice cream.

One-Bowl Carrot Cake
The tangy, rich cream cheese topping on this cake can travel — even on a hot day. Silky with sour cream, it bakes right over the batter and develops a caramelized flavor reminiscent of Basque cheesecake. As it cools, the deeply browned surface ripples, and the custardy cream cheese layer sets. The carrot cake beneath packs more carrots than most classic versions for a more complex natural sweetness and fine, sturdy crumb. Both batters are mixed by hand in the same bowl, making prep and clean up especially easy.

Pumpkin Bread With Brown Butter and Bourbon
This hearty pumpkin bread is a sophisticated twist on the traditional version with the addition of bourbon (teetotalers can substitute apple cider), browned butter and cardamom.

Pumpkin Bread
Moist and tender, delicately flavored with pumpkin and cinnamon, this humble loaf needs no bells and whistles. If you want to go big, throw in more spices, like nutmeg and cloves, a hearty handful of chopped bittersweet chocolate or a tablespoon of orange zest. Stir in some chopped walnuts or pecans for added crunch, or scatter some pepitas or crushed gingersnaps over the top. My favorite adornment is a simple cream cheese glaze. Mix together four ounces of cream cheese, a couple tablespoons of warm milk, a tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar and a pinch of salt. Drizzle it over the cooled loaf.

Browned-Butter Rhubarb Crisp
Making a crisp is one of the best and easiest ways to highlight seasonal fruit. Crisps come together quickly with no special equipment, and they are a great way to use the odds and ends of fruit in your refrigerator. This recipe highlights one of spring’s finest flavors: rhubarb. It is often paired with berries, but here, rhubarb shines on its own, with tart, puckery flavor and gorgeous color. Browned butter and almonds add toasty, nutty notes to the topping, making this an almost-effortless, high-impact dessert. You may notice that 2 tablespoons of the butter aren’t browned; they are added to the hot browned butter to cool it down a bit so that you can use it immediately. Feel free to swap an equal amount of rolled old-fashioned oats for the almonds in the topping. Serve this cozy dessert with whipped cream or ice cream, if you like.

Spiced Orange Crumble Cookies
Citrus in three forms — fresh zest, juice and preserves — gives buttery baked goods a nice bright flavor. This crisp brown sugar cookie is baked with orange marmalade, then topped with a grating of orange zest after it comes out of the oven for layers of citrus freshness. With a dash of clove and black pepper, it’s reminiscent of the piney, spiced scents of winter fir. You’ll love the aroma that fills your kitchen while they bake, and enjoy them with tea and coffee.

Peanut-Butter Chocolate-Chip Cookies
These superquick, easy cookies come together with just a few pantry ingredients, and no electric equipment required. They are gooey and chocolatey straight from the oven, but they stay chewy and fudgy for a few days on the counter. They call for organic brown sugar and vegan chocolate chips, but you can use their conventional counterparts if you aren’t avoiding animal products. You can also use natural or conventional peanut butter, but cookies made with natural peanut butter will have a slightly nubbier texture. Use a ripe yellow banana for the strongest banana flavor; a speckly black one will result in sweeter cookies.

Creamy Homemade Yogurt
Homemade yogurt is a snap to make. All you really need is good quality milk, a few spoonfuls of your favorite plain yogurt to use as a starter culture, and some time to let it sit. You can substitute low-fat milk here if you’d rather; 2 percent works a lot better than 1 percent. Skim milk will give you a thinner yogurt, though if you add some dry milk powder to the milk as it heats (about 1/2 cup), that will help thicken it. Creamline (non-homogenized milk) will give you a cream top on your yogurt. Homogenized milk is smooth throughout.

Coconut-Lime Shrimp
You can make this gingery, lightly sweet shrimp stew as tangy and spicy as you like by adjusting the amounts of chile and lime juice. Using full-fat coconut milk gives you the richest and most flavorful dish. But light coconut milk will also work, resulting in something brothier and more souplike. Be sure not to overcook the shrimp. As soon as they turn pink, they’re done.

Vegan Frozen Coconut Lime Bars
Inspired by frozen Key lime pie, this simple summertime treat is for vegans and dairy-lovers alike. The no-bake graham cracker crust gets topped with softened store-bought, dairy-free ice cream mixed with shredded coconut and fresh lime juice for a dessert that’s as easy to put together as it is delicious. Be sure to use unsweetened, finely shredded (also called desiccated) coconut for this recipe; regular shredded or flaked coconut will be too coarse.

Strawberry Fool
This Minimalist recipe is as basic as dessert gets, and especially in strawberry season it’s just perfect. It is essentially fresh strawberries and whipped cream (substitute heavy cream, sour cream or yogurt). It can be eaten right away or refrigerated. Only a fool would pass this up.

Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
The bran and germ of whole-wheat flour add nuttiness to pancakes, but 100 percent whole-wheat pancakes have a reputation for being dense and fibrous. These aren’t. Letting the batter rest for five minutes while the pan heats ensures that the pancakes will be tender and delicate. The flour will hydrate and soften, doing away with any heaviness but keeping its deep, delicious flavor.

Instant Pot Rice Pudding
Rice pudding prepared in an electric pressure cooker is both speedy and simple — the kind of thing you can whip up in minutes in between other kitchen tasks. This version calls for short-grain rice, which turns plump and pleasingly sticky as it cooks in a combination of milk and heavy cream. Adding a vanilla bean lends deeply aromatic notes, but if you don’t have one, just stir 1 tablespoon vanilla extract into the pudding along with the egg yolks. Or skip the vanilla and add a teaspoon of whole cardamom pods to the pot to round out the spicy flavor of the cinnamon. Whipped cream might be overkill on a pudding this rich, but only in the very best way.

Pressure Cooker Chocolate Pudding
Dense, creamy and fudgy, this pudding is meant to be made in a 6- to 8-quart electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot. You can bake this recipe as one larger pudding or as individual servings. It can be made in a stovetop pressure cooker, by trimming a few minutes off the cooking time, or you can also bake the individual servings in a water bath in the oven. To do so, heat the oven to 300 degrees. Set the filled, uncovered custard cups in a large roasting pan positioned on the oven's center rack. Add hot tap water to the pan, halfway up the sides of cups. Cover the entire pan with foil, and use a fork to prick holes in foil. Bake until edges are lightly set (lifting the foil to check) but the centers are still jiggly – they will set as they cool – 30 to 35 minutes.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes With Sour Cream and Chives
This recipe gives you everything you want in a dish of mashed potatoes: supreme creaminess from both butter and sour cream, a deep potato flavor, a little Parmesan for a salty tang, and chives for color and freshness. That said, if you want to bring the fat content down, you can use less butter (as little as 2 tablespoons will still work). But don’t skimp on the sour cream, which is necessary for both flavor and texture. This is one of 10 recipes from Melissa Clark’s “Dinner in an Instant: 75 Modern Recipes for Your Pressure Cooker, Multicooker, and Instant Pot” (Clarkson Potter, 2017). Melissa Clark’s “Dinner in an Instant” is available everywhere books are sold. Order your copy today.

Pressure Cooker Sweet Potato-Coconut Curry Soup
This creamy soup makes the most of a few supermarket staples: red curry paste, coconut milk and peanut butter. Since curry pastes vary in heat and salt, be sure to taste this soup at the end and adjust the flavor as you like. The rich soup is quite thick, so if you prefer a looser soup, stir in a little extra water until it reaches your ideal consistency. Chile-lime flavored peanuts, available at some grocery stores, are particularly good for topping, but roasted salted peanuts also work beautifully. Find the slow-cooker version of this recipe here.

Slow-Cooker Curried Sweet Potato Soup With Coconut and Kale
This creamy Thai-inspired soup is all about balance: When the contrasting flavors are in harmony, it is outrageously delicious. (It is also vegan if there’s no fish or shrimp in your curry paste.) Supermarket curry pastes are a great shortcut to flavor for weeknights, but salt and spice levels can vary greatly among brands. So taste at the end, and adjust: You may need to add curry paste, sugar or lime juice to your liking. Chile-lime flavored peanuts, available at some grocery stores, are particularly good for topping — snap them up if you happen to see them. Otherwise, roasted salted peanuts will work beautifully.

Sea Scallops With Brown Butter, Capers and Lemon
This bright yet rich treatment for scallops came to The Times in a 2009 article about Kevin Zraly, the wine director of Windows on the World from 1976 to 2001. Mr. Zraly turned the restaurant into an international wine mecca: at the time it was destroyed, when the World Trade Center fell, its cellar held close to 100,000 bottles of 1,500 labels. Mr. Zraly and Michael Lomonaco, the chef at the restaurant (both of whom were not at work on Sept. 11 when the planes hit), worked together on hundreds of wine and food pairings throughout the years. This was Mr. Zraly's favorite of Mr. Lomonaco's creations. With it, he recommends a Puligny Montrachet, Olivier Leflaive.

Creamy Chickpea Pasta With Spinach and Rosemary
Luxurious and hearty, cheap and easy, this vegetarian pasta uses mostly pantry staples, requiring just a few fresh ingredients, like baby spinach, rosemary and heavy cream. Canned chickpeas form the foundation of the dish: They’re cooked until crisp and caramelized. Half are then saved as a garnish, while the rest are simmered until they break down and thicken the sauce. You can swap out your greens or beans, and if you want to experiment with flavor, raid your spice cabinet: Ground coriander, toasted fennel seeds, coarsely crumbled pink peppercorns or a sprinkle of smoked paprika perk up the dish.