Recipe Sifter

Sour cream raisin and nut pie cooks in a double boiler with tangy sour cream, plump raisins, cinnamon, clove, and chopped nuts, topped with a torched meringue. Old-fashioned prairie pie classic.

Rich egg yolk bread with dried cranberries, pecans, and orange zest baked in a tube pan. The best way to use leftover yolks from meringue or angel food cake.

Fried crawfish tails get a Louisiana upgrade: sherry-marinated, dipped in dark beer batter, and fried crisp, served with a homemade remoulade spiked with Worcestershire, Tabasco, and sherry. New Orleans seafood done right.

Apple pie with apricot glaze layers tart Granny Smith apples over a custard pastry cream and finishes with a layer of apricot preserves under the top crust. A French-style twist on classic American apple pie.

Buttery almond slice-and-bake cookies dipped halfway in melted chocolate and finished with sprinkles. A 5-dozen batch of elegant yet easy cookies that look bakery-bought.

Six classic Eastern European pastry fillings: cheese with cognac raisins, prune walnut, poppy seed, ground nut, orange marmalade, and raw apple. Traditional recipes for strudel, kolache, and more.

Pat Korth of Muskego offered a coconut variation on the peanut butter kiss cookie.

Lemon Truffle Pie layers a white chocolate cream cheese base under tangy lemon curd in a baked pie shell, topped with whipped cream and toasted almonds.

Oysters Lafitte: oysters on the half shell topped with crabmeat in dill cream and a tarragon béarnaise, broiled until golden. A French Quarter classic for the brave home cook.

Hazelnut pastry cream (creme patissiere) with scalded milk, eggs, flour, and hazelnut paste, lightened with whipped cream. A professional-grade filling for pastries.

This pie is super delicious and it is always a big hit at our family gathering dinner.

Homemade crescent rolls using a bread machine for the dough, then shaped, risen, and baked golden. Soft, buttery yeast rolls with a flaky crescent shape.

Buttery thumbprint cookies with brown sugar and vanilla, filled with a dot of raspberry jam. A diabetic-friendly treat that's ready in 30 minutes with just 7 simple ingredients.

Hungarian tarts with a cream cheese pastry shell and five filling options: almond, pecan, walnut, coconut, and farmer's cheese. A traditional holiday baking project.

Chocolate jimmy cake studded with chocolate sprinkles, flavored with cold coffee, and topped with a creamy vanilla frosting. A nostalgic New England bakery-style cake baked in a springform pan.

A 3 layered family classic. A layer of peanut butter filling, then a layer of cream filling topped with meringue. Total yummo for special occasions.