646 elegant recipes

Flattened chicken breasts stuffed with asparagus spears and Swiss cheese, rolled tight, and topped with a white wine-mushroom sauce spiked with tarragon and lime. Elegant, light, and ready in 45 minutes.

Browned veal cutlets simmered in a curried tomato-cream sauce brightened with fresh lemon and a splash of cognac. A 30-minute fusion dinner that blends European elegance with warm Indian spice.

Carolines, French savory choux pastries split and filled with warm crab and asparagus spears, finished with a beurre blanc-style lemon dill butter sauce. An elegant first course or canapé for eight.

Grilled Cornish hens roast halved in the oven, then get glazed with plum barbecue sauce during the final 45 minutes until tender and sticky. Elegant personal-sized dinner from just 2 ingredients.

Smoked salmon mousse layered with a green spinach stripe, set in a ring mold with cream cheese, sour cream, whipped cream, dill, and a hit of lemon. Elegant make-ahead party appetizer.

Chocolate rum mousse builds melted sweet chocolate into a rum syrup, then folds in stiff egg whites and whipped cream for an airy, boozy classic. Restaurant elegance from a 6-ingredient list.

Restaurant-style salmon, sliced thin and gently butter-cooked until silky, draped over greens in a pool of reduced white wine and mushroom cream sauce. An elegant chef's plate made at home.

Mandarin Cornish hens: small game hens roasted and basted in a bright orange juice glaze for tender, citrus-kissed meat and burnished skin. An elegant, simple main with one bird per person or to share.

Boneless beef rib eye roast seasoned simply and oven-roasted, then carved thin and served with a savory red wine and mushroom pan sauce. Elegant enough for holidays, easy enough for Sunday dinner.

Silky double-boiler polenta topped with a melting slice of tangy Gorgonzola and a swirl of butter. This elegant Italian side dish is simple enough for weeknights yet impressive enough for dinner parties.

Silky crab meat stir-fried with ginger, scallions, and cooking wine, finished with wispy egg white and poured over blanched baby bok choy. A light, elegant Chinese seafood dish ready in 35 minutes.

Sea bass fillets baked over a bed of black olives, garlic, oregano, basil, and parsley, basted in vegetable stock. A Mediterranean-inspired Turkish fish dish that's low calorie, high flavor, and effortlessly elegant.

Poached chicken layered with a silky walnut and coriander sauce, drizzled with paprika-infused walnut oil. Known as Circassian chicken in Turkish cuisine, this elegant cold dish is a showpiece for any gathering.

Classic French truite au bleu: whole trout gently poached in a white wine court bouillon with shallots, herbs, and tarragon vinegar. Serve hot with herb butter or cold as an elegant first course.

A layered French terrine of pureed ground chicken, carrot batons, green beans, and black olives baked in a water bath until firm and sliceable. Elegant charcuterie-board worthy fare with a champagne finish.

Pounded-thin veal scallops seared golden in minutes, then topped with wilted spinach, briny capers, and a bright lemon pan sauce. Just 6 ingredients and 45 minutes for an elegant Italian weeknight dinner.