20 butterfly recipes

Peanut butter filled fudge cupcakes hide a cream cheese and peanut butter core inside rich cocoa cupcakes. Bake reveals a fudgy exterior with a soft, cheesecake-like peanut butter center.

Grilled butterflied leg of lamb rubbed with crushed rosemary and marinated in red Burgundy wine, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. No mint, just herbs and smoke over mesquite charcoal.

Butterflied trout brushed with a sticky sherry-fig reduction spiked with maple syrup and Dijon mustard, then broiled or grilled until flaky. An elegant 25-minute dinner.

Italian braciole, a butterflied round steak rolled around prosciutto, Parmigiano, breadcrumbs, and herbs, then braised slowly in red wine and pear tomatoes until fork-tender.

Matambre is the classic Argentine stuffed flank steak: butterflied beef rolled jellyroll-style around spinach, carrots, hard-cooked eggs, and onion, then braised until tender and sliced into striking pinwheels.

Baked pork chops topped with a savory corn bread crumb dressing, finished with a cream of mushroom gravy made from the pan drippings. A hearty one-pan comfort meal.

Mexican shrimp in chipotle sauce with broiled tomatoes, white wine, and lime-marinated shrimp. Smoky-spicy seafood main from the kitchens of central Mexico.

Chinese grilled short ribs butterflied into a single accordion strip and marinated in peanut butter, curry, sesame oil, soy, and rice wine. Smoky, tender, unusual.

Elegant crab stuffed shrimp appetizer with almonds and sherry. Jumbo shrimp butterflied and filled with flaked crab, breadcrumbs, and butter.

Butterflied salmon fillet rolled around a fines herbes stuffing of parsley, tarragon, and thyme, finished with a reduced sherry butter sauce. A French-inspired entertaining centerpiece.

Prawns and spinach salad tosses grilled butterflied shrimp with fresh spinach, orange slices, and red pepper in a sherry-sesame-ginger dressing. A bright, Asian-inflected main-course salad.

Roasted prawns with spinach mashed potatoes and roasted red pepper cream: Emeril-style plated dinner with seared shrimp, emerald green mash, and a silky pepper sauce pool.

Fettuccine Uzie tosses shrimp and sea scallops in a buttery cream sauce with shallots and garlic. The pasta starch thickens the sauce naturally for a silky, rich finish.

Hot and sour shrimp stir-fry tosses sherry-and-ginger marinated shrimp with red bell pepper and scallions, then spoons over wilted watercress and crowns with toasted walnuts. Bright Asian-fusion supper.

Chocolate thumbprint cookies with a double-chocolate base and a creamy peanut butter filling in the center. A bakery-style cookie that looks fancier than it cooks.

Triple-layered no-bake pie with chocolate butter filling, a creamy peanut butter cream cheese center, and roasted peanuts. Like a giant Reese's cup in a pie crust.