Recipe Sifter

Chicken in corn cream sauce layered in a baking dish with Parmesan, nutmeg, and heavy cream, then broiled golden. A from-scratch roux-based casserole with broth-poached chicken.

This recipe is delicious but might be too barbaric for some.

Cajun stuffed crabs loaded with claw meat, bell peppers, onions, and celery, breaded and fried until golden and crunchy. A Louisiana seafood classic ready in 30 minutes.

Lamb Creole gumbo with browned riblets, stewed tomatoes, okra, black-eyed peas, white wine, and lemon. A Cajun-Louisiana stew with a lamb twist that freezes well.

Cheese and beer soup with cheddar, provolone, bacon, bell pepper, and chicken bouillon in a butter-flour roux base. Thick, creamy, and loaded with smoky, cheesy flavor.

Brook trout sauteed with mushrooms, finished with brown butter, lime juice, and fresh parsley. A French meuniere-style preparation with whole fish or fillets.

Mussels steamed in saffron-scented white wine, finished with a silky cream sauce and a splash of Pineau des Charentes. An elegant French bistro stew ready in 40 minutes.

Pan-fried chicken breasts in a bright lemon butter sauce with garlic and fresh parsley. Pounded thin for even cooking and ready in 45 minutes with just seven ingredients.

Holiday appetizer quiche baked in a sheet pan with Swiss cheese, ham, scallions, and pimentos in a buttery cracker crust. Cut into 50 small squares for easy party finger food.

Greek marinated smelts fried in flour, then simmered in a white wine and vinegar marinade with herbs and mustard. A classic cold appetizer served chilled, perfect for a meze spread.

Low-fat country potato patties with shredded boiled potatoes, onion, celery, green pepper, and whole wheat flour. Griddle-cooked with no added oil or butter.

Baked tofu spaghetti balls with walnuts, oats, and Italian herbs, smothered in tomato sauce. Vegan meatballs that hold up on pasta or stuffed into a sub roll.

Linguine deliziose tosses lightly floured shrimp and salmon with sauteed leeks, mushrooms, garlic, and white wine, then finishes with linguine in a buttery marjoram-parsley sauce. San Francisco surf-and-pasta feast.

Cottage pie made with cubed leftover roast beef, white wine gravy, corn, and a piped mashed potato top crowned with sharp cheddar. A British comfort-food classic for using up Sunday roast.

Filet farcis a la creme: flounder fillets rolled around a shrimp, crab, and mushroom stuffing, baked in a cognac cream sauce under melted Swiss. Vintage French bistro elegance.

Creamed turkey with pastry pillows: leftover roast turkey and Italian sausage in a mushroom-sherry cream sauce, served over buttery puff pastry squares. Holiday-leftover dinner for a crowd.