Ruth Cousineau
Ruth Cousineau was the Test Kitchen director for Gourmet from 2006 until the magazine shut its doors in 2009. Formerly a corporate chef, then a pastry chef, Cousineau ran a restaurant in Vermont before joining the team at that venerable publication. She also developed and tested recipes for Woman’s Day, Redbook, and Family Circle. Her book, The Tomato Imperative, was a James Beard Award nominee. She resides in Vermont, where she works as a freelance chef and food consultant.
Parmesan Pull-Aparts
These rolls have a lot in common with brioche—both are rich and tender, and they bake up with a gorgeous browned crust. However, these are much easier to make than that time-intensive bread, and they have the added advantage of aromatic Parmigiano-Reggiano. We guarantee theyll fly out of the bread basket.
Pork Roast with Winter Fruits and Port Sauce
Ever dream about bringing an impressive roast to the holiday table with equally impressive ease? Now you can. Stuffing and preparing the pork a day ahead leaves you free to entertain and makes the meat especially flavorful as well. Bacon wrapped around the roast keeps it moist as it cooks. Prunes and dried apricots simmered in Port bring a fruity but not overly sweet intensity to the pork and its sauce.
Spiced Chicken Broth with Chive Flans
Test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau, who developed these recipes, says, "For a big dinner, you must include soup. Just dont make it heavy." Here, she's created a chicken broth infused with the aroma of ginger and cardamom. Petite savory flans, studded with tender chives, lend a light creaminess to each mouthful.
Cauliflower With Rye Crumbs
Caraway seeds are often baked into and on top of rye bread, their nutty, spicy fragrance accenting ryes earthiness. Here, the natural duo crisps in a pan of melted butter before topping steamed cauliflower. In this elegant, simple side dish, crunchy rye crumbs give way to succulent florets and bring out their natural sweetness
Kale and Potato Purée
At first glance, your guests will think this is creamed spinach. One bite and they'll be thrilled to find it's much more exciting than that. Kale, a hearty green, brightens potatoes that have been cooked in cream. Smooth and substantial, this dish is a welcome foil for pork roast with winter fruits or other roasted meats.
Coffee and Mocha Buttercreams
This is called a meringue buttercream because its foundation is egg whites, not the more traditional yolks. That makes it very light, satiny, and easy to spread—a plus if you're making a many-layered cake like the one in the preceding recipe. The base for this buttercream yields two different-flavored frostings: espresso coffee and bittersweet-chocolate mocha.
Shrimp in Dill Butter
In this marriage of give and take, shallot-dill butter makes jumbo shrimp taste as sweet as langoustines. In return, the shrimp impart their juices to the butter as they bake, creating a silky sauce. With toasted brioche in hand, youll want to sop up every last drop.
Red-Fruit Puddings
Like Jell-O, but all grown up, these tart little puddings have a bracing fruitiness that is just what's needed after a sumptuous holiday spread. The scarlet juices of pomegranates, lingonberries, and raspberries are bound into a very soft gelée.
Twelve-Layer Mocha Cake
What better way to celebrate the holidays than with something fabulous? In this elegant European-style cake, thin layers of different flavors come together in each bite. Fine-textured spongecake, soaked in espresso syrup, plays off of crisp hazelnut meringue, while the coffee and mocha buttercreams intensify the richness of a collapsed chocolate soufflé. The faint, bitter edge of dark coffee essentially saves this dessert from itself.
Cucumber Salad
Forget fuss—the key to this recipe is leaving everything alone. Tossing cucumbers with salt and then letting them drain prevents their moisture from diluting the flavors of the finished dish. A long, unattended marination enhances the sweet-sour blend of sugar and white vinegar that makes this salad especially refreshing.
Moroccan Eggplant Salad
In Morocco, toasted cumin is served right beside salt and pepper as a standard seasoning at every meal. Judging by the way it amplifies the taste of the roasted eggplant in this dish, the Moroccans have got the right idea.
Miso Sesame Grilled Blade Steaks
The Japanese flavors at work here are a great way to add stylishness and exoticism to an inexpensive cut. And the whole thing really sings when you pair it with the <epi recipelink="" id="350696">Napa cabbage slaw</epi>.
Spicy Napa Cabbage Slaw with Cilantro Dressing
Instead of the often-leaden, mayo-heavy supermarket slaw, why not try this wonderfully crisp version? The ginger and rice vinegar provide a fresh, clean flavor, and the serrano gives it just the right spark of heat.
Pressed Chicken with Yellow Squash and Tomatoes
Under the weight of a second skillet, the "pressed" chicken releases its fat and juices into the pan and ends up cooking in all that sumptuousness. The result is almost unbelievably moist meat. Adding the quick-cooked vegetables and the spicy perfume of marjoram completes what is sure to become a go-to recipe in your dinner arsenal.
Celery and Potato Salad
The crunch of celery is a terrific counterpoint to the buttery quality of the Yukon Gold potatoes. Serving this salad alongside the <epi recipelink="" id="243164">salmon cakes</epi> or any grilled meat only adds to the celebration of textures.
Chilled Golden Tomato Bisque
A no-cook soup that's as effortless as it is elegant embodies everything we look for in a summer dish. The sweet honey and sharp vinegar are natural extensions of summertime tomatoes' flavor.
Roasted-Peach Streusel
Peaches are already tender and ambrosial at this time of year, so imagine how deep their sweetness becomes after a trip to the oven concentrates their lusciousness even further. Streusel topping adds a delightful crispness.