Sour Cream

When the cranberries in this buckle bake, they split open just enough to absorb the cake batter while retaining a firm outer shell and a slightly tart bite. Half are folded into the batter and half are distributed on top with the Vanilla Crumb, creating a red-jeweled delight. This recipe is great for a holiday breakfast or brunch.

Black pepper potato chips (use kettle-cooked, which are sturdier) are a surprising and delicious base for this starter.

In this East Coast-style breakfast treat, a tender sour cream coffee cake is topped with a thick layer of cinnamon-scented streusel.

A combination of fresh grapefruit juice and Campari (the bitter Italian aperitif) gives the granita a refreshing bite. A dollop of whipped cream brings everything into balance.

The Original: Filling made from ground beef simmered in a spicy tomato sauce. Our Version: Tender pieces of pork simmered with roasted green chiles and salsa verde.

In this version of chips and dip—an essential snack food—making your own onion dip (spiked with chipotle chiles) really ups the ante. Homemade pita chips flavored with garlic come together quickly and are so much better than anything you'll find in the chip aisle.

We love the idea of sharing the top tier of a wedding cake, but eating a dessert that's been frozen for a year can be less than satisfying. This adorable five-inch layer cake was inspired by the romantic tradition—and can be enjoyed right now.

Pears bring out the earthy, roasted flavor of the buckwheat crepes.

Borscht is one of those soups that has dozens of variations. This version of the classic Russian beet soup uses lots of vegetables and a touch of bacon for extra flavor. You can leave the bacon out and use vegetable broth if you prefer a vegetarian soup. Grating the beets into the soup releases maximum beet flavor. Though this recipe calls for the borscht to be served hot, it is also delicious when served cold.

The key to this deeply flavored cheesecake? Reduced maple syrup. The sweet-tart compote is a delicious—and pretty—accompaniment.

Editor's note: Serve this sauce with Lourdes Castro's Chicken Tamales
A staple on Mexican tables, do not confuse Mexican crema for sour cream. The flavor is more sour, and it's a bit saltier as well. In addition to providing flavor and texture to a dish, the cream also serves as a neutralizer for the heat of chiles. It is a good option to have around for those who don't like hot foods.

For many, Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie is unthinkable, but that doesn't mean you can't jazz up the old standby.

The inspiration here is the fantastically rich dish called Zwiebelkuchen (onion cake), a southern German specialty that arrived in America with European settlers and quickly became a staple in Pennsylvania Dutch homes, where it is known as Zwiwwelkuche. Slow-cooked onions are combined with eggs and sour cream and spooned into a yeasted dough. The pastry is then partially folded over the filling.

Texas cowboys and cowgirls dip their egg sandwiches in this stuff for breakfast, they dunk their fried onion rings in it at lunch, and they cover their broccoli with it at dinner. It's the ultimate dipping sauce for cold pizza, the perfect accompaniment to crudités, and—oh, yeah—it's also a salad dressing. Once you learn how to make your own ranch dressing, you'll save yourself a fortune on the stuff. And it's really easy. You can even use yogurt instead of sour cream to make a low-fat version. Add some minced herbs from your garden if you like. Chives are another great addition.

Cupcakes for Thanksgiving? Why not? These treats pair tender cake with a salty-caramely frosting.

This velvety soup has no cream except for the little bit of sour cream that's spooned on top. It's perfect for summer entertaining: All of the components can be prepared a day ahead.

Hot-wing aficionados will flip for these grilled shrimp, seasoned with hot sauce and butter. Celery and homemade blue cheese dip are delicious accompaniments.

By its very nature, a Pavlova is a little wild—as proved by these three tiers of airy meringue, which crack and crumble to reveal marshmallowy interiors while the berries' juices puddle all over drifts of whipped cream. And that playful mix of textures and flavors sure tastes delicious. Meringues aren't usually made with moist brown sugar, but here it adds a deeper kind of sweetness. Baking them in cake pans, another unusual technique, helps these meringues crisp up.

You'll want generous scoops of tangy richness with both the honey caramel peach pie and the plum-blackberry streusel pie , or all by itself. The ice cream is as blissful to prepare as it is to eat: Just purée everything in a blender, then freeze in an ice cream maker.