Recipe Sifter

Granny Smith applesauce tarts with golden hot-water pastry shells filled with honey-sweetened, lemon-brightened chunky applesauce. A lighter, old-fashioned dessert.

Fudgy brownies made with a full bag of melted chocolate chips, butter, and whole wheat flour. Six ingredients, 30 minutes, and intensely chocolatey in every bite.

They won't need refrigeration, and should stay fresh for several weeks or until the end of time.

Lemon cats' paw cookies piped from almond dough with lemon zest and vanilla, sandwiched and dipped in dark chocolate. An elegant bakery-style cookie worth the effort.

Lizzies are bourbon-soaked fruitcake cookies with golden raisins, candied cherries, citron, and pecans. A classic Southern holiday cookie that freezes beautifully.

London strips: layered cookie bars with a buttery shortbread base, strawberry jam filling, and a bourbon-walnut meringue topping dusted with powdered sugar.

Macadamia rum mousse pie folds dark rum, gelatin-set zabaglione, and toasted macadamia nuts into airy whipped cream over a buttery cinnamon-macadamia crumb crust. A dinner-party showpiece.

Melomakarona: traditional Greek Christmas cookies made with olive oil, orange zest, and semolina, soaked in honey syrup and topped with walnuts. Fragrant, syrup-drenched holiday staple.

Great and simple gift-idea! And the result tastes great as well.

Mudslide brownies spiked with Kahlua, Irish cream, and vodka, made with real unsweetened chocolate and walnuts. Finished with a Kahlua powdered sugar glaze.

Cream of mushroom soup with nearly two pounds of fresh mushrooms, dry sherry, thyme, milk, and heavy cream. Rich, chunky, and homemade in 40 minutes.

Orange biscotti with fresh orange zest, rum, and olive oil, rolled thin, cut into scalloped strips, and baked twice with a butter-sugar glaze. Crispy Italian cookies for dipping in coffee or dessert wine.

Pasticcio di Maccheroni, the Greek baked pasta casserole layered with spiced ground beef, macaroni, grated cheese, and a rich béchamel crown.

Peach and raspberry pie pairs juicy summer peaches with tart raspberries in a flaky double crust. The fruit juices are reduced to a syrup first, so the filling sets thick and glossy instead of runny.

Pizza on the grill with a homemade whole-wheat crust, creamy garlic-tomato sauce, and crumbled gorgonzola. Hot-grilled two-stage crust method delivers smoky char and crisp bottoms.

Rhubarb crunch with a buttery oat and brown sugar crumble topping baked over tart rhubarb. Simple, old-fashioned, and perfect for spring baking.