Cookbooks

This luscious drink gives hot chocolate a run for its money. Really caramelizing the sugar keeps the drink from tasting cloyingly sweet. Add a glug of good rum or skip it as desired.

No new drink of the twenty-first century has gone further in terms of fame than this complex, spicy, smoky turn on a Whiskey Sour. 

This is bread topped with an easy chile-pecan paste that can be used in so many different ways, but the paste spread on some bread and topped with slices of Brie, sprinkled with sugar, and then broiled.

Since Chinese eggplant has fewer seeds, it is noticeably less bitter than its fellow nightshades. This makes it the perfect ensemble player in this cast of heat, ginger, and garlic.

This mall classic, peppered with the ultimate combo of mint and chocolate, is every bit as ridiculous and over the top as it is delicious and irresistible. The secret ingredient in these cookies is the milk powder, which brings an amazing depth of flavor.

In this rich and custardy bread pudding, the chocolate’s flavor is enhanced by the addition of coffee and savory-salty miso. Serve the pudding as a holiday dessert, or as a midday snack.

These delicate jam-filled bar cookies are made with dough that you freeze and then grate into the pan. They have a delightful light and crumbly texture.

A practically perfect brownie: dense and fudgy thanks to the chia seeds; rich, but not sickeningly so; with a salted caramel-like flavor that comes from using white miso and salt together.

The secret to this brownie’s chewy-and-fudgy texture? Chilling them in the fridge.

Standing three tiers high, the magnificent Bombay sandwich is a whopper of a construction. It’s available on every street corner, and each stallholder obsesses over their own special blend of spices, vegetables, and chutneys, for that “better than yours” taste. Although it’s a wonder, it’s also a labor of love to make at home, and so in this recipe I’ve attempted to embody its spirit—a sharp, hot green chutney, cheese, and onion—but in a pastry roll that can be made in just minutes.

Poach quince in rosé with a dash of cocktail bitters and a few warm spices, then assemble into a tart with almond paste using an upside-down, Tatin-style method.

Browned butter, caramelized honey, warm spices, and few extra eggs make this a pumpkin pie that's truly custardy and wonderfully delicious.

This easy-to-make cocktail was one of the earlier drinks I created for the bar menu at our Brentwood restaurant, Tavern. It is made with a honey syrup infused with fresh ginger and chiles de árbol, so you get those flavors and that heat in the cocktail. I added grapefruit to make it tangy.

Warm up with this concoction of bourbon, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. It’s not a Southern classic, but it certainly drinks like one.

The campfire smokiness of the Lapsang Souchong (which is brewed strong, so that the tannins intensify) is a great counterpoint to sweet, tart stone fruit.

Cauliflower and cabbage meet up in this soufflelike casserole that's both warm and comforting while feeling light and virtuous.

Serve this with a bowl of potato chips (Utz, please) and another little bowl of extra olives and sit outside with a friend. That’s all I have to say about that!

Chanterelle mushrooms and a crunchy, sweet, and salty walnut-bacon topping make this holiday side dish a stand-out.

June Edelmuth has become known all over Sydney for this legendary bread. The deliciously dense cinnamon and sugar-swirled babke honors the memory of June's Russian grandmother, Minka.

This cheesecake has a chocolatey rich mousse-like texture that is absolutely amazing.