Gourmet
Lauren's Spice Cookies
By Lauren Diamond
Banana Rum Puffs
To bake these puffs all at once, you will need 6 mini-muffin pans, each containing twelve 1 3/4- by 1-inch cups. However, you could also make them in batches using fewer pans.
Grilled Lobsters with Southeast Asian Dipping Sauce
This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Cooking lobsters is often perceived as a last-minute frenzy. The following recipe lets you progress through menu-planning worry free: The lobsters can be parboiled in the morning and kept chilled until you're ready to grill them at dinnertime.
To satisfy any die-hard lobster-and-butter traditionalists at your table, you might want to serve some clarified butter along with the dipping sauce.
White Bean Salad
Our food editors think beans cook more evenly and hold their shape better with a long soak — which is why the ones in this recipe are soaked for 6 hours. But, you can use the following quick-soak method if you prefer: In a saucepan cover beans with cold water by 2 inches. Bring water to a boil and boil beans 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and soak beans 1 hour.
Linguine with Gorgonzola, Prosciutto, and Spinach Caffè Phoenix
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Pain au Chocolat Bread Pudding with Cranberries and Chocolate Sauce
This dish was inspired by pain au chocolat, a chocolate-stuffed croissant that is adored by both children and adults in France. Cranberries have been added-perfect for a Christmas brunch.
Fish Wrapped in Banana Leaves with Chile Rajas and Crema
Rajas is the Spanish word for "strips," and in the Mexican kitchen it generally refers to strips of chile.
Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr
By Claire Archibald