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Testers' Choice is our way of pointing up recipes that have been cooked, poked, and prodded to perfection by our crackerjack team of nearly 100 testers. These dishes deliver above and beyond expectation. Eat with confidence.

Apple Spiced Bourbon Toddies

Apple Spiced Bourbon Toddies

Nov 25, 2011 8 Comments by  
Filed under drinks | gluten-free | testers choice

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.

Stilton and Walnut Crackers

Stilton and Walnut Crackers

Nov 23, 2011 6 Comments by  
Filed under appetizers | baking | entertaining | hors d'oeuvre | testers choice | vegetarian

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.

Pumpkin Quick Bread

Pumpkin Quick Bread

Nov 23, 2011 14 Comments by  
Filed under baking | breads | breakfast | testers choice | vegetarian

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.

Liquor Lollipops

Liquor Lollipops

Nov 22, 2011 4 Comments by  
Filed under candy | gluten-free | testers choice

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.

Spiced Maple Pecan Pie with Star Anise

Spiced Maple Pecan Pie with Star Anise

Nov 19, 2011 5 Comments by  
Filed under baking | desserts | pies | tarts | testers choice | vegetarian

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.

Seasonal Vegetable Tempura

Seasonal Vegetable Tempura

Nov 15, 2011 1 Comment by  
Filed under sides | veggies | testers choice | vegan | vegetarian

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.

Baked Mushrooms, Broken Bread

Baked Mushrooms, Broken Bread

Nov 14, 2011 12 Comments by  
Filed under sides | veggies | testers choice

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

Velvet Mashed Potatoes

Velvet Mashed Potatoes

Nov 14, 2011 12 Comments by  
Filed under gluten-free | sides | veggies | testers choice | vegetarian

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.

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Nov 14, 2011 11 Comments by  
Filed under sides | veggies | testers choice | vegetarian

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

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Nov 14, 2011 6 Comments by  
Filed under gluten-free | sides | veggies | testers choice | vegetarian

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.

Parmesan Potato Gratin

Parmesan Potato Gratin

Nov 14, 2011 7 Comments by  
Filed under gluten-free | sides | veggies | testers choice | vegetarian

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?

Deep-Fried Turkey

Deep-Fried Turkey

Nov 14, 2011 6 Comments by  
Filed under chicken | turkey | poultry | entrees | gluten-free | testers choice

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 Bourbon Tart

Drunken Pumpkin Bourbon Tart

Nov 14, 2011 2 Comments by  
Filed under baking | desserts | pies | tarts | testers choice | vegetarian

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

Sweet Pastry Dough

Sweet Pastry Dough

Nov 14, 2011 1 Comment by  
Filed under baking | testers choice | the arsenal™ | vegetarian

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.

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

Nov 11, 2011 15 Comments by  
Filed under baking | breads | breakfast | testers choice | vegetarian

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.

Pumpkin Lasagne

Pumpkin Lasagne

Nov 07, 2011 5 Comments by  
Filed under entrees | pasta and grains | testers choice | vegetarian

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.

Poached Pears with Warm Coffee Sauce

Poached Pears with Warm Coffee Sauce

Nov 04, 2011 4 Comments by  
Filed under desserts | entertaining | gluten-free | testers choice | vegetarian

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.

Autumn Coleslaw

Autumn Coleslaw

Oct 30, 2011 2 Comments by  
Filed under gluten-free | sides | veggies | testers choice | vegetarian

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.

Glow in the Dark Jello

Glow in the Dark Jello

Oct 28, 2011 17 Comments by  
Filed under desserts | entertaining | gluten-free | testers choice

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.

Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin

Oct 26, 2011 10 Comments by  
Filed under baking | desserts | entertaining | pies | tarts | testers choice

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.