Martha's Cold-Weather Comfort Food Recipes

Egg, sour cream, and milk give this pierogi dough a tender texture. Mashed Yukon gold potatoes blended with cream cheese fill the dumplings, and a drizzle of brown butter adds a delightfully rich finishing touch.

Soul-warming, these pierogi are filled with a mixture of tender cabbage, cream cheese, and butter. Just before serving, the dumplings are sauced with clarified butter.

This pierogi dessert is filled with fresh blueberries. Topped with sweet vanilla-nutmeg sour cream, these dumplings make a memorable brunch course or finish to a meal.

Pierogi show more of their sweet side here with a filling of sugar-stuffed Italian plums. Serve with sweetened sour cream mixed with vanilla extract and freshly grated nutmeg.

This traditional French apple tart is made like an upside-down single-crust pie. To achieve the wonderful caramelized surface that defines this rustic dessert, you need to use a cast-iron skillet.

The almost universal appeal of roast chicken stems from its power to comfort. The ideal roast chicken—golden brown and gleaming, tender and juicy—engages each sense. The crackle of chicken as it cooks and the wondrous aroma that perfumes the kitchen provoke a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment.

This devilishly delicious all-occasion cake recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

, and the frosting recipe is courtesy of Matt Lewis of Baked.

Yeast makes these biscuits light and airy. Add a smear of Brooke's Mustard Dip and a slice of country ham for a delicious breakfast sandwich.

An Italian classic, a simple sauce of pancetta, cream, eggs, and Parmesan coats al dente spaghetti in this justifiably famous pasta dish.

A brown Betty is a spiced fruit dessert with buttered breadcrumb or cake-crumb topping that turns golden brown as it cooks. Our individual Bettys have two layers of Bartlett pears alternating with a blend of torn sourdough bread, butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a splash of apple cider.

A rich, buttery loaf like this is wonderful with morning coffee, and it can also be used to make a really decadent French toast.

A real crowd pleaser, this French toast recipe wins at breakfast or brunch. Fresh orange zest and juice, as well as orange liqueur, add a bright, citrusy flavor to every delicious slice. Serve it with butter, sanding sugar, or pure maple syrup.

A pandowdy is closely related to a pie—without the bottom crust. Its pastry top is broken with a spoon halfway through cooking so the collapsed bits soak up the juices and soften. For Martha's favorite recipe, we used brown sugar and apples and raisins laced with cardamom and allspice.

This sticky bun recipe is adapted from a version by baker Seth Greenberg, owner of Just Desserts.

Rustic potpie turns into an elegant meal when baked in individual ramekins. Top each one with a square of storebought puff pastry and bake until golden, crisp, and piping hot.

Flaky pâte brisée pastry encases three different kinds of apples in Martha's favorite apple pie. This dessert tastes even better the day after baking.

Dinner-party sophistication meets hearty comfort food in chef Pierre Schaedelin's signature ribs recipe from Martha's Entertaining

.

Popovers can be suited to any occasion with the addition of cheese (such as Parmesan), sugar, or spices to the batter. See step-by-step how to make popovers.

This classic pasta is a three-ingredient wonder. And while the white sauce tastes creamy, there's no cream—just generous amounts of butter and Parmesan cheese.

This German comfort food recipe—bottom round braised with onions, ketchup, vinegar, and red wine—comes from Martha's childhood neighbor Mr. Maus.

Here's a perfect dinner for the garlic devotee: pasta with garlic three ways—raw, roasted, and fried.

Martha's favorite crumb cake recipe comes from her friend Sara Foster, owner of Foster's Markets in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.