Brenda Carleton, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Brenda Carleton has tested.

Sticky pecan bits piled on a white platter.

Sticky Pecan Bites

These one-bite indulgences, mini-sticky rolls of sorts, are the fastest way we can think to get a caramel-y, buttery, nutty sticky bun fix. Are you in?

Three scoops of watermelon sorbet in a white serving dish.

Watermelon Sorbet

No ice cream maker required. Just watermelon, citrus, sweetness, mint, and a little time in the deep freeze. Vodka optional. Then all you do is scoop it up and plop it in a pretty bowl.

A sliced steak chimichurri with a gravy boat filled with chimichurri on the side.

Steak Chimichurri

Chimichurri-induced happiness can be yours with this foolproof, fuss-free, Argentine-approved answer to what’s for dinner.

A grey bowl filled with roasted radishes, sprinkled with thyme.

Roasted Radishes

Roasting these rotund little root veggies turns them docile as anything dug out of the ground can be. Consider them to be dirt candy.

Hazelnut and Fresh Herb Popovers

Hazelnut and Fresh Herb Popovers

Fresh popovers, flavored with ground hazelnuts and zesty herbs, are a Thanksgiving must. These popovers are easy because the batter is made ahead then baked right before dinner.

Soft polenta with forest mushrooms in two metal pots with lids.

Soft Polenta with Forest Mushrooms

Creamy, cheesy, irresistible polenta, similar to American grits, is cooked slowly until impossibly soft and then is topped with all types of sautéed mushrooms.

A jar of roasted applesauce with a spoon resting inside on a saucer with a strip of apple peel.

Roasted Applesauce

So long, store-bought applesauce. Tuck into your own fuss-free, artisanal applesauce that’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and as smooth or as chunky as you please.

A sliced jerk chicken breast on a round cutting board, with a man's hand holding a cleaver above it

Jerk Chicken

Authentic grilled jerk chicken from Helen Willinsky that’s pretty much exactly like what you’d experience in the Caribbean.

The components of caprese salad -- sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil on a white platter.

Caprese Salad

Basil, tomato, and mozzarella–green, red, and white–are all this summer salad needs to shine. Oh, a drizzle of olive oil and a a squeeze of lemon help.

A piece of miso cod in a skillet with an orange napkin next to it.

Miso Cod

This five-ingredient fix, a restaurant classic as well as a simple weeknight dinner, will have you practicing your acceptance speech for the best dinner ever.

Three assembled Thai-style sliced beef lettuce wraps with a bowl of dipping sauce on the side.

Thai-Style Sliced-Beef Lettuce Wraps

Steak marinated in a soy-ginger sauce is grilled, and wrapped with lettuce and peppers, before being wholly devoured. They’re about as cool and fresh as you can get.

Chops from a spice-glazed grilled pork loin on a cutting board with a glass of stout.

Grilled Pork Loin

No more helplessly watching as the chops you toss on the grill toughen into leathery dryness. This flawless technique cooks the pork loin whole and slices it AFTER grilling.

Two people reaching for traditional molletes on a platter with a bowl of salsa in the middle.

Traditional Molletes

An insanely satiating comfort food fix that’s as quick and easy as it is inexpensive. Refried beans and cheese atop toast with pico de gallo. Wish we’d known about this a loooong time ago.