630 elegant recipes

A silky baked custard infused with orange zest, cinnamon, and cloves, set over golden homemade caramel with slivers of candied orange peel. Low-fat, elegant, and worth the overnight chill.

Vibrant broccoli and zucchini saute with green onions, basil, and soy sauce. Serve hot or cold on a bed of lettuce for an elegant side dish that feeds a crowd.

Paper-thin veal scaloppine seared with crispy prosciutto strips in a garlicky white wine reduction, showered with freshly grated Parmesan. A light, elegant Italian dinner for two in 30 minutes.

Italian pan-fried trout in a white wine and lemon sauce with pearl onions, topped with butter-toasted almonds. A classic trota recipe ready in 30 minutes. Simple, elegant, unforgettable.

Rich chicken and olive quiche with a silky cream-and-egg-yolk custard seasoned with nutmeg and cayenne. An elegant brunch or light dinner baked in a flaky pastry shell.

Fresh Bartlett pears cored, stuffed with minced Chinese dates and orange honey, then gently steamed until tender. A traditional Chinese dessert with just three ingredients that's elegant and naturally light.

Rich hazelnut chocolate soup made with semisweet chocolate, half-and-half, egg yolks, and hazelnut liqueur. Serve hot or chilled with whipped cream and toasted hazelnuts for an elegant dessert.

Poached pears in a raspberry-apple juice sauce with lemon zest. An elegant, light fruit dessert served warm or chilled with a jewel-toned syrup that needs no added sugar.

French fish poached in champagne with onion, lemon, and thyme, finished with a silky egg yolk and champagne butter sauce. An elegant, classic technique that cooks the fillets in minutes.

Asian-style Cornish hen wraps split hen breasts around asparagus spears and steams them in a bamboo steamer over rice with bok choy, broccoli, and peppers. Elegant pan-Asian dinner.

Pan-fried orange roughy fillets with crisp breadcrumb crust, finished with a bright pan sauce of garlic, white wine, lemon juice and parsley. Light, flaky and elegant in 40 minutes.

An elegant French strawberry chibouste-style dessert: pastry cream lightened with Italian meringue, set with gelatin, molded against fresh strawberries over a thin genoise base. A patisserie classic at home.

Chicken fillets (kip is Dutch for chicken) pan-seared and served with a creme fraiche and red grapefruit sauce brightened with shallots and coriander. A quick, elegant Dutch-style main.

Crayfish and poached quail egg salad pairs court-bouillon-poached crayfish with delicate soft quail eggs over greens, dressed in a truffle and dill vinaigrette. An elegant composed seafood starter.

Company ham sauce turns the drippings from a baked ham into an elegant sweet-savory sauce, thickened with cornstarch and layered with currant jelly, Dijon, sherry, and plump currants. The finishing touch your holiday ham deserves.

Chilled cucumber soup, a creamy cold starter of cucumbers simmered with leek, celery, and sherry, thickened and enriched with light cream, then brightened with a splash of orange juice. Cool and elegant.