620 brandy recipes

Drunken crawfish pie tucks two pounds of crawfish tails into a buttery brandy-spiked cream sauce with the Cajun holy trinity, sealed inside a double crust and baked golden. A Louisiana classic that turns brunch or supper into an event.

Pickled pineapple meringue freezes a meringue with pink-peppercorn-pickled pineapple, almonds, and cream, then plates with raspberry sauce and dramatic chocolate spires. Restaurant-style frozen dessert.

Sweet potato pie with warm brandy, fresh lemon zest, and a sprinkle of chopped citron over the top. The brandy-citrus brightness lifts the spiced filling into something more sophisticated than typical sweet potato pie.

Mock mincemeat without any meat, made with raisins, molasses, brown sugar, brandy, cracker crumbs, and warm spices. A vegetarian filling for holiday pies.

Award-winning gingerbread with molasses, brandy, orange juice, and four warm spices: ginger, cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. A moist, deeply spiced loaf studded with raisins.

Olive oil marinated mushrooms simmer button mushrooms in herbed wine vinegar with thyme, garlic, and brandy. A make-ahead antipasto that gets better after a night in the fridge.

Penette in padella toasts dry pasta in olive oil, flambes with brandy, then cooks risotto-style in vegetable stock with dried mushroom cream. A one-pan Italian technique that builds deep, nutty pasta flavor.

Fruited cheesecake: a creamy ricotta cheesecake on a vanilla wafer crust, crowned with fresh fruit arranged in concentric circles and glazed with currant jelly. A bakery-style summer dessert for eight.

Stuffed French toast with crumbled tofu, brandy-soaked raisins, currants, and candied peel. Pan-fried golden in butter. A showstopping weekend brunch that freezes beautifully.

Lean beef round steak browned, deglazed with brandy, and braised low in a tangy two-mustard sauce with shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, and juniper berries. An elegant braise that turns out fork-tender and rich.

Rich shrimp bisque built from sautéed shells, fish stock, brandy, paprika, heavy cream, and dry sherry. A classic French technique that extracts every ounce of shrimp flavor.

Lighter tiramisu made with cooked egg whites, mascarpone, reduced-fat cream cheese, brandy, and espresso-soaked ladyfingers. No raw eggs, layered in a trifle bowl, and chilled overnight.

Emmenthaler is a dry, aged cheese that accents the flavor of asparagus. Serve as the main course of a light lunch or supper.

Chocolate fruitcake: cocoa-cream cheese batter studded with candied cherries, golden raisins, pecans and a hint of brandy and rum. The fruitcake for people who don't think they like fruitcake.

Beef tenderloin slit lengthwise, packed with a savory mushroom and ham bread stuffing, then broiled and served with a brandied tomato gravy. The retro dinner-party showpiece that turns one tenderloin into a memorable plated entree.

A rich baked cheesecake with fresh strawberries folded right into the cream cheese filling, set on a buttery graham cracker crust and topped with amaretto-soaked berries. Worth every minute of the wait.