New Year’s Day
363 recipes found
Blueberry Pie Bars
At first glance, these bars may look like every other fruit crumble bar you’ve had, but they have a secret. Between the jammy fruit and buttery shortbread is a bonus layer of sweetened cream cheese you never knew you needed until now. Wild blueberries are less watery than conventional blueberries and have a more concentrated blueberry flavor that works beautifully in this recipe. They are available frozen and need not be thawed before using, but you can use whichever variety you find. These bars will be delicious no matter what.
Roasted Broccoli With Tahini Garlic Sauce
One of my favorite Middle Eastern mezze is deep-fried cauliflower served with tahini garlic sauce. I decided to try the dish with broccoli, but instead of deep-frying the broccoli I roasted it, a method that requires a lot less oil. The buds on the broccoli florets toast to a crispy brown, and the texture of the stalk remains crisp. It goes wonderfully with the classic and irresistible tahini garlic sauce.
Broccoli Salad With Garlic and Sesame
This salad is made from uncooked broccoli tossed with an assertive garlic, sesame, chile and cumin-seed vinaigrette slicked with good extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. The acid “cooks” the florets a little as ceviche does fish. After an hour, the broccoli softens as if blanched, turning bright emerald, and soaking up all the intense flavors of the dressing. You’ll be making this one again.
One-Pot Rice and Beans
Not only is rice with beans adored the world over (see: gallo pinto, khichdi, hoppin’ John and Caribbean rice and peas), it even has its own Wikipedia page. This deeply flavored rendition is inspired by these comforting traditions and a desire to wash as few dishes as possible: The rice cooks with the beans and the starchy liquid they’re canned in. As the two ingredients cook together, the beans disperse and glom onto the rice. For an extra kick, sauté chopped jalapeño with the onions, or add 1/4 cup salsa with the stock.
Kale Soup With Potatoes and Sausage
Though kale probably originated in the dry heat of the Mediterranean, it became a fixture in the kitchens of northern Europe. In Scotland, according to the author Elizabeth Schneider, "to come to cail," was an invitation to come to dinner. Recent devotees extol the virtues of undercooked kale. But having spent five winters in Provincetown, Mass., where the Portuguese eat their kale with sausage or fish, I grew to like mine similar to theirs: slow-simmered in bacon or sausage fat, or braised in chicken broth until it's soft and sweet.
Glazed Shiitakes With Bok Choy
Gorgeous glazed shiitake mushrooms and tender green bok choy sparked with ginger, sesame and hot pepper work beautifully against more staid flavors, so consider serving them next to a traditional roast chicken or turkey. They also are delicious draped over a pile of rice.
Saltine Cracker Brickle
In December 2009, The New York Times asked readers to send photos and recipes of their favorite holiday cookies. About 100 people answered the call, and this one, from Kelly Mahoney in Boulder, Colo., was one of the 35 recipes chosen for online publication. It's got just five ingredients — saltines, sugar, butter, vanilla and chocolate chips — and it comes together in about 20 minutes, so you can satisfy those salty-sweet cravings in a snap. It also works with salted matzo.
Ludo Lefebvre’s Roasted-Carrot Salad
At Petit Trois, the tiny restaurant in Los Angeles where the chef Ludo Lefebvre serves bistro classics to the film industry and food-obsessed, this salad serves as an appetizer. But it works just as well spread across a platter as a light dinner or lunch, and pairs well with a fresh baguette and a glass of chilled red wine. Toasting the cumin for the carrots and the crème fraîche is very important, but don’t worry if you can’t find all the herbs for the garnish. Just one or two will bring pleasure.
Baked French Toast With Oat Crumble Topping
The beauty of a baked French toast casserole is that you can prepare it entirely in advance, usually the night before you want to serve it, then pop it into the oven about 45 minutes before you’re ready to eat. This version combines toasted challah with a nutmeg-flavored custard, which is then topped with a crunchy oat crumble. Pears add a ripe and juicy note to the dish, but if you’d rather go fruitless, you can leave them out. The finished dish is sublime served with vanilla-honey syrup drizzled on top, but it is also excellent with maple syrup.
Everything-Spice Phyllo Crackers
Here’s a cracker that bakes up flaky and buttery, no matter how much of a baker you may or may not be. There's no need for a whisk, mixing bowl or even flour: Just layer phyllo sheets with butter, top with everything-bagel seasoning (or other spices, or grated cheese), and slice them into squares or triangles of any size. Each cracker promises a joyful, shattering mess; a companion to wine, beer or something stronger; and the pleasure of knowing it was so easy to make. Each batch yields a bounty of crackers, but this recipe is also easy to scale.
Hashed Brussels Sprouts With Lemon
A shower of lemon zest and black mustard seeds on a fast sauté of hashed brussels sprouts makes a traditional side dish with unexpected, bright flavors. Slice the sprouts a day or so before (a food processor makes it easy) and refrigerate until it's time to prepare them.
Classic Philadelphia Fish House Punch
Rum and Cognac mix with a muddled sugar and lemon mixture, known as oleo-saccharum, and peach brandy in this classic punch, which dates back to the early 18th century. If you can’t find peach brandy (a dry, high-proof brandy distilled from peaches, not the saccharine peach-flavored liqueur) swap in a fruit eau de vie, such as apricot, plum, apple or pear. While this recipe is written to be served cold, it can also be served warm: Skip the ice block and gently warm the punch in a large saucepan or Dutch oven before ladling into small, heatproof mugs or tea cups. Hot or cold, finish each serving with a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg.
Nonalcoholic Smoky Citrus Punch
Historically, punch is an alcoholic drink, made with a spirit, sugar, citrus and spice, but this variation drops the spirit and doubles down on its other central components. Opting for smoky Lapsang souchong adds distinctive depth and character to the punch, though another black tea, such as Earl Grey or Darjeeling or a more robust green tea, can also be used. Likewise, the oranges in the lemon-orange oleo-saccharum (a muddled sugar and citrus mixture) can be swapped out for seasonal citrus, such as satsuma, mandarin or blood oranges. Bear in mind you need to start this punch the day before serving: While some of the tea is brewed hot before being added to the lemon-orange oleo-saccharum, cold-brewing the remainder of the tea ensures that the final punch is deeply flavored, smooth drinking and more nuanced than astringent. A mix of tonic and soda water to finish imbues the punch with a bubbly, quinine bitterness and helps to balance the tannins of the tea.
Mulled Cider
This is a recipe for a hot beverage we enjoy on cold winter evenings. When curled up with a good book in front of a blazing fire, nothing tastes better than cider. Preferably, it is made with cloudy, unfiltered sweet cider, the fresh juice of pressed apples, which I combine with cloves, allspice berries and cinnamon sticks. After being steeped together like tea, the cloves and allspice come to the top and can be removed before serving, and the stick of cinnamon, which sinks to the bottom, can be served with the liquid. Add bourbon or rum if you wish.
Port Toddy
A port toddy is one of winter’s unsung delights. Replacing whiskey with port in a toddy leads to something surprising and special. Somehow, it feels more curative than one with harder spirits: it’s like the alcohol-fortified equivalent of a bowl of homemade chicken soup. This requires a ruby port, which is the cheapest and most easily found. (The New York Times)
BBQ Pulled Chicken
Almost nothing beats a barbecue pulled pork sandwich, but this faster and leaner spin, which is made with roasted chicken thighs and breasts and a quick barbecue sauce, is a delicious alternative that only tastes like it took all day to cook. Serve on buns with a vinegary slaw and ranch or buttermilk dressing, if you like. For a smokier flavor, use a combination of sweet and smoked paprika. Like most barbecue recipes, this is even better reheated the next day.
Slow-Cooker Mulled Cider
A slow cooker is an ideal way to make and serve a warm cocktail for a party: Throw the ingredients into the cooker several hours before guests arrive and the cider will bubble away, making the whole house smell wonderful. Reduce the heat before adding the rye whiskey so it maintains its kick. The toasted spices make the flavors so vibrant that the drink is delicious even without the whiskey. No slow cooker? This recipe is your stovetop option.
Slow Cooker Pork Puttanesca Ragù
This hearty ragù has all the punchy, briny flavors of traditional puttanesca (tomato, anchovies, capers, olives and red-pepper flakes), and introduces pork shoulder to the equation, making a particularly rich and meaty Sunday sauce. Deep flavor is built by starting the dish in a skillet, searing the pork and caramelizing the tomato paste until concentrated. The mixture might look dry as it gets transferred to the slow cooker, but as it cooks, the pork tenderizes and releases its juices. Before serving, add more tomato, along with lemon and parsley, to balance the deep, long-simmered flavors with fresh ones.
Slow Cooker Chili
A great chili should be richly spiced, with layers of deep, savory flavor. Here, that big flavor comes from the usual contenders, but also from the unexpected additions of unsweetened cocoa, soy sauce and Worcestershire, which provide complexity. This recipe makes a thick, comforting chili that can be prepared in a slow cooker or in a Dutch oven on the stovetop. Chili is perhaps the ideal slow-cooker dish because its flavor improves with a long, slow simmer. This makes a big batch, perfect for a cold-weather get-together, but if you’re making it for a smaller group, the leftovers freeze well.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Reminiscent of Sara Lee’s loaves in the freezer aisle, this tender, buttery treat is like a pound cake in sheet cake form. For a Barbie-pink dream house finish, prepare this with the optional toppings: raspberry preserves, gently salted whipped cream and a snowy, psychedelic blanket of freeze-dried raspberries. Any toppings should be added right before serving, but if it’s simplicity you’re after, then you can skip them and dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar or nothing at all. The cake, undressed, will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 to 4 days or well-wrapped in the freezer for up to a month.
Caramelized Sheet-Pan French Toast
Caramelized and crunchy on the outside, soft and custardy on the inside, these almost comically thick sourdough slices taste like the love child of bread pudding and French toast. But instead of the usual brioche or challah, this calls for sturdier bread, preferably a not-too-tangy sourdough or country bread with a crust that’s neither chewy nor thick. You want a round or oblong loaf large enough for big pieces and soft enough to absorb the custard. It’s easy to caramelize the French toast in the oven, but the timing depends on your oven and pan, so check it frequently to ensure that it’s burnished but not burned.
Mark Bittman’s Shrimp In Green Sauce
Green sauce means different things to different cooks, but I like the Iberian interpretation best. It draws its color from parsley and its impact from chilies, scallions, and, mostly, garlic. I find it difficult to use too much garlic here, and have never really reached the outer limit; my recipe calls for six cloves, but twice that amount is not unreasonable. Shrimp is the perfect candidate for this green sauce: it can withstand high heat, it gives off some juices while it cooks, and its pink hue is absolutely gorgeous when surrounded by the flecks of green. This dish won't take you much more than half an hour. And although it's a perfect week-night meal, divided into eight it makes an impressive starter for a dinner party.
Zucchini and Egg Tart With Fresh Herbs
Store-bought puff pastry makes easy work of this colorful tart, adapted from “The Modern Cook’s Year,” a vegetarian cookbook by the British author Anna Jones. When you’re rolling out puff pastry, thin flatbread or any other flattened dough, invert the baking sheet so you can unfurl the dough directly on it without the rim getting in the way of your rolling pin. Then parbake the tart without toppings first so that the base cooks through before it’s slathered with crème fraîche, piled with a mess of vegetables and eggs, and returned to the oven to finish. (You’ll want to bake just until the whites of the eggs start to look glossy and custardy, not firm.) Top with any torn, tender herbs you have on hand, like small parsley sprigs, chives, tarragon or dill, cut into quarters, and serve warm.
Stewed Lentils With Sausage
In Italy, lentils are traditionally eaten at midnight to bring luck in the coming year. Because lentils are round, resembling coins, they are believed to bring prosperity to those who eat them. For this one-pot preparation, sausages are fried in oil to brown and release a bit of fat. Next, the soffritto and tomatoes come together, lentils are added, then the dish simmers until the legumes are tender and the liquid is saucy and thick. Like most stews, this dish can be made a few days ahead and reheated for company.