American

Repeatedly folding and rolling the biscuit dough yields lots of flaky, individuated layers that pull apart neatly when you eat them.

This potent New Orleans nightcap is as much about the aromatic absinthe rinse as it is the Cognac and rye.

Ground chuck is a great all-purpose, buy-it-anywhere choice for burgers. But if you want to get ambitious and blend, say, chuck with ground short rib or brisket, we say go for it.

Pretty much everyone in the South fights about who's got the best pimiento cheese recipe. Make these if you want to put the debate to rest.

You don't need a bowl or even beaters for this treat. Just mix all the ingredients in your food processor, then bake—so clever! I can never turn down an excellent cream cheese frosting either, and this is one of the best.

Fall harvest snack? Check. Homemade Halloween treat? Check. Movie-night nibble? Check. We’ll be batching these nutty, crunchy clusters for the weekend (and to get us through next week, too).

Chicken potpie is a dish many of us crave when we want to conjure up the warmth of home and hearth, and chef Ashley Christensen, owner of Poole's Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina, is no different. "This potpie is inspired by my mother's kind of cooking: dishes that shout out the classics, but with clean flavors and crisp textures," she says. Christensen grounds the pie in colder-month offerings of sweet potatoes and rutabagas and tender leaves of kale instead of the usual carrot and celery combo. Adding another bit of Southern flair, the chef uses a small amount of cornmeal in the crust, which provides a nutty, toasty flavor with an echo of sweetness to match the filling. "Though some potpies are encased in crust, I like the "island" approach, letting the gravy bubble up around the pillow of crust," Christensen says. "Crust is potpie's defining moment, no matter how delicious the filling."

Bourbon Balls function as the ultimate easy dessert for Southern cocktail parties, and they put a sweet, slightly boozy finish on any get-together. Think of them as an edible digestif. Crushed vanilla wafers hold all the chocolatey goodness together. Buy an 11-ounce box and remove two dozen wafers to save for another use, like Banana Pudding.

These individual puff pastry-topped chicken pot pies are the perfect comfort food for guests. Prepare the filling and cut out the pastry ahead to save time in the kitchen.

Brine a turkey breast to add flavor and moistness. Pick up some local apple cider to make a flavorful gravy to serve with the turkey.

Sweet-tart apples, pungent blue cheese and crunchy pistachios make an irresistible combination in this fall salad.

I love Jim Lahey's crust because it's thin, crispy, and so very reliable. I can't ever remember a night where it didn't work. When we're feeling healthy, we replace the white flour with whole wheat flour-if you want to be sneaky about it with the kids, you can start by just replacing half with whole wheat flour. We usually use one ball of dough for one dinner and then freeze the extra for another dinner later. To thaw, remove from freezer about two to three hours before using and work it with your hands if it's still stiff.

This chicken takes about 10 minutes to pull together and then about a half hour of mostly hands-off time in the oven. In theory, you could time things so the chicken is ready as soon as the kids go to sleep. But if you can't for the life of you figure out a way to steal the few minutes needed for prep while the kids are awake, then just take care of step 1: Preheat the oven.

I found this recipe while working with a lady who is gluten intolerant. At that time there weren't many recipes for her dietary needs and I wanted to make a special cake for her birthday. It's quite large, always popular and well suited for dessert. It's also great for Passover—a bonus!

Maybe you forgot his or her birthday, or maybe you didn't forget, maybe you never even knew, but jeez, it's today, really? This cake won't work for a kid's birthday—that calls for more...of everything—but if you just got home, dinner isn't even made, and it turns out it is someone special's day, you just have to bust out a cake, and this one is all from the pantry and requires minimal gear and cleanup. Send him out for a pint of ice cream or suggest she use the shower first-this cake can be in the oven before your celebrant gets back. Thirty minutes later and it's out and cooling on the counter. Fair warning: this cake is like that guy who never moves out of his parents' house—born there, no matter how ready it seems, it falls to pieces when you try to get it out. Cut into wedges and lever them out individually, then cover your tracks with vanilla ice cream or plain or chocolate whipped cream.

This onion tart recipe evolved from the apfel wehr, my Swiss aunt's recipe for a traditional Swiss apple tart. Chilling the tart shell in the fridge for 2 hours before blind-baking will help prevent the pastry from shrinking.