Recipe Sifter

Lemon mousse cake with a tender shortbread crust and a cloud-light citrus mousse stabilized with gelatin. A three-layer chilled dessert that slices clean and tastes like spring.

Rhubarb cheesecake with tart rhubarb sauce swirled into a lemon-scented cream cheese filling and spooned over the top. A creamy, spring-bright dessert with that signature sweet-and-sour bite.

Cast-iron skillet blackberry cobbler with a tender drop-biscuit topping. Filling thickens with cornstarch on the stovetop, then a hot-water biscuit batter spoons over and bakes golden.

Italian ricotta cheesecake lightened with whipped cream and beaten egg whites, scented with lemon and vanilla, baked over a buttered graham crumb dusting. Airy and light.

Classic German apple kuchen with a tender lemon-scented shortbread crust, apple and golden raisin filling spiced with cinnamon, and a lattice top dusted with powdered sugar. A traditional homestyle dessert bar.

Baked catfish fillets in white wine with sliced mushrooms, topped with a silky butter-lemon cream sauce and a shower of Parmesan. Creole-inspired elegance on the table in 45 minutes.

Classic German Lebkuchen: spiced honey bars with almonds and candied citrus peel, glazed with lemon icing and dotted with cherries. Centuries-old Nuremberg Christmas tradition.

A buttery ginger pound cake baked in a ring mold, splashed with rum, and crowned with a garland of poached pears, candied orange peel, and grapes glazed in apple jelly. A showpiece holiday dessert.

Microwave lobster newburg: the classic creamy lobster and sherry sauce ready in 30 minutes from the microwave. Served over rice or toast points for a quick but elegant dinner.

Pfeffernuesse (German pepper nut cookies) are tiny round spice cookies flavored with cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and mace, finished with a drop of brandy before baking. A traditional Christmas cookie from Germany.

Seared sea bass baked in a slow-simmered Greek tomato sauce with garlic, onions, white wine, rosemary, and bay leaves. Feeds eight and fills the kitchen with Mediterranean aromas.

Seafood enchiladas with a dual-sauce finish: tangy tomatillo salsa verde on top and a cilantro-cumin cream sauce underneath. Stuffed with crab, Mexican cheese, and cream cheese.

Mediterranean semolina olive oil cake with lemon zest, almond extract, and cinnamon sugar topping. Moist Italian-inspired torte drizzled with honey and toasted almonds, perfect for brunch or elegant dessert.

Old-fashioned Pennsylvania steamed pudding with mashed carrots, suet, molasses, raisins, currants, and warm spices. Three hours of steaming yields a dense, spiced holiday treat.

Venison osso buco braised in red wine with Roma tomatoes, kalamata olives, fennel seeds, and fresh herbs, finished with a bright lemon-parsley gremolata.

Cranberry and lemon star in this winning drop cookie with fluffy frosting from Liz Bannon of Port Washington, which was adapted from a recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook.