Dairy

Roman cauliflower (also known as Romanesco) grows as a peculiar spiky, conical head, and instead of florets as in regular cauliflower, it projects cones with tiny cones upon cones—a kind of fractal of nature's making. It comes in various hues of white, purple, and green and has a nutty, more intense flavor compared with regular cauliflower. Unfortunately it's not always easy to find in many stores in the US, though sources like farmers' markets often carry it, as do Italian specialty shops. You can substitute standard cauliflower for this if you can't find the Roman variety. It breaks into florets and cooks the same way.

Store-bought puff pastry makes these savory "elephant ears" an easy bite-sized appetizer for your next party.

We combined the rich and indulgent cheesiness of Pommes Aligot and the beautifully swirled rosettes of Pommes Duchesse into one super-luxe casserole that looks fancy but is surprisingly simple to make.

I get a lot of inspiration from staring at the supermarket shelves, and seeing what items are grouped together. I made this recipe because I found the smoked oysters next to the anchovies in the canned fish section and decided to try them out instead in my Caesar dressing. Once I did that, I decided to riff on the croutons a bit too. In this recipe, the smoky oysters complement the rich egg yolks, which in turn get cut by a healthy dose of lemon juice. Do you like other canned fishies? All are good Caesar salad material, providing they are packed in oil, which amps up their flavor almost to a condiment level of oomph. If you want to get real crazy, find the canned seafood section in an ethnic market.

Cinnamon-nut streusel tops an orange-scented muffin packed with cranberries and pecans—at every altitude, this is an unbeatable combination.

This flavorful sweet bread is packed with dried fruit and nuts and has a very moist crumb. The recipe makes one large loaf or three small loaves that you can give for holiday gifts.

These sparkly cookies take classic gingerbread and turn up the volume with three variations of ginger and a decadent cream cheese filling.

You'll make more dressing than you need for one batch of salad with this recipe, but that's a good thing.

This simple, light salad showcases the beauty of winter vegetables and makes an elegant start to a festive holiday meal.

Sweet honey butter, seasoned with a kiss of flaky sea salt, is the ultimate topping for these light-as-air biscuits.

We included this simple, delicious cornbread to stuff the Cornbread-Stuffed Roasted Squash, but you may find yourself making it again to serve along with your favorite soup or chili.

Who knew chocolate mousse could be so simple and so fast? Once you have the ingredients on hand, you can put this decadent dessert together in a flash.

Lasagna roll-ups are so perfectly convenient and handy, particularly for smaller households, because they can be easily assembled in small loaf pans and you can just grab the amount you need rather than bake off a huge pan at once. I can never have enough of these in the freezer!

Most people don't know escarole from escargot, but that's okay. Just know that escarole is a delicious leafy green vegetable that's high in vitamin C. Leeks, which resemble large scallions, have a slightly oniony flavor. Here, I've used both in a main-meal soup that is filling and nutritious. Try sprinkling a little smoked paprika over the soup before adding the cheese-it will give a sweet, smoky, slightly spicy flavor.

Brown butter and sage create a rich, complex sauce in just a few short steps for this simple pasta.

Perfect for a holiday brunch or a breakfast treat for houseguests, these tender biscuits are bursting with tart cranberries, orange zest, and the gentle perfume of vanilla.