Christmas

Béchamel, a cream sauce bound by a roux of flour and butter, holds up well in the freezer, maintaining the same gooey, melty texture that the freezer too often destroys in other dairy. It’s pivotal for casseroles, such as lasagna (page 126) or the green bean dish (page 125) that falls on so many Thanksgiving menus. It’s the halfway point to sausage gravy (page 122) or cheese sauce. Long story short, béchamel helps bridge the gap when thinking about foods that freeze well. Just like duct tape, you should never be without it.

These chocolaty pastries have the attributes of a gloriously flaky croissant on the top, a sticky bun on the bottom, and a rich chocolate-studded brioche in the middle.

This rum cocktail is a tropical riff on a gingery mule. Pomegranate gives it a lovely tartness, and there’s a refreshing bubble from the soda.

These are a very delicate take on a classic English sandwich cookie, and quite fragile too, which is why you need the piping bag. They are pure edible nostalgia.

Time, rather than years of experience, is what you really need when making your own brioche. Along with a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Fortnum’s chefs have been using this particular recipe for over 32 years. The reason? It works like a dream, every single time.

Layers of creamy potato, three cheeses, and savory kale and leeks mean that this is one dish that's here for a good time, not a long time.

Tagines are typical street food in Morocco, and this is the one that is most commonly found, except that street vendors cut the potatoes into small dice and I prefer to use new potatoes, which I leave whole if they are very small or halve if they are medium.

This incredibly dark, extra-moist cake is meant for serious chocolate lovers. Dutch-process cocoa powder and baking soda give it a deep color. Top with light, fluffy meringue or your favorite frosting.

This very stable Italian meringue is incredibly versatile—it makes magnificent billowy white peaks to brown as you wish. It is a large recipe—6 egg whites—so that you have an abundance of this great meringue. Of course, you can easily halve this recipe.

These savory Indonesian cookies from cookbook author Lara Lee are perfectly buttery, crumbly, and cheesy. Make a big batch and enjoy them with coffee or tea all week long.

Small, hand-held kouign-amann are common in North America, but this recipe shows off the other way the classic Breton pastry can be made: as a single 9-inch cake.

This vegetarian pozole relies on meaty mushrooms and hearty hominy to become a filling, soul-nourishing meal-in-a-bowl.

This mosaic jello uses gelatina de leche as a base in which colorful cubes of three other gelatin flavors are suspended. If you’re having a birthday party, use small cups instead of a baking dish for individually portioned treats!

Enough cannot be said of the Sri Lankan delicacy black pork curry. It is a delicious and truly flavorful dish—every family has their own generational recipe. 

These pillowy biscuits are stuffed with spinach and cheese, but they work equally well with any other vegetable you care to throw at them. Swap the spinach for up to a cup of roasted squash, charred poblanos, or other cooked vegetable, and sub the Gruyère with any other cheese you like (if you choose a more intense cheese like feta or blue cheese, use ¾ cup instead of the full cup). 

Dairy free, rustic and easy to make, this fruit-layered cake works equally well with stone fruit in summer or firm pears in winter.

Simmer duck legs in a chile-infused, maramalade-based braise until tender, then reduce the sauce to a sticky-rich lacquer to glaze over the crisp skin.