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A Confederacy of Ounces

A Confederacy of Dunces (1980)
By John Kennedy Toole

Originally handwritten on piles of paper, A Confederacy of Dunces found life only after its author lost his own; John Kennedy Toole committed suicide, his mother found those secret pages, and she began hawking the thing around their home state of Louisiana, claiming it was the next great American novel. (Sorry, guys: sometimes moms are right.) Now a universally adored Pulitzer-winner starring a brilliant New Orleans nut with a heart of odd, this classic goes best with another: the Big Easy's own Sazerac. Raise a glass to the tragically shortchanged Toole—and everything else he might have written.

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Béchamel Sauce
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.
Caramelized Onion Pasta
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Butternut Squash–Kale Salad With Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.
Crème Anglaise
The silky French vanilla sauce that goes with everything.
Our Favorite French Onion Soup
Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.
Mascarpone Cheesecake
An extra-silky filling (no water bath needed!) and a smooth sour cream topping make this the ultimate cheesecake.
Vodka Gochujang Pasta
This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.
Okonomiyaki Tater Tots
Crispy tots topped with savory-sweet sauce, mayonnaise, furikake, scallion, and katsuobushi.