Q: I was raised in Hong Kong and grew up eating desserts with Chinese and European/British influences. A lot of the cakes back home had this hard layer at the bottom, almost like a cardboard cake round, but edible. There was a thin jam brushed between the cake and the edible round. 

I always find it interesting to take a few moments and look at how other countries and cultures do things. It's that type of exposure and open-mindedness that helps to accelerate new ideas. Working in the United States, I know all too well what an American lunch looks like — it's typically anything from a sandwich to a slightly smaller portioned dinner complete with sides. But what about the rest of the world? What are we missing out on? More

Growing up in the middle of Alabama did not encourage too much cross-cultural eating. On the weekends, my mother served country ham biscuits, breakfast casserole, and cheesy stone-ground grits (sometimes all at the same time!). Back then I'd never heard of migas or scrapple, congee or crêpes. I'd certainly never heard of a blintz, and boy was this Southern girl missing out! More

Goulash. Just saying it sounds funny, right? But what exactly is it, anyways? Well, it really depends on who, or where, you ask. As for my version, I may not be able to claim its history or origin, but I can definitely claim it as delicious. That's good enough for me! More

Q: Friends are starting their own restaurant. Currently they are looking for inspiration for their "signature meal". The restaurant is situated in a historic site so something traditional (or European) would be perfect. Can your readers offer some general inspiration? More

Q: I'm looking for a recipe for chocolate-covered biscuits like the Choco-Leibniz cookies pictured, which are rather hard butter biscuits covered with dark chocolate. Most recipes I've found are for chocolate cookies or dip packaged Marie biscuits in chocolate, neither of which is what I'm looking for. More

A lot of cookbooks pass through my kitchen, each with their own specialness and things that make them lovable. But every so often, there is one cookbook that stops me in my tracks. That's what Home Baked did to me. This book of Nordic breads is something completely different and totally intriguing. Heavy rye breads crusted with seeds, ring-shaped loaves bursting with dried fruits, crispy coarse-grained flatbreads for piling with cured fish and herbs — can you blame me for carrying this book from kitchen to couch to bedside table like a new favorite toy? More

When pastry chef Dominique Ansel was preparing to open his own bakery, he toyed with the idea of baking cupcakes. Then cheesecake. Finally, he chose to forge his own way with a few French pastries underrepresented in American bakeries. And the star of his efforts are the adorable religieuses, essentially stacked cream puffs. It's his American spin on the pastry that sets these apart — he decorates them, in the most sophisticated way, as pumpkins, bunnies, and Santas. You have to see these! More

Fika (pronounced fee-ka) is a Swedish custom, a kind of social coffee break where people gather to have a cup of coffee or tea and a few nibbles. Fika is such an important part of life in Sweden that it is both a verb and a noun. Do you fika? If so, tell us more about this delicious-sounding tradition! More

Summer is the time for traveling, but if you can't physically hop around the globe, make believe you did by cooking a classic recipe from your country of choice. I'd love to Eurail around Europe, but that's not happening anytime soon. So instead, I took a culinary trip through The Kitchn's archives and pulled out 24 European recipes. How about Austrian spaetzle? Or Norwegian potato lefsa? Maybe you're in the mood for Serbia's smoky, garlicky roasted red pepper spread, or a chickpea and chorizo soup from Spain. Take a scroll through the list, pick your favorite, and enjoy! More