Recipes

Advieh Date Bars

Dates deserve more credit! They have a rich, fruity taste, similar to a raisin, with a honey or caramel sweetness. It's a versatile flavor, making them fantastic in all sorts of food. Growing up, I loved the date bars my mother would make from a mix she found at the grocery store. That mix hasn't been available for a long time, but I acquired a recipe from a coworker years later, that makes an excellent substitute. Of course, we couldn't resist giving it a few tweaks...Dates are common throughout Northern Africa and the Middle East, and feature heavily in local cuisines as both a stand-alone snack and an ingredient in sweet or savory dishes. We seasoned these date bars with the Advieh, a Persian spice blend. With a blend of cassia and true cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, and roses, it's an ideal mix to add depth to the natural flavor of the dates. We went light on added sugar for this recipe, letting the natural sweetness of the dates do the heavy lifting. It's a good thing, too, since you won't feel guilty for eating two!

Eggnog Chiffon Pie

One sure sign that winter has arrived is the appearance of eggnog in the grocery stores. We're going to use that distinctive flavor here in this light and airy Eggnog Chiffon Pie, but we'll also be giving it a subtle new make-over by substituting Mace for the traditional Nutmeg. This allows the mellow, earthier tones of the Mace to shine through, tempered by a judicious touch of spirits. Typically, a chiffon pie gets it's soft, pillowy texture from a combination of whipped cream, whipped raw egg whites and a cooked creme anglaise, or custard sauce, stabilized with a little gelatin. In the interest of food safety we opted to make a Swiss Meringue with the whites, which quickly cooks the eggs to a safe temperature before whipping them up. The crust includes more spices and ground pecans, providing a satisfying crumbly contrast to the smooth, creamy filling.

Grandma's Swedish Cardamom Bread

This holiday treat comes to us from our friend Erica, who graciously agreed to share her family recipe with the blog. The bread it makes is rich and sweet, with the cardamom and orange zest adding just the right amount of spicy flavor. We'll leave it to her to talk about the history...From Erica: My Swedish Grandma, Esther Priscilla Wiberg, passed this recipe onto my mother who passed it on to me. I make it every Christmas as a braided wreath, adorned with Holly leaves and berries secured with a red velveteen ribbon. My friends and neighbors pay homage to Grandma Esther every holiday by devouring a slice of homemade bread with butter or homemade cranberry sauce. Last year, after moving to Montana, my husband and I delivered the bread to our new neighbors via horseback through the snow.

Gingerbread Donuts

These cute mini donuts use our Gingerbread Spice to bring holiday flavors to the breakfast table. We couldn't decide between two different garnishes in our recipe testing, so we included them both. Dunk them in the sticky maple gingerbread glaze or roll them in gingerbread sugar, according to preference. Can't decide? We'd advise you to split the difference and make some of each, like we did!For those who might be discouraged from trying doughnut recipes due to the frying involved, we are relieved to say that these were baked. After much experimenting, we decided the yeast donuts were best, and everything else came easy. Easy enough to, say, make a double batch and garnish your eggnog or hot cider for an extra special treat.

Presunto and Cheese Rolls

2 hrs, 30 min

These rolls are as soft as a Hawaiian bun, but savory from the bits of meat and cheese inside. We split the dough in this recipe into roll-sized shapes, but you can easily just split the dough into four pieces and turn them into decadent sandwich rolls. When they bake they get a nice golden cheesy crust and the inside is airy, soft and luscious from the olive oil, while the fragrant spices will have your stomach growling! They're perfect to accompany soups, salads or serve at brunch. They also make a great breakfast egg sandwich, or serve them with warm marinara for dipping as an appetizer for movie night. "Every Saturday when I was growing up, my mother would go to the local Portuguese bakery and buy a dozen chouriço rolls—torpedo-shaped logs stuffed with sausage. By Monday, they were gone, mostly due to me. To dress up my childhood classic, I add presunto and cheese, and sometimes sautéed onions and garlic, to the dough. And I form the rolls into round loaves because I think they look elegant on the table."- From David Leite

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

10 min

Experience the rich history and cozy flavors of fall with our Poudre Douce Pumpkin Cakes. This spice blend has ancient origins in medieval Europe, where 'Poudre douce,' meaning 'sweet powder' in French, was a cherished culinary secret. It added warmth and sweetness to dishes during times when sugar was a luxury. Our Pumpkin Cake pays homage to this tradition, blending the earthy sweetness of pumpkin with baking spices like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Each moist, perfectly sweet bite is a reminder of why we adore autumn. 

Everything Bagels

Bagels require lots of processes. Kneading, boiling and baking, all for the holy grail of the perfect crust and chew. Our friend Dawn took on the challenge and made dozens of batches to dial it in just right. The results are a beautiful brown blush on perfect crust with a satisfying chew--and it's not hard! This recipe makes a dozen and I guarantee you they'll be gone before they cool.

Any Tea Chinese Paper-Wrapped Spongecakes

"This is one of my favorite Chinese bakery recipes. As a child, having one of these spongecakes was never enough. They’re also perfect for my palate, not too sweet, and never frosted. Imagine marshmallows and clouds had babies; those babies would be these spongecakes.Traditionally, these are egg and vanilla flavored when you find them in Hong Kong or US Chinatown bakeries. To celebrate Lunar New Year, I’ve infused the milk with tea from World Spice Merchants to make these delicious and auspicious treats. Now we can have tea and fluffy soft spongecakes at the same time. “Work smarter, not harder,” is my motto this year of the rabbit!"Bio: About Kat Lieu - the doyenne and Queen of Asian baking, Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and modernasianbaking.com. Her debut cookbook is Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Lieu is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow Subtle Asian Baking @katlieu

Fluffy-Like-A-Cloud Chiffon Cake

"From the late 1930s to early 1940s, Ah Ma, my paternal grandmother, learned culinary secrets from restaurants in Vietnam. She passed down only one written recipe, a lemon chiffon cake recipe that I always turn to and treasure. I use about half of the ingredients she used in her recipe (she used 10 to 12 eggs!), and instead of lemon, this regal cloud of a cake is tea-flavored and will serve as the perfect sweet treat or gift during Lunar New Year." Bio: About Kat Lieu - the doyenne and Queen of Asian baking, Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and modernasianbaking.com. Her debut cookbook is Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Lieu is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow Subtle Asian Baking @katlieu “Excerpted from Modern Asian Baking at Home. © 2022 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Text © 2022 Kathleen Lieu”