Cookbooks

I grew up eating these classic chocolate crinkle cookies every December. To me they are the very definition of holiday sweetness and happy memories. While the dough will become quite stiff as you’re making it, the final result is a light, airy, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cookie that marries perfectly with whatever you’re drinking, whether that's eggnog, hot chocolate, or a cold, frosty glass of milk. 

This easy baked Brie is a great appetizer if you’re hosting a small holiday party. While it’s simple, there is some serious wow value during that first oozing fresh-from-the oven Brie slice. 

This twist on the ham and cheese baguette is a great way to use up that marmalade you keep getting every year during the holidays.

Try any marmalade or jelly you might have in your condiment ghost town with this festive baked ham.

Tart cranberries meet their perfect match in persimmons, the glorious fruit that ripens in time for Thanksgiving. For this cranberry relish, use Fuyu persimmons, which are eaten while still hard, like apples.

This warm, cheesy dip with sweet, caramelized fennel and Brie is perfect as an appetizer or for entertaining.

It’s nothing fancy or complicated, simply a jumbo Brie wheel topped with sautéed apples and honey and wrapped in butter-brushed phyllo. But when baked, the combination of textures matched with apple and honey flavors fused with gooey Brie never fails to please a crowd.

While most baked Bries are on the sweet side, with layers of jam or chutney under the crust, this one goes savory with anchovies, garlic, and roasted bell peppers.

Deep-fried tofu gets braised with shiitake mushrooms in soy sauce and Chinese wine for this easy dish.

The combination of tender chicken and sweet chestnuts makes for classic Chinese comfort food.

Think of this as something like savory s'mores.

A little yogurt makes a flaky piecrust extra tender and the butter taste extra good!

For many years this was my classic rich butter glaze for chocolate tortes.

Rumtopf is a traditional German tipple that you build over the course of the entire harvest season.

Pistachios are my favorite; I can very easily work my way through a whole bag, leaving a trail of broken shells as evidence, so naturally this is a cake that I make quite often.

When I was growing up in Louisiana, fall meant pecans littering the ground from the stately trees in our suburban neighborhood. On walks home from the bus stop, we would dip into various neighbors’ backyards and gather as many pecans as would fit in our pockets and backpacks. My favorite thing to do once all the nuts had been shelled (by hand!) was to make pecan pie. This recipe uses cane syrup, which adds a more complex sweetness than corn syrup. Plus, by toasting the pecans, you bring out the .…

Though perilla look like large mint leaves, they are tender and mild, with notes of sesame. I love using them for salads and in this focaccia.

Braise smoked collard greens with onions, then toss them with a bright pepper vinegar for dish that's smoky, sweet, and savory.

This take on a very popular Thai bar snack—freshly fried cashews tossed with salt, chiles, scallions, and fragrant lime zest—is simple but so good with an ice-cold beer.

Onions are the star of the show: sweet and lightly scented, in pride of place on a layer of light, puffy pastry and delicious crumbled blue cheese.