BON APPETIT REVIEWS RECIPES

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Butter a rimmed 18x13" baking sheet or lightly coat with nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper; lightly butter or coat parchment and dust lightly with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together eggs, egg yolk, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
• Mix granulated sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and 1¾ cups (219 g) flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add egg mixture in 3 additions, beating on medium speed 30 seconds after each addition. Add melted chocolate and beat, scraping down sides of bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.
• Scrape batter into prepared baking sheet and rap on counter to level. Bake cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20–25 minutes. Let cake cool 15 minutes, then run an offset spatula along edges to loosen. Set a wire rack upside down over baking sheet and flip over to release cake. Carefully peel away parchment paper and let cool completely.
• Transfer cake to a cutting board. Cut out 12 rounds with cookie cutter (leftover scraps are for snacking). Top 6 cake rounds with a 1 Tbsp. dollop of jam each; sandwich with remaining cake rounds. Place each cake sandwich on an 8" square of plastic wrap (lightly moistening the counter will help plastic stay flat).
• Just before serving, heat egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let bowl touch water), whisking constantly, until sugar is dissolved and an instant-read thermometer registers 120°, 5–7 minutes.
• Soften ice cream just enough to be able to scoop with a #8 ice cream scoop (or a heaping ½ cup). Arrange a scoop of ice cream, flat side down, on top of each cake sandwich. Pull plastic wrap up and around cake and ice cream and twist to seal tightly. Freeze until ice cream is very hard, at least 1 hour.
• Fit bowl onto stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, add vanilla extract, and beat on medium-high speed until meringue forms stiff, glossy peaks, about 5 minutes.
• Unwrap ice cream domes and place on individual heatproof plates. Working quickly, spread meringue over domes with a spoon or small offset spatula, making lots of decorative swirls and peaks all over. (You can also use a pastry bag fitted with a large fluted tip and pipe meringue over each dome.) Make sure all of the ice cream and cake is covered. Toast meringue with kitchen torch until golden. Do ahead: Ice cream domes can be assembled 3 days ahead. Keep frozen. Cover with meringue and toast just before serving.

Steps:

• Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Cook 2 finely chopped large red onions, 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, and 2 lb. ground beef, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and beef is browned, 10–15 minutes.
• Add 2 bay leaves, 3 Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ¾ tsp. ground cumin, ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon, and ¼ tsp. ground cloves to pot; season with freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tomato paste and spices are evenly distributed, about 4 minutes. Add ¾ cup red wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add one 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes and 2 cups low-sodium beef broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick and meaty (most of the liquid should have cooked off), 45–60 minutes. Taste and season with salt. Let cool until almost room temperature, about 30 minutes. Do ahead: Sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill. Reheat slightly (it will heat through when baked), adding a little broth or water to loosen just enough to make it spreadable.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook 1 lb. pastitsio noodles or 12 oz. bucatini in a large pot of boiling salted water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool. Transfer to a 13x9" baking dish.
• Working one at a time, separate yolks from 2 room-temperature large eggs over a small bowl to catch egg whites. Place yolks in another small bowl; set aside. Beat egg whites to blend well. Add egg whites to noodles and toss to coat (this will help the noodles form a sliceable layer in the final dish). Arrange noodles in straight lines, all facing the same direction, as best you can.
• Melt 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and whisk until flour is combined and mixture is light and frothy, about 3 minutes. Add 3 cups room-temperature milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to combine. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick enough to coat a spoon, 6–8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 5 oz. finely grated kasseri or Romano cheese. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper (be sure to taste after whisking in the cheese; depending on the kind of cheese you use, you may not need to add any salt). Beat reserved egg yolks to blend, then whisk into béchamel.
• Spoon meat sauce over noodles in baking dish, then top with béchamel, smoothing into an even layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 oz. finely grated kasseri or Romano cheese on top. Bake pastitsio until starting to brown around the edges and top is set (it will still be a little jiggly, but will continue to firm up as it cools), 35–40 minutes.
• Heat broiler. Broil until top of pastitsio is browned in spots, about 4 minutes. Let sit at least 30 minutes before slicing. Do ahead: Pastitsio can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.