Bon Appétit
Scallion-Oil Noodles
It’s astonishing how much scallion flavor these noodles take on from the infused scallion oil. Still, we encourage you to take it one step further with a garnish of crunchy fried scallion slices.
Crispy Taiwanese Pork Cutlets
Flattening pork chops with the dull edge of a cleaver or heavy knife gives the surface an almost fluffy texture and helps the potato starch coating adhere.
Mala Fried Peanuts
Shelled raw peanuts are easy to find at Asian markets, health food stores, and other specialty food stores.
Five-Spice Powder
This version is made with up to eight spices. It’s worth using them all for the fullest flavor.
Pork Wontons With Sesame Sauce
Whipping an egg into the filling of these simple, folded dumplings makes them fluffy and moist—and a double hit of soy amps up the umami.
Black-and-White-and-Green Cookies
We used a lot of fresh mint in this cookie for both the real color and flavor. The flavor will intensify as the cookies sit; make ahead if that’s your thing.
Chewy Ginger-Rye Cookies
Rye flour adds an earthy-nutty dimension and absorbs more molasses than all-purpose flour. The result is a cookie with the smoky caramel finish of rye whiskey.
Pine Nut and White Bean Dip
Toasting the pine nuts until they’re properly golden brown to the center and not just on the surface is key in coaxing out maximum flavor. That said, pine nuts are expensive and can burn, so keep a close eye on them as they cook.
Better Than Celery Juice
Celery juice—all the rage! But still kind of a hard sell. With apple, parsley, apple cider vinegar, and a dusting of black pepper, things start to get interesting. Better yet: It also tastes good with gin.
Shredded Daikon Salad
This salad is palate-cleansing and refreshing. A little spicy, a little tart—and you can prep it in advance.
Tea-Totaler’s Toddy
No booze required for this soothing green tea toddy. But if you do want an extra dose of warmth, we like this with smoky mezcal.
Spicy Citrus Refresher
This big batch of jalapeño-spiced orange-lime juice keeps in the fridge for a couple of days. Pour it over ice and top it with seltzer for a refreshing alcohol-free pick-me-up.
Shirley Tonic
A holiday-spiced grenadine syrup, club soda, and a twist is a grown-up Shirley Temple we can all enjoy. For the adults who want to imbibe, a splash of Scotch fits just right.
Pecan-Rye Pumpkin Pie
Imagine a pumpkin pie with pecan pie’s best feature: the candied nut topping. Now spike the custard with rye whiskey, up the flavor of the crust with rye flour, and voilà.
Lemon Meringue Pie
A sharp lemon filling, sweet-and-salty meringue, and shatteringly crisp crust combine to make a balanced update to this classic.
Chocolate Pudding Pie
A dazzling chocolate pudding pie cloaked in voluminous whipped cream. The secret to that whipped cream’s great height: Setting it with dissolved gelatin means it won’t deflate or weep when chilled.
Blind-Baked Pie Crust
Bake your pie crusts ahead so your oven is free for the turkey on the big day. They will keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 days.
Banana Cream Pie
Roasted peanuts pull double duty in the graham cracker crust and sprinkled over the topping, keeping the bananas from making this pie excessively sweet.
Why-Is-It-So-Good Gravy
A make-ahead gravy that doesn’t rely on turkey drippings or a roux. The gravy’s depth of flavor comes from roasted poultry bones and—surprise!—a sprinkle of MSG, which has an umami-to-the-max effect.
Fancy Cranberry Sauce
This sliceable, jiggly sauce is spiced with bay leaves and cardamom, set in a gelatin mold, and crowned with sugared orange zest and cranberries.