Infinitely more complex than the toddy of yore, this little number owes its lure to cider spiked with a hint of star anise and quite an indecent glug of bourbon.

Perhaps the simplest precursor to a dinner party ever. Just make the savory shortbread dough, freeze it, slice it, and bake it at the very last second. You’re welcome.

Home cook and storybook savant T. Susan Chang explains how she eventually came around to baking this quick, fragrant, subtly sweet loaf from a gourd of fairy tale proportions.

These lovely lollies’ unexpected, subtle, and intriguing taste may prove elusive to those not in the know. Feeling playful? Make folks guess as to the flavor.

Here’s a nifty little trick. Reduce maple syrup until sticky, infuse it with spice, and rely on it to impart its ridiculously intense essence to pecan pie.

We could stare at this breathtakingly stunning tempura all day. Breathtakingly, staggeringly stunning–and genius, too, in terms of using up those languishing veggies in your fridge.

An elegant side that conspires to fancy up the form–as well as the flavor–of that enduring entertaining icon, the stuffed mushroom.

No mere mash, this creamy potato puree owes its uber velvetiness not just to butter and cream, but to an inexpensive and everyday kitchen tool.

What’s not to love about Brussels sprouts–yes, Brussels sprouts–when they’re buried beneath nutty, buttery Gruyere? Nothing. Nothing at all.

One way to down your sweet potatoes? Drown them in butter, sugar, bourbon, and maple syrup. It’s The Southern Way. And we can’t say as we have a problem with this.

We used to get our gratins and escalloped confused. But then we figured out that gratins contain cheese, escalloped just milk or cream. Guess which one we prefer?

Crisp, burnished skin and moist, impossibly tender meat can be yours this Thanksgiving. The only trick is not catching the garage on fire.

Drunken pumpkin? Punken drumkin? Drumpin punkdrunk? This innocuous seeming slice boasts just a tad more, uh, character than your typical pumpkin pie.

This all-butter, no-fuss pastry crust comes together with ease and flakiness thanks to a little well-worded hand-holding that caters to pastry-making virgins.

It never ceases to confound us when something as common as cinnamon rolls turn out divinely inspired. Want to know what we mean? Just make these.

A lovely labor of love, this lasagna buries fresh pumpkin pasta beneath a classic quartet of cheeses–mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Fontina, and Parmigiano. Might wanna loosen your belt.

Simply stunning and stunningly simple, these fancy pants pears are steeped in a cinnamon-y syrup & napped with a caramel-y coffee sauce. Grab your spoon.

A teetering tower of autumnal goodness that isn’t only stunning to behold but ridiculously healthful given its cabbage and apples and pomegranates, oh my.

In case you’re curious, the spirits summoned for this ghostly and ghastly gin and tonic gelatin hail from a bottle, not the supernatural. Whew.

French for “caramely apple goodness atop a buttery crust,” a tarte Tatin is nothing more than a tart turned upside down, nothing less than pastry perfection.