359 cream half half recipes

Easy creamed spinach: a Pennsylvania-style side made by wilting fresh spinach in its own water, then folding it into a quick nutmeg-spiked bechamel. Seven ingredients, half an hour.

Gratineed oysters on the half shell with diced apples and a Calvados sabayon broiled golden. An elegant French appetizer pairing briny oysters with apple brandy cream.

Oysters Thomas bakes fresh oysters on the half shell topped with lump crab meat, bearnaise sauce, and cream sauce under golden bread crumbs. An elegant appetizer.

Pasta e fagioli with cranberry beans, tubetti pasta, white wine, and Parmesan. Half the beans are pureed for a thick, creamy broth with no cream needed.

Oysters Bienville baked on the half shell with a rich cream sauce of shrimp, mushrooms, white wine, green onions, and Parmesan. A classic New Orleans appetizer that's worth every minute.

Spanish-style black bean soup simmered with bay leaves, celery seed, chili powder, and dry mustard. Half-pureed for thick, creamy texture, topped with sour cream and sliced egg.

A silky, boozy chiffon pie with a half cup of cognac folded into whipped cream and egg yolk custard, set in a graham cracker crust and garnished with shaved chocolate.

Pan-seared chicken breasts get draped in a tangy mustard sauce with dry sherry and a creamy ricotta-yogurt finish. All the richness of a cream sauce with half the guilt.

Breakfast risotto made with Arborio rice slowly stirred with warm apple juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk, and raisins. Creamy, warm-spiced porridge-meets-risotto, served with brown sugar at the table.

Iced mocha coffee shake: chilled brewed coffee blended with cocoa, sugar, and milk, topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate. The cafe drink you can make at home for half the price.

This showstopper three-layer chocolate buttermilk cake gets its velvety crumb from tangy buttermilk and sour cream, while instant coffee deepens the cocoa flavor. Each layer splits in half for six tender tiers.

Cream cheese shortbread cookies crowned with a fresh strawberry half. Buttery, tender rounds with a jammy ruby center that bakes right into the dough. Pretty enough for tea, easy enough for a weeknight.

Instant cheesecake fakes the real thing in five minutes with a chocolate digestive biscuit, a swipe of cream cheese, and half a fresh strawberry. Snack-sized, no-bake, ready before the kettle boils.

Saffron kulfi pops simmer whole milk with sugar until reduced by half, then bloom saffron threads in hot water and freeze in cones or cups. Authentic Indian frozen dessert without an ice cream maker.

Grilled oysters on the half shell drenched in a rich curry cream sauce made with homemade fish fumet, topped with a tropical red banana salsa spiked with serrano chiles, tamarind, and fresh mint. A showstopper.

Sour cream chocolate chip cake: a tender, coffee-cake style cake made with cold-cut butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a generous cup and a half of chocolate chips. Sinks slightly in the center as it cools.