You can “dress” your dressed eggs pretty much any way you like. If you like things a little sweet, finely mince a tablespoon of sweet pickles and add them to the yolk mixture. If you like things savory, add a tablespoon of minced olives to the mixture. Carl (Dolly’s husband) likes them simple, so that’s how we make them for him, but some of our family members even like chopped bacon on top as a garnish—it’s delicious, too. Since it’s Easter, wear your best dress and decide how “dressy” you want your eggs to be!

A plate of fresh herbs is served at most Persian meals, often taking the place of a salad. Serve this dish as an appetizer, or do as the Persians do and leave it on the table throughout the meal. Toasted spices and olive oil poured over the cheese add a warming boost of flavor.

This rice—a version of tahchin, the classic saffron-scented, tahdig-topped Persian rice—holds the title for Kismet’s most popular dish. (It’s worth noting that though it’s often confused, the tahdig is just the coveted crunchy part, while the whole dish is known as tahchin.) We started developing this version in 2013 when we worked together at Glasserie, but we didn’t really find our footing with it until we were rounding the corner to opening day at Kismet, years later. We needed a version that could be made to order and portioned individually, with an eye-catching, perfectly bronzed dome. As for the oozy egg yolk addition, well, we never want to miss out on the opportunity to put on a little show.

This is our interpretation, and not a strictly traditional representation, of Persian rice. It is a celebration of our love of crispy (or scorched) rice across many cuisines, Persian rice being the most direct reference. There are a number of wonderful, more traditional tahchin/tahdig recipes out there; we particularly want to steer you in Najmieh Batmanglij’s direction. Her cookbooks (especially Food of Life and New Food of Life) are tomes of Persian cooking and up there with the greatest cookbooks of all time.

It’s no secret how much we love rich, syrupy, nutty baklava. So it seemed only right that we figure out how to eat it for breakfast, too. We like to think that the genius part of this recipe is that it replaces the phyllo with store-bought cinnamon roll dough. When stuffed with a cinnamon-scented walnut and pistachio filling and drizzled with a brown sugar–honey syrup, it’s nothing short of dessert-worthy— and yet completely breakfast-appropriate.

In Arabic, the phrase lesan el asfour translates to “bird’s tongue,” a funny but not totally inaccurate comparison between the shape of orzo—a small, rice-shaped cut of pasta—and a bird’s tongue. This dish combines ground beef and spices with the orzo for a filling and comforting sort of Egyptian Hamburger Helper, which is why our mom would often make it for us. Plus it’s very simple to prepare and a budget-friendly way to feed a lot of people. It’s a great recipe for reheating throughout the week, too—or making a double batch and stashing in the freezer for a rainy day.