Rolls

My mom (the "Jill" of this recipe) used to make lots of finger foods when I was younger. These were always a big hit. Easy to make, easy to love, these snacks are equally at home at a fancy dinner party as they are during the Super Bowl. You can experiment with this recipe to alter the taste: Use vegetable or flavored cream cheese, or any other kind of easily spreadable cheese (I like that Alouette herb cheese a lot).

A touch of cardamom lends subtle spice to these innovative crescent-shaped rolls.

Along with croissants and pains au chocolat, these buns are ubiquitous in the morning bread basket that arrives after you order your express or café crème in Paris. It's the pastry cream that makes them unique. We used our favorite brioche recipe (by Sally Darr, a former gourmet editor) as the base.

These all-American rolls are so flaky and buttery that everyone will want seconds. Be sure to begin preparing the dough a day before serving because it needs to be refrigerated overnight.

Mary Tuohy, a Cappagh, County Tyrone, native who now lives in Redbank, New Jersey, has been making this raisin tea cake for so long that she can almost do it from memory. She says, "I can't remember where the recipe came from, but we used to bake it over an open turf fire back home. It came to me on a piece of dilapidated paper, which I still have." It's a very moist cake, she says, nearly foolproof. "You can't go wrong with it."

21st Century Recipe Today, when our far-flung family gathers for holidays, my mother, my sister, and I make this updated version of my grandmother’s recipe to go with our typical menu: grilled beef tenderloin served with a dollop of sour cream, horseradish and bacon sauce; grilled asparagus; potato casserole; a green salad with blue cheese crumbles; and pear and almond tart for dessert.

I grew up in a family with an older brother and a twin sister. We loved when our mother made one particular roll, which we requested on every special occasion. We continue to request them, though we have long since moved away and only come home for visits. We like them so much we named them "Dear Little Rolls."
—Elizabeth Force Carson

These fresh-from-the-oven rolls are made with frozen bread dough.

Don't be put off by what might look like a complicated technique. It takes more time to describe how to make Parma braids than it does to actually assemble them. Slightly salty and very buttery, these savory croissants are hard to resist. Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 18 hr

Cumin flavors a variety of foods, including breads, in southwestern cooking. Make the dough for these rolls one or two days ahead, and let it rise in the refrigerator.