The results have come in and the headliners are cakes, cookies and hearty comfort food. Some recipes are quick and easy (Whipped Ricotta With Truffle Honey on Grilled Sourdough), some only have five ingredients (Jamie Oliver’s Easy Roasted Cauliflower) and some are just plain decadent (Steak Frites with Whisky Peppercorn Sauce). Whatever you’re cooking from ELLE Gourmet, we’d love to hear about it. Email us at hello@ellegourmet.ca
World’s Best Carrot Cake
Did you know that carrot cake tastes better the next day? The extra time allows the spices to deepen and bloom and the pineapple and carrots to moisten the cake to become the most wonderfully tender spiced dessert. When you make our Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting, it will be impossible to save for the next day – but we promise it’s worth the wait.
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Healthy Oatmeal Cookies With Flax
Danish Home Bakery in Saskatchewan sells 15 different types of cookies, including these Oatmeal Cookies with Flax. The whole flaxseeds add a delightful crunch and nutty flavour to the cookies, which are soft and chewy on the inside with a perfectly crispy outer edge. Pair them with hot coffee or a cold glass of milk, and you’re set for dunking.
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Best Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
It’s hard not to love ginger molasses cookies, no matter what time of year. The same goes for Deb Perelman, whose big, chewy ginger cookie recipe is one of the best we’ve ever tried. Perelman says she had been looking for “thick, soft-but-not-too cakey, deeply spiced, and a little kicky dark-molasses cookie for a long time.” Perelman says: “These cookies are my winter obsession.”
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Mary Berg’s French Onion Pot Roast
Mary Berg’s elevated take on pot roast and mashed potatoes is a delicious dinner for winter night. This comfort food recipe is also easy to make a few days ahead. “The sweetness of caramelized onions paired with rich and hearty slow-cooked beef is made all the more indulgent when paired with ultra cheesy, very French-feeling mashed potatoes,” says Berg.
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Jamie Oliver’s Easy Roasted Cauliflower
All you need is five ingredients to make this simple meal. And as Jamie Oliver says: “Life is better with romesco sauce in it! Whether you’re using it to celebrate beautiful vegetables, like this cauliflower, or eating it with fish, poultry or lamb, it’s a joy to make and a pleasure to eat.”
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Whipped Ricotta With Truffle Honey
Ricotta is a cook’s secret weapon. Its mild, tangy flavour and touch of nuttiness pair ideally with anything from salty prosciutto to sweet berries. Whipping it transforms the slightly granular texture into a light, smooth and spreadable result. Kim Kushner’s recipe calls for spreading the whipped ricotta on grilled sourdough bread and then drizzled with truffle honey.
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Crispy Duck Salad
Chef David Hawksworth’s duck salad recipe traces its roots back to London’s Chinatown. Crispy duck is tossed in a sweet and tangy dressing made with ketchup, soy sauce and honey, with a spicy, crunchy salad of watercress, carrot and daikon.
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One-Pot Chicken With Rice, Chorizo and Tomatoes
Spicy chorizo is in this version of a one-pot chicken and rice, but the recipe is versatile and easy to adjust, says Perelman. “You could add more vegetables for sure. You can always add greens to it,” she says. “Actually, it wouldn’t be terrible with a garlicky aioli. A little dab at the end if you’re looking for a little ‘zhuzh,’ put a little swish of that on the plate and then you spoon it on top.” And don’t forget the paella-style socarrat (rice crust) from the bottom of the pan – the layer of crispiness is divine.
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Sweet Potato Vegetarian Protein Balls
These hearty bites take the “meat” out of “meatballs” – but you won’t even notice it’s missing. A creamy curry-yogourt dipping sauce accompanies these satisfying vegetarian balls made with red lentils, sweet potatoes and red onion.
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Steak Frites With Whisky Peppercorn Sauce
“This bistro classic is one you should commit to memory,” says David Prescott, “because it’s a serious flex to be able to make at home something most people only associate with restaurants.”
