Milk & Cream

3644 recipes found

Meatloaf Stroganoff
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Meatloaf Stroganoff

This meatloaf pays homage to one that was served at the old M. Wells in Long Island City, when the restaurant was in a dodgy old diner where the cooks did prep work on the lunch counters and the vents occasionally caught fire. The chef, Hugue Dufour, folded knuckles of foie gras into this marvelous Stroganoff gravy that he used to nap big loaves of aged-beef meatloaf. I’ve made versions at home with beef and lamb and pork covered in sauce made with mushrooms both wild and supermarket-bland. I’ve spooned canned foie gras into my meatloaf mixture to mimic the original, and I’ve dotted it into the finished sauce as well. That last maneuver was in truth more successful, providing pops of richness against the silkiness of the cream, but I’ve also omitted the foie entirely and no one has been the poorer for it. The adaptations hardly matter. Make a good and juicy meatloaf with the best meat you can find, and cover it with mushrooms and cream. You’ve got a meal to suggest magic.

1h 30m4 servings
Stamped Citrus Shortbread
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Stamped Citrus Shortbread

Use cast-iron cookie stamps to leave imprints on this beautifully textured shortbread, which is flavored with tangy orange and lemon zests. The stamps, which are available online, are a fun way to shape and decorate cookies without much effort. (Don’t be afraid to be generous with the flour, on the cookie balls and on the stamps themselves, shaking off excess so you still get a clean imprint.) But if you don’t have stamps, you can roll and cut the dough using a simply shaped cutter, or roll the dough into a log for slice-and-bake cookies.

40mAbout 2 dozen cookies
Graham Cracker Crust
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Graham Cracker Crust

Everyone loves pie, but not everyone loves the sometimes-finicky task of making a traditional rolled-out pie crust. For them, there is this press-in crust made with just graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and butter. It works best with fillings that don't require the structure and heft of traditional pie dough, like this Key lime pie or this ube pie.

15mOne 9-inch crust
Crème Brûlée Pie
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Crème Brûlée Pie

This crowd-pleasing dessert imitates the velvety custard and caramelized sugar shell of a crème brûlée, with the added bonus of a flaky crust. A food processor makes easy work of the all-butter pie shell, which can be chilled, then baked, a day in advance. Unlike with traditional crème brûlée, there’s no need to simmer the cream on a stovetop or use a blow torch, ramekins or water bath to pull this dessert together. The filling is simply blended together, baked in the pie shell, then chilled. Broil the pie just before serving to achieve that characteristic crackle on top; like a typical crème brûlée, the filling will be delicate, loose and delightfully wobbly.

3hOne 9-inch pie (about 8 servings)
Cazuela
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Cazuela

Puerto Rican cazuela, a richly spiced crustless pie with a texture between thick custard and bread pudding, is a unique dessert with a complex history. The name means “cooking pot” in Spanish, and the key ingredients — batata (white sweet potato), pumpkin and coconut milk — and the traditional cooking process speak to the island’s African ancestry. Flavored with ginger, cloves, cinnamon and anise, this dish also includes spices brought to the Caribbean during the spice trade. Cazuela has been prepared since at least the 19th century, and today it’s largely reserved for holidays. This version is an adaptation of the classic, with sweet plantain added for flavor, and a tip for using canned ingredients. While this dessert may seem challenging at first glance, it is incredibly adaptable and can be prepared days in advance in a casserole dish, ramekins or even foil cupcake tins.

2h 30m10 servings
Blackberry Jam Cake With Caramel Icing
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Blackberry Jam Cake With Caramel Icing

2hTwelve servings
Peanut Shortbread With Honeycomb
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Peanut Shortbread With Honeycomb

A giant crumbly peanut cookie topped with airy honeycomb and lashed with dark chocolate, this recipe is especially good if you love salty-sweet flavors, and fun to eat too, since you break off shards to serve. Honeycomb candy is one of the easiest confections to make, but, like any candy, it requires careful attention to timing and safety. It’s helpful to have a clip-on candy thermometer to tell you when the sugar is at the right temperature, and you’ll want to transfer the hot sugar mixture to a large bowl. Doing so not only ensures that there is plenty of room for the dramatic billowing that occurs when the baking soda is added, but it also slows the cooking, to avoid burning. This recipe yields quite a lot of pieces, making its perfect for packing into tins for gifts.

50mOne 9-by-13-inch pan (about 3 to 4 dozen pieces)
Limber de Coco
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Limber de Coco

Originating in Puerto Rico and coming in many flavors, limber is named after the pilot Charles A. Lindbergh, who landed on the island in 1928. According to El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico’s newspaper of record, he was greeted with this delicious frozen juice, which came to be called limber, it’s said, after how many on the island pronounced the pilot’s name. In New York, this simple dessert may be one of the best things about summers in the Bronx. Serve it in cups — squeeze the cups, take your first lick, then turn the dessert upside-down — or as ice cubes. The cubes are especially nice in coconut-flavored rum after a long day. It’s the much-needed cool-off you’re yearning for.

10m12 (4-ounce) servings or 48 (1-ounce) ice cubes
Pumpkin Panna Cotta
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Pumpkin Panna Cotta

When you want a pumpkin dessert, but not the heft of a pie, this light and creamy make-ahead custard will do the trick. It's surprisingly simple to prepare; just combine the ingredients in a saucepan, heat, then strain through a sieve and chill for at least 3 hours. Divine.

30m5 servings
Crepes
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Crepes

These delicate pliable crepes can be simply served warm, dusted with confectioners' sugar, or given a little flair by dousing with a buttery orange syrup to make the French dessert, Crêpes Suzette. You can make the crepes in advance; pile them between torn-off sheets of baking parchment then wrap well and store in the refrigerator for a good three days.

30m8 to 12 crepes
Twice-Baked Potatoes With Cauliflower and Cheese
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Twice-Baked Potatoes With Cauliflower and Cheese

This is a recipe that nods at a lesson taught by the British writer Nigel Slater, which is to poach the cauliflower in bay-leaf scented milk while the potatoes bake. The soft florets are then mashed in with the potato flesh and a healthy splash of the cooked milk. Add butter. Top with cheese.

1h 15m4 servings
Kelly Fields’s Haystack Cookies
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Kelly Fields’s Haystack Cookies

I toasted the rolled oats called for in Ms. Fields's recipe, just to get a little more texture out of them. Make sure the mixture is hot when you drop the cookies or the texture will be too crumbly.

50m2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies
Dirty Chai Earthquake Cookies
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Dirty Chai Earthquake Cookies

In case you’re wondering about the name of this cakey, chewy-edged cookie, which nearly explodes through its sugary crust, it’s a nod to a coffee bar creation in which a shot of espresso tops off a cup of masala chai, the Indian spiced tea. It’s right at home on a traditional holiday cookie plate, thanks to its festive cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves. Feel free to add a little freshly grated nutmeg, if you’re so inclined. A strong coffee flavor adds nuance; black pepper lends a spicy kick; and malted milk powder, browned butter and brown sugar all contribute toasty warm notes to this craveable treat.

45m2 dozen cookies
Bircher Muesli
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Bircher Muesli

Essentially oats soaked in fruit juice, or milk, with nuts and fruit, Bircher muesli has a long history, and enough versions floating around to prove it. The original was created in the early 1900s by Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss doctor. It consisted of oats, grated apple, nuts, lemon and condensed milk and honey, but over time, people have gotten creative with the formula. This version is a choose-your-own-adventure recipe that is great to make ahead in large or small batches. Some recipes call for apple juice or applesauce for moisture, but this version uses creamy Greek yogurt instead. Tahini adds richness, but substitute another nut butter or skip it all together if you’d rather. Swap out the nuts and dried fruit to suit your tastes and what you have. (Dates are especially nice.) Thin individual servings with more milk, if needed, then top with additional fresh fruit, nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup. It’s cool, creamy, chewy and crunchy all at once.

1h 10m4 servings
Peanut Fish Stew 
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Peanut Fish Stew 

Luscious and delicate from coconut milk, with distinguishable nuttiness from ground peanuts and peanut butter, this fish stew would be a welcome addition to the comfort food repertoire for every home cook who isn’t allergic to the namesake ingredient. This recipe from Ricky Moore, the chef at Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham, N.C., comes together quickly with an approachable ingredient list. It also has deep, penetrating notes from ginger and garlic that give this stew subtle yet superlative depth. The diced tomatoes are an essential ingredient: Their acid cuts the creaminess of the dish and their color imparts a warm reddish hue. This stew is best served with rice and topped with spiced pickled celery.

30m6 to 8 servings 
Best Sugar Cookies
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Best Sugar Cookies

This easy sugar cookie dough is perfect for rolling and cutting and bakes into cookies ideal for frosting. It holds its shape well during baking, tastes great, and the flavor can be changed according to whim: Swap out the vanilla and try adding orange zest, lemon zest, finely chopped rosemary or almond extract. You can also give these cookies a radical makeover by decorating them with icing. A few drops of gel food coloring turn them into Color-Field Cookies; red stripes transform them into Peppermint Stripe Cookies; or a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds and pistachios create Abstract Art Cookies. Rubber spacers on your rolling pin are especially helpful here: They’ll help you roll the dough to an even thickness, resulting in beautiful, uniform cookies.

1h2 dozen cookies
Creamy Blue Cheese Dip With Walnuts
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Creamy Blue Cheese Dip With Walnuts

Blue cheese can be a polarizing ingredient, but the sweetness of toasted walnuts rounds out the sharpness of the cheese in this creamy dip. If serving this dip to friends, surround it with large pieces of cabbage, sliced celery sticks and a sleeve of saltine crackers — and make extra, because it can disappear quickly. But it’s built for more than entertaining guests: Slather it on a potato bun in a chicken cutlet sandwich, or use it to dress up a BLT.

20m2 1/2 cups (6 to 8 servings)
Skillet Vegetable Potpie
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Skillet Vegetable Potpie

Loaded with the season’s finest offerings, this pie comes together in one skillet and manages to be hearty yet light. Leek provides a sweet and aromatic base, potatoes add body, fennel delivers an earthy note and asparagus imparts crisp freshness. (You could also use broccoli or green beans.) Sour cream in the base offers a slight tang and keeps the sauce light. Be sure to chop all of your vegetables around the same size to ensure they cook evenly and are tender by the time the pastry is golden. If you like, add other seasonal vegetables like peas or fava beans in the spring, or cauliflower or brussels sprouts in the fall and winter. (Frozen vegetables work well, too.) When using store-bought puff pastry, thaw it in the fridge overnight. If you don’t have an ovenproof 9- or 10-inch skillet, simply transfer the mixture to a similar-sized round or square baking dish.

45m4 to 6 servings
Brown Sugar-Anise Cookies
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Brown Sugar-Anise Cookies

This big, irresistible cookie takes almost no time to make, and is great for those occasions when you want a delicious treat, fast. If you think you don’t like anise seeds, you might enjoy their fragrant notes in this recipe, but you can always use sesame seeds instead. Or leave them out altogether — these cookies are still good with just sugar (use turbinado if you don’t have sanding or sparkling sugar). You can keep the rolled-out dough in the freezer, and throw it in the oven for a dinner party. With a little sorbet or ice cream, you have a dessert ready for company.

40mAbout 30 cookies
Semlor (Cardamom Cream Buns)
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Semlor (Cardamom Cream Buns)

Following the Christian tradition of exhausting supplies of animal products, such as butter and eggs, before Lent, many Swedes enjoy cream-filled, cardamom-scented semlor on the final day before fasting. “We Swedes call Mardi Gras ‘Semmeldagen’ or ‘Semlor Day,’” explained Ingrid Schatz, who serves this recipe at her Swedish-focused Axelsdotter Bakery, in Richmond, Va. She uses a blend of both fine and coarsely ground cardamom, which gives more concentrated bursts of cardamom flavor, but you can simply use finely ground cardamom. A word of advice: Before filling the buns with almond cream, set one aside and slather its soft interior with butter for an irresistible snack.

1h10 large semlor
Southern Cornbread Dressing
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Cornbread dressing is an intensely personal thing. In the American South, at least, everybody’s grandmother had a recipe, and everyone knows just how it should be made. This is a base model with a few variations. It’s nice to let it chill overnight before baking so the flavors meld. But you don’t have to. The key is really good stock, though plenty of cooks over the years have made it with whatever was on hand — even water in a pinch. This is food for sustenance. But it pays to use the best ingredients possible. Be sure to leave enough time — the cornbread needs to sit out overnight to harden slightly before you make the dressing.

9h 30m8 to 10 servings
Make-Ahead Fried Chicken
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Make-Ahead Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is one of the few fried foods that tastes just as good served at room temperature as it does when it's served hot enough to burn your fingers. This recipe has been specially engineered to be made in advance. It’s seasoned assertively, so the flavors won’t dull as it cools. But the real key is double-dipping the chicken in the flour mixture before you fry it, making for an extra-crunchy crust that holds up all afternoon. And it lets you serve fried chicken to your guests and still have enough time to clean the kitchen and take a shower before they arrive. Although the recipe calls for all drumsticks, which won’t dry out as they sit, feel free to substitute other chicken parts.

1h4 to 6 servings
Beet Soup With Tarragon, Chives and Yogurt
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Beet Soup With Tarragon, Chives and Yogurt

Freshly cooked beets, though they take a while to prepare (see Tip), are so delicious that they’re worth the effort. Cook them the day before you need them and keep them in the fridge for up to a week, to use in salads or for a soup. For this borscht-inspired soup, a splash of vinegar tempers the beets’ natural sweetness, which is perfectly complemented by a splash of tart herby yogurt. The good news is this soup may be served warm or chilled; each way is refreshing.

40m6 to 8 servings
Brown-Butter Poundcake
cooking.nytimes.com faviconNYT Cooking

Brown-Butter Poundcake

This rich and nutty loaf is deeply flavorful and incredibly tender owing to plenty of brown butter and toasty hazelnuts. A thin layer of crackly lemon icing lightens and brightens it. Enjoy this cake with a cup of tea in the afternoon, or top it with cream and berries for a delicious dessert. Either way, you may find yourself sneaking a little slice every time you walk by the plate.

4h1 loaf