Cream Cheese

Hummus may come and go, but warm spinach cheese dip, with its highly satiating qualities and homey familiarity, is still and always will be an excellent choice for casual parties involving cocktails. Broiler-charred jalapeños are our spin to bump this old classic into flavor advanced placement. As with any creamy cheese spread, R. B. will find any leftovers, no matter how buried in Min’s fridge, to plop on open-faced burgers.

Recipes, like everything else fashionable, rise and fall with popular perception. They’re in, they’re out, they’re hot, they’re hopelessly last season. Liver has never caught the wave of coolness, unless it’s taken from a force-fed goose. Even liver as haute couture as foie gras is on the OUT list, branded as inhumane and even outlawed in some places. Slumming with ready-to-wear liverwurst, on the other hand, is looking pretty fresh. Why shouldn’t it? Liverwurst has plenty in common with foie gras, especially its color and buttery smoothness when it’s blended with cream cheese. Instead of slapping it on rye bread with mustard, serve it with the sweet flavors that commonly adorn foie gras, and your perception will instantly change. This is absolutely one of R. B.’s favorite cheater recipes.

Before he discovered cheater BBQ, the only indoor kitchen appliance R. B. had a serious relationship with was the toaster oven. He fancies himself the master of all things topped with melted cheese. Predictably, leftovers of this smoky cheese spread went right into the toaster oven on slices of thick rustic bread. Smoky Pimiento Cheese Bruschetta! Min took it to the next level with sliced fresh tomato, a few green onion bits, and a basil leaf for a “New South” Italian appetizer. Of course, the pimiento cheese is fantastic on a big juicy Cheater Kitchen Burger (page 119). We also serve our pimiento cheese along with Cheater Foie Gras (page 21), each spread on tart Granny Smith apple slices.

When we have a lot of people over for brunch, I love serving my version of a New York classic. Each person can easily pick up a stack—only half a bagel—from a tower and not get full on too much bread. You can even cut each tower into quarters so your guests can pick up a bite. I like using H&H poppy seed bagels, but feel free to substitute your favorite bagel.

One of my fondest memories is of making a dessert with my mom that the two of us referred to simply as “our delight.” Every time I saw the pieces of this creamy banana-coconut concoction being put together in the kitchen, I would begin counting down the hours until dessert. In the years that followed my mom’s passing, I made this pie only a handful of times because I could never match her recipe. Then one morning I woke up and realized I could put a twist on “our delight” by re-creating the banana-coconut cream and inserting the fi lling into a pecan-infused piecrust, created specifically for this pie. “Our delight” now became pure delight. Mom’s Banana-Coconut Delight Pie is best when refrigerated overnight and served cold the next day. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Once chilled, this cake can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to three days. In fact, it actually tastes best after being chilled overnight. Let it stand at room temperature for twenty minutes before serving.

Look for rhubarb stalks of the same width to ensure even cooking. If necessary, you can cut differently sized stalks lengthwise to match. The crust, filling, and poached rhubarb can be made one day ahead. The baked crust can be kept, loosely covered, at room temperature; refrigerate the filling and the rhubarb (in the poaching liquid) separately. Strain the rhubarb and reduce liquid several hours before serving.

Fresh sour cherries usually appear in farmers’ markets in early July, but the season is short—about three weeks. If you can’t find fresh sour cherries, substitute two pounds of frozen ones; defrost before using. To make the strudel, you’ll need a large, clean cloth and a work surface that you can easily walk around, such as an island or your kitchen table.

An abundance of grated carrots makes these cupcakes moist, while granulated sugar, instead of the traditional brown, keeps them light.

If you would rather make this frosting with only cream cheese, replace the goat cheese with an equal amount of whipped cream cheese, for a total of 18 ounces.

The applesauce in this cake makes it exceptionally moist. Although homemade applesauce is best, you could also substitute an all-natural store-bought variety. If you would prefer a larger cake, prepare the batter as directed and bake in two nine-inch pans for forty to forty-five minutes.

These cookies are best eaten after they have been refrigerated overnight. Allow them to sit at room temperature for twenty minutes before serving.

These cookies get their flavor from freshly ground whole spices. Be sure to make the cookies at least a day before serving; they will soften a bit and the flavors of the cookie and the filling will have a chance to meld. You can also omit the filling and serve these cookies on their own.