Sweet and oh so cute, these little steamed desserts are anything but old-fashioned.
Pie from scratch: No problem. Making this classic dessert is easier than ever with Crisco? One Cup Stick. No measuring, no mess: The all-vegetable shortening comes pre-measured with the perfect amount required to make baking mistake-proof and speedy. Pair it with Canadian Living's test-kitchen-approved pie filling recipe and you're guaranteed delicious, flaky, no-fail pies every time.
It all began with a recipe involving a calf's foot filling (the less said, the better), but Eccles cakes are now one of Britain's most famous sweet treats.
Probably more famous than the town from which it comes, the Eccles cake began its rise to popularity in the 1790s in what is now part of Greater Manchester, where bakers James Birch and his apprentice-turned-rival William Bradburn battled for supremacy in the apparently fiercely competitive fruitcake market.
These small round patties of flaky pastry with a currant filling are not to be confused with similar-looking Chorley cakes (less sweet) or Banbury cakes (more oval). Today Eccles cakes hold a special place in the nation's heart, which not even their unappetizing nickname -- "dead fly pies" -- can diminish.
Pastry chef Miriam Folkins prefers the dense orange butternut squash to pumpkin in this delicious Thanksgiving version of crème caramel.
Two layers of pasta with a red tomato sausage sauce and a white béchamel sauce make a visually interesting baked pasta that's easier than lasagna and perfect for relaxed entertaining.
This classic pie uses sugar, or pie, pumpkins, which are abundant in the fall. They are much smaller than jack-o'-lantern pumpkins; one average-size sugar pumpkin will yield enough purée for just a single pie.
Spiced dough wrapped around a hazelnut-and-almond filling creates impressive cookies. Slicing the logs after baking makes them easy large-batch cookies.
Chopping the dates for these squares is easier, and less messy, if you use kitchen shears or scissors to cut them.
Adding amaretti cookies to the creamy mascarpone filling gives this rolled cake a welcome crunch. Use a vegetable peeler to turn the white chocolate into curly shavings.
