Recipe Sifter

Elegant layered chocolate mousse cake with praline rocher, rum syrup, and a glossy chocolate glaze. A showstopper French dessert.

Sour cream Christmas cut-out cookies with a tender, slightly tangy dough, finished with a buttery coffee frosting. Makes 6 dozen cookies. Chill dough overnight for clean edges when cutting shapes.

Banana chocolate marble cake swirls melted semi-sweet chocolate into a moist sour cream banana batter, finished with a glossy orange-scented chocolate ganache.

Elegant brazil nut torte with graham cracker cake layers split and filled with vanilla pudding cream. A two-day showpiece that's worth every minute of the wait.

Indulge in this creamy homemade trout pate terrine recipe with a rich crab sauce, ideal for beginners seeking "easy seafood appetizers for parties," "French-inspired fish terrine at home," or "gourmet trout mousse with crab reduction."

Oyster and brie soup, a luxurious New Orleans-style chowder with plump oysters, melted Brie cheese, and a champagne-sherry finish. Restaurant-elegant starter for celebration dinners.

Potage Parisienne is a classic French potato and leek soup thickened with a butter-flour roux and finished with heavy cream. Two pots merge into one velvety, elegant bowl.

Seared scallops in a white wine, cream, and lime butter sauce made with almond oil. Restaurant-quality pan sauce technique in 30 minutes flat.

Grandma Cottington's pumpkin pie is a heritage Thanksgiving classic: flaky butter-and-lard double crust, custardy pumpkin filling with cream, molasses, cinnamon, and allspice. Yields 2 pies.

A very moist bread. Pumpkin adds the moisture and great flavor into the bread, chocolate chips and walnuts give the extra layers of flavors and textures. A delicious bread is great at any occasion.

Pecan tarts with caramel sauce: flaky homemade pastry shells filled with a brown-butter pecan filling, baked golden, then drizzled with silky amber caramel. Individual holiday tartlets worth the effort.

Intensely rich chocolate silk mousse cake baked in a water bath with a pound of semi-sweet chocolate and a glossy ganache glaze. Make up to 3 days ahead. Serves 8.

Fresh gingerbread cake paired with whole pears poached in ruby port with ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla. Served with ginger-scented whipped cream for an elegant holiday dessert plate.

Spiced pumpkin cheesecake with a walnut graham crust and a buttery pecan praline topping. Thanksgiving-worthy dessert layered with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice.

Mixed berry cobbler with boysenberries, blueberries, and raspberries under a buttery cream biscuit topping. Baked until bubbling and golden, served warm with cream.

[Note: Bobby Flay, chef of NYC's Mesa Grill, prepared this dessert for a Meals on Wheels benefit meal at the Frontera Grill in Chicago