1,659 elegant recipes

Hot crab bake with crab meat, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and pimento in a buttery white sauce, topped with breadcrumbs and slivered almonds. Individual baked crab casseroles for an elegant seafood starter.

Buttery shortbread sticks with ground almonds baked into the dough and a crunchy almond-sugar topping. These elegant little cookies snap with a satisfying crumble and make 3 dozen in under an hour.

Savarin aux fruits, a classic French rum-soaked yeast ring cake. A light, beaten dough is baked, then drenched in flavored syrup until saturated and filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit. An elegant patisserie dessert.

No-bake chocolate and dried fruit squares studded with nuts, topped with candied orange zest. These refrigerator treats combine tropical dried fruit mix with rich semi-sweet chocolate for an elegant bite.

Pan-seared filet mignon served on butter-toasted bread with sauteed mushrooms and a port wine pan sauce. A classic French tournedos recipe ready in just 30 minutes for an elegant dinner.

Sauteed shrimp with softened fennel, fresh orange zest, basil, and a splash of dry vermouth. This aromatic Mediterranean-inspired seafood dinner is elegant enough for company but ready in under 45 minutes.

Red snapper fillets steamed over mushrooms in a citrus broth of orange juice and clam juice with shallots. A light, elegant fish dinner with bright citrus flavor and tender mushrooms in under an hour.

Mock lobster Flemish style dresses up humble white fish, poached in a beer broth, bound in a silky cream and egg-yolk sauce, spooned into scallop shells, and broiled under Gruyere. An elegant fish gratin on a budget.

Five Lilies Chowder is an allium-lover's soup built from five members of the lily family: onions, shallots, garlic, leeks, and chives. A light, elegant chowder with white wine and sherry in a clear chicken broth base.

Le Bisse are traditional S-shaped butter cookies with lemon zest, made from a simple egg-butter-flour dough. Crisp and golden, these French-style cookies have an elegant shape and delicate crumb.

Pepper poached pears simmer in white wine with black peppercorns, ginger, cinnamon and a whisper of chili heat, then chill in a syrup reduced from the poaching liquid. An elegant, lightly spiced dessert.

Polpettone di tacchino: Italian rolled turkey roast stuffed with ground turkey, bread crumbs, pistachios, and herbs, then braised with white wine, sage, and rosemary. Elegant Sunday Italian dinner with a pinwheel cross-section.

Basic rack of lamb: a French-trimmed rack marinated, then roasted hot to a rosy medium-rare and carved into elegant double-bone chops. The foundation technique for an impressive special-occasion main.

Chilled pappa al pomodoro with crab meat crostini, a Tuscan bread-and-tomato soup served cold with a lemony crab-topped baguette float. An elegant no-cook summer appetizer that turns stale bread into something special.

Elegant old-world broth soup with Parmesan-egg dumplings simmered in rich chicken and beef stock with nutmeg and butter. The cheese dough is boiled in cloth, sliced into cubes, and served piping hot.

Honey crème brûlée with raspberries swaps classic heavy cream for reduced-fat milk enriched with nonfat dry milk, sweetened with honey, and topped with a crackly caramelized sugar crust. An elegant French dessert, lightened up.