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Everything (Well, Almost) We Want to Cook in 2016

by: Caroline Lange

January 1, 2016

There's a lot we want to tackle in 2016. Next year could be the year we learn to make our own croissants; it could be the one we build our own table. The first things we're itching to tick off? These recipes. Here are the first that will be hitting our stoves and ovens—the first that will be messing up our kitchens. Join us, won't you?

Brown Butter Butternut Rolls

Amanda H.: That brown butter butternut squash pull-apart bread thingy. So damn good. And more cooking with nuts and seeds and grains.

Kenzi: +1 pull-apart thingy. I honestly cannot stop thinking about it.

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I want to make more yogurt bread! That is not flashy or wild and doesn't require acquiring some new skill, but I have this vision in my head of the person who has it all together: The pillows on her couch are always fluffed, she has a little spot for the keys (they always go in the same place), and she bakes yogurt bread, weekly. I will resume some such plan in 2016.

Chewy Layered Roti and Kickass Dip

Sarah: Oh gosh, so many things. All the things I tell you all I am going to make and NEVER EVER do. It's mostly because the ingredients are prohibitively expensive or elusive, or because I am a bad combination of overly ambitious and pretty darn lazy!

But in 2016, maybe I will accomplish great things like...

The nori granola from Near and Far.
Remember when I told Amanda Sims I was going to can drunken pineapple sauce to give away as edible gifts?
If I ever make these cardamom doughnuts, there will be nothing left to dream about. I will retire.
Vegan Date-Nut Loaf
Chewy Layered Roti and Kickass Dip (I tasted this at a photoshoot and having been dreaming of it ever since.)
Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies
A real loaf of bread that you have to KNEAD and NURTURE
Sweet potato baba ghanoush
English muffin bread
Matcha granola bars
The entire remainder of my Pinterest board devoted to the kind of food I wish I made.

Flank Steak with Green Sauce

Lindsay-Jean: All of the matcha things, now including the granola bars Sarah mentioned. Also, squishy cake and butternut squash on toast.

Caroline: Bagels! Laminated dough! (A gal can dream.) The ricotta—and mozzarella—I've been meaning to try my hand at over many a New Year's resolution list. Blackbird's Bread. Sarah's broccoli rabe.

Riddley: This year, I will get better at cooking meat other than chicken. Perhaps I’ll start with Diana Kennedy’s Carnitas, Short Rib Ragu, or Flank Steak with Green Sauce!

Cinnamon Rolls

Kristen: More yeasty, breakfasty pastries (brown butter butternut pull-apart thing, cinnamon rolls, a pull-apart citrus thing) to show off at Christmas. Also, pork ragu a few more times.

Gabi: In the new year, I'm joining a cookbook club at my friendly neighborhood food interest bookstore. I'd like to make at LEAST 10 recipes from each cookbook pick every month!

Chocolate Dump-It Cake

Leslie: Literally everything in my collections. Mostly:

I think about these five recipes literally every time I'm at the grocery store, but have had a reason not to get the ingredients every time. 2016 is my year, though!

What's on your list this year? Give us the rundown in the comments!

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

Emily | Cinnamon&Citrus
John C
NazNyc
Mary
dc

Writing and cooking in Brooklyn.

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10 Comments

Emily |. January 3, 2016

My 2016 food goals include more intimate dinner parties, making laminated dough from scratch, my own ground sausage (was gifted a meat grinder for Christmas!) authentic mole (I've had the recipe about half of 2015, it's about time), and creating a really flavorful posole. Cheers to the New Year!

John C. December 31, 2015

Happy New Year, all! I'd like to learn more about how to cook from my pantry/freezer/fridge when I haven't had time to plan. Also, I want to learn more about how to plan/cook for one person who lives alone (me lol). Thank you for all of your inspiration! John

NazNyc January 5, 2016

What do you usually have in your pantry/fridge? I feel like there are some good staples that always keep well, like canned fish (anchovies if you like them), canned beans, canned tomatoes, dried pastas, rice, eggs, garlic, etc. You can do a lot with just those :)

NazNyc December 30, 2015

Chewy roti is roti that was kneaded for too long. Paratha is the best. And super easy. Like scallion pancake without the scallion and sesame oil.

Mary December 30, 2015

Would like to make breads and cakes the old fashioned way without using expensive machines to knead or blend. I would like more recipes with alternative processes for using machines or just doing stuff manually. I do not have a mixer or bread machine but most of the instructions call them. Can we please have some recipes with a choice of processing - old way and new way with modern equipment. I also like preserving fruit and vegetables but I am sometimes afraid to consume these things because of fear of botchelism poisoning. Can you please give us some instructions on making liquors and how to determine if a food is safe to consume after fermentation;

dc December 30, 2015

Would love to make sourdough bread. The starter is a killer tho'! Or I'm the killer of the starter...not sure which!

Karen T. December 30, 2015

I have always cooked at home. My husband doesn't like to eat out. So basically I cook from scratch. I make my own bread but would like to make sour dough bread. I will do that next year. I make my own black bean burgers.

alex L. December 30, 2015

two recipes for sweet rolls, dump-it cake and roti. what about the Lipitor?
c'mon!

kimikoftokyo December 30, 2015

Though I only like to cook when I'm hungry or I'm given a bottle of wine , I do want to make more Indian spiced based dishes. I make everything else under the sun. None of my food is normal. Either the spegetti has a spice no one can name but it's killing them to know, or I added a few more things to my dip. And what is above me that I let my friends cook and prepare (injera is an example) I will just help out and share things with them that I either modified or made up lol oh and I love cheese and non American sweets so that's two more things.

Lazyretirementgirl December 30, 2015

My 2016 plans are more braising -- I got Molly Stevens book and a good pan, inspired by reading Antonia James's comments, and want to try a couple new dishes each cold weather month. I also want to identify and perfect two vegan dinners that my husband will love. He is fine with beans, grains and pulses, but cheese is generally involved.