10,000 bitter recipes

Horn and Hardart's legendary automat mac and cheese with a roux-based cheddar sauce, canned tomatoes, and a pinch of cayenne. The NYC classic, baked golden.

Creole eggs scramble straight into a savory base of onion, green pepper, mushrooms, capers and tomato juice, then pile onto buttered toast. A quick, New Orleans-style breakfast in under 10 minutes.

Pisang goreng (Indonesian fried bananas) in a light egg batter, served over vanilla ice cream with a warm brown sugar rum sauce. A tropical dessert.

Chocolate mint layer cake made with mint chocolate chips in both the batter and frosting, garnished with chocolate curls and handmade chocolate leaves. A stunning celebration cake.

This is my son's recipe for sea scallops, He is executive chef at the East End Cafe in Washington.

Sole fillets folded around savory bulgur stuffing into elegant turban shapes, then poached in a Provencal sauce of tomatoes, white wine, mushrooms, and garlic.

A warm-spiced apple loaf cake with mini chocolate chips baked in, a buttery streusel crumb topping, and a drizzle of melted chocolate. Fall baking at its coziest.

Slow cooker rice pudding with bourbon stirred in after cooking, plus golden raisins, lemon zest, nutmeg, and vanilla. Creamy, hands-off, and served lukewarm with sweetened whipped cream.

Some best cookies I have ever had, and they were so buttery and orange-y. No wonder it's named Florida cookies :)

Old-fashioned strawberry cake made from scratch with fresh crushed berries folded into the batter and a warm cooked strawberry sauce spooned over every slice. No box mix, no gelatin, just real strawberries.

Broccoli custard timbales baked in a water bath, topped with homemade hollandaise sauce. Elegant French vegetable side dish ready in 30 minutes for two.

Marchand de vin sauce with red wine, mushrooms, ham, and shallots simmered in beef stock. A classic New Orleans French butter sauce for steaks and grilled meats.

Chocolate malt cake built on a full cup of malted milk powder, cocoa, butter, and half-and-half. A nostalgic 9x13 sheet cake with deep chocolate flavor and that unmistakable Whoppers-meets-fudge finish.

Eggs Benedict with a cholesterol-free hollandaise made from egg substitute and evaporated milk, served on toasted waffles instead of English muffins. A lighter brunch twist on the classic.

Blackberry cream nut tart with a flaky shortening crust, white chocolate cream cheese filling, boysenberry-glazed blackberries, and a walnut lattice topping.

A zucchini quiche but the crust is made with a crunchy wild rice. It's a satisfying counterpoint to the creamy French custard filling.