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.
Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
Dec 23, 2011 by Sam Mogannam | Dabney Gough
The true beauty of this Bundt depends on your perspective. Does it lie in its stunning silhouette? Its intensely chocolatey chocolatiness? Or its lazy day ease? You tell us.
- Quick Glance
- 25 M
- 1 H, 30 M
- 27
Classic Roast Chicken
Dec 20, 2011 by The Editors at Williams-Sonoma
Crisp-skinned. Succulent. Simple. If that’s what you seek in a roast chicken, your search stops with this ooh-and-aah-inducing technique.
- Quick Glance
- 10 M
- 1 H, 55 M
- 16
Beignets
Dec 19, 2011 by Constance Snow
Crisp, airy, and addictive, these iconic, anytime-of-day New Orleans pastries come buried beneath mounds of sweet, sweet confectioners’ sugar, never naked.
- Quick Glance
- 45 M
- 45 M
- 4
Jamaican Fried Dough | Festival
Dec 19, 2011 by Virginia Burke
Slightly sweet and pleasantly dense, these Jamaican dumplings with the festive name are adept at mopping up all manner of savory sauces.
Spiced Cider Doughnuts
Dec 19, 2011 by Rick Rodgers
These sugar-glazed cider doughnuts are certain to conjure memories–real or imagined–of crisp autumn mornings, roadside farmstands, and grease-stained paper bags full of these piping hot beauties.
Chocolate Babka
Dec 16, 2011 by Martha Stewart
Best babka ever! Holy Cow! Holy Babka! Those are just some of the responses we’re hearing ’bout this indulgent loaf of butter-y, chocolate-y, Jewish-y goodness.
- Quick Glance
- 1 H
- 4 H
- 12
Broccolini and Potato Frittata
Dec 13, 2011 by The Editors of Ryland, Peters & Small
Breakfast. Brunch. Lunch. Dinner. Pretty much anytime you need an insanely quick, one-skillet, satiating something, this frittata is the solution.
- Quick Glance
- 15 M
- 35 M
- 8
Mussels Marinara | Cozze alla Marinara
Dec 12, 2011 by The Editors of Phaidon Press
Three ingredients. One pot. Less than 15 minutes. Barely gives you time to uncork a bottle of wine or crack open a beer…but somehow, we think you’ll manage.
- Quick Glance
- 5 M
- 25 M
- 4
Hot Spiced Wine
Dec 09, 2011 by John Besh
Your mother-in-law may frown upon you teetering around with a martini in hand. But strolling about with a cup of spiced wine? Soooo much more socially acceptable.
Bibb Wedges, Radicchio, Endive, and Blue Cheese Dressing
Dec 08, 2011 by Sara Foster
Remember those insipid wedges of iceberg buried beneath blobs of bottled blue cheese dressing? This salad will erase all such memories.
Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Stuffed Squash
Dec 08, 2011 by Diana Henry
A long, slow spell in the oven coaxes this lusciously fatty, fat, fat pork roast into supple, aromatic, cider-infused, sigh-inducing submission.
Broccoli and Blue Cheese Gratin
Dec 08, 2011 by Georgeanne Brennan
Ooooh baby, this is how we like our broccoli–cloaked in a not-too-rich sauce with ample oomph from blue cheese and a hint of heat from cayenne.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Dec 08, 2011 by Mitchell Rosenthal
Silken, garlicky mashed potatoes manifest in mere minutes thanks to a super simple technique–perfect for when you’re entertaining, impatient, just plain hungry, or all of the above.
Standing Rib Roast with Jus
Dec 08, 2011 by Brigit Binns
A sublime yet simple approach to cooking this most impressive roast. Certain to win friends and influence people–not to mention make phenomenal sandwiches the day after.
Fennel Baked in Cream
Dec 08, 2011 by James Oseland
Fennel turns meltingly tender and oh so sweet when slowly, slowly, slowly braised in cream, cheese, and butter. One more reason to be enamored with the holidays.
Roasted Carrots with Allspice
Dec 08, 2011 by Lynne Rossetto Kasper | Sally Swift
Sweet. Spicy. Earthy. Puckery. Since when did anything–or anyone–at your table ever boast such character? Certain to compensate for lulls in the conversation among your duller dinner invitees.
Bûche de Noël
Dec 08, 2011 by Micah Carr-Hill
We’ve no clue why the French felt compelled to roll chocolate cake with ganache in the likeness of a log. But with a taste like this, who the heck cares?
Duck Prosciutto
Dec 07, 2011 by Geila Hocherman | Arthur Boehm
Pig-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free, this home-cured prosciutto tastes beguilingly, deceptively complex and beguiling–who’d have thunk it’s as easy as heck to make?!
Sauteed Chicken Liver on Toast
Dec 07, 2011 by Aurora Baccheschi Berti
Tuscan through and through, this classic first course snazzes up chicken livers with capers, butter, onion, anchovies, and a splash of that other Tuscan tradition.
Jewish Hanukkah Doughnuts
Dec 07, 2011 by Annie Rigg
Don’t let the name mislead you. These doughnuts are cause for celebration in and of themselves, regardless of one’s occasion or denomination.





















