In this issue
Issue #134
Take this custard out of the refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving.
With a luscious interior and perfectly crisp crackling, this is everything roast meat should be.
The recipe for this soup is based on one from Taipei's Yong Kang Beef Noodle shop.
Drenched in sherry and kirsch, this holiday dessert features layer upon layer of ginger cake, custard, berries, chocolate, and cream. It's a showstopper.
Chef Anna Klinger of Al Di Là in Brooklyn, New York, flavors these dumplings with nutmeg. For the best results, drain the ricotta overnight and squeeze all the moisture out of the Swiss chard.
Cooks in the Alpine village of Oulx flavor this tart with red wine and cinnamon to honor the town's patron saint, Sant'Antonio.
Typically made with day-old bread or breadsticks during the holidays, this northern Italian specialty comes out like a luscious casserole of melted cheese and bread.
Come December, even novice bakers break out the cookie cutters and the red and green sprinkles. Christmas cookies are more than mere sweets: they are gifts, mementos of childhood, and, often, markers of the baker's specific heritage and beliefs. This year, in the interest of expanding our repertoire, we asked pastry chef Nick Malgieri to share a few of his favorite Christmas cookie recipes from around the world. He came back with a fascinating selection, ranging from delicate, crescent-shaped Austrian vanillekipferl to buttery Argentine alfajores filled with dulce de leche. And, yes, there are even all-American sugar cookies decked out in bright-green icing and silvery baubles.
Based on the classic French caramelized-onion tart with olives and anchovies, these little two-bite hors d'oeuvres pack a flavorful punch.
Redolent of ginger and garam masala, this lively main course can be prepared a day in advance, which makes it a terrific dish for a party.
Cut into Christmas trees, wreaths, snowflakes, snowmen, candy canes, and every other holiday design imaginable, these are classic holiday treats in the U.S. The cookies themselves are pure buttery comfort, but when decorated with royal icing, sprinkles, dragées, and sanding sugar, they're elevated to cultural icons, beloved by children and grown-ups alike. Plus, they're almost as much fun to make as they are to eat.
These Roman-style biscotti are a favorite of Nick Malgieri's for their distinctive anise flavor and atypical baking method: the loose batter is poured onto a baking sheet and baked like a cake. The result is light biscotti with large chunks of almonds and hazelnuts.
These Norwegian wafer cookies, eaten across Scandinavia during the Christmas season, are light and crisp and perfumed with cardamom. They're made like waffles on a special griddle that imprints an intricate design, and then they're rolled and filled with whipped cream.
Akin to Mexican wedding cookies and Greek kourabiedes, these Austrian vanilla crescents made with ground walnuts and showered in confectioners' sugar are served throughout central Europe during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Specialties of Basel, in northern Switzerland, these chocolatey confections are often described as Swiss brownies. Almonds, sugar, and chocolate are ground fine and bound together with egg whites to create a satisfyingly chewy texture, while cinnamon and cloves impart an unmistakable flavor of old-fashioned Christmas cheer. Added bonus: they're gluten-free, so they're a holiday cookie everyone can enjoy.
