118 cresent recipes

Salmon steaks baked en papillote with fresh ginger, served on a pool of white wine and lime cream sauce. An elegant foil-packet dinner with restaurant presentation.

Pan-seared filet mignon on butter-fried bread rounds with a mushroom cream sauce and Scotch whisky pan sauce. A luxurious steakhouse dinner with classic French presentation.

Salmon en papillote steamed in parchment with seared zucchini, crookneck squash, onion, merlot, lemon butter, and Grand Marnier. A 7-minute oven finish for restaurant-style presentation.

Fresh pineapple soaked in dark rum and ginger, served in the shell with toasted coconut. A tropical no-cook dessert that marinates in the fridge for stunning presentation.

Rugelach four ways: a single cream cheese pastry dough turned into raspberry-almond crescents, layered chocolate-pecan squares, apricot pockets and honey-pecan triangles. Holiday cookie tray showstopper.

Plum tomato tart on crisp phyllo layers with Dijon mustard, Parmesan, and fresh thyme-parsley-garlic oil. A shatteringly light French-style appetizer with dramatic tomato mosaic presentation.

Rugelach roll flaky cream cheese dough around apricot preserves, cinnamon-brown-sugar, walnuts, and raisins into bite-sized crescents. A classic Jewish bakery cookie for Hanukkah and Christmas alike.

Romesco-style roasted pepper dip made with broiled red and yellow bell peppers, roasted garlic, almonds, and sherry vinegar. A low-fat vegetarian appetizer with a striking two-tone presentation.

Avocado jelled salad blends ripe avocado with cream cheese, crushed pineapple, and chopped pecans set in lemon gelatin. Vintage molded salad with creamy, sweet-tart flavor and pale green presentation.

Greek fish baked in grape leaves with lemon-thyme-fennel marinade and anchovy butter. Whole small fish wrapped and oven-baked for moist, herbed, Mediterranean-style flesh and dramatic presentation.

Golden half-moon pastries stuffed with garlicky leeks and a hint of chili, crimped into little crescents and fried until they shatter. Afghan street food that's vegetarian, crunchy, and completely addictive.

Whole artichokes filled with tiny shrimp tossed in a gazpacho-style cilantro dressing with tomato, avocado, scallion, and garlic. A bright summer starter or light lunch that doubles as edible presentation.

Two-ingredient palmier cookies made from puff pastry and sugar, folded and sliced into caramelized golden crescents. A classic French bakery cookie with shattering, flaky layers and a crunchy sugar crust.

Nut butter cookie dough folds toasted, finely ground pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds into a master holiday butter cookie base. Shape it into Linzer cookies, Viennese crescents, cut-outs, or thumbprints.

Three-cheese calzones stuffed with ricotta, provolone, and fontina plus prosciutto, olives, pepperoncini, and sundried tomatoes. Baked golden in bread-dough crescents, equally good piping hot or packed cold for a picnic.

Make-ahead breakfast ring with bulk sausage, grated apple, onions, and cracker crumbs molded into a circle. Chill overnight, then bake and fill the center with scrambled eggs for impressive brunch presentation.