Cookbooks

June Edelmuth has become known all over Sydney for this legendary bread. The deliciously dense cinnamon and sugar-swirled babke honors the memory of June's Russian grandmother, Minka.

This cheesecake has a chocolatey rich mousse-like texture that is absolutely amazing.

These date balls, which I make each year for Diwali, are nutty and fudgy—without any chocolate. In years when the celebrations for Diwali and Thanksgiving are close together, I like to make a double batch to add to our Thanksgiving spread. They fit right in. 

This roll can be filled with whatever you like: beef, pork, or vegetables. The combination in this recipe is my favorite.

This dish of tender spiced goat layered with saffron rice, cashews, and golden raisins is a celebratory meal ideal for birthdays and holidays of all kinds.

This aromatic rice pudding is flavored with cinnamon and cardamom, and gets a topping of pistachios and edible flowers.

Packed full of a rainbow of colors, flavors, and textures, from spiced paneer, chickpeas, and tomatoes to roasted beets, sweet potatoes, and a citrusy coconut and cilantro sauce this is a vegetable dish for special occasions.

This creamy, frozen Indian dessert gets its flavor from finely ground pistachios and a pinch of floral, earthy saffron.

These milky little doughnuts are a burnished bronze on the outside, white and cakey inside, and soaked to the core with delicately flavored rose syrup.

Inspired by the tangram, a Chinese dissection puzzle made up of geometric shapes arranged in varying combinations to form other shapes, this design is one that has come to define the Lokokitchen aesthetic. While the concept is derived through coplanar placement of polygons and assorted angles, don’t get bogged down by the formula. Ultimately, the sum of its parts is simply a tart, and variables will translate, too.

This recipe has one of the most un-pie pie fillings you’ll ever come across. There’s nothing moist or juicy about it, and the name itself could very well scare you off, but somehow it all comes together. If you can imagine something like a coarse graham cracker–coconut cake, that would begin to describe it. You have to try this one to appreciate it. It begs for ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

This pie was inspired by my friend Erin Clarkson, a fellow baker who asserts that “if it can be infused, it should be infused with Earl Grey.” I took that to heart to create this caramel-spiked pie, infusing the milk and cream with plenty of tea before whisking them into a classic custard filling. And because I adore the combination of chai tea and caramel, there’s a variation for that version.

These pistachio- and almond-studded sweets are made with semolina and ghee. Eat the halva hot and soft out of the frying pan, or press it into a cake tin and cut it into squares.

You'll find these round chickpea flour and spiced potato fritters wherever Indian snack sellers congregate. Serve them with whatever chutney you like for dipping.

The dark brown sugar gives this cake a little molasses edge, which cuts the sweetness of the berries and the richness of the cream cheese.

These crispy fritters are made with grated carrots, onions, and ginger, plus garam masala and chile. The dipping sauce has a hefty pour of bourbon, which adds warming depth.

This vegetable fritter recipe calls for onions, cabbage, potato, and carrot, but you can use any combination of vegetables you have.

When I was growing up in India, the arrival of the red carrots in winter was always the food highlight for my family. This is not a quick dessert, but it is exceptionally delicious.

Adding egg to praline topping is a modern twist. Unlike the crumbly topping that might crown a sweet potato casserole, this treatment creates a smooth layer that melts onto the custard.

I use lard for my crusts because I love the rich flavor and short texture, but an all-butter dough results in an even flakier crust, should you choose to substitute more butter for the lard here. This recipe makes two crusts, for either two single-crust pies or one double-crust pie. Making the full amount is just as easy as making half of it, so if you only need one crust, freeze the other; that way there is always homemade dough on hand.