Greatest Hits
Our 10 Most Popular New Recipes in April
From silky rice noodles and a 5-minute pickle sandwich to an iconic cardamom cake.
April showers bring great dinners? Indeed. Though the top two recipes are sweet treats (you’ll see), this month was full of savory knockouts, like slurpable noodles, a speedy-as-heck sandwich, and extra-lemony rice that goes with anything. Take a stroll through our most popular new recipes below, then let us know what you’re cooking up these days.
10. Moqueca-Inspired Egg Stew
A cozy vegetarian stew “perfect for nights when you want something warming and comforting yet still light and bright in flavor,” writes EmilyC.
9. Rad Na With Tofu
Thai rad na is often made with meat, like pork, chicken, or seafood. But this recipe swaps in squidgy, chewy tofu with a quick marinade you’ll turn to again and again.
8. “Instant” Dan Dan Noodle Mix
Flavor-packed, slurpable noodles that are ready whenever you are. Keep on call in the fridge for up to 1 week, or divide into 1/2-cup portions and freeze for 4 to 6 months.
7. Meyer Lemon Rice With Candied Garlic From Michael W. Twitty
“This is a good lemony rice that pairs well with chicken, fish, or chickpeas,” culinary historian Michael W. Twitty says of his Genius lemony rice. What would you serve with it?
6. Sourdough Hot Cross Buns With Chocolate Chips
Yes, Easter has already passed. So what? These chocolate-studded buns, with citrus zest and warming spices, are a delight all year.
5. 3-Ingredient Brownies
All you need: chocolate-hazelnut spread like Nutella, eggs, and flour—but not all-purpose. Instead, buckwheat adds a malty-nutty flavor to balance all the sweetness.
4. Bless This Pickle Sandwich
A lunch for when you don’t have time to make lunch. Or, let’s be real, a dinner for when you don’t have time to make dinner either. Cheesy and mustardy, it’s a win anytime of day.
3. Zucchini Lasagna
A noodle-less lasagna that’s just as saucy and gooey and good, thanks to thinly sliced sheets of zucchini and a magical seasoning mix.
2. Meltaway Chocolate Chip Cookies
Don’t expect a crispy-chewy texture from these new-fashioned chocolate chip cookies. Thanks to custard powder and confectioners’ sugar, they melt in your mouth.
1. Cardamom Cake From Niloufer Ichaporia King
This Genius cake showed up at “a Berkeley garden in the early summer of 1987 at a potluck wedding celebration.” And 34 years later, behold, it’s our most popular recipe of the month.
Written by: Emma Laperruque
Popular on Food52
6 Comments
Cold vegetable and noodle salad with ponzu dressing (now in my "Keeper" collection)
https://food52.com/recipes/36777-cold-vegetable-and-noodle-salad-with-ponzu-dressing
See my notes in the recipe’s comments.
*Maple syrup and Dijon vinaigrette - another Keeper
https://food52.com/recipes/2560-maple-syrup-and-dijon-vinaigrette
Excellent; will definitely make again
Warm Chicken Salad - also a Keeper
https://food52.com/recipes/23089-warm-chicken-salad
I’ve riffed on this many times, but had never made it closely following the brief - until this week, when I use its method precisely. I used the maple syrup and Dijon Vinaigrette, adding a touch of extra vinegar. See more notes in the recipe’s comments. Excellent!
Cider Sage Gravy - My dearl friend Mr. T summed it up well: “It’s a little weird”
https://food52.com/recipes/7463-cider-sage-gravy (I probably won't make it again.)
And this roasted carrot recipe, which I first tried last fall, and have made many times since (it’s one of my top ten recipes from any source, easily, last year):
https://food52.com/recipes/78083-sweet-smoky-roasted-carrots
I always make double the sauce, and use it on other vegetables and even, on occasion, leftover fish.
(I tried ten new recipes from other sites, as well.)
;o)
I get newsletters, etc., from and occasionally search the New York Times cooking service. I've subscribed to the newspaper (home delivery) since I was in law school a very long time ago. I'd pay for that subscription even if I did not get the paper, however, as there are some excellent contributors there. J. Kenji López-Alt and Ali Slagle come to mind.
I subscribe to Food & Wine magazine but will probably not renew, as the content generally holds little interest. I get daily emails from them, which have linked to quite a few keepers over the past few years.
I look at Serious Eats every day. Of the keepers in my personal files, many come from Serious Eats - more, probably, than from any other site.
I go to The Guardian's site for recipes by Ottolenghi.
Finally, I occasionally stumble on a blog that I go back to again and again. This is one of my favorites: https://myheartbeets.com/ . I found it searching for a recipe for ground beef biryani, cooked in an electric pressure cooker. Ashley's recipe is fantastic. She has numerous other recipes that have earned keeper status. I've also picked up a few helpful tricks from her that have changed my cooking for the better (making onion masala, mincing garlic and ginger in the food processor and freezing in tiny cubes in a covered silicone tray, which I bought via. a link on that site, etc.).
I hope this helps. ;o)
See what other Food52 readers are saying.