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A standard in almost every home cook's repertoire, the chicken dinner tends to lean toward the banal and un-exciting. Fortunately, we've compiled the best versions of all the standard chicken dishes, as well as a few unconventional ones that will restore poultry's dignity in your kitchen. From mole to tikka to buffalo wings, and more. More

These nutty brown butter crêpes are the perfect base for a myriad of recipes. More

Crunchy cornflakes add a crisp, crackly texture to the already awesome combo of chocolate and peanut butter. And what makes these bars even better? You don't have to turn on your oven to make them. More

New York Indian chef Floyd Cardoz shares his recipe for butter chicken, also known as chicken tikka makhani. More

For those of you who aren't into the chocolate overload aspect of the famous Tunnel of Fudge Cake, I have configured a sweet counterpart: the Tunnel of Penuche Cake. If fudge is the inspiration for the original, penuche (a "blonde" fudge made with brown sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla) is the muse for this honey-hued variation. More

Philadelphia Butter Cake is almost indescribably rich: if you can imagine Gooey Butter cake but minus the cream cheese, and with a base that is somewhat like a crushed, compressed danish, you're getting the right idea. More

This is a light and refreshing mousse pie made with mango puree, which you can make using fresh or frozen mangoes pureed in a blender, or with puree purchased from the store. Unlike many mousses, this one contains no egg whites and relies on whipped cream to give it volume and gelatin to stabilize it. I love serving this pie in the springtime, when mangoes are at their peak. More

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This Eggplant Romesco Rigatoni treats the meaty eggplant well, roasting it with onions and peppers before blending it with tomatoes and toasted almonds for an amazing pasta sauce that just to happens to be vegan. More

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On a Friday at just around beer o'clock, you want your fried chicken to have just a bit more... something. Flavor. Oomph. Whatever you want to call it. Here are seven recipes for seven different dipping sauces, each one with seven ingredients or fewer, designed to come together in seven minutes or less with absolutely no cooking. More

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This is hands down one of my favorite cookies ever. Back in 1998, when I was still the pastry chef at The White Hart Inn in Salisbury, CT, I eyed a recipe for Triple Chocolate Cookies with Pistachios on the last page of my Gourmet magazine. A chocolate cookie studded with semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, and pistachios. Um, yum! More

The Indian anda bhurji is a riotous mix of colours, spice and flavours that's laden with butter and character. It's served with a dollop of butter and local loaf bread that's lightly toasted in the heat of the pan that the eggs were cooked in. More

[Photograph: Blake Royer] Adapted from Tender by Nigel Slater.... More

This recipe is my attempt to re-create the original version of this pie from the Brooklyn pie shop, Four and Twenty Blackbirds. It comes pretty darn close to replicating the original, which features a flaky all-butter crust, a layer of rich ganache, and a layer of gooey oatmeal that gets all caramelized and crisp on top. More

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For those who can't bare to choose between a blondie and a brownie, there's a dessert that perfectly marries the two: the By Cracky bar. Second prize winner in the 1952 Pillsbury Bakeoff, the By Cracky Bar was the genius creation of fifteen-year-old Yvonne Whyte of New Bedford, Massachusetts. For her efforts, young Miss Whyte won $2,000, a GE electric range, an electric mixer and the undying gratitude of dessert lovers all across the country. More

This thick, creamy tarragon and basil dip and dressing is giving a green buttery oomph with blended avocado. Great for salads, but even better for crudités and shrimp cocktail. More

Just right for birthdays or other special occasions, this Old-Fashioned Cake is a perfect balance of moist bittersweet chocolate cake and marshmallowy icing. More

Here's a quick-fix dessert that doesn't taste like desperation: chocolate cake prepared in a mug, in the microwave. With a consistency something like a steamed pudding, this chocolate cake might not rival a French chocolate cake in sophistication, but nonetheless holds its own as an easy convenience dessert. And should you find some ice cream or whipped cream to top it with, well, all the better. More

The flavor of this pudding changes dramatically depending on the ingredients used. Skim milk makes a pudding with the lighter taste and texture of the "low-fat" puddings where as whole milk gives the full flavor of the original. High end fancy cocoa powders like Valhrona will result in a really dynamic, flavorful chocolate pudding, whereas grocery store staples like Hershey's will have a simpler flavor more in line with the taste of the pudding you remember. More

Instead of Rice Krispies treats, many Latin Americans grow up eating these (no-bake!) clusters of cereal, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. At a glance, the recipe appears too sweet, but the burnt sugar adds nuance and complexity to these irresistible morsels. More

These pickled Brussels sprouts include garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and mustard seeds and are wonderfully zingy. More

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There are a couple of distinct advantages that canned beans have over dried, but there's one major disadvantage: flavor. Here are three easy soup recipes that pack flavor into canned beans, and can be made in under 30 minutes. More

This recipe updates a church potluck favorite to salty sweet heights. Using autumn's apples, this dessert dip tastes better than the sum of its parts. (You can do without the caramel bits if you'd prefer your apple dip old school.)... More

All cranberry and pine, this would be an excellent holiday punch, light but complex and with distinctly winter flavors; I like that the cranberry flavor comes from a liqueur rather than just juice, keeping that intense tart flavor without diluting the drink. More

The Leaf Peeper celebrates Vermont, bringing together the appley sweetness of ice cider with the buttery caramel notes of Vermont Gold vodka, which is made from maple sap. Maple syrup and a pour of hard cider balances the flavor. This cocktail, which works equally well as an aperitif or an after dinner drink, is basic in execution but complex in flavor. More

This grapey gimlet from Gramercy Tavern is a perfect use of the fresh Concord grapes that you might find at the farmers' market. More