Baked goods do something peculiar when boiled with milk: they dissolve and become stretchy and elastic. Throw the mixture into a blender, and this strange concoction becomes velvety and thick, like pudding. I first encountered this magic trick at a restaurant full of them, called Alinea. There, a pudding made by boiling brioche and cream was served with raspberries for an elegant “toast-and-jam” bite. Since then, I’ve applied the same principle to just about every other kind of bakery treat I can get my hands on—like gingerbread or devil’s food cake. Most recently, I’ve been reducing glazed donuts to a velvety pudding to flavor ice cream.
Meringue pie can be tricky to prepare. We figure out how to make a perfect lemon meringue pie with a sky-high topping that doesn't weep.
Baked in butter and then crowned with more of it, this puffy golden pancake is similar to a popover in texture with a moist eggy interior and crispy outside. And good for breakfast or dessert, depending how you top it.
You’ll need bacon, Ritz crackers, sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, chocolate chips
File under “Things You Should Only Eat Once a Year.” Ritz Cracker Bacon Brickle is an over-the-top sweet, salty, and crunchy confection perfect for Winnimere and
Boxing Day parties.
In a nonstick medium sauté pan, cook 4 chopped bacon slices (I use Vermont Smoke & Cure Maple Brined Thick Sliced Bacon) over medium heat until crisp. Transfer
with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Reserve the rendered fat in the pan.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square cake pan with aluminum foil, leaving extra foil overhanging the edges. Put 25 Ritz crackers in a single layer in the
prepared pan, completely covering the bottom of the pan.
In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and the reserved bacon fat and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook until the mixture turns
light brown and has a nutty aroma, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and the bacon.
Pour the sugar mixture over the crackers and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips over the hot brickle. Return to
the oven and bake until the chocolate has completely melted, about 2 minutes. Smooth the chocolate out with a heatproof spatula and cool completely on a wire rack.
Lift the brickle from the pan by the edges of the foil. With the foil still in place, wrap the brickle tightly in plastic wrap and freeze overnight. The following day,
carefully peel away the foil, wrap the brickle in plastic wrap, and freeze until ready to serve. Break the brickle into serving size pieces and serve frozen.
Store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Pineapple Buns are a go-to pastry in Chinatown markets and restaurants throughout the U.S. Thanks to a sugary backed topping, they are both fluffy and crunchy. And there's no limit to the fillings - sweet or savory - that you can add to them.
Dorie Greenspan: "What I know for sure is that everyone who has these cookies smiles and smiles are pretty powerful."