Recipe Sifter

Mendocino sole baked in white wine and finished with a cream sauce of cognac-soaked grapes. An elegant Northern California-inspired fish dish with French Veronique influence.

Broiled orange roughy topped with bright citrus sauce made from orange juice, lemon, and nutmeg. This quick weeknight fish dinner takes 40 minutes from start to finish.

A French-inspired breakfast clafoutis with butter-sauteed seasonal fruit baked in a lemony egg batter until puffed and golden. Use cherries, blueberries, peaches, or whatever fruit is in season.

Lemon-poppy seed muffins bursting with fresh lemon zest and a generous third-cup of poppy seeds. One-bowl batter, ready from scratch in about 40 minutes. Bakery-quality without the bakery.

Pecan crunch apple pie with chopped apples, brown sugar, and toasted pecans baked into a single-crust pie. The separated egg trick gives the filling a light, almost cake-like lift.

Sour cherry fruit slump: tart cherries and summer berries bubbling under tender buttermilk dumplings, finished with cinnamon sugar. An old-school stovetop dessert that's faster than a pie.

Lemon meringue pie from cooking school is the textbook version with a hand-rolled crust, cornstarch-and-flour curd, and a stable French meringue sealed to the crust. Detailed technique guarantees no weeping.

A classic American apple pie, filled with a sweet and tart apple filling and topped with a savory cheddar cheese crumble. The combination of flavors creates a perfect balance of sweet and savory, making it a delicious treat for any occasion.

Green chili stew with lamb shoulder, poblano peppers, crushed juniper berries, and shredded lemon zest. A New Mexico-style chile verde with tender braised lamb in a thickened chicken broth.

Duck pot pie with the flavors of duck a l'orange baked right in: a giblet stock sauce brightened with orange peel and Triple Sec, loaded with broccoli, leeks, and ginger. The crispy duck skin gets rolled into the top crust.

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.

Poached cobia fillets rolled and secured with toothpicks, served in a rich lemon-cream sauce made from the poaching liquid, egg yolks, white wine, and butter. Elegant French-style fish.

Plum cake is the grand Victorian celebration fruitcake: pounds of raisins, currants, dates, citron, and almonds bound by spiced butter cake batter. Christmas, weddings, and christenings on a serious scale.

Heritage apple pie with a butter-and-lard crust, tart Northern Spy apples, brown sugar, and a teaspoon of bread crumbs lining the bottom shell to keep it crisp. A three-stage bake delivers an evenly browned crust.

Pan-seared red snapper with a parsley-chive herb crust and spicy bean paste, topped with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, lemon, and garlic.

Classic veal fricassee with tender poached cubes in a buttery roux sauce, sautéed mushrooms, and white asparagus. A refined European comfort dish served over rice that's worth the slow simmer.