Sue Epstein, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Sue Epstein has tested.

A pile of beignets dusted with confectioners' sugar in a bowl.

New Orleans-Style Beignets

Airy and yet dough at the same time, these iconic, anytime-of-day New Orleans pastries come buried beneath mounds of sweet, sweet confectioners’ sugar. All we have to say is, don’t wear black.

A tall glass mug filled with Irish coffee with whipped cream on top and a tumbler or whiskey in the background.

Irish Coffee

A better way to start your day. Uh, we mean, end your day. That’s what we meant. Yes. End it. Ahem.

A wooden cutting board with a carved grilled Greek chicken and a knife resting beside it.

Grilled Greek Chicken

Fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon lend this chicken its effusive Greek accent. A foolproof grilling technique makes it irresistible in any language.

Cheese blintzes in a cast-iron frying pan, one being lifted up by a metal spatula.

Cheese Blintz

We like to think of cheese blintzes as the original breakfast burritos, though truth be told we like them just as well for dessert.

A woven basket of Southern corn sticks, lined with brown napkins. Pats of butter melt on top.

Southern Corn Sticks

These corn bread batons bake up crisp on the outside, with a fine crumb on the inside, and ready to sop up as much butter or gravy as you wish.

Three glasses of sweet tea cocktail on a wooden table.

Sweet Tea Cocktail

Sweet tea. Whiskey. Lemon juice. That’s all it takes to make a sassy summertime cocktail you’ll want to sip all afternoon long.

Two small bowls of lemon ice, with a wooden popsicle stick resting on top of one.

Lemon Ice

We love ice cream, but sometimes it’s too darn hot and humid for anything sweet and sticky. Enter the lemon ice, a bracingly crisp and tart refresher. The best part—no ice cream maker required!

A glass bottle filled with homemade lemonade syrup, a bowl of lemons, and two glasses on a wooden table.

Homemade Lemonade

Pucker up, cuz you’re going to want to sip the bejeebers out of this ridiculously easy, sweetly tart lemonade. Wowza.

Seven squares of raspberry cheesecake brownies on a metal sheet pan.

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

A swoon-inducing collision of creamy cheesecake, cakey brownie, and sweetly tart raspberries. Sorta makes you want to stop reading and start baking, yeah?

Four glasses of michelada on a wooden board with a lime wedge in between them.

Michelada

The customary morning-after equivalent of a Bloody Mary in Mexico—except this is lighter, less tomato-y, and all around lovelier.

A green bowl filled with sautéed bacon, mushrooms, and lentils with a whole piece of bacon on top.

Sautéed Bacon, Mushrooms, and Lentils

It may seem criminal to bathe the walloping nutrition of lentils and mushrooms in anything but wholesomeness, but there’s something to be said for quality of life. Hello, bacon!

White bowl of fresh peas with mint.

Fresh Peas with Mint

Is there anything that screams spring more than lightly buttered peas with a wee bit of mint on top? We think not.

A light-blue gravy boat filled with svelte green goddess dip

Svelte Green Goddess Dip

This evocatively named dip isn’t the same as the one of yore. It’s got the same sumptuous taste, the same creamy texture, the same luminous color, just not the same calorie count.

Three Passover brownies stacked on top of each other on a white plate.

Passover Brownies

Whether you’re observing Passover or simply having a tricky time finding flour, these flour-less brownies will satisfy with their ever so slightly crumbly outside and splendiferously fudgy inside.

A pepper and egg sandwich on a wooden table with pieces of pepper and onion falling out.

Pepper and Egg Sandwich

Just like mom made. That’s what we’re hearing from folks who grew up hoovering this classic, quick, easy, cheap Italian staple any and all times of day.

Sheets of homemade matzoh in a metal basket.

Homemade Matzoh

This recipe for thin, crisp matzoh couldn’t be simpler and, natch, tastes incomparable to the stuff you buy in a box.

A person holding a glass mug of cinnamon tea on a white plate.

Cinnamon Tea

Sorta amazing what loveliness can be wrought from just a stick of cinnamon and some hot water. So simple. So soothing.