630 elegant recipes

Thin, crispy butter cookies spread with melted semi-sweet chocolate and sprinkled with shredded coconut. A light, elegant cookie with lacy edges and a satisfying snap.

Fruit salad with plums, peaches, bananas, and grapes dressed in hot pepper-infused champagne and rice milk. A dairy-free salad with unexpected heat and elegance.

Classic French trout amandine with whole trout pan-fried in butter, topped with golden sauteed almonds, fresh lemon, and parsley. Bistro elegance from a simple technique.

Three-layer peaches and cream cake with a walnut sponge soaked in sherry-peach syrup, layered with chopped peaches and whipped cream. An elegant celebration dessert.

Linguini with roasted tomato sauce, grilled Roma tomatoes, sauteed portobello mushrooms, and fresh basil. A restaurant-style plated pasta with elegant presentation and deep roasted flavor.

Poached salmon steaks for two, simmered in an aromatic bay-dill-peppercorn broth and served with a cool yogurt-cucumber sauce. Light, elegant date-night dinner.

Peach pirouette, a no-bake mousse dessert with pureed peaches folded into whipped orange gelatin and cream, surrounded by pirouette cookies. Elegant and no oven needed.

Fresh fig appetizers two ways: prosciutto-wrapped quarters with lime and black pepper, or fig halves filled with pecan cream cheese. No-cook, elegant cocktail bites.

Roasted Cornish game hens slathered with ginger-five-spice butter and stuffed with lemon and onion. Crackly, fragrant skin and a white-wine pan sauce for an elegant dinner.

Lemon snow pudding with basil custard sauce: a cloud-light whipped gelatin dessert with bright lemon and a silky basil-infused crème anglaise poured over top. Elegant, old-school, and delicately refreshing.

Diabetic-friendly chocolate chiffon mold lined with ladyfingers and set with gelatin and whipped egg whites. A retro low-fat dessert with light cocoa flavor and elegant presentation.

Baked scallops in white Zinfandel wine with garlic, onions, and crumbled cracker topping. An elegant yet effortless seafood dish ready in just 15 minutes from start to finish.

Poached chicken breasts in white wine and stock, with a cheese-and-crème-fraîche pan sauce reduction. Served over fresh spinach with chives. French bistro elegance in 30 minutes.

Baked sole fillets smothered in a rich mushroom-shallot cream sauce and topped with grated Parmesan. Just 10 minutes of prep for an elegant weeknight fish dinner.

Rose and poppy seed pasta with shell pasta, sweated onion rings, garlic, and fresh rose petals tossed in just before serving. A vegan floral pasta dish that's simple and elegant.

Pear and parsnip salad with blanched parsnips, fanned fresh pear slices, green onions, and a light honey yogurt dressing. A low-fat, elegant side for fall and winter.