My husband jokes that he doesn't bother asking me what I want for dinner anymore, because my answer is always the same: vegetables. That is especially true during the spring and summer, when alliums, fresh herbs, and green vegetables are abundant. As the weather warms up, I begin swapping hearty soups and stews for crisp salads starring short-lived seasonal ingredients. Ramps, asparagus, peas, and lettuces make their way into all our meals, giving salads, pastas, and eggs a bright pop of flavor. Below, you'll find an assortment of refreshing spring salads—including a tangy pea and preserved olive salad and a Roman-inspired mixed green salad—that are light and bright, and sure to chase the winter blues away.

Spring Vegetable and Arugula Salad With Labne and Cucumbers

The secret to throwing a delicious salad at a moment's notice is keeping an assortment of blanched vegetables ready to go. For the easiest salad, toss blanched spring vegetables, salted cucumbers, and red onions in a punchy dressing of lemon juice, mustard, and olive oil, then pile it onto a bed of rich, tangy labneh.

Roasted Oyster Mushroom and Watercress Salad

Pair pan-roasted oyster mushrooms with watercress—a peppery spring green that is satisfyingly substantial in its own right—with a healthy helping of shaved cheese for a robust spring salad.

Fattoush (Chopped Vegetable and Pita Salad)

Packed with crunchy vegetables, toasted pita, and halloumi, this vibrant salad from Serious Eats contributor Reem Kassis is a star in its own right. It's light and refreshing, and a dressing made with lemon juice and pomegranate molasses brings bold, tart flavor.

Salade Lyonnaise (French Bistro Salad)

This staple bistro salad of Lyon features bitter greens tossed in a warm vinaigrette and is topped with chewy lardons and a gooey poached egg. Cooking the bacon over moderately low heat prevents it from burning, and sautéing the shallots in hot bacon fat mellows out the allium's sharpness.

Pea, Olive, and Preserved Lemon Salad

This easy salad from Serious Eats contributor Nargisse Benkabbou combines sweet peas with briny olives and tangy preserved lemon—and takes just 15 minutes to make.

Roman-Inspired Mixed-Green Salad (Misticanza alla Romana)

The onset of warmer weather means the arrival of tender greens at farmers market, which makes spring the best time to make a mixed-green salad like this one. Modeled after misticanza, a Roman salad that's traditionally made from various wild greens, this salad is especially delicious when made with a combination of tender, peppery, herbal, and bitter greens. A splash of olive oil, some salt, and a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar is all you need to help those flavors shine.

Spring Vegetable Salad With Poached Egg and Crispy Bread Crumbs

Crisp-tender peas, snap peas, and asparagus star in this verdant salad that takes just about 30 minutes to make. Topped with soft-yolked poached eggs and buttery toasted bread crumbs, this simple dinner is a delicious way to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Snap Pea Salad With Creamy Yogurt-Mint Dressing

Though snap peas are delicious raw, a quick blanch helps set their vibrant green color and softens them slightly. Shocking the peas in ice water stops the cooking process, keeping them plump and snappy. A creamy dressing of yogurt and fresh mint brings it all together.

Warm Farro Salad With Asparagus, Peas, and Feta

This salad celebrates the transition from winter to spring by combining asparagus, snap peas, kale, and farro with a tangy vinaigrette, briny feta, and almonds.

Easy Fava Bean and Carrot Salad With Ricotta

Crunchy carrots and fava beans don't need much to shine. Here, we blanch them until they're just tender, then dress them in a bright vinaigrette of lemon juice, zest, and olive oil. Served with toast and a healthy dollop of good-quality ricotta, this salad makes a great side or light meal.

Peas and Carrots Salad With Goat Cheese and Almonds

Peas and carrots are a classic combination in dishes like shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie, and fried rice—but the vegetables are also delicious when turned into a salad. Creamy goat cheese brings a pleasant richness, toasted almonds provide crunch, and a drizzle of honey gives the salad a touch of sweetness.

Tiger Salad (Lao Hu Cai), à la Xi'an Famous Foods

Savory, refreshing, and tart, this dish is inspired by the lao hu cai—or "tiger vegetable salad"—served at Xi'an Famous Foods. It's easy to make: All you have to do is combine peeled celery ribs, crisp scallions, fresh cilantro, and a few slivers of hot chile pepper with a sweet-tart dressing of soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.

One of the best parts about Easter is, arguably, the big piece of lamb—impressive, succulent, and delicious—at the center of the table. Lamb can be gamey and dry, especially when it's poorly prepared. Made thoughtfully, however, lamb can be a delicious, tender, and mild cut of meat with just the right amount of gaminess. Below, you'll find our nine favorite lamb recipes for the Easter table, including an impressive crown roast of lamb and a slow-roasted leg of lamb rubbed with fragrant rosemary and garlic. (Need some help picking the best lamb for your celebration? Check out our guide to buying and cooking lamb.)

Pan-Roasted Rack of Lamb

With nothing more than a pan and some butter, garlic, and herbs, you can make an astoundingly delicious rack of lamb. An optional dry-brining step seasons the meat and dries the exterior for better browning, and basting the racks with hot fat helps it cook evenly.

Qidreh (Palestinian Bone-In Lamb With Spiced Rice)

Brimming with tender bone-in lamb and fragrant rice, qidreh is the hallmark dish of the Palestinian city of Hebron. Serve it with a side of plain yogurt and a chopped salad, which provide lightness and complement the dish's rich and earthy flavor.

Crown Roast of Lamb With Couscous Stuffing and Pistachio-Mint Sauce

Set on a bed of fluffy couscous and served with a pistachio-mint sauce, this crown roast of lamb is a show-stopping centerpiece fit for a holiday meal. Cook the lamb low-and-slow, then bump up the heat to give it a beautiful brown crust.

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb With Rosemary, Garlic, and Mustard Crust

Rub your lamb with a fragrant mixture of garlic, mustard, olive oil, white wine, rosemary, lemon juice, and salt, then let it marinate for 12 hours. When you're ready to serve, all that's left to do is throw it on the grill.

Tender Braised Lamb Shanks With Bitter Herb Salad

A fragrant spice blend and a long, slow braise produce flavorful lamb shanks that practically melt off the bone. Here, anchovies give the dish a savory boost, and a mixture of spices—coriander seeds, fennel seeds, ground cumin, and smoked paprika—bring complexity and depth.

Roasted Spiced Lamb Ribs With Whole Grain Mustard Sauce

These lamb ribs are rubbed with a punchy mix of smoked paprika, fennel seed, chile flakes, and cumin, then slow-roasted until they're tender and juicy. Served with a whole grain mustard sauce, they're a meaty, satisfying main dish worth making for your holiday table.

Slow-Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb With Garlic, Rosemary, and Lemon

Leg of lamb makes for a wonderful Easter roast. We especially like a boneless cut, which is easy to season inside and out and cooks more evenly than a bone-in leg. Rub the lamb with an aromatic mixture of garlic, shallots, rosemary, and lemon zest, then roast it until it has a crisp brown crust and a rosy medium-rare center.

Sichuan Roast Leg of Lamb With Celery-Mint Salad

Bring some heat to your Easter table with this Sichuan-inspired lamb dish. Seasoned with ground Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, dried red chiles, fennel seed, and star anise, each bite is satisfyingly hot and numbing—and will keep you coming back for more.

Braised Lamb Shoulder With Dried Chilies and Dates

Stressed about cooking for a crowd? This set-it-and-forget-it dish is as easy as it gets—and lets the oven do the hard work for you. A Dutch oven heats the meat evenly from all sides, allowing it to brown while becoming tender, and sweet dates balance the acidity of the tomatillos and the heat from the chiles.

It's April. Daffodils have sprung up, trees are beginning to bloom, and the produce at my farmers market is getting greener and greener. Still, the weather in the Northeast continues to keep most of us on our toes as it oscillates between freezing winter temperatures and moderately warm days. Thanks to Mother Nature's erratic behavior, some of our staffers are still whipping up comforting and warming meals, while others are dusting off the grill or tossing together crisp spring vegetables to make a refreshing salad. Our list of editors' picks this month includes minimal-effort recipes, like Caesar deviled eggs, a savory carrot tart, and clay pot rice with silky chicken and mushrooms. You'll also find a simple mocha tres leches cake, which takes just about 20 minutes to prep, and fluffy almond rolls that taste like a mash-up of almond croissants and cinnamon rolls.

Cantonese-Style Braised Brisket

"I love when Genevieve publishes a savory recipe because—to be honest with you—the chances that I attempt to tackle one of her delicious baking endeavors is almost always close to zero. I tasted this during a photo shoot and have been thinking about it since." - Amanda Suarez, associate visuals director

Grilled Whole Cauliflower With Teriyaki Sauce

"The image of this golden brown head of cauliflower stopped me in my tracks. With the weather finally thawing out a bit, I can't wait to try this at home. I'm especially excited about the teriyaki glaze—yum!" - An Uong, writer

Cantonese Clay Pot Rice With Velveted Chicken and Mushrooms

"It is not a new recipe, but I have been dreaming of Lucas Sin's clay pot rice with chicken and mushrooms almost daily for weeks. I must make it, and soon." - Daniel Gritzer, editorial director

Fluffy Almond Rolls

"Contributor Zola Gregory's almond rolls—basically cinnamon rolls filled with almond cream instead of the classic cinnamon sugar mixture—sound absolutely delightful, and I can't wait to make a batch this weekend." - Genevieve Yam, senior editor

Fried Pickles

"I love fried pickles—tangy, crunchy, zesty. And even better when they're dipped in ranch." - Grace Kelly, senior editor

Mocha Tres Leches Cake

"I love tres leches cake, and I especially enjoy it when the weather starts to heat up. I've never had a mocha version, but it’s tres leches flavored with chocolate and espresso. What's not to love? Seems perfect for a dinner party when you could use a little pick-me-up at the end of the night." - Kelli Solomon, senior social media editor

Carrot and Raisin Salad

"Carrots are a truly underrated vegetable. I love them raw as a snack or roasted as a side, but I rarely put them in my salads. This salad looks so refreshing and positively screams spring. Plus, it seems like a fast and flavorful side for an Easter roast." - Kelli

Harcha (Moroccan Flatbread)

"Nargisse's harcha are my new go-to weeknight biscuit—the semolina flour gives them such a wonderful sweet and nutty flavor. Plus: They require just a handful of ingredients and come together in just one bowl." - Leah Colins, senior culinary editor

Caesar Deviled Eggs

"I love deviled eggs any time of year, but they're a must-have for Easter for me. I love the classic deviled eggs my mom always made—with mustard, dill pickle relish, and plenty of mayo— but I'm also a fan of creative spins. I was on-hand to taste these Caesar salad–inspired eggs when Daniel was developing the recipe, and they're phenomenally savory and satisfying." - Megan O. Steintrager, associate editorial director

Savory Carrot Tart

"This is the perfect Easter brunch recipe, and you cannot convince me otherwise!" - Rochelle Bilow, editor

Spring Salad of Asparagus, Ramps, Snap Peas, and Peas With Lemon Zest Vinaigrette

"Former editor Kenji's spring salad has everything I want to eat right now: crisp-tender asparagus, sweet peas, and ramps. I am desperate for all of these ingredients to come into season, and can't wait to make this salad when they do." - Genevieve

For the food lover, a visit to any city is an invitation to eat—and eat, and eat. What makes cities such incredible dining destinations is that they are, by nature, dense: with people, with culture, with history, and with food.

City life is often disconnected from agriculture, which might suggest worse food, but in reality, it often means better. Urban dwellers need quick lunches, comforting dinners, and everything in between. The demand feeds an industry of restaurants, market stalls, bakeries, and street carts that thrive on volume, competition, and creativity.

Cities are also crossroads. They rise on ports, along rivers, rail lines, and trade routes. Their foods are among the most immediate and delicious gateways to understanding their histories and the many different people who have passed through or settled down in them. As a result, each city has its own distinct gastronomic fingerprint—encoded into its unique pattern are the influences of rulers and the rich, of workers and the poor, of diasporic communities and religious groups.

All of this makes cities some of the most exciting—and overwhelming—places to eat. A lot of cities have so many places to eat that you could dedicate a lifetime to trying a new one every single day and still not visit them all before you die. So when you're going for just a week, where do you start?

That's where we come in.

At Serious Eats, we’ve long worked with a global network of culinary experts—writers, cooks, and researchers who live and breathe the food of their home cities. They’re the ones we email before we travel. They know where to go, what to eat, and why it matters.

In our Global Eats series, we’re sharing that insider knowledge with you, along with recipes you can cook before you go, while you’re there (if you’ve got a kitchen), and after you return home. Whether you’re prepping for a trip or just hungry for inspiration, this series is designed to get you closer to the cities you’re excited about, one plate at a time.

This is the second installment of Global Eats. In our first, we covered London, Paris, Cairo, Bangkok, Taipei, Buenos Aires, and Mumbai. This time, we’re taking you to seven more cities with distinct culinary identities: Kingston, Rome, Marrakesh, Kuala Lumpur, Santiago, San Juan, and Hong Kong. Think of it as your ultimate dining-out hook-up—a traveler's crib sheet from the people who know these food scenes best.

Cantonese Delights, Soy Sauce Western, and Desserts Galore in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a shimmering metropolis often referred to as “Asia’s World City” and the “Gateway to China." It's where East meets West, and every twist and turn presents an opportunity for food. The city is packed with cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong–style cafés), dai pai dongs (outdoor hawker stalls), street carts, and eateries dishing out local specialties, such as congee and clay-pot rice.

Your guide to Hong Kong is Serious Eats senior editor Genevieve Yam, who grew up in the city during the 1990s, when it was rapidly changing. Now based in the U.S., Genevieve frequently travels to Hong Kong to visit family and eat, eat, eat. Hot off of her most recent trip to the city, she's sharing some of her favorite eateries for brothy noodles, dumplings, French toast, pork chop sandwiches, seafood, and so much more. Inside the guide, you'll also find Serious Eats recipes for many of Hong Kong's most iconic dishes, so you can keep eating like a Hong Kong local when you return home.

Forget Sit-Down Restaurants and Start Liming Like a Local in Kingston

Far too many Americans who visit Jamaica stray no further than the buffets and hotel restaurants they frequent between sunbathing sessions at their gated, all-inclusive resorts. But for any food lover, that's a big mistake. Step away from the resorts, and you'll find a vibrant, ever-evolving food culture that’s a mélange of the island’s African, British, Spanish, and Taino cultures, spiced up with contributions from Portuguese Jews, French Huguenots, Syrians, Lebanese, Germans, Scots, and Irish immigrants—all built upon Jamaica’s agricultural bounty and access to both reef- and deep-sea fishing. 

Visitors from the U.S.—where dining out is the norm—are often surprised by how few sit-down restaurants exist outside Jamaica’s resorts. But incredible food is everywhere, if you know where to look. That’s where our guides come in: sisters Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau, acclaimed Jamaican cookbook authors, caterers, and food TV personalities. They’re sharing their favorite spots for jerk pork (yes, it’s more popular than chicken), pan chicken, beef patties hot from the oven, cornmeal porridge, ackee, and more local specialties. Inside the guide, you’ll also find recipes for iconic Jamaican dishes you can make at home—the ones below are just a taste. Oh, and if you don’t already know what it means to lime, you will soon.

Kuala Lumpur—the Middle Child of Southeast Asia—Claims Its Spotlight

Serious Eats contributor Alia Ali compares Malaysia's capital city of Kuala Lumpur to a middle child: “There’s something kind of like wanting to prove herself, but she also doesn't realize she’s already cool," she says. "We’re surrounded by places that are more popular and touristy, like Thailand and Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam. People are like, ‘Where is Malaysia?’”

But Kuala Lumpur has so much to offer food lovers, namely a culinary scene that reflects the city's diversity, and is not so much a melting pot as it is an all-you-can-eat buffet, with mouth-puckering fish soups, fragrant rice dishes, rich curries, and an abundance of the sweet-and-savory finger snacks known as kuih. Alia is a native Malaysian and home cook who’s contributed more than a dozen recipes to Serious Eats, and she knows Kuala Lumpur inside and out. She is our guide to the “Muddy Confluence” (the city name’s literal meaning in Malay) and in addition to her picks for where to eat in KL, you'll find her recipes for making many of Malaysia's most delicious dishes at home inside the guide.

Souk to Nuts: The Best Places to Eat in the Ancient City of Marrakesh

Ringed by pinkish, millennium-old walls that give it its nickname, "the Red City," Marrakesh is a city that's "deeply rooted in Berber history with Arab and Andalusian influences, a blend of the Atlantic coast, the Mediterranean, the desert, and the Atlas mountains," says chef, cookbook author, Serious Eats contributor, and your guide to Marrakesh, Nargisse Benkabbou. “But it’s also a city that’s always looking forward—an overload of colors and sounds and smells where ancient history coexists with modern life, like with the ancient souks that have been widened to accommodate bigger crowds.”

The city's food reflects this coexistence of ancient history and modern life, and you'll find different restaurants serving traditional takes and contemporary spins on tagines, harira soups rich with the aromas of stewing tomatoes, turmeric, and cinnamon, and glistening lamb kefta. A native Moroccan and restaurant owner, Benkabbou truly knows the food scene of Marrakesh. She’s also the author of an internationally acclaimed cookbook on Moroccan cuisine, and inside this guide you'll find many of her recipes for bringing a taste of Marrakesh home.

When in Rome: A Short List of Where to Eat in the Eternal City

Rome is one of the few cities in the world that have a distinct cuisine that stands on its own. “How many cities could support dozens of cookbooks dedicated to their local dishes alone? Rome is one of them,” says Serious Eats editorial director Daniel Gritzer. Suffice it to say, the number of wonderful things to eat in Rome is just about limitless—classics such as Roman-style artichokes, pasta alla gricia, amatriciana, carbonara, pizza al taglio, and gelati, for starters. But while many in Rome are staunch cuisine traditionalists, there are also innovative chefs, turning out spins on classics and adding whole new foods to the canon. 

To help you ever-so-slightly narrow down the list of must-eat foods at must-go spots in Rome, we tapped experts Peter Barrett, the author of the Things on Bread Substack and a Roman resident for two years, and Sara Levi, a native Roman and chef at the Rome Sustainable Food Project at the American Academy at Rome, to share their insight into what—and where—to eat in the Capital of the World. Our guide also includes recipes for those aforementioned classics, and many more Roman dishes, so you can do as a Roman does even when you're not in Rome.

Sofrito, So Good: An Expert's Guide Eating Your Way Through San Juan

San Juan has long served as the capital of Puerto Rico, not only in political terms but also as the island’s culinary and cultural heart. Its food reflects a blend of Taino, Spanish Criollo, and African traditions. Almost any Puerto Rican will tell you that a trip to San Juan wouldn't be complete without mofongo—tender plantains, crunchy pork cracklings, punchy garlic, and a savory broth, all mashed together to make this beloved Puerto Rican dish—but there are plenty of other can't-miss dishes, including lechon, pernil, a wealth of seafood, and crispy twice-fried tostones.

Your guides to dining in San Juan are Serious Eats contributor and cookbook author Reina Gascón-López and chef and food entrepreneur Manolo López, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico and now lives in New York City. In this guide, they talk about what makes Puerto Rican food so special, what to eat if you’re not already familiar with the cuisine, and where to get the best representations of those dishes in and near San Juan. The guide also includes recipes from Gascón-López to make several Puerto Rican classics so you can better understand how the flavor is built from the ground up (hint: the sofrito is key).

From Hot Dogs to Oysters: Your Guide to Santiago's Eclectic and Excellent Food Scene

Apologies to Serious Eats' home-base of New York City, but if you want to eat the best hot dog of your life, you need to fly to Santiago and get your hands on completos—oversize hot dogs generously heaped with sauerkraut, diced tomatoes, mashed avocado, mayonnaise, and more. Of course there's much more to eat in Chile's capital city than loaded franks, including hearty charquicán, empanadas, and platters overflowing with enough briny oysters to make your eyes pop out of your head.

Santiago, which sits midway from north to south, is where everything in the country flows to, at least food-wise, making for a “very rich and very vibrant food culture,” in the words of Isidora Díaz. Díaz is a Serious Eats contributor and recipe developer, cookbook author, the director of the Chilean food and wine magazine Revista Fondo, and your guide to how to eat like a local in Santiago. Our guide also includes recipes for some of the iconic dishes you'll find in Santiago, including—yes—Díaz's recipe for making completos at home, complete with the sog-resistant homemade buns you'll need to contain a whole avocado and all those other toppings.

When I'm stressed or have had a bad day, my first instinct is to run into the kitchen and bury myself in baking projects. I start proofing sourdough loaves, make and scoop several batches of cookie dough to freeze for later, and immerse myself in the meditative act of laminating puff pastry dough. Baking up a storm certainly won't solve all of my problems, but it's the most enjoyable and rewarding (not to mention delicious!) way to take my mind off things. Below, you'll find 15 baking projects—including tender cinnamon rolls, buttery brioche, and the very best chocolate chip cookies—that will provide you with a mental escape when you need it the most.

Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread)

Shokupan is an ultra-soft, squishy, and impossibly light loaf, with a mild sweetness and a fine, pillowy crumb the Japanese call "fuwa fuwa" or "fluffy fluffy." Here, a scalded flour mixture known as a yudane keeps the loaf soft. Unlike most wheat-based scalds that must be cooked over a stove, this yudane is made with glutinous rice flour, and comes together simply by whisking boiled milk with the flour.

Cheese Danish

These Danishes are rich with butter and packed with sweet, tangy cream cheese—and may very well convince you that the only ones worth eating are warm, freshly baked ones.

Custard Creams

These sandwich-style cookies feature a silky pale yellow buttercream between two crumbly rectangular biscuits. Custard powder gives the biscuits their distinct golden color and custard-like flavor, and keeping the dough cold helps the biscuits retain their shape and embossed detail.

New Jersey Crumb Buns

The Garden State's spin on coffee cake goes heavy (in the best of ways) on the streusel crumb topping. For a soft, rich crumb, cream softened butter with equal parts granulated and brown sugar. Don't skip the hefty dose of cinnamon, which gives the pastry its warm spiced note.

One-Bowl Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

The best smell to wake up to is that of cinnamon rolls wafting from the oven. The magic of this recipe? All the heavy lifting is knocked out a day in advance. Plus: It's a one-bowl recipe, so you don't need to dirty every dish in the house just to make a special breakfast.

Kanafeh (Middle Eastern Cheese and Phyllo Dessert)

Filled with salty cheese and drenched in a floral syrup, kanafeh is a crispy, nutty, and syrupy dessert made for cheese lovers. Thoroughly mixing the shredded phyllo with ghee and baking it in a cast iron skillet—which promotes even browning—ensures the pastry crisps up all the way.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Good things take time: An overnight rest allows enzymes to break down large carbohydrates, enhancing the caramelization and browning process the next day to help the cookies develop deeper flavor. These cookies get their intensely nutty, butterscotch flavor from brown butter and deep molasses notes from dark brown sugar.

Homemade Bagels

A Japanese technique called yukone—which involves cooking a mixture of flour and water on the stove into a thick paste of gelatinized starch before incorporating it into a dough—ensures these tender, chewy bagels stay fresh for days.

Leche Flan (Filipino Baked Custard)

Leche flan is a beloved dessert in the Philippines, and marries caramelized sugar with a rich, dense, and creamy custard. For the silkiest custard, pass the flan through a fine-mesh sieve, then bake it in a water bath, which surrounds the dessert with gentle, uniform heat that prevents it from becoming dry and rubbery.

New England Anadama Bread

You can thank a grumpy fisherman and his wife for this traditional New England sandwich bread. Made with cornmeal and molasses, the loaf is sweet and slightly nubby, and especially delicious when toasted and slathered with salted butter.

Chocolate Babka

Rich, tender, and filled with just the right amount of chocolate, this delicious babka will fill your home with the enticing scent of yeasted dough and cocoa. A simple cooked flour slurry called tangzhong gives the bread its moist, fluffy texture and delays staling, while a cold proof helps the dough develop more flavor and makes it easier to shape.

Millionaire's Shortbread

With layers of tender shortbread, rich caramel, and dark chocolate, millionaire’s shortbread is a luxurious confection worth making at home. Cooking the butter, sugar, and heavy cream to 235°F (113°C) results in butterscotch that's satisfyingly chewy and not too firm or runny, and a dark chocolate topping helps offset the sweetness of the bar.

Classic Yeasted Coffee Cake

With its tender crumb, sweet cinnamon filling, and toasted pecan topping, this pastry is a riff on Sara Lee's pecan coffee cake. Made in the style of Danish brunsviger—a yeasted coffee cake that's typically eaten for breakfast—it's subtly sweet, with a soft, springy crumb.

Brioche

Brioche is the gold standard of enriched bread: It is unashamedly rich with a melt-in-the-mouth quality. This classic brioche is airy and tender, with a deeply rich and buttery flavor thanks to eggs, whole milk, plenty of butter, and hands-off cold fermentation.

Gâteau Basque

Gâteau Basque, which has a filling of pastry cream or cherry jam nestled between a tender and slightly crumbly crust, combines elements of a cookie, tart, and pie. In other words: A crowd-pleasing dessert that ticks all the boxes.